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Concerning the resurrection of Christ. And of what sort it is, or how the resurrection of Christ takes place in us and in it the resurrection of the soul. And what is the

mystery of this resurrection. Delivered after Pascha on the Monday of the second week of Pascha.

Discourse 13. (209) Brothers and fathers, already Pascha, the joyful day, of all cheerfulness

and gladness, the day of Christ's resurrection which always arrives in the cycle of time, or rather, which happens daily and unceasingly in those who know its mystery, has filled our hearts with joy and ineffable gladness, releasing at the same time the labor of the all-venerable fast, or rather, to say it better, bringing it to perfection and at the same time comforting our souls, for which reason, having summoned all the faithful together for rest and thanksgiving, as you see, it has passed. Let us therefore give thanks to the Lord, who brought us across the sea of the fast and led us with gladness into the harbor of his resurrection; let us give thanks to him, both those who well and eagerly with fervent (210) purpose and struggles of virtue completed the course of the fast, and those who grew weak in these things through negligence and weakness of soul, since it is he who gives to the zealous crowns in superabundance and the worthy rewards for their works, and again bestows forgiveness on the weaker ones, as he is merciful and loves mankind. For he sees the dispositions of our souls and our choices rather than the labors of the body, through which we train ourselves for virtue, whether we intensify the ascetic practice with eagerness of soul or, through weakness of body, make it less than that of the zealous, and according to our purposes he measures out the rewards and the gifts of the Spirit to each, making one of the zealous renowned and glorious, or allowing another to be still humble and in need of more laborious purification.

But let us see, if you please, and examine well, what is the mystery of the resurrection of Christ our God, which always takes place mystically for us who desire it, and how Christ is buried in us as in a tomb, and how, being united to our souls, he rises up, raising us also with himself. And the aim of the discourse is such as this.

Christ our God, having been hung upon the cross and having nailed to it the sin of the world, and having tasted death, descended into the nethermost parts of Hades. Just as, therefore, having ascended again from Hades, he entered into his own undefiled body, from which he was in no way separated when he descended there, and straightway rose from the dead and after these things ascended into heaven with much glory and power, (211) so also now, as we go out from the world and enter through assimilation to the Lord's sufferings into the tomb of repentance and humility, he himself, descending from heaven, enters as into a tomb into our body, and being united with our souls, he raises them up, being by confession dead, and then he allows the one who has thus risen with Christ to see the glory of his mystical resurrection.

The resurrection of Christ, therefore, is our resurrection, we who lie below. For he, having never fallen into sin, as it is written, nor having been altered from his own glory in any way, how will he ever be raised or glorified, he who is ever exceedingly glorified and remains likewise above every principality and authority?

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Περί τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀναστάσεως. Καί ὁποία τίς ἐστιν ἤ πῶς ἐν ἡμῖν γίνεται ἡ ἀνάστασις τοῦ Χριστοῦ καί ἐν αὐτῇ ἡ ἀνάστασις τῆς ψυχῆς. Καί τί τό

μυστήριον ταύτης τῆς ἀναστάσεως. Ἐλέχθη μετά τό Πάσχα τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῆς δευτέρας ἑβδομάδος τοῦ Πάσχα.

Λόγος ΙΓ ΄. (209) Ἀδελφοί και πατέρες, ἤδη τό Πάσχα, ἡ χαρμόσυνος ἡμέρα, ἡ πάσης εὐφροσύνης

καί θυμηδίας, τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀναστάσεως κατά περίοδον τοῦ χρόνου παραγινομένης ἀεί μᾶλλον δέ καθ᾿ ἑκάστην καί ἀεννάως γινομένης ἐν τοῖς εἰδόσι τό μυστήριον ταύτης, χαρᾶς καί ἀγαλλιάσεως ἀφάτου ἐπλήρωσε τάς καρδίας ἡμῶν, λύσασα ἐπί τό αὐτό τῆς πανσέπτου νηστείας τόν κόπον ἤ μᾶλλον εἰπεῖν, τελειώσασα καί ἅμα παρακαλέσασα ἡμῶν τάς ψυχάς, διό καί πρός ἀνάπαυσιν καί εὐχαριστίαν πάντας ὁμοῦ τούς πιστούς προσκαλεσαμένη, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, διῆλθεν. Εὐχαριστήσωμεν οὖν τῷ Κυρίῳ, τῷ διαβιβάσαντι ἡμᾶς τό πέλαγος τῆς νηστείας καί εἰς τόν λιμένα τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀναστάσεως ἀγαγόντι μετ᾿ εὐθυμίας ἡμᾶς· εὐχαριστήσωμεν αὐτῷ, οἵ τε καλῶς καί προθύμως μετά ζεούσης (210) προθέσεως καί ἀγώνων τῆς ἀρετῆς τόν δρόμον διανύσαντες τῆς νηστείας καί οἱ ἀσθενήσαντες περί ταῦτα δι᾿ ὀλιγωρίαν καί ψυχῆς ἀσθένειαν, ἐπειδή αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ καί τοῖς σπουδαίοις ὑπέρ ἐκ περισσοῦ διδούς τούς στεφάνους καί τούς ἀξίους μισθούς τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν, καί συγγνώμην αὖθις τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις, ὡς ἐλεήμων καί φιλάνθρωπος, ἀπονέμων. Ὁρᾷ γάρ τάς διαθέσεις ἡμῶν τῶν ψυχῶν καί τάς προαιρέσεις μᾶλλον ἤ τούς κόπους τοῦ σώματος, δι᾿ ὧν γυμνάζομεν πρός ἀρετήν ἑαυτούς, ἤ πλεῖον τήν ἄσκησιν προθυμίᾳ ψυχῆς ἐπιτείνοντες ἤ ἔλαττον δι᾿ ἀσθένειαν σώματος ταύτην τῶν σπουδαίων ποιούμενοι, καί κατά τάς προθέσεις ἡμῶν ἀντιμετρεῖ τά ἔπαθλα καί τά τοῦ Πνεύματος ἑκάστῳ χαρίσματα, ποιῶν ἤ περίφημον καί ἔνδοξον τῶν σπουδαίων τινά ἤ ἐῶν ταπεινόν ἔτι καί δεόμενον ἐπιπονωτέρας καθάρσεως.

Ἀλλά γάρ ἴδωμεν, εἰ δοκεῖ, καί καλῶς ἐξετάσωμεν, τί τό μυστήριον τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀναστάσεως, ὅπερ ἀεί τοῖς βουλομένοις ἡμῖν μυστικῶς γίνεται, καί πῶς ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστός ὡς ἐν μνήματι θάπτεται καί πῶς ἑνούμενος ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς ἐξανίσταται, συνανιστῶν καί ἡμᾶς ἑαυτῷ. Ἐστι δέ ὁ σκοπός τοῦ λόγου τοιοῦτος.

Ὁ Χριστός καί Θεός ἡμῶν, ἐπί σταυροῦ κρεμασθείς καί προσηλώσας ἐν αὐτῷ τήν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, θανάτου γευσάμενος, κατῆλθεν ἐν τοῖς κατωτάτοις τοῦ ᾅδου. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐξ ᾅδου πάλιν ἀνελθών εἰς τό ἄχραντον ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα εἰσῆλθεν, οὗ κατελθών ἐκεῖσε οὐδαμῶς ἐχωρίσθη, καί εὐθύς ἀνέστη ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν καί μετά ταῦτα ἀνῆλθεν εἰς οὐρανούς μετά δόξης πολλῆς καί δυνάμεως, (211) οὕτω δή καί νῦν ἐξερχομένων ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου καί εἰσερχομένων διά τῆς τῶν παθημάτων τοῦ Κυρίου ἐξομοιώσεως ἐν τῷ τῆς μετανοίας καί ταπεινώσεως μνήματι, αὐτός ἐκεῖνος ἐξ οὐρανῶν κατερχόμενος, εἰσέρχεται ὡς ἐν τάφῳ ἐν τῷ ἡμῶν σώματι, καί ἑνούμενος ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς ἐξανιστᾷ νεκράς οὔσας ὁμολογουμένως αὐτάς, καί τηνικαῦτα βλέπειν ἐμπαρέχει τῷ οὕτως ἀναστάντι σύν τῷ Χριστῷ τήν δόξαν τῆς μυστικῆς αὐτοῦ ἀναστάσεως.

Ἀνάστασις οὖν Χριστοῦ ἡ ἡμετέρα ὑπάρχει ἀνάστασις, τῶν κάτω κειμένων. Ἐκεῖνος γάρ μή πεσών εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ποτέ, καθά γέγραπται, μηδέ ἀλλοιωθείς τῆς ἰδίας δόξης κἄν ὁπωσοῦν, πῶς ἀναστήσεταί ποτε ἤ δοξασθήσεται, ὁ ἀεί ὤν ὑπερδεδοξασμένος καί ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καί ἐξουσίας διαμένων ὡσαύτως;