cross; there the lamb, here the Christ; there the unleavened bread, here the bread.» These things have been inscribed for you in summary, as you see; for the circumstances of the time do not allow for dwelling more on these words. But our Lord Jesus Christ is handed over to be crucified; and see what follows. For from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, as God, as was fitting, was indignant at what was being dared. For it was not an eclipse, as he of the golden tongue says, but anger and indignation, and this is clear from the timing; for the eclipse lasted for three hours, which happens in a single moment of time. And such are the words of Chrysostom; but the most divine Dionysius the Areopagite says that that universal darkness occurred not simply so, but through an unprecedented obstruction by the moon. For writing to the hierarch Polycarp on account of the sophist Apollophanes, who did not accept the teachings of the Christians, he says these things verbatim to him. But say to this Apollophanes, 'What do you say about the eclipse which happened at the time of the saving cross?' For we were both then present together in Heliopolis and standing together 409 we saw the moon paradoxically fall upon the sun (for it was not the time of conjunction) and then again from the ninth hour until the evening supernaturally return to the diameter opposite the sun. And he himself was so astonished then that he said to me thus, "3These things, O Dionysius, are the exchanges of divine matters."3» And these things are in this manner, but concerning that darkness that happened at the time of the saving passion, it was in a certain wondrous way also taken up by the prophet Zechariah; for he says, 'In that day there will be no light' (that is, when Christ will be crucified), 'but there will be cold and ice for one day; and that day will be known to the Lord.'» For God foreknew all things from above. And indeed it was not day and not night. For it was not properly day because of that three-hour darkness, nor truly night because of the light that was until the sixth hour and after the ninth. Which indeed the prophet was making clear when he said, 'and towards evening there will be light.'» But these things, beloved, not only did prophets foretell, but they have also been found in many Greek commentaries; for they say that a great earthquake also occurred then, and such darkness that stars appeared. 410 Then indeed, then He also uttered on the cross the prophetic saying that goes thus, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'» And He said these things in Hebrew, 'Eli, Eli, lamma sabachthani.' For what reason? So that these things might be manifest also to the Jews. But they, being so intemperate and licentious, as he of the golden tongue says, thought He was calling Elijah. And they were thus. But that voice both tore the veil and opened the tombs. But the foolish ones, seeing such things, were altogether unwilling to understand. Rather, then, they were saying, 'Let him come down from the cross, that we may see and believe.'» But He, remaining on the cross, as the golden-mouthed one says, showed this with great abundance in the bodies of his servants; for if it was a great thing for Lazarus to come forth on the fourth day, much more so was it for many of those who had long been asleep to appear alive all at once. And pay attention to the most divine Matthew speaking thus about these things, 'And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and entered into the holy city, and appeared to many after His resurrection.'» But here it is worthy for you to pay attention. For if, according to the golden-mouthed John, such bodies were raised while Christ was still on the cross, how does the evangelist relate that these appeared after the 411 resurrection of Christ? I fear lest perhaps 'His' ought to be read instead of 'their'; for those bodies, after their resurrection from the dead, both entered into the holy city and appeared to many. Then indeed, then also the prophetic saying received its end, which says

σταυρός· ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀμνός, ὧδε ὁ Χριστός· ἐκεῖ τὰ ἄζυμα, ὧδε ὁ ἄρτος.» ταῦτα μὲν ἐνεχαράχθη σοι κατ' ἐπιτομήν, ὡς ὁρᾷς· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγχωρεῖ τὰ τοῦ καιροῦ πλεῖον ἐνδιατρῖψαι τοῖς περὶ τούτων λόγοις. Ὁ δὲ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς τὸ σταυρωθῆναι παραδίδοται· καὶ ὅρα τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα. ἀπὸ γὰρ ἕκτης ὥρας σκότος ἐγένετο ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἕως ὥρας ἐννάτης, ἀγανακτοῦντος ἐπὶ τοῖς τολμωμένοις, οἷα εἰκός, τοῦ θεοῦ. ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἦν ἔκλειψις, καθά φησιν ὁ τὴν γλῶτταν χρυσοῦς, ἀλλ' ὀργὴ καὶ ἀγανάκτησις, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ δῆλον· τρεῖς γὰρ ὥρας παρέμεινεν ἡ ἔκλειψις, ἥτις ἐν μιᾷ γίνεται καιροῦ ῥοπῇ. καὶ τὰ μὲν τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου τοιαῦτα· ὁ δὲ θειότατος ∆ιονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὕτω, κατὰ δὲ ἀντίφραξιν τῆς σελήνης τὸ σκότος ἐκεῖνο λέγει γενέσθαι καινοπρεπῶς τὸ παγκόσμιον. ἐπιστέλλων γὰρ ἱεράρχῃ τῷ Πολυκάρπῳ διὰ τὸν σοφιστὴν Ἀπολλοφάνην μὴ καταδεχόμενον τὰ Χριστιανῶν καὶ τάδε φησὶ κατὰ ῥῆμα πρὸς αὐτόν. εἰπὲ δὲ αὐτῷ τῷ Ἀπολλοφάνει, τί λέγεις περὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ σωτηρίῳ σταυρῷ γεγονυίας ἐκλείψεως; ἀμφότεροι γὰρ τότε κατὰ τὴν Ἡλίου πόλιν ἅμα παρόντες καὶ συνεστῶτες 409 παραδόξως τῷ ἡλίῳ τὴν σελήνην ἐμπίπτουσαν ἑωρῶμεν (οὐ γὰρ ἦν συνόδου καιρὸς) αὖθίς τε αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐννάτης ὥρας ἄχρι τῆς ἑσπέρας εἰς τὸ τοῦ ἡλίου διάμετρον ὑπερφυῶς ἀντικαταστᾶσαν. τοσοῦτον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξεπλάγη τότε ὡς οὕτω πρός με εἰπεῖν "3ταῦτα, ὦ ∆ιονύσιε, θείων ἀμοιβαὶ πραγμάτων εἰσί."3» καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, περὶ δὲ τοῦ σκοτασμοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ κατὰ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος γεγονότος θαυμασίως πως καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ Ζαχαρίᾳ διείληπται· λέγει γάρ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ἔσται φῶς» (ἡνίκα δηλαδὴ σταυρωθήσεται ὁ Χριστός), ἀλλὰ ψῦχος καὶ πάγος ἔσται μίαν ἡμέραν· καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη γνωστὴ τῷ κυρίῳ.» ἄνω γὰρ ἅπαντα προεγίνωσκεν ὁ θεός. καὶ γὰρ οὐχ ἡμέρα καὶ οὐ νύξ. οὔτε γὰρ ἡμέρα κυρίως ἦν διὰ τὸ τρίωρον ἐκεῖνο σκότος, οὔτε νὺξ ἀληθῶς διά τε τὸ μέχρις ἕκτης ὥρας καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐννάτην γενόμενον φῶς. ὃ δὴ καὶ δηλῶν ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγε καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔσται φῶς.» ταῦτα δέ, ἀγαπητέ, οὐ μόνον προφῆται προεῖπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς ὑπομνῄμασιν εὕρηνται· καὶ σεισμὸν γὰρ μέγαν τηνικαῦτα λέγουσι γενέσθαι, καὶ σκότος τοσοῦτον ὥστε ἀστέρας φανῆναι. 410 Τότε δὴ τότε καὶ προφητικὴν ἐπιφέρει ῥῆσιν ἐπὶ σταυροῦ τὴν οὕτω λέγουσαν θεέ μου, θεέ μου, ἵνα τί με ἐγκατέλιπες;» Ἑβραϊστὶ δὲ ταῦτα ἔλεγεν ἠλὶ ἠλί, λαμμᾶ σαβαχθανί. τίνος ἕνεκεν; ἵνα καὶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ταῦτα κατάδηλα γένηται. ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀκόλαστοι καὶ ἀσελγεῖς ὄντες ἐκεῖνοι, καθά φησιν ὁ τὴν γλῶτταν χρυσοῦς, ἐνόμισαν Ἠλίαν καλεῖν. καὶ οὗτοι μὲν οὕτως. ἀλλ' ἡ φωνὴ ἐκείνη καὶ τὸ καταπέτασμα ἔσχισε καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνέῳξεν. ἀλλ' οἱ μάταιοι καὶ τοιαῦτα βλέποντες συνιέναι ὅλως οὐκ ἤθελον. μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καταβάτω ἐκ τοῦ σταυροῦ» ἔλεγον ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ πιστεύσωμεν.» ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ μένων, ὡς ὁ χρυσορρήμων φησίν, ἐν τοῖς τῶν δούλων σώμασιν ἐκ περιουσίας ἐδείκνυε τοῦτο πολλῆς· εἰ γὰρ τὸ τεταρταῖον ἐξελθεῖν τὸν Λάζαρον μέγα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ πολλοὺς τῶν πάλαι κοιμηθέντων φανῆναι ζῶντας ἀθρόον. καὶ πρόσχες τῷ θειοτάτῳ Ματθαίῳ περὶ τούτων οὕτω λέγοντι πολλὰ δὲ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ἠγέρθησαν, καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν, καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ.» ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα προσέχειν σε ἄξιον. εἰ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν χρυσορρήμονα Ἰωάννην ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ἔτι ὄντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἠγέρθησαν σώματα, πῶς ἐμφανισθῆναι ταῦτα μετὰ τὴν τοῦ 411 Χριστοῦ ἔγερσιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἱστορεῖ; ἐγὼ δέδοικα μήποτε τὸ αὐτοῦ ἀντὶ τοῦ αὐτῶν ὀφείλει ἀναγινώσκεσθαι· τὰ γὰρ σώματα ἐκεῖνα μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἔγερσιν αὐτῶν καὶ εἰσήλθοσαν εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς. τότε δὴ τότε καὶ ἡ προφητικὴ ῥῆσις ἔλαβε πέρας ἡ λέγουσα