an account from everyone who speaks falsehood, that we have never been, nor wish to be, enemies of peace. For if we lose peace, we are enemies of those who have heard from Christ. Peace be with you. But that we do wish for peace, and care for it, and long for it, the witness is He who knows; concerning the rest, we shall be silent. For he who expects God as the bestower of rewards will not offer insult to that heavenly tribunal in order to clear himself. God is able to give peace, to confirm peace, to decree peace between preachers and hearers, between teachers and disciples, so that beginning all things from peace, and passing through the middle in peace, and persevering in peace, we may return glory to the God of peace, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ages upon ages. Amen.
SPURIA
MONITUM
The five homilies on the Assumption of the Lord have been rightly relegated among the spurious works. The first four were published by Morel in Volume 6, while the fifth, which is very brief, is found in Savile; the latter also edited all the others except for the first. From their number, they seem to be of the twenty-two short homilies on the Assumption mentioned by Photius in his Bibliotheca, Cod. 25.The first homily seems to us unworthy of Chrysostom; for the writer here is *ekprosōpōn* (wandering off the point), moving ineptly from one thing to another. In this very short speech, beginning with the Assumption of the Lord, he passes from this subject to another—namely, the apostles, and especially Paul; but then, abruptly, he proceeds to the blow struck upon Paul by the order of Ananias, the high priest, and as if he had forgotten his original purpose, he celebrates the praises of Paul at length here. Furthermore, he employs words never or rarely used by Chrysostom, such as *ekondylizon* (striking with the knuckles), *plēktron tēs zōēs* (plectrum of life) as an epithet for Paul, *Theokaleuntes* (calling upon God), and others of that kind, which we could bring forward in greater number, were it not already established that this little work is not by Chrysostom.
The second homily is of a slightly better quality, but it is not free from the suspicion of *nothias* (spuriousness), for I would gladly believe it to be a *cento* stitched together from various passages of Chrysostom. In Savile’s edition, it is found in Volume 5, page 973, line 37, and it is joined to the other, very brief homily on the Ascension, which is manifestly spurious and which we refer to below as the last of all the homilies on the Ascension; yet it varies in many places, and in some parts it differs not insignificantly from the one with which we are dealing. Whence it is evident that this homily has been handled by different hands. I suspect, therefore, that it is a *cento*, as I have said, adorned from various places in Chrysostom.
ON THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, SERMON I
AThree supreme, wonderful, and stupendous things, unknown in ancient times, surpass indeed the powers of our nature, yet they themselves remain unbroken and unmoved: for a threefold cord is not easily broken. These, truly, are: the birth from an unwedded mother, the Resurrection from a three-day passion, and the Ascension of the flesh into heaven. Time has known of the barren giving birth, but not without marital union; it has known the dead returning to life, but not unto eternal life; it has known a prophet being taken up, but "as if" into heaven—as if, that is, not into the true heaven. For Elijah changed place from place, but the Savior ascended to where He descended from, with many men and women beholding until the limitations of their sight could reach into the heights, with the angels themselves providing witness to this spectacle and announcing the second coming of Christ. And behold, it says, two men stood by them in white garments, who also said: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will so come, just as you saw Him going into heaven" (Acts 1:10-11). O how much the most benevolent Lord accomplished on behalf of wicked servants for their salvation! He descended from the heavens, He ascended into the heavens, and He is to come again from the heavens. But in what manner is He to come? Not indeed by having assumed another person, but in the form of flesh and in human habit; yet not doing humble things as before, not sleeping in the boat, not laboring with the trouble of thirst at the well, nor sitting upon a donkey’s foal, but borne upon the heavens; not leading fishermen, but surrounded by the retinue of angels; not set before a judge’s tribunal, but Himself judging the ends of the earth and providing judicial power to those very fishermen;
as he himself teaches, saying to his disciples: "When the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28); and to the Jews: "But if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges" (Matt. 12:27). For since they were of the Jews, they did not think the thoughts of the Jews, but A preferred the sufferings of Christ and the marks of the kin of the God-killers. A great wonder, a strange tribunal, to see a fisherman judging, and a Pharisee being judged; a tentmaker sitting with boldness, and a high priest being examined with sighs. For why did they strike the Master on the face, and beat his head, and in the end kill the heir outside the vineyard? And why did they imprison Peter? And why did they scourge Paul five times with forty stripes save one? But the marvelous high priest Ananias ordered the attendants to strike the mouth of Paul—the mouth of Paul, the mouth of grace, the mouth of truth, the plectrum of life, that which was more noble than any trumpet, more harmonious than any melody, the instrument of Christ, the pipe of the Spirit. For the things that seemed good to the Holy Spirit, Paul published through his tongue; whence I think David says, in the person of Paul: "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer" (Ps. 44:2). What then does Paul say to Ananias, foreseeing the punishment about to come upon him? "God shall smite thee, thou whited wall" (Acts 23:3). For a whited wall is a plastered tomb, on the outside an enemy, on the inside a corpse. Since, therefore, there is set before us an account of our life's deeds, and a universal judgment-seat, which demands the working of the talents, the rejection of the mystical marriage, the lighting of the bridal chamber, the increase of the seed, the fruit of the vineyard, and all the things he revealed to us through the parables, let us weigh our life; let us exchange the things of this life, not by money-changing, nor by B digging for gold, nor by lending at heavy interest—for the Judge turns away from these—but by nursing the poor, by showing hospitality, by calling upon God, and by all things that know how to soften the Judge's anger. Learn the profit of hospitality, looking to Abraham; consider the benefit of prayer, reckoning up the Ninevites; consider the treasure of almsgiving, seeing Tabitha lying on her couch, soulless, about to be buried in the tomb; but the widows surrounding Peter, and showing the gifts of the dead woman, drew the deceased up from Hades. But if the tears of widows brought life to a dead body, destined to die again, what kind of things do you think the Judge will provide in the recompense of good things to those who have practiced the nursing of the poor with an unsparing hand, and have not broken off the witness of the poor? For then the gift is inseparable, no longer with death mediating, but with an extended, everlasting life. "For he shall sound the trumpet," he says, "and the dead in Christ shall rise incorruptible and unchangeable," according to the imitation of the Master. And just as a cloud received him, so also we, according to the word of Paul, "shall be caught up in the clouds" (1 Thess. 4:16). And as he ascended with a shout and the voice of the trumpet, in the same way we also, through the archangelic trumpet, having shaken off the cloud of death like sleep, shall be with the Author of life. "And so," he says, "shall we ever be with the Lord" (Ibid.), minding the things of the Lord, keeping his commandments. May it be that we all be deemed worthy of that blessed voice: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. 25:21). To Him be the glory and the power, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
UPON THE ASCENSION
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, SERMON II.Blessed be God. It is a seasonable time today for us all to cry out that prophetic saying, and for us all in common to celebrate our Master, and to say: "Who shall declare the mighty acts of the Lord? who can show forth all his praise?" (Ps. 105:2). For today our firstfruits have ascended into heaven, and He who took upon himself our flesh has taken hold of the paternal throne, so that He might effect a reconciliation with the servants, and might do away with the ancient enmity, and might bestow the peace of the heavenly powers upon the earthly men. For our victories today against the devil are common, the awards are common, the prizes are common, the crowns are common, and the glory is common. Therefore let us all leap for joy, seeing our firstfruits sitting above, and our nature taking hold of the throne at the right hand of God. For if the wonderful prophet blesses those who have seed in Zion, and relatives in Jerusalem, C much more must we rejoice and be glad, seeing our firstfruits ascended to the very summit of heaven, and having seized the royal throne. For consider, beloved, how great the goodness and ineffable economy of our God has been regarding our race, which had fallen from paradise through the deception of the devil, and had been condemned by such a great curse—to what a height He has led it up! And how we, who appeared unworthy of the earth, have today been led up into heaven; and our nature, which was even thought unworthy of paradise before, has now taken the presidency of heaven, and that which had become a plaything of demons, is today worshiped by angels and the powers above. O blessed envy! O good conspiracy! O envy of goods, source of myriad good things for us, you have paid out a law of immortality! For that wicked demon, having envied our nature which had its conduct on earth, now sees it being worshiped in heaven; and having stolen, as he thought, great and incomparable things, he now sees us enjoying greater and more brilliant ones. Therefore I leap and am glad today, and I invite you to join with me in the dance. For we, who were not even worthy of the authority below, have ascended to the kingdom on high, we have surpassed the heavens, we have taken hold of the royal throne; and the nature for which the Cherubim guarded paradise is now being worshiped. Be amazed, therefore, beloved, at the ingenious plan of your Master, and glorify Him who has bestowed such things upon you. For the generosity of the gift has surpassed the magnitude of the loss. For look: we had fallen from paradise, and we have been led up into heaven itself; we were condemned to death, and immortality has been granted to us; we had offended and were cast away, and He deemed it worthy to call us sons—and not only sons, but also heirs, and not only heirs, but also joint-heirs with Christ. See how the things granted to us by the Lord are greater than those which were D taken away. But when you hear that He ascended and was taken up, do not think of a local descent in the case of God; for the Godhead fills all things, and is present everywhere, and is nowhere left behind, as the overseer of all and creator of all. But the body akin to us, which He deemed it worthy to appear in on earth, being like us in all respects, is the same that is being taken up. And for this reason let us all in common cry out today that prophetic saying: "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet" (Ps. 46:6).
XLVI, 6): and let us celebrate this widely known and brilliant festival, since we all alike fully enjoy his gifts. For just as a kind master, loving his servant, because of the affection he bears towards him, does not refuse to be clothed in his garment, so also our Lord Christ, loving our nature, and seeing it fallen into the depths of malice, and that it had no hope of salvation left, and was in need of much indulgence, deigned to take up our body. And for this reason, having manifested himself on earth, he freed all mortals from error, and led them back to the truth: and he cries out in the Gospel, saying: "I came not to call the just, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. IX, 13). What he therefore willed, he accomplished; and he raised up human nature which was lying on the ground, and displayed so much humanity, that the reason for what was done cannot be grasped by human thought. For how, tell me, have we who offended, and who seemed to be unworthy even of the earth itself, and had fallen down from the height, been suddenly taken up to such a height? How has the war been ended? How has the wrath been turned away? For this is a marvelous thing and full of great astonishment; since it is not because we ran to him, but because he himself, who was justly indignant with us, interceded for us, that peace has been made. Whence also Paul cries out, saying: "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were exhorting by us" (II Cor. V, 20). A Do you see the ineffable kindness of the Lord? Do you see his excellent providence? Now the sting of death has been destroyed; now the victory of Hades has been broken; now the power of death has been annihilated; now enmities have been extinguished; now the long-standing war has been quenched: men have been made like the angels, men have been mingled with angels, and a great conjunction has been born from either name. For the common Lord of all has ascended, reconciling his own Father to the human race. And that he ascended for this reason, hear him saying: "It is expedient for you that I go; for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you" (John XVI, 7). And as a sign of reconciliation, he promises that he will give to us the presence of the Paraclete. See indeed what is added, how accurately he subjoins: "And he," he says, "will guide you into all truth" (John XVI, 13); B that is to say, we who were wandering and led hither and thither, the Holy Spirit being sent down, will lead everyone to the light of truth. For since he was offended at us, and we were continuing to avert ourselves from the most kind Lord, our Lord Christ, placing himself in the middle, wrought reconciliation for us. For he truly broke down the middle wall of the partition (Ephes. II, 14). Therefore we have good hope henceforth, looking to the Lord of our first-fruits. For whatever you might say, I am no longer afraid, whether you say worm, or dust, or fire, or torment, or gnashing of teeth, or ashes, or whatever else you may finally speak to me, all things are easily to be overcome by me, looking to those first-fruits of mine, Christ, who is sitting above, and is discoursing with all men, and crying out: "Cast off laziness henceforth, and acknowledge your own nobility, considering the measure of the gifts, of which you are about to be partakers not long after." C For conversing with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father (Acts I, 4). See also in this the solicitude of the Lord; for seeing the infirmity of human nature, and that it was in need of great help, he granted the aid of the Holy Spirit, so that man might become invincible against the machinations of the devil. And it happened just as if some most excellent leader of war, seeing the soldiers ranked under him, not bearing the threats of the adversaries, but stricken with fear of the conflict, should confirm them all, arming them on all sides with breastplate, shield, helmet, and the rest of the panoply: so also our Lord Jesus Christ, looking at the great strength and power of the opposing forces, and for that reason that human nature was in need of great help, granted to it the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that he who was formerly afraid of the phalanxes of demons, might now appear formidable to the same, D and by his mere appearance put to flight the deceitful serpent. For such is the grace of the Holy Spirit; for where it manifests itself, it puts to flight the throngs of demons, and all the opposing powers. "You shall receive," he says, "the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth." And what that power was, he had intimated a little before, saying: "Heal the infirm, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons" (Matt. X, 8). There is, he says, no sickness so heavy that it does not yield to the power of the Holy Spirit. Today is the cause of such great goods for us. For today the angels received what they long ago desired, seeing our nature flashing from the royal throne. And that you may learn the difference between servant and master, Elias, when he was taken up, was carried away in a chariot of fire (IV Kings II, 11): but when our Lord with his flesh [was taken up], a cloud attended him for his ascent. "For while they were looking," it says, "he was raised up, and a cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts I, 9). And he indeed was being carried up as into heaven, for he was a servant; but this one into heaven itself, because he was the Lord. "Behold two men stood by them in white garments, who also said to them: This Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him" (Acts I, 10-11). And when the servant was to be called, a chariot was sent down: but when the Son, a royal throne; and not simply a throne, but the very throne of the Father. For hear Isaias speaking with a loud voice about the Father: "Behold the Lord sits upon a light cloud" (Isai. XIX, 1). For this reason he also sent down a cloud upon the Son. And Elias indeed, ascending, left his mantle to Elisseus; but Jesus, ascending, sent down gifts of grace upon the disciples, which make not one prophet, but infinite Elisseuses, and much greater and more illustrious than he was. Considering all these things, beloved, let us too repay our Lord with his own gifts, by the most excellent way of life; so that just as he glorified us with his own gifts of grace, so also we by good works and a holy life may render God propitious to us. Let us therefore glorify our Lord, and let us despise all the arrogance of present things. For this supreme teaching can guide even the infidels to the truth. For they do not attend so much to what we say, as to what we do. And therefore Christ was saying: "Blessed is he who shall do and teach" (Matt. V, 19), showing the teaching of deeds to be more perfect than that of words: and that by it the faithless and wicked can be more likely persuaded. Let us therefore strive to please and obey God, and carefully order our life, so that we may also win for ourselves the grace of the Holy Spirit: for so shall we be more ready and prompt for the exercise of virtue, helped by the power of the Holy Spirit. For where grace finds a soul void of sobriety and temperance, there it diffuses itself abundantly. Wherefore let us prepare ourselves, I pray, that being helped and confirmed by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, we may pass this present life without sorrow, and may enjoy the future goods of eternal joy, and be made worthy of the heavenly kingdom: which may we all attain, by the grace and kindness of him who redeemed us with the precious blood of his life-giving side, and freed us from error and slavery, Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom is due honor and power, all glory also and magnificence, to the Father, and to the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and for ages of ages. Amen.
ON THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, SERMON III
A The spectacle of the Church offers itself to me, not evoking vain laughter from men, but violent mourning for the devil. For he sees above the root of the dead, the riser; he sees him who was handed over by him to the cross, looking down upon him from heaven; he sees the earth filled with angels; he sees the air traversed in a paradoxical manner; he sees the heavenly powers meeting him, and some saying: "Lift up your gates, you princes, and the King of glory shall enter," while others meet and defend him saying: "The Lord is strong and mighty in battle." In what battle? The one he undertook on our behalf against the common enemy, whom no one among men, among the prophets, or among the righteous has been able to overcome. For all were tyrannized by death who reigned then, until the King of ages arrived and, having bound the Strong One, took away his vessels. For when the Lord was being crucified, the powers of the heavens were astonished, and all creation was shaken, seeing the common mystery and the terrible spectacle happening on the earth. For the earth trembled, the sea was moved, the abyss was tossed about, the whole of creation was troubled; the luminaries of heaven were frightened, the sun and the moon fled, the stars failed, the day did not abide, the angel was driven out in confusion from the temple, the veil of the house having been rent; darkness filled the earth, the elements were turned away, and the day was transformed; for they could not endure seeing their own Master and Creator hanging upon the wood. B Then Hades was destroyed, and its gates were shattered, and its bars were broken asunder. Regarding which David, prophesying, said: "For he has shattered the gates of bronze, and broken the bars of iron." Then death, who had reigned, fell under the feet of Christ, and was dragged along as a captive, being led in triumph. For with his immutable and noble body he emptied the enemy of his strength, and having shattered his machines, he ran down into the kingdoms of Hades, and tore down his throne, took away his diadem, destroyed his scepters, and sent forth a voice, saying: "Come, all the families of the nations, to the Father and God; come, and receive freedom from slavery. For I lead you from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from tyranny to kingdom. For I, Christ, proclaim life to you." Therefore, fear the tyrant no longer, but despise fear and death, famine and affliction, bonds and prison and distress. For these are feared by the tyrant’s army which has been destroyed; but I alone of all am the triumphant King, who also suffered for you in the flesh. This is truly the strong and mighty Lord; this is the one who is mighty in battle; this is the King of glory, who leads forth the bound in strength, those who dwell in the tombs; concerning whom David said: "You ascended on high, you led captivity captive." C Every feast of Christians is a condemnation of the devil; but this one especially so. For in all the others, having stripped naked his own wickedness, and having profited himself nothing, he was led in triumph. What do I mean? When the Virgin was paradoxically carrying him, he spread the rumor of adultery; when she brought forth ineffably, he slandered the state of her not being a virgin; when he who feeds the entire creation was being reared, he taught Herod to commit infanticide, thinking to catch the uncontainable among them; when he was hastening to baptism, he led him to temptation; when he was conversing with the Jews, he caused him to be blasphemed; when he was working wonders, he prepared him to be stoned; he preferred the murderer and the robber to him; when he was crucified he crucified robbers with him; when he was buried he sealed the tomb; D when he rose he slandered the resurrection; but when he was being taken up and departing into the heavens, he had nothing to say, but he wounded his own head all the more grievously. Wherefore, today’s festival appeared to him more grievous than all others, as he saw everywhere the whole host of angels dancing, and some following, others running before, others meeting him, and others again conversing with the choir of the apostles, and saying: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in the way you have seen him going into heaven; this Jesus who has shown the multitude of signs." The day of the Master’s ascension, therefore, prepared the devil, as has been said, to mourn, and the faithful to be gladdened. For now the pleasant spring has dawned, and the beauties of the flowers have sprung up, the shoots of the vine are full of fruit, the trees of the olive are budding, the fig trees have brought forth their unripe figs, and the sown fields are moved by the zephyr, imitating the delight of the waves of the sea; everything is gladdened with us at the Master’s ascension. Come, therefore, I too will sound for you the steps of David, which he just now cried out to us for the sake of the Master’s ascension: "All you nations, clap your hands, shout to God with a voice of exultation. The Lord ascended at the sound of a trumpet, where he was; he was taken up, from whence he was not separated." For he who descended, is the same one who also ascended above the heavens. It is not another who appeared to the prophets, and another who lived with the apostles; it is not another who was in the bosom of the Father, and another who was judged by Pilate; it is not another who was nailed to the cross with nails, and another who was carried by the Cherubim; it is not another who was wrapped in a linen cloth by Joseph, and another who encompassed creation in his palm; it is not another who was deposited in the tomb, and another who is celebrated by the Seraphim; but the same one sitting with the Father, who sprouted without seed in the virginal womb. "God ascended in exultation, the Lord at the sound of a trumpet"; the Maker of the ages, who brought all things from nothing into being, the fashioner of Adam, the producer of human nature, who transferred the well-pleasing Enoch to the region of life, who kept Noah in the midst of the inhabited world, who called the patriarch Abraham from the land of the Chaldeans, who typified in Isaac the mystery of the cross, who granted the twelve-fold childbirth to Jacob, who provided patience to Job, who set forth Moses as the leader of the people, who filled Samuel with prophecy from the womb, who chose David to be king from among the prophets, who provided wisdom to Solomon, who took up Elijah in a whirlwind in a chariot of fire, who breathed the foreknowledge into the prophets, who gave to the apostles the gift of healings, who shouted to them: "Take heart, I have overcome the world." This is the Lord of glory, who was taken up into the heavens in exultation, and sat at the right hand of the Father. And with the angels and powers and authorities made subject to him, may he himself take up our painful prayers, and show us to be conquerors of the trials of the world; may he subject to us the whole phalanx of unclean spirits, saying to us: "Behold, I have given you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions." Therefore, he will keep us unscathed and blameless, healthy and whole in soul and body and spirit, filled with the fruits of righteousness and kindness, the God of all, who has deemed us worthy to gather together at the [salvation]
every sort of feast is fitting, for to Him belongs all glory, honor, and adoration, together with the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
ON THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. SERMON IV.
A Every feast of Christ’s economy is bright, inasmuch as it gladdens the hearts of the faithful; and today’s celebration is also bright. But why it is bright, we shall demonstrate in what follows. In six days, then, God made all His works, as it is written, and on the seventh day He rested (Gen. i, ii). For this reason, also in the last days, it pleased the divine Word of God to seek and to save that which was lost, and, assuming human flesh, He exhibited to us the same pattern for the celebration of the feasts of His economy, according to the number of the days of the creation of the world. The first root, then, of Christ’s feasts is His birth in the flesh after the wondrous conception from the holy Virgin and Theotokos Mary, whereby Christ God, bowing the heavens, came down to us on earth so that He might save a perishing world—where the angels, appearing to the shepherds and revealing the wondrous mystery of this miracle, cried out: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men" (Luc. ii, 14). Wherefore this is deservedly called the first feast. The second celebration is the Epiphany or apparition of Christ our God, when, coming into the Jordan, He showed to all men the indulgence of His ineffable mercy, when the voice of the Father was heard from heaven, testifying concerning Him: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matth. iii, 17). B Nay, even the Holy Spirit, appearing in the form of a dove, remained upon Him, the whole consubstantial Trinity manifesting Itself at one single moment of time, of which the Lord’s forerunner, John, was a worthy spectator. Concerning which Epiphany, or apparition, the blessed Apostle Paul also said: "The grace of our Savior God hath appeared to all men" (Tit. ii, 11). Since, therefore, the salvation of all men had its origin here, it is deservedly termed by the pious the greatest feast. The third solemnity of the feasts is the day of the salutary Passion of Christ our true God, which is to be adored and venerated in every way, in which, having been nailed in the flesh to the cross, He blotted out the handwriting of sin that was against us; in which also He brought into Paradise, by a word alone, the man who had been cast out through disobedience. For He says to the thief: "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Luc. xxiii, 43). Hence this feast is also held to be preeminent; for Paul says: "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (I Cor. v, 7). The fourth festival day is the most glorious and peaceful and triumphal day of the most holy Resurrection of Christ our God, when, having broken in pieces the eternal bars among the dead and shattered the shackles, He rose from the dead, and, triumphing over hell, He raised up and led forth with Himself the just who were held fast there (Luc. xxiv), when also, having entered to His disciples, He gave them peace as a reward (Joan. xx). Whence, without any controversy, this has always been held by the faithful to be the mother of feasts and the most celebrated day. The fifth of the feast days, however, is the most holy Ascension of the Lord to the heavens, C which we are now celebrating; and this is the fifth of the festivals, because it also falls on the fifth day of the week. Therefore, it is fitting that we celebrate this solemnity, since today Christ hath taken up to the heavens the first fruits of our mass, that is, our flesh. Wherefore the Apostle also said: "He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus" (Eph. ii, 6). Whence the author of all evil and the inventor of sin, the devil, fell on account of the tumor of elation and the smoke of pride, whereas Christ restored man, who had been cast out of Paradise by that one’s wicked counsel, there by the magnitude of His own benignity. Therefore, the present feast is worthy of every honor and spiritual dance. But since we recalled to your memory at the beginning of the sermon the number of seven feasts, according to the ratio of the days of the creation of the world, and we have hitherto shown only five feasts, we must needs also bring two others into the middle, and thus the discourse may be led to the instituted narrative. The sixth celebration of the feasts, then, is the blessed day of the Coming of the Holy Spirit, when the promised gift of the Holy Spirit was sent down from the Lord Christ from the heavens to the holy apostles in the form of fiery tongues, which is also called Pentecost because of the completion of the seven weeks. Without controversy, therefore, this too is established as the greatest solemnity for all the pious. The seventh feast, which is expected, is the day of the Resurrection of the dead, by the hope and desire of which all the faithful are held, when the Lord shall come, and He who has no respect of persons, the Judge, Christ our God, will render to everyone according to his works. This is the true rest, and so the blessed Apostle Paul said: "Let us hasten therefore to enter into that rest" (Heb. iv, 11). Then, therefore, the celebration will be fulfilled to the greatest degree with all joy, gladness, and exultation for those who shall possess as an inheritance those things which "the eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man, which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (I Cor. ii, 9), so that we may be able to celebrate the feast day with the just and the holy in the nuptial chamber of the heavenly kingdom, not merely for one, two, or three days, but for everlasting ages. Seven feast celebrations having thus been set forth by us, let us return to that which is under discussion. D Our instituted narrative, however, is about the present feast of the Ascension of Christ into the heavens, of which David said: "And He bowed the heavens, and came down, and darkness was under His feet" (Ps. xvii, 10—11), intending to signify the coming of the divine Word from the heavens down upon the earth. He said, indeed, that darkness was under His feet, signifying the covering of divinity through the flesh; for His coming was unknown to the common people, on account of His humility and meekness. Again, for the same prophet says: "O Lord, Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in many waters, and Thy footsteps shall not be known" (Ps. lxxvi, 20). If they had known, says the Apostle, they never would have crucified the Lord of glory (I Cor. ii, 8). And He said again: "He flew upon the wings of the winds" (Ps. xvii, 11). Upon the Cherubim, he says, because the same One who is in the heavens with the Father was also being carried upon the Cherubim, and while He was living with men on earth, He was by no means separated from the Cherubic and heavenly throne; but by the "wings of the winds" He hints at the clouds, into which He was also taken up, as it is also written in the Acts of the Apostles: "And a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Act. i, 9). After this he adds: "And while they were looking on Him going into heaven" (Ib. v, 10), astonishment and fear invaded the apostles; for when they were mortals by nature, and not accustomed to contemplating such things, they were driven into an astonishment of mind. But someone will say that Peter and James and John had seen the transfiguration before. They had indeed seen the Lord transfigured before, and the cloud overshadowing Him: but they did not behold the cloud which was being snatched up into the air, and receiving the Lord into the heavens (Matth. xvii, 3). That was a miracle, and this is a miracle: but a miracle more formidable than a miracle, this one more sublime than that: yet both were accomplished by the power and mystery of one God. Then Moses and Elias appeared to those who were with Peter, speaking with Him: but now the Cherubic throne, that is, the invisible power, hidden by a cloud,