Hesychius of Jerusalem, Homily 1 on Holy Pascha

Homilia i in sanctum pascha (homilia 3) (e cod. Sinaitico gr. 492)

Of the blessed Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, on the holy Pascha

1 The heaven is bright, illuminated by the choir of the stars, and all things are brighter when the morning star rises, but the present state of the night is not so much illumined by stars as it now rejoices because our God and Savior has been victorious; for "Take heart," he says, "I have overcome the world"; and since God has conquered the invisible enemy, it is fitting that we too shall bear away the victory over the demons. Let us remain, therefore, with the saving cross, so that we may carry off the first-fruits of Jesus' gifts. Let us celebrate this sacred night with sacred torches, raising an inspired melody and singing a heavenly hymn. "The sun of righteousness," our Lord Jesus Christ, has also illuminated the present day for the circle of the inhabited world; through the cross he has risen, he has saved the faithful.

2 Let no one, therefore, disbelieve the symbols of the cross, but let him worship the blessed and thrice-blessed wood of the cross, and the symbols of the cross of him who opened the gates of heaven for us. No longer do they "light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket" — by bushel basket I mean the Law — "but on the lampstand" — by lamp I mean the Word. For the Word was under the Law and was hidden from the unbelievers as if under the bushel basket. But when he came upon the cross and was placed upon the lampstand, then he shone upon the circle of the inhabited world.

3 Behold for me, beloved, the ruling city of Rome, priding itself on the symbols of the cross in the midst of the marketplace. Behold for me Paul, writing immortal epistles and recording himself as a servant of the cross; he was not ashamed of the cross, the stumbling block of the Jews; he drew the folly of the nations to the protection of wisdom; in the wood of the cross he raised up the churches of the inhabited world. One rod of Moses drove away the plagues of the Egyptians, but a rod related to the wood of the cross puts an end to the sins of men. There Pharaoh is drowned while pursuing Israel, but here the devil is destroyed, and the worshippers of the Savior are saved. There Adam, by stretching out his hands, brought death upon us, but our Master, by the stretching out of his hands, saved all things.

4 But O wood more magnificent than heaven and surpassing the celestial vaults, O thrice-blessed wood ferrying our souls to heaven, O wood that procured salvation for the world and drove out the diabolical army, O wood that launched a thief into paradise and made him dance with Christ; "Amen, amen, for I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." Let us imitate the good disposition of the murderer, or rather, of the spirit-bearer because of his subsequent faith. For what does he say? - "Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom." And with a single assent of faith he inhabits paradise and roams the heavens. "For Amen I say to you," he says, "today you will be with me in paradise." Let us too remain with the Savior's cross, saying these very words: "Lord, remember me in your kingdom," so that we too may become partakers of paradise and enjoy the kingdom of the heavens.

5 A victory celebration is the present festival, brothers, a victory celebration of the all-king, the son of God. For today the devil was defeated through the crucified one, and our race rejoices through the risen one. For this day cries out at my resurrection and says: "In my course I saw a new sight, a tomb being opened and a man

Homilia i in sanctum pascha (homilia 3) (e cod. Sinaitico gr. 492)

Τοῦ μακαρίου Ἡσυχίου, πρεσβυτέρου Ἱεροσολύμων, εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πάσχα

1 Φαιδρὸς ὁ οὐρανὸς τῇ τῶν ἄστρων χορείᾳ καταλαμπόμε νος, φαιδρότερα δὲ τὰ σύμπαντα ἑωσφόρου ἀνατέλλοντος, ἀλλ' ἡ παροῦσα τῆς νυκτὸς κατάστασις οὐ τοσοῦτον ἄστροις καταυ γάζεται ὁπόσον νῦν ἀγάλλεται τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν νε νικηκότος· «Θαρσεῖτε» γάρ, φησίν, «ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κό σμον»· θεοῦ δὲ νικήσαντος τὸν ἀόρατον πολέμιον, εἰκότως καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν κατὰ δαιμόνων νίκην ἀποισόμεθα. Παραμείνωμεν τοί νυν τῷ σωτηριώδει σταυρῷ, ἵνα τὰς πρώτας ἀπαρχὰς τῶν Ἰησοῦ δώρων ἀπενεγκώμεθα. Τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην νύκτα δᾳ δουχίαις ἱεραῖς πανηγυρίσωμεν, μέλος ἔνθεον ἐγείροντες καὶ ὕ μνον οὐράνιον ἐξᾴδοντες. «Ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος», ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμέραν τῷ κύκλῳ τῆς οἰκουμένης κατεφώτισεν, διὰ σταυροῦ ἀνέτειλεν, τοὺς πιστοὺς διέσωσεν.

2 Μή τις τοίνυν ἀπιστείτω τοῖς τοῦ σταυροῦ συμβόλοις, ἀλλὰ τὸ μακάριον καὶ τρισμακάριον ξύλον τοῦ σταυροῦ προσκυνείτω, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ σταυροῦ συμβόλοις τοῦ θύρας οὐρανοῦ ἡμῖν ἀνοί ξαντος. Οὐκέτι «καίουσι λύχνον καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον τιθέασιν», μόδιον δέ φημι τὸν Νόμον, «ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν», λύχνον δὲ τὸν Λόγον· ὑπὸ τὸν Νόμον δὲ ἐτύγχανεν καὶ ἐκρύπτετο τοῖς ἀπίστοις ὁ Λόγος ὡς ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον· ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ σταυροῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν ἐτέθη, τότε τῷ τῆς οἰκουμένης κύκλῳ κατέ λαμψεν.

3 Ἰδέ μοι, ἀγαπητέ, τὴν βασιλεύουσαν Ῥώμην σταυροῦ συμ-βόλοις ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς σεμνυνομένην. Ἰδέ μοι Παῦλον ἀθα νάτους ἐπιστολὰς συγγραφόμενον καὶ δοῦλον τοῦ σταυροῦ ἑαυ τὸν καταγράψαντα· οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνθη τὸν σταυρόν, τὸ σκάν δαλον τῶν Ἰουδαίων· τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν μω ρίαν σοφίας ἐπεσπάσατο φυλακτήριον· ἐν σταυροῦ ξύλῳ τὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκκλησίας διήγειρεν. Μία ῥάβδος μωσαϊκὴ τὰς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων μάστιγας ἀπήλασεν, ῥάβδος δὲ συγ γενείᾳ πρὸς τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον παύει τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁ μαρτήματα. Ἐκεῖ Φαραὼ καταποντοῦται τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καταδιώκων, ἐνταῦθα δὲ διάβολος καταλύεται, οἱ δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος προσκυνηταὶ σῴζονται. Ἐκεῖ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτεί νας ὁ Ἀδὰμ θάνατον ἡμῖν ἐπεσπάσατο, ὁ δὲ ἡμέτερος δεσπότης τῇ τῶν χειρῶν ἐκτάσει τὰ πάντα διέσωσεν.

4 Ἀλλ' ὦ ξύλον μεγαλοπρεπέστερον οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὰς οὐρα νίους ἁψῖδας ὑπερβάλλον, ὦ ξύλον τρισμακάριστον τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχὰς διαπορθμεῦον εἰς οὐρανόν, ὦ ξύλον τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν σωτηρίαν πορισάμενον καὶ στρατὸν διαβολικὸν ἐκδιῶξαν, ὦ ξύλον λῃστὴν εἰς παράδεισον ἀκοντίσαν καὶ μετὰ Χριστοῦ χορεύειν πεποιηκός· «Ἀμήν, ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω σοι ὅτι σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ.» Μιμησώμεθα τοῦ ἀνδροφόνου τὴν ἀγαθὴν γνώμην, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ πνευματοφόρου διὰ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα πίστιν. Τί γὰρ καί φησιν; - «Μνήσθητί μου, κύριε, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.» Καὶ ἐν μιᾷ συγκαταθέσει πίστεως παράδεισον οἰκεῖ καὶ οὐρανοὺς περιπολεῖ. «Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω σοι, φησίν, σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ.» Παραμείνωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῷ τοῦ σωτῆρος σταυρῷ, λέγοντες αὐτὰς τὰς φωνάς· «Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου», ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῦ παραδείσου μέτοχοι γενώμεθα καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν.

5 Νικητήριον ἡ παροῦσα πανήγυρις, ἀδελφοί, νικητήριον τοῦ παμβασιλέως υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. Σήμερον γὰρ ὁ διάβολος διὰ τὸν σταυρωθέντα ἡττήθη, τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον γένος εὐφραίνεται διὰ τὸν ἀναστάντα. Βοᾷ γὰρ ἡ σήμερον ἡμέρα τῇ ἐγέρσει μου καὶ λέγει· «Ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ δρόμῳ εἶδον θέαμα καινόν, μνημεῖον ἀνοιγόμενον καὶ ἄνθρωπον