John Chrysostom, On Peter's Denial

De negatione Petri

On the denial of Peter, and on the cross, and how Joseph became a type of Christ, a homily.

59.613 1. It is necessary at the present time both to repay the debt of Joseph, and to declare the call of the cross. Today Joseph is crowned, and the cross is planted; today Peter denies, and the thief 59.614 feasts; today the law is fulfilled, and Christ who was prophesied is glorified; today is properly fulfilled the saying which speaks concerning the Lord's death, "In his trap the sinner was caught." And who is the sinner? The inventor of sin, the devil. And what is the trap constructed by him? The cross, 59.615 and nothing else; for he himself provoked the children of the Jews to hew the cross, thinking to outwit the Unwittable, and to encompass with death Him who is free among the dead; the alien one not perceiving that the cross will blunt the sting of sin, and will crush the head of his arrogance, and will stop the mouth of his blasphemy, and will pluck out the wings of his opposition, and will show him desolate and resourceless in desolate places. Today also the saying of the prophet David is fulfilled, "A testimony in Joseph;" that is, the Lord was prefigured in Joseph, concerning the things which were to happen in the last days. For many things are found in Joseph similar to the Master; for instance: Joseph was plotted against by his own kinsmen ... Joseph took off the coat of many colors; the Lord's tunic, which was woven from the top, the soldiers took and divided. For, it says, "they divided my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." Joseph was slandered to his father; likewise they also slandered the Lord to the Father, the Jews saying he was the son of the carpenter, and again the parasites of the Jews, the children of heretics, dogmatize that he is of a different substance. Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites; the Lord by Judas to the Pharisees; Joseph, cast into an empty pit, came up unharmed; the Lord, buried in a new tomb, rose on the third day. But why do I speak at length? Joseph exposed the Egyptian woman; the Lord exposed the synagogue; Joseph was recognized by his brothers; the Lord after the resurrection appeared to his disciples; Joseph, imprisoned with two eunuchs, interpreted their dreams to them; one of them was eaten by birds, and the other would be restored to his own country; the Lord, crucified with two thieves, sent the unbelieving one to be the food of Gehenna, but established the faithful one as a chief citizen of paradise ... but the Lord made known to the Father the four-horse chariot of the evangelists; Joseph was reported to have been devoured by a beast, and was proclaimed as king; the Lord as a man was crucified, and as God was glorified. But hear also another prophecy pertaining to the cross: "Having ascended on high, you have led captivity captive, and have given gifts to men." What is the height? Who is the one who ascended? What is the captivity? What are the gifts to men? The height is the precious cross, because of the incomprehensible mystery; the one who ascended is the Lord Christ; For "he who descended is the same one who also ascended." But what is "you have led captivity captive"? That is, those who were previously held by sin, the Lord came and refashioned through grace, giving gifts to men. What gifts? The forgiveness of sins, the grace of adoption, of the kingdom the

De negatione Petri

Εἰς τὴν ἄρνησιν Πέτρου, καὶ εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν, καὶ πῶς ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τύπος ἐγένετο τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁμιλία.

59.613 αʹ. Ἀναγκαῖον ἐν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ καὶ τὸ χρέος τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἀποτῖσαι, καὶ τὸ κλῆτος τοῦ σταυροῦ μηνῦσαι. Σήμερον καὶ Ἰωσὴφ στεφανοῦται, καὶ σταυρὸς φυτουργεῖται· σήμερον καὶ Πέτρος ἀρνεῖται, καὶ ὁ λῃστὴς εὐ 59.614 ωχεῖται· σήμερον καὶ ὁ νόμος πληροῦται, καὶ ὁ προφητευθεὶς Χριστὸς δοξολογεῖται· σήμερον κυρίως πληροῦται τὸ φάσκον ῥητὸν περὶ τοῦ Κυριακοῦ θανάτου, Ἐν τῇ παγίδι αὐτοῦ συνελήφθη ὁ ἁμαρτωλός. Καὶ τίς ὁ ἁμαρτωλός; Ὁ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εὑρετὴς διάβολος. Καὶ τίς ἡ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατασκευασθεῖσα παγίς; Ὁ σταυρὸς, 59.615 καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἠρέθισε παῖδας Ἰουδαίων πελεκεῖσθαι τὸν σταυρὸν, δόξας σοφίζεσθαι τὸν ἀσόφιστον, καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ περιβάλλειν τὸν ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερον· μὴ συνιδὼν ὁ ἀλλότριος, ὅτι ὁ σταυρὸς τὸ κέντρον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀμβλυνεῖ, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς ἀλαζονείας αὐτοῦ συνθλάσει, καὶ τὸ στόμα τῆς βλασφημίας αὐτοῦ ἐμφράξει, καὶ τὰς πτέρυγας τῆς ἀντιθέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐκτιλεῖ, καὶ ἔρημον καὶ ἄπορον ἐρήμοις ἀποδεικνύει. Σήμερον καὶ τοῦ προφήτου ∆αυῒδ πληροῦται τὸ λόγιον, Μαρτύριον ἐν τῷ Ἰωσήφ· τουτέστιν, ὁ Κύριος ἐν τῷ Ἰωσὴφ προανεζωγραφεῖτο, ἃ ἔμελλεν ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐφίστασθαι. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Ἰωσὴφ παραπλήσια τοῦ ∆εσπότου εὑρίσκεται· οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπεβουλεύετο ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων συγγενῶν ... ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπέδυ τὸν ποικίλον χιτῶνα· ὁ Κύριος ὃν εἶχε τὸν ἄνωθεν ὑφανθέντα, λαβόντες οἱ στρατιῶται διενείμαντο. ∆ιεμερίσαντο γὰρ, φησὶν, τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον. Ὁ Ἰωσὴφ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα διεβλήθη· ὁμοίως καὶ τὸν Κύριον πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἐσυκοφάντησαν, οἱ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ τέκτονος αὐτὸν λέγοντες, πάλιν δὲ οἱ τῶν Ἰουδαίων παράσιτοι αἱρετικῶν παῖδες, ἑτεροούσιον αὐτὸν δογματίζουσιν. Ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τοῖς Ἰσμαηλίταις ἐπράθη· ὁ Κύριοςὑπὸ Ἰούδα τοῖς Φαρισαίοις· ὁ Ἰωσὴφ εἰς κενὸν λάκκον ἐμβληθεὶς ἀνῆλθεν ἀτραυμάτιστος· ὁ Κύριος εἰς καινὸν μνημεῖον ταφεὶς, ἀνέστη τριήμερος. Τί δὲ μακρολογῶ; Ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν ἐστηλίτευσεν· ὁ Κύριος τὴν συναγωγὴν ἐδημοσίευσεν· ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἀνεγνωρίσθη· ὁ Κύριος μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐνεφανίσθη· ὁ Ἰωσὴφ φυλακισθεὶς σὺν δυσὶν εὐνούχοις, τὰ ὀνείρατα αὐτοῖς ἐμήνυσεν· ὁ εἷς μὲν αὐτῶν ὀρνεόβρωτος ἐγένετο, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν πατρίδα ἀποκαταστήσεται· ὁ Κύριος μετὰ δύο λῃστῶν σταυρωθεὶς, τὸν μὲν ἄπιστον βρώμασι γεέννης παρέπεμψε, τὸν δὲ πιστὸν ἀρχιπολίτην τοῦ παραδείσου κατέστησεν ... ὁ δὲ Κύριος τετράπωλον ἅρμα τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν τῷ Πατρὶ ἐγνώρισεν· ὁ Ἰωσὴφ θηριότροφος ἐμηνύθη, καὶ ὡς βασιλεὺς ἐκηρύχθη· ὁ Κύριος ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐσταυρώθη, καὶ ὡς Θεὸς ἐδοξάσθη. Ἄκουε δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν προφητείαν συντείνουσαν εἰς τὸν σταυρόν· Ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος ᾐχμαλώτευσας αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ δέδωκας δόματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Τί τὸ ὕψος; τίς ὁ ἀναβάς; τίς ἡ αἰχμαλωσία; τί τὰ δόματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις; Ὕψος, ὁ τίμιος σταυρὸς, διὰ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον μυστήριον· ὁ ἀναβὰς, ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστός· Ὁ γὰρ καταβὰς, αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ ἀναβάς. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἠχμαλώτευσας αἰχμαλωσίαν; Τουτέστιν, Τοὺς προκατεχομένους ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐλθὼν ὁ Κύριος διὰ τῆς χάριτος ἀνεπλάσατο, δοὺς δόματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ποῖα δόματα; Τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὴν ἄφεσιν, τῆς υἱοθεσίας τὸ χάρισμα, τῆς βασιλείας τὴν