John Chrysostom, On Holy Easter

Nothing corporeal is to be gained from here, but all things are spiritual: the hearing of the divine oracles, the prayers of the Fathers, the blessings of priests, the communion of the divine and ineffable mysteries, peace and concord, and spiritual gifts worthy of the generosity of the Giver. Let us celebrate, therefore, this feast in which the Lord rose. For He arose, and raised the world with Himself. And He Himself arose, having broken the bonds of death; but He raised us, having loosed the chains of our sins. Adam sinned, and died; Christ did not sin, and He died. A new and paradoxical thing: that one sinned, and died; this one did not sin, and died. For what reason, and why? So that the one who sinned and died, through the one who did not sin and died, might be able to be freed from the bonds of death. So it often happens also with those who owe money: someone owes another money, and does not have it to pay, and for this reason is detained; another who does not owe, but is able to pay, pays it and releases the one who is liable. So it was also with Adam, and with Christ. Adam owed the debt of death, and was held by the devil; Christ did not owe it, nor was He held; but He came and paid the debt of death on behalf of the one who was held, so that He might release him from the bonds of death. Have you seen the achievements of the resurrection? Have you seen the Master's love for mankind? Have you seen the greatness of His care?

Let us not then be ungrateful to so great a benefactor, nor now that the fast has passed, let us become more careless; but now more than before let us take greater care of the soul, lest as the flesh is fattened, the soul become weaker, lest while caring for the servant, we neglect the mistress. For what is the benefit, tell me, of bursting beyond what is needful, and exceeding due measure? This both harms the body, and betrays the nobility of the soul. But let us keep to sufficiency and need, so that we may render what is fitting to both soul and body, so that we do not pour out all at once everything that was gathered from the fast. For do I forbid you to enjoy food and to relax? I do not forbid this, but I advise you to keep to what is needful, and to cut off excessive luxury, and not, by exceeding the measure, to harm the health of the soul. For such a one, having transgressed the limits of need, will no longer enjoy pleasure; and this is known most accurately by those who have come to it through experience itself; and from this have begotten for themselves myriad kinds of diseases, and have endured much unpleasantness. But that you will be persuaded by our counsels, I do not doubt; for I know your obedience.

5. And for this reason, having stopped the exhortation on this point here, to those

who on this light-bearing night have been deemed worthy of the gift of divine baptism I wish to turn my discourse, these beautiful plants of the Church, the spiritual flowers, the new soldiers of Christ. Before yesterday the Master was on the cross, but now He has risen; so also these, before yesterday were held by sin, but now they have risen with Christ; He died in the body and rose again, these were dead in sin, and from sin they have risen. The 52.771 earth, then, at this time of spring gives forth to us roses and violets and other flowers; the waters, however, today have shown us a meadow more delightful than the earth's. And do not be amazed, beloved, if from the waters meadows of flowers have been shown forth; for not even from the beginning did the earth bring forth the sprouting of herbs according to its own nature, but yielding to the command of the Master. And the waters then also brought forth moving living things, when they heard: Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living souls; and the command became a reality; the inanimate substance cast forth animate beings.

Οὐδὲν σωματικόν ἐστιν ἐντεῦθεν ὠνήσασθαι, ἀλλὰ πάντα πνευματικά· ἀκρόα σιν θείων λογίων, εὐχὰς Πατέρων, εὐλογίας ἱερέων, τῶν θείων καὶ ἀποῤῥήτων μυστηρίων τὴν κοινωνίαν, εἰρήνην καὶ ὁμόνοιαν, καὶ πνευματικὰ δῶρα καὶ ἄξια τῆς τοῦ δωρουμένου φιλοτιμίας. Ἑορτάσωμεν τοίνυν τὴν ἑορτὴν ταύτην ἐν ᾗ ἀνέστη ὁ Κύριος. Ἀνέστη γὰρ, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἑαυτῷ συνανέστησε. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀνέστη, τὰ δεσμὰ τοῦ θανάτου διαῤῥήξας· ἡμᾶς δὲ ἀνέστησε, τὰς σειρὰς τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρ τιῶν διαλύσας. Ἥμαρτεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ, καὶ ἀπέθανεν· οὐχ ἥμαρτεν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἀπέθανε. Καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον· ἐκεῖνος ἥμαρτε, καὶ ἀπέθανεν· οὗτος οὐχ ἥμαρτε, καὶ ἀπέθανε. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, καὶ διὰ τί; Ἵνα ὁ ἁμαρτὼν καὶ ἀποθανὼν, διὰ τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτόντος καὶ ἀποθανόντος δυνηθῇ τῶν θανάτου δεσμῶν ἐλευθε ρωθῆναι. Οὕτω πολλάκις καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ χρήματα ὀφειλόντων γίνεται· ὀφείλει τίς τινι ἀργύριον, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει καταβαλεῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατέχεται· ἄλλος οὐκ ὀφείλων, δυνάμενος δὲ καταβαλεῖν, καταθεὶς ἀπέλυσε τὸν ὑπεύθυνον. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ γέγονε, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὤφειλεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ τὸν θάνατον, καὶ κατείχετο ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου· οὐκ ὤφειλεν ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐδὲ κατείχετο· ἦλθε δὲ καὶ κατέβαλε τὸν θάνατον ὑπὲρ τοῦ κατεχομένου, ἵνα ἐκεῖνον ἀπολύσῃ τῶν τοῦ θανάτου δεσμῶν. Εἶδες τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὰ κατορθώματα; εἶδες τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν; εἶδες μέγεθος κηδεμονίας;

Μὴ τοίνυν ἀγνώμονες γινώμεθα περὶ τὸν οὕτως εὐεργέτην, μηδὲ ἐπειδὴ ἡ νηστεία παρῆλθε, ῥᾳθυμότεροι καταστῶμεν· ἀλλὰ νῦν μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον πλείονα τῆς ψυχῆς ποιώμεθα τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ἵνα μὴ τῆς σαρκὸς πιαινομένης, αὕτη ἀσθενεστέρα γένηται, ἵνα μὴ τῆς δούλης φροντίζοντες, τῆς δεσποίνης καταμελῶμεν. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, εἰπέ μοι, ὑπὲρ τὴν χρείαν διαῤῥήγνυσθαι, καὶ τὴν συμμετρίαν ὑπερβαίνειν; Τοῦτο καὶ τὸ σῶμα λυμαίνεται, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν εὐγένειαν προδίδωσιν. Ἀλλὰ τῆς αὐταρκείας καὶ τῆς χρείας γενώμεθα, ἵνα καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι τὸ προσῆκον ἀποπληρώσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς νηστείας συλλεγέντα ἀθρόον ἅπαντα ἐκχέωμεν. Μὴ γὰρ κωλύω ἀπολαύειν τροφῆς καὶ ἀνίεσθαι; Οὐ κωλύω τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ παραινῶ τῆς χρείας γίνεσθαι, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν τρυφὴν ἐκκόπτειν, καὶ μὴ τὸ μέτρον ὑπερβαίνοντας, λυμαίνεσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ὑγείαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡδονῆς λοιπὸν ἀπολαύσεται ὁ τοιοῦτος ὑπερβὰς τῆς χρείας τοὺς ὅρους· καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἴσασιν ἀκριβῶς οἱ διὰ τῆς πείρας αὐτῆς ἐλθόντες· καὶ μυρία ἐντεῦθεν ἑαυτοῖς τεκόντες νοσημάτων εἴδη, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν ἀηδίαν ὑπομείναντες. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν πεισθήσεσθε ταῖς ἡμετέραις παραινέσεσιν οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλω· οἶδα γὰρ ὑμῶν τὸ πειθήνιον.

εʹ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα τὴν περὶ τούτου στήσας παραίνεσιν, πρὸς τοὺς

κατὰ τὴν νύκτα τὴν φωτοφόρον ταύτην καταξιωθέντας τῆς τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος δωρεᾶς τρέψαι βούλομαι τὸν λόγον, τὰ καλὰ ταῦτα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας φυτὰ, τὰ ἄνθη τὰ πνευματικὰ, τοὺς νέους τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιώτας. Πρὸ τῆς χθὲς ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐν σταυρῷ ἐτύγχανεν, ἀλλ' ἀνέστη νῦν· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι, πρὸ τῆς χθὲς ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατείχοντο, ἀλλὰ νῦν συνανέστησαν τῷ Χριστῷ· ἐκεῖνος σώματι ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη, οὗτοι ἁμαρτίᾳ ἦσαν τεθνηκότες, καὶ ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας ἀνέστησαν. Ἡ μὲν 52.771 οὖν γῆ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον τοῦ ἔαρος ῥόδα καὶ ἴα καὶ ἄλλα ἡμῖν ἐκδίδωσιν ἄνθη· τὰ μέντοι ὕδατα σήμερον τῆς γῆς τερπνότερον ἡμῖν λειμῶνα ἀνέδειξε. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, εἰ ἀπὸ τῶν ὑδάτων λειμῶνες ἀνθῶν ἀνεδείχθησαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡ γῆ κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν τὴν βλάστην ἐξέδωκε τῶν βοτανῶν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐπιτάγματι εἴκουσα τοῦ ∆εσπότου, Καὶ τὰ ὕδατα δὲ τότε ζῶα ἐξέδωκε κινούμενα, ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσεν· Ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν· καὶ τὸ ἐπίταγμα ἔργον ἐγένετο· ἡ ἄψυχος οὐσία ἔμψυχα ζῶα ἐξέβαλεν.