Homilies on Acts 55.1–55.3

“After three days he called together the leading men of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, ‘Brothers, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. [When they had examined me, they wished to release me,] because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.’” He does this well and usefully: to free both himself and others from blame, the leading men: himself, so that they might not accuse him and this harm them; them, so that the whole might not seem to be their doing. For it was likely that a report had prevailed that he had been handed over by the Jews; and this was enough to wound them. So he at once takes his stand on this, and makes his own defense in a mild way. And see how he weaves his defense, saying: “Brothers, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.” Then, having said this, since it was likely that some hearers would say, “How is it reasonable that they simply handed you over?”, he went on: “[Who …]” he said. The Roman rulers bear witness, who both examined me and wanted to release me. “Why, then, did they not release you?” “Because the Jews objected,” he says. Do you see how he lessens their charges? For if he had wanted to magnify them, he could have used harsher language. That is why, having said this, he went on: “I was compelled to appeal to Caesar”; so the whole is a matter for pardon. Then, so that no one might say, “What then? Did you do this to accuse them?”, he corrects the suspicion lurking beneath by what he adds, and says, “not that I had any charge to bring against my nation”; that is, I appealed to Caesar not to accuse, but to escape the danger. “For it is for your sake that I am wearing this chain.” So far am I, he says, from being hostile to you, that I even wear this chain. What then of those men? They were so won over by his speech that they made a defense not only for themselves but also for their kinsmen; hence, to show this, it goes on: “And they said to him, ‘We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.’” As if they were saying: neither by letters nor by men have they made known anything evil about you; but we want to hear from you. So they first set down their own opinion, showing it, and say, “For with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” They did not say, “we speak against it,” but “it is spoken against,” freeing themselves from blame. “When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, while others disbelieved.” Did you see how he does not answer at once, but gives them a day to come and hear? And when they came he discoursed with them from the law of Moses and the prophets. “And some were convinced, while others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement: ‘The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet, “Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”’” When they were withdrawing in opposition, then he sets Isaiah before them, not wishing to insult them, but to strengthen these. Saying what? “You will indeed hear but never understand.” Do you see how he removed every excuse from them? If indeed, having the prophet who had foretold these things long before, they did not turn. And by saying “was right,” he shows that they were also justly cast out. So it has been given to the Gentiles to know this mystery. It is nothing strange, then, that they spoke against it; this was foretold from of old. Then again he stirs up against them the jealousy that comes from the Gentiles, going on to say: “Let it be known to you, then, that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves. And Paul stayed two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” Amen. Here it now shows his freedom; for in Rome he preaches without hindrance, he who was hindered in Judea, and he stayed there two years.

But let us look at what was said from the beginning. “For this reason, therefore,” he says, “I have asked to see you”; that is, I wished this so that no one might be able to accuse me and say what readily suggests itself, that, having escaped their hands, I came for this. For I came not to bring evils on others, but fleeing evils myself. [The scan here interleaves lines of two columns: “from the law and the prophets”; “not from signs, but from the law and the prophets he stopped their mouths”.] “And they said to him, ‘We desire to hear from you what your views are.’” See them too speaking more gently: “We desire,” he says; and they wish to make a defense for those men too; that is why they came, having appointed a day for him. And this is a proof that they strongly condemned themselves and were not confident. For if they had been confident, they would have done this and come together so as to seize him; but as it was, not being confident, they hesitated even to come; and besides, by attempting it so often they showed that they were not confident. “And some were convinced by what he said,” it says, “while others disbelieved, and disagreeing they departed”; that is, not believing, they withdrew. See how they do not now stitch together plots against him, but they did in Judea, where they were as in a tyranny. Why, then, did he arrange for him to go there, although he had said, “Hurry, get out of Jerusalem”? So that their wickedness might be shown, and Christ’s prophecy proved true, that they do not bear him; and so that all might learn that he is ready to suffer; and so that what was arranged might become a comfort to those in Judea; for there too he suffered many terrible things. And if, preaching Jewish things, he suffered these things, if he had preached the glory of Christ, how would they have borne it? When he was purifying himself he was not bearable; and how would he have been bearable preaching? What do you accuse? What did you hear? He said nothing of the kind at all. He was seen, and he provoked everyone. Rightly, then, was salvation allotted to the Gentiles; rightly was he sent far away, where he was to speak to the Gentiles. And consider: he calls the Jews first, then, having shown them the facts, he comes to the Gentiles. And it is nothing strange that he says, “The Spirit said”; for an angel too is said to say what the Lord says. “The Holy Spirit was right in saying,” he says; but here thus, and there no longer. Besides, when someone recounts what was spoken by an angel, he does not say, “The angel was right in saying,” but, “The Lord was right in saying,” “The Spirit was right in saying”; as if he were saying: It is not me you disbelieve, but the Spirit. So God foresaw this from of old. “Who, [having examined me,] found nothing in me deserving condemnation, and wished to release me.” And when they ought to have rescued him, they handed him over into the hands of the Romans; and such is the abundance of freedom, that not even those could condemn him, but they handed him over a prisoner. “I was compelled,” he says, “to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any charge to bring against my nation”; that is, I did this not to involve others in evils, but to free myself from evils, and not willingly, but compelled. See the friendliness of his words: he does not make them strangers, but makes them his own by saying “my nation.” And again he sows the doctrine. And he did not say, “I do not accuse,” but “I have nothing to accuse,” although he had suffered such terrible things. He says none of these things, so as not to make his speech offensive; nor does he seem to be doing them a favor. And that is why he does not say it, but only hints at it and passes by; for this was for the present the main concern, to show that they handed him over to the Romans as a prisoner. And when they ought to condemn those men, ought to accuse them, they rather make a defense for them; but by the very things by which they show their defense they accuse them. “We know,” he says, “that everywhere it is spoken against.” But even if this happens, still it is believed everywhere. “To whom he expounded,” … them, and doing this everywhere; and yet he could have worked signs too, but the matter was no longer credible; for this is a great sign, to discourse from the law and the prophets. Then, so that you may not think it strange that they remained unpersuaded, he adds the prophecy too that says, “You will indeed hear but never understand”: more now, he says, than then; “and you will see and never perceive”: more now than then. These things were said to those who disbelieved, which was not the act of one who insults, but of one who removes the stumbling block. “Let it be known to you, then,” he says, “that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” “Why, then, do you discourse with us? Did you not know this?” Yes, but I make my defense so that I may be believed and give no one a handle. “And [Paul] stayed two whole years,” it says, “teaching with all boldness and without hindrance.” He fittingly added this; for it is possible to speak with boldness, but under hindrance. So nothing cut short Paul’s boldness, but he spoke without hindrance too. “And Paul stayed two whole years,” it says, “in his own hired dwelling”; so simple was he, or rather, so did he imitate his Teacher in everything, that he even had his dwelling not from others’ labors, but from what he himself earned; for this is what “in his own hired dwelling” signifies. And that the Master too had no house, hear him saying to the one who spoke not rightly, “I will follow you wherever you go”: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” So by his own example he taught us to possess nothing and not to be nailed too closely to the things of this life. “And he welcomed those who came to him,” it says, “proclaiming the kingdom of God.” See him speaking nothing about present things, but everything about the kingdom of God. Do you see God’s dispensation? Here the writer stops his account, and leaves the hearer thirsting, so that he may reason out the rest for himself. The outside writers do this too; for to know everything makes one sluggish and slack. He does this, and does not say what came afterwards, thinking it superfluous for those who read the writings and learn from them to add to the account; for certainly what came after was like what came before. And hear what he says afterwards, writing to the Romans: “When I go to Spain, I will come to you.”

Do you see how he did [not] foresee everything, that holy and divine head, the man higher than the heavens, who had a soul able to grasp everything at once, who holds the first place, Paul? To those who know him even his name alone is enough to rouse the soul to watchfulness, to shake off all sleep. Rome received him bound, coming up from the sea, saved from shipwreck, and was freed from the shipwreck of error. For like a king … that city. About these things he wrote, “I will come and be refreshed together with you in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel”; and again, “I am going to Jerusalem to minister,” that is, what he said: “I came to bring alms to my nation.” He was now nearer to his crown; Rome received him bound, and saw him crowned and proclaimed victor. There he said, “I will be refreshed together with you”; here, “I am going to Jerusalem to minister.” But this was again the beginning of a course, and he joined trophies to trophies, being undaunted. Corinth held him two years, and Asia three, and this city two for the present; so that he went there a second time, when he was also perfected. “At my first defense,” he says, “no one stood by me.” So he escaped then, and having filled the whole world with the preaching, so he ended his life. Why did you want to learn what came after? Those things too are like these: chains, tortures, fights, prisons, plots, slanders, daily deaths. Did you see a small part of him? Think the rest to be like it. Just as with the sky, as much of it as you see, so is the rest; for if you look at one part of the sky, wherever you go you will see the rest like it; or as with the rays of the sun, even if you see them in part, you guess from them what the sun is like; so too with Paul. You saw his deeds in part; all are like them, full of dangers. That man was a heaven having the Sun of righteousness, not such a sun as this; so that the man was even better than heaven. Do you think this a small thing? I do not think so. When you say “the Apostle,” at once everyone thinks of him; when “the Baptist,” at once of John. To what could one compare his words? To the sea, or to the ocean? But nothing is equal. His streams are much more abundant than this, purer and deeper; so that one would not err in calling Paul’s heart both sea and heaven: the one because of its purity, the other because of its depth. It is a sea that carries those who sail on it not from city to city, but from earth to heaven; if anyone sails this sea, he will sail with a fair wind. On this sea there are no winds, but instead of winds the divine Holy Spirit conducts the souls that sail on it; here there are no waves, no rocks, no sea monsters; everything is calm. It is a sea calmer and safer than a harbor, with nothing salty, but a spring [pure and] flowing with sweetest streams, brighter and clearer than the sun; it is a sea that has not precious stones, nor such purple, but possessions far better than these. He who wishes to let himself down into this deep needs no divers, no oil, but much wisdom; he will find in it all the good things in the kingdom of heaven. Such a man will also be able to become a king, and to take the whole world, and to be in the greatest honor; he who sails this sea will never suffer shipwreck, but will know everything well. But just as those inexperienced with this sea are drowned, so here too; which indeed is what heretics suffer, attempting things beyond their strength. One must, then, know the depth, or not venture. If we are going to sail this deep, let us be girded. “I could not speak to you,” he says, “as to spiritual people, but as to people of the flesh.” Let no one without endurance sail this deep. Let us build ships for ourselves, that is, zeal, eagerness, prayers, so as to cross the deep in quiet; for this water is living. Just as if someone took a mouth of fire, so the one who knows Paul has his mouth sharpened; just as if someone had a sharp sword, so such a man in turn becomes irresistible. And to understand Paul’s words one needs a pure life. That is why he said, “You have come to need milk, since you have become dull of hearing.” For there is, there is a weakness of hearing. For just as a stomach, being weak, would not take healthy food that is hard to digest, so too a soul that is swollen, raging, become feeble and slack could not receive the spiritual word. Hear the disciples saying, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But if the soul is strong, everything is very easy, everything is light; it becomes loftier and lighter, it is lifted up more and raised to the height. Knowing these things, then, let us make our soul healthy, and let us emulate Paul and imitate that noble and adamantine soul, so that, walking in the footsteps of his life, we may be able to sail across the deep of the present life, reach the harbor where there are no waves, and attain the good things promised to those who live worthily of Christ, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.