Asterius of Amasea, Homilies

terribly perplexed, but that I might say something more corporeal about the aerial spirit, imitating a prophetic word, like one carrying his face as kindling for a pot, and achieving the opposite of what he expected, and through the means by which he thought to diminish the Christians, through them increasing the list of martyrs. 12.11.1 And what of the sacred Paul? For he too was one of the murderers, a true Benjamin, a ravenous wolf. For even if he himself did not throw stones, yet he guarded the garments of those who were stoning and served a people of executioners. But after a little while I shall see you, who are now vigorous and breathing savage rage, being led by the hand like some weak old woman, when you are about to be led to Ananias, having tasted the truth. 12.11.2 And I will laugh very sweetly when I hear you recounting your afflictions for the sake of the gospel and saying among your other perils: "Once I was stoned." For you must make amends for the stones by stones and by suffering the same thing, absolve the charge of your sin. 12.12.1 But it is right not to leave Stephen's vision unexamined; for the God of all, always providing for what comes next, preventatively prepares the remedy for the sins about to arise in the life of men, which indeed he has also done here. For if the theophanies were accomplished only for the benefit of the combatant, it would have been sufficient for a voice to come from heaven, as before at the baptism, or in later times at the transfiguration, or also as in the case of this Paul, when he was traveling to Damascus. 12.12.2 But now, because the evil from Libya, Sabellius, was about to spring up against the churches of God and to introduce into life the impious confusion of the hypostases, for this reason God, as if cutting off the future event in advance and securing beforehand the souls of those to come, shows himself to Stephen in his own and perfect glory, and also shows the Son in a distinct person, and places him at his own right hand, so that by the clear distinction of the persons he might interpret the hypostases. 12.13.1 And perhaps someone will say: "You have philosophized thus about the Father and the Son, but where is the Holy Spirit? For if the Father appeared from heaven with the Son for the sake of security in the faith, the Holy Spirit should also have been present, so that a practical mystagogy might be accomplished for men through the vision." It is necessary, therefore, to say to the one who suggests this thought to us, that, "O most wise one, the examiner of the readings must have both a correct mind and a strong memory, so that he may be able to grasp all that has been written." 12.13.2 For if you seek the presence of the Spirit, go a little before the stones and the murder and you will find the Spirit spoken of before the vision, present with Stephen and preparing the athlete. For immediately at the beginning of the narrative, it proclaimed this statement to us: "Stephen, full of grace and truth and power, was performing great signs and wonders among the people. But some rose up from the synagogue of the so-called Freedmen and Cyrenians and Alexandrians and of those from Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen, and they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke." 12.13.3 Behold, therefore, the account has also clearly set before us the person of the Spirit. And if this was written first, and the Father and the Son last, the change of order in no way harms the faith. For it is customary for Scripture to do this: sometimes naming the Son alone, sometimes the Spirit with the Son, or also beginning from the Father and ending with the Spirit; and the reverse, the beginning being from the Spirit, proceeding in the discourse through the Son to the Father. 12.13.4 And it is possible to see this characteristic of its custom occurring without strict observance of order, especially in the great Paul. And the debt to Stephen has been paid by us; if one looks at the magnitude, not sufficiently, but if to

ἠπορημένος δεινῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τι καὶ σωματικώτερον εἴπω περὶ τοῦ ἐναερίου πνεύματος λόγον προφητικὸν μιμησάμενος, ὡς πρόσκαυμα χύτρας φέρων τὸ πρόσω πον καὶ τοὐναντίον ἢ προσεδόκα κατορθώσας καὶ δι' ὧν ἐνομίζεν χριστιανοὺς ἐλαττοῦν, δι' ἐκείνων πληθύνας τὸν τῶν μαρτύρων κατάλογον. 12.11.1 Τί δὲ καὶ πρὸς Παῦλον τὸν ἱερόν; Εἷς γὰρ ἦν καὶ οὗτος τῶν φονευτῶν, ἀληθὴς Βενιαμὶν λύκος ἅρπαξ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς μὴ ἐλίθαζεν, ἀλλ' ἐτήρει τὴν τῶν λιθαζόντων ἐσθῆτα καὶ ὑπηρέτει δήμου δημίου. Πλὴν ὅψομαί σε μετὰ μικρὸν τὸν σφριγῶντα νῦν καὶ θυμὸν ἄγριον πνέοντα ὥσπερ τινὰ γραῦν ἀσθενῆ χειραγωγούμενον, ὅταν μέλλῃς ἄγεσθαι πρὸς τὸν Ἀνανίαν τῆς ἀληθείας γευσάμενος. 12.11.2 Ἡδὺ δὲ σφόδρα γελάσομαι, ὅταν ἀκούσω σου τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου θλίψεις ἐξηγουμένου καὶ μεταξὺ τῶν ἄλλων κινδύνων λέγοντος· Ἅπαξ ἐλιθάσθην. Χρὴ γάρ σε διὰ λίθων ὑπὲρ τῶν λίθων ἀπολογήσασθαι καὶ τῷ ταὐτοπάθει λῦσαι τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸ ἔγκλημα. 12.12.1 Ἄξιον δὲ μηδὲ τὴν ὀπτασίαν καταλείπειν τοῦ Στεφάνου ἀνεξέ ταστον· ἀεὶ γὰρ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τοῦ ἑξῆς προμηθούμενος τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιγίνεσθαι τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτημάτων προφυλακτικῶς προ κατασκευάζει τὴν θεραπείαν, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκεν. Εἰ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον τοῦ ἀγωνιστοῦ μόνον ἐτελεῖτο τὰ θεοφάνεια, ἤρκει καὶ φωνὴν γενέσθαι ἐξ οὐρανῶν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος πρότερον ἢ χρόνοις ὕστερον ἐπὶ τῆς μεταμορφώσεως ἢ καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ Παύλου τούτου, ἡνίκα τὴν ἐπὶ ∆αμασκὸν ἐπορεύετο. 12.12.2 Νυνὶ δὲ διὰ τὸ μέλλειν τὸ ἐκ Λιβύης κακὸν τὸν Σαβέλλιον ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐπιφύεσθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν κακόδοξον τῶν ὑποστάσεων σύγχυσιν εἰς τὸν βίον εἰσάγειν, τούτου χάριν ὁ Θεὸς ὥσπερ προανα κόπτων τὸ μέλλον καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν εἰς ὕστερον προασφαλιζόμενος δείκνυσι μὲν ἑαυτὸν τῷ Στεφάνῳ ἐν ἰδίᾳ καὶ αὐτοτελεῖ δόξῃ, δείκνυσι δὲ καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἐν ἀπηρτισμένῳ προσώπῳ, ἵστησι δὲ αὐτὸν ἐκ δεξίων ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα τῇ διευκρινήσει τῶν προσώπων ἑρμηνεύσῃ τὰς ὑποστάσεις. 12.13.1 Καὶ τυχὸν ἐρεῖ τις· Τὰ μὲν περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ οὕτω σοι πεφιλοσόφηται, ποῦ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; Εἰ γὰρ τῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκεν οὐρανόθεν ὁ Πατὴρ μετὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐπεφαίνετο, ἐχρῆν συμπαρεῖναι καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἵνα πρακτική τις μυσταγωγία τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐτελέσθη διὰ τῆς ὀπτασίας. Εἰπεῖν τοίνυν ἀναγκαῖον πρὸς τὸν ταύτην ἡμῖν ἀνθυποφέροντα τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅτι Ὦ σοφώτατε, χρὴ τὸν τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων βασανιστὴν ὀρθήν τε ὁμοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχειν καὶ τὸ μνημονικὸν ἐρρωμένον, ἵν' οὕτως δυνηθῇ πάντων ὁμοῦ περιδράσσεσθαι τῶν γεγραμμένων. 12.13.2 Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ζητεῖς τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος παρουσίαν, μικρὸν ἀνωτέρω τῶν λίθων καὶ τῆς μιαιφονίας γενοῦ καὶ εὑρήσεις πρὸ τῆς ὀπτασίας τὸ Πνεῦμα λαλούμενον καὶ συμπαρὸν Στεφάνῳ καὶ προκαταρτίζον τὸν ἀθλητήν. Εὐθέως γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ διηγήματος ταύτην ἡμῖν προανεφώνησε τὴν φωνήν· Στέφανος πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ δυνάμεως ἐποίει σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα μεγάλα ἐν τῷ λαῷ. Ἀνέστησαν δέ τινες ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τῆς λεγομένης Λιβερτίνων καὶ Κυρηναίων καὶ Ἀλεξανδρέων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Κιλικίας καὶ Ἀσίας συζητοῦντες τῷ Στεφάνῳ καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ᾧ ἐλάλει. 12.13.3 Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡμῖν πρόσωπον εὐκρινῶς ὁ λόγος ὑπέστησεν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο πρότερον γέγραπται, τελευταῖον δὲ ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ ὁ Υἱός, οὐδὲν ἡ τῆς τάξεως ἀπαλλαγὴ τῇ πίστει λυμαίνεται. Σύνηθες γὰρ τοῦτο ποιεῖν τῇ Γραφῇ· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ὀνομάζειν τὸν Υἱὸν μόνον, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα σὺν τῷ Υἱῷ, ἢ καὶ ἄρχεσθαι μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός, καταλήγειν δὲ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα· καὶ τὸ ἀνάπαλιν τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύ ματος γινομένης διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τῷ λόγῳ ἐπὶ τὸν Πατέρα ὁδεύειν. 12.13.4 Καὶ τοῦτο τὸ τῆς συνηθείας ἰδίωμα μάλιστα παρὰ τῷ μεγάλῳ Παύλῳ ἀπα ραφυλάκτως γινόμενον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Πεπλήρωται δὲ παρ' ἡμῖν καὶ τῷ Στεφάνῳ τὸ χρέος· εἰ μὲν πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος βλέπων τις οὐχ ἱκανῶς, εἰ δὲ πρὸς