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Two men stood by them in shining garments. They offer signs of joy and laughter and marks of the saving resurrection to be seen, also through their white apparel, so that even from their appearance the women might infer the brightness of the rising, and begin the feast of Pascha with the white-robed angels. For Moses, when he was about to minister the plagues of the Egyptians, fittingly saw the angel in the bush in a flame of fire; and this same man, giving laws to wicked men, said God was a consuming fire, intimating that he would be a punisher and chastiser to them; for which reason also God led them in a pillar of fire. Thus he taught that angels become a flame of fire for the ungodly, saying: He who makes his ministers a flame of fire. But the women did not see such ones inside the tomb, but rather certain calm and bright ones, such as ought to appear at the joy and kingdom of the Lord. For at the passion of the Savior the sun was eclipsed, casting darkness over everything, showing symbols of lamentation and mourning to those who crucify the Son of God; and none of the angels appeared at that time, as was likely, to the disciples, since they themselves were scattered here and there. And if indeed one had to be seen, perhaps it would have displayed an appearance opposite to the white-robed men; at once, then, at the passion not only did the sun grow dark, but the Savior also, crying with a loud voice, gave up his spirit, the veil of the temple was torn in two, as if even the very angels who of old inhabited the sanctuary were tearing their garments, and tearing the sacred fabric, so that, being left naked and desolate of their guard, the place of the inaccessible and holy of holies might stand ready for enemies and foes. But these things happened at the passion; but at the saving resurrection, as angels of life and heralds of the resurrection, they attended to the place where the body lay, having partaken, as it were, from the very contact with the place, of a holiness greater than their own, and sharing in his resurrection. Therefore they showed bright and smiling faces, and the appearance of a saving feast, being robed in white. For a divine descent is said to have occurred upon the mountain at the time he gave the law, so that all might behold the power of God; for this is a clear descent, not a local one. For though the things growing on the mountain were burning fiercely, the fire consumed nothing; and voices of trumpets were heard more intensely, with no such instruments present, nor anyone sounding them, but with all things happening by a divine contrivance. So that it is clear from these things that the descent was divine, and that God was showing his own majesty through all things without any medium.

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∆ύο ἄνδρες ἐπέστησαν αὐταῖς ἐν ἐσθήσεσιν ἀστραπτούσαις. Χαρᾶς καὶ γέλωτος σημεῖα γνωρίσματά τε τῆς σωτηρίου ἀναστάσεως ὁρᾷν παρέχονται καὶ διὰ τῆς λευκῆς περιβολῆς, ὥστε καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σχήματος συμβαλεῖν τὰς γυναῖκας τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς ἐγέρσεως, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Πάσχα ἑορτῆς σὺν τοῖς λευχείμοσιν ἀγγέλοις ἀπάρξασθαι. Μωϋσῆς μὲν γὰρ πληγὰς Αἰγυπτίων μέλλων διακονεῖσθαι καταλλήλως ἐν φλογὶ πυρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου ἄγγελον ἑώρα· ὁ δ' αὐτὸς μοχθηροῖς ἀνδράσι νομοθετῶν, πῦρ καταναλίσκον τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι ἔλεγεν, τιμωρητικὸν καὶ κολαστὴν αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι αὐτὸν αἰνιττόμενος· διὸ καὶ ἐν στύλῳ πυρὸς ἡγεῖτο αὐτῶν ὁ Θεός. Οὕτω τοῖς ἀσεβέσι γενέσθαι τοὺς ἀγγέλους πυρὸς φλόγα ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών· Ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα. Ἀλλ' οὐ τοιούτους αἱ γυναῖκες τοὺς εἴσω τοῦ μνήματος ἑώρων, γαληνοὺς δέ τινας καὶ φαιδροὺς, οἵους ἐχρῆν ἐπὶ ∆εσπότου χαρᾷ καὶ βασιλείᾳ φαίνεσθαι. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῷ πάθει τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὁ ἥλιος ἐξέλιπε, σκότος περιβαλὼν τῷ παντὶ, θρήνων τε καὶ πένθους σύμβολα τοῖς σταυροῦσι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ δεικνύς· καὶ οὐδεὶς μὲν ἐφαίνετο τῶν ἀγγέλων τὸ τηνικαῦτα ὡς εἰκὸς τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτῶν ὧδε κἀκεῖ διασκεδασθέντων. Εἰ δ' ἄρα καὶ ὀφθῆναί τινα ἐχρῆν, τάχα που τὴν ἐναντίαν τοῖς λευχείμοσιν ἀνθρώποις τὴν ἀναστολὴν ἀνεδείξατο· αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει οὐχ ἥλιος μόνον ἐσκότασεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ κράξας ἀφῆκε τὸ πνεῦμα, τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη εἰς δύο, μονονουχὶ περιῤῥηξαμένων καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν πάλαι τὸ ἱερὸν ἐνοικούντων ἀγγέλων, περιῤῥηξάντων τε τὸ σεμνὸν ὕφασμα, ὡς ἂν, γυμνὸς καὶ ἔρημος ἀπολειφθεὶς τῆς αὐτῶν φρουρᾶς, ὁ τῶν ἀβάτων καὶ ἀδύτων τόπος, ἕτοιμος ἐχθροῖς καὶ πολεμίοις κατασταίη. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει συνέβαινεν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ σωτηρίῳ ἀναστάσει, ὡς ζωῆς ἄγγελοι καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως κήρυκες, τὸν τόπον οὗ ἔκειτο τὸ σῶμα περιεῖπον, ἐξ αὐτῆς ὥσπερ τῆς ἐπαφῆς τοῦ τόπου ἁγιωσύνης κρείττονος ἢ κατ' αὐτοὺς μετασχόντες, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ κοινωνοῦντες. ∆ιὸ φαιδρὰ καὶ μειδιῶντα πρόσωπα, σχῆμά τε σωτηρίου ἑορτῆς παρέφαινον λευχειμονοῦντες. Λέγεται γὰρ κατάβασις θεία ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος γεγονέναι καθ' ὃν ἐνομοθέτει καιρὸν, ἵνα πάντες θεάσωνται τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ· κατάβασις γὰρ αὕτη σαφής ἐστιν, οὐ μὴ τοπική. Τῶν γοῦν φυομένων κατὰ τὸ ὄρος φλεγομένων σφοδρῶς, οὐδὲν τὸ πῦρ ἐξανάλωσε· σαλπίγγων τε φωναὶ σφοδρότερον συνηκούοντο, μὴ προκειμένων ὀργάνων τοιούτων, μηδὲ τοῦ φωνήσαντος, ἀλλὰ θείᾳ κατασκευῇ γινομένων ἁπάντων. Ὥστε σαφὲς εἶναι διὰ ταῦτα τὴν κατάβασιν θείαν γεγονέναι, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἄνευ τινὸς δεικνύναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διὰ πάντων μεγαλειότητα.