On Saint Andrew · §1 · Hesychius of Jerusalem

The Apostolic Trumpet

An apostolic trumpet has gathered us to the festival: a trumpet that Christ forged with the cross for his hammer, the gospel for his anvil, and the Spirit for his fire, working it, I dare to say, with the Old and New Testaments for bellows; a trumpet of which it is not out of place to speak, borrowing for it a word of praise from prophet and psalmist together: “Sound the trumpet!” (Joel 2:1; Psalm 81:3).

For Andrew gives all a share in grace; he lends to all the bounty of the Spirit; he enlists all for the contest, he who was called before all and wishes to be crowned together with all. “Sound the trumpet!”, since the mysteries of Christ deserve a trumpet to spread them through all the earth; they must be proclaimed to all the nations.

“Sound the trumpet!”, since the festival is the token of a spiritual trumpet; for there is need of war and battle, of contest and wrestling, of weapons for the right hand and for the left (2 Corinthians 6:7), to carry through the task before us. “Sound the trumpet!”, so that with its call you may overtake the enemy and throw down the walls of the spiritual Jericho (Joshua 6:20). May its sound enter the ears of the deaf; may it raise from the dead those who sleep the heavy sleep of sin, a sleep like death.

“Sound the trumpet at the new moon” (Psalm 81:3); for now our life has become a new moon: it has laid aside its old age and wiped away its wrinkles, and through the renewal of the mystery it has been made new from old, “on the notable day of our feast” (Psalm 81:3). For what is more notable than the present feast, in which “all the nations will clap their hands” (Psalm 47:1)? All the earth gathers for the banquet; kings run together to honor the fisherman; the living ask nourishment of one who seems to be dead; the wise hurry to the unlettered man as to a teacher. The poor man’s supper belongs to the whole world; the festival is shared by every city.

An apostolic trumpet has gathered us to the festival: Andrew, the firstborn of the company of the apostles, the first-set pillar of the Church, the Peter before Peter, the foundation of the foundation, the beginning of the firstfruits. He called before he was called, sealed before he was sealed, and brought others near before he himself was brought near; he preached a gospel not yet entrusted to him, opened a door he had not yet entered, revealed life before he had learned it, and promised bread such as he had not yet taken into his hands.

For had he heard anything at all, great or small, by way of teaching? He himself said to Jesus, “Where are you staying?” And he answered, “Come and see” (John 1:38–39). And what did those words contain to match what Andrew anticipates and proclaims? Did Christ reveal his own glory in them? Did he show how great a power he had? Did he declare himself Creator and Maker? Did he make the lame run? Did he kindle the eyes of the blind? Did he force anything beyond nature?

Where, then, did you come by such things to say about him? How did you become a prophet, and God-bearing all at once? Why do you fill Peter’s ears with clamor? Why do you hurry to get ahead of one you cannot get ahead of? But, you will say, John moved you to these words. Yet in your presence he said only this: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, 36).

But you, who heard of a lamb, preach God; you have left the things below and search into the things above; you have let the lake go and cast your net into heaven. Can a dragnet hunt such things? Can a fishing rod haul them in? Earth and heaven hang from your hand.

What do you mean, “We have found the Messiah, who is called Christ” (John 1:41)? Where did you lose him, and how, and when? A person finds what has been lost; but how can he who saves all be lost? How can he who is present everywhere be found, or be said to be found? But Andrew knows what he is saying.

We have found the one whom Adam lost, of whom Eve was robbed, whom the cloud of sin hid from our eyes, whom disobedience parted from us and made us think far away, though he was near and present. We have found the one whom, in seeking him out, even…

Greek

Ησυχίου, πρεσβυτέρου Ἱεροσολύμων, ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀπόστολον. 1 Σάλπιγξ ἡμᾶς ἀποστολικὴ πρὸς πανήγυριν ἤθροισεν, σάλπιγξ ἣν ἐχάλκευσεν ὁ Χριστὸς σφύρᾳ τῷ σταυρῷ, ἄκμονι τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, πυρὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ἀσκοῖς εἰπεῖν θαρρῶ παλαιᾷ καὶ νέᾳ διαθήκῃ χαλκευσάμενος, σάλπιγξ ἣν εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, προφητικόν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ψαλμικὸν αὐτῇ δανεισάμενος ἐγκώμιον· «Σαλπίσατε». Πᾶσι γὰρ Ἀνδρέας τῆς χάριτος μεταδίδωσι, πᾶσιν δανείζει τὴν χορηγίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος, πάντας εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα στρατολογεῖ ὁ πρὸ πάντων κληθεὶς μετὰ πάντων στεφανωθῆναι βου λόμενος. «Σαλπίσατε», ἐπειδὴ σάλπιγγος ἄξια τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ μυστήρια πάσῃ διαδοθῆναι τῇ γῇ, πᾶσιν ὀφείλονται κηρυ χθῆναι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. «Σαλπίσατε», ἐπειδὴ σάλπιγγος νοητῆς τεκμήριον ἡ πανήγυρις· πολέμου γὰρ χρεία καὶ μάχης, ἀγῶνος καὶ πάλης, ὅπλων δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν εἰς τὴν τοῦ προκειμένου κατόρθωσιν. «Σαλπίσατε», ἵνα τῇ φωνῇ τὸν ἐχθρὸν καταλάβητε καὶ τῆς νοητῆς Ἰεριχὼ τὰ τείχη καταστρέψητε. Ὁ ἦχος εἰς ὦτα κωφῶν εἰσέλθοι, ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγείροι τοὺς ἴσα θανάτῳ τὸν βαρὺν ὕπνον τῆς ἁμαρτίας καθεύδοντας. «Σαλπίσατε ἐν νεομη νίᾳ σάλπιγγι»· νῦν γὰρ ὁ βίος ἡμῶν νεομηνία γέγονεν, τὸ γῆ ρας ἀπέθετο, τὰς ῥυτίδας ἀπέσμηξεν, νέος ἐκ παλαιοῦ διὰ τὸν ἐγκαινισμὸν τοῦ μυστηρίου γεγένηται «ἐν εὐσήμῳ ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς ἡμῶν». Τί γὰρ τῆς παρούσης ἑορτῆς εὐσημότερον ἐν ᾗ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κροτήσει χεῖρας; Πᾶσα ἡ γῆ πρὸς εὐωχίαν συνάγεται, βασιλεῖς τιμῆσαι τὸν ἁλιέα συντρέχουσιν, οἱ ζῶντες τροφὴν αἰ τοῦσιν τὸν εἶναι δοκοῦντα νεκρόν, οἱ σοφοὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀγράμματον ὡς πρὸς διδάσκαλον σπεύδουσιν· κοινὸν τοῦ κόσμου τὸ τοῦ πτω χοῦ δεῖπνον, κοινὴ πρὸς πάσας τὰς πόλεις ἡ πανήγυρις. 2 Σάλπιγξ ἡμᾶς ἀποστολικὴ πρὸς πανήγυριν ἤθροισεν, Ἀν δρέας ὁ τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρωτότοκος, ὁ πρωτοπαγὴς τῆς ἐκκλησίας στῦλος, ὁ πρὸ Πέτρου Πέτρος, ὁ τοῦ θεμελίου θεμέλιος, ὁ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς ἀρχή, ὁ πρὶν κληθῆναι καλῶν, ὁ πρὶν σφραγισθῆναι σφραγίζων, ὁ πρὶν προσαχθῆναι προσάγων, εὐαγ γέλιον κηρύττων ὃ μηδέπω πεπίστευται, θύραν ἀνοίγων ἣν τέως οὐκ ἦν εἰσελθών, πρὶν μαθεῖν ἀποκαλύπτων τὴν ζωήν, ἄρτον ἐπαγ γελλόμενος ὅσον μετὰ χεῖρας οὐκ ἔλαβεν. Μὴ γάρ τι μέγα ἢ μικρὸν τῶν εἰς μάθησιν ἀκηκοὼς ἐτύγχανεν; «Ποῦ μένεις;» αὐτὸς τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἔλεγεν. Ὁ δέ· «Ἔρχεσθε καὶ ὄψεσθε.» Καὶτί τοιοῦτον ἡ λέξις εἶχεν οἷον Ἀνδρέας προλαμβάνει καὶ φθέγ γεται; Μὴ γὰρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δόξαν ἐν τούτοις ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπεκάλυ ψεν; Μὴ ὅσης ἂν εἶχεν δυνάμεως ἑαυτὸν ἔδειξεν; Μὴ δημιουρ γὸν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ποιητὴν ἀπήγγειλεν; Μὴ χωλῶν ἔταξε δρόμον; Μὴ τυφλῶν ἀνῆψεν ὀφθαλμούς; Μὴ ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἠνάγκασεν; Πό θεν σοι τοίνυν τοιαῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγειν; Πῶς γέγονας προφή της, πῶς θεοφόρος ἀθρόον; Τί θορυβεῖς τοῦ Πέτρου τὰς ἀκοάς; Τί φθάσαι σπεύδεις ὃν οὐ δύνῃ φθάσαι; Ἀλλ' Ἰωάννης, ἐρεῖς,πρὸς τούτους σε τοὺς λόγους ἐκίνησεν. Καὶ μὴν ταῦτα μόνα σου παρόντος ἐφθέγξατο· «Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.» Σὺ δὲ ἀμνὸν ἀκούσας εὐαγγελίζει θεόν, ἀφῆκας τὰ κάτω καὶ τὰ ἄνω πολυπραγμονεῖς, εἴασας τὴν λί μνην καὶ τὸ δίκτυον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔπεμψας· μὴ γὰρ ταῦτα σαγήνη θηρᾶν οἶδεν, μὴ κάλαμος ἁλιευτικὸς ἕλκει; Σοῦ τῆς χει ρὸς ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς κρέμαται. Τί λέγεις· «Εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν»; Ποῦ γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ πῶς καὶ πότε ἀπώλεσας; Εὑρίσκει τις τὸ ἀπολωλός· ὁ δὲ πάντας σῴζων πῶς ἀπολέσθαι δύναται; Ὁ 1 πανταχοῦ παρὼν πῶς εὑρε θῆναι δύναται ἢ λέγεται; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οἶδεν ὁ Ἀνδρέας ὃ λέγει· Εὑρήκαμεν ὃν ἀπώλεσεν ὁ Ἀδάμ, ὃν ἐζημιώθη ἡ Εὔα, ὃν ἡ νεφέλη τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἔκρυψεν, ὃν ἐχώρισεν ἡ παρακοὴ καὶ μακρὰν ἐγγὺς ὄντα καὶ παρόντα νομισθῆναι πεποίηκεν. Εὑρήκαμεν ὃν ἐκζητῆσαι καὶ

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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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