On Saint Andrew · §3 · Hesychius of Jerusalem

Early Rain, Late Rain, and the Call to Repent

…the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the door of the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were at a loss over this, behold, two men stood beside them in dazzling garments. As they were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"' (Luke 24:1–5)

"Why do you think thoughts about Life that are foreign to life? He whom you seek here is seated in heaven; he who was touched here rests in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18); he who became dead so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:9) did not leave life behind. For he lends life to all; from him the whole of nature draws breath; in him all that moves is moved (Acts 17:28), all that holds together holds together (Colossians 1:17), all that works is at work."

Going out from there, the women met Jesus (Matthew 28:9). They saw the Dawn as dawn, and said to him what David sang in prophecy: 'For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we shall see light' (Psalm 36:9).

But if you say, 'The women found him, but the apostles did not,' and, 'How is it a gain for all? How does what was found become salvation for the whole of nature?', you ask needlessly and accuse in vain. For the women found what they had earlier lost through Eve. She who gave occasion for the loss found the gain.

But read the rest of the prophecy: 'As a ready dawn we shall find him, and he will come to us like the early and the late rain upon the earth' (Hosea 6:3). This has been fulfilled plainly, word for word. The saying needs no spiritual interpretation; we have no need to allegorize the prophet's meaning: 'He will come to us like the early and the late rain upon the earth.' See him, then, appearing early to the women and late to the apostles. Early, here, he greeted the women with 'Rejoice' (Matthew 28:9); late, in Zion, he greeted the disciples with 'Peace' (John 20:19). 'Rejoice' to the women, to undo the sentence of sorrow; 'Peace' to the disciples, to put an end to the enmity the dragon had planted. That is why he spoke to them with this distinction: 'Peace be with you; for the war is with the devil, and the enmity against him remains. His horn must be broken, his venom poured out, his sting trampled. Now I will forge the weapons with which war will be waged against him.'

Not in vain, then, did Andrew tell Peter, 'We have found the Messiah, who is called Christ' (John 1:41), since God too spoke such words through the prophecy of Isaiah: 'If you seek, seek, and dwell with me' (Isaiah 21:12). So Andrew dared to ask Christ: 'I know that you have no house on earth; you do not build in corruption, you do not make your dwelling of brick. "Where are you staying?" (John 1:38) — so that I may become doorkeeper of the Lord's court. "For I have chosen to lie at the threshold in the house of my God rather than dwell in the tents of sinners" (Psalm 84:10). "Where are you staying?" If I learn, I will not leave the door.'

But this is the table the church has now set out from the Gospels; I have only served its dishes, as a household servant. So, if you agree, I will pass on to another table.

His calling crowns Andrew; it shows the soldier that he has been chosen. The hiring that Matthew set before us shows the worth of the vinedresser: 'From then on Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near' (Matthew 4:17). 'From then on.' From when? From the time he sanctified the Jordan, planted the gift of baptism, crushed the heads of the dragons in the waters (Psalm 74:13), brought down from heaven the gift of the Spirit, opened the way of life, and flung wide the gate of salvation. 'From then on he began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' For the creditor has come who wipes out the charges against all; the generous King has arrived; the judge is here who sets the guilty free from prison, who looses the iron collars, who wipes out the charges against all, 'who shuts his eyes so as not to see injustice, who stops his ears so as not to hear a judgment of blood' (Isaiah 33:15).

'Repent': wash your deeds with the word, scour your mouth with your tongue, cleanse your life with prayer, offer a sacrifice that ranks above many. 'Repent': so the one who repents is not only freed from terrible things but also receives an inheritance of good things; he becomes not only free from wickedness but also a farmer of righteousness. 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' You who are strong, take it by force (Matthew 11:12); you who are weak…

Greek

ἃ ἡτοίμασαν ἀρώματα. Εὗρον δὲ τὸν λίθον ἀποκεκυλισμένον ἐκ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνημείου· εἰσελ θοῦσαι δὲ οὐχ εὗρον τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ διαπορεῖσθαι αὐτὰς περὶ τούτου καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο ἄνδρες ἐπέστη σαν αὐταῖς ἐν ἐσθήσεσιν ἀστραπτούσαις. Ἐμφόβων δὲ γενομέ νων αὐτῶν καὶ κλινουσῶν τὰ πρόσωπα εἰς τὴν γῆν, εἶπον πρὸς αὐτάς· "3Τί ζητεῖτε τὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τῶν νεκρῶν;"3 Τί λογί ζεσθε περὶ τῆς ζωῆς τὰ τῆς ζωῆς ἀλλότρια; Ὁ παρ' ὑμῶν ὧδε ζητούμενος ἐν οὐρανοῖς καθέζεται, ὁ ἐνταῦθα ψηλαφώμενος ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀναπαύεται, ὁ γενόμενος νεκρὸς ἵνα νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ τὴν ζωὴν οὐ κατέλιπεν· αὐτὸς γὰρ πᾶσι δανείζει τὴν ζωήν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ φύσις ἐμπνεῖται, ἐν αὐτῷ κινεῖται τὰ κινούμενα, τὰ συνεστῶτα συνίσταται, ἐνερ γεῖ τὰ ἐνεργούμενα.» Ἐκεῖθεν αἱ γυναῖκες ἐξελθοῦσαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ συνήντησαν, καὶ τὸν ὄρθρον εἶδον ὡς ὄρθρον, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐ τὸν ὅπερ ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἐν προφητείαις ἔψαλλεν· «Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς.» Εἰ δὲ λέγεις· «Αἱ μὲν γυ ναῖκες εὗρον, οὐχ εὗρον δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι», καὶ «Πῶς ἐστι κέρδος κοινόν; Πῶς τὸ εὑρεθὲν ὅλης τῆς φύσεως γίνεται σωτηρία;» περιττὸν ζητεῖς, μάτην ἐγκαλεῖς. Εὗρον γὰρ αἱ γυναῖκες ὅπερ διὰ τῆς Εὔας ἀπώλεσαν πρότερον. Εὗρεν τὸ κέρδος ἡ παρασχοῦσα τῆς ζημίας τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. Πλὴν ἀνάγνωθι τῆς προφητείας τὰ λεί ποντα· «Ὡς ὄρθρον ἕτοιμον εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἥξει ἡμῖν ὡς ὑετὸς πρώϊμος καὶ ὄψιμος τῇ γῇ.» Ταῦτα σαφῶς κατὰ λέξιν πεπλήρωται. Οὐ χρῄζει θεωρίας ὁ λόγος, ἀλληγορεῖν οὐ δεόμεθα τοῦ προφήτου τὴν ἔννοιαν· «Ἥξει ἡμῖν ὡς ὑετὸς πρώϊμος καὶ ὄψιμος τῇ γῇ.» Ὅρα τοίνυν αὐτὸν πρώϊμον ταῖς γυναιξίν, ὄψιμον δὲ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις φαινόμενον· πρωῒ μὲν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ταῖς γυ ναιξὶν «Χαίρετε», ὀψὲ δὲ ἐν τῇ Σιὼν «Εἰρήνην» τοῖς μαθηταῖς προσεφώνησεν· «Χαίρετε» ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἵνα λύσῃ τῆς λύπης τὴν ἀπόφασιν, «Εἰρήνην» τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἵνα καταλύσῃ τὴν ἔχθραν ἣν ὁ δράκων ἐφύτευσεν. ∆ιὸ πρὸς αὐτοὺς μετὰ ταύτης τῆς διαστολῆς ἔλεγεν· «Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν· τῷ γὰρ διαβόλῳ ὁ πό λεμος, ἡ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἔχθρα μένει· δεῖ γὰρ αὐτοῦ συντριβῆναι τὸ κέρας, δεῖ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἰὸν ἐκχυθῆναι, δεῖ πατηθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὸ κέντρον. Νῦν ὅπλα χαλκεύσω οἷς κατ' αὐτοῦ συγκροτηθήσεται πόλεμος.» 6 Οὐ μάτην τοίνυν ὁ Ἀνδρέας τῷ Πέτρῳ ἀπήγγειλεν· «Εὑ ρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν», ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοιαῦτα διὰ τῆς Ἠσαΐου προφητείας ἐφθέγγετο· «Ἐὰν ἐπιζητήσῃς, ζήτει καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ οἴκει.» Ὅθεν τὸν Χριστὸν ὁ Ἀνδρέας ἐπερωτᾶν ἐτόλμησεν· «Οἶδα γὰρ ὡς οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐκ ἔχεις, οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖς ἐν τῇ φθορᾷ, οὐ σκηνοποιεῖς ἐν πλίνθῳ. "3Ποῦ μένεις;"3 ἵνα θυρωρὸς τῆς αὐλῆς τῆς δεσποτικῆς γένωμαι. "3Ἐξελεξάμην γὰρ παραριπτεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ θεοῦ μου μᾶλλον ἢ οἰκεῖν με ἐν σκηνώμασιν ἁμαρτωλῶν."3 "3Ποῦ μένεις;"3 Ἐὰν μάθω, τῆς θύρας οὐκ ἀφίσταμαι.» Ἀλλ' αὕτη μὲν ἡ τῆς ἐκκλησίας νῦν 3 ἐκ τῶν εὐαγγελίων παρατεθεῖσα τρά πεζα· ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτῆς τὰ ὄψα ὡς οἰκέτης μόνον παρέθηκα, διόπερ ἐφ' ἑτέραν, εἴπερ ὑμῖν δοκεῖ, μεταβήσομαι τράπεζαν. Ἀνδρέαν ἡ κλῆσις στεφανοῖ· δείκνυσι τῷ στρατιώτῃ τὴν ἐκλογήν. Παρέ στησεν τοῦ ἀμπελουργοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν ἡ μίσθωσις ἣν οὕτως ἡμῖν ὁ Μαθθαῖος παρέθετο· «Ἀπὸ τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἤρξατο κηρύττειν καὶ λέγειν· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» «Ἀπὸ τότε.» Πότε; –Ἀφ' οὗ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἡγίασεν καὶ τοῦβαπτίσματος τὴν δωρεὰν ἐφύτευσεν καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν δρακόν των συνέτριψεν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν δωρεὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατήγαγεν, ἤνοιξεν ὁδὸν ζωῆς, τῆς σωτηρίας τὴν πύ λην ἀνεπέτασεν· «Ἀπὸ τότε κηρύττειν ἤρξατο καὶ λέγειν· Μετα νοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Ἦλθεν γὰρ ὁ δανειστὴς ὁ πᾶσιν ἀπαλείφων τὰ ἐγκλήματα· ὁ ἄφθονος βα σιλεὺς ἐπεδήμησεν· πάρεστιν ὁ δικαστὴς τῆς φυλακῆς τοὺς ὑπευ θύνους ἐλευθερῶν, ὁ λύων τοὺς κλοιούς, ὁ ἀπαλείφων πᾶσιν ἐγ κλήματα, «ὁ καμμύων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ ἀδικίαν, ὁ βαρύνων τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσῃ κρίσιν αἵματος.» «Με τανοεῖτε»· πλύνατε τῷ λόγῳ τὰς πράξεις, γλώσσῃ τὸ στόμα ἀποσμήξατε, εὐχῇ τὸν βίον καθάρατε, προσενέγκατε θυσίαν ἥτις πολλῶν ἄρχει. «Μετανοεῖτε»· οὐκοῦν ὁ μετανοῶν οὐ μόνον τῶν δεινῶν ἀπαλλάττεται ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν κληρονομίαν δέχεται, οὐ μόνον κακίας ἐλεύθερος ἀλλὰ καὶ γεωργὸς δικαιοσύ νης γίνεται. «Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρα νῶν.» Οἱ δυνατοὶ βιάσασθε, οἱ ἀσθενεῖς

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A fresh English translation of Hesychius of Jerusalem’s sermon in praise of the apostle Andrew, the first to be called, who brought his brother Peter to Christ.

Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450), a priest of the church of Jerusalem, preached this homily in praise of the apostle Andrew. It opens with a call to sound the trumpet for the feast. Andrew, called before all the others, is the apostolic trumpet who gives all a share in grace.

Andrew told Peter, "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41), though he had heard John say only "Behold the Lamb of God." Hesychius asks where the one found had been lost, and answers from the prophets. David took pride in seeking God, and Hosea foretold healing after two days and rising on the third day, fulfilled when Christ rose and the women found him at dawn.

Hesychius then turns to Christ's first preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matthew 4:17), and to the call of Simon and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee. The fishermen left their nets without doubting the promise to make them fishers of men. The homily closes with a prayer that the apostles' light may shine into our minds, so that we may become fish in their heavenly net, choice fare for the Master's table.

Fresh English translation of Hesychius of Jerusalem's In sanctum Andream, made from the Greek of PG 93, the base text. No English version was used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 93 (Greek)

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