Беседа 4

Acts 2:1–2. When the day of Pentecost arrived they were all with one accord together. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Why did the Holy Spirit descend on Pentecost? – The Holy Spirit descended on those praying. - About the ap. Petre. – Comparison of the apostles with philosophers. 1. What kind of Pentecost is this? This is the time when it was necessary to cut the harvest with a sickle, when it was necessary to gather fruits. Did you see the image? Look, in turn, at the truth itself. When it was necessary to use the sickle of the word, when it was necessary to gather the harvest, then the Spirit flies in like a sophisticated sickle. Listen, in fact, to what Christ says: “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, how they are white and ripe for harvest” (John 4:35); and again: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). So, Christ himself was the first to apply the sickle; He carried the firstfruits into heaven, taking on our nature; That's why He calls it harvest. “When the day of Pentecost comes,” it is said, that is, not before Pentecost, but around Pentecost itself, so to speak. It was necessary that this also happen during the holiday, so that those who were present at the cross of Christ would see this event as well. “And suddenly there was a sound from heaven.” Why did this event not take place without any sensory phenomena? Because, if at the same time the Jews said, “they got drunk on sweet wine,” then what would they not have said if nothing like that had happened? And not just a noise happened, but “from the sky.” And with his suddenness he excited the students. "And he filled the whole house." This shows the great swiftness of the Spirit. Note: everyone was gathered here so that those present would believe and the disciples would prove worthy. And not only this (says Luke), but he also adds something that is much more amazing: “and divided tongues appeared to them, as if of fire” (Acts 2:3). It is beautifully added everywhere: “as if”, so that you do not think anything sensual about the Spirit: “as if from fire,” it is said, and: “as if from a rushing strong wind.” This means that it was not the wind that usually flows in the air. When John needed to recognize the Holy Spirit, He descended on the head of Christ in the form of a dove; and now, when all the people were to be converted, He appears in the form of fire. “And they rested one on each of them,” i.e., stopped, rested: to sit means to establish oneself, to remain in place. So what? Did (the Holy Spirit) come upon only the twelve disciples, and not on the rest? No, He came down to all one hundred and twenty people. Peter, not without reason, cited the testimony of the prophet, saying: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). And note: this happened in order not only to amaze them, but also to fill them with grace; therefore (it is said): “By the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). “And they were all filled,” it is added further, “with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). Before any other sign they received this very thing, since it was extraordinary, and there was no need for another sign. “And they rested,” it is said, “one on each of them,” therefore, on the one who was not chosen; That is why he no longer grieves because he is not chosen like Matthias. It is said: “and they were all fulfilled.” They not only accepted the grace of the Spirit, but were filled with it. “And they began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” I would not have said: “all”, although there were apostles here, if the rest had not participated. On the other hand, having previously spoken about them separately and by name, he would not now speak about them along with others. If, where it was necessary to say only that there were apostles, he mentions them separately, then all the more (he would have mentioned) here. But notice, I ask you, how the Spirit comes precisely when they are in prayer, when they have love. And the words: “as if on fire” reminded them of another vision, because, like fire, He appeared in a bush. “How the Spirit gave them utterance”; their words, indeed, were broadcasts 8. It is said: “Now there were Jews in Jerusalem, pious people” (Acts 2:5). That they were reverent is evidenced by the fact that they lived here. How? Belonging to so many nations and leaving their fatherland, their homes, their relatives, they lived here. “Now in Jerusalem there were Jews, pious people, from every nation under heaven. When this noise was made, the people gathered together and were in confusion” (Acts 2:5-6). Since this event happened in the house, those outside the house naturally came running. "The people fell into confusion." What does it mean: “in confusion”? Confused and surprised. Then (the writer), explaining why they were surprised, adds: “for everyone heard them speaking in his own dialect.” So the people gathered together, “saying to one another, “Are not these all Galileans who speak?” ( Acts 2:6–7 ) Immediately they turned their attention to the apostles. “Why,” they say, “we each hear our own dialect in which we were born. Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjacent to Cyrene, and those who came from Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, do we hear them speaking in our tongues about the great deeds of God? And they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other: “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:8–12). Do you see how they move from east to west? “But others mocked and said, “They are drunk on sweet wine” (Acts 2:13). 2. How crazy! What great wickedness! Now was not the time for new wine, 9 because it was Pentecost. And what’s even worse - while everyone recognizes (the miracle), both the Romans and the aliens, and perhaps even those who crucified (the Lord), - even after all this they say, “they got drunk on sweet wine.” But let's return to what was said above. "And he filled the whole house." The stormy breath was like a font of water; and fire serves as a sign of abundance and strength. This never happened to the prophets; it was like this only now - with the apostles; but with the prophets it is different. For example, Ezekiel is given a book scroll, and he eats what he was supposed to say: “and it was,” he says, “in my mouth as sweet as honey” (Ezek. 3:3). Or again: the hand of God touches the tongue of another prophet (Jer. 1:9). And here (everything is done) by the Holy Spirit himself and thus is equal to the Father and the Son. Again and in another place (the prophet) says: “weeping, and groaning, and grief” (Ezek. 2:10). The prophets were naturally given grace in the form of a book; they also needed images; Moreover, they dealt with only one people, with their own people, while the apostles dealt with the whole universe, with people whom they had never known. Elisha receives grace through the medium of mantle; another, like David, through oil; Moses is called by means of a burning bush; but here it is not so, and the fire itself “rested” on the apostles. Why didn't the fire fill the house? Because it would terrify them. However, from the words (of the writer) it is clear that this was so; Just pay attention not to these words: “and divided tongues appeared to them,” but to others: “as if they were on fire.” Such a multitude of fire can engulf a huge forest in flames. And it is beautifully said: “divided”; for they were from the same root, so that you might know that this is power sent by the Comforter. But look: the apostles first showed themselves worthy, and then they were already granted the Spirit. So did David: just as he acted when he was still with the flocks, he behaved in the same way after the victory and after the triumph, in order to show his simple faith. Look again at Moses: he (at first) despises the royal chambers, and after forty years he receives control of the people; or - on Samuel, who was brought up in the church; or - on Elisha, who abandoned everything; or again - to Ezekiel. And that this really happened (and with the apostles) is clear from what follows: they left everything that they had. Therefore, they then receive the Holy Spirit when they have discovered their virtue. They also learned human frailty from what they experienced; They learned that it was not in vain that they accomplished these feats. In the same way, Saul first had a testimony about himself that he was good, and then he received the Holy Spirit. But no one, not even the greatest of the prophets, Moses, received it like the apostles. Moses, when it was necessary for others to become spiritual, himself suffered a decrease; but here it’s not like that. On the contrary, just as fire, no matter how many lamps someone wants to light from it, does not diminish at all, so it happened then with the apostles. Through the fire, not only the abundance of grace was shown, but also everyone received an (inexhaustible) source of the Spirit, just as (Christ) himself said that those who believe in Him will have a source of water flowing into an eternal belly (John 4:14). And this is very natural, because they did not go to talk with Pharaoh, but to fight the devil. And, what is more surprising: when they were sent, they did not contradict at all, and did not say that they were weak-willed and tongue-tied - Moses taught them about this, - they did not say that they were too young - Jeremiah wised them up in this. Although they heard many terrible things, and much more than those (prophets), however, they were afraid to contradict. From this it is clear that these were angels of light and servants of higher affairs. No one appears to the prophets from heaven, because they are still concerned about what is on earth; but after a person has ascended to a height, the Holy Spirit descends from a height: “as if from a rushing,” it is said, “a strong wind.” This shows that nothing will be able to resist them, but that they will scatter their opponents like dust. "And he filled the whole house." The house served as a symbol of peace. “The people gathered and were in confusion.” Do you see the piety of these people - how they do not immediately pronounce a sentence, but are perplexed? And those foolish ones pronounce judgment, saying: “They got drunk on sweet wine.” Since according to the law they could appear in the church three times a year, pious people from all nations lived here. Notice from the present case how the writer does not flatter them: he did not say that they cast their vote, but what? “The people gathered and were in confusion.” This is natural; they thought that the present event threatened them with destruction for what they dared to do against Christ. On the other hand, their conscience shook their souls, since murder was still, so to speak, in their hands, and everything frightened them. “Are not these all who speak Galileans?” Well said; it means they acknowledged it. And this noise amazed them to such an extent that people from most of the universe gathered here. Meanwhile, for the apostles themselves this served as reinforcement; they did not know what it meant to speak Parthian, but now they learned from these people. And the writer mentions the peoples hostile to them - the Cretans, Arabians, Egyptians, Persians - in order to show that they will defeat them all. 3. Since the Jews were also in captivity at that time, it is likely that many of the pagans also came here with them; and on the other hand, the rumor about the dogmas at that time had already spread among the peoples, and therefore many of them were present here, according to the memory of what they had heard. Thus, the evidence from all sides was indisputable - from citizens, from foreigners, from aliens. “We hear them speaking in our own tongues about the great deeds of God.” They not only spoke, but they said something wonderful; and therefore these people were rightly perplexed, since nothing like this had ever happened before. Notice the reasonableness of these people: they were amazed and perplexed, saying: “To each other: what does this mean? But others mocked and said, “They are drunk on sweet wine” (Acts 2:12–13). What shamelessness if they laughed because of this! And what is surprising here, if about the Lord himself, when He cast out demons, they say that “he had Beelzebub in Him” (Mark 3:22)? Where insolence reigns, they care only about one thing: to say something; not about saying something reasonable, but just to say something. "They got drunk on sweet wine." True, so - because people, surrounded by so many dangers, trembling for life itself, in such sadness, dare to say such things! And look: since this was incredible, in order to mislead the listeners and show that (the apostles) were really drunk, they attribute everything to the quality (of the drink) and say: “they got drunk on sweet wine.” “Peter stood with the eleven, lifted up his voice and cried to them” (Acts 2:14). There you see his thoughtfulness, and here his courage. Let them wonder, let them be amazed; but at the same time not to raise a voice among such a multitude of people? If even then, when you speak among your own people, you become embarrassed, then even more so when you speak between enemies, between people who breathe murder. And that (the apostles) were not drunk, this immediately became obvious from their voice, because they did not go into a frenzy, like those possessed, and were not deprived of the freedom to control themselves. But what does it mean: “from eleven”? This means that they defended themselves with a common voice: Peter served as the mouth of everyone, and the other eleven (disciples) stood by, confirming his words with their testimony. “He lifted up his voice,” that is, he spoke with great boldness. And he does this so that they may know the grace of the Spirit. Indeed, before he could not bear the question of an insignificant servant, but now among the crowd of people, when everyone is breathing murder, he speaks with such boldness! This was undoubted evidence of the resurrection, because he acts with such courage among people who laughed and mocked such a great event. Think how much impudence, how much wickedness, how much shamelessness is needed to consider the extraordinary gift of tongues to be a matter of intoxication! But all this did not at all confuse the apostles and did not take away their courage, although they heard these ridicule. With the coming of the Spirit, they have already changed and become above everything carnal, because where the Holy Spirit appears, there the mortal ones become golden. Look, for example, I ask you, at Peter and recognize in him that man - fearful, unreasonable, just as Christ said: “Do you really not yet understand?” (Matthew 15:16), - a man who, after his famous wondrous confession, was called Satan (Matthew 16:23). Pay attention also to the unanimity of the apostles: they yield to him speaking to the people, because he should not have spoken to everyone. “He lifted up,” it is said, “his voice,” and began to speak to them with great boldness. This is what it means to become a spiritual husband! Let us also make ourselves worthy of the highest grace, and then everything will be easy for us. Just as a fiery man, falling into straw, will not suffer any harm, but on the contrary, will cause harm himself, because he himself does not suffer at all, and the stems that attack him destroy themselves, so it was now. Or better: just as a man who has fire in his hands boldly enters into a fight with one who carries hay, so the apostles also opposed these people with great courage. And what harm, in fact, did this large crowd cause them? Tell me: didn’t they struggle with poverty and hunger? Didn't you fight against dishonor and disrepute? After all, they were considered deceivers. Were they subjected to ridicule and curses from those present? After all, both fell upon them: some laughed at them, while others cursed. Were they not subject to the fury and frenzy of entire cities, to revolts and malice? Were they threatened by fire and iron and beasts? Were they not facing countless enemies from all sides? Were they not in such a state as if they had seen these disasters in a dream or in a picture? So what? Have they not exhausted the fury of their enemies? Haven't they themselves been put into difficulty? Weren't these people the most obsessed with both anger and fear? Were they not anxious, afraid and trembling? Indeed, listen to what they say: “You want to bring the blood of that man upon us” (Acts 5:28). And, what is surprising, the apostles, completely unarmed, took up arms against the armed ones, against the leaders who had power over them; inexperienced, unskilled in words and completely simple, they resisted and fought with artists, deceivers, with a crowd of sophists, rhetoricians, philosophers, rotten in the academy and in the school of peripatetics. And the one who had previously practiced only near lakes overcame them as accurately as if he were fighting dumb fish; Yes, he defeated everyone the way a true fisherman defeats dumb fish. And Plato, who raved so much, fell silent; but this one speaks, and not only before his own people, but also before the Parthians, before the Medes, before the Elamites, and in India, and everywhere on earth even to the last limits of the universe. Where is the pride of Greece now? Where is the glory of Athens? Where is the nonsense of philosophers? A Galilean, a Bethsaite, a commoner, defeated them all. Are you not ashamed, tell me, at the mere name of the country that was the fatherland of your conqueror? And if you hear his name and find out that his name was Cephas, you will be even more ashamed. This is precisely what ruined you, that you consider this humiliating for yourself, that you find all glory in eloquence, and consider the lack of skill in the gift of speech to be a disgrace. You did not follow the path you should have taken; but you left the royal path - comfortable and smooth, and followed the uneven, steep and difficult path. That is why you have not reached the kingdom of heaven. 4. But why, you say, did Christ act not through Plato and not through Pythagoras? Because Peter’s soul was much more capable of philosophy than the soul of those people. Those were real children who were carried away everywhere by empty glory; and Peter was a wise man and capable of receiving grace. And if you laugh when you hear this, there is nothing surprising. After all, the Jews then also laughed and said that the apostles had drunk on new wine. But after that, when they suffered those grave and most cruel disasters, when they saw that the city was dying, that the fire was spilling and the walls were falling to the ground, when they saw those various furies that no one can describe in words, then they no longer laughed. So then you will not laugh when the time of judgment comes, when the fire of Gehenna is kindled. But why am I talking about the future? Do you want me to show you what Peter is like and what Plato is like? For now, let us examine, if you like, their morals and see what one and the other did. This latter spent all the time of his life studying useless and empty objects. Indeed, what is the use of knowing that the soul of a philosopher becomes a fly? Truly (Platonov’s soul) is a fly; It was not turned into a fly, but the fly entered the soul that lived in Plato. What kind of idle talk is this! Where could it come to mind to say such nonsense? He was a man full of mockery and envious of everyone. He seemed to be trying not to produce anything useful either from himself or from anyone else; Thus, from another he borrowed the transmigration of souls, and he himself presented a doctrine of civil society, where he prescribed the most vile rules. Let, he says, let the wives be common, let naked girls fight in front of their lovers, let both fathers and born children be common. Isn't this beyond all madness? But such is Plato with his teaching. Here it is not nature that makes the fathers common, but the wisdom of Peter. As for the teaching (of Platonov), it even destroyed (common fathers), because it produced nothing else except that the real father was almost not known, and the fake one was recognized as the father. Plato plunged the soul into some kind of intoxication and into the dirt. Let everyone, he says, use women without any fear. Therefore, I will not analyze the teachings of poets, lest they say that I am engaged in fables; but I will talk about other fables that are much funnier than these. Have poets anywhere said any such absurdity? And the one who was revered as the head of the philosophers even dresses women in weapons, in helmets and greaves, and claims that the human race is no different from dogs. Since between dogs, he says, both the female and the male have the same participation in affairs, then let the women also take part in everything, and let everything turn upside down. The devil has always tried through these people to prove that our race has no advantage over dumb animals. In fact, some of them reached such superstition that they claimed that even among dumb animals there are intelligent ones. And look how variously the devil raged in their souls. The main ones among them said that our soul passes into flies, and into dogs, and into animals; and their successors, ashamed of this, fell into another infamy, ascribed to animals all rational knowledge and constantly proved that the creatures created for us are superior in dignity to us. And not only do they say this, but also that animals have foreknowledge and piety. The raven, they say, knows God, as does the raven; and they have the gifts of prophecy and foretell the future; They say that animals have justice, there is society, there are laws, and the dog among them, according to Plato, is envious. Perhaps you don’t believe my words? This is natural, because you were brought up in sound dogmas: whoever is fed with this food cannot believe that there is a person who eats sewage with pleasure. And yet, when you tell them that all this is a fable and complete madness, they answer: you don’t understand. Yes, we will never want to understand such a ridiculous teaching of yours. Yes, very funny! After all, it doesn’t take a deep mind to comprehend what all this wickedness and this confusion means. Isn’t it like a crow, you crazy ones, like boys do? Truly, you are real children, just like those! But Peter said nothing of the sort; on the contrary, he gave a voice that, like abundant light shining in some dark place, dispelled the darkness of the universe. And how meek, how modest his disposition is! How he stood above all empty glory! How he meant only one sky and was a stranger to boasting, despite the fact that he even raised the dead! If one of these unreasonable people were to do something similar, even if only ghostly, wouldn’t he immediately begin to demand an altar and a church for himself, wouldn’t he want to be among the gods? After all, even now, when there is nothing like that, they always dream about it. What, in fact, do Athena and Apollo and Hera mean to them? These are their kinds of spirits. They also have a king who wanted to die in order to be considered equal to God. But the apostles (act) not like that, but quite the opposite. Listen to what they say when healing a lame man: “Men of Israel! Why are you marveling at this, or why are you looking at us as if we, through our own strength or piety, had made him walk?” (Acts 3:12); and in another place: “and we are men like you” (Acts 14:15). But there is great boasting, great pride; everything is only for honors from people and nothing is for love. And when something happens for glory, then everything is low: even if a person has everything, but does not own it (the contempt of glory), he is completely alien to wisdom and is possessed by the strongest and most vile passion. Contempt for glory can teach everything good and drive out every destructive passion from the soul. Therefore, I urge you to show great zeal to uproot this passion; Otherwise, there is no way to please God and gain favor before this vigilant eye. So, let us try in every possible way to gain heavenly help for ourselves, so as not to experience present sorrows, and to be worthy of future blessings, according to the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. These conversations were delivered by the saint in Constantinople in 400 or 401. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: