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the evangelist, that he is the Christ who was proclaimed beforehand through the scriptures; for events turned out in harmony with what was said about him. A bone is understood as the strength and unbreakable nature of the mystical word. And since the sheep bore the image of the lamb of God, one is nourished on the head of Christ, taking in the things concerning his theology, and on the feet, being taught the things concerning his economy in the flesh, and on the entrails, the hidden dogmas; for each of the dogmas concerning Christ has a hidden and mystical meaning. Since, therefore, a bone is understood as the strength of the mystery, those who appropriately and harmoniously hold the mystery concerning Christ, a bone of him will not be broken. When he comes to judge, then they will see him

and they will mourn. 605 {3Jο 19, 38-39}3Those who were afraid to approach Jesus openly now, as the Jews were watching, ask for the body. This one was not of the twelve, but of the seventy and, as the anger of the Jews had been extinguished, he approached without fear. And so cruel were the Jews, that the locals did not even endure to bury his body, but the one from

a stranger from Arimathea. 606 {3Jο 19, 41-42}3But if he had been with others, some of the unbelievers were going to say, that the body of Jesus did not rise, but that of another. He was placed in a new tomb on account of the strangeness of the return from death to life and the innovation devised against corruption. It was arranged for the place to be nearby, so that the story about the theft might also be shown to be false. 607 {3Jο , 1}3Since Matthew said the resurrection happened late in the evening, and John, early while it was still dark, they do not disagree about the time of the resurrection, but they ran together to the same point in time; for the one from the end, and the other from the beginning, proceed to the very midpoint of the night. 608 {3Jο , 1}3Christ rose while the stone was in place and the seals were intact. But the tomb is opened for faith in the signs that had occurred. The time of the resurrection is unknown, as is that of the second coming. 609 {3Jο , 2}3But what those who try to show them disagreeing want, I do not find; for if concerning the resurrection they did not bring forth the same opinion or did not state it was the same day on which the resurrection happened to occur or did not all similarly report that the women had come first for the honor of the deceased, there would be some pardon for them for this absurd and foolish criticism; but if they showed great agreement in the aforementioned things, similarly announcing the resurrection, stating the day was the same, that the women came similarly, what then does this hair-splitting about the hours mean to them? I for one do not understand, although I think nothing else contributes so much to establishing the truth of what has been said as their showing great agreement on the most crucial points, while being found disagreeing on some very minor points and on things in which it was likely for them, being human, to err, and showing the variation of their words by a few hours; for if, wishing to lie, they had chosen a harmonious opinion on this, nothing would have prevented it. Having set themselves to this, and having once chosen to lie, it would have been their plan to maintain great and precise agreement in all things to <lie> and each would have fulfilled his own purpose by himself. It was therefore necessary for them to differ a little, since there were many things

that compelled them to experience these things. 610 {3Jο , 2-3}3But if Luke says that the disciples disbelieved the women with Joanna, there is no contradiction; for they had not yet gone to the tomb and they did not believe lightly, as they were about to bear witness to the resurrection as eyewitnesses. That is, they disbelieved the women with Joanna, who had heard from the two men, but they were persuaded by Mary when she said that they had taken the body. 611 {3Jο ,

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εὐαγγελιστής, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ διὰ τῶν γραφῶν προαναφωνηθείς· συνῳδὰ γὰρ τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ λεχθεῖσιν ἐξέβη τὰ πράγματα. ὀστοῦν νοεῖται τὸ εὔτονον καὶ ἄθραυστον τοῦ μυστικοῦ λόγου. ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰκόνα ἔφερε τὸ πρόβατον τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τρέφεταί τις τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ περὶ τῆς θεολογίας αὐτοῦ ἐκλαμβάνων, τοὺς δὲ πόδας διδασκόμενος τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐνσάρκου αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίας, τὰ δὲ ἐντόσθια τὰ ἀπόκρυφα δόγματα· ἕκαστον γὰρ τῶν περὶ Χριστοῦ δογμάτων ἀπόκρυφον ἔχει καὶ μυστικὸν λόγον. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὀστοῦν νοεῖται τὸ εὔτονον τοῦ μυστηρίου, οἱ ἁρμοδίως καὶ συμφώνως κατέχον τες τὸ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον, ὀστοῦν οὐ συντριβήσεται αὐτοῦ. ὅτε ἔρχεται κρῖναι, τότε ὄψονται αὐτὸν

καὶ θρηνήσουσιν. 605 {3Jο 19, 38-39}3Οἱ δεδιότες φανερῶς πλησιάσαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ νῦν ὁρώντων Ἰουδαίων αἰτοῦσι τὸ σῶμα. οὗτος οὐ τῶν ιβʹ ἦν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ ὡς σβεσθέντος τοῦ θυμοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀδεῶς προσῄει. οὕτω δὲ ὠμοὶ ἦσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι οὔτε θάψαι αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ἠνέσχοντο οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀπὸ

Ἁριμαθαίας ξένος. 606 {3Jο 19, 41-42}3Εἰ δὲ ἦν μετὰ ἄλλων, ἤμελλον τῶν ἀπίστων τινὲς λέγειν, ὅτι οὐ τὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀνέστη σῶμα, ἀλλὰ ἄλλου. εἰς καινὸν ἐτέθη μνημεῖον διὰ τὸ ξένον τῆς ἐκ θανάτου εἰς ζωὴν ἀναδρομῆς καὶ τὴν καινοτομίαν τὴν ἐπινοηθεῖσαν κατὰ τῆς φθορᾶς. ᾠκονομήθη ἐγγὺς εἶναι τὸν τόπον, ἵνα καὶ ψευδὴς δειχθῇ ὁ περὶ τῆς κλοπῆς λόγος. 607 {3Jο , 1}3Τοῦ Ματθαίου εἰπόντος ἑσπέρᾳ βαθείᾳ γεγονέναι τὴν ἀνάστασιν, τοῦ δὲ Ἰωάννου πρωῒ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης οὐ διαφωνοῦσι περὶ τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως καιρόν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν τῶν ὡρῶν συνέδραμον καιρόν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ τέλους, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ μεσαίτατον τῆς νυκτὸς χωρεῖ. 608 {3Jο , 1}3Ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ λίθου κειμένου καὶ τῶν σφραγίδων ἀνέστη. ἀνοίγεται δὲ τὸ μνημεῖον πρὸς πίστιν τῶν γεγονότων σημείων. ἄδηλος ὁ τῆς ἀναστάσεως καιρὸς ὡς καὶ ὁ τῆς δευτέρας παρουσίας. 609 {3Jο , 2}3Τί δὲ βούλονται οἱ πειρώμενοι διαφωνοῦντας αὐτοὺς δεικνύναι οὐχ εὑρίσκω· εἰ μὲν γὰρ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐξήνεγκαν γνώμην ἢ τὴν ἡμέραν μὴ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔφασαν καθ' ἣν τὴν ἀνάστασιν γενέσθαι συνέβη ἢ τὰς γυναῖκας οὐχ ὁμοίως ἅπαντες πρώτας ἐπὶ τῇ τιμῇ τοῦ τελευτήσαντος ἐληλυθέναι ἀπήγγειλαν, ἦν τις αὐτοῖς συγγνώμη τῆς ἀτόπου καὶ μωρᾶς ταύτης ἐπιτιμήσεως· εἰ δὲ πολλὴν ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις τὴν συμφωνίαν ἐπεδείξαντο ὁμοίως τὴν ἀνάστασιν καταγγείλαντες, τὴν ἡμέραν φήσαντες εἶναι τὴν αὐτήν, τὰς γυναῖκας ὁμοίως ἐληλυθέναι, τί ποτε αὐτοῖς ἡ περὶ τῶν ὡρῶν ἀκριβολογία βούλεται; ἐγὼ μὲν οὐ συνίημι, καίτοιγε μηδὲν ἕτερον πρὸς σύστασιν τῆς τῶν εἰρημένων ἀληθείας οὕτω συντείνειν νομίζω ὡς τὸ ἐν τοῖς καιριωτάτοις πολλὴν τὴν συμφωνίαν ἐπιδειξαμένους, ἐν βραχυτάτοις τισὶ καὶ ἐν οἷς εἰκὸς ἦν ἀνθρώπους ὄντας σφαλῆναι διαφωνοῦντας εὑρίσκεσθαι καὶ βραχέσιν ὥραις τὴν ἐναλλαγὴν τῶν ῥημάτων ἐνδεικνυμένους· εἰ μὲν γὰρ ψεύδεσθαι βουλόμενοι σύμφωνον εἵλαντο περὶ τούτου τὴν γνώμην, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκώλυσεν. κατὰ τούτου γενομένους ἅπαξ ψεύδεσθαι ἑλομένους πολλὴν ἐν ἅπασι καὶ ἀκριβῆ φυλάξαντας τὴν συμφωνίαν <ψεύδεσθαι> προέκειτο καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστος τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐπλήρου σκοπόν. ἀνάγκη δήπουθεν ἦν βραχύ τι παραλλάττειν αὐτοὺς πολλῶν

ὄντων ἃ ταῦτα πάσχειν αὐτοὺς κατηνάγκαζεν. 610 {3Jο , 2-3}3Εἰ δὲ λέγει ὁ Λουκᾶς, ὅτι ἠπίστησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ ταῖς περὶ Ἰωάνναν, οὐδὲν ἐναντίον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦσαν οὔπω ἀπελθόντες εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευον ὡς ἔτυχεν ὡς μέλλοντες μαρτυρεῖν ὡς αὐτόπται τῇ ἀναστάσει. ἤτοι ταῖς περὶ Ἰωάνναν ἠπίστησαν ὡς ἀκουσάσαις παρὰ τῶν δύο ἀνδρῶν, τῇ δὲ Μαριὰμ ἐπείσθησαν εἰπούσῃ, ὅτι ἦραν τὸ σῶμα. 611 {3Jο ,