John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

So also here one must first soften and then pierce. And it is not anger that softens, nor harsh accusation, nor reproaches, but gentleness; for the former even increases the hardening, while the latter removes it. So if you wish to lay hold of someone who has done wrong, approach him with great meekness. See, at any rate, what he does here also; he gently reminded them of their own audacious deeds, and added nothing; he spoke of the gift of God, he brought forward the grace that bore witness to what had happened, and he carried the discourse still further. They were impressed by Peter’s gentleness, because he spoke to those who had crucified his Master and were breathing murder against them, in the manner of a caring father and teacher. They were not simply persuaded, but they condemned themselves; they came to a perception of what had been done. For he did not allow their anger to be aroused and to darken their minds; but through humility, as if scattering some mist of indignation, he thus showed what had been dared. For so it is, when we say that we have been wronged, they try to show that they have not done wrong; when we say that we have not been wronged, but rather have done wrong, they do the opposite. So if you wish to bring the wrongdoer into a contest, do not accuse him, but make yourself the accused, and he will accuse. For the race of men is contentious. This is what Peter did. He did not accuse them harshly, but even tried, as it were, to make himself the accused, mildly, as far as possible; for this reason he reached their soul.

And how is it clear that they were pierced to the heart? From their own words. For what do they say? "What shall we do, men and brethren?" Those whom they used to call deceivers, they now call brethren. Not so much putting themselves on an equal footing, as drawing them to affection and care.

And besides, since they themselves saw fit to call them this, and say, "What shall we do?" they did not say at once, "So we repent;" but they entrusted themselves to them. Just as one who has been in a shipwreck or an illness, upon seeing the pilot or the physician, yields and obeys him in all things; so also these confessed that they were in the utmost straits, and had not even a hope of salvation.

And see. They did not say, "How can we be saved?" but, "What shall we do?" What then does Peter do? Again here, when all were asked, he answers, saying, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ." And he does not yet say, "Believe," but, "Let each one of you be baptized." For this they received in baptism. Then he shows also the gain: "For the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

If you are to receive a gift, if baptism has remission, why do you delay? Then, making the word persuasive, he added, "For the promise is to you." 60.64 He speaks of this here too, which he also spoke of when discoursing above. "And to your children," he says. Therefore the gift is greater, when they also have heirs of the good things. "And to all," he says, "that are afar off." If to those "afar off," much more to you who are near. "As many as the Lord our God shall call."

See when he says, "To those afar off." When he found them reconciled and condemning themselves; for when a soul condemns itself, it can no longer be envious. And with many other words he testified and exhorted, saying. See how he is everywhere concise, and not ambitious, nor making a display, "He testified," it says, "and exhorted, saying."

This is a complete teaching, having one part of fear, the other of love. "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." He says nothing about future things, but about present ones, by which people are especially drawn; and he shows that the preaching delivers from both present and future evils. So then, those who gladly received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

How do you think this revived the apostles more than the sign? And they were continuing steadfastly with one accord in the teaching of the apostles and in the fellowship. Two virtues: both to persevere, and to be of one accord. And he says this to show that they taught them for a long time. And in the fellowship, and

δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πρότερον δεῖ μαλάξαι καὶ τότε νύξαι. Μαλάττει δὲ, οὐ θυμὸς, οὐδὲ κατηγορία σφοδρὰ, οὐδὲ ὀνείδη, ἀλλ' ἐπιείκεια· ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐπιτείνει τὴν πώρωσιν, αὕτη δὲ ἀναιρεῖ. Ὥστε ἂν ἐθέλῃς καθάψασθαί τινος ἠδικηκότος, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς πραότητος αὐτῷ προσφέρου. Ὅρα γοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τί ποιεῖ· ἀνέμνησεν αὐτοὺς τῶν οἰκείων τολμημάτων πράως, καὶ οὐδὲν προσέθηκεν· εἶπε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δωρεὰν, ἐπήγαγε τὴν χάριν μαρτυροῦσαν τοῖς γεγενημένοις, καὶ ἔτι περαιτέρω τὸν λόγον ἐξήγαγεν. Ἠδέσθησαν τοῦ Πέτρου τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, ὅτι τοῖς τὸν ∆εσπότην αὐτοῦ σταυρώσασι καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν φονῶσιν, ἐν τάξει πατρὸς καὶ διδασκάλου κηδεμονικοῦ διελέγετο. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπείσθησαν, ἀλλὰ κατέγνωσαν ἑαυτῶν· ἦλθον εἰς αἴσθησιν τῶν γεγενημένων Οὐ γὰρ ἀφῆκεν αὐτοῖς ἀρθῆναι τὸν θυμὸν, καὶ ἐπισκοτῆσαι τῇ διανοίᾳ· ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης ὥσπερ τινὰ σκεδάσας ἀχλὺν τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν, οὕτως ἔδειξε τὸ τετολμημένον. Καὶ γὰρ οὕτως ἔχει, ὅταν εἴπωμεν ἡμεῖς, ὅτι ἠδικήμεθα, ἐκεῖνοι πειρῶνται δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἠδικήκασιν· ὅταν εἴπωμεν ἡμεῖς, ὅτι οὐκ ἠδικήμεθα, ἀλλ' ἠδικήκαμεν μᾶλλον, ἐκεῖνοι τὸ ἐναντίον ποιοῦσιν. Ὥστε εἰ βούλει τὸν ἠδικηκότα εἰς ἀγῶνα ἐμβαλεῖν, μὴ κατηγορήσῃς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀγώνισαι, κἀκεῖνος κατηγορήσει. Φιλόνεικον γάρ ἐστι τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τοῦτο ὁ Πέτρος ἐποίησεν. Οὐ κατηγόρησεν αὐτῶν σφοδρῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπειράθη σχεδὸν ἀγωνίσασθαι ἡμέρως κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν· διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῶν καθίκεται τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, ὅτι κατενύγησαν; Ἀπὸ τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῶν. Τί γάρ φασι; Τί ποιήσωμεν, ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί; Οὓς πλάνους ἐκάλουν, ἀδελφοὺς νῦν καλοῦσιν. Οὐχὶ τοσοῦτον ἑαυτοὺς παρεξισάζοντες, ὅσον εἰς φιλοστοργίαν ἐπισπώμενοι καὶ κηδεμονίαν. Ἄλλως δὲ, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοὶ κατηξίωσαν τοῦτο καλέσαι αὐτοὺς, καί φασι, Τί ποιήσωμεν; οὐκ εἶπον εὐθέως· Οὐκοῦν μετανοῶμεν· ἀλλ' ἐπέτρεψαν ἑαυτοὺς αὐτοῖς. Καθάπερ ἐν ναυαγίῳ τις γενόμενος ἢ ἐν νόσῳ, τὸν κυβερνήτην ἰδὼν ἢ τὸν ἰατρὸν, πάντα αὐτῷ παραχωρεῖ τε καὶ πείθεται· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι ὡμολογήκασιν ἐν ἐσχάτοις ὄντας ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας ἔχοντας. Καὶ ὅρα. Οὐκ εἶπον· Πῶς σωθῶμεν; ἀλλὰ, Τί ποιήσωμεν; Τί οὖν ὁ Πέτρος; Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα πάντων ἐρωτηθέντων, ἐκεῖνος ἀποκρίνεται, Μετανοήσατε, λέγων, καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ οὔπω λέγει, ὅτι Πιστεύσατε· ἀλλὰ, Βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι παρέλαβον. Εἶτα δείκνυσι καὶ τὸ κέρδος· Εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν· καὶ λήψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Εἰ δωρεὰν λήψεσθε, εἰ ἄφεσιν ἔχει τὸ βάπτισμα, τί μέλλετε; Εἶτα πιθανὸν τὸν λόγον ποιῶν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὑμῖν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπαγγελία. 60.64 Ταύτην καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγει, ἣν εἶπε καὶ ἄνω διαλεγόμενος. Καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, φησί. Οὐκοῦν μείζων ἡ δωρεὰ, ὅταν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κληρονόμους ἔχωσι. Καὶ πᾶσι, φησὶ, τοῖς εἰς μακράν. Εἰ Τοῖς εἰς μακρὰν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐγγύς. Ὅσους ἂν προσκαλέσηται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Ὅρα πότε λέγει, Τοῖς εἰς μακράν. Ὅτε αὐτοὺς εὗρεν ᾠκειωμένους καὶ κατεγνωκότας ἑαυτῶν· ψυχὴ γὰρ ὅταν ἑαυτὴν καταδικάσῃ, οὐκέτι φθονεῖν δύναται. Ἑτέροις τε λόγοις πλείοσι διεμαρτύρατο καὶ παρεκάλει, λέγων. Ὅρα αὐτὸν πανταχοῦ ἐπιτέμνοντα, καὶ οὐ φιλοτιμούμενον, οὐδὲ ἐπιδεικτιῶντα, ∆ιεμαρτύρατο, φησὶ, καὶ παρεκάλει, λέγων. Ἀπηρτισμένη αὕτη διδασκαλία, τὸ μὲν φόβου, τὸ δὲ ἀγάπης ἔχουσα. Σώθητε ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς σκολιᾶς ταύτης. Οὐδὲν περὶ μελλόντων φησὶν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν παρόντων, οἷς καὶ μάλιστα ἐνάγονται ἄνθρωποι· καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι τὸ κήρυγμα καὶ τῶν παρόντων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀπαλλάττει κακῶν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀσμένως ἀποδεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, ἐβαπτίσθησαν· καὶ προσετέθησαν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ψυχαὶ ὡσεὶ τρισχίλιαι. Πῶς οἴει τοῦτο τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἀνακτήσασθαι μᾶλλον τοῦ σημείου; Ἦσαν δὲ προσκαρτεροῦντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ. ∆ύο ἀρεταὶ, καὶ τὸ προσκαρτερεῖν, καὶ τὸ ὁμοθυμαδόν. Τοῦτο δέ φησι, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι πολὺν χρόνον αὐτοὺς ἐδίδασκον. Καὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ, καὶ