John Chrysostom, On the Three-Day Resurrection of the Lord

of all Christians together? If therefore one of the unbelievers says to you, Why was Christ crucified? say to him: In order that he might crucify the devil. If he says to you, Why was he hanged upon a tree? say to him: In order that he might recall the sin which came through a tree in paradise. If he says to you, Why did he also wear thorns? say to him: In order that he might root out the thorns and thistles of Adam; for that one was condemned to groan and tremble, and to cultivate thorns and thistles. Jesus therefore, being a lover of mankind, wishing to provide for his own creation, endured all things for our sake, that he might free us from condemnation. For just as he was born of a woman, in order that he might wipe away the sin that came to men from a woman; so also is he crowned with thorns, in order that he might make the earth, which was poorly cultivated by disobedience, more gentle through his own obedience. And if he says to you, Why did he drink gall and vinegar? say to him: In order that we might vomit out the death-bearing venom of the serpent; for that gall has become my sweetness, and that vinegar has become my healing. And if the unbeliever says to you again, Why did he also put on a scarlet cloak, and why did they kneel as they came to him, say to him: In order that the Jews might worship him even unwillingly, and might confess his kingdom upon the earth even against their will. For now they worshipped him mockingly, not knowing what they were doing; but in the future resurrection every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. And that cloak also has another meaning; for not only did it prefigure his kingdom, but it also showed the bloodthirsty and murderous nature of the Jews. And they also gave a reed into his hand, so that their sins might be written down.

Therefore, the Christ-fighters did these things, being ignorant of the one being crucified, or rather, having been willfully blinded; but creation did not fail to recognize its own Master and creator. For while the Savior was still hanging on the cross, the physical sun, seeing Christ the sun of righteousness being insulted by the lawless, not bearing the audacity, flees, darkening the earth, and considering it absurd 50.824 to cooperate and to give light to eyes that were committing the greatest impiety. And not only did the sun flee, but the earth also was shaken, not bearing the lawlessness of what was being done, but showing and teaching that it was God who was being crucified; for which reason it also did not endure, but was angry, not wanting to bear upon itself the God-hated Jews. For Cain did not so stain the earth by killing his brother, nor did the tower-building of the giants so weigh it down, nor did the Sodomites so pollute it by their lawless acts, nor even those who fashioned idols from it; the blood of Zechariah and Abel that was shed did not weigh it down as much as the Jews, who dared this great impiety. For because of this the hard rocks were also split, that they might learn that this is the spiritual and living rock. For they drank, it says, from a spiritual rock that followed them; and the rock was Christ. O the ingratitude of the Jews! the rocks were split, and these are insensible; the inanimate things are shaken, and the animate disbelieve; the veil of the temple is torn, so that their desolation might henceforth be shown. For the veil was torn, and the things in the temple were laid bare because Christ had said: Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For indeed all the revered things of the Jews have been made desolate after the killing of Christ, and the angels remaining in the city and the temple departed from there and came to the Church. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised with Christ, so that we might learn that Christ, having died, does not rise alone, but raises from the dead all those who believe in him.

πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν Χριστιανῶν; Ἐὰν οὖν εἴπῃ σοί τις τῶν ἀπίστων, ∆ιὰ τί ἐσταυρώθη ὁ Χριστός; εἰπὲ αὐτῷ· Ἵνα σταυρώσῃ τὸν διάβολον. Ἐὰν εἴπῃ σοι, ∆ιὰ τί ἐκρεμάσθη ἐπὶ ξύλου; εἰπὲ αὐτῷ· Ἵνα τὴν διὰ ξύλου προσγινομένην ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἀνακαλέσηται. Ἐὰν εἴπῃ σοι, ∆ιὰ τί καὶ ἀκάνθας ἐφόρεσεν; εἰπὲ αὐτῷ· Ἵνα τὰς ἀκάνθας καὶ τοὺς τριβόλους τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐκριζώσῃ· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ στένειν καὶ τρέμειν κατεδικάσθη, καὶ ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους γεωργεῖν. Ἰησοῦς οὖν φιλάνθρωπος ὢν, τοῦ ἰδίου ποιήματος θέλων προνοήσασθαι, πάντα ὑπέστη δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἡμᾶς καταδίκης ἐλευθερώσῃ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐγεννήθη διὰ γυναικὸς, ἵνα τὴν ἐκ γυναικὸς προσγενομένην ἁμαρτίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπαλείψῃ· οὕτω καὶ ταῖς ἀκάνθαις στεφανοῦται, ἵνα τὴν κακῶς γεωργηθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῆς παρακοῆς γῆν διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ὑπακοῆς ἡμερωτέραν ἐργάσηται. Ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃ σοι, Χολὴν καὶ ὄξος διὰ τί ἔπιεν; εἰπὲ αὐτῷ· Ἵνα ἡμεῖς τὸν θανατηφόρον ἰὸν ἐξεμέσωμεν τοῦ δράκοντος· ἡ γὰρ χολὴ ἐκείνη ἐμὸν γέγονε γλύκασμα, καὶ τὸ ὄξος ἐκεῖνο ἐμὸν γέγονεν ἴαμα. Ἐὰν δέ σοι εἴπῃ πάλιν ὁ ἄπιστος, ∆ιὰ τί καὶ κοκκίνην ἐνεδύσατο χλαμύδα, καὶ διὰ τί ἐγονυπέτουν προσιόντες αὐτῷ, εἰπὲ αὐτῷ· Ἵνα καὶ μὴ θέλοντες αὐτῷ προσκυνήσωσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄκοντες ἐπὶ γῆς ὁμολογήσωσι. Νῦν μὲν χλευάζοντες προσεκύνουν οὐκ εἰδότες ἅπερ ἔπραττον· ἐν δὲ τῇ μελλούσῃ ἀναστάσει πᾶν γόνυ κάμψει ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται, ὅτι Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ Πατρός. Ἀμήν. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἡ χλαμὶς ἐκείνη καὶ ἕτερον αἴνιγμα· οὐ μόνον γὰρ τὴν βασιλείαν ὑπετύπου, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ αἱμοβόρον καὶ φονῶδες τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπεδείκνυτο. Ἔδωκαν δὲ καὶ κάλαμον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα γραφῶσιν αὐτῶν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι.

Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οἱ Χριστομάχοι ἐποίουν, ἀγνοοῦντες τὸν σταυρούμενον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἑκουσίως ἀποτυφλωθέντες· ἡ δὲ κτίσις οὐκ ἠγνόησε τὸν ἑαυτῆς ∆εσπότην τε καὶ δημιουργόν. Ἔτι γὰρ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ κρεμαμένου, θεωρήσας ὁ ἥλιος ὁ αἰσθητὸς τὸν ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης Χριστὸν ὑπὸ τῶν παρανόμων ὑβριζόμενον, μὴ φέρων τὸ τόλμημα, φεύγει σκοτίσας τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἄτοπον ἡγησάμενος 50.824 συνεργεῖν, καὶ φωτίζειν ὀφθαλμοὺς τοὺς τὴν μεγίστην ἀσεβοῦντας ἀσέβειαν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ὁ ἥλιος ἔφυγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐκλονεῖτο, μὴ φέρουσα τὴν ἀνομίαν τῶν δρωμένων, ἐνδεικνυμένη δὲ καὶ διδάσκουσα ὅτι Θεὸς ἦν ὁ σταυρούμενος· διὸ καὶ οὐκ ἠνείχετο, ἀλλ' ἐχαλέπαινε, μὴ θέλουσα φέρειν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς τοὺς θεοστυγεῖς Ἰουδαίους. Οὐχ οὕτω γὰρ ἀδελφοκτονήσας ἔχρανεν ὁ Κάϊν τὴν γῆν, οὐδ' οὕτως ἐβάρησεν αὐτὴν ἡ τῶν γιγάντων πυργοποιία, οὐδ' οὕτως αὐτὴν ἐμόλυναν ἀθεμιτουργήσαντες Σοδομῖται, οὐδ' αὐτοὶ οἱ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάσαντες ἐξ αὐτῆς· οὐ τὸ αἷμα Ζαχαρίου καὶ Ἄβελ ἐκχυθὲν ἐβάρησεν αὐτὴν οὕτως ὅσον Ἰουδαῖοι, τὸ μέγα τοῦτο τολμήσαντες ἀσέβημα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ αἱ σκληραὶ πέτραι ἐσχίζοντο, ἵνα μάθωσιν ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἡ πνευματικὴ καὶ ζῶσα πέτρα. Ἔπινον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας· ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός. Ὢ τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἀγνωμοσύνης! αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν, καὶ οὗτοι ἀναισθητοῦσι· τὰ ἄψυχα κλονεῖται, καὶ οἱ ἔμψυχοι ἀπιστοῦσι· τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ῥήγνυται, ἵνα λοιπὸν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῶν δειχθῇ. Ἐσχίσθη γὰρ τὸ καταπέτασμα, καὶ ἐγυμνώθη τὰ ἐν τῷ ναῷ διὰ τὸν εἰπόντα Χριστόν· Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἠρήμωται μετὰ τὴν χριστοκτονίαν πάντα τὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων σεμνὰ, καὶ οἱ παραμένοντες τῇ πόλει καὶ τῷ ἱερῷ ἄγγελοι μετέβησαν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ἦλθον εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Πολλὰ δὲ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων συνηγέρθη Χριστῷ, ἵνα μάθωμεν ἡμεῖς, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀποθανὼν μόνος οὐκ ἀνίσταται, ἀλλὰ Πάντας τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνίστησιν.