Perseverance in Faith
The prophecy has been given, and now it is time to consider whether the word is simple or whether the teaching is presented in parables.
As you move forward, pay attention to the agreements you receive regarding the army and strategy of the one who sends you.
You will be handed over to councils, but do not lose heart, for the Father is always with you, the Son is never distant, and the Spirit does not depart.
Angels will be your bodyguards.
You will be flogged in the synagogues, but you should rejoice greatly, for the wars fought on behalf of piety and the bruises from the whips are more becoming than the sun's rays.
You will be brought before rulers and kings as a testimony to them and the nations, and you should not become numb to this reality.
On my account, you will stand before rulers and be brought before kings for the sake of my glory.
The one who anointed kings, who set boundaries for rulers, who measured their step and gave them a scepter, is with you.
Consider this, that you are not led before kings and rulers as captives, but as a testimony to them, and to the nations, so that they may know the power of the one testified to by you, that the poor will restrain the rulers, the rustic people will intimidate the imperial council and silence the renowned senate, and the private citizens will shame the tyrants and intimidate the kings.
When you are handed over, do not worry about what you will say, for you will be given the words to speak, as it is written, 'it will be given to you in that hour what to say' (Matthew 10:19).
As tongues of the word and wisdom, you are also trumpets and heralds of life, and orators of the one who does not need human oration.
You are speaking with the spirit of your father guiding you, and the struggle and contest are for the sake of the one who has called you.
It is necessary to wait for grace from him, to expect the word of wisdom, to receive the gift of confession, and to hope for the full armor of God, which will protect you from the enemy, for the enemy cannot prevail against the armor that is forged by God.
A brother will hand over a brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and kill them.
For you are hated by all because of my name, as it is written, 'you will be hated by all because of my name' (Matthew 10:22), but the one who endures to the very end will find salvation, as it is written, 'the one who endures to the end will be saved' (Matthew 10:22).
In this time of persecution, nature is divided, and grace is gathered, for the clay fights against itself, but the potter does not tolerate handing over the clay.
The earthenware vessels are crushed together, so that in the need of the potter's wheel they may become such, and thus they take on the memory of the potter and are taken by necessity.
Listen to the word, O faithful one, and keep the commandment, cultivating endurance with eagerness and reaping its fruit with great joy.
Gather the grape and tread the winepress, but do not speak at length about the difficulties of life, for they are varied and sorrowful, the things that come from a foreign land are hateful, and the continuous things are gloomy.
Few are those who offer comfort, while many mock and scorn, for philosophy is blasphemed and virtue is ridiculed.
Fear and anxiety grip you, and you are beset by struggles from your own relatives, with the care of your own things weighing heavily upon you, but do not dwell on these things, nor let them loosen your resolve.
Instead, fix your gaze eagerly on the royal cross, and contemplate the holy pasture of the Resurrection, where the king hangs on a tree, unjustly struck by his slaves, shamelessly spat upon by the guilty, and stripped of his royal attire.
And yet, it is in this very moment that the Resurrection is revealed, for the garments of the stripped one show his true wealth, the angels will present the power of the one who was struck, and the voices of those coming from heaven proclaim the glory of the one who was slapped.
Glory be to him, now and forever, and to the ages of ages.
Amen.
Greek
προφητείας ἐντέταλται, πότερον ὁ λόγος ἁπλοῦς, πότερον ἐν παραβολαῖς ὁ τῆς διδασκαλίας ὑποτίθεται κάλαμος. Προσέχετε δὲ ποῖα μετὰ τούτων ἕτερα συνθήματα τῆς ὑπὲρ τοῦ πέμποντος στρατιᾶς τε καὶ στρατηγίας λαμβάνετε. 9 «Παραδώσουσι δὲ ὑμᾶς εἰς συνέδρια», ἀλλὰ θαρρεῖτε, ὁ Πατὴρ οὐ χωρίζεται, ὁ Υἱὸς οὐ μακρύνεται, τὸ Πνεῦμα οὐκ ἀφίσταται, δορυφοροῦσιν ἄγγελοι. «Καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν ὑμᾶς.» Ὑμεῖς δὲ σφόδρα χαίρετε· οἱ γὰρ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πόλεμοι <καὶ οἱ> ἐκ τῶν μαστίγων μώλωπες τῶν ἡλιακῶν ἀκτίνων εἰσὶν εὐπρεπέστεροι. «Καὶ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας δὲ καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν». Μηδὲ τούτῳ ναρκήσητε· ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ τοῖς ἡγεμόσι παρίστασθε, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐμῆς δόξης βασιλεῦσι προσάγεσθε. Μεθ' ὑμῶν τοίνυν ὁ τοὺς βασιλεῖς χρίσας, ἐν ὑμῖν ὁ τοῖς ἡγεμόσι διαταξάμενος ὅρια, ὁ τούτοις τὸ βῆμα μετρήσας κἀκείνοις τὸ σκῆπτρον χαρισάμενος. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο σκοπεῖτε, ὡς οὐ μᾶλλον ἀγώγιμοι πρὸς βασιλεῖς καὶ ἡγεμόνας γίνεσθε, ἀλλ' εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς, τοῖς παισὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων εὔδηλον, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἵνα γνῶσιν τοῦ παρ' ὑμῖν μαρτυρουμένου τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι πτωχοὶ χαλινοῦσι τοὺς ἄρχοντας, ἄγροικοι δυσωποῦσι τὴν ὑπατικὴν βουλὴν καὶ τὴν πολυθρύλητον καταπτύουσι σύγκλητον, ἰδιῶται τυράννους καταισχύνουσι καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐντρέπουσιν. «Ὅταν δὲ παραδῶσιν ὑμᾶς, μὴ μεριμνήσητε πῶς ἢ τί λαλήσητε»· γλῶτται γάρ ἐστε τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας αὐλοὶ καὶ κήρυκες τῆς ζωῆς καὶ ῥήτορες τοῦ ῥητόρων μὴ χρῄζοντος, καὶ τούτου χάριν ὑμῖν ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ ἑπόμενον· «∆οθήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ τί λαλήσητε». Πρὸ τῆς ὥρας ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος οὐ χορηγεῖται τῆς χάριτος, μήποτε ὑμέτερα νομίσητε τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν φερόμενα ῥήματα· «Οὐ γὰρ ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ λαλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν»· ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γὰρ ὁ ἀγών, ὁ ἆθλος δι' αὐτόν· αὐτοῦ γὰρ χάριν τὸ στάδιον. Χρὴ τοίνυν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν χάριν ἀναμένειν, τὸν λόγον προσδο κᾶν, τῆς ὁμολογίας τὴν χάριν ἐκδέχεσθαι, τὴν πανοπλίαν ἐλπίζειν, πρὸς ἣν ὁ ἐχθρὸς οὐ δύναται, ὅτι παρὰ θεοῦ χαλκεύεται. 10 «Παραδώσει ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφὸν εἰς θάνατον καὶ πατὴρ τέκνον καὶ ἐπαναστήσονται τέκνα ἐπὶ γονεῖς καὶ θανατώσουσιν αὐτούς.» Ἡ φύσις μερίζεται καὶ ἡ χάρις συνάγεται· ὁ πηλὸς καθ' ἑαυτοῦ στρατεύεται, ὁ ποιητὴς δὲ παραδοῦναι τὸν πηλὸν οὐκ ἀνέχεται. Ἀλλήλοις συγκρούεται τὰ ὀστράκινα, ὅπως ἐν χρείᾳ τοῦ τροχοῦ 4 τοῦ κεραμικοῦ γένωνται οὕτω τε τοῦ κεραμέως ἀνάμνησιν καὶ πρὸς ἀνάγκην λάβωσι. «Καὶ ἔσεσθε μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου»· ἱκανὸν ὑμῖν εἰς δόξαν, αὔταρκες εἰς ἀξίωμα, οὐ μικρὸν εἰς πεποίθησιν, ὅτι παρὰ πάντων μισεῖσθε· ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων δὲ ὑμᾶς προδοῦναι οὐκ ἀνέχεται, ἀλλ' ἐπιμένει στέργων καὶ θάλπει τὴν ἀγάπην θερμότερον· «Ἔσεσθε γὰρ μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου· ὁ δὲ ὑπομένων εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται.» 11 Ἄκουε τὸν λόγον, ὦ πιστέ, καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν φύλαττε καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν ἀπὸ σπουδῆς γεώργησον καὶ τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄσταχυν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐφροσύνης θέρισον. Τρύγησον τὴν σταφυλήν, τὸν βότρυν ληνοβάτησον. Μὴ λέγε πολλά· «Τὰ δεινὰ ποικίλα, τὰ λυπηρὰ χαλεπά, τὰ συνέχοντα κατηφῆ· τὰ ἐκ πατρίδος ἀγάλλεται, στυγνὰ δὲ τὰ ἐπὶ ξένης εὑρίσκεται· οἱ παρακαλοῦντες ὀλίγοι, πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ σκελίζοντες· ἡ φιλοσοφία λοιδορεῖται καὶ ἡ ἀρετὴ σκώπτεται· φόβος με περὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἔχει, ἀγών μοι τῶν συγγενῶν ἐνέπεσεν, πολιορκεῖ με τῶν ἰδίων ἡ μέριμνα.» Μὴ λέγε ταῦτα, μὴ λογίζου, μηδὲ τὰ νεῦρα τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἔκλυε, μηδὲ τῆς ὀλιγωρίας γεώργει παρὰ σαυτῷ τὰ δράγματα, ἀλλ' εἰς τοῦτον τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν βασιλικὸν ἀπὸ σπουδῆς ἀπόβλεπε, εἰς αὐτὸν θεώρει καὶ κατασκόπει μετὰ τοῦτον τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην παστάδα, τὴν Ἀνάστασιν. Ζωγράφει παρὰ σαυτὸν τὸν βασιλέα ἐπὶ ξύλου κρεμάμενον, δεσπότην παρὰ τῶν δούλων ἀδίκως ῥαπιζόμενον, νομοθέτην παρὰ τῶν ὑπευθύνων ἀναιδῶς ἐμπτυόμενον, τὸν πᾶσαν περιβολὴν πλουτοῦντα τῆς στολῆς ἀναισχύντως γυμνούμενον. Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ θεωρεῖς ἐν τίσι τὴν ἀνάστασιν; Ἐνταῦθα τοῦ γυμνωθέντος αἱ ὀθόναι τὸν πλοῦτον δεικνύουσι, τοῦ ῥαπισθέντος τὴν δύναμιν παραστήσουσιν ἄγγελοι, τοῦ κολαφισθέντος τὴν δόξαν αἱ φωναὶ τῶν ἐξ οὐρανῶν καταβάντων μηνύουσι· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 5
About this text
Hesychius of Jerusalem, In sanctum Procopium (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 93 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.