John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

they believed. So it also happened in the case of the ancients, for example, in the case of Nebuchadnezzar; he saw the young men praising God in the furnace, and then he was brought to astonishment. It was necessary, therefore, to ask these men first, How did you get out? But they, as if nothing had happened, ask them, saying, Did we not strictly command you not to receive? And see how they learn everything through others. For they see the prison shut with all security, and the guards standing before the doors. But when they heard, they entered into the temple about daybreak and taught. Then came the high priest and they that were with him, and they called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison; and returning 60.106 they reported, saying that, We found the prison indeed shut with all security, and the guards standing before the doors; but when we had opened, we found no one inside. The security was twofold, just as at the tomb, both the seal and the men. See how they were fighters against God. Were these things that happened to them human, tell me? Who brought them out when the doors were shut? how did they get out when the guards were standing before the doors? Truly, these are the words of men who are mad and drunk. They expected to overcome those whom a prison, and bonds, and closed doors could not hold, suffering the fate of foolish children. For this reason, at least, their officers come and confess what had happened, so as to cut off from them every pretext. Do you see signs upon various signs, some done by them, and others done to them, which were also more glorious? It was well that it was not announced to them immediately, but first when they were in perplexity, so that after considering it to be a divine power, they might thus learn everything. And when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, as to what this might become. Then came one and told them, Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then the captain went with the officers and brought them, but not with violence; for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. O the folly! They feared the crowd, he says. For what good did the crowd do them? They ought to have feared God, who was always snatching them like birds from their hands; but they fear the crowd more. And the high priest asked them, saying, Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And, behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. What then did the apostles do? Again they reason with them with gentleness; and yet they could have said, For who are you, to set yourselves against God? But what? Again, in the manner of exhortation and counsel, and with much gentleness, they answer. Then Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men. Great is their wisdom and of such a kind, that from this they show that they themselves are also fighting against God. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Whom you killed, he says, God raised. And see, they again attribute everything to the Father, so that he might not seem to be alien to the Father. And He exalted, he says, with His right hand. This signifies not simply the resurrection alone, but also the exaltation, that is, the ascension. To give repentance to Israel. 60.107 2. See again the gain and in the form of a defense, a complete teaching. And we are his witnesses of these words. Great is the boldness. Then, making the word credible, he added, And the Holy Spirit also, whom God has given to those who obey him. Do you see how they use not only their own testimony, but also that of the Spirit? And they did not say, Whom He has given to us, but, To those who obey; at the same time being moderate, and at the same time making it a great thing

ἐπίστευσαν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν παλαιῶν γέγονεν, οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ· εἶδεν αἰνοῦντας τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τῆς καμίνου τοὺς παῖδας, καὶ τότε εἰς ἔκπληξιν ἦλθε. ∆έον τοίνυν καὶ τούτους ἐρωτῆσαι πρῶτον, Πῶς ἐξήλθετε, οἱ δὲ ὡς οὐδενὸς γενομένου ἐρωτῶσι λέγοντες· Οὐχὶ παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν ὑμῖν μὴ λαβεῖν; Καὶ ὅρα, πῶς δι' ἑτέρων μανθάνουσιν ἅπαντα. Ὁρῶσι γὰρ κεκλεισμένην τὴν φυλακὴν μετὰ ἀσφαλείας, καὶ τοὺς φύλακας ἑστῶτας πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ, εἰσῆλθον ὑπὸ τὸν ὄρθρον εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἐδίδασκον. Παραγενόμενος δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, συνεκάλεσαν τὸ συνέδριον, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γερουσίαν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἀπέστειλαν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀχθῆναι αὐτούς. Παραγενόμενοι δὲ οἱ ὑπηρέται οὐχ εὗρον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ· ἀναστρέψαντες 60.106 δὲ ἀπήγγειλαν, λέγοντες, ὅτι τὸ μὲν δεσμωτήριον εὕρομεν κεκλεισμένον ἐν πάσῃ ἀσφαλείᾳ, καὶ τοὺς φύλακας ἑστῶτας πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν· ἀνοίξαντες δὲ ἔσω οὐδένα εὕρομεν. ∆ιπλῆ ἡ ἀσφάλεια ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ τάφου, καὶ ἡ σφραγὶς καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Ὅρα, πῶς ἦσαν θεομάχοι. Ταῦτα ἀνθρώπινα, εἰπέ μοι, τὰ ἐπ' αὐτῶν γενόμενα; Τίς αὐτοὺς ἐξήγαγε τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων; πῶς ἐξῆλθον τῶν φυλάκων πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἑστώτων; Ὄντως μαινομένων καὶ μεθυόντων τὰ ῥήματα. Οὓς οὐ κατέσχε φυλακὴ, καὶ δεσμὰ, καὶ θύραι κεκλεισμέναι, τούτων προσεδόκησαν περιέσεσθαι, παίδων ἀνοήτων πρᾶγμα παθόντες. Οἱ ὑπηρέται γοῦν αὐτῶν διὰ τοῦτο παραγίνονται, καὶ ὁμολογοῦσι τὸ γεγονὸς, ἵνα πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς ἀποκλείσωσι πρόφασιν. Ὁρᾷς σημεῖα ἐπὶ σημείοις διάφορα, τὰ μὲν ὑπ' αὐτῶν, τὰ δὲ εἰς αὐτοὺς γενόμενα, ἃ καὶ λαμπρότερα ἦν; Καλῶς οὐδὲ εὐθέως αὐτοῖς ἐμηνύθη, ἀλλὰ πρότερον ἐν ἀπορίᾳ γεγονόσιν, ἵνα διασκεψάμενοι θείαν εἶναι δύναμιν, οὕτω μάθωσιν ἅπαντα. Ὡς δὲ ἤκουσαν τοὺς λόγους τούτους ὅ τε ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, διηπόρουν περὶ αὐτῶν τί ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτο. Παραγενόμενος δέ τις ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ ἄνδρες, οὓς ἔθεσθε ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ, εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἑστῶτες καὶ διδάσκοντες τὸν λαόν. Τότε ἀπελθὼν ὁ στρατηγὸς σὺν τοῖς ὑπηρέταις, ἤγαγεν αὐτοὺς οὐ μετὰ βίας· ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ τὸν λαὸν, ἵνα μὴ λιθασθῶσιν. Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! Ἐφοβοῦντο, φησὶ, τὸν ὄχλον. Τί γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὁ ὄχλος ὠφέλει; ∆έον τὸν Θεὸν φοβηθῆναι τὸν καθάπερ πτηνοὺς ἀεὶ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοὺς ἐξαρπάζοντα τῶν ἐκείνων· οἱ δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν ὄχλον φοβοῦνται. Ὁ δὲ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς, λέγων· Οὐχὶ παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν ὑμῖν μὴ διδάσκειν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ; Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπληρώσατε τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῆς διδαχῆς ὑμῶν, καὶ βούλεσθε ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου. Τί οὖν οἱ ἀπόστολοι; Πάλιν μετ' ἐπιεικείας αὐτοῖς διαλέγονται· καίτοι γε ἐνῆν εἰπεῖν· Τίνες γάρ ἐστε ὑμεῖς ἀντιδιαταττόμενοι τῷ Θεῷ; Ἀλλὰ τί; Πάλιν ἐν τάξει παραινέσεως καὶ συμβουλῆς, καὶ μετὰ ἐπιεικείας πολλῆς ἀποκρίνονται. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Πέτρος καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι εἶπον· Πειθαρχεῖν δεῖ Θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώποις. Πολλὴ ἡ φιλοσοφία καὶ τοιαύτη, ὅτι ἐντεῦθεν δεικνύουσι καὶ αὐτοὺς μαχομένους τῷ Θεῷ. Ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἤγειρεν Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ὑμεῖς διεχειρίσασθε κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου. Τοῦτον ὁ Θεὸς ἀρχηγὸν καὶ Σωτῆρα ὕψωσε τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, δοῦναι μετάνοιαν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Ὃν ὑμεῖς ἀνείλετε, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς ἤγειρε. Καὶ ὅρα, τῷ Πατρὶ τὸ πᾶν πάλιν ἀνατιθέασιν, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἀλλότριος εἶναι τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ ὕψωσε, φησὶ, τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦτο μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ὕψωσιν, τουτέστι, τὴν ἀνάληψιν, δηλοῖ. Τοῦ δοῦναι μετάνοιαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. 60.107 βʹ. Ὅρα πάλιν τὸ κέρδος καὶ ἐν τάξει ἀπολογίας διδασκαλίαν ἀπηρτισμένην. Καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν αὐτοῦ μάρτυρες τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων. Πολλὴ ἡ παῤῥησία. Εἶτα ἀξιόπιστον [λοιπὸν] τὸν λόγον ποιῶν, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα δὲ τὸ ἅγιον, ὃ ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς πειθαρχοῦσιν αὐτῷ. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς οὐχὶ μόνον τῇ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος μαρτυρίᾳ κέχρηνται; Καὶ οὐκ εἶπον, Ὃ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ, Τοῖς πειθομένοις· ἅμα μὲν μετριάζοντες, ἅμα δὲ μέγα αὐτὸ