John Chrysostom, On the Resurrection of the Lord

temple. A great earthquake occurred; for an angel of the Lord, having descended from heaven, came and rolled back the stone from the door of the tomb.

What is this, O angel? Did you rush down from on high as a bodyguard of the risen king? Did you come to comfort the weeping women? Did you come to rejoice with the human race? Leave the stone of the tomb lying there. Why do you move what the Rock, when he came forth, did not move? As he was born from the womb, so he came forth from the tomb; for he did not disturb the bolts of virginity when he was born, he did not move the stone, which he kept safe. He left the tomb sealed with the stone. "I know," he says, "I know; but what has happened has not happened simply; I have served the command of my Master; I rolled the stone away according to the divine plan, so that Peter, stooping down, might see the linen cloths; so that the women might see the place where the Lord lay." "He rolled back," it says, "the stone, and was sitting upon it."

He was keeping the accuser of the Jews, he was guarding the witness of the resurrection; he was keeping the stone for the conviction of those whose hearts were turned to stone. For this is what the Lord, proclaiming the malice of the Christ-killers, cried out to them in 62.756 the Gospels: "Even if these are silent, the stones will cry out." And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow; fittingly. For where there is no stain of sin, all things are full of light, resembling the brightness of snow. And from fear of him the guards were shaken, and became as dead men. Before the servant as dead men, and bold against the creator. And what follows? "And answering," it says, "the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid.'" O paradoxical deeds! O strange accounts! When the soldiers had become as dead men, did he say to the women, "Do not be afraid"? For it was necessary for the unbelieving guards to remain in fear, but for the faithful women to be evangelized with the grace of salvation. Do not be afraid; for Adam has been refashioned by the potter of your nature, as on the wheel of the cross. Do not be afraid; for the crime of your mother Eve, which led to condemnation, has been loosed. Do not be afraid; for before I rolled away the stone, the one you seek rose with authority; to him be the glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ναόν. Σεισμὸς ἐγέ νετο μέγας· Ἄγγελος γὰρ Κυρίου καταβὰς ἐξ οὐρα νοῦ, προσελθὼν ἀπεκύλισε τὸν λίθον ἀπὸ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνημείου.

Τί τοῦτο, ὦ ἄγγελε; ὡς δορυφόρος τοῦ ἀναστάντος βασιλέως ἐξ ὕψους κατέδραμες; ἦλθες ψυχ αγωγῆσαι θρηνοῦντα τὰ γύναια; ἦλθες συνευφρανθῆ ναι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῷ γένει; Ἔασον παρακεῖσθαι τὸν λίθον τοῦ μνήματος. Τί σαλεύεις, ὃν οὐκ ἐκίνησε προσ ελθοῦσα ἡ πέτρα; Ὡς ἐτέχθη ἐκ μήτρας, οὕτω προ ῆλθεν ἐκ μνήματος· οὐ γὰρ ἐνώχλησε τῆς παρθενίας τοῖς κλείθροις τικτόμενος, οὐκ ἐκίνησε τὸν λίθον, ὃν ἐφύλαξε. Τὸν τάφον μετὰ τοῦ λίθου ἐσφραγισμένον κατ έλιπεν. Οἶδα, φησὶν, οἶδα· ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς γέγονε τὸ γενόμενον· τῷ τοῦ ∆εσπότου μου ὑπούργησα νεύματι· οἰκονομικῶς τὸν λίθον ἐκύλισα, ἵνα Πέτρος παρακύ ψας θεάσηται τὰ ὀθόνια· ἵνα ἴδωσιν αἱ γυναῖκες τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἔκειτο ὁ Κύριος. Ἀπεκύλισε, φησὶ, τὸν λίθον, καὶ ἐκάθητο ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ.

Ἐτήρει τὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατήγορον, ἐφύλαττε τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως μάρτυρα· ἐτήρει τὸν λίθον τῶν λελιθωμένων τὴν καρ δίαν πρὸς ἔλεγχον. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος τὴν τῶν Χριστοκτόνων δυσμένειαν ἐκπομπεύων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν 62.756 Εὐαγγελίοις ἐβόα· Κἂν αὐτοὶ σιωπήσωσιν, οἱ λίθοι κεκράξονται. Ἦν δὲ ἡ ἰδέα αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀστραπὴ, καὶ τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ λευκὸν ὡσεὶ χιών· εἰκότως. Ἔνθα γὰρ ἁμαρτίας σπῖλος οὐκ ἔγκειται, πάντα φωτός ἐστιν ἀνάμεστα, τῇ τῆς χιόνος ἐοικότα λαμπρότητι. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ φόβου αὐτοῦ ἐσείσθησαν οἱ τηροῦντες, καὶ ἐγέ νοντο ὡσεὶ νεκροί. Ἐπὶ τοῦ δούλου ὡς νεκροὶ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κτιστοῦ τολμηροί. Τί δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; Ἀποκρι θεὶς, φησὶν, ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπε ταῖς γυναιξὶ, Μὴ φοβεῖσθε ὑμεῖς. Ὢ παραδόξων πραγμάτων! ὢ ξένων διηγημά των! τῶν στρατιωτῶν γεγονότων ὡσεὶ νεκρῶν, ταῖς γυναιξὶ διελέγετο, Μὴ φοβεῖσθε; Ἐχρῆν γὰρ τοὺς ἀπί στους φύλακας ἐναπομεῖναι τῷ φόβῳ, ταῖς δὲ πισταῖς γυναιξὶ τὴν τῆς σωτηρίας εὐαγγελισθῆναι χάριν. Μὴ φοβεῖσθε ὑμεῖς· Ἀδὰμ γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς φύσεως ὑμῶν κεραμέως ἀνεπλάσθη, καθάπερ ἐν τροχῷ τῷ σταυρῷ. Μὴ φοβεῖσθε· τῆς ὑμετέρας γὰρ μητρὸς Εὔας ἐλύθη τὸ πρὸς κατάκρισιν ἔγκλημα. Μὴ φοβεῖσθε· πρὶν γὰρ ἐγὼ ἀποκυλίσω τὸν λίθον, ὃν ζητεῖτε, μετ' ἐξουσίας ἀνέστη· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.