Hesychius of Jerusalem, On Saint Andrew

In sanctum Andream (homilia 7)

Of Hesychius, Presbyter of Jerusalem, an encomium on the holy apostle Andrew.

1 An apostolic trumpet has gathered us for a festival, a trumpet which Christ forged with the cross as a hammer, the gospel as an anvil, the Spirit as fire, I dare say, forging it with the Old and New Testaments as bellows, a trumpet which it is not unfitting to say, borrowing for it an encomium both prophetic and psalmic: «Sound the trumpet». For Andrew imparts grace to all, lends the supply of the Spirit to all, enlists all for the contest, he who was called before all, wishing to be crowned with all. «Sound the trumpet», since the mysteries of Christ, worthy of a trumpet, are meant to be spread throughout all the earth, are obligated to be preached to all the nations. «Sound the trumpet», since the festival is a proof of a spiritual trumpet; for there is need of war and battle, of contest and wrestling, of weapons of the right and of the left for the accomplishment of what is set before us. «Sound the trumpet», that with the voice you may seize the enemy and cast down the walls of the spiritual Jericho. May the sound enter the ears of the deaf, may it raise from the dead those who sleep the heavy sleep of sin like death. «Sound the trumpet at the new moon»; for now our life has become a new moon, has put off old age, has wiped away wrinkles, has become new from old through the renewal of the mystery, «on the auspicious day of our feast». For what is more auspicious than the present feast, in which all nations will clap their hands? All the earth is gathered for a banquet, kings run to honor the fisherman, the living ask for food from him who seems to be dead, the wise hasten to the unlettered as to a teacher; the supper of the poor man is common to the world, the festival is common to all cities.

2 An apostolic trumpet has gathered us for a festival, Andrew the firstborn of the choir of the apostles, the first-fixed pillar of the church, the Peter before Peter, the foundation of the foundation, the beginning of the first-fruits, he who calls before being called, he who seals before being sealed, he who brings others before being brought himself, preaching a gospel which had not yet been believed, opening a door which he had not yet entered, revealing the life before learning of it, proclaiming a bread that he had not yet received in his hands. For had he heard anything great or small for his instruction? «Where do you stay?» he himself said to Jesus. And He said, «Come and you will see.» And what did the saying contain that Andrew anticipates and proclaims? For did Christ in these words reveal His own glory? Did He show Himself to possess whatever power he had? Did He announce Himself as creator and maker? Did He command the lame to run? Did He open the eyes of the blind? Did He compel anything beyond nature? Whence then did you say such things about Him? How have you become a prophet, how a God-bearer so suddenly? Why do you disturb Peter’s hearing? Why do you hasten to precede him whom you cannot precede? But John, you will say, moved you to these words. And yet he uttered only these things in your presence: «Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.» But you, having heard ‘lamb’, evangelize ‘God’, you have left the things below and are busy with the things above, you have left the lake and have cast your net into heaven; for does a dragnet know how to hunt these things, does a fishing rod draw them in? The earth and the heaven hang from your hand. What are you saying: «We have found the Messiah, who is called Christ»? For where and how and when did you lose him? One finds what was lost; but how can He who saves all be lost? He who

In sanctum Andream (homilia 7)

Ησυχίου, πρεσβυτέρου Ἱεροσολύμων, ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀπόστολον.

1 Σάλπιγξ ἡμᾶς ἀποστολικὴ πρὸς πανήγυριν ἤθροισεν, σάλπιγξ ἣν

ἐχάλκευσεν ὁ Χριστὸς σφύρᾳ τῷ σταυρῷ, ἄκμονι τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, πυρὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ἀσκοῖς εἰπεῖν θαρρῶ παλαιᾷ καὶ νέᾳ διαθήκῃ χαλκευσάμενος, σάλπιγξ ἣν εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, προφητικόν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ψαλμικὸν αὐτῇ δανεισάμενος ἐγκώμιον· «Σαλπίσατε». Πᾶσι γὰρ Ἀνδρέας τῆς χάριτος μεταδίδωσι, πᾶσιν δανείζει τὴν χορηγίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος, πάντας εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα στρατολογεῖ ὁ πρὸ πάντων κληθεὶς μετὰ πάντων στεφανωθῆναι βου λόμενος. «Σαλπίσατε», ἐπειδὴ σάλπιγγος ἄξια τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ μυστήρια πάσῃ διαδοθῆναι τῇ γῇ, πᾶσιν ὀφείλονται κηρυ χθῆναι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. «Σαλπίσατε», ἐπειδὴ σάλπιγγος νοητῆς τεκμήριον ἡ πανήγυρις· πολέμου γὰρ χρεία καὶ μάχης, ἀγῶνος καὶ πάλης, ὅπλων δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν εἰς τὴν τοῦ προκειμένου κατόρθωσιν. «Σαλπίσατε», ἵνα τῇ φωνῇ τὸν ἐχθρὸν καταλάβητε καὶ τῆς νοητῆς Ἰεριχὼ τὰ τείχη καταστρέψητε. Ὁ ἦχος εἰς ὦτα κωφῶν εἰσέλθοι, ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγείροι τοὺς ἴσα θανάτῳ τὸν βαρὺν ὕπνον τῆς ἁμαρτίας καθεύδοντας. «Σαλπίσατε ἐν νεομη νίᾳ σάλπιγγι»· νῦν γὰρ ὁ βίος ἡμῶν νεομηνία γέγονεν, τὸ γῆ ρας ἀπέθετο, τὰς ῥυτίδας ἀπέσμηξεν, νέος ἐκ παλαιοῦ διὰ τὸν ἐγκαινισμὸν τοῦ μυστηρίου γεγένηται «ἐν εὐσήμῳ ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς ἡμῶν». Τί γὰρ τῆς παρούσης ἑορτῆς εὐσημότερον ἐν ᾗ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κροτήσει χεῖρας; Πᾶσα ἡ γῆ πρὸς εὐωχίαν συνάγεται, βασιλεῖς τιμῆσαι τὸν ἁλιέα συντρέχουσιν, οἱ ζῶντες τροφὴν αἰ τοῦσιν τὸν εἶναι δοκοῦντα νεκρόν, οἱ σοφοὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀγράμματον ὡς πρὸς διδάσκαλον σπεύδουσιν· κοινὸν τοῦ κόσμου τὸ τοῦ πτω χοῦ δεῖπνον, κοινὴ πρὸς πάσας τὰς πόλεις ἡ πανήγυρις.

2 Σάλπιγξ ἡμᾶς ἀποστολικὴ πρὸς πανήγυριν ἤθροισεν, Ἀν δρέας ὁ τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρωτότοκος, ὁ πρωτοπαγὴς τῆς ἐκκλησίας στῦλος, ὁ πρὸ Πέτρου Πέτρος, ὁ τοῦ θεμελίου θεμέλιος, ὁ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς ἀρχή, ὁ πρὶν κληθῆναι καλῶν, ὁ πρὶν σφραγισθῆναι σφραγίζων, ὁ πρὶν προσαχθῆναι προσάγων, εὐαγ γέλιον κηρύττων ὃ μηδέπω πεπίστευται, θύραν ἀνοίγων ἣν τέως οὐκ ἦν εἰσελθών, πρὶν μαθεῖν ἀποκαλύπτων τὴν ζωήν, ἄρτον ἐπαγ γελλόμενος ὅσον μετὰ χεῖρας οὐκ ἔλαβεν. Μὴ γάρ τι μέγα ἢ μικρὸν τῶν εἰς μάθησιν ἀκηκοὼς ἐτύγχανεν; «Ποῦ μένεις;» αὐτὸς τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἔλεγεν. Ὁ δέ· «Ἔρχεσθε καὶ ὄψεσθε.» Καὶτί τοιοῦτον ἡ λέξις εἶχεν οἷον Ἀνδρέας προλαμβάνει καὶ φθέγ γεται; Μὴ γὰρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δόξαν ἐν τούτοις ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπεκάλυ ψεν; Μὴ ὅσης ἂν εἶχεν δυνάμεως ἑαυτὸν ἔδειξεν; Μὴ δημιουρ γὸν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ποιητὴν ἀπήγγειλεν; Μὴ χωλῶν ἔταξε δρόμον; Μὴ τυφλῶν ἀνῆψεν ὀφθαλμούς; Μὴ ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἠνάγκασεν; Πό θεν σοι τοίνυν τοιαῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγειν; Πῶς γέγονας προφή της, πῶς θεοφόρος ἀθρόον; Τί θορυβεῖς τοῦ Πέτρου τὰς ἀκοάς; Τί φθάσαι σπεύδεις ὃν οὐ δύνῃ φθάσαι; Ἀλλ' Ἰωάννης, ἐρεῖς,πρὸς τούτους σε τοὺς λόγους ἐκίνησεν. Καὶ μὴν ταῦτα μόνα σου παρόντος ἐφθέγξατο· «Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.» Σὺ δὲ ἀμνὸν ἀκούσας εὐαγγελίζει θεόν, ἀφῆκας τὰ κάτω καὶ τὰ ἄνω πολυπραγμονεῖς, εἴασας τὴν λί μνην καὶ τὸ δίκτυον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔπεμψας· μὴ γὰρ ταῦτα σαγήνη θηρᾶν οἶδεν, μὴ κάλαμος ἁλιευτικὸς ἕλκει; Σοῦ τῆς χει ρὸς ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς κρέμαται. Τί λέγεις· «Εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν»; Ποῦ γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ πῶς καὶ πότε ἀπώλεσας; Εὑρίσκει τις τὸ ἀπολωλός· ὁ δὲ πάντας σῴζων πῶς ἀπολέσθαι δύναται; Ὁ