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she returns to the disciples; then an angel appears to them. Therefore, in the time in between, after the first arrival, as she was departing to the apostles, it was likely that the hour had advanced; and as they in turn arrived at the tomb, the time would have increased even more, so that it was no longer dark, but already clear day, during which the aforementioned men, having arrived and standing outside the tomb, were able to see through to the linen cloths lying inside; and much more so when they were inside, with the place already illuminated by the bright day. And it seems to me that the linen cloths lying inside provide at once a sign that the body was not taken by men, as Mary supposed; for some people stealing the body would not have left the linen cloths behind; nor would a thief ever wait to unwrap the linen cloths and take it; and at the same time they are indicative of the resurrection of the body from the dead. For God who transforms the bodies of our humility to be conformed to the body of the glory of Christ, altered the body as an instrument of the power dwelling in it, changing it to the more divine, but the 22.988 linen cloths, as superfluous and alien to the substance of the body, He left behind. And it seems to me that Peter and John arrived at the tomb at the right time, when it was already clear day and bright light, so that by coming at night and in darkness they might not be suspected of that which the chief priests falsely accused them of, that they came by night and stole him. Therefore the men did not arrive at night, nor while it was still dark, but when the bright day was already dawning. But if the Gospel says that the disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews, then one might object to this, saying, How then did those who were shut in go to the tomb in broad daylight? We shall say that it was likely for those living in the city in the midst of the Jews to be all shut in together, gathered in one house; but those who arrived at the tomb, being outside the city, were far from the fear of the Jews, as they were going to a deserted place and one unoccupied by men. Perhaps also Peter and John, having become superior to fear among the disciples, more boldly dared to go forth from the house, while the others did not dare to do this, or only these, who have also been attested in other matters to have been deemed worthy of greater honor than the rest of the apostles.

3. But how is it that in John, the disciples, having heard from Mary,

then came to the tomb and believed; but in Luke it is said that these words appeared before them as nonsense, and they did not believe them? Mary in John revealed what she had seen only to the chosen of the apostles, Peter and John, as if it were a secret; and they in turn, unbeknownst to the other disciples, alone went running to the tomb, and seeing, they believed; and it was not at all surprising that the chosen of the apostles believed, having seen, while the rest, to whom the women reported, did not believe them, since they had not received it by sight. For instance, when the Savior appeared to the disciples gathered together according to John, those who saw rejoiced; but Thomas, since he was not present nor had seen, was not persuaded. But if he disbelieved the apostles, one could hardly blame the rest for disbelieving the women when they had not yet seen. But Scripture presents the great scrutiny and precision of the disciples, not easily assenting to their words, but holding back at first, until, having most fully and clearly recognized the truth, they could later say: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have touched, concerning the Word of life.” But the passage could also have another meaning. For one might say that the eleven did not 22.989 believe the women who announced the resurrection of the Savior, as from the report of the two men who appeared to them according to Luke, in

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ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς· εἶτ' ἄγγελος αὐτοῖς παραγίνεται. Ἐν δὴ οὖν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην ἄφιξιν ἀπιούσης αὐτῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ τὴν ὥραν προκόψαι εἰκὸς ἦν· κἀκείνων πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον ἀφικνουμένων, ἔτι μᾶλλον αὐξῆσαι τὸν χρόνον, ὡς μηκέτι σκοτίαν εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἤδη καθαρὰν ἡμέραν, καθ' ἣν ἀπαντήσαντες οἱ εἰρημένοι, καὶ τοῦ μνημείου ἐκτὸς ἑστῶτες, διορᾷν τὰ εἴσω κείμενα ὀθόνια οἶοί τε ἦσαν· καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἔνδον γενόμενοι, ὑπὸ λαμπρᾶς ἡμέρας ἤδη τοῦ τόπου κατηυγασμένου. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι τὰ ὀθόνια ἔνδον κείμενα ὁμοῦ μὲν καὶ δεῖγμα παρέχειν τοῦ μὴ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ᾖρθαι τὸ σῶμα, ὅπερ Μαρία ὑπέλαβεν· οὐ γὰρ ἄν τινες τὸ σῶμα ὑφαιρούμενοι κατελίμπανον τὰ ὀθόνια· οὐδὲ ὁ κλέπτων ποτὲ περιέμεινεν ἕως ὅτε ἀναλύσῃ τὰ ὀθόνια καὶ καταλάβηται· ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως τοῦ σώματος εἶναι παραστατικά. Ὁ γὰρ μετασχηματίζων τὰ σώματα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν Θεὸς εἰς τὸ εἶναι σύμμορφα τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὡς ὄργανον τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικησάσης δυνάμεως ἠλλοίου, μεταβάλλων ἐπὶ τὸ θειότερον, τὰ δὲ 22.988 ὀθόνια ὡς περιττὰ καὶ ἀλλότρια τῆς τοῦ σώματος οὐσίας ἠφίει. ∆οκοῦσι δέ μοι κατὰ καιρὸν ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον ἀπαντᾷν ἐν ἤδη καθαρᾷ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ φωτὶ λαμπρῷ, ὡς ἂν μὴ νυκτὸς καὶ σκοτίας ἐλθόντες τοῦτο ὑπονοηθεῖεν, ὃ δὴ καὶ κατεψεύσαντο αὐτῶν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, ὅτι νυκτὸς ἐλθόντες ἔκλεψαν. ∆ιόπερ οὐ νυκτὸς ἀπήντων οἱ ἄνδρες, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης, ἀλλ' ἤδη καταυγαζούσης λαμπρᾶς ἡμέρας. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ὡς ἄρα ἦσαν ὁμοῦ συνηγμένοι οἱ μαθηταὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, εἶτα πρὸς τοῦτο ἀνθυποφέροι τις λέγων, Πῶς οὖν οἱ συγκεκλεισμένοι ἐφοίτων ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διαυγεῖ; ἐροῦμεν ὅτι τοὺς μὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει μέσους οἰκοῦντας τῶν Ἰουδαίων, εἰκὸς ἦν ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι ὁμοῦ τοὺς πάντας ἐν οἴκῳ ἑνὶ συνηγμένους· οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἀφικνούμενοι τῆς πόλεως ἐκτὸς ὄντες, μακρὰν ἐτύγχανον καὶ τοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων φόβου, ὡς ἐπὶ ἐρημίζοντα τόπον καὶ ἀνδρῶν ἐσχοληκότα παριόντες. Τάχα δὲ καὶ κρείττους φόβου γενόμενοι τῶν μαθητῶν ὅ τε Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης τολμηρότερον ἐθάῤῥουν προϊέναι τοῦ οἴκου, τῶν ἄλλων μὴ τοῦτο πράττειν τολμώντων, ἢ μόνων δὴ τούτων, οἳ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις πλείονος ἠξιωμένοι τιμῆς παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀποστόλους μεμαρτύρηνται.

Γʹ. Ἀλλὰ πῶς παρὰ μὲν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ τῆς Μαρίας ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ,

κἄπειτα ἐλθόντες εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον ἐπίστευσαν· παρὰ δὲ τῷ Λουκᾷ εἴρηται ὅτι ἐφάνησαν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ λῆρος τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, καὶ ἠπίστουν αὐταῖς; Ἡ μὲν παρὰ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ Μαρία τοῖς ἐκκρίτοις τῶν ἀποστόλων Πέτρῳ καὶ Ἰωάννῃ μόνοις ὡς ἀπόῤῥητον ἐκφαίνουσα ἐξεῖπε τὸ τεθεαμένον· οἱ δὲ πάλιν λαθόντες τοὺς λοιποὺς μαθητὰς μόνοι ἀπήντων ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον δρομαῖοι, καὶ ἰδόντες ἐπίστευσαν· καὶ οὐδέν γε ἦν θαυμαστὸν τοὺς μὲν ἐκκρίτους τῶν ἀποστόλων ἰδόντας πεπιστευκέναι, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς οἷς αἱ γυναῖκες ἀπήγγελλον, ἅτε μὴ ὄψει παραλαβόντας, μὴ πιστεῦσαι αὐταῖς. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ αὐτοῖς ὁμοῦ συνηγμένοις τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὀφθέντος τοῦ Σωτῆρος κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην, οἱ μὲν ἰδόντες ἐχάρησαν· Θωμᾶς δὲ, ἐπεὶ μὴ παρῆν μηδὲ εἶδεν, οὐκ ἐπείθετο. Εἰ δὲ οὗτος ἠπίστει τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, σχολῇ γ' ἂν μέμψαιτό τις τοῖς λοιποῖς ὅτι μηδέπω τεθεαμένοι, ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἠπίστουν. Πολλὴν δὲ βάσανον καὶ ἀκρίβειαν τῶν μαθητῶν παρίστησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, οὐκ εὐχερῶς τοῖς τούτων λόγοις συγκατιθεμένων, ἀλλ' ἐπεχόντων τὰ πρῶτα, εἰσότε πληρέστατα καὶ ἐναργῶς τἀληθὲς ἐπιγνόντες εἰπεῖν δυνηθεῖεν ὕστερον· «Ὃ ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ Λόγου τῆς ζωῆς.» Ἔχοι δ' ἂν καὶ ἑτέραν διάνοιαν ὁ τόπος. Εἴποι γὰρ ἄν τις ὅτι ταῖς ἀπαγγελλούσαις γυναιξὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὡς ἐξ ἀκοῆς τῶν ὀφθέντων αὐταῖς δύο ἀνδρῶν κατὰ τὸν Λουκᾶν οὐκ 22.989 ἐπίστευσαν οἱ ἕνδεκα, ἐν