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On the Acts of the Apostles (homilies 1-55)

ALL THE EXTANT WORKS OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE

APOSTLES.

60.13 HOMILY I. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. 1. To many persons this Book is not even known, neither the book itself, nor he who wrote and composed it. For this reason I have judged it my duty to apply myself to this treatise, so as to teach the ignorant, and not let such a treasure lie hidden and concealed. For it will be able to profit us no less than even the Gospels; so replete is it with philosophy and correctness of doctrine, and the display of wonders, and especially those wrought by the Spirit. Let us not then pass it by, but let us examine it with exactness. For the prophecies which Christ proclaims in the Gospels, 60.14 these it is possible to see here coming into action, and from the very facts the truth shining forth, and the great change for the better in the disciples which was brought about in them by the Spirit. For those things which they heard Christ saying, that every one who believes in Me, the signs that I do, he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do; and when he foretold to the disciples that they would be brought before governors and kings, and that they would scourge them in their synagogues, and that they would suffer dreadful things, and that they would overcome all, and that the Gospel would be preached in all the world, all these things it is possible to see in this book have come to pass with all exactness, and other things more than these, which He said when He was with them. And you will see the apostles themselves here, like winged creatures traversing land and sea, and those timid 60.15 and senseless men suddenly become different men, and despisers of wealth, and of glory, and of anger, and of desire, having become simply superior to all things, and having great harmony, and nowhere any envy as before, nor the love for the first place, but all virtue perfected in them, and love shining forth exceedingly, about which He also gave them many commands, saying, By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. It is also possible to find doctrines here, which, if this book were not here, would not have been so clearly known to anyone; but the chief point of our salvation was hidden, and was unclear, both for the sake of life and of doctrines. The greater part of what is contained here are the acts of Paul, who labored more abundantly than all. And the reason is, that he who composed this book was his disciple, Luke the blessed; whose virtue one may see from many other places, but especially from his being inseparable from the Teacher, and following him always. When Demas and Hermogenes forsook him, the one having gone to Galatia, the other to Dalmatia, hear what he says of this man: Luke is with me only; and writing to the Corinthians he says of him: Whose praise is in the Gospel throughout all the Churches. And when he says, that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; and, According to the Gospel, which you received, he speaks of this man's Gospel; so that no one would err in ascribing this treatise to him. But when I say, to him, I mean to Christ. But if any

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In Acta apostolorum (homiliae 1-55)

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ΤΑ ΕΥΡΙΣΚΟΜΕΝΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ. ΥΠΟΜΝΗΜΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΑΣ ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ

ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΩΝ.

60.13 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Αʹ. Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ

Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν, ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις διὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὓς ἐξελέξα το, ἀνελήφθη. αʹ. Πολλοῖς τουτὶ τὸ βιβλίον οὐδ' ὅτι ἔνι γνώριμόν ἐστιν, οὔτε αὐτὸ, οὔτε ὁ γράψας αὐτὸ καὶ συνθείς. ∆ιὸ καὶ μάλιστα εἰς ταύτην ἐμαυτὸν ἔκρινα θεῖναι τὴν πραγματείαν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξαι, καὶ μὴ ἀφεῖναι τοσοῦτον λανθάνειν καὶ ἀποκρύπτεσθαι θησαυρόν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔλαττον αὐτῶν τῶν Εὐαγγελίων ὠφελῆσαι ἡμᾶς δυνήσεται· τοσαύτης ἐμπέπλησται φιλοσοφίας καὶ δογμάτων ὀρθότητος, καὶ θαυμάτων ἐπιδείξεως, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰργασμένων. Μὴ δὴ λοιπὸν παρατρέχωμεν αὐτὸ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξετάζωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰς προῤῥήσεις, ἃς ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Χριστὸς προαναφω 60.14 νεῖ, ταύτας εἰς ἔργον ἐξελθούσας ἐνταῦθα ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων διαλάμπουσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ πολλὴν τῶν μαθητῶν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον μεταβολὴν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῖς ἐγγενομένην. Καὶ γὰρ ἅπερ ἤκουσαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι πᾶς Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, τὰ σημεῖα, ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, κἀκεῖνος ποιήσει, καὶ μείζονα τούτων ποιήσει· καὶ προλέγοντος τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ὅτι ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσονται, καὶ ὅτι ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὰ ἀνήκεστα πείσονται, καὶ ὅτι περιέσονται πάντων, καὶ ὅτι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον κηρυχθήσεται ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ, ταῦτα πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης ἐκβεβηκότα ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, καὶ πλείονα τούτων ἕτερα, ἅπερ εἴρηκεν αὐτοῖς συνών. Ὄψει δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐνταῦθα καθάπερ πτηνοὺς διατρέχοντας γῆν καὶ θάλατταν, καὶ τοὺς δειλοὺς ἐκεί 60.15 νους καὶ ἀσυνέτους ἀθρόον ἄλλους ἀντ' ἄλλων γενομένους, καὶ χρημάτων ὑπεροπτὰς, καὶ δόξης, καὶ θυμοῦ, καὶ ἐπιθυμίας, πάντων ἁπλῶς ἀνωτέρους γεγονότας, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν ὁμόνοιαν ἔχοντας, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ οὐδεμίαν βασκανίαν ὡς ἔμπροσθεν, οὐδὲ τὸν περὶ πρωτείων ἔρωτα, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἀπηκριβωμένην ἐν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς διαλάμπουσαν, ὑπὲρ ἧς καὶ πολλὰ παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς λέγων, ὅτι Ἐν τούτῳ γνώσονται πάντες, ὅτι ἐμοὶ μαθηταί ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ δόγματα ἐνταῦθα εὑρεῖν, ἅπερ, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ βιβλίον, οὐδενὶ σαφῶς οὕτω γνώριμα ἐγένοντο· ἀλλὰ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ἀπεκρύπτετο, καὶ ἄδηλον ἦν, καὶ βίου καὶ δογμάτων ἕνεκεν. Τὸ πλέον δὲ τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἐγκειμένων, Παύλου πράξεις εἰσὶ, τοῦ περισσότερον πάντων κοπιάσαντος. Καὶ τὸ αἴτιον, ὅτι αὐτοῦ φοιτητὴς ἦν ὁ τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο συνθεὶς Λουκᾶς ὁ μακάριος· οὗ τὴν ἀρετὴν πολλαχόθεν μὲν καὶ ἄλλοθεν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, μάλιστα δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν ∆ιδάσκαλον ἀδιασπάστως ἔχειν, καὶ διαπαντὸς αὐτῷ παρακολουθεῖν. Ὅτε γοῦν ∆ημᾶς καὶ Ἑρμογένης αὐτὸν ἐγκατέλιπον, ὁ μὲν εἰς Γαλατίαν, ὁ δὲ εἰς ∆αλματίαν ἀπελθὼν, ἄκουσον τί φησι περὶ τούτου· Λουκᾶς ἐστι μόνος μετ' ἐμοῦ· καὶ Κορινθίοις δὲ ἐπιστέλλων περὶ αὐτοῦ φησιν· Οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ πασῶν τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν. Καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ, ὅτι Ὤφθη Κηφᾷ, εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα· καὶ, Κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ὃ παρελάβετε, τὸ τούτου λέγει· ὥστε οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι τὴν πραγματείαν ταύτην αὐτῷ ἀναθείς. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπω, τούτῳ, τῷ Χριστῷ λέγω. Εἰ δέ τις