John Chrysostom, On the Beginning of Acts

faith than that former thing, and that signs appearing to be done in his name were more able to persuade the minds of men than seeing him risen, is clear from this. Christ rose and showed himself to his disciples; but nevertheless there was found among them one who disbelieved, Thomas, who is called Didymus, and he needed to put his hands into the prints of the nails; and he needed to examine his side. If that disciple who had spent three years with him, who had partaken of the Lord's table, who had witnessed the greatest signs and wonders, who had shared in the Lord's words, and saw him risen, did not believe before he saw the prints of the nails and the wounds of the spear; how was the world going to believe, tell me, if it saw him risen? And who would say these things? Not only from this, but also from another point we will show that the signs were more persuasive than seeing him risen in person. For when the crowds heard Peter saying to the lame man, In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk, three thousand and five thousand men believed in Christ; but the disciple, having seen him risen, disbelieved. Do you see how this is rather easier for faith in the resurrection? For seeing that, even his own disciple disbelieved; but seeing these things, even the enemies believed. Thus this was greater than that and clearer, and it rather drew them on and persuaded them toward the resurrection. And why do I mention Thomas? For that not even the other disciples believed at first sight, listen attentively. But do not condemn them, beloved; for if Christ did not condemn them, neither should you condemn them; for the disciples saw a strange and paradoxical thing, him risen as the firstborn from the dead; and such very great wonders are accustomed to cause astonishment at first, until in time they become established in the souls of believers; which indeed is what happened then with the disciples. For when Christ, having risen from the dead, said to them, Peace be with you, they, it says, being startled and becoming fearful, thought they saw a spirit, and Jesus said to them, Why are you troubled? And after this, having shown them his hands and his feet, and while they were disbelieving for joy and wondering, he said to them, Have you anything here to eat? wishing by these things to confirm the resurrection to them. Does the side not persuade you, he says, nor the wounds? Let the table at least persuade you.

7. But that you may learn precisely that for this reason he said, Have you anything here to eat? so that they might not think it was an idol, nor a spirit, nor a phantom, but a true and substantial resurrection, listen how Peter confirms the resurrection from these things. For having said that God raised him up, and made him manifest to us, the witnesses chosen beforehand, then also setting forth a proof of the resurrection, he added, We who ate and drank with him. For this reason also elsewhere, when Christ raised a dead person, in order to confirm the resurrection he said, Give her something to eat. When, therefore, you hear that he presented himself alive for forty days, appearing to them and eating with them, learn the reason for the table, that he ate not because he himself needed a table, but because he wished to correct the weakness of the disciples, from which it is clear that the wonders and signs of the apostles were the greatest proof of the resurrection. Wherefore he himself also says, Amen, amen, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do. For since the cross, having intervened, scandalized many, for this reason there was need of greater signs afterwards. And yet if Christ, having died, had remained in death and in the tomb, and had not risen, as the Jews say, nor ascended into heaven, not only should the signs after the cross not have become greater, but even the former ones that occurred should have been extinguished. Pay close attention to me here; for they are of an indisputable resurrection

πίστιν ἢ ἐκεῖνο τὸ πρότερον, καὶ μᾶλλον ἠδύνατο πεῖσαι τὰς διανοίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ σημεῖα φαίνεσθαι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ γινόμενα, ἢ τὸ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν ἀναστάντα, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Ἀνέστη καὶ ἔδειξεν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ Χριστός· ἀλλ' ὅμως εὑρέθη τις ἀπιστῶν καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις Θωμᾶς ὁ λεγόμενος ∆ίδυμος, καὶ ἐδεήθη τοῦ τὰς χεῖρας εἰσενεγκεῖν εἰς τοὺς τύπους τῶν ἥλων· ἐδεήθη δὲ καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ καταμαθεῖν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ μαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τρεῖς χρόνους διατρίψας μετ' αὐτοῦ, ὁ τραπέζης ∆εσποτικῆς κοινωνήσας, ὁ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα θεασάμενος μέγιστα, ὁ ῥημάτων ∆εσποτικῶν μετασχὼν, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀναστάντα, οὐ πρότερον ἐπίστευσεν, ἕως ὅτε τοὺς τύπους τῶν ἥλων καὶ τῆς λόγχης τὰ τραύματα εἶδε· πῶς ἡ οἰκουμένη πιστεύειν ἔμελλεν, εἰπέ μοι, εἰ εἶδεν αὐτὸν ἀναστάντα; Καὶ τίς ἂν ταῦτα εἴποι; Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν δείξομεν, ὅτι μᾶλλον ἔπειθε τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ θεάσασθαι κατ' ὄψιν ἀναστάντα. Ἀκούσαντες γὰρ οἱ ὄχλοι τοῦ Πέτρου τῷ χωλῷ λέγοντος, Ἐν ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἔγειραι καὶ περιπάτει, τρισχίλιοι ἐπίστευσαν καὶ πεντακισχίλιοι τῷ Χριστῷ ἄνδρες· ὁ δὲ μαθητὴς ἰδὼν ἀναστάντα ἠπίστησεν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τοῦτο εὐκολώτερον μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως πίστιν; Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ καὶ ὁ οἰκεῖος μαθητὴς ἰδὼν ἠπίστησε· ταῦτα δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ θεασάμενοι ἐπί 51.107 στευσαν. Οὕτω μεῖζον τοῦτο ἐκείνου καὶ σαφέστερον, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἐπεσπᾶτο καὶ ἔπειθε πρὸς τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν Θωμᾶν; Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲ οἱ λοιποὶ μαθηταὶ ἐκ πρώτης ὄψεως ἐπίστευον, ἄκουσον νουνεχῶς. Ἀλλὰ μὴ καταγνῷς αὐτῶν, ἀγαπητέ· εἰ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐ κατέγνω αὐτῶν, μηδὲ σὺ καταγνῷς αὐτῶν· καὶ γὰρ πρᾶγμα ξένον εἶδον οἱ μαθηταὶ καὶ παράδοξον, πρωτότοκον αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστάντα· τὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα μέγιστα θαύματα ἐκ πρώτης ἐκπλήττειν εἴωθεν, ἕως ἂν τῷ χρόνῳ μόνιμα γένηται ἐν ταῖς τῶν πιστευόντων ψυχαῖς· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐγένετο τότε. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀναστὰς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, Πτοηθέντες, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνοι καὶ ἔμφοβοι γενόμενοι ἐδόκουν πνεῦμα θεωρεῖν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Τί τεταραγμένοι ἐστέ; Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιδείξας αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας, καὶ Ἀπιστούντων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς, καὶ θαυμαζόντων, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἔχετέ τι βρώσιμον ἐνθάδε; διὰ τούτων βουλόμενος αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀνάστασιν πιστώσασθαι. Οὐ πείθει σε, φησὶν, ἡ πλευρὰ, οὐδὲ τὰ τραύματα; πειθέτω κἂν ἡ τράπεζα.

ζʹ. Ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν, Ἔχετέ τι βρώσιμον ἐνθάδε φαγεῖν; ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν εἴδωλον εἶναι, μηδὲ πνεῦμα, μηδὲ φαντασίαν, ἀλλ' ἀληθῆ καὶ ἐνυπόστατον ἀνάστασιν, ἄκουσον, πῶς ὁ Πέτρος ἀπὸ τούτων πιστοῦται τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὅτι Ἀνέστησεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν ἐμφανῆ γενέσθαι μάρτυσι τοῖς προκεχειροτονημένοις ἡμῖν, εἶτα καὶ ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως τιθεὶς, ἐπήγαγεν· Οἵτινες συνεφάγομεν καὶ συνεπίομεν αὐτῷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ἀναστήσας νεκρὰν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἵνα πιστώσηται τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἔφη· ∆ότε αὐτῇ φαγεῖν. Ὅταν οὖν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι παρέστησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα δι' ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα ὀπτανόμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ συναλιζόμενος, μάνθανε τῆς τραπέζης τὴν αἰτίαν, ὅτι οὐχὶ δεόμενος αὐτὸς τραπέζης ἔτρωγεν, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος τὴν ἀσθένειαν διορθῶσαι τῶν μαθητῶν, ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι τὰ τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀπόδειξις ἦν μεγίστη τῆς ἀναστάσεως. ∆ιὸ καὶ αὐτός φησιν· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν, λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιῶ ἐγὼ, κἀκεῖνος ποιήσει, καὶ μείζονα τούτων ποιήσει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ σταυρὸς μεταξὺ παρεμπεσὼν ἐσκανδάλισε πλείστους, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μειζόνων ἐδέησε μετὰ ταῦτα σημείων. Καίτοι γε εἰ τελευτήσας ὁ Χριστὸς ἐναπέμεινε τῷ θανάτῳ καὶ τῷ τάφῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστη, καθάπερ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοί φασιν, οὐδὲ ἀνέβη εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔδει μείζονα γίνεσθαι τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα σημεῖα τὰ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πρότερα γινόμενα ἀποσβεσθῆναι ἐχρῆν. Προσέχετέ μοι μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐνταῦθα· ἀναστάσεως γάρ εἰσιν ἀναμφισβητήτου