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On Saints Peter and Paul (homily 13)

Of Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, an encomium on the holy apostles Peter and Paul.

1 The rose is beautiful, offering its fragrance in the spring season, but if it is entwined with the lily, it rightly becomes more fragrant; for perfume is mixed with perfume, and from this a double enjoyment of fragrance comes to be. Peter is brilliant in himself, and most brilliant of the brilliant, as the leader of the apostolic pair, as the eye of the discipleship, as a reminder of zeal and the face of faith, as the trumpet of the mystery, as a tongue that also taught many tongues, as a blameless shepherd, as a sleepless pilot, as an unerring charioteer, as an apothecary who prepared the lasting eye-salve of repentance, as a fisherman of the sea whose fish are caught for heaven—whose dragnet has miracles for its flax, sufferings for its bait, the cross for its hook, and the resurrection for its bosom—as the keeper of the keys of the treasury, in which the Father has his treasures, the Son his bridal chambers, the Spirit his table, the angels their choirs.

2 But with Paul added, the wall is twofold and unable to be taken, a two-mouthed spring tirelessly watering the whole earth, a two-faced lake by which every sailing vessel is saved. A turtledove speaks with a swallow, a dove utters its voice with a cicada, a flute together with a pipe sing a holy and gentle melody. «A young man with a holy man, and their way is straight,» as the wise one proclaimed in Proverbs. A lamb and a wolf graze together, and the shepherd is glorified, and the wonders of the wonder-worker are crowned. A bull and a lion feed in one pasture, and he who strengthened the bull and bridled the lion reaps the praises. Was not Paul a lion when he was Saul, since, breathing murder, he scattered the flock, terrified the shepherds, raged within Jerusalem, and dismayed the cities, threw the marketplaces into confusion, and made the fields uninhabited, «dragging men and women to prison» he did not cease from binding, except he was overcome by the endurance of the men and was weaker than the courage of the women? He ran in vain, for he did not complete the way; he boxed in vain, since he bloodied his fingers, but was not able to find his adversary. Christ, therefore, since he is wise, and he again is good, coming forward, used gentleness and, passing over the lofty things, put forward the humble. He did not, then, kindle a fire, he did not stir up tempests, he did not shake the foundations of the mountains, he did not unsheathe a two-edged angelic sword, but with a gentle and loving voice he called: «Saul, Saul,» he said, «why do you persecute me?» What wealth of yours have I taken away? Of what glory have I stripped you? Of what first places have I deprived you? For was it I who closed paradise to you? Was it because of me you put on fig leaves? For was it I who was the cause of your return to the earth? Was it because of me that you fell from your rule, shortened your inheritance, diminished the image?

3 «Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?» You had the law, but I, as I am good, added grace. You were weary with the letter, and I provided the spirit. The shadows caused grief, and coming forward I showed the truth. You were stumbling over the types, but I, instead of many costly things, brought one priceless <ἰατρείαν>remedy, I glorified the sabbath for you by interpreting it, I ended the wound of your circumcision, I freed the altar from groans, instead of the much-groaned-for sacrifices, the ever-joyful, the ungroaning

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In sanctos Petrum et Paulum (homilia 13)

̔Ησυχίου, πρεσβυτέρου Ἱεροσολύμων, ἐγκώμιον εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον.

1 Καλὸν μὲν τὸ ῥόδον, τῆς ἐαρινῆς ὥρας αὐτῷ προσφερούσης ὀσφραίνεσθαι,

ἀλλ' ἐὰν τῷ κρίνῳ συμπλακῇ εἰκότως εὐωδέστερον γίνεται· μύρον γὰρ μύρῳ κιρνᾶται καὶ διπλῆ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν εὐω δίας ἀπόλαυσις γίνεται. Λαμπρὸς καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὁ Πέτρος καὶ τῶν λαμπρῶν ὑπέρλαμπρος, ὡς ἀποστολικῆς ξυνωρίδος κορυ φεύς, ὡς μαθητείας ὀφθαλμός, ὡς ὑπόμνημα ζήλου καὶ τῆς πίστεως πρόσωπον, ὡς σάλπιγξ τοῦ μυστηρίου, ὡς γλῶσσα καὶ πολλὰς γλώσσας διδάξασα, ὡς ποιμὴν ἀνέγκλητος, ὡς κυβερνή της ἄϋπνος, ὡς ἀπλανὴς ἡνίοχος, ὡς φαρμακοπώλης τὸ μένον σκευάσας τῆς μετανοίας κολλούριον, ὡς ἁλιεὺς θαλάττης ᾧ οἱ ἰχθύες εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἁλιεύονται-οὗ ἡ σαγήνη λίνον ἔχει τὰ θαύματα, τὰ παθήματα δέλεαρ, ἄγκιστρον τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ κόλπον τὴν ἀνάστασιν-, ὡς ταμιείου κλειδοῦχος, ἐν ᾧ τοὺς θησαυροὺς ὁ Πατὴρ ἔχει, τοὺς νυμφῶνας ὁ Υἱός, τὴν τράπεζαν τὸ Πνεῦμα, τὰς χορείας οἱ ἄγγελοι.

2 Ἀλλὰ Παύλου προστεθέντος, διπλοῦν τὸ τεῖχος καὶ ἁλῶναι μὴ δυνάμενον, δίστομος ἡ πηγὴ τὴν γῆν ὅλην ἀκαμάτως ποτί ζουσα, διπρόσωπος ἡ λίμνη καὶ πᾶσά τις ὁλκὰς παραπλέουσα σῴζεται. Τρυγὼν μετὰ χελιδόνος λαλεῖ, περιστερὰ μετὰ τέττι γος φθέγγεται, αὐλὸς ὁμοῦ καὶ σῦριγξ μέλος ἱερὸν καὶ μειλίχιον ᾄδουσιν. «Νεανίσκος μετὰ ὁσίου, καὶ εὐθεῖα ἡ ὁδὸς» αὐτῶν, καθάπερ ἐν Παροιμίαις ὁ σοφὸς ἐκήρυξεν. Ἀμνὸς καὶ λύκος ὁμοῦ νέμονται καὶ ὁ ποιμὴν δοξάζεται καὶ τοῦ παραδοξοποιητοῦ στε φανοῦται τὰ θαύματα. Ταῦρος καὶ λέων ἐν μιᾷ νομῇ βόσκονται καὶ τρυγᾷ τοὺς ἐπαίνους ὁ δυναμώσας τὸν ταῦρον καὶ χαλινώσας τὸν λέοντα. Ἦ οὐχὶ λέων ἐτύγχανεν ὁ Παῦλος ὅτε Σαῦλος ἐτύγ χανεν, ἐπειδὴ φονεύων τὴν μάνδραν ἐσκόρπιζεν, τοὺς ποιμέ νας κατέπληττεν, ἔσω τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἔβρυχεν, καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἐπτόει, τὰς ἀγορὰς ἐθορύβει, καὶ τοὺς ἀγροὺς ἀοικήτους ἠργά ζετο, «ἄνδρας σύρων εἰς φυλακὴν καὶ γυναῖκας» δεσμῶν οὐκ ἐπαύετο, πλὴν καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἡττᾶτο καὶ τῆς τῶν γυναικῶν ἀνδρείας ἀσθενέστερος ἐτύγχανεν; Ἔτρεχεν εἰκῇ, τὴν γὰρ ὁδὸν οὐκ ἤνυεν· μάτην ἐπύκτευεν, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς δακτύ λους ᾕμασσεν, εὑρεῖν δὲ οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν ἱκανὸς τὸν ἀντίδικον. Χρι στὸς τοίνυν, ὡς αὐτὸς σοφός, αὐτὸς καὶ πάλιν ἀγαθὸς παρελθών, τῇ πραότητι κέχρηται καὶ παραλιπὼν τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὰ ταπεινὰ προβάλλεται. Οὐ τοίνυν ἀνῆψεν πῦρ, οὐκ ἐκίνησεν λαίλαπας, οὐκ ἐσάλευσεν τῶν ὀρέων τὰ θεμέλια, ἀγγελικὴν οὐκ ἐγύμνωσεν ῥομφαίαν δίστομον, φωνῇ δὲ πραείᾳ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ κέκληται· «Σαούλ, Σαούλ», λέγων, «τί με διώκεις;» Τίνα σου πλοῦτον ἀφειλάμην; Ποίας σε δόξης ἐγύμνωσα; Ποίων πρωτείων ἀπε στέρησα; Μὴ γὰρ ἐγώ σοι τὸν παράδεισον ἔκλεισα; Μὴ τὰ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς δι' ἐμὲ περιβέβλησαι; Μὴ γὰρ ἐγώ σοι τῆς εἰς γῆν ἀποστροφῆς παραίτιος γέγονα; Μὴ δι' ἐμὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐξέπεσες, τὸν κλῆρον ἐκολόβωσας, τὴν εἰκόνα ἐμείωσας;

3 «Σαούλ, Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις;» Νόμον εἶχες, ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς ἀγαθὸς τὴν χάριν προσέθηκα. Ἔκαμνες τῷ γράμματι καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα παρέστησα. Ἐλύπουν αἱ σκιαὶ καὶ προσελθὼν τὴν ἀλή θειαν ἔδειξα. Προσέκοπτες τοῖς τύποις, ἐγὼ δὲ μίαν ὑπὲρ πολλὰς <ἰατρείαν> ἀντὶ τῶν φιλαργύρων τὴν ἀνάργυρον ἤγαγον, ἐγώ σοι τὸ σάββατον ἑρμηνεύσας ἐδόξασα, ἐγώ σου τῆς περιτομῆς τὴν πληγὴν ἔπαυσα, ἐγὼ τὸν βωμὸν στεναγμῶν ἠλευθέρωσα, ἀντὶ τῶν πολυστενάκτων θυσιῶν τὴν ἀειχαρῆ τὴν ἀστένα