Homilies on Acts, Homily 7

“Now when they heard these words (E.V. ‘this,’) they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Men and brothers, what should we do?” Do you see what a great thing gentleness is? More than any vehemence, it cuts us to the heart and inflicts a deeper wound. Think of bodies that have become callused: someone who strikes them does not affect their sense of feeling as powerfully, but if he first softens them and makes them tender, then he pierces them effectively. In the same way, here too it is necessary to soften first. But what softens is not anger, not vehement accusation, not personal abuse; it is gentleness. Those things actually make the callousness worse; gentleness alone removes it. So if you want to rebuke someone who has done wrong, approach him as mildly as you possibly can. For look here: he gently reminds them of the outrages they committed, without adding any comment; he declares the gift of God, he goes on to speak of the grace that bore witness to the event, and so he extends his speech even further. So they were in awe of Peter’s gentleness, because he was speaking to men who had crucified his Master and were breathing murder against him and his companions, and yet he spoke to them like an affectionate father and teacher. They were not merely persuaded; they even condemned themselves and came to realize how they had behaved. He gave their anger no room to be stirred up and cloud their judgment. Instead, by means of humility he dispersed, so to speak, the mist and darkness of their indignation, and only then pointed out the outrage they had dared to commit. That’s how it is: when we say we have been wronged, the other side tries to prove they didn’t do it; but when we say we haven’t been wronged but have actually done the wrong ourselves, the others take the opposite line. So if you want to put your enemy (εἰς ἀγώνα) in the wrong, be careful not to accuse him; instead (ἀγώνισαι), plead his case, and he will surely find himself guilty. There is a natural spirit of contrariness in human beings. That was how Peter acted. He did not accuse them harshly; on the contrary, he almost tried to plead for them, as far as possible. And this was the very reason he got through to their souls. You will ask, where is the proof that they were cut to the heart? In their own words; for what do they say? “Men and brothers, what should we do?” The men they had called deceivers, they now call “brothers.” By this they are not putting themselves on an equal footing with them; rather, they are trying to win their brotherly affection and kindness. Besides, they do so because the Apostles had graciously called them by this title. And they say, “What should we do?” They didn’t immediately say, All right, then, we repent; instead they put themselves in the disciples’ hands. A person about to be shipwrecked, on seeing the pilot, or a sick person on seeing the doctor, would put everything in his hands and do whatever he said. In the same way, these men too have confessed that they are in extreme danger and have no hope of salvation at all. They didn’t say, How can we be saved? but, “What should we do?” Here again, though the question is put to all of them, Peter is the one who answers. “Repent,” he says, “and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ.” (v. 38.) He does not yet say, Believe, but, “Be baptized, every one of you.” For they received this in baptism. Then he speaks of the gain: “For the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” If you are going to receive a gift, if baptism brings forgiveness, why delay? Next he gives his speech a persuasive turn, adding, “For the promise is for you” (v. 39), since he had spoken of a promise earlier. “And for your children,” he says: the gift is greater when they too are to inherit the blessings. “And for all,” he continues, “who are far off.” If it is for those who are far off, how much more for you who are near! “As many as the Lord our God will call.” Notice when he chooses to say, “For those who are far off.” It is when he finds them won over and accusing themselves. For when the soul passes sentence against itself, it can no longer feel envy. “And with many other words he testified and urged them, saying.” (v. 40.) Notice how the writer aims at brevity throughout, and how free he is of ambition and showiness. “He testified and urged them, saying.” This is the perfection of teaching, containing something of fear and something of love. “Save yourselves from this perverse generation.” He says nothing about the future; everything concerns the present, which is what chiefly moves people. He shows that the Gospel frees people from present evils as well. “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that same day about three thousand souls were added to them.” (v. 41.) Don’t you think this cheered the Apostles more than the miracle? “And they continued steadfastly and with one accord in the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship.” (v. 42.) Here are two virtues, perseverance and harmony. “In the Apostles’ teaching,” he says, for the Apostles went on teaching them; “and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayer.” Everything was in common, everything was done with perseverance. “And fear came upon every soul” (v. 43), that is, upon those who believed. They did not look down on the Apostles as ordinary men, nor did they fix their attention merely on what was visible. Truly, their thoughts were kindled into a glow. And since Peter had already said a great deal and declared the promises and the things to come, they might well have been beside themselves with fear. The wonders also bore witness to the words: “Many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles.” As it was with Christ, so it was now: first there were signs, then teaching, then wonders. “And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” (v. 44.) Consider how much progress was made right away! For the fellowship was not only in prayers, nor in teaching alone, but also in (πολιτεία) their social life. “And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as anyone had need.” See what fear was produced in them! “And they distributed them,” he says, showing the (τὸ οἰκονομικὸν) wise management: “As anyone had need.” They did not act recklessly, like some philosophers among the Greeks, some of whom gave up their land while others threw great quantities of money into the sea. That was no contempt of riches, only folly and madness. For the devil has everywhere made it his aim to disparage God’s creatures, as if it were impossible to make good use of riches. “And continuing daily with one accord in the temple” (v. 46), they enjoyed the benefit of teaching. Consider how these Jews did nothing else, great or small, but faithfully attend the temple. Having become more earnest, they had also grown more devoted to the place. And for the present the Apostles did not pull them away from it, for fear of harming them. “And breaking bread from house to house, they took their share of food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” (v. 47.) It seems to me that in mentioning “bread,” he indicates fasting and a hard life here; for they “took their share of food,” not of delicacies. “With gladness,” he says. Do you see that it was not the delicacies but the (τροφἥς οὐ τρυφἥς) food itself that gave them their enjoyment? For those who live on delicacies are under punishment and pain; but these people were not. Do you see that Peter’s words include this too, namely, the ordering of life? [“And singleness of heart.”] For there can be no gladness where there is no simplicity. How did they have “favor with all the people”? Because of their almsgiving. Don’t look at the fact that the chief priests rose up against them out of envy and spite; consider instead that “they had favor with the people.”—“And the Lord added to the Church daily (ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό) [together] those who were to be saved.—And all who believed were together.” Once again, the unanimity, the love, which is the cause of all good things! [“Now when they heard this,” etc. “Then Peter said unto them,” etc.] (Recapitulation, v. 37.) What had been said was not enough. The earlier words were indeed enough to bring them to faith; these are meant to show what the believer ought to do. And he did not say, In the Cross, but, “In the name of Jesus Christ let every one of you be baptized.” (v. 38.) He does not keep reminding them of the Cross, so that he won’t seem to be reproaching them; he says simply, “Repent.” And why? So that we may be punished? No: “And let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins.” And yet the law of this world’s courts is quite different. But in the case of the Gospel proclamation (κηρύγματος), once the offender has confessed, he is saved! Notice how Peter does not immediately hurry past this, but also spells out the conditions. He adds, “You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” a claim made credible by the fact that the Apostles themselves had received that gift. [“For the promise,” etc.] (v. 39.) “The promise” means the gift of the Holy Spirit. Up to this point he speaks of the easy part, the part that comes with a great gift; and then he leads them on to practice. Having already tasted such great blessings will give them reason to be earnest [“and with many other words did he testify,” etc.] (v. 40). But since the hearer would want to learn the sum and substance of these further words, he tells us: [“Saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation.”] [“They then, that gladly received his words,” etc.] (v. 41) They approved of what had been said, even though it was full of terror, and having given their assent, they went straight on to baptism. “And they continued,” it is written, “steadfastly in the doctrine” (or, “teaching”) “of the Apostles” (v. 42). It was not for one day, or even for two or three days, that they were under instruction, since they had switched to a different way of life. [“And they continued with one accord in the Apostles’ doctrine,” etc.] The word is not ὁμοὕ, “together,” but ὁμοθυμαδὸν, “with one accord” (“and daily,” he says [afterwards], “they were continuing with one accord in the temple”), that is, with one soul. And here again, in his brevity, he does not report the teaching given; for the Apostles nourished them with spiritual food as if they were young children. “And fear came upon every soul” (v. 43): clearly, upon those who did not believe as well. They saw so great a change brought about all at once, and they also saw the miracles. [“And all that believed were together, and had all things in common,” etc.] (v. 44.) They have all suddenly become angels. All of them, continuing in prayer and listening, saw that spiritual things are shared in common and that no one there has more than another. So they quickly came together (ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ), to the same thing in common, namely, to sharing with everyone. “And all the believing” (v. 44), it says, were ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ. To see that this does not mean they were together in one place, look at what follows [“And had all things common”]. “All,” it says: not one with the exception of another. This was an angelic commonwealth: not calling anything they had their own. Immediately the root of evils was cut out. By what they did, they showed what they had heard. This was what he had said: “Save yourselves from this perverse generation.”—“And continuing daily with one accord in the temple.” (v. 46.) Now that there are three thousand of them, they take them out in public; besides, the boldness imparted by the Spirit was great. Every day they went up as to a sacred place, as we often find Peter and John doing; for at present they did not disturb any of the Jewish observances. And this honor was also extended to the place: the eating in the house. In what house? In the Temple. Notice the increase in piety. They threw away their riches and rejoiced and had great gladness, because the riches they received without labor (ἄπονα Cat. al. ἀγαθά) were greater. No one reproached, no one envied, no one begrudged; there was no pride, no contempt. Like children, they regarded themselves as being under instruction; their disposition was that of newborn babies. But why use such a faint comparison? Remember how it was when God shook our city with an earthquake, and how humbled everyone was. (Infra, Hom. xli. §2.) That was how those converts were then. There was no trickery, no villainy then: that is what fear and affliction do! There was no talk of “mine” and “yours” then. That is why gladness attended their table; no one seemed to be eating his own food or someone else’s. I admit this may sound like a riddle. They did not regard their brothers’ property as foreign to themselves, because it was the Master’s property; nor, on the other hand, did they consider anything their own, because everything belonged to the brothers. The poor man felt no shame, and the rich man no arrogance. This is gladness. The rich man considered himself the one who was obliged and fortunate; the others felt honored by this; and they were closely bound together. When people hand out money, insults, pride, and grudging tend to follow; that is why the Apostle says, “Not grudgingly, or out of necessity.”—(2 Cor. ix. 7.) [“With gladness and simplicity of heart,” etc.] See how many things he testifies to on their behalf! Genuine faith, upright conduct, perseverance in listening, in prayers, in singleness of heart, in cheerfulness. [“Praising God.”] (v. 47.) There were two things that might have discouraged them: their austere way of living and the loss of their property. Yet on both these counts they rejoiced. [“And having favor with all the people.”] Who could fail to love people like this, as common fathers? They harbored no malice toward one another; they entrusted everything to the grace of God. [“With all the people.”] There was no fear at all, even though they had placed themselves in the midst of dangers. By singleness, however, he means their entire virtue, which far surpassed their contempt for riches, their self-denial, and their perseverance in prayer. This is also how they offered pure praise to God: this is what it means to praise God. But notice here too how they immediately receive their reward. “Having favor with all the people.” They were winning and dearly loved. Who would not value and admire their simplicity of character? Who would not become attached to someone in whom there was nothing underhanded? And to whom does salvation belong, if not to people like these? To whom did those great marvels come? Wasn’t it to shepherds that the Gospel was first preached? And to Joseph, since he was a man of simple mind, so much so that he did not let a suspicion of adultery frighten him into doing wrong? Didn’t God choose country people, those artless men? For it is written, “Blessed is every simple soul.” (Prov. xi. 25.) And again, “He who walks simply walks securely.” (Prov. x. 9.) “True,” you will say, “but prudence is also needed.” Well, what is simplicity, I ask you, if not prudence? When you suspect no evil, you can’t devise any either; when you have no grievances, you can’t hold grudges either. Has someone insulted you? You weren’t pained. Has someone reviled you? You weren’t hurt at all. Has he envied you? Still you suffered no harm. Simplicity is a highway to true philosophy. No one is as beautiful in soul as the simple. Think of physical appearance: a person who is sullen, downcast, and withdrawn (σύννους) loses much of his beauty, even if he is good-looking, while someone who relaxes his face and smiles gently enhances his good looks. So it is with the soul: the reserved person disfigures his good qualities, even if he has ten thousand of them, but the frank and simple person does just the opposite. You can safely make a man like this your friend, and if you quarrel with him, he is easily reconciled. With such a person there is no need for guards and outposts, no need for chains and fetters; he enjoys great freedom himself, and so do those who associate with him. But what, you will say, will such a man do if he falls among wicked people? God, Who has commanded us to be simple-minded, will stretch out His hand. Who was more guileless than David? Who was more wicked than Saul? Yet who triumphed? Again, take Joseph’s case: didn’t he deal with his master’s wife in simplicity, while she dealt with him through wicked scheming? Yet how, I ask you, was he any worse off? Furthermore, who was more simple than Abel? Who was more malicious than Cain? And Joseph again: didn’t he deal artlessly with his brothers? Wasn’t this the cause of his eminence, that he spoke out without suspicion while they took his words with malice? More than once he told his dreams openly; then he set out to them carrying provisions; he took no precautions; he entrusted everything to God. In fact, the more they treated him as an enemy, the more he treated them as brothers. God had the power to keep him from falling into their hands. But this happened so that the wonder might be made plain: though they do their worst, he will rise higher than they; and even if the blow does fall on him, it comes from another, not from himself. The wicked man, on the contrary, strikes himself first, and no one but himself. “For he alone,” it says, “will bear his troubles.” (Prov. ix. 12.) In such a man the soul is always full of gloom, since his thoughts are always tangled. Whether he has to hear something or say something, he does everything with complaints and accusations. Friendship and harmony make their home far, very far, from such people; instead there are fights, hostilities, and every kind of unpleasantness. People like this suspect even themselves. For them not even sleep is sweet, nor anything else. And if they have a wife as well, look, they are enemies and at war with everyone: what endless jealousy, what constant fear! Indeed, the wicked man, πονηρὸς, gets his name from πονεἵν, “to have trouble.” And in fact this is how Scripture constantly speaks, calling “wickedness” by the name of labor; for instance, “Under his tongue are toil and labor”; and again, “In the midst of them are toil and labor.” (Ps. x. 7; xc. 10; and lv. 11.) Now if anyone wonders how those who had at first belonged to this latter class are now so different, let him learn that affliction was the cause: affliction, that schoolmistress of heavenly wisdom, that mother of piety. When riches were done away with, wickedness disappeared too. True, you say, and this is exactly what I am asking about: but where does all the wickedness there is now come from? How did it occur to those three thousand and five thousand right away to choose virtue? How did they all at once become Christian philosophers, when now hardly one can be found? How was it that they lived in such harmony then? What made them resolute and active? What set them on fire so suddenly? The reason is that they approached with great piety. Honors were not as sought after as they are now. They turned their thoughts to things to come and expected nothing from things present. This is the sign of an ardent mind: facing dangers. This was their idea of Christianity. We take a different view; we look for our comfort here. The result is that we won’t even obtain this comfort when the time comes. “What should we do?” those men asked. We ask just the opposite: “What will we do?” They did what needed to be done. We do quite the reverse. Those men condemned themselves and despaired of saving themselves. That is what made them what they were. They knew what a gift they had received. But how can you become like them when you do everything in the opposite spirit? They heard and were baptized at once. They did not speak those cold words we speak now, nor did they invent delays (p. 47, note 3); and yet they had heard all the requirements. But that word, “Save yourselves from this generation,” kept them from being sluggish; instead they welcomed the exhortation. And they proved by their deeds that they welcomed it; they showed what kind of people they were. They stepped into the arena at once and took off their coats; we, by contrast, do enter, but we intend to fight with our coats on. This is why our opponent has so little trouble: we get tangled up in our own movements and are constantly thrown down. We are doing exactly what this man does: he has to take on a raving man breathing fire, and he sees his opponent, a professional wrestler, covered in dust, tanned, stripped, caked with dirt from the sand and sun, and dripping with sweat and oil and grime; yet he himself, smelling of perfume, puts on his silk clothes, his gold shoes, his robe hanging down to his heels, and his gold ornaments on his head, and so goes down into the arena and grapples with him. Such a man will not only be hampered; being preoccupied solely with not staining or tearing his fine clothes, he will fall at the very first attack, and on top of that will suffer what he dreaded most: damage to the things he loves so much. The time for the contest has come, and tell me, are you putting on your silks? It is the time for training, the hour of the race, and are you dressing up as if for a parade? Don’t look to outward things, but to the inward. Thoughts about these things hamper the soul on all sides, as if with strong cords, so that it can’t let you raise a hand or fight against the adversary; and it makes you soft and effeminate. Even when freed from all these ties, a person may count himself fortunate if he is able to conquer that impure power. And that is why Christ too did not let giving up riches be enough by itself. What does He say? “Sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and come and follow Me.” (Mark x. 21.) Even when we throw away our riches, we are not yet in a safe position, but still need some further skill and rigorous training. If that is so, how much more, if we keep our riches, will we fail to achieve great things, and instead become a laughingstock to the spectators and to the evil one himself! For even if there were no devil, even if there were no one to wrestle with us, ten thousand roads on every side would still lead the lover of money to hell. Where now are those who ask why the devil was made (διατί ὁ δ. γέγονεν;)? Look: here the devil has no hand in the work; we do it all ourselves. Truly, those who live in the hills might have a right to talk this way. They have proved their self-control, their contempt for wealth, and their disregard of all such things, and have infinitely preferred to leave father, houses, lands, wife, and children. Yet they are the last to talk like this; it is the people who should never say it who do say it. Those are real wrestling matches with the devil; these he doesn’t think worth entering into. You will say, But it is the devil who instills this very greed. Well then, run from it; don’t give it a home, man. Suppose you see someone throwing filth out of an upper story, and another person who sees it being thrown, yet stands there and takes it all on his head. Not only do you not pity him, you get angry and tell him it serves him right. Everyone shouts at him, “Don’t be a fool,” and blames not so much the one who threw out the filth as the one who let it land on him. But now, you know that greed comes from the devil; you know it is the cause of ten thousand evils; you see him throwing out his foul imaginings like filth. Don’t you see that you are taking his nastiness on your bare head, when you only needed to step aside a little to escape it entirely? Our man would have escaped by moving; in the same way, you should refuse to entertain such imaginings and fend off the craving. And how am I supposed to do that? you will ask. If you were a Gentile and had eyes only for things present, it might be fairly difficult; and yet even the Gentiles have managed as much. But you are a person expecting heaven and heavenly bliss, and you ask, “How am I to drive away bad thoughts?” If I were telling you the opposite, then you might have doubts. If I said, Covet riches, you might answer, “How can I covet riches, when I see the things I see?” Tell me: if gold and precious stones were set in front of you, and I said, Desire lead, wouldn’t there be reason to hesitate? You would say, How can I? But if I said, Don’t desire it, that would have been easier to understand. I am not amazed at those who despise riches, but at those who don’t. This is the mark of a soul utterly full of stupidity, no better than flies and gnats, a soul crawling on the ground, wallowing in filth, without any lofty thought at all. What are you saying? You are destined to inherit eternal life, and you say, How can I despise the present life for the future one? Can these things even be compared? You are going to receive a royal robe, and you say, How can I despise these rags? You are going to be brought into the king’s palace, and you say, How can I despise this hovel I live in now? Truly, we ourselves are to blame in every respect, since we refuse to let ourselves be stirred up even a little. Those who were willing have succeeded, and with great zeal and ease at that. May you be persuaded by our exhortation and succeed too, and become imitators of those who have succeeded, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory, power, and honor to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, now and always, forever and ever. Amen.