John Chrysostom, On the Resurrection of the Dead

he will be raised on that day. And indicating this very thing, he said: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 8. Since, then, the resurrection is universal for all, and common to both the pious and the impious, and to both wicked and good men, so that from this you may not think that some unjust judgment occurs, nor say to yourself: What can this be? I, the zealous one, who has labored and suffered so much, am raised, and the Greek, and the one who has been impious, and has worshiped idols, and has not known Christ, he too is raised in the same way, and enjoys the same honor? So that you may not be troubled by saying these things, hear what he says: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. And how is it, he says, that one clothed with incorruption and immortality should be found naked? How? When we are destitute of glory, and deprived of confidence toward God. For the bodies of sinners also are raised incorruptible and immortal; but this honor becomes for them a provision for punishment and vengeance; for they are raised incorruptible, so that they may burn forever. For since that fire is unquenchable, it requires such bodies as are never consumed. For this reason he says: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For this is not the only thing sought, that we should rise again and be clothed with immortality, but that having risen again and been clothed with immortality, we may not be found naked of glory, and of confidence toward God; so that we may not be delivered over to the fire. For this reason he says: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. Then, again, making the argument concerning the resurrection more trustworthy, having said that what is mortal is to be swallowed up by life, he added: Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God. What he says is this: From the beginning he formed man for this purpose, not that he should perish, but that he should journey toward incorruption. So that even when he permitted death, he permitted it with such an intention, that you might be chastened by the punishment, and having become better, might be able to be led to immortality again. And from the beginning and from of old this counsel and purpose prevailed with God, and with this decree he formed the first man; this he hinted to us straightway even from the very preambles. For if he had not wished from the beginning to open for us the gates of the resurrection, he would not have allowed Abel, who had displayed every virtue and had become his friend, to suffer 50.431 what he suffered. But now, showing us that we are journeying to another life, and that another age is left for the righteous, having the rewards and the crowns laid up, he allowed the first righteous man, who did not receive here the wages for which he labored, to depart, crying out through what he suffered to all and saying, that after the life here there is a certain recompense and reward and requital. For this reason also he translated Enoch, and caught up Elijah, hinting to us the doctrine concerning the resurrection. The power of the one who does this, then, is sufficient for full assurance; but if anyone is weaker, and wishes to receive another proof and pledge of the future resurrection, God has given this also with much bounty, having sent forth the grace of the Spirit with much abundance. For this reason also Paul, having made the argument concerning the resurrection trustworthy from the resurrection of Christ, from the fact that God is the creator, adds this saying also, stating that he has also given us a pledge, not of money or of gold and silver, but a pledge of the Spirit; and the pledge is a part of the whole, and a guarantee for the whole. For just as in contracts the one who has received the pledge is confident and trusts for the whole hereafter, so you also, having received a pledge, I mean the gifts of the Spirit, no longer

ἐκείνην ἀναστήσεται τὴν ἡμέραν. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ δηλῶν ἔλεγε· Πάντες μὲν οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα ἐν ἀτόμῳ, ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ, ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι. ηʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καθολικὴ πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἡ ἀνάστασις, καὶ κοινὴ καὶ εὐσεβῶν καὶ ἀσεβῶν, καὶ πονηρῶν καὶ χρηστῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἵνα μὴ ἀπὸ τούτου νομίσῃς ἄδικόν τινα γίνεσθαι κρίσιν, μηδὲ λέγῃς πρὸς σεαυτόν· Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστιν; ἐγὼ ὁ σπουδαῖος καὶ τοσαῦτα πονέσας καὶ ταλαιπωρηθεὶς ἀνίσταμαι, καὶ ὁ Ἕλλην, καὶ ὁ ἀσεβήσας, καὶ προσκυνήσας εἰδώλοις, καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀγνοήσας, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνίσταται ὁμοίως, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀπολαύει τιμῆς; ἵνα μὴ ταῦτα λέγων θορυβηθῇς, ἄκουσον τί φησιν· Εἴ γε καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι, οὐ γυμνοὶ εὑρεθησόμεθα. Καὶ πῶς ἐστι, φησὶν, ἐνδυσάμενον ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ ἀθανασίαν γυμνὸν εὑρεθῆναι; πῶς; Ὅταν δόξης ὦμεν ἔρημοι, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν παῤῥησίας ἀπεστερημένοι. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ σώματα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἄφθαρτα ἀνίστανται καὶ ἀθάνατα· ἀλλ' ἡ τιμὴ αὕτη ἐφόδιον αὐτοῖς κολάσεως γίνεται καὶ τιμωρίας· ἄφθαρτα γὰρ ἀνίσταται, ἵνα διαπαντὸς καίηται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ ἄσβεστόν ἐστιν ἐκεῖνο, τοιούτων αὐτῷ δεῖ καὶ σωμάτων μηδέποτε δαπανωμένων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Εἴ γε καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι, οὐ γυμνοὶ εὑρεθησόμεθα. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον μόνον, ἵνα ἀναστῶμεν καὶ ἐνδυσώμεθα ἀθανασίαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀναστάντες καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι τὴν ἀθανασίαν, μὴ γυμνοὶ δόξης εὑρεθῶμεν, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν παῤῥησίας· ἵνα μὴ τῷ πυρὶ παραδοθῶμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Εἴ γε καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι, οὐ γυμνοὶ εὑρεθησόμεθα. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀξιοπιστότερον ποιῶν τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγον, εἰπὼν, ὅτι μέλλει καταπίνεσθαι τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὁ δὲ κατεργασάμενος ἡμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο Θεός. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν· Ἐξ ἀρχῆς διὰ τοῦτο τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔπλασεν, οὐχ ἵνα ἀπόληται, ἀλλ' ἵνα πρὸς ἀφθαρσίαν ὁδεύῃ. Ὥστε καὶ ἡνίκα τὸν θάνατον συνεχώρησε, μετὰ τοιαύτης αὐτὸν συνεχώρησε γνώμης, ἵνα σωφρονισθῇς ἀπὸ τῆς κολάσεως, καὶ βελτίων γενόμενος, δυνηθῇς πρὸς τὴν ἀθανασίαν ἀχθῆναι πάλιν. Καὶ ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὕτη παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἐκράτει ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ἡ γνώμη, καὶ μετὰ ταύτης τῆς ψήφου τὸν πρῶτον διέπλασεν ἄνθρωπον· τοῦτο εὐθέως καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἡμῖν ᾐνίξατο τῶν προοιμίων. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐβούλετο τὰς θύρας ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀνοῖξαι, οὐκ ἂν ἀφῆκε τὸν Ἄβελ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδειξάμενον, καὶ φίλον αὐτῷ γεγενημένον, παθεῖν 50.431 ἅπερ ἔπαθε. Νυνὶ δὲ ἡμῖν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὅτι πρὸς ἑτέραν ζωὴν ὁδεύομεν, καί τις αἰὼν ἕτερος ὑπολέλειπται τῶν δικαίων, ἔχων τὰς ἀμοιβὰς καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους ἀποκειμένους, τὸν πρῶτον γενόμενον δίκαιον μὴ λαβόντα ἐνταῦθα τοὺς μισθοὺς, ὧν ἐπόνεσεν, ἀφῆκεν ἀπελθεῖν βοῶντα, δι' ὧν ἔπαθε, πᾶσι καὶ λέγοντα, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ζωὴν ἔστιν ἀνταπόδοσίς τις καὶ μισθὸς καὶ ἀμοιβή. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν Ἐνὼχ μετέθηκε, καὶ τὸν Ἠλίαν ἀνήρπασεν, αἰνιττόμενος ἡμῖν τὸ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως δόγμα. Ἀρκεῖ μὲν οὖν εἰς πληροφορίαν ἡ τοῦ ποιοῦντος δύναμις· εἰ δὲ ἀσθενέστερός τίς ἐστι, καὶ βούλεται ἀπόδειξιν ἑτέραν λαβεῖν καὶ ἐνέχυρον τῆς μελλούσης ἀναστάσεως, καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς δαψιλείας ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν μετὰ πολλῆς ἐπαφεὶς τῆς ἀφθονίας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ποιήσας ἀξιόπιστον τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγον ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀναστάσεως, ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεὸν εἶναι τὸν δημιουργοῦντα, ἐπάγει καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ῥητὸν, λέγων, ὅτι καὶ ἀῤῥαβῶνα ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν, οὐ χρημάτων οὐδὲ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου, ἀλλ' ἀῤῥαβῶνα Πνεύματος· ὁ δὲ ἀῤῥαβὼν μέρος ἐστὶ τοῦ παντὸς, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ παντὸς πιστός. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν συμβολαίων ὁ τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα δεξάμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ παντὸς θαῤῥεῖ λοιπὸν καὶ πεπίστευκεν, οὕτω καὶ σὺ λαβὼν ἀῤῥαβῶνα, τοῦ Πνεύματος τὰ χαρίσματα λέγω, μηκέτι