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2. How according to Matthew, late on the Sabbath, the Magdalene having seen the resurrection, yet according to John the same woman stands weeping

by the tomb on the first day of the week.

1. No question would be raised concerning these passages, if we did not suppose "late on the Sabbath" to mean the evening hour after the day of the Sabbath, as some have supposed, but rather the late and deep part of the night 22.941 after the Sabbath; for thus we are accustomed to say "late in the hour," and "late in the season," and "late for the need;" not indicating the evening, nor the time after sunset, but signifying by this expression what is very late. Whence Matthew, as if interpreting himself, after "late on the Sabbath," added, he says, "as it began to dawn"; that is, at the hour that was already beginning to appear and dawn toward the Lord's day, which was late and far advancing from the Sabbath. But "late on the Sabbath" was said by the one who translated the Scripture. For the evangelist Matthew handed down the gospel in the Hebrew tongue. But he who translated it into the Greek language called the dawning hour toward the Lord's day "late on the Sabbath." so that almost the same time, or one very near, is to be understood, observed by the evangelists with different names; and that there is no difference between what Matthew said: "Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb," and what John said: "But on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene comes early to the tomb, while it was still dark." For broadly they indicate one and the same time with different words. Matthew says "late," instead of "at a late hour"; and having named the late part of the night "early," the translator added "while it was still dark," so that no one might suppose he meant the dawn; just as Matthew, to "late on the Sabbath," so that no one might think the evening hour was meant, added "as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week." Since he also precisely said the evening of the Sabbath, lest anyone suppose the evening after sunset to be meant, but he says "late on the Sabbath."

2. But it is a custom to call the whole week "Sabbath," and to name all the days thus. At any rate, it is said by the evangelists, "on the first of the Sabbaths;" and in common usage, "second of the Sabbaths," and "third of the Sabbaths," and "fourth of the Sabbaths." Thus, therefore, Matthew named the time dawning into the morning of the Lord's day, "late on the Sabbaths;" not saying "evening of the Sabbath," nor "late of the Sabbath." since it would have been necessary for us to break our fast on the day of the Sabbath after sunset when evening came; and no longer to rejoice on the Lord's day, but on the evening of the Sabbath, if indeed the evangelist meant this. But we are not accustomed to end our fasts on the evening of the Sabbath, but either when night has fallen, at midnight itself, or around the cock's crow, or about dawn; so that both from the matter itself, and from the established custom in the Churches of God, the time indicated by "late on the Sabbath" is not the evening hour, but this one, which Matthew himself presented when he said, "as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week." For it would not have been reasonable, had such wonders been performed around the Savior's tomb during the evening of the Sabbath, for not all who inhabited the city to learn of the 22.944 events, and a crowd would have gathered at the tomb, since all were awake. And it would have followed, when the stone was miraculously rolled away, for the guards to hurry immediately to report what had happened, as the hour permitted them. But on the next day they are instructed by the chief priests to spread the report to everyone that his disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep; which indeed would have had no place

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Βʹ. Πῶς κατὰ τὸν Ματθαῖον ὀψὲ Σαββάτων ἡ Μα γδαληνὴ τεθεαμένη τὴν ἀνάστασιν, κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἡ αὐτὴ ἑστῶσα κλαίει

παρὰ τῷ μνη μείῳ τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Σαββάτου.

αʹ. Οὐδὲν ἂν ζητηθείη κατὰ τοὺς τόπους, εἰ τὸ ὀψὲ Σαββάτων μὴ τὴν ἑσπερινὴν ὥραν τὴν μετὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ Σαββάτου λέγεσθαι ὑπολάβοιμεν, ὥς τινες ὑπειλήφασιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ βραδὺ καὶ ὀψὲ τῆς νυκτὸς τῆς 22.941 μετὰ τὸ Σάββατον· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὀψὲ τῆς ὥρας εἰώθαμεν λέγειν, καὶ ὀψὲ τοῦ καιροῦ, καὶ ὀψὲ τῆς χρείας· οὐ τὴν ἑσπέραν δηλοῦντες, οὐδὲ τὸν μετὰ ἡλίου δυσμὰς χρόνον, τὸ δὲ σφόδρα βράδιον τούτῳ σημαίνοντες τῷ τρόπῳ· ὅθεν ὥσπερ διερμηνεύων αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ Ματθαῖος μετὰ τὸ ὀψὲ Σαββάτων, ἐπήγαγε τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ φησί· δηλαδὴ ὥρᾳ τῇ λοιπὸν ἤδη ὑποφαινούσῃ, καὶ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς τὴν Κυριακὴν ἡμέραν, ἥτις ἦν ὀψὲ καὶ πόῤῥω λοιπὸν ἐλαύνουσα τῶν Σαββάτων· λέλεκται δὲ ὀψὲ τοῦ Σαββάτου παρὰ τοῦ ἑρμηνεύσαντος τὴν Γραφήν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ματθαῖος Ἑβραΐδι γλώττῃ παρέδωκε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον· ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλήνων φωνὴν μεταβαλὼν αὐτὸ, τὴν ἐπιφωσκοῦσαν ὥραν εἰς τὴν Κυριακὴν ἡμέραν, ὀψὲ Σαββάτων προσεῖπεν· ὥστε τὸν αὐτὸν σχεδὸν νοεῖσθαι καιρὸν, ἢ τὸν σφόδρα ἐγγὺς παρὰ τοῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς διαφόροις ὀνόμασι τετηρημένον· μηδέν τε διαφέρειν Ματθαῖον εἰρηκότα· «Ὀψὲ δὲ Σαββάτων τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν Σαββάτων ἦλθε Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ ἡ ἄλλη Μαρία θεωρῆσαι τὸν τάφον,» Ἰωάννου φήσαντος· «τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν Σαββάτων ἔρχεται Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ πρωῒ εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, ἔτι οὔσης σκοτίας.» Πλατυκῶς γὰρ ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν δηλοῦσι χρόνον διαφόροις ῥήμασι· ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος ὀψὲ, ἀντὶ τοῦ βράδιον· καὶ ὀψὲ τῆς νυκτὸς ὀνομάσας πρωῒ, ὁ διερμηνεύων ἐπήγαγε τὸ σκοτίας οὔσης, ἵνα μή τις τὸν ὄρθρον λέγειν αὐτὸν ὑπολάβοι· ὡς καὶ ὁ Ματθαῖος τῷ ὀψὲ Σαββάτων, ἵνα μὴ τὴν ἑσπερινὴν ὥραν νομίσειέ τις λέγεσθαι, προσέθηκε τὸ τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν Σαββάτων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀκριβῶς οὗτος Σαββάτου εἶπεν τὴν ὀψίαν, μή τις τὴν ἑσπέραν ὑπολάβοι λέγεσθαι τὴν μετὰ ἡλίου δυσμὰς, ἀλλὰ Σαββάτων φησὶν ὀψέ.

βʹ. Ἔθος δὲ ὅλην τὴν ἑβδομάδα Σάββατον καλεῖν, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας οὕτως ὀνομάζειν. Λέγεται γοῦν παρὰ τοῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς τῇ μιᾷ τῶν Σαββάτων· ἐν δὲ τῇ συνηθείᾳ, δευτέρα Σαββάτων, καὶ τρίτη Σαββάτων, καὶ τετάρτη Σαββάτων· οὕτως οὖν ὁ Ματθαῖος τὸν καιρὸν τὸν ἐπιφαύσκοντα εἰς τὴν ἕω τῆς Κυριακῆς ἡμέρας, Σαββάτων ὀψὲ ὠνόμασεν· οὐκ εἰπὼν ἑσπέραν τοῦ Σαββάτου, οὐδὲ ὀψὲ Σαββάτου· ἐπεὶ ἐχρῆν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Σαββάτου μετὰ ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἑσπέρας γινομένης ἀπονηστίζεσθαι· καὶ οὐκέτι τὴν Κυριακὴν ἡμέραν ἀγαλλιᾷν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐσπέραν τοῦ Σαββάτου, εἴπερ τοῦτ' ἐδήλου ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἑσπέρας τοῦ Σαββάτου εἰώθαμεν τὰς νηστείας καταλύειν, ἀλλ' ἢ νυκτὸς ἐπιλαβούσης, αὐτῷ μεσονυκτίῳ, καὶ ἢ περὶ ἀλεκτόρων βοὰς, ἢ ἀμφὶ τὸν ὄρθρον· ὥστε καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ ἐκ τῆς κεκρατηκυίας ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ συνηθείας, τὸν διὰ τοῦ ὀψὲ Σαββάτων δηλούμενον καιρὸν, μὴ τὴν ἑσπερινὴν ὥραν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ ταύτην, ἣν Ματθαῖος αὐτὸς παρέστησεν εἰπὼν τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν Σαββάτων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ λόγον εἶχε κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν τοῦ Σαββάτου τοιούτων θαυμάτων ἀμφὶ τὸ μνημεῖον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀποτελουμένων, μὴ οὐχὶ πάντας τοὺς τὴν πόλιν οἰκοῦντας μαθεῖν τὰ γι 22.944 νόμενα, καὶ συνδρομὴ γεγόνει ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα, πάντων ἐγρηγορότων. Ἀκόλουθον δὲ ἦν ἀνατραπέντος τοῦ λίθου παραδόξως, παραχρῆμα σπεῦσαι τοὺς φρουροὺς τὰ πραχθέντα δηλῶσαι, τῆς ὥρας αὐτοῖς ἐπιτρεπούσης. Οἱ δὲ καὶ διδάσκονται τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχιερέων διαφημίσαι εἰς πάντας, ὅτι οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς ἐλθόντες ἔκλεψαν αὐτὸν ἡμῶν κοιμωμένων· ὃ δὴ χώραν οὐκ εἶχεν