John Chrysostom, On the Twelve Apostles

In duodecim apostolos

To the holy twelve apostles.

59.495 Fittingly today also, at the coming of the Holy Spirit, this dragnet of the fishermen has been filled, with we, the rational fish, leaping into it of our own accord. For the Word of the Word, having made the unlettered wise, and having sharpened the slow of tongue with fiery tongues, transferred their art to something more divine, saying, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He said, “Come after me,” and immediately all things were changed for the better. Twelve chosen men happened to be athletes, and of these, by no means did any remain uncrowned. For the one grace came together and ran with them all, and showed the victory of each to be more proven. Only wretched Judas cut himself loose from such an anchor, pointing out the sheep to the wolves with a kiss, and selling the Lord for thirty pieces of silver; whose blood bought the world. But oh, apostles, what a blessed and brilliant company you are! for you have become all things to all men by grace, not with a reed, but with the Word skillfully catching the flocks of men alive. For you are the immovable pillars of orthodoxy, the rock of the Church, the scepters of the kingdom, and especially the sleepless guardians of this flock, unpaid physicians of ailing humanity, and compassionate sponsors of our repentance toward God.

For being like living anvils, while being struck, you forged those who struck you toward true knowledge. From here Peter makes a disciple of Rome. From there Paul evangelizes the world. Andrew corrects the wise men of Greece; Simon teaches God to the barbarians; Thomas whitens the Ethiopians through baptism; Judea honors the see of James; Alexandria by the Nile embraces the throne of Mark; Luke and Matthew write the Gospels; John, still speaking of God, even after his end, as if alive, heals Ephesus; Bartholomew teaches the Lycaonians to be temperate; Philip, working wonders, saves Hierapolis. All of them, everywhere, do not cease from doing good to all; they have left behind immortal dust in their tombs, now healers, but after a little while presiding as judges of the world.

A lame man, having approached this one, went away sound of foot; a paralytic, having met that one, was commanded to carry his bed; another called the dead, and had them immediately obeying; of another, even the shadow alone drove away diseases; at the invocation of another, demons shuddered, and their handkerchiefs dripped with healing. For they were disciples of Him, whose hem, stolen by the touch of the woman with the issue of blood, dried up the red sea of her blood. But I return in my discourse to the leaders of the apostles, and I am reminded of that prophetic voice: “Behold, what is good, or what is pleasant, but for brothers to dwell together in unity?” Let Peter, therefore, lead the discourse, since he was also the first to be hired into the vineyard of the Lord, Peter, the first-born sheep of the good Shepherd's 59.496 flock, Peter, who ascended from a lake to heaven, who left the sailors and was deemed worthy to converse with angels, who abandoned the merchant ship and took up the Church to govern; who was called the key-bearer of the heavens, and received the authority on earth to bind and to loose; who was swift to the call, and unhesitating in faith, and in all things a fervent advocate of the Teacher, having uttered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God;” who to die with the Master

In duodecim apostolos

Εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους δώδεκα ἀποστόλους.

59.495 Εἰκότως καὶ τήμερον ἐπὶ φοιτήσει τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἡ τῶν ἁλιέων αὕτη πεπλήρωται σαγήνη, αὐτοκελεύστως ἐν αὐτῇ τῶν λογικῶν ἰχθύων ἡμῶν εἰσπηδώντων. Ὁ γὰρ λόγος τοῦ Λόγου τοὺς ἀγραμμάτους σοφίσας, καὶ γλώσσαις πυρίναις τοὺς βραδυγλώσσους στομώσας, τὴν τέχνην αὐτῶν μετέθηκε ἐπὶ τὸ θειότερον, λέγων, ∆εῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων. Εἶπε, ∆εῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ πάντα πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον εὐθὺς μετεβλήθη. ∆ώδεκα ἐπιλεχθέντες ἐτύγχανον ἀθληταὶ, καὶ τούτων οὐδαμῶς οὐδεὶς ἔμεινεν ἀστεφάνωτος. Ἡ γὰρ μία χάρις τοῖς ἅπασι συνῆλθε καὶ συνέτρεχε, καὶ τὴν ἑκάστου νίκην δοκιμωτέραν ἐδείκνυε. Μόνος ὁ τάλας Ἰούδας τῆς τοιαύτης ἀγκύρας ἑαυτὸν ἀπεσχοίνισε, φιλήματι τοῖς λύκοις ὑποδείξας τὸ πρόβατον, καὶ τριάκοντα ἀργυρίων πωλήσας τὸν Κύριον· οὗ τὸ αἷμα τὸν κόσμον ἠγόρασεν. Ἀλλ' ὢ τῆς ὑμῶν, ἀπόστολοι, μακαρίας καὶ λαμπρᾶς ξυνωρίδος! ὅτι τὰ πάντα τοῖς πᾶσι γεγόνατε χάριτι, οὐ καλάμῳ, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀγέλας ἐμπείρως ζωγρήσαντες. Ὑμεῖς γάρ ἐστε τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἀμετάθετοι στῦλοι, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πέτρα, τῆς βασιλείας σκῆπτρα, καὶ τοῦ ποιμνίου μάλιστα τούτου ἄγρυπνοι προστάται, τῆς νοσούσης ἀνθρωπότητος ἄμισθοι ἰατροὶ, καὶ τῆς ἡμῶν μετανοίας πρὸς Θεὸν ἀνάδοχοι συμπαθεῖς.

Ὡς γὰρ ἄκμονές τινες ἔμψυχοι τυγχάνοντες, ἐν τῷ τύπτεσθαι τοὺς τύπτοντας ἐχαλκεύσατε πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν. Πέτρος ἐντεῦθεν μαθητεύει τὴν Ῥώμην. Παῦλος ἐκεῖθεν εὐαγγελίζεται κόσμον. Ἀνδρέας τῆς Ἑλλάδος σοφοὺς διορθοῦται· Σίμων διδάσκει τὸν Θεὸν τοὺς βαρβάρους· Θωμᾶς διὰ βαπτίσματος λευκαίνει τοὺς Αἰθίοπας· Ἰακώβου τὴν καθέδραν ἡ Ἰουδαία τιμᾷ· Μάρκου τὸν θρόνον Ἀλεξάνδρεια ἡ παρὰ Νεῖλον ἀσπάζεται· Λουκᾶς καὶ Ματθαῖος γράφουσι τὰ Εὐαγγέλια· Ἰωάννης ἔτι θεολογῶν, καὶ μετὰ τέλος ὡς ζῶν θεραπεύει τὴν Ἔφεσον· Βαρθολομαῖος παιδαγωγεῖ σωφρονεῖν τοὺς Λυκάονας· Φίλιππος θαυματουργῶν σώζει τὴν Ἱεράπολιν. Ἅπαντες ἁπανταχοῦ πάντας εὐεργετοῦντες οὐ παύονται· κόνιν ἀθάνατον ἐν τάφοις καταλελοίπασι, νῦν μὲν θεραπευταὶ, μετ' ὀλίγον δὲ δικασταὶ τοῦ κόσμου προκαθήμενοι.

Τούτῳ προσπελάσας χωλὸς, ἀρτίπους ἀνέλυσεν· ἐκείνῳ συντυχὼν παράλυτος, κλινοφορεῖν ἐκελεύετο· ἄλλος ἐκάλει νεκροὺς, καὶ τούτους εἶχεν εὐθὺς ὑπακούοντας· ἑτέρου καὶ σκιὰ μόνη τὰς νόσους ἐδίωκεν· ἄλλου τὴν ἐπίκλησιν οἱ δαίμονες ἔφριττον, καὶ τὰ σουδάρια τούτων ἀπέσταζον ἴασιν. Μαθηταὶ γὰρ ὑπῆρχον ἐκείνου, οὗπερ τὸ κράσπεδον κλαπὲν τῆς αἱμοῤῥοούσης ἁφῇ τὴν ἐρυθρὰν τῶν αἱμάτων ἀπεξήρανε θάλασσαν. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ πρὸς τοὺς κορυφαίους τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐπάνειμι τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ τῆς προφητικῆς ἐκείνης ἐπιμέμνημαι φωνῆς· Ἰδοὺ δὴ τί καλὸν, ἢ τί τερπνὸν, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ κατοικεῖν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό; Ἡγείσθω τοίνυν τοῦ λόγου Πέτρος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρότερος εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα τοῦ Κυρίου μεμίσθωται, Πέτρος τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος 59.496 ἀγέλης τὸ πρωτότοκον πρόβατον, Πέτρος ὁ ἀπὸ λίμνης εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναβὰς, ὁ τοὺς ναύτας ἀφεὶς, καὶ συλλαλεῖν ἀγγέλοις ἀξιωθεὶς, ὁ τὴν ὁλκάδα καταλιπὼν, καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν παραλαβὼν εἰς κυβέρνησιν· ὁ κλειδοῦχος τῶν οὐρανῶν προσκληθεὶς, καὶ τὸ δεσμοῦν καὶ λύειν ἐπὶ γῆς ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ δεξάμενος· ὁ πρὸς τὴν κλῆσιν ταχὺς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν πίστιν ἀνενδοίαστος, καὶ περὶ πάντα θερμὸς τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου συνήγορος, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, φθεγξάμενος· ὁ συναποθνήσκειν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ