and the power unto the ages of ages. Amen. D
BY THE SAME ANOTHER ENCOMIUM UPON SAINT STEPHEN THE PROTOMARTYR.
BY THE SAME ANOTHER LAUDATION OF ST. STEPHEN THE PROTOMARTYR.
Translated and annotated by Lorenzo Zacagni, V.C.Christ came into the world for our salvation, and straightway the fruits of the Church sprang forth. The witness of the truth shone forth, and together with him shone forth the witnesses of the great dispensation. The disciples followed the Master, treading in the footsteps of the Lord; after Christ, the Christ-bearers; after the Sun of Justice, the lights of the world. And first among us blossomed Stephen, not woven out of Jewish thorns, but offered to the Lord as the first fruit of the fertility of the Church. For the Jews, having plaited a crown of thorns, placed it upon the head of the Savior, exhibiting to the Lord of the vineyard fruits worthy of their evil husbandry, as once A he foretold through the prophecy, saying: "The vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah, a plant beloved. I expected that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth thorns" (Isa. v, 7). But the laborers of the evangelical truth offer to the Master their first beginning of piety and the first-fruits of their husbandry, Stephen, the holy man, as a crown truly harmonized out of many and diverse virtues. For, in the first place, this admirable man was entrusted with the care of the widows, having been approved as a faithful man, and full of the Holy Spirit, B by the judgment and selection of the apostles, and afterwards by the virtue of spiritual wisdom. And certainly of such study and endeavor
in defending and propagating the Gospel had he given a specimen, that great miracles of divine power accompanied his preaching. For Stephen, he says, "full of faith and power, did great wonders." A For he did not judge that any impediment to him might arise from the care of the widows, but he also embraced this task with alacrity, nor did he ever cease from the ministry of the word; and this very thing in him was a matter of great admiration, that he showed a singular abundance of a mind inclined to undergo labors. He bore the care of the widows, and he applied himself to the business of souls, nourishing the former with bread, and instructing the latter with words; setting before the one a corporal table, but preparing for the others a spiritual banquet. For he was a righteous man, and full of the Holy Spirit, sustaining the office of feeding the poor through the probity of his mind, while with liberty of speech and the virtue of the Holy Spirit, he stopped the mouths of the enemies of the truth. Therefore he resisted all, and contended against all by the preaching of the truth, destroying the counsels of adversaries, B and every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And he was endowed with such power and efficacy of speech that, as the sacred page testifies, no one could resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. But the herald of truth was led to the council of impiety; for it is necessary for us thus in passing to render the due praises to the Protomartyr, which yesterday, on account of the infirmity of the body, it was not permitted to fulfill, and today to perform the due commemoration of the holy apostles. For first, the praises of the saints are not to be circumscribed by days or times; for "The righteous shall be in eternal remembrance." C Then, those to whom there was one and the same mind and sentiment, they ought surely to be partakers of these praises also. Therefore, the martyrs are not to be praised without the apostles, nor the apostles without them. For the apostles are the masters of the martyrs, and the martyrs are the images of the apostles. Therefore, the blessed Stephen, bearing before him their image and insignia—namely, the cross—was the first also to be crowned with the crown of martyrdom through death. Indeed, by the tolerance of his martyrdom, he procured glory and beauty for his masters; and Stephen was truly made what his name signifies, that is, a crown; for the crown of excellent masters was not an honor sprung from the celebrity of a name, but was the growth of the Church, D just as the divine Apostle also, writing to the Philippians, says: "My brethren dearly beloved, my joy and my crown, so stand fast." But let us return to the proposed subject.
The man bearing Christ entered the council of those who slew Christ; the sheep leaped into the synagogue of the wolves.
A It did not leap in simply like a sheep snatched by a wolf, but as a sheep from the flock of Christ contending with wolves. For they were raging and gnashing their teeth, lacerating the flock with the bites of accusations and threats; but he, in an entirely different manner, tore them apart with his arguments rather than with threats and accusations. Let us not run through these words lightly and superficially. For in the face of such a council of evildoers and such an incursion of wolves, he took courage to speak out against injustice and to say, after that long discourse: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit, as your fathers did," and what follows. B Thus, he who seemed to be on earth was gazing upon heavenly things, not having put off human nature, but transformed into the face and appearance of an angel. And there was nothing strange in this; for it was truly fitting that in the Protomartyr the dignity of martyrs should be revealed, and that all might henceforth recognize the works of the new grace. For the desire for martyrdom not only bestows angelic dignity but also opens the gates of heaven; it does not hand over souls to death, but commends the spirit into the hands of Christ. For our Lord and Savior, as a man, cried out to his own Father on the cross, saying: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." C But Stephen, the servant of Christ, stretching out his hands to the Master, says: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And uttering these words, he breathed out his soul. The angels received their fellow dancer, showering him with praises from above more than the Jews below covered him with stones. But Stephen, having thus fought the good fight, received the inheritance in heaven. And to this Stephen, suddenly, all the precious stones were joined—the most divine heralds of the Gospels, after whom followed the martyrs, and after them again those who shone with saving virtue; but especially those whom we celebrate at present, who shone far and wide with the splendor of piety, I mean Peter, and James, and John, the leaders of the apostolic harmony and the crowns of ecclesiastical glory. D For I do not desist from the name of Stephen; but having spoken it many times and a thousand times, still thirsting, I repeat it. For there is no satiety in Stephen for those who await the blessed end of the crowns. Therefore, if one must speak truthfully, we are feasting again on crowns starting from Stephen, and we share in them with his memorials, since we hope to share, and to remain, and to be glorified together.
A For thus the promise, the communion of faith, is multiplied.
But again, brothers, an occasion is given to us to enjoy spiritual goods, while the Lord’s day of resurrection shines together with the commemoration of the martyrs. For on this day the illumination of the glory of the Gospel of Christ shone into our minds primarily, in which that light, flourishing with the saving rays of righteousness, dispelled the darkness of impiety, and enlightened souls with the knowledge of the truth. And see how admirable and great is this kind of benefit! For this sensible sun, rising in the morning and beginning the day with the rays of his light as harbingers of his arrival, indeed covers and surrounds the earth with his light, but he obscures and overwhelms the choruses of all other stars, so that we see him alone wandering through the vaults of heaven. B But our Lord Jesus Christ, having risen for us from on high, according to the prophecy speaking about him, “In which the Orient from on high hath visited us,” C not only did not obscure those holy ones who shone like stars before his coming and became his forerunners, but rather rendered them more splendid, and, moreover, caused other new luminaries to rise along with him. For prophets shone forth after his presence; or rather, even before it. For while the prophecy was still dim due to the inept digressions of the Scribes in explaining those things which pertained to the Gospel and the coming of Christ, the Savior coming into the world illumined all things, and made them clear, having become the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. For he did not come to destroy the Law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. D And concerning the new grace, the Savior saying about himself,
A "I am the light of this world," the source of goodness, B having come forth from the good Father, did not disdain to share his own name with those who serve him; but he says to his own disciples: "You are the light of the world; and, Let your works shine before men." B And that which we have the greater power to bring forward in support of what has been said, this, by the grace of God, we shall set forth again: John the Baptist, named a lamp, and foretold in the Psalms, and testified to by the Lord. For the Prophet, taking the person of the Father, says concerning him in his song: "I have prepared a lamp for my Christ," that is, I have prepared a servant and forerunner of the light. And the Lord, confirming the paternal voice, says, "He was the burning lamp." But although he was a lamp, he was so far from being obscured by the coming of the Lord—who was the sun of righteousness—that he shone even more brightly, having become at once a herald and a theologian of the Savior himself. C John, therefore, because he illuminated only the one house of Israel, was called a lamp. But the apostles of the Savior were proclaimed not lamps, nor torches, nor stars, but luminaries, shining not in one region, nor in one corner, but illuminating everything under heaven. The leaders and chief among these are Peter, and James, and John, who are honored today for their testimonies on behalf of Christ, having run in harmony toward the end of their lives, yet contending in the struggle of martyrdom in different ways. For he who was revealed as the leader and chief of the apostolic choir obtained glory befitting his rank, honored by a kinship of experience with the Savior; for being fixed to the cross, he depicted the kingly image of the Lord (and by kingly image I mean the cross); not ashamed of the passion, but boasting in the great trophy. For neither to them, nor to us, nor to those after us, nor to any other, of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as Paul also says... D for so too Peter appears to have held in honor the venerable... For out of great reverence he asked to be suspended upside down on the cross by those crucifying him, that he might not be thought equal to the Savior, who was crucified for all of humanity, and who, with hands spread out as they were upon the cross, embraced the inhabited world. But James was beheaded, eager to attain his true head, Christ. For the head of man is Christ, according to the Apostle, and likewise the head of the whole Church. But the blessed John, having struggled in many and various conflicts throughout his life, and having excelled in all the accomplishments of piety,
A having been judged at the end by the boiling water—this term, having been condemned, is reckoned with the choir of the martyrs. For among judges, martyrdom is not judged by the outcome of the suffering, but by the intention of the desire. But the mode of death was such for those who, through death, bestowed immortal memory upon the Churches. And it was truly fitting that the memories of the aforementioned men should be celebrated together, not only because of their agreement in piety, but also because of the equal rank of their worth. For they alone always spent their time with the Lord, and possessed a preeminent place, as it were, beyond the rest of the apostles, and boldness, not by the assumption of human friendship, but according to the divine judgment of truth.
B We find that they alone were taken up by the Lord when He performed His greatest miracles, as the most faithful and truthful witnesses of His deeds; this occurred during the vision on the mountain (for only Peter, and James, and John were there when the Lord, transforming His own body, changed it into a glorious and more brilliant divinity, having Moses and Elijah standing with Him, and through the cloud of light overshadowing them, He revealed that great image of the kingdom); this also occurred when He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, for even there He had these men as spectators of the miracle that took place. Furthermore, that I may not delay by speaking of each point individually, even at the very time of His saving passion, having taken these same men with Him, He did not fear to say to them, as to faithful and most steadfast men, "Now is my soul troubled." These things have been said by us, not in order to detract from the rest of the C apostles, but as a testimony to the virtue of those whose memory we celebrate today; and to speak more truly, even for the common praise of all the apostles; for to define excellences and gradations among the saints is the task not of human judgment, but of the judgment and truth of God. But we, who have been deemed worthy to share in the memory of such great men, must give thanks to them, not to the extent that we owe—for this is impossible—but to the extent that we are able; for even this is acceptable. For the saints demand these honors from us, not that they may gain anything by being praised, but that we may share in the benefits D of our communion with them; nor do I suppose that anyone of the pious is unaware that we celebrate the memories not only of Peter, and James, and John, but of the whole apostolic harmony together…
For if, according to the truth of the doctrines, they occupy the order of members and fulfill the form of one body, it is evident that when one part is glorified, as the Apostle says, all the members are glorified together; A and this especially holds true for those blessed and most perfect men, in whom all things concur toward the truth: their manner of life is of one mind, their faith is of one belief, and just as the rewards of piety are common to them, so too are the honors bestowed for the truth’s sake. And who would not reasonably be delighted, and filled with the Holy Spirit himself, in being deemed worthy to share in the apostolic choir, which led the whole world to the knowledge of the truth, which spread the nets of piety over the entire inhabited world, and everywhere fixed the traps of the truth, so that, by catching all mankind—which had been turned savage by wickedness—they might bring it to Him who tames and saves it? "Their sound went out into all the earth." They are the foundations of the Church, the pillars and supports of the truth; these are the perennial fountains of salvation, which pour forth a copious, rich, and God-like stream of teaching. To them the prophetic voice also directs us, saying: "Draw water with joy from the fountains of the Savior." B
Peter, the head of the apostles, is commemorated, and the other members of the Church are glorified together with him, while the Church of God is established in him. For this man is, according to the gift granted to him by the Lord, the unbroken and most firm rock upon which the Savior built the Church. James and John are also commemorated, and, as they were called "sons of thunder" by the Savior, they bring with them all the rain-bearing clouds; for when the thunder breaks, the clouds must necessarily gather. By clouds, then, one must understand the apostolic and prophetic discourses, which, while the times of their proclamation differ, yet have harmonious laws of piety, for their charisms flowed from one and the same Spirit. But why do I dare to approach matters beyond my abilities, and attempt to commemorate the apostolic virtue worthily? Our striving in praises does not pertain to Simon, who is known from his fishing, but to his firm faith, and to the support of the whole C Church at once. Nor, again, do we have our discourse directed toward the sons of Zebedee, but toward the Boanerges, which, being interpreted, signifies "sons of thunder." Where now will the most meager voice of my discourse appear, when such a great and mighty thunder is ringing in the ears of all? Therefore, hastening to fulfill only this duty of gratitude toward the saints, D
we desire to fulfill his will, at least in that way, yet we take refuge in silence, which is free from danger, knowing full well A that we are counted worthy to share in the memorials of the saints only when we imitate and emulate their virtues; not by celebrating their deeds in speeches, but by embracing their character in our souls so that we never allow them to slip away or be forgotten. For it is not festivals celebrated inconsiderately and by custom, but religious piety, the same manner of life, and similarity of behavior that will demonstrate that we are their true disciples. You venerate the memorials of the martyrs; venerate also their purpose: for we truly share in the memorials of the saints when we follow after their manner of life. For the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ did not shine upon them alone. [II Cor. iv, 4, 6.] Neither did God bestow grace only upon those. The precepts are common, the law of conduct is common; the one who distributes the rewards of labors to those who struggle is one, and there is one prize of truth, which may God grant us all to be worthy of, through the prayers and intercessions B of the saints whose memory we celebrate, and by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
BY THE SAME EULOGY FOR THE GREAT MARTYR THEODORE
BY THE SAME ORATION IN PRAISE OF THE HOLY AND GREAT MARTYR THEODORE
(Translated by the same Sifanus.)You who are the people of Christ, the holy flock, the royal priesthood, who have flocked together in crowds from everywhere, both from the cities and from the countryside, whence did you receive the signal for the journey, and how were you led here to this sacred place? Who has imposed upon you such a serious and seemingly predetermined necessity for coming here? And that too in winter time, C when there is peace from war, and the soldier puts away his armor, and the sailor places his rudder above the smoke, and the farmer rests, tending to his plowing oxen at the manger? Or is it evident that the holy martyr has sounded the trumpet from the ranks of the military, and has stirred up many from different regions, and has called them to the place and seat of his own rest—not to organize for the equipment of war,