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1. As the fear of the Jews lay upon the disciples of the Savior, John says that the disciples were gathered together in one house, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. How did Peter and John go to the tomb? And this when a military guard was keeping the place, as Matthew testified; for the guard is a military detachment. We shall say to these things, that the apostles went boldly to the tomb, having learned beforehand from the Magdalene that none of those guarding the place were present there, as was evident from the stone having been taken away from the monument; and it was taken away not otherwise than by the angel from heaven illuminating the place with much light, and himself rolling away the stone, and frightening the guards, so that they nearly became petrified with fear; and after this, as was likely, they took to flight, so that none of them remained, and the place was left free for those arriving to see the saving resurrection; for this was especially the reason for the angel's appearance. For he did not move the stone for the sake of the resurrection, nor did he appear as such on account of the stone, but so that he might drive some away, and, welcoming those who were coming to see, might announce the resurrection to them. Of these things, then, Matthew is a witness, saying, For fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. For the Savior, having risen, precedes even the angel, nor does he await the removal of the stone, but even with this lying before the door, and sealed with the seals of the chief priests, and with the guards circling the place, he was gone from the tomb, having made the resurrection from the dead by divine power, at which hour no one knew, and which time none of the evangelists marked; so that one might opportunely say of him this very thing which was spoken by him concerning the general consummation in, “But of that day no one knows, not even the angels of God.” Thus, indeed, the 22.985 Savior, having himself become the first-fruits of the resurrection, at an hour which no one knew, was raised, hidden from all, and was raised while the stone remained in place. But as a messenger of good things, the angel was present for men, contributing nothing to the resurrection by his presence, but ministering the great things for the salvation of men; wherefore also his appearance flashed, showing himself in white garments, and being the first to announce the saving resurrection. And just as venomous reptiles and beasts that are friends of night and darkness flee the sunrise, but men, as kindred to the light, pursue it, in the very same way the angel, dazzling them with the flashes of his light, drove away the enemies of truth and life, who were kin and friends of death; but to those longing for the saving resurrection, he announced this good news, providing for them a convenient opportunity by the driving away of the guards; for he provided two signs for his own to see: the removal of the stone, and the opening of the tomb's door, and the putting to flight of the guards; which things Magdalene, having seen, announced to the disciples; and they, having learned these things from her, went boldly, running, with nothing standing in their way.

2. And how, since it was dark, according to the evangelist John, did the two disciples see the things inside the tomb? For he himself also noted the hour, saying: “Early, while it was still dark,” and that the two disciples saw the things inside the tomb; “For they went in,” he says, “and believed.” At the very beginning of the day, Scripture testified that it was still dark at the tomb; however, it was already morning; this “early, while it was still dark” Mary saw by herself and returns to the disciples; then an angel comes to them. Therefore, in the time between, after her first arrival, as she was going away to the apostles and the hour

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Αʹ. Τοῦ φόβου τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπικειμένου τοῖς μαθηταῖς τοῦ Σωτῆρος, λέγει

γοῦν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὡς ἦσαν ὁμοῦ συνηγμένοι οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐν οἴκῳ ἑνὶ, τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Πῶς ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἀπήντων ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα; Καὶ ταῦτα στρατιωτικῆς φρουρᾶς φυλαττούσης τὸν τόπον, ὡς ὁ Ματθαῖος ἐμαρτύρησεν· ἡ γὰρ κουστωδία στρατιωτικόν ἐστι τάγμα. Ἐροῦμεν δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα, θαρσαλέως τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἀπηντηκέναι ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα, προμεμαθηκότας παρὰ τῆς Μαγδαληνῆς μηδένα τῶν φυλαττόντων τὸν τόπον αὐτόθι παρεῖναι, ὅπως δῆλον ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν λίθον ᾖρθαι τοῦ μνημείου· ᾖρτο δὲ οὐκ ἄλλως, ἢ τῷ τὸν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἄγγελον ἐξαστράψαι τὸν τόπον πολλῷ φωτὶ, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀποκυλίσαι τὸν λίθον, φοβῆσαί τε τοὺς φύλακας, ὡς μικροῦ δεῖν καὶ ἀπολιθωθῆναι αὐτοὺς τῷ φόβῳ· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ὡς εἰκὸς φυγῇ χρήσασθαι, ὡς μηδένα μὲν περιλειφθῆναι αὐτῶν, σχολάζειν δὲ τὸν τόπον τοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν ἀφικνουμένοις τῆς σωτηρίου ἀναστάσεως· αὕτη γὰρ ἦν μάλιστα ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ ἀγγέλου. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χάριν ἀπεκίνει τὸν λίθον, οὐδ' ἕνεκεν τοῦ λίθου τοιόσδε ὤφθη, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς μὲν ἀπελάσῃ, τὰς δὲ ἐρχομένας ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν δεξιωσάμενος, τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐταῖς καταγγείλειε. Τούτων οὖν μάρτυς ὁ Ματθαῖος λέγων, Ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου αὐτοῦ ἐσείσθησαν οἱ τηροῦντες, καὶ ἐγένοντο ὡσεὶ νεκροί. Φθάνει μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸν ἄγγελον ἀναστὰς ὁ Σωτὴρ, οὐδὲ ἀναμένει τὴν ἀποκίνησιν τοῦ λίθου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου πρὸ τὴν θύραν κειμένου, καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀρχιερέων σημαντῆρσι κατεσφραγισμένου, τῶν τε φρουρῶν κυκλούντων τὸν τόπον, ἀφανὴς ἦν τοῦ μνήματος, τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν πεποιημένος θεϊκῇ δυνάμει, καθ' ἣν ὥραν οὐδεὶς ἔγνω, καὶ καθ' ὃν οὐδεὶς ἐπεσημήνατο τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν καιρόν· ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν εὐκαίρως τινὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ περὶ τῆς καθόλου συντελείας πρὸς αὐτοῦ λελεγμένον ἐν τῷ, «Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Οὕτω γοῦν πρῶτος αὐτὸς ἀπαρχὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως γεγονὼς ὁ 22.985 Σωτὴρ, καθ' ἣν ὥραν οὐδεὶς ἔγνω, ἐγήγερτο, λαθὼν τοὺς ἅπαντας, καὶ ἐγήγερτο τοῦ λίθου μεμενηκότος ἐπὶ σχήματος. Ἀγαθῶν δὲ ἄγγελος, ἀνθρώποις παρῆν ὁ ἄγγελος, οὐδὲν μὲν τῇ ἀναστάσει διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας συμβαλλόμενος, τὰ μεγάλα δὲ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διακονούμενος σωτηρίᾳ· διὸ καὶ ἐξήστραπτε τὴν μορφὴν, λευχείμονα δεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν, καὶ πρῶτος τῆς σωτηρίου ἀναστάσεως ἀπαρχόμενος. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἡλίου ἀνατολὰς ἑρπετὰ μὲν ἰοβόλα καὶ θηρίων ὅσα νυκτὸς καὶ σκότους εἰσὶ φίλα φεύγει, ἄνδρες δὲ ταύτας οἷα φωτὸς συγγενεῖς μεταδιώκουσι, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον τοὺς μὲν τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ζωῆς ἐχθροὺς, θανάτου δὲ οἰκείους καὶ φίλους, ταῖς τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ μαρμαρυγαῖς καταστράπτων, ἤλαυνεν ὁ ἄγγελος· τοῖς δὲ ποθοῦσι τὴν σωτήριον ἀνάστασιν, ταύτην εὐηγγελίζετο, σχολὴν αὐτοῖς εὐτρεπῆ διὰ τῆς τῶν φρουρῶν ἀπελάσεως παρέχων· δύο γοῦν γνωρίσματα τοῖς οἰκείοις παρεῖχεν ὁρᾷν, τὴν ἀποκίνησιν τοῦ λίθου, καὶ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνήματος τὴν ἄνεσιν, τῶν τε φυλάκων τὴν δίωξιν· ἃ δὴ τεθεαμένη ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπήγγειλεν· οἱ δὲ ταῦτα παρ' αὐτῆς μεμαθηκότες, θαρσαλέως ἀπήντων δρομαῖοι, μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς ἐμποδὼν καθεστῶτος.

Βʹ. Καὶ πῶς σκοτίας οὔσης, κατὰ τὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν Ἰωάννην, τὰ εἴσω τοῦ μνήματος ἑώρων οἱ δύο μαθηταί; Ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ τὴν ὥραν ἐπεσημήνατο εἰπών· «Πρωῒ ἔτι σκοτίας οὔσης,» καὶ τοὺς δύο μαθητὰς τὰ εἴσω ἐν τῷ μνήματι τεθεαμένους· «Εἰσῆλθον γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν.» Ἀρχομένης μὲν κατ' ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας, ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἐμαρτύρησεν ἡ Γραφὴ ἔτι τότε σκοτίαν εἶναι· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἤδη πρωΐα ἦν· τοῦτο δὲ τὸ πρωῒ ἔτι σκοτίας οὔσης αὐτὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἰδοῦσα Μαρία ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς· εἶτ' ἄγγελος αὐτοῖς παραγίνεται. Ἐν δὴ οὖν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην ἄφιξιν ἀπιούσης αὐτῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ τὴν ὥραν