Διὰ τοῦτο Ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι.
Παρέστω ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, παρέστω ὁ Ἕλλην. Εἰ κόμπος τὰ ῥήματα, ἐλεγχέτω· εἰ δὲ ἀλήθεια
τὰ εἰρημένα, προσκυνείτω τὴν δύναμιν. Εἶπεν ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ
παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι. Τί δέ ἐστιν, οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ;
Προχειρίσωμεν ἐν μέσῳ, ἴδωμεν μὴ διέπεσαν. Οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλων λέγω, ἀλλὰ τὸν αἱρετικὸν
ἐπιστομίζων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, Ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ
παρέλθωσι.
Ποῖοι λόγοι; Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν,
καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐπὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ·
οὔτε γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν πίστιν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν ᾠκοδόμησε. Τί
δὲ ἦν ἡ πίστις; Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Πέτραν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν
ἐκάλεσε, δεχομένην κύματα, καὶ μὴ σαλευομένην. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία δέχεται
πειρασμοὺς, ἀλλ' οὐ νικᾶται. Τί οὖν ἐστιν, Ἐπὶ τῇ πέτρᾳ; Ὁμολογία ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥήμασιν.
Οὐ λίθους βάλλεις; οὐ ξύλα; οὐ σίδηρον; Οὐχὶ, φησίν· οὐ γὰρ ἐστιν οἰκοδομή
τοιαύτη, ἣ, οἵα ἂν ᾖ, τῷ χρόνῳ λύεται· ὁμολογίαν δὲ οὔτε δαίμονες νικῆσαι δύνανται.
Καὶ μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ μάρτυρες, οἱ τὰς πλευρὰς ξεόμενοι, καὶ τὴν πίστιν οὐκ ἀπολλύντες.
Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων. Ὁ τοῖχος διορύττεται, καὶ ὁ θησαυρὸς οὐ συλᾶται·
ἡ σὰρξ δαπανᾶται, καὶ ἡ πίστις οὐκ ἀναλίσκεται· τοιαύτη τῶν μαρτύρων ἡ δύναμις.
Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῇ πέτρᾳ ταύτῃ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν
αὐτῆς. (John Chryostom, Sermon 1 at Pentecost, in PG 52:806-7 [do note,
according to the editor, this is a potentially “spurious” work, so caveat
lector—at worst, however, it shows that a contemporary of Chrysostom believed
that Peter’s faith, not his person, was the Rock [πετρα] of
Matt 16:18)
English
Translation:
Therefore: “Heaven and earth will
pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Let the Jew be present, let the
Greek be present. If the sayings are mere show, let them be refuted; but if
what has been said is true, let him bow to the power. Christ said, “Heaven and
earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” What then are his
words? Let us take them briefly and see whether they have not come to pass. I
do not say this with doubt, but to silence the heretic. Therefore, “Heaven and
earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
What words? “You are Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail
against it.” “Upon this rock.” He did not say, “Upon Peter”; for he built the
Church not upon the man but upon his faith. What then was the faith? “You are
the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He called the Church a rock — receiving
waves, and yet not being shaken. For the Church does indeed undergo
temptations, but it is not conquered. What then is “upon the rock”? Confession
concerning the words. Do you cast stones? wood? iron? No, he says; for it is
not that sort of building which, whatever its material, will dissolve with
time; rather it is a confession which not even demons can overcome. And the
martyrs bear witness — those whose sides have been pierced, who nevertheless do
not forsake the faith. O the new and astonishing things! The wall is
undermined, yet the treasure is not plundered; the flesh is expended, yet the
faith is not consumed — such is the power of those martyrs. For upon this rock
I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
