John Chrysostom, On Holy Pascha

In sanctum pascha

By the same, a discourse on the holy Pascha. Bless, father. Every day is bright and glorious, but the day of the resurrection has become the brightest of all. On which the insatiable mouth of death has been bridled, and mortals now laugh at death as ineffectual and temporary; rather, those who live well even find it a benefactor. For having cut us off from this painful and temporary life, it sends us on to an untroubled course and a blessed state, where "pain, sorrow and sighing have fled away" to an ineffable enjoyment and an incomprehensible delight, "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man". Death, therefore, is an unwilling benefactor of men and a suitable enemy, but useful to us, and hostile to itself; for in that which it increases our things, it destroys its own.

For the dissolution of death is for those who die to proceed to endless immortality. And who brought it around to this contrary art, so that it now benefits and, in harming, bestows favor? He who proclaimed the promise of the resurrection to the world: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." "Destroy this temple," not the one your hands have raised, but the one I built and put on for myself; for this one, having fallen, will rise again, but yours, while standing, will fall. "For truly I say to you: not one stone will be left upon another." "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." He did not say: the Father will raise it up, lest Arius should seize upon the word, but: I will raise it up; I by my own authority, not being commanded. But why not immediately, but after three days? You ask why he does not rise immediately, but after three days: so that he might not undo the type of the prophet Jonah. "For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights." For the sun scatters the darkness, and the light-bearing day pursues the night; and the white-robed day of the resurrection has covered the night of ignorance. All things are full of joy and brightness. But while all creation is made bright, I see only the devil mourning. For our joy is the demons' misfortune. So the devil mourns. Why? Because he both lost Adam and did not hold on to the thief, because the bond against us was seized, and the trophy on our behalf was planted, the cross, a victorious trophy against demons. The cross, an ever-green tree, withering the devil each day.

For as often as he sees where he speared Life, so often he withers, being struck violently by the lance of affliction, because he both did not murder Life and put death to death through Life. For death, having seized Life, was put to death, and the dead, seeing Life, rose again. "The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." The first Adam fell, the second shatters. For he shatters below the one whom he cast down from above. He tripped up Eve; by Mary he is tripped up. He gives thanks for the tree of transgression; he will lament, being punished by the cross. In paradise he has prevailed; in Hades he has been prevailed against. In paradise, though not having power, he tyrannized; but in Hades, though having power, he has been despoiled. He took him whom he did not have before, but afterwards, he lost him whom he held. Rejoicing he ran, and lamenting he departed. "The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Paradise no longer shuts out Adam, since the thief opened its gates. Mary avenges Eve. For He whose commandments she did not keep, this one she conceived in her womb; and He whom heaven did not contain, she did not confine

In sanctum pascha

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγος εἰς τὸ ἅγιον Πάσχα. Εὐλόγησον· πάτερ. Πᾶσα μὲν ἡμέρα φαιδρὰ καὶ περίβλεπτος, ἡ δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως πασῶν φαιδροτέρα καθέστηκεν. Ἐν ᾗ τὸ μὲν ἄπληστον τοῦ θανά του κεχαλίνωται στόμα, οἱ θνητοὶ δὲ ὡς ἀδρανῆ λοιπὸν καὶ πρόσ καιρον γελῶσι τὸν θάνατον, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ εὐεργέτην οἱ καλῶς βιοῦντες εὑρίσκουσιν. Ἀποτεμὼν γὰρ ἡμᾶς τῆς ὀδυνηρᾶς ταύτης καὶ προσκαίρου ζωῆς εἰς ἀταλαιπώρητον διαγωγὴν καὶ μακαρίαν παραπέμπει κατάστασιν, ἔνθα "ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη καὶ στεναγμός" εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν ἀνεκλάλητον καὶ τρυφὴν ἀκατάληπτον, "ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη". Ἄκων οὖν εὐεργέτης τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ θάνατος καὶ ἐχθρὸς ἐπιτήδειος, ἀλλ' εὔχρηστος μὲν ἡμῖν, ἑαυτῷ δὲ πολέμιος· ἐν ᾧ γὰρ αὔξει τὰ ἡμέ τερα, καταλύσει τὰ ἴδια.

Λύσις γὰρ θανάτου τὸ τοὺς τελευτῶντας εἰς ἀτελεύτητον ἀθανασίαν χωρεῖν. Καὶ τίς αὐτὸ(ν) εἰς τὴν ἀντίστρο φον ταύτην περιήνεγκεν τέχνην ἵνα λοιπὸν εὐεργετῇ καὶ βλάπτων χαρίζηται; Ὁ τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐπαγγελίαν ἐκφωνήσας τῷ κόσμῳ· "λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν." "Λύ σατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον", οὐχ ὃν αἱ ὑμέτεραι χεῖρες ἀνέστησαν, ἀλλ' ὃν ἐγὼ κτίσας ἐμαυτῷ περιέθηκα· αὐτὸς γὰρ πεσὼν ἀναστήσεται, ὁ δὲ ὑμέτερος ἱστάμενος πεσεῖται· "Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν· οὐ μὴ μείνῃ λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον." "Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέ ραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν". Οὐκ εἶπεν· ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ Πατὴρ, ἵνα μὴ Ἄρειος ἐπιπηδήσῃ τῷ λόγῳ ἀλλ'· Ἐγὼ ἐγερῶ αὐτόν· ἐγὼ δι' ἐμαυτοῦ αὐ θεντῶ οὐ κελευόμενος. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μὴ παραχρῆμα, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας; Ἐρωτᾷς διὰ τί μὴ παραχρῆμα ἀνίσταται, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας· Ἵνα μὴ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωνᾶ τὸν τύπον παραλύσῃ. "Ὥσπεργὰρ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας". Ἥλιος γὰρ διασκεδάζει γνόφον, διώ κει δὲ νύκτα φωτοφόρος ἡμέρα· τὴν δὲ νύκτα τῆς ἀγνωσίας ἡ λευκο χίτων τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐκάλυψεν ἡμέρα. Πάντα χαρᾶς καὶ φαιδρό τητος γέμει. Πάσης δὲ φαιδρυνομένης τῆς κτίσεως πενθήρη μόνον τὸν διάβολον βλέπω. Ἡ γὰρ ἡμετέρα χαρὰ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐστὶν συμ φορά. Πενθεῖ δὲ ἄρα ὁ διάβολος· ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀπώλεσεν καὶ τὸν λῃστὴν οὐκ ἐκράτησεν, ὅτι καὶ τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν χειρόγραφον ἡρπάγη καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τρόπαιον ἐφυτεύθη σταυρὸς κατὰ δαιμό νων τρόπαιον νικηφόρον. Σταυρὸς δένδρον ἀειθαλὲς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μαραίνων τὸν διάβολον.

Ὁσάκις γὰρ ὁρᾷ, ποῦ τὴν ζωὴν περιέ πειρεν, τοσαυτάκις μαραίνεται βαλλόμενος σφοδρῶς τῇ τῆς θλί ψεως λόγχῃ, ὅτι καὶ τὴν ζωὴν οὐκ ἐφόνευσεν καὶ τὸν θάνατον διὰ τῆς ζωῆς ἐθανάτωσεν. Κρατήσας γὰρ ὁ θάνατος τὴν ζωὴν ἐνεκρώθη καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ τὴν ζωὴν ἰδόντες ἀνέστησαν. "Τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, γέγονε τὰ πάντα καινά". Ἔπεσεν ὁ πρῶτος Ἀδάμ, ὁ δεύτερος ῥήγνυσιν. Κάτω γὰρ ῥήγνυσιν, ὃν ἄνωθεν ἔρριψεν. Τὴν Εὔαν ἐσκέ λισεν, παρὰ Μαρίας σκελίζεται. Εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς παραβά σεως, θρηνήσει τῷ σταυρῷ κολαζόμενος. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ κεκρά τηκεν, ἐν τῷ Ἅιδῃ κεκράτηται. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ μὴ κρατῶν ἐτυράννησεν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ Ἅιδῃ κρατῶν ἀπεστέρηται. Ὃν οὐκ εἶχεν πρότερον ἔλαβεν, ἀλλ' ὕστερον, ὃν κατεῖχεν ἀπώλεσεν. Χαίρων ἔδρα μεν καὶ θρηνῶν ἀνεχώρει. "Τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, γέγονεν τὰ πάντα καινά." Τὸν Ἀδὰμ οὐκέτι κλείει παράδεισος, τοῦ λῃστοῦ τὰς θύρας ἀνοίξαντος. Ἐκδικεῖ τὴν Εὔαν ἡ Μαρία. Οὗ γὰρ ἐκείνη τὰς ἐν τολὰς οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν, τοῦτον αὕτη γαστρὶ περιέλαβεν· καὶ ὃν οὐρα νὸς οὐκ ἐχώρησεν, οὐκ ἐστενοχώρησεν