John Chrysostom, Ascension Sermon 3

In ascensionem Sermo 3

ON THE ASCENSION of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sermon 3.

52.797 The theater of the Church is bright to me, not working vain laughter for men, but a vehement lamentation for the devil. For he sees above the root of resurrection of the dead below; he sees the one below who was delivered by him to the cross, looking down on him from heaven; he sees the earth filled with angels; he sees wondrously the air being walked upon; he sees the heavenly powers meeting, and some saying: Lift up your gates, O princes, and the King of glory shall come in, and others again answering and championing: The Lord strong and mighty in battle. In what war? The one which for our sake he undertook against the common enemy, whom no one of men, nor of prophets, nor of the just has been able to wrestle down.

For all were tyrannized by Death then reigning, until the king of the ages arrived, and having bound the Strong One, took away his goods. For when the Lord was crucified, the powers of the heavens were astonished, and all creation was shaken, seeing the common mystery and the terrible sight that occurred upon the earth. For the earth trembled, the sea was moved, the abyss was agitated, all creation was disturbed; the lights of the heavens were afraid, the sun and the moon fled, the stars failed, the day did not endure, an angel rushed out of the temple, disturbed, as the veil of the house was torn; darkness filled the earth, the elements turned away, and the day was altered; for they could not bear to see their own Master and creator hanging on a tree. Then Hades was destroyed, and its gates were shattered, and its bars were broken. Concerning which David prophesying said, That he shattered gates of brass, he broke bars of iron. Then reigning death fell under the feet of Christ, and was dragged as a triumphant captive. For with his immutable and noble body having emptied the strength of the Enemy, and having shattered his devices, he ran down into the kingdoms of hades, and tore down his throne, took away the diadem, destroyed the scepters, he sent forth a voice, saying: Come, all you tribes of the nations, to the Father and God; come, and receive freedom from slavery. For I lead you from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from tyranny to a kingdom. For I, Christ, proclaim good news of life to you.

Therefore no longer fear the tyrant, but despise fear and death, famine and affliction, bonds and prison and distress. For these things the tyrant's army fears, which has been destroyed; but I alone of all am the victorious king, who also suffered for you in the flesh. This one, therefore, is truly the Lord strong and mighty; this is the one mighty in war; this is the king of glory, who leads forth the fettered in courage, those dwelling in tombs; to whom David said: You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive. Therefore, every feast of Christians is a condemnation of the devil; but especially this one. For in all the others, having stripped bare his own wickedness, and having profited himself in nothing, he celebrated a triumph. For instance: When the Virgin was wondrously bearing a child, he imputed the act of adultery; when she gave birth ineffably, he slandered her for not being a virgin; when the one who nourishes all creation was being nourished, he taught Herod to murder the infants, thinking to seize among them the one who cannot be seized; at the baptism

In ascensionem Sermo 3

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΑΛΗΨΙΝ Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Λόγος γʹ.

52.797 Φαιδρόν μοι τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας θέατρον, οὐ γέλωτα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐργαζόμενον μάταιον, ἀλλὰ σφοδρὸν τῷ διαβόλῳ τὸν θρῆνον. Βλέπει γὰρ ἄνω τῶν κάτω νεκρῶν ἀναστάσιμον ῥίζαν· βλέπει τὸν κάτω παρ' αὐτοῦ παραδοθέντα τῷ σταυρῷ, ἐξ οὐρανοῦ αὐτὸν καθορῶντα· βλέπει τὴν γῆν ἀγγέλων πεπληρωμένην· βλέπει παραδόξως ἀέρα βαδιζόμενον· βλέπει τὰς οὐρανίους δυνάμεις ἀπαντώσας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν λέγοντας· Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ Βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης, τοὺς δὲ πάλιν ἀπαντῶντας καὶ ὑπασπίζοντας· Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ. Ποίῳ πολέμῳ; Ὃν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν ἐχθρὸν ὑπεδέξατο, ὃν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων, οὐ προφητῶν, οὐ δικαίων καταπαλαῖσαι δεδύνηται.

Ἐτετυράννηντο γὰρ πάντες ὑπὸ Βασιλεύοντος τότε θανάτου, ἕως οὗ παραγέγονεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ δήσας τὸν Ἰσχυρὸν, ἀπέλαβεν αὐτοῦ τὰ σκεύη. Σταυρουμένου γὰρ τοῦ Κυρίου, αἱ μὲν δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐξενίσθησαν, ἡ δὲ κτίσις πᾶσα ἐκλονεῖτο, ὁρῶσα τὸ κοινὸν μυστήριον καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν θέαμα γενόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἐτρόμασε γὰρ ἡ γῆ, ἐκινήθη ἡ θάλασσα, ἐκλυδωνίσθη ἡ ἄβυσσος, πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις ἐταράχθη· ἐφοβήθησαν φωστῆρες οὐρανῶν, ἔφυγεν ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη, ἀστέρες ἐξέλιπον, ἡμέρα οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν, ἄγγελος ἐξήλατο τεταραγμένος τοῦ ναοῦ, περιεσχισμένου τοῦ καταπετάσματος τοῦ οἴκου· σκότος ἐπλήρωσε τὴν γῆν, τὰ στοιχεῖα ἀπεστράφη, καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἠλλοιώθη· οὐ γὰρ ἐβάσταζον ὁρῶντες τὸν ἑαυτῶν ∆εσπότην καὶ ποιητὴν κρεμάμενον ἐπὶ ξύλου. Τότε ὁ ᾅδης κατελύθη, καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτοῦ συνετρίβησαν, καὶ οἱ μοχλοὶ αὐτοῦ συνεκλάσθησαν. Περὶ ὧν ∆αυῒδ προφητεύων ἔλεγεν, Ὅτι συνέτριψε πύλας χαλκᾶς, μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνέθλασε. Τότε ἔπεσεν ὁ βασιλεύων θάνατος ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἐσύρετο αἰχμάλωτος θριαμβευόμενος. Τῷ γὰρ ἀτρέπτῳ σώματι καὶ γενναίῳ κενώσας τοῦ Ἐχθροῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τὰς μηχανὰς αὐτοῦ συντρίψας, κατέδραμεν εἰς τὰ τοῦ ἅδου βασίλεια, καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ κατέσπασε, τὸ διάδημα καθεῖλε, τὰ σκῆπτρα κατέλυσε, φωνὴν ἀφῆκε, λέγων· ∆εῦτε, πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα καὶ Θεόν· δεῦτε, καὶ τῆς δουλείας ἐλευθερίαν κομίσασθε. Προάγω γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἐκ δουλείας εἰς ἐλευθερίαν, ἐκ σκότους εἰς φῶς, ἐκ τυραννίδος εἰς βασιλείαν. Ζωὴν γὰρ ὑμῖν εὐαγγελίζομαι ἐγὼ ὁ Χριστός.

Τοιγαροῦν μηκέτι φοβεῖσθε τὸν τύραννον, ἀλλὰ καταφρονεῖτε φόβου καὶ θανάτου, λιμοῦ καὶ θλίψεως, δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς καὶ στενοχωρίας. Ταῦτα γὰρ δέδοικεν ὁ τυράννου στρατὸς ὃς καταλέλυται· μόνος δὲ πάντων ἐγώ εἰμι νικηφόρος βασιλεὺς, ὁ καὶ παθὼν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν σαρκί. Οὗτος τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἀληθῶς κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς Κύριος· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης, ὁ ἐξάγων πεπεδημένους ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ, τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν τάφοις· πρὸς ὃν ἔλεγε ∆αυΐδ· Ἀνέβης εἰς ὕψος, ἠχμαλώτευσας αἰχμαλωσίαν. Πᾶσα μὲν οὖν ἑορτὴ Χριστιανῶν, τοῦ διαβόλου κατάκρισις· ἐξαιρέτως δὲ αὕτη. Ἐν πάσαις μὲν γὰρ ταῖς ἄλλαις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀπογυμνώσας κακίαν, καὶ μηδὲν ὠφελήσας ἑαυτὸν ἐθριάμβευσεν. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Τῆς Παρθένου παραδόξως κυοφορούσης, τὴν τῆς μοιχείας ἐπεφήμισε πρᾶξιν· ἀνεκλαλήτως τεκούσης, τὸ μὴ εἶναι παρθένον διέβαλεν· ἐκτρεφομένου τοῦ τὴν σύμπασαν τρέφοντος κτίσιν, φονοκτονεῖν τὰ βρέφη τὸν Ἡρώδην ἐδίδαξεν, οἰόμενος ἐν αὐτοῖς συλλαβεῖν τὸν ἀκράτητον· ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα