Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 5

'Men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and give ear to my words.'

Those whom he called strangers above, here he directs his discourse toward them.

And while he seems to be conversing with those men, he is in fact setting straight the ones who were mocking.

For it was providentially arranged that certain ones should mock, so that he might take an occasion for his defense, and in defending himself might instruct.

They therefore counted it a great distinction even to dwell in Jerusalem.

'Let this be known to you,' he says, 'and give ear to my words.'

For the time being he makes them more attentive.

'For these men are not drunk, as you suppose.'

Do you see how gentle his defense is? Although he had the greater part of the people on his side, he nonetheless speaks to them more mildly.

First he does away with the wicked suspicion, and only then establishes his point.

This is why he did not say, 'For it is not as you jeer,' nor 'as you laugh,' but 'as you suppose,' wishing to show that they were not saying this deliberately, but rather for the time being to charge them with ignorance rather than with malice.

'For these men are not drunk, as you suppose;'

'for it is but the third hour of the day.'

And what does he mean by this? Is it not possible to be drunk even at the third hour? It is possible, but he did not dwell long upon this point;

for they were not in such a state as those who mockingly said so were alleging.

So then, from this we learn that upon matters which are not necessary we ought not to expend much discourse.

Besides, the things that follow serve also to confirm this.

And thereafter the discourse becomes common to all.

'But this is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel:'

'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says the Lord God,'

As yet there is nowhere the name of Christ, nor is the promise His promise, but the Father's.

He did not go on and speak at once of the things concerning Christ, that it was He who promised these things after being crucified;

for indeed, by speaking thus, he would have overturned everything.

'And yet,' one might say, 'these things were sufficient to demonstrate His divinity.'

But they were sufficient if believed (and what was being sought for the time being was that they should be believed); if not believed, they would even have prompted them to stone the apostles.

'I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh.'

He gives them also good hopes, if only they be willing.

And he does not permit the advantage to remain theirs alone—the very thing that was producing envy—and by this means he cuts short their jealousy.

'And your sons shall prophesy,' he says.

'This,' he says, 'is neither your achievement nor indeed your glory;'

the grace has passed over to your children;

calling themselves the sons of these men, and those men their fathers.

'And your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;'

'and moreover upon My menservants and upon My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.'

For the time being he shows them to be well approved, inasmuch as they were counted worthy of the Spirit;

but not those others, inasmuch as they had crucified Him.

So too Christ, wishing to soften their anger, said:

'But by whom do your sons cast out the demons?' He did not say, 'My disciples;'

for that would have seemed to be flattery.

So too Peter himself did not say that they are not drunk, but rather, 'They speak by the Spirit;'

and not simply so, but he took refuge in the prophet, and by putting on his person he makes his case strong.

Thus he freed them from the accusation by his own word, but for the grace he brings forward that man as witness.

'I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh.'

Thus he said that to some the grace was poured out through dreams, but to others also manifestly.

For indeed the prophets both saw through dreams and received revelations.

Then he proceeds to the prophecy, which contains something fearful as well.

'And I will give,' he says, 'wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath.'

These things he speaks concerning the coming judgment; and concerning the taking of Jerusalem he darkly hints as well.

'Blood and fire, and vapor of smoke.'

Observe how he has described the capture.

'The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood.'

This he has said with reference to the disposition of those who suffer.

Nevertheless it is reported that many such things did indeed happen in the sky, as Josephus testifies.

And at the same time he also struck them, reminding them of the darkness that had occurred, and making them anticipate the things to come.

'Before the great and notable day of the Lord come.'

'Do not,' he says, 'because you now sin unpunished, therefore take courage.'

'These indeed are but the preludes of a certain great and grievous day.'

Do you see how he shook and thoroughly agitated their souls, and turned their laughter into a plea for defense? For if these things are the preludes of that day, of necessity the peril concerning the last things hangs over them.

What then? Does he persist in speaking of the fearful things? By no means.

But what does he do? Again he gives them room to breathe, and says:

'And it shall come to pass, that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

This is spoken concerning Christ, as Paul says;

yet Peter does not dare to reveal it plainly.

Let us therefore look again from the beginning at what has been said.

Fittingly, as toward men who were laughing and mocking, he takes his stand and says:

'Be it known to you all, and give ear to my words.'

By 'Jews' it seems to me he means those who inhabit Judea.

And, if you will, let us set beside this those words in the Gospel, so that you may learn what manner of man Peter had suddenly become.

'A maid,' it says, 'came out saying, You too were with Jesus of Nazareth.'

But he answered, 'I do not know the man.'

And again, when questioned, he began to curse and to swear.

But observe here his boldness of speech and his great freedom of utterance.

He did not praise those who had said, 'We hear them speaking in our own tongues the mighty works of God';

but he is also severe, wishing by his severity toward those others to make these more earnest as well, and to show that his discourse was free from all flattery.

For everywhere it is good to note this, and how, while keeping the order of condescension, his discourse is freed from all flattery and from all insolence—which is a difficult thing.

That these things happened also at the third hour was by no means arranged without purpose.

For when the brightness of the light is displayed, then men are not occupied with matters concerning the midday meal, then the day is radiant, then all are in the marketplace.

Do you see how the discourse is full of freedom? 'And give ear to my words.'

Having said this, he added nothing, but went on to say:

'This is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel:'

'And it shall come to pass in the last days.'

For he thereby shows that the consummation is near at hand.

Thus the phrase 'In the last days' carries a certain emphasis.

Then, lest it should seem that he restricts the matter to the sons alone, he adds:

'And your old men shall dream dreams.'

'Instead of your fathers shall be your sons.'

And Malachi again: 'Turning the hearts of the fathers to the children.'

'And upon my servants and upon my handmaids.'

And this too is a token of virtue;

for we have become his servants, having been set free from sin.

And great also is the gift, when the grace passes over even to the other sex, and did not encompass only one or two as of old—such as Deborah and Huldah.

And he did not say that it is the Holy Spirit, nor did he interpret the words of the prophet;

but he brought forward the prophecy alone, contending by itself.

And for the present he utters nothing concerning Judas, since it was plain to all what penalty he had paid; but he keeps silence, knowing that there was nothing more powerful than to reason with them from prophecy;

this was even more powerful than the very facts themselves.

For while Christ was working signs, they often contradicted;

but when Christ brought before them the prophet saying, 'The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,' they were so silenced that no one thereafter was able to answer him a word.

And in many places of the Scriptures he himself makes mention, saying:

'If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came.'

Or rather, one might find this everywhere.

For this reason here too he says:

'I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.'

But as yet he does not reveal, nor does he interpret;

for neither was it expedient, since this too was obscure.

'I will give wonders in the heaven above.'

For it rather struck them with fear, being obscure.

But had he interpreted it, it would rather have offended them.

Then he passes it by as though it were plain, wishing to give such an impression.

At any rate, afterwards he does interpret it to them, when he discourses to them concerning the resurrection:

For this reason he willingly passes it by, since it did not suffice to draw them by the good things alone;

and yet this had never happened.

but now the faithful escaped in the time of Vespasian.

And this is what he says:

'Except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved.'

The more grievous thing happened first;

for first it came to pass that the inhabitants were taken captive, and then the city was razed and burned.

Then he continues in the metaphor, bringing the razing and the capture near to the very sight of the hearers.

'The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood.'

What is it, that the moon should be turned into blood? It seems to me that by this he speaks of the excess of the slaughter, and deliberately fills the discourse with much perplexity.

'And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

'Whosoever,' he says, whether he be a priest (yet he does not as yet reveal it), whether he be a slave, he says, or whether free.

For there is neither male nor female in Christ Jesus, neither slave nor free.

for these things belong here, where all is shadow.

For if in palaces no one is well-born or ill-born, but each is manifested by his deeds, and in a craft each is shown by his work;

how much more in that state of things.

'Shall call upon'—not simply (for not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord), but with disposition, with the best manner of life, with the boldness that is fitting.

For the present he makes the discourse inoffensive, introducing the matter of faith, and hiding the fearful matter of punishment.

How? By showing that salvation lies in the calling upon (the name).

Do you make mention of salvation after the cross? Bear with it for the present;

for great is the loving-kindness of God.

And this no less than the resurrection shows him to be God, and it is among the signs, that he calls these to himself.

For the being exceedingly good, this is most especially proper to God.

'None is good, save one, even God.'

But let us not take his goodness as an occasion for slothfulness;

for indeed he also punishes, as being God.

These very things, at any rate, he himself wrought, who said, 'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

I speak of the things concerning Jerusalem, that intolerable punishment;

of which I wish to say a few words to you, useful to us both against the Marcionites and against many others of the heretics.

For since they say that Christ is a good God, but that other one evil—

Who then wrought these things? The evil one, avenging this one? By no means.

How then is he alien to him? But the good one? Yet both the Father and the Son are shown to have done it;

The Father, in many places, as when He says that He sends His armies into the vineyard;

and the Son, when He says, 'But as for those enemies of Mine, bring them here and slay them before Me, those who were not willing that I should reign over them.'

And in another way, He Himself foretells the afflictions that were to come, than which nothing more savage has ever happened among all the things that were ever done, and He Himself declared them.

Do you wish, then, to hear what came to pass? They pierced them through with spits.

What could be seen more grievous than these things? But do you wish that I should recount the sufferings of the woman, and that tragedy which surpassed every calamity? Or the famines and the pestilences? And I pass over things yet more terrible than these.

Among them nature was disregarded, the law was disregarded;

and all these things came about through the necessity of the wars, God so willing it, and Christ also.

These things will apply also against the Marcionites, and against those who disbelieve in hell;

for they are sufficient to stop the mouth of their shamelessness.

Are not these things more grievous than the evils in Babylon? Are not these things far heavier than those famines? Concerning these things Christ Himself also declared, saying:

'There shall be affliction such as has not been, nor ever shall be.'

How then do some say that:

Christ left them in their sin? Perhaps the question seems to be a common one;

but you are able to resolve it yourselves.

No one anywhere is able to point to any fabrication such as came to pass in the truth of history.

And if indeed the one who wrote these things had been a Christian, the account might have been suspect;

but if he was a Jew, and a zealous Jew, who came after the Gospel, how are the events not plainly manifest to all? For you will see him everywhere even exalting the things of the Jews.

Therefore there is indeed a hell, and God is good.

Did you shudder on hearing these things? But these things that happen here are nothing compared to what is there.

Again I am compelled to appear disagreeable and burdensome and severe;

but what am I to do? For this very purpose I am set.

Just as a stern tutor is set for this very end, namely to be hated by those he tutors;

For how is it not absurd, that those appointed to some office by kings should carry out what is commanded, even if the command be disagreeable;

yet that we, on account of your blame, should fail in the office to which we have been appointed? Another has one task;

but many of you have this task: to show mercy, to act with kindness, to be gentle and gracious to those you benefit.

But we appear to those we help to be burdensome and severe, both wearisome and disagreeable;

for it is not through the things by which we please that we help, but through the things by which we sting.

Such also is the physician.

Yet that one is not exceedingly disagreeable;

for straightway he furnishes the benefit of his art;

Such also is the judge, grievous to those who are sick and factious.

such is the lawgiver, grievous to those subject to his laws.

But not so is the one who invites to luxury, nor he who makes public festivals and assemblies, nor he who crowns the populace;

rather these are agreeable, feasting the cities with spectacles of every kind, contributing, spending lavishly.

For this reason those who have been well treated requite them with acclamations, and with hangings, and a multitude of torches, and with garlands, and branches, and splendid raiment.

But when the sick behold the physician, they become gloomy and downcast;

and likewise when the factious behold the judge, they become subdued, they do not give themselves loose rein, nor dance, except when he too has passed over into that other office.

Let us see, then, who most benefit the cities: those who hold these festivals, and the banquets, and the costly tables, and the varied delights;

or those who curtail all those things, and bring the rod, and scourges, and executioners, and dread soldiers, and utter a voice full of great trembling, and lay their charge, and cause men to be downcast, and with a staff drive away those in the marketplace.

Let us see, then, where the gain ends up.

For these latter are disagreeable, but those former are longed for.

What, then, comes of those things that give delight? A certain cold pleasure, lasting until the evening, and

flowing away on the following day, disorderly laughter, unseemly and dissolute words.

And what comes of these latter? Fear, self-control, sobered reasoning, mildness of soul, the removal of sloth, a bridle upon the passions within, a wall against the assaults from without.

Through these things each of us keeps his substance, but through those festivals we squander it to our own hurt, not because robbers have broken in, but because vainglory plunders us with pleasure.

Each one sees the robber carrying off everything, and is glad.

A new kind of robbery this;

it persuaded those being stripped to rejoice.

But there it is not at all so;

rather God, as a common Father, has walled off all things for all, both the things seen and the things unseen.

'For take heed,' He says, 'that you do not do your almsgiving before men.'

From this the soul learns to flee injustice.

For injustice is not only to grasp after money in excess, but also to give the belly more than the appointed nourishment, and to lead one's gladness beyond its proper measures, and to make it break out into frenzy.

From that source the soul learns self-control, from this source licentiousness.

For it is not only union with a woman that is licentiousness, but also to look with licentious eyes.

From that source it learns mildness, from this source arrogance.

'For all things,' he says, 'are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.'

From that source, decorum; from this source, unseemliness.

For the things done in the theatres I pass over.

And that it is not even any pleasure at all, but grief, show me a single day after the festival both those who spent the money and those who feasted on the spectacles, and you will see them all in dejection, but that one who spent the money in even greater dejection.

For on the previous day he gave delight to the common man;

and the common man was in good cheer and much pleasure;

for meanwhile he rejoiced in the splendid raiment;

but not having the use of it, but seeing himself stripped of it, he grieved and was stung.

And that one who spent the money seemed to regard his own prosperity as small in comparison with the other's.

For this reason on the following day they exchange places with one another, and that one receives the greater share of despondency.

But if in outward things the pleasures have so much disagreeableness, and the astringent things have benefit, how much more in spiritual things.

Therefore let no one be indignant at the laws, but let all reckon the matter to be a common benefit.

For it was not strangers and enemies of those under the laws who came from somewhere else and ordained these things, but the citizens themselves, the leaders, the guardians;

and this they consider to be a proof of salvation and goodwill, namely to establish laws.

And yet the laws are full of punishment, and it is impossible to find a law without punishment.

How then is it not absurd that those who expound those laws should be called saviours and benefactors and protectors, while we are counted burdensome and harsh whenever we speak of the laws of God? For when we discourse concerning hell, it is those laws that we set in motion.

And just as those outside expound the laws concerning murderers, concerning robbers, concerning marriage, and all such matters, so also do we expound the laws of punishment, which no man laid down, but the Only-begotten Son of God Himself.

Let the merciless be punished, He says; for this is what the parable means.

for this is what the parable intends.

Let him who bears a grudge suffer the uttermost penalty; let him who is angry without cause be cast into the fire.

Let him who reviles pay the penalty in hell.

But if you think you are hearing strange laws, be not troubled.

For if He were not going to lay down new laws, why then did Christ come at all? For those things are plain to us, that the murderer and the adulterer must be punished.

If then we were to hear the very same things, what need was there of a heavenly Teacher? For this reason He does not say, Let the adulterer be punished, but, He who looks with unchaste eyes.

And He adds where and when he shall pay the penalty.

And He set down the laws neither upon wooden tablets nor upon triangular pillars, nor did He erect bronze columns and engrave letters upon them;

but having raised up for us twelve souls, those of the Apostles, He wrote these letters in their minds through the Spirit.

These things we read out to you with good reason.

For if this was fitting for the Jews, that no one might have recourse to ignorance, much more is it fitting for us.

But if someone should say, I neither hear, nor

have any judgment against me — by this very thing he is most of all condemned.

For if there were no one to teach, it would be possible to take refuge in such excuses;

See, then, how He deprives the Jews of any excuse, saying:

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin.

But I say, Have they not heard? Nay verily, their voice went out into all the earth.

For then is there pardon, when there is no one to speak;

but when the watchman sits and has this for his very work, there is no longer any pardon.

Rather, Christ did not wish us merely to gaze upon those pillars, but that we ourselves should be pillars.

But since we have rendered ourselves unworthy of these letters, let us at least look upon those pillars.

For just as the pillars threaten others, yet are not themselves accountable — even as neither are the laws —

so also are the blessed Apostles.

This pillar does not stand in one place, but the letters are carried about everywhere.

Even if you go away to the Indians, you will hear these things;

even if to Spain, even if to the very ends of the earth, no one remains unhearing, except by reason of his own sloth.

Do not, then, be displeased, but attend to what is said;

that you may be able to lay hold of the works of virtue, and to attain the eternal good things, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honour, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.