you planted the cross; if he is a mere man, he does not speak the truth when he says, Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up; if he is a mere man, he is held by death; if he is a mere man, why do you seal the tomb, you fool? Wait for the third day and you will see the proof of your own madness. Cease being meddlesome and you will see the outcome of events; cease raging against the truth; cease warring with God and wounding yourself by warring; cease insulting the sun of righteousness and thinking you can extinguish those rays; cease striving to block up the spring of life; cease bothering the rulers and talking about a guard; cease purchasing falsehood and moving the armed men. Do not labor in vain, do not waste your things on impiety, do not imagine victory against God, do not give a wage to soldiers to say one thing in place of another, do not make the crowd sleep by the tomb, do not trust in weapons. A resurrection is not hindered by weapons, it is not obstructed by seals, it is not kept back by soldiers, it is not stolen by money. But do you disbelieve? Have you not seen Lazarus long ago shaking off death as if it were sleep? Did you see how the dead man followed the command and the bond did not hinder him? Did you see how he walked with his grave-clothes on, having heard, "Come forth"? Did you see how the voice reassembled him who was dissolved by death? He who was able to do those things will also be able to do these things, he who raised the servant will himself much more be raised, he who gave life to the one who had decayed will not leave himself dead. But the blindness of the Jews is great, and seeing the wonders it does not see; they have eyes and do not see, they have ears and do not hear. For the god of this age has blinded their hearts, that the gospel of righteousness might not shine upon them. But for now let us leave them to their unbelief, and let us say with the faithful Mary and her companions, fashioning for ourselves in our minds the tomb of the Savior: They have taken away our Lord, and we do not know what they have done with him. To him be glory, with the immaculate Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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ἔπηξας τὸν σταυρόν· εἰ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἀληθεύει Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον εἰπὼν καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν· εἰ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος, τῷ θανάτῳ κατέχεται· εἰ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος, τί τὸν τάφον σφραγίζεις, ἀνόητε; Περίμεινον τὴν τρίτην ἡμέραν καὶ ὄψῃ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μανίας τὸν ἔλεγχον. Παῦσαι περιεργαζόμενος καὶ θεάσῃ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἔκβασιν· παῦσαι λυττῶν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας· παῦσαι θεῷ πολεμῶν καὶ τῷ πολεμεῖν κατατιτρώσκων ἑαυτόν· παῦσαι τὸν ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑβρίζων καὶ νομίζων τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἐκείνας σβεννύειν· παῦσαι τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ζωῆς προσχῶσαι φιλονεικῶν· παῦσαι τοῖς ἄρχουσι ἐνοχλῶν καὶ περὶ φρουρᾶς διαλεγόμενος· παῦσαι τὸ ψεῦδος ὠνούμενος καὶ τοὺς ὁπλίτας κινῶν. Μὴ κάμῃς ἀνόνητα, μὴ εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἀναλώσῃς τὰ σά, μὴ κατὰ θεοῦ φαντάζου τὴν νίκην, μὴ δῷς μισθὸν στρατιώταις ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων εἰπεῖν, μὴ παρακοιμίσῃς τὸν ὄχλον τῷ μνήματι, μὴ θαρρήσῃς τοῖς ὅπλοις. Ὅπλοις ἀνάστασις οὐ κωλύεται, οὐκ ἐμποδίζεται ταῖς σφραγίσιν, οὐκ εἴργεται στρατιώταις, οὐ κλέπτεται χρήμασιν. Ἀλλ' ἀπιστεῖς; Μὴ οὐκ εἶδες τὸν Λάζαρον πάλαι καθάπερ ὕπνον τὸν θάνατον ἀποσεισάμενον; Εἶδες πῶς ἠκολούθησε τῷ προστάγματι ὁ νεκρὸς καὶ ὁ δεσμὸς οὐκ ἐκώλυσε; Εἶδες πῶς σὺν αὐταῖς κηρίαις ἐβάδιζε τὸ ∆εῦρο ἔξω ἀκούσας; Εἶδες πῶς ἥρμοσεν ἡ φωνὴ τὸν διαλυθέντα θανάτῳ; Ὁ ἐκεῖνα δυνηθεὶς καὶ ταῦτα δυνήσεται, ὁ τὸν δοῦλον ἀναστήσας αὐτὸς πολλῷ πλέον ἐγείρεται, ὁ ζωογονήσας τὸν σεσηπότα οὐκ ἐάσει νεκρὸν ἑαυτόν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἡ τυφλότης τῶν Ἰουδαίων πολλὴ καὶ ὁρῶσα τὰ θαύματα οὐχ ὁρᾷ· ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσιν καὶ οὐ βλέπουσιν, ὦτα ἔχουσι καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν. Ὁ θεὸς γὰρ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσε αὐτῶν τὰς καρδίας πρὸς τὸ μὴ καταυγάσαι αὐτοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνους μὲν τέως ἐάσωμεν τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἡμεῖς δὲ λέγωμεν μετὰ τῶν περὶ Μαριὰν τὴν πιστὴν κατὰ διάνοιαν ἀναπλάττοντες ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸν τάφον· Ἦραν ἡμῶν τὸν κύριον καὶ οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί ἐποίησαν αὐτόν. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ ἀχράντῳ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

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