Atkinson, The Passions and the Homilies from Leabhar Breac (1887) — translated from the Irish.

¹ When a great persecution was upon the Christians in the city named Patras, by the proconsul Aegeas, he was urgent upon them that they should make offerings to the gods. Now Andrew the holy apostle came to the proconsul and said to him: “It would be fitting for you,” says he, “since you are judging men, that you should acknowledge the Judge himself that is in heaven — Jesus Christ — and that you should worship him after acknowledging him; and if you did worship the true God, your mind would be turned from the gods.” “are you Andrew the apostle?” said Aegeas; “it is you who do scatter the temples of the idols and of the gods, and it is you who teach men the way of the mighty piety that is in yourself. The Roman emperors have said”, says he, “that your teaching should be abolished.” “Those kings knew not”, said Andrew, “that it is for the sake of healing men that the Son of God came into the world; for these idols, in the first place, are not gods at all, but demons and the worst enemies of the human race; for it is they that enjoin upon men alienation from God. God therefore turns from men then, when they despise him, and the devil puts them under his own sway there, until he draws them down to the day of their decease; and they shall bear nothing with them to the next world but their sins.” “Your pleading is all vain,” said Aegeas, “for that Jesus of whom you speak — the Jews crucified him in requital for the same teaching that you do teach.”

² “That crucifixion of which you speak,” said Andrew, “the author of the human race went to it of his own will, and not by compulsion did he go to it.” “How can you say,” said Aegeas, “that he went of his own will to the cross, and that he was delivered by his own disciple, and that he was taken by the Jews, and that he was crucified by the soldiers of the king?” “This is why I say”, said Andrew, “that he went of his own will to the cross; for he himself told us beforehand that he would be delivered by his own disciple, and that he would be crucified in redemption of the human race, and that he would rise the third day from the dead; and Peter said at that time,” said Andrew, “‘Lord,’ said Peter, ’that is not easy — that the Son of God should go to the cross’; ‘Peter,’ said Christ, ‘you do not yet understand the mysteries of God’; this is why I say,’ said Christ, ‘for I have power to lay down my soul and to take it up again,’ says he; “and Christ said to us,” said Andrew, ‘when we were feasting together with him, “one of you will betray me,” says he, ‘and he to whom I shall give this morsel of bread, it is he that shall betray me’; so that it is manifest from this that it was of his own will he went to the cross,” said Andrew, “for had he willed, he could have escaped it.” “It is a wonder to me,” said Aegeas, “that you, being wise, are following the teaching of that crucified man Jesus Christ, for that death is a shameful thing before men.” “Great is the holy mystery of the cross then,” said Andrew, “if you knew it.” “I cannot,” said Aegeas, “that it should be a holy mystery, but that it is like a mighty torment.” “That torment is the holy mystery of the renewal of the human race,” said Andrew. “you shall find in yourself that holy mystery,” said Aegeas, “unless you do what I say to you.”

³ “If the fear of the cross were upon me,” said Andrew, “I would not proclaim the glory of the cross; and this is why I declare to you the mysteries of the cross, that your soul may be saved through it.” “It is not death to the soul,” said Aegeas, “so that its renewal should be needful.” “The souls of all men are dead in sin,” said Andrew, “for the first man, Adam, brought death into the world through the tree of transgression, so that through the tree of Christ’s cross that death was slain; and as the first man, Adam, committed sin against the unblemished earth, it was needful that Christ should be born of an unblemished virgin, so that the human race that died in Adam should be brought to eternal life, and that the tree of death should be cast out through the tree of the cross; and that his hands should be stretched upon the tree of the cross, for the hands that were stretched to the tree of transgression, and that he should take a bitter drink upon the tree of the cross for the sweet pleasant food of the tree of transgression.” “Tell those who will believe you,” said Aegeas; “you shall find death upon that cross you praise,” said Aegeas, “unless you make offerings to the gods.” “I make offering every day to the one almighty God,” said Andrew, “and it is not the offering of goats or bulls, but the blood of the unblemished Lamb, Jesus Christ, I offer every day,” says he.

⁴ Then Aegeas, being angered, commanded that Andrew be put into prison: it was done so. The Christian people came then to take Andrew out of the prison, so that they would have slain Aegeas. Now Andrew said to the people: “Make no tumult on my account,” says he, “for God showed patience and great meekness when he was crucified and buried; hinder not therefore my going into martyrdom; and not only that, but abide yourselves in the endurance of every ill that you shall find, for the temporal pain is short, for it is like to a fire that gos out: for as fire rises at once and is quenched quickly again, so is the temporal pain in comparison with the eternal pain; so that to the pain that has neither end nor term it is fitting for one to give his mind — the place where there is wailing and sighing without end.” Then Aegeas said: “He that dares to reach that place, let him do the thing you say, and let him cleave to faith.” “It will be fulfilled indeed,” said Andrew, “that you shall come through the temporal tribulations to be in the presence of God in joy and gladness for ever and ever.” Now Andrew was teaching the people through the whole winter’s night in that wise.

⁵ Andrew was brought the next day to Aegeas into the royal seat, and he said to him: “I think,” says he, “the counsel you will take is to cease praising Christ, and to make offerings to the gods, lest you be put upon the cross.” “It would be well first,” said Andrew, “for you to leave the worship of the false gods, and for you to worship Christ the Son of God.” “This is why I say to you first,” said Aegeas, “to make offerings to the gods, lest the people should follow you in making offerings to them; for there is not in Achaia a city that I have not left the idol-worship through you. Unless you do it therefore, pains manifold and death by the cross after that.” “Hear then,” said Andrew, “O son of death, O flame transitory as a torch upon eternal fire — for the better I account every pain I shall find for the name of God, for I shall be the more honoured with God if I suffer great martyrdom.” “I swear”, said Aegeas, “unless you do what I say, you shall find death by the cross.” “It is the best thing I shall find,” said Andrew, “death by the cross, for it is what my Lord Jesus Christ went to; more fearful to me is your eternal death than my temporal death,” said Andrew. Then he commanded Andrew to be tortured: he was stretched upon a bed, so that he endured seven vessels of boiling water poured upon his head, and they did him no hurt; then he was brought to Aegeas, and was pleading with him, and this is what he said: “Your face shall burn like a candle in the everlasting pain,” said Andrew, “and this temporal pain will be short for me,” says he. Then anger seized Aegeas, so that he commanded Andrew to be crucified, and no nails to be driven through his feet or his hands, that the pain might be the greater for him to be a long time alive upon the cross. Then he was brought to be crucified. Now the Christian people were lamenting the innocent holy man to be crucified without guilt; and Andrew was teaching the people, and praying them still not to hinder the suffering and the crucifying. Andrew said, when he reached the place of the cross and saw it: “O holy cross,” says he, “you were consecrated and blessed by the body of Christ being upon you, as margarets and adorned stones of the world would be adorning you; God did not fear before you — you did take beauty with honour through the body of Christ being stretched upon you; it is you that did heal the sin of the tree of transgression; it is you that are the flower and shining fruit of the earth; it is you that are the fruitful palm with many savours; it is you that are the fragrant cypress, from which every faithful one is fed and comforted: receive me to you from the men that were redeemed through you, and deliver me to my Lord Jesus Christ!” Now when he had said these words, they stripped him of his bishop’s clothing, and gave him to the folk of the cross. Then his body was bound to the cross with cords, and he was lifted up on high.

⁶ Now there were many companies of men — they were not fewer than twenty thousand — and Stratocles, the brother of Aegeas, among them, agreeing with the Christian people and saying that it was not right for Andrew to be crucified. “Small is that purchase of heaven,” said Andrew. The people went to Aegeas, and said to him that it was not right for the chaste, wise, pious man perfect in good customs to be crucified without guilt. Now Andrew was that day and the next day upon the cross teaching the people. Then fear seized Aegeas before the people, so that he said to them that Andrew should be taken down from the cross. So Aegeas went with the people to Andrew. “Why have you come here,” said Andrew to Aegeas; “if you would believe in Christ, I will give you the eternal life,” says he; “or if it be to save me from the cross, I cannot come down alive from it,” says he, “for I see my great King Christ, the Son of God, at my aid, and he is waiting to reward this passion of mine upon you.”

⁷ The soldiers that were at the crucifying came, and essayed to take him down from the cross, but their hands withered so that they could not reach him. Then Andrew said with a loud voice: “O Jesus Christ,” says he, “leave me not upon this cross, until my spirit has gone forth and you shall bear my soul with you!” Then a great brightness came from heaven, and compassed the cross about, so that no man could look upon it all that time; and when that great light had been there for the space of half an hour it went forth again, and Andrew sent forth his spirit, so that they saw, as it were, between the light and the spirit going to heaven to God.

⁸ Then a demon entered into Aegeas, so that he was dead in the sight of the people before he reached his house. Now Stratocles, the brother of Aegeas, came and took away the body of Andrew, and buried it with great honour in the city, Patras its name. Great fear seized the people thereafter, and so great was the measure of their dread that there was not one man of them that believed not in Christ: it is with him that all men desire to be saved, that they may come to the beauty of the eternal truth. Finit. Amen.