John Chrysostom, On Palm Sunday

In ramos palmarum

On the Palm Branches.

61.715 Already the gifts of the spiritual festival shine forth; already the summons of the all-praised feast run ahead; already the messages of the immaterial bridegroom run ahead; already Lazarus, having received the pledge of the universal resurrection, reclines with the Lord; already the myrrh of the gift gives fragrance to those who are running to baptism; already the faithful guards of the king have taken this great city; already the faithful people, running to meet the Lord, cry out saying: Hosanna in the highest, as you have just heard; Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel; blessed is he who comes, who is always coming, and who is with us, and is never outside of the faithful. Truly that crowd recognized a royal power and entry.

For just as in the present day, when a worldly king has campaigned against a tyrant and returns with victory, all his citizens meet him before the city, carrying flowers, weaving praises, rewarding the victory with encomiums; and it is not glorious love that leads them to these things, but a victory hymn and passion; in the same way also in the case of the Lord Christ, as for a triumphant king, the whole multitude, both by their words and by the palm branches, signified that he who had come was a victor, or rather that he who was being made known was God. For to God alone are fitting the cries that were then uttered, and which lay bare divine mysteries to the understanding, "Hosanna in the highest"; that is, "Save, we pray, O you who are in the highest"; for thus is "Hosanna in the highest" interpreted in the Hebrew language, as salvation above, and love for mankind below. O knowledge of God of a crowd that partook of angelic ministry! treading on earth, and traversing heaven; clothed in a body, and pursuing the things of the bodiless ones; Jews by designation, and Christians by deed; worldly in their way of life, and apostolic in their confession; from above these also, like Peter, received the revelation.

For just as the chief of the apostles, not from his own study, but from a divine revelation, said to the Lord, "You are the Son of the living God," and the Lord, showing that not from his own reasonings but from the Father he had received the revelation, blessing him said: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven"; in the same way also the crowd, having received the revelation from above, cried out to the Lord, saying: "Hosanna in the highest; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel." And it is certainly reasonable to ask, what and whence is our proof that this Jewish crowd received the revelation from above. From where, then, shall I show you? From the very words of the Lord; For, it says, when the chief priests and the scribes saw the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David," they were indignant and said to Jesus: "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise'?" And not only from the words of the Lord, but also from the extraordinary gathering of the crowds and their meeting and the deeds which they were doing, not only crying out, but also cutting the branches of the olive trees and the fronds of the palm trees, and carrying them in their hands, and spreading their garments under him, and

In ramos palmarum

Εἰς τὰ βαΐα.

61.715 Ἤδη τῆς πνευματικῆς πανηγύρεως προλάμπει τὰ χα ρίσματα· ἤδη τῆς πανευφήμου ἑορτῆς προτρέχει τὰ σή μαντρα· ἤδη τοῦ ἀΰλου νυμφίου προτρέχουσι τὰ μηνύ ματα· ἤδη τῆς καθολικῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀῤῥαβῶνα δεξά μενος Λάζαρος τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀνάκειται· ἤδη τῆς δωρεᾶς τὸ μύρον τοὺς τῷ βαπτίσματι προστρέχοντας εὐωδιάζει· ἤδη τοῦ βασιλέως οἱ πιστοὶ φύλακες τὴν μεγάλην πόλιν ταύτην κατέλαβον· ἤδη ὁ πιστὸς λαὸς εἰς ἀπάντησιν τῷ Κυρίῳ προσδραμὼν βοᾷ λέγων· Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, καθὼς ἀρτίως ἠκούσατε· Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχό μενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου, βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· εὐ λογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ ἀεὶ ἐρχόμενος, καὶ ὢν μεθ' ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔξω τῶν πιστῶν μηδαμῶς γινόμενος. Ὄντως ὁ ὄχλος ἐκεῖνος βασιλικὴν ἐγνώρισε δύναμιν καὶ εἴσοδον.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι, κοσμικοῦ βασιλέως ἐπι στρατεύσαντος τυράννῳ, καὶ μετὰ νίκης ὑποστρέφον τος, πάντες οἱ πολῖται αὐτοῦ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως συναντῶ σιν, ἄνθη βαστάζοντες, ἐπαίνους πλέκοντες, ἐγκωμίοις τὴν νίκην ἀμειβόμενοι· ἄγει δὲ αὐτοὺς πρὸς ταῦτα οὐκ ἔνδοξος ἔρως, ἀλλ' ἐπινίκιος ὕμνος καὶ πάθος· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἐπὶ βασιλέως τροπαιούχου, ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν βαΐων ἐμήνυον ὅτι νικητὴς ὁ παραγενόμενος, μᾶλ λον δὲ ὅτι Θεὸς ὁ γνωριζόμενος. Θεῷ γὰρ μόνῳ ἁρμόδιαι αἱ φωναὶ αἱ τότε βληθεῖσαι, καὶ τοῖς συνετοῖς θεῖα μυ στήρια παραγυμνοῦσαι, Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· τουτέστι, Σῶσον δὴ ὁ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· οὕτω γὰρ ἑρμη νεύεται τῇ Ἑβραΐδι φωνῇ τὸ, Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, ὡς ἄνω σωτηρία, καὶ κάτω φιλανθρωπία. Ὦ ὄχλου θεογνωσία ἀγγελικῆς διακονίας μετεσχηκότος! γῆν πατοῦντες, καὶ οὐρανὸν χωροβατοῦντες· σῶμα περικεί μενοι, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀσωμάτων μετερχόμενοι· Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν προσηγορίαν, καὶ Χριστιανοὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν· κοσμι κοὶ τὴν διαγωγὴν, καὶ ἀποστολικοὶ τὴν ὁμολογίαν· ἄνω θεν καὶ οὗτοι, ὡς Πέτρος, τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν ἐδέξαντο.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ κορυφαῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ ἐξ οἰκείας μελέτης, ἀλλ' ἐκ θείας ἀποκαλύψεως ἔλεγε πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ ὁ Κύ ριος δεικνύων ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ οἰκείων λογισμῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἔλαβε τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν, μακαρίζων αὐτὸν ἔλεγε· Μακάριος εἶ Σίμων Βὰρ Ἰωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ σοι, ἀλλ' ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ ὄχλος ἄνωθεν τὴν ἀποκά λυψιν δεξάμενος ἀνεβόα πρὸς τὸν Κύριον λέγων· Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνό ματι Κυρίου, Βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ἔστι δὲ πάντως εἰκὸς εἰπεῖν, τίς καὶ πόθεν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀπόδειξις, ὅτι ὁ Ἰουδαϊκὸς οὗτος ὄχλος ἄνωθεν ἔλαβε τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν. Πόθεν οὖν ὑμῖν ὑποδείξω; Ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου ῥημάτων· Ἰδόντες γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς τοὺς παῖδας κράζοντας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, καὶ λέγοντας, Ὡσαννὰ τῷ υἱῷ ∆αυῒδ, ἠγανάκτησαν καὶ εἶπον τῷ Ἰησοῦ· Ἀκούεις τί οὗτοι λέγουσιν; Ὁ δὲἸησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ναί· οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε, Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον; Καὶ οὐκ ἐκ μόνων δὲ τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου ῥημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῆς παραδόξου τῶν ὄχλων συστροφῆς καὶ ἀπαν τήσεως καὶ τῶν ἔργων ὧν ἐποίουν, οὐ μόνον κράζοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς κλάδους τῶν ἐλαιῶν, καὶ τὰ βαΐα τῶν φοινίκων κόπτοντες, καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ φέροντες, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν ὑποστρωννύοντες, καὶ