Homily I on the Holy Pascha · §3 · Hesychius of Jerusalem

Remember Me in Your Kingdom

…because of the faith that came afterward. For what does he say? 'Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42). And by a single assent of faith he dwells in paradise and walks about the heavens. 'For truly I say to you,' he says, 'today you will be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43).

Let us too remain beside the Savior's cross, saying these very words: 'Lord, remember me in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42), so that we too may become sharers in paradise and enjoy the kingdom of heaven.

The present festival, brothers, is a feast of victory, the victory feast of the Son of God, the King of all. For today the devil has been defeated through the one who was crucified, and our race rejoices because of the one who rose.

For this day cries out to me as I rise, and says: "In my course I saw a new sight: a tomb being opened, and a man being raised, and bones exulting, and souls rejoicing, and human beings being fashioned, and the heavens being torn open, and the powers crying out, 'Lift up your gates, you rulers' (Psalm 24:7), and the rest. Today I saw the heavenly King ascending, girded with light, above lightning and sunbeams, above the sun and the springs of waters, above the clouds, and with a spirit of power and eternal life."

For he was hidden, first…

Greek

διὰ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα πίστιν. Τί γὰρ καί φησιν; – «Μνήσθητί μου, κύριε, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.» Καὶ ἐν μιᾷ συγκαταθέσει πίστεως παράδεισον οἰκεῖ καὶ οὐρανοὺς περιπολεῖ. «Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω σοι, φησίν, σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ.» Παραμείνωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῷ τοῦ σωτῆρος σταυρῷ, λέγοντες αὐτὰς τὰς φωνάς· «Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου», ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῦ παραδείσου μέτοχοι γενώμεθα καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν. 5 Νικητήριον ἡ παροῦσα πανήγυρις, ἀδελφοί, νικητήριον τοῦ παμβασιλέως υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. Σήμερον γὰρ ὁ διάβολος διὰ τὸν σταυρωθέντα ἡττήθη, τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον γένος εὐφραίνεται διὰ τὸν ἀναστάντα. Βοᾷ γὰρ ἡ σήμερον ἡμέρα τῇ ἐγέρσει μου καὶ λέγει· «Ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ δρόμῳ εἶδον θέαμα καινόν, μνημεῖον ἀνοιγόμενον καὶ ἄνθρωπον 1 ἐγειρόμενον καὶ ὀστέα ἀγαλλιώμενα καὶ ψυχὰς χαιρομένας καὶ ἀνθρώπους πλασσομένους καὶ οὐρανοὺς σχιζομένους καὶ δυνάμεις κραζούσας· "Αρατε πύλας οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Σήμερον εἶδον τὸν ἐπουράνιον βασιλέα ἀναβαίνοντα, περιεζωσμένον φῶς, ὑπὲρ ἀστραπὴν καὶ ἀκτῖνας, ὑπὲρ ἥλιον καὶ πηγὰς ὑδάτων, ὑπὲρ νεφέλας καὶ πνεῦμα δυνάμεως καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» Οὗτος γὰρ ἐκρύβη πρῶτον

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Hesychius of Jerusalem’s first homily on the holy Pascha, on the night of victory and the wood of the cross that opened heaven, in a fresh English translation from the Greek.

Hesychius, a presbyter of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450), preached this homily for the holy night of Pascha. It is his first homily on the holy Pascha; the second is a separate work.

He begins with the night itself, lit up less by the stars than by joy, because our God and Savior has conquered: "Take courage," he says, "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Since God has conquered the invisible enemy, his hearers too will win the victory over the demons, so he calls them to stay beside the saving cross and keep the holy night with torchlight and song.

He then praises the wood of the cross, which opened the doors of heaven. Rome glories in it, and Paul was not ashamed of it. Moses' rod drove off the plagues of Egypt, but the cross puts an end to the sins of humankind. The thief's prayer, "Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom" (Luke 23:42), becomes the hearers' own. The day itself speaks of the opened tomb and the King ascending, and the homily ends with the risen Lord called to sit at the Father's right hand.

A fresh English translation made from the Greek text printed in PG 93.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 93 (Greek)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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