Homilia on the Council of Ethereal Forces

Homily of St. John Chrysostom on the Council of Ethereal Powers probably refers to the day of celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other heavenly powers (November 8/21). The year and place of the conversation are unknown. The main theme of the sermon (consists of 7 chapters) is the participation of angels in the Divine Economy. The homilia begins with a description of the angelic doxology on the day of the Nativity of Christ. The saint calls the angels “human-loving warriors of the Human-loving God.” St. John gives these numerous examples from the Holy Scriptures about the beneficial intervention of angels in the salvation of people. Angels are our comrades who wage war against forces hostile to us. The saint calls for collecting treasures in Heaven, helping the weak and poor, forgiving debtors and expecting rewards: “Watching this, the angels report to the Judge [about] everyone, and He commands them to say to the one who does good: your prayers and your alms have come as a memorial before God” (see: Acts 10:4). The homilia on the Council of Ethereal Powers was first published in the 1963 edition of F. Halkin 1 . It was found in the manuscripts of the National Museum of Ohrid and described by the famous paleographer Vladimir Mosin in codex number 71 (Oxrida 50), dated to the 13th century 2. The manuscript was kept for centuries in the Church of St. Clement in Ohrid and is one of its most remarkable treasures. It refers to the day of celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal heavenly powers (November 8/21). The manuscript has no beginning; it begins with a sermon at the Council of Angelic Powers, then the miracle of St. Archangel Michael is described, and finally, the story of St. Tobiah. This text is contained in its entirety in the Vatican Codex Barberini (Vat. Barberinianus 583), but in it it is divided into three parts, presented as three separate sermons 3. Each of these sections appears either alone or together with one of the other two in some manuscripts. Of the three sections, only the second was published - first by Saville among the works of St. John Chrysostom, then Montfaucon and Minem among the controversial manuscripts of the great preacher, the translation of which into Russian was carried out in the pre-revolutionary edition of his works 4. According to the publisher, the author of the work was not St. himself. John Chrysostom. The sermon is filled with quotes and biblical allusions. Almost all the books of the Old and New Testaments are called upon to testify to the beneficial intervention of angels in the salvation of people. The homilia about angels, apparently, does not seem to be a separate topic for its author, but is a logical continuation of the main subject of his consideration - the Mystery of the Nativity of the Savior. 1. It is not in vain that we celebrate the angels; we give them glory and reward as our benefactors; for they do not cease, with their chants and ineffable voices, to continually propitiate the Master in heaven about our sins. And that this is exactly so, and not an empty word, devoid of evidence, the Divine Gospel teaches us about this. For they, having seen on earth - the sky, in swaddling clothes - the Indescribable One, did not hide [this] Sacrament from people, but immediately communicated it to the shepherds, becoming accomplices of the good deed [Born], and to the One Word [Incarnate] (ἑνὶ λόγῳ) 5 sang glory in heaven and peace on earth: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, in human favor 6 . The humane-loving warrior of the Humane-loving God, like an incorporeal one, does not despise those who are intertwined with flesh, nerves and bones, and does not endure the suffering that we endure from each other. [Among people] the healthy abhor the sick, the unharmed the crippled, the sober the drunkard, the chaste the lustful, the temperate the intemperate, whereas they should have compassion and empathy to heal their infirmities. And the angels who have compassion [for us] do not share in someone else’s illness, but share their strength with them. 2. The angelic mind does not look at the [earthly] church of the [Incarnate Word], but, welcoming the wing of the soul that is akin to it, 7 rejoices, contemplating grace in Him [the Word], 8 and rejoicing among people. Somewhere, one of the angels, amazed at the birth [of] the Virgin, said: “The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father 9, exuding to us the Holy Spirit (ὁ πηγάζων ἡμῖν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον), The Creator of the angelic face, who dissolved the vaults of heaven and commanded the sun to run during the day and the moon to walk in the night, who established the earth without a foundation and bridled the sea, now lies swaddled in a manger. Born from a virgin womb, He has care for something great, and God’s care is saving 10. I partly know the 11 subject of [this] care; for [by Your Incarnation] the art of the devil is opposed to the art of [my Master Himself], He [Thus] desires to return the exiled [Adam], to loosen his bonds, to renew the corrupted one. I rejoice in human welfare; I find Him [as the new Adam] again an interlocutor in paradise with God. And this [Sacrament] was for the sake of the devil who bites [everyone]; always boasting and very arrogant, now humble and gloomy, and not thundering with grandeur 12. He does not understand what is happening [now]; his conscience strikes him and the memory of the ancient deception that he planned for his ancestors, introducing death instead of life and changing the worship of God to idolatry.” 3. This is our prosperity that the Council of Angels [now] looks at. It is fair that we also show respect to those who love and pray for us to the Lord. Or have you not heard how the prophet Daniel resorted to the Archangel Michael when he argued with the Prince of Persia about the liberation of the Israelites 13? One insisted on their slavery among the Persians, the other made efforts to free them from captivity. And Mikhail defeated the enemy. And the Jews, having crossed the Euphrates, returned to their hearths and rebuilt the burned temple of Solomon, and its construction lasted forty-six years. And, either defending themselves from neighbors or repelling oppressors, they achieved their desired goal, and Nehemiah completed the construction. Is this why the [Jews] who were incited against the Lord said: This church took forty-six years to build, and will You raise it up in three days? 14 This applied to the Old Testament, but more to the New. For in every age of the dispensation 15 [of Christ] angels ministered to Him 16 . The angels announced the Conception and Birth of Christ; The one who was baptized and the one who worked miracles was served by angels, the one who was buried and the one who rose again was witnessed by angels; they received the Savior [ascended] into heaven and will again accompany the Judge [descending] from heaven. So, if we hasten, like the angels, to live together and enjoy mental speculation [with them], then let us serve the King of the angels with greater fear and trembling. Let us not deceive ourselves by exhausting our lives with festivities, drinking, chatting and dancing and, like those who seek the door 17 of repentance in the night, not finding it; but it is better to look for her [now], when the Master Himself calls us, saying: I am the door of the sheep 18. 4. That is why we must glorify the angels 19 who, by praising the Creator, bring His mercy and favor to people; angels, whom I will call our comrades-in-arms, waging war against forces hostile to us. Among the angels was the Archangel Michael, who competed with the devil over the body of Moses 20 and defended the freedom of the [Israel] people from the leader of the Persians 21 . From among the angels there was one who turned the donkey back and kept Balaam from inappropriate prophecy, and when the soothsayer did not understand what was happening, the voice of the dumb [animal] brought sense to the one gifted with speech 22 . One of the angels was the one who drew the sword and prompted Joshua to fight with the enemies 23. From among the angels there was one who in one night defeated one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians and put the barbarians to sleep in the uninterrupted sleep of death 24 . One of the angels was the one who carried the prophet Habakkuk through the air in order to provide food for the prophet Daniel among the hungry lions 25. These and similar [angels] conquer enemies, and they also conquer [our] passions. Such was the wondrous and divine Raphael, who, using the entrails of a fish, freed the maiden from the power of the demon 26 and skillfully returned to the [blind] old man [the ability] to see the sun 27 . It is also unworthy to remain silent about those angels whose ministry is described in the New Testament. Of these, the most [glorified] is the Archangel Gabriel. He revealed the prediction to Zechariah and punished him for his distrust with muteness, for he did not believe that the barren [his wife] would conceive for the sake of the future economy. He announced to Honest Mary a brideless birth; he showed the shepherds the way to the cave and showed them the One who surpasses every place - in a manger and the One who surpasses every description - in swaddling clothes. He sent out with them a euphonious song of glorification: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men 28 . Another [angel] admonished the betrothed of the Virgin (Joseph) not to let go, as if corrupted, of the one who was blameless 29 . Another inspired him to flee from Herod’s beating of the infants and [after] return. Another kept the Magi from returning to the tyrant [Herod]. Having served the Creator on earth during its creation, they see the Uncreated One in the flesh, and yet they serve Him as slaves. They marvel at His power, which crushed the tempter 30. They lift Him up in their arms, so that, according to David’s prophecy, [He] would not stumble on the stones 31 , for the Jews took up stones to throw at Him 32 . Others flocked to [the place of the Cross] torment [of Christ]; others, sitting in an empty tomb after the Resurrection, said to the faithful wives [myrrh-bearers]: Why are you looking for the living among the dead? 33 After the Ascension, they accompanied the disciples as bodyguards, freed Peter from his shackles, eased dangers on land and sea for Paul, promoted the faith of Cornelius and defeated the boastful Herod, the destroyer of the righteous. 5. Isn’t that why those who protect our lives deserve the greatest honor? After all, angels were appointed to watch over not only the nations: when the Most High gave inheritance to the nations and scattered the sons of men, then he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel 34 ; each of the people is also assigned an angel. This is not my speech, but Holy Scripture: when the maidservant Rhoda announced to the Apostles that Peter, who had left Herod’s prison, was standing at the door, they, not believing, said: this is his Angel 35. And the Savior also testifies to this, speaking about children: see that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven 36 . And Christ appointed guardian angels to each church, for, revealing to John [about the last days], he said: Write to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna: I know your deeds, and sorrow, and poverty (however, you are rich) 37 . What are you saying, Master? Am I, poor, rich? Why do you humiliate me by calling me rich? If I am rich, then I am not poor, and if I am poor, then how can I be rich? There is a great difference between wealth and poverty, as You Yourself testify by defining the great gap between rich and poor. Faces are deceiving (τὰ πρóσωπα): the rich man turns away from the poor man, and the poor man looks furtively at the rich man 38 . Things are opposite, life is not the same. One groans from suffering, the other laughs from pleasure. One begs for bread, the other suffers from overeating. One does not even have a sip of wine; the other, having drunk, spews it out of himself. One is dressed in rags, the other dresses up in colorful clothes. One is lying on the bare ground without sleep, and the other, resting on a bed, snores, even seeing pleasure in his sleep. One asks for a coin, and the other loads himself with gold: after all, the one who hoards and does not give away is like a poor man waiting for a rich grave. And they endure the same times differently. For the poor man, deprived of warmth, winter is hard, and for the rich man, who cannot stand the heat from satiety, summer is harmful. So how is it that a poor man is also a rich man? However, this word is true, for Truth is the One who spoke it. The poor are poor in property, but rich in the treasures of faith. It is better to be poor in worldly things, but rich in spiritual things, for the end of the former is corruption, and the end of the latter is inalienable benefit. Therefore the Son says: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in, 39 and the like. So, let us begin to lay up heavenly treasures, feed the poor, look after the weak, protect the defenseless, forgive debtors who have no means, and expect reward from God, for he who does good to the poor lends to the Lord 40 . Observing this, the angels report to the Judge [about] everyone, and He commands them to say to the one who does good: your prayers and your alms have come as a memorial before God 41 . 6. Likewise, the wise Daniel 42 is a youth in years, an old man in mind, a captive for the sins of others, a conqueror of dishonest elders with his virtues and a defender of the innocence of Susanna 43, a bridler of lions 44 and a slayer of the Babylonian dragon with barley bread 45, a contemplator of extraordinary dreams and a lover of divine teachings. Daniel, called [by God] a man of desires, 46 desires not of the passions of the flesh or soul, but of divinely inspired wisdom and meaning; therefore, God revealed to him the future, showed him the government of the earth and the kingdoms, Median, Persian and Macedonian and Roman, and, moreover, our Lord Jesus, in the form of a Stone, torn from the insectless Mountain 47, that is, born in the flesh from a celibate Virgin; [as well as] the resurrection of the dead, the change of the living, the judgment by fire, the crown for the pious and the torment for the wicked. And this man says that angels are something great 48; for by the command of God, who created all things created, He commanded the angels to divide them among themselves and to rule over the rulers of the nations; so he assigned one [angel] to watch over the Persians, another - Michael the Archangel - to protect the people of the circumcision; so that the rulers could resolve the dispute not in the blindness of anger, but according to some divine and unspoken word, so that one [angel] would force the Jews to be slaves to the Persians, and the other [Archangel Michael] would draw them to freedom. One can imagine one of the [angels] ruling over the Persians saying: “Give up, Michael! Why are you destroying the ancient just [establishment] and wanting to free the Jews from the yoke of the Persians? This is not their condition; They were converted to it by the Chaldeans and Medes; They are punished by slavery for their wickedness. For they served alien gods and rejected the God who had been good to them, who subjected the Egyptians to many executions, who led the Jews on dry land through the sea, who illuminated the night for them with a pillar of fire, and who overshadowed them with clouds during the day, who fed them with heavenly food, and who gave them water from the springs that began to flow. And what of the most obscene things did they not create [then]? They expelled strangers, entered into illicit marriages [with foreigners] 49, extracted gain, robbed orphans, widows and converts, created [golden] calves and sacrificed their children [to idols] 50. Weren't they the ones who sawed Isaiah down? Was it not Jeremiah who was thrown into the pit? Wasn’t Zechariah slain between the holy altars? Was it not the prophet Uriah who was struck with spears? Was it not Naboth who was stoned for profit? Having dared all this against [God’s] people, they encroach upon God [Himself]. Leave them to submit to slavery, so that, indulging in pleasures, they do not become even worse. Instead of God, they served demons; Instead of demons, they will [now] serve the barbarians, and, having left [their] land flowing with milk and honey, they will work, cultivating other people's lands, collecting other people's fruits and fattening the bellies of the pagans with incessant sweat. They will not see their sons as pampered from circumcision, for they will make them, as it is said, eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon 51 . Let them see how their women are desecrated by intemperate men and how fierce wives rule over them, commanding them to carry water and collect brushwood, and let their daughters be overworked at spinning wheels and looms. Having fled then, contrary to all justice, from the Egyptians, they indulged in lawlessness; Let them now, serving the Persians, learn chastity. Those who have passed through the Red Sea, let them not cross the Euphrates, returning to their fatherly homes; for even if they leave the Persians, they will not leave the ruler with something more painful; for although they avoided making bricks 52, they did not, however, forget their deceit.” 7. To this Michael [answered]: “Will you stop attacking the weak? Do you think that Israel will continue to be slaves? Seventy dark years are assigned to him 53. God punished them as a Father; Having struck down those who sin, will He not turn to those who return [to Him]? Even though they were worthy of disasters, God still did not forget 54 the promises to Abraham and does not reject the covenant with David 55 . He preserves the remnant of the race 56, nourishes the spark of the seed with warmth, and does not block the spirit-bearing lips [of the prophet Isaiah]. The Expected One must appear; all nature is amazed, in the voice of Isaiah, by a strange, intensely awaited Sacrament, waiting to see the Virgin giving birth: Behold, he says, the Virgin will receive in her womb and give birth to a Son 57. The Persians will worship this Child, and their mental powers will bow their knees; for as David said: And let all the angels worship Him 58.” And what more can I say? The Archangel wins, the enemy takes flight 59. After a certain time, the Jews are freed from captivity, Zerubbabel, being a descendant of David, returns them [to the Promised Land]; they repopulate Palestine, rebuild the church and renew the sacrifices. When 548 years have passed, the brideless Virgin gives birth; the eternal King is born; The Persian Magi worship Him, not as strangers [to Him]. The angels glorify His Nativity: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men, blessing 60. Christ is baptized for our redemption - and the angels come and serve Him 61 . The passion of death is dissolved 62 - and again the angels testify to His resurrection and convince [myrrh-bearing women] not to look for the Living One among the dead 63 . Ascend into heaven - and again, the angels prophesy His second coming: Behold, two men appeared to them in white robes 64, and so on. Likewise, we, who are waiting for Him Himself, will light the lamps of our souls, spreading spiritual oil, living our lives with vigilant hearts and glorifying the power of the Trinity with unsilent lips, for the power of God is 65 now and ever, and forever and ever, amen. Joannes Chrysostomus In synaxim incorporalium [Sp.] F. Halkin. Inédits byzantins d'Ochrida, Candie et Moscou. – Brussels: Société des Bollandistes, 1963. pp. 133–146. (Subsidia hagiographica, 38). See Anal. Boll., t. 80 (1962), pp. 17–19. BHG 3 (Bibliotheca Hagioraphica Graeca) 129 d, 126 and 129 g. (Anal. Boll., t. 19 (1900), P. 107–114). Second part of the sermon CPG 4613 In synaxim archangelirum (BHG a 126) PG 59. 755–756 Sav. 5, 997–998 = (At the Council of Archangels) Chrysostom. Sp. T. 8. Part 2. R. 971–973. We translate this passage in this way because here, as can be seen further, the doxology of God the Word Himself is used in the spirit of the theology of St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Normal translation: in one word. The Platonic concept - “wings of the soul” (cf. Plato, Phaedr. 246c) - was widely used by church writers. Compare: “Do you want to become a god – a god, i.e. Is it luminous to appear before the Most High God and rejoice with the Angels? Expand your wings, soar in a fast soar, rush to the heights; I will clear your wings, I will give you such a teaching that will lift you up, I will lift you into the ether like a light-winged bird" (St. Gregory the Theologian. To my soul // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations in 2 volumes. T. 2. - M.: Siberian benediction, 2007. P. 224. Compare: “So whoever dishonors the church dishonors the Lord in the church; and whoever separates the Word from the body will take away the grace given to us in it" (St. Athanasius the Great. Epistle to the Bishop and Confessor Adelphius, against the Arians, 8 // Works like the saints of our father Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria. In 4 volumes. Sergiev Posad: Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1902–1903. (reprint: M., 1994). Compare: 1 Samuel 2:3; Ps.11:4. Housebuilding (οἰκονομία) is the eternal plan of God, in accordance with which God creates (“builds, arranges”) the world, provides for it and leads it to the final good goal, just as a householder builds a house and takes care of it. (Approx. VS). Part two. From here begins the word of Chrysostom on the Council of Archangels: Works of our holy father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, in Russian translation. T. 8. In 2 books. Book 2. – St. Petersburg: Publishing house of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, 1902. pp. 971–973. This refers to the story in the non-canonical part of the Book of the Prophet Daniel (Dan.14:33–39) about the prophet Habakkuk, who brought food to the prophet Daniel, who was thrown into the den of lions. Wed: “...Now [we see] masks (τὰ προσωπεῖα), and then [we will see true] faces (τὰ πρόσωπα).” St. Gregory the Theologian. “About himself and about the bishops”) // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations in 2 volumes... T. 2. P. 245. “So there were two masks (προσωπεῖα): the rich one had one mask, and the poor one had the other; Lazarus is the mask of the poor, the rich man is the mask of the rich; masks are appearances, not truth.” (St. John Chrysostom. About the earthquake, and about the rich man and Lazarus, and about where slavery came from // Works of our holy father John Chrysostom... Vol. 1. Part 2. P. 857). Acts 10:4. “To him be glory and dominion, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen". Here is the end of Chrysostom's words. Dan.14. Daniel killed the dragon by throwing into its mouth a dough consisting of resin, fat and hair. The Chronography of Mikhail Glika mentions this place as the work of John Chrysostom. “The golden-tongued John also mentions this unity (with the angels), claiming that the prophet Daniel also says that angels are something great.” Bekker I. Michaelis Glycae annales [Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinae. Bonn: Weber, 1836. P. 151]. Although the entire passage is similar to a similar interpretation in a conversation attributed to St. John Chrysostom (its possible author was Bishop Severian of Gavalsky), but there the angel of the Persians is still spoken of as an opponent who did not want to let the Jews go, foreseeing that after their departure “his land would again return to its former idolatry and be filled with wickedness.” (Chrysostom [Sp.] On the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that every country has Angels // Works of our holy father John Chrysostom... Vol. 8. Part 2. P. 883). Compare: “Christ is born - the Spirit precedes. Christ is baptized - the Spirit bears witness. Christ is tempted - the Spirit raises Him up. Christ accomplishes the powers - the Spirit accompanies. Christ ascends - the Spirit succeeds.” (St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 31, 29. About the fifth theology, about the Holy Spirit // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations in 2 volumes... Vol. 1. P. 388). “But if you heard that the Lord died, then know why He suffered mortal passion (τὸ πάθος τοῦ θανάτου).” (St. Epiphanius of Cyprus. Anchor Word, 34 // Works of the Holy Fathers, in Russian translation. Works of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus. Part 6. - M.: Moscow Theological Academy, 1884. P. 65.).