John Chrysostom, On Holy Stephen III

In sanctum Stephanum iii

On Saint Stephen, 3.

63.933 Many and wondrous are the trophies of the blessed Stephen, and not even death tore him away from the pious battle line. For while living he fought against the Jews, and having died he is armed against heretics, possessing an unconquerable weapon, the faith of the Trinity. And behold for me the phalanxes of the enemies then, and be astonished at the soldier’s courage. Alexandrians attack, and Libertines shot arrows, Cilicians and Asians besieged, they seized him for the council, they hired false witnesses, they prepared showers of stones, like lions they gnashed their teeth against him; but nevertheless the soldier, armed with wisdom and spirit, was victorious, dazzling those who saw him with his appearance, and enervating the God-fighters with his words.

But have you seen the hordes of your enemies? Behold for me again also the alliance from God; He opened the vaults of heaven, displaying to the athlete the prizes of the rewards; He adorned his face with an angelic appearance, he repelled the showers of stones with the showers of his words; and some were throwing, others were bringing, and they were giving the crown to Stephen. Behold, therefore, even now, and you will see the kinship of the trophies. Then he advocated for the voices of the cross, and now Stephen is the crown of the Church; for he was the first to trample the stings of death. In palaces a crown; for the queen and Virgin enshrined him; among rulers a crown; for he made the son of the king who received him a father; in love for the poor a crown; he became a rich and faithful steward for widows and orphans; against the Jews a crown; for he denounced 63.934 the synagogue that had committed adultery with idols; against heretics a crown; for he stops the mouths of the God-fighters, crying, 'Great is our Lord.'

Great; for He is not subject to the measure of a tongue; great; for He surpasses the imagination of the mind; great; for the uncircumscribable is proper to the divine nature; great; for from the Father's bosom He rose without beginning; great; for as the Word He was begotten impassibly; great; for the divine birth-pang did not divide the substance; great; for He sits upon the throne, He has not been cast down to the footstool; great; for such as the root is, so also is the branch; great; for he who has seen the Son has seen the Father; great; for there is nothing unequal in the Trinity; great; for through water He regenerated many; great; for being seen He does not grow old; great; for He did not have a small Father. Great, therefore, is the Lord the Son, even if it does not seem so to his neighbors. The Son is Pantocrator; for all things were made through Him; The Son is king without beginning; for our king is before the ages; The Son is consubstantial with the Father; For I came forth from God and am come; The Son is the true light; For I am the light of the world.

Why do I say much? God and Pantocrator, the Son of God incarnate of the Virgin, and shepherding the Church, as the prophet testifies, saying: Let the Lord God the Pantocrator visit His flock; to whom be the glory and the power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

In sanctum Stephanum iii

Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Στέφανον, γʹ.

63.933 Πολλὰ καὶ θαυμαστὰ τοῦ μακαρίου Στεφάνου τὰ τρόπαια, καὶ οὐδὲ θάνατος

αὐτὸν τῆς εὐσεβοῦς παρατάξεως ἀπέσπασε. Ζῶν μὲν γὰρ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἐμάχετο, καὶ ἀποθανὼν δὲ κατὰ αἱρετικῶν ὁπλίζεται, ὅπλον ἔχων ἀκαταγώνιστον, τῆς Τριάδος τὴν πίστιν. Καὶ βλέπε μοι τὰς τότε τῶν ἐναντίων φάλαγγας, καὶ ἐκπλάγηθι τοῦ στρατιώτου τὴν ἀνδρείαν. Ἀλεξανδρεῖς ἔπεισι, καὶ Λιβερτίνοι ἐτόξευον, Κίλικες καὶ Ἀσιανοὶ ἐπολιόρκουν, εἰς συνέδριον ἥρπαζον, ψευδομάρτυρας ἐμισθοῦντο, νιφάδας λίθων ηὐτρέπιζον, ὡς λέοντες κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν ἔβρυχον· ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ στρατιώτης σοφίᾳ καὶ πνεύματι ὁπλισάμενος ἐνίκα, τῇ μορφῇ τοὺς ὁρῶντας καταστράπτων, καὶ τοῖς λόγοις τοὺς θεομάχους ἐκνευρίζων.

Ἀλλ' εἶδες τῶν σῶν πολεμίων τὰ στίφη; βλέπε μοι πάλιν καὶ τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ συμμαχίαν· οὐρανοῦ ἁψῖδας ἀνεπέτασε, τῷ ἀθλητῇ ἐπισείων τῶν βραβείων τὰ ἔπαθλα· ἀγγελικῇ μορφῇ τὸ πρόσωπον ἐκαλλώπιζε, νιφάδας λίθων ταῖς νιφάσι τῶν λόγων ἀπεκρούετο· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἔβαλλον, οἱ δὲ ἔφερον, καὶ τὸν στέφανον ἐπεδίδουν τῷ Στεφάνῳ. Βλέπε τοιγαροῦν καὶ τανῦν, καὶ ὄψῃ τῶν τροπαίων τὴν συγγένειαν. Τότε ἐπὶ τῶν φωνῶν τοῦ σταυροῦ συνηγόρει, καὶ νῦν ὁ Στέφανος Ἐκκλησίας στέφανος· πρῶτος γὰρ τὰ τοῦ θανάτου ἐπάτησε κέντρα. Ἐν βασιλείοις στέφανος· ἐθαλάμευσε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ Παρθένος· παρὰ ἄρχουσι στέφανος· τὸν γὰρ τοῦ ξενοδοχήσαντος παῖδα βασιλέως πεποίηκε πατέρα· ἐν φιλοπτωχείᾳ στέφανος· χηρῶν καὶ ὀρφανῶν πλούσιος γέγονε καὶ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος· κατὰ Ἰουδαίων στέφανος· ἐστηλίτευσε γὰρ 63.934 τὴν συναγωγὴν μοιχευθεῖσαν εἰδώλοις· κατὰ αἱρετικῶν στέφανος· ἐμφράττει γὰρ τῶν θεομάχων τὰ στόματα, βοῶν, Μέγας ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν.

Μέγας· γλώττης γὰρ οὐχ ὑπόκειται μέτρῳ· μέγας· διανοίας γὰρ ὑπερβαίνει φαντασίαν· μέγας· ἴδιον γὰρ τῆς θείας φύσεως τὸ ἀπερίγραπτον· μέγας· ἐκ κόλπων γὰρ πατρικῶν ἀνάρχως ἀνέτειλε· μέγας· ὡς γὰρ Λόγος ἀπαθῶς ἐγεννήθη· μέγας· ἡ γὰρ θεία ὠδὶς τὴν οὐσίαν οὐκ ἐμέρισε· μέγας· ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου γὰρ κάθηται, οὐκ εἰς τὸ ὑποπόδιον ἔῤῥιπται· μέγας· οἵα γὰρ ἡ ῥίζα, τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ κλάδος· μέγας· ὁ γὰρ ἑωρακὼς τὸν Υἱὸν, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα· μέγας· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄνισον ἐν τῇ Τριάδι· μέγας· δι' ὕδατος γὰρ πολλοὺς ἀνεγέννησε· μέγας· ὁρώμενος γὰρ οὐ παλαιοῦται· μέγας· μικρὸν γὰρ Πατέρα οὐκ εἶχε. Μέγας οὖν ὁ Κύριος ὁ Υἱὸς, κἂν τοῖς γείτοσι μὴ δοκῇ. Παντοκράτωρ ὁ Υἱός· πάντα γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο· βασιλεὺς ἄναρχος ὁ Υἱός· ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν πρὸ αἰῶνος· ὁμοούσιος τῷ Πατρὶ ὁ Υἱός· Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξῆλθον καὶ ἥκω· φῶς ἀληθινὸν ὁ Υἱός· Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου.

Τί πολλὰ λέγω; Θεὸς καὶ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ἐκ Παρθένου σαρκωθεὶς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ποιμαίνων τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ ὁ προφήτης λέγων· Ἐπισκεψάσθω Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.