Second Encomium on Saint Stephen

In sanctum Stephanum II · Ἕτερον ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Στέφανον τὸν πρωτομάρτυρα

721Gregory opens his second encomium: after Christ came the Christ-bearers, and Stephen, whose name means “crown”, was the Church’s first fruit, unlike the crown of thorns Israel offered.
723Stephen combined care for the widows with preaching and miracles; Gregory explains that he is completing yesterday’s praise of Stephen and keeping today’s memorial of the apostles, whose images the martyrs are.
725Stephen faced his judges like a sheep among wolves, rebuked them, and committed his spirit to Christ; the feast of this “crown” is joined by the memorial of Peter, James, and John.
727The feast falls on Sunday; unlike the sun, which hides the stars, Christ the Dawn from on high made the prophets and saints shine brighter.
729Christ shares his name of light with his disciples; John the Baptist was a lamp for Israel, the apostles luminaries for the world; Peter was crucified head downward, James beheaded, and John contended in many trials.
731John counts as a martyr by his will; Peter, James, and John are honoured together as the three the Lord took to the Transfiguration, to Jairus’s daughter, and to his passion.
733In honouring the three the whole apostolic body is honoured; Peter is the rock on which the Church is built, James and John the sons of thunder.
735The saints are truly honoured by imitating their virtues, since the same commandments and the same prize are set before all.

About this work

Author: Gregory of Nyssa
Attribution: authentic · Accepted as Gregory's.
Standing: Honoured by the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions. Honoured as a saint or in a church calendar by: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant.
Date: ca. 379-394 (approximate) · Preached on Stephen's feast; not securely dated.
Written at: Cappadocia (disputed)
Language: Greek
Genre: homily
Reference system: Migne prints no chapter or section numbers in this work: parts are consecutive stretches of about 450 words, broken at the end of a sentence, numbered in order (provisional; replace by a standard division if one is adopted).
SBL abbreviation: Steph. 2Not yet checked
Clavis: CPG (number not yet checked)
Text from: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 46 (Paris: Migne, 1863), cols. 721-735 (Printed edition in the public domain; Greek text from the Internet Archive OCR of a library scan (Greek lines only; Migne's Latin translation not used))
Critical editions: Gregorii Nysseni Sermones, Gregorii Nysseni Opera 9-10 (Leiden: Brill) (volume and editors not yet checked; cited only; not reproduced) (cited, not reproduced)