Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles — Homily 48

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting

Acts XXII. 17-20

And it came to pass, that, when I had come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get you quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive your testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on you: and when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

See how he thrusts himself (into danger), I came, he says, after that vision, to Jerusalem. I was in a trance, etc. Again, this is without witness: but observe, the witness follows from the result. He said, They will not receive your testimony: they did not receive it. And yet from calculations of reason the surmise should have been this, that they would assuredly receive him. For I was the man that made war upon the Christians: so that they ought to have received him. Here he establishes two things: both that they are without excuse, since they persecuted him contrary to all likelihood or calculation of reason; and, that Christ was God, as prophesying things contrary to expectation, and as not looking to past things, but fore- knowing the things to come. How then does He say, He shall bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel? [[Acts 9.15]] Not, certainly persuade. Besides which, on other occasions we find the Jews were persuaded, but here they were not. Where most of all they ought to have been persuaded, as knowing his former zeal (in their cause ), here they were not persuaded. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen, etc. See where again his discourse terminates, namely, in the forcible main point ( εἰς τὸ ἱσχυρὸν κεφάλαιον ): that it was he that persecuted, and not only persecuted but killed, nay, had he ten thousand hands ( μυρίαις χερσὶν ἀναιρὥν ) would have used them all to kill Stephen. He reminded them of the murderous spirit heinously indulged (by him and them). Then of course above all they would not endure him, since this convicted them; and truly the prophecy was having its fulfilment: great the zeal, vehement the accusation, and the Jews themselves witnesses of the truth of Christ! And he said to me, Depart: for I will send you far hence unto the Gentiles. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. (v. 21, 22.) The Jews would not endure to hear out all his harangue, but excessively fired by their wrath, they shouted, it says, Away with him; for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, the tribune commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. (v. 23, 24.) Whereas both the tribune ought to have exami