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as the divine Paul says: "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." A witness is this tomb, the joy of the living, the consolation of the dead. A witness is this stone that was rolled away and that rolled away all the idols of the demons, and not only rolled them away, but also crushed and pulverized and winnowed them with the shovel of the cross and <ἀπὸ> the earth "blew them away like chaff from the threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney" with the blast and the rush of the spirit. Witnesses are these women, in place of the women of old, each day and night bringing sensible and spiritual myrrh to the bridegroom. A witness is the white-robed priest, the angel of the church, crying out to them: "Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified." But do you seek the hour? For he says: "as the dawn we shall find him ready." Luke will be able to announce this to you as well: "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the door of the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, they said to them: "3Why do you seek the living among the dead?"3 Why do you reason about life things that are foreign to life? He who is sought here by you is seated in heaven, he who is sought by touch here rests in the bosom of the Father, he who became dead that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living did not abandon life; for he himself lends life to all, from him all nature is inspired, in him the moving things move, the established things are established, the active things are active." From there the women, having gone out, met Jesus, and they saw the dawn as dawn, and said to him what David sang in the prophecies: "For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we shall see light." But if you say: "The women found him, but the apostles did not find him," and "How is it a common gain? How does what was found become the salvation of all nature?" you ask what is superfluous, you accuse in vain. For the women found what they had previously lost through Eve. She who provided the occasion for the loss found the gain. Nevertheless, read the remaining parts of the prophecy: "as the dawn we shall find him ready, and he will come to us as the early and the latter rain to the earth." These things have been clearly fulfilled to the letter. The saying does not require spiritual interpretation, we do not need to allegorize the prophet's meaning: "He will come to us as the early and the latter rain to the earth." See him, therefore, appearing early to the women, but late to the apostles; for early, here, he addressed the women with "Rejoice," but late, in Zion, he addressed the disciples with "Peace"; "Rejoice" to the women, in order to undo the sentence of sorrow, "Peace" to the disciples, in order to destroy the enmity which the dragon planted. Therefore, he said to them with this distinction: "Peace to you; for with the devil is the war, the enmity toward him remains; for his horn must be crushed, his venom must be poured out, his sting must be trodden upon. Now I will forge weapons with which war shall be waged against him."

6 Not in vain, therefore, did Andrew announce to Peter: "We have found the Messiah, who is called Christ," since God also uttered such things through the prophecy of Isaiah: "If you will seek, seek and dwell with me." Whence Andrew dared to ask Christ: "For I know that you have no house upon the earth, you do not build in corruption, you do not make tents with brick. "3Where are you staying?"3 so that I may become a doorkeeper of the master's court. "3For I have chosen to be cast aside in the house of my God rather than to dwell in the tents of sinners."3 "3Where are you staying?"3 If I learn, I will not depart from the door." But this of the church now

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καθ' ἅ φη σιν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος· «Ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνῄσκουσιν, οὕτως ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται.» Μάρ τυς δὲ ὁ τάφος οὗτος, ἡ τῶν ζώντων χαρά, ἡ τῶν νεκρῶν παρά κλησις. Μάρτυς ὁ λίθος οὗτος ὁ κυλισθεὶς καὶ κυλίσας ὅλα τὰ τῶν δαιμόνων εἴδωλα, οὐ μόνον δὲ κυλίσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ συντρίψας καὶ λεπτύνας καὶ τῷ πτύῳ λικμήσας τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ <ἀπὸ> τῆς γῆς «ἐκφυσήσας ὥσπερ χοῦν ἀφ' ἅλωνος καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ καπνοδόχης ἀτμίδα» καὶ τῇ ῥιπῇ καὶ τῷ ῥοίζῳ τοῦ πνεύματος. Μάρτυρες αἱ γυναῖκες αὐταὶ ἀντὶ τῶν ποτε γυναικῶν ἡμέρας ἑκάστης καὶ νυκτὸς αἰσθητὰ καὶ νοητὰ μύρα τῷ νυμφίῳ εἰσφέρουσαι. Μάρτυς ὁ λευχείμων ἱερεὺς ὁ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἄγγελος βοῶν πρὸς αὐτάς· «Μὴ φοβεῖσθε· οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζαρηνὸν τὸν ἐσταυ ρωμένον ζητεῖτε.» Ἀλλὰ τὴν ὥραν ἐπιζητεῖς; Φησὶ γάρ· «ὡς ὄρθρον ἕτοιμον εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν.» Λουκᾶς σοι καὶ τοῦτο ἀπαγγεῖλαι δυνήσεται· «Τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ὄρθρου βα θέως ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα, φέρουσαι ἃ ἡτοίμασαν ἀρώματα. Εὗρον δὲ τὸν λίθον ἀποκεκυλισμένον ἐκ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνημείου· εἰσελ θοῦσαι δὲ οὐχ εὗρον τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ διαπορεῖσθαι αὐτὰς περὶ τούτου καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο ἄνδρες ἐπέστη σαν αὐταῖς ἐν ἐσθήσεσιν ἀστραπτούσαις. Ἐμφόβων δὲ γενομέ νων αὐτῶν καὶ κλινουσῶν τὰ πρόσωπα εἰς τὴν γῆν, εἶπον πρὸς αὐτάς· "3Τί ζητεῖτε τὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τῶν νεκρῶν;"3 Τί λογί ζεσθε περὶ τῆς ζωῆς τὰ τῆς ζωῆς ἀλλότρια; Ὁ παρ' ὑμῶν ὧδε ζητούμενος ἐν οὐρανοῖς καθέζεται, ὁ ἐνταῦθα ψηλαφώμενος ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀναπαύεται, ὁ γενόμενος νεκρὸς ἵνα νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ τὴν ζωὴν οὐ κατέλιπεν· αὐτὸς γὰρ πᾶσι δανείζει τὴν ζωήν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ φύσις ἐμπνεῖται, ἐν αὐτῷ κινεῖται τὰ κινούμενα, τὰ συνεστῶτα συνίσταται, ἐνερ γεῖ τὰ ἐνεργούμενα.» Ἐκεῖθεν αἱ γυναῖκες ἐξελθοῦσαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ συνήντησαν, καὶ τὸν ὄρθρον εἶδον ὡς ὄρθρον, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐ τὸν ὅπερ ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἐν προφητείαις ἔψαλλεν· «Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς.» Εἰ δὲ λέγεις· «Αἱ μὲν γυ ναῖκες εὗρον, οὐχ εὗρον δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι», καὶ «Πῶς ἐστι κέρδος κοινόν; Πῶς τὸ εὑρεθὲν ὅλης τῆς φύσεως γίνεται σωτηρία;» περιττὸν ζητεῖς, μάτην ἐγκαλεῖς. Εὗρον γὰρ αἱ γυναῖκες ὅπερ διὰ τῆς Εὔας ἀπώλεσαν πρότερον. Εὗρεν τὸ κέρδος ἡ παρασχοῦσα τῆς ζημίας τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. Πλὴν ἀνάγνωθι τῆς προφητείας τὰ λεί ποντα· «Ὡς ὄρθρον ἕτοιμον εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἥξει ἡμῖν ὡς ὑετὸς πρώϊμος καὶ ὄψιμος τῇ γῇ.» Ταῦτα σαφῶς κατὰ λέξιν πεπλήρωται. Οὐ χρῄζει θεωρίας ὁ λόγος, ἀλληγορεῖν οὐ δεόμεθα τοῦ προφήτου τὴν ἔννοιαν· «Ἥξει ἡμῖν ὡς ὑετὸς πρώϊμος καὶ ὄψιμος τῇ γῇ.» Ὅρα τοίνυν αὐτὸν πρώϊμον ταῖς γυναιξίν, ὄψιμον δὲ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις φαινόμενον· πρωῒ μὲν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ταῖς γυ ναιξὶν «Χαίρετε», ὀψὲ δὲ ἐν τῇ Σιὼν «Εἰρήνην» τοῖς μαθηταῖς προσεφώνησεν· «Χαίρετε» ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἵνα λύσῃ τῆς λύπης τὴν ἀπόφασιν, «Εἰρήνην» τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἵνα καταλύσῃ τὴν ἔχθραν ἣν ὁ δράκων ἐφύτευσεν. ∆ιὸ πρὸς αὐτοὺς μετὰ ταύτης τῆς διαστολῆς ἔλεγεν· «Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν· τῷ γὰρ διαβόλῳ ὁ πό λεμος, ἡ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἔχθρα μένει· δεῖ γὰρ αὐτοῦ συντριβῆναι τὸ κέρας, δεῖ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἰὸν ἐκχυθῆναι, δεῖ πατηθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὸ κέντρον. Νῦν ὅπλα χαλκεύσω οἷς κατ' αὐτοῦ συγκροτηθήσεται πόλεμος.»

6 Οὐ μάτην τοίνυν ὁ Ἀνδρέας τῷ Πέτρῳ ἀπήγγειλεν· «Εὑ ρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν», ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοιαῦτα διὰ τῆς Ἠσαΐου προφητείας ἐφθέγγετο· «Ἐὰν ἐπιζητήσῃς, ζήτει καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ οἴκει.» Ὅθεν τὸν Χριστὸν ὁ Ἀνδρέας ἐπερωτᾶν ἐτόλμησεν· «Οἶδα γὰρ ὡς οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐκ ἔχεις, οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖς ἐν τῇ φθορᾷ, οὐ σκηνοποιεῖς ἐν πλίνθῳ. "3Ποῦ μένεις;"3 ἵνα θυρωρὸς τῆς αὐλῆς τῆς δεσποτικῆς γένωμαι. "3Ἐξελεξάμην γὰρ παραριπτεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ θεοῦ μου μᾶλλον ἢ οἰκεῖν με ἐν σκηνώμασιν ἁμαρτωλῶν."3 "3Ποῦ μένεις;"3 Ἐὰν μάθω, τῆς θύρας οὐκ ἀφίσταμαι.» Ἀλλ' αὕτη μὲν ἡ τῆς ἐκκλησίας νῦν