John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 19.150.29-46
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/471
Context
John Chrysostom was the archbishop of Constantinople during the turn
of the 4th to 5th centuries, celebrated for his keen intellect and masterful oratory. He
met with great opposition for his theological arguments and criticism of Imperial
authority, particularly of the empress Eudoxia, which led to his final expulsion from
Constantinople to exile at the remote town of Cucusus (Κουκουσός, modern Goksün) in
southern Cappadocia, from late June of 404 until his death in September of 407 C.E.
Among hundreds of homilies he composed is the an extensive commentary on the Acts
of the Apostles, which he wrote ca. 400, before the harsh controversy that
embroiled him. This passage addresses St. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip at
Azotus and Caesarea.
Text
“Ἐκέλευσέ τε στῆναι τὸ ἅρμα, καὶ κατέβησαν εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ ἀμφότεροι, ὅ τε
Φίλιππος καὶ ὁ εὐνοῦχος, καὶ ἐβάπτισεν αὐτόν. Ὅτε δὲ ἀνέβησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος, Πνεῦμα
Κυρίου ἥρπασε τὸν Φίλιππον, καὶ οὐκ εἶδεν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔτι ὁ εὐνοῦχος. Ἐπορεύετο γὰρ τὴν
ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ χαίρων.” Διὰ τί, φησὶν, ἦρεν αὐτὸν Πνεῦμα Κυρίου; Διότι ἔμελλε καὶ ἄλλας
πόλεις διελθεῖν καὶ εὐαγγελίσασθαι. Ὥστε οὖν ὕστερον αὐτὸν θαυμασθῆναι τοῦτο ἐγένετο,
ὥστε μὴ ἀνθρώπινον τὸ περὶ αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ θεῖον νομίσαι. “Φίλιππος δὲ εὑρέθη εἰς Ἄζωτον,
καὶ διερχόμενος εὐηγγελίσατο τὰς πόλεις πάσας, ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς
Καισάρειαν.” Καὶ ἐκ τούτου δῆλον ὡς οὗτος τῶν ἑπτά ἐστι· καὶ
γὰρ καὶ ὕστερον ἐκεῖ εὑρίσκεται ἐν Καισαρείᾳ. Συμφερόντως οὖν
ἥρπασεν αὐτὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἐπεὶ ἠξίωσεν ἂν καὶ συναπελθεῖν αὐτῷ ὁ εὐνοῦχος· ὃν καὶ
ἐλύπησεν ἂν ἐκεῖνος, ἀνανεύσας καὶ ἀρνησάμενος, οὐδέπω καιροῦ ὄντος.1
Textual Note
Ed. Savile and Migne 1862Corrigenda Note
Minor corrections (typeface)Translation
“And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went
down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came
up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched away Philip, and the eunuch did not
see him any more. And he went on his way rejoicing.” [Acts 8:38-39] But
why, he says, did the Spirit of the Lord bear him away? Because he was about to go to
other cities and spread the Gospel. And so this happened in order that (Philip) would
later be an object of wonder, in order that (the eunuch) would not consider (Philip’s)
activity of humanity but of God. “But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he
preached in all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.”
[Acts 8:40] From this it is clear that this (Philip) was one of the
seven, for in fact he is later found there at Caesarea. It was
therefore fitting that the Spirit snatched (Philip) away, because the eunuch would have
wanted to depart with him, and (Philip) would have disappointed him by declining to
comply with his request, seeing as how it was not yet the right time.2
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. Rife with reference to Stevens 1889}Works Cited
- 1 John Chrysostom, Ύπομνῆμα εἰς τὰς Πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων / Homiliae LV in Actas apostolorum, in S. P. N. Joannis Chrysostomi, episcopi Constantinopolitani, opera omnia quae exstant, ed. Henry Savile and J.-P. Migne, vol. 9, 18 vols., Patrologiae cursus completus, series graeca 60 (Paris: J.-P. Migne, 1862), 13–581, bk: 19, p: 150.29-46.
- 2 John Chrysostom, Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans, trans. George B. Stevens, American edition, revised, Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series 11 (New York: Christian Literature Publishing Company, 1889), p: 121.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 19.150.29-46,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/471.
Show full citation information...
Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 19.150.29-46.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/471.About this Entry
Entry Title: John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 19.150.29-46
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 19.150.29-46”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 19.150.29-46”
Additional Credit:
- Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
- Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
- Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife