John Chrysostom, On Holy Pascha

the womb of the virgin. And he who suspended the heaven over the world, was suspended from a worthless piece of wood, so that by a tree he might deceive him who through a tree deceived Adam. Let us therefore flee for refuge to the man-loving Master on behalf of him who suffered for us. Let us not flee sufferings; "For we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." The resurrection has risen and creation has been filled with joy. For the herald of the resurrection first showed the resurrection in himself.

For if he had proclaimed in word, but not shown in deed, they would not have believed, who heard the word but did not see the deed. What then did the herald of the resurrection devise? As an excellent physician first tastes the medicine, so that those in need of the cure might then receive the proclamation without hesitation. Therefore the Master was first "from the dead; the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," Christ. And let no one say that; And yet we find others who rose before him; Elijah the Tishbite raised the son of the woman of Zarephath before the incarnation of the Savior. Elisha likewise the son of the Shunammite woman. How then, "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," is Christ? I say more: The Master Christ himself, before himself, raised the four-days-dead Lazarus. How "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," is Christ? What we say of Lazarus, we say of all those who rose before him. Lazarus indeed rose before the Master Christ; but Lazarus rose in order to die again. For a little while he takes up life, so that he might serve the miracle and again come under the sentence of death. But if Christ is "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," he no longer went to a second death, but having separated himself once for all from the body, which was from the beginning, he remained immortal.

Testify, O Paul, to what is being said: "For Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God." Therefore Christ was the first to show the perfect resurrection. For this reason, Christ is "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," so that what he promised in words, he might fulfill in deeds. For if death does not pre-exist, there is no resurrection; if the suffering does not precede, there is no healing. But Christ, having endured death by the cross, healed our spiritual sicknesses, drove out the soul-destroying demons. Let him say that: If he is God, how was he crucified? how did an incorporeal nature endure bodily pain? how did the almighty authority receive the experience of death? What then shall we say to these things? The divinity was not crucified, but the garment of the divinity. But when the body was crucified, the divinity was dishonored. For he who tears the garment insults the one wearing it; he who cuts up the royal purple provokes the king to anger. And then indeed the Jews crucified him; but now those in the first seats of the Christians re-crucify him. For he who re-anointed Christ re-crucified him. "For there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism." For at baptism is the anointing. How then was the one anointed re-anointed until now as if un-anointed? For the superfluous anointing made the Christian un-Christian and you have become a traitor to yourself like Judas, having denied Christ for gold.

Therefore the rope of Judas also awaits you. For you who think his thoughts must fulfill his final end. But from all quarters gathering the word concerning the resurrection let us also show a life worthy of the doctrines, so that we may obtain better and undefiled good things which surpass both mind and reason of which may it be for all of us to attain by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ἡ γαστὴρ τῆς παρθένου. Καὶ ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐπικρεμάσας τῷ κόσμῳ, εὐτελοῦς ἀπεκρεμᾶτο ξύλου, ἵνα ξύλῳ πλανήσῃ τὸν διὰ ξύλου τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀπατήσαντα. Φιλαν θρώπῳ τοίνυν προσφεύγωμεν ∆εσπότῃ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πεπονθότος δι' ἡμᾶς. Μὴ φύγωμεν τὰ πάθη· "Συμπάσχομεν γὰρ ἵνα καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν." Ἡ ἀνάστασις ἀνέστη καὶ χαρᾶς ἡ κτίσις πεπλήρωται. Ὁ γὰρ κῆρυξ τῆς ἀναστάσεως πρῶτος ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἔδειξεν.

Εἰ γὰρ λόγῳ μὲν ἐκήρυξεν, ἔργῳ δὲ μὴ ὑπέδειξεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐπίστευσαν οἱ λόγον μὲν ἀκούοντες, ἔργον δὲ μὴ θεωροῦντες. Τί οὖν ὁ τῆς ἀναστά σεως ὑπενόησεν κῆρυξ; Ὡς ἰατρὸς ἄριστος πρῶτος ἀπογεύεται τοῦ φαρμάκου, ἵνα οἱ δεόμενοι τῆς ἰατρείας ἀνενδοιάστως λοιπὸν τὸ κή ρυγμα δέξωνται. Πρῶτος οὖν ὁ ∆εσπότης "ἐκ νεκρῶν· Ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων" ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ μηδεὶς ἐκεῖνο λεγέτω· Καὶ μὴν εὑρίσκομεν ἄλλους πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἀναστάντας· Ἠλίας ὁ θεσβίτης τὸν υἱὸν τῆς Σαραφθείας πρὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀνέστησεν. Ἐλισ σαῖος ὁμοίως τὸν υἱὸν τῆς Σουμανίτιδος. Πῶς οὖν· "Ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κε κοιμημένων Χριστός; Τὸ πλέον λέγω· Αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς πρὸ ἑαυτοῦ τετραήμερον νεκρὸν τὸν Λάζαρον ἤγειρεν. Πῶς "ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων Χριστός; Ὃ λέγομεν ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου, λέγομεν ἐπὶ πάν των τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἀναστάντων. Ἀνέστη μὲν ὁ Λάζαρος πρὸ τοῦ ∆εσπό του Χριστοῦ· ἀλλ' ἀνέστη Λάζαρος, ἵνα πάλιν ἀποθάνῃ. Πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀναλαμβάνει τοῦ ζῆν, ἵνα ὑπερετήσῃ τῷ θαύματι καὶ πάλιν ὑπὸ τὴν θα νατικὴν ἀπόφασιν γένηται. Εἰ δὲ "ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων Χριστός," οὐκέτι πρὸς δεύτερον ἐχώρησε θάνατον, ἀλλὰ χωρίσας ἑαυτὸν καθάπαξ τοῦ σώματος, ὅπερ ἦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἀθάνατος ἔμεινεν.

Μαρτύρησον ὦ Παῦλε τῷ λεγομένῳ· "Χριστὸς γὰρ ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν οὐκέτι ἀποθνήσκει· θάνατος αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κυριεύει· ὃ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀπέ θανεν ἐφάπαξ, ὃ δὲ ζῇ, ζῇ τῷ Θεῷ." Τὴν οὖν τελείαν ἀνάστασιν Χριστὸς ἐπεδείξατο πρῶτος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο· "ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημέ νων" Χριστός, ἵνα ἅπερ ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς λόγοις, ταῦτα πληρώσῃ τοῖς ἔργοις. Ἂν μὴ γὰρ προϋπάρξῃ θάνατος, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνάστασις· ἂν μὴ προλάβῃ τὸ πάθος, οὐκ ἔστιν ἰατρεία. Χριστὸς δὲ τὸν διὰ σταυροῦ θάνατον ὑπομείνας, τὰς ψυχικὰς ἡμῶν ἐθεράπευσεν νόσους, τοὺς ψυχοφθόρους δαίμονας ἀπήλασεν. Ἐκεῖνο λεγέτω· Εἰ Θεός, πῶς ἐσταυρώθη; πῶς ἀσώματος φύσις σωματικὴν ὑπέμεινεν ὀδύνην; πῶς ἡ παντοδύναμος ἐξουσία πεῖραν ἐδέξατο θανάτου; Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς ταῦτα; Οὐχ ἡ θεότης ἐσταυρώθη, ἀλλὰ τὸ περιβόλαιον τῆς θεότητος. Σταυρουμένου δὲ τοῦ σώματος, ἡ θεότης ἠτιμάζετο. Ὁ γὰρ τὸ ἱμάτιον σχίσας, τὸν ἐνδεδυμένον ὑβρίζει· ὁ τὴν βασιλικὴν κατακόψας πορφύραν, τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐρεθίζει. Καὶ τότε μὲν αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· νῦν δὲ οἱ τῶν Χριστιανῶν αὐτὸν ἀνασταυροῦσι πρωτόθρονοι. Ὁ γὰρ ἀναχρίσας τὸν Χριστὸν ἀνεσταύρωσεν. "Εἷς γὰρ Κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα." Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῷ βαπτίσματι τὸ χρῖσμα. Πῶς οὖν ὁ χρισθεὶς μέχρι νῦν ὡς ἄχριστος ἀνεχρίσθη; Τὸ γὰρ περιττὸν χρῖσμα τὸν Χριστιανὸν ἐποίησεν ἄχριστον καὶ σαυτοῦ γέγονας ὡς Ἰούδας προδότης, διὰ χρυσὸν τὸν Χριστὸν ἀρνησάμενος.

∆ιὸ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα περιμένει σε σχοῖνος. ∆εῖ σε γὰρ τὰ ἐκείνου φρονοῦντα πληρῶσαι τὴν ἐσχάτην ἐκείνου. Ἀλλὰ πανταχόθεν τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως συλλέγοντες λόγον καὶ βίον ἄξιον τῶν δογμάτων ἐπιδειξώμεθα, ἵνα κρειττόνων καὶ ἀκηράτων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτύχωμεν τῶν καὶ νοῦν καὶ (τὸν) λόγον ὑπερβαινόντων ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.