In diem sabbati sancti

Of Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium, a discourse on Holy Saturday.

Today we celebrate a funeral feast of our Savior. And he, among

the dead below, is loosing the bonds of death and filling Hades with light and awakening those who have fallen asleep, while we dance above the earth, imagining the resurrection, and we do not fear corruption, lest it prevail over incorruption. For you will not, it says, allow your Holy One to see corruption. And perhaps Jews and Greeks laugh at our philosophy; the former awaiting another Christ, the latter having enclosed their hopes in tombs, concerning whom the prophet rightly says: Their tombs are their houses forever. But those who laugh now are groaning—for they will groan later when they look upon him whom they pierced and insulted—, but let us who weep mix the passion with pleasure. Death has seized the Lord Christ, but it will not hold Life itself. It swallowed him in ignorance, but it will vomit out many with him. He is held willingly now; after this day, having plundered Hades, he rises. Yesterday, being crucified, he darkened the sun, and at midday night came on; today death is paralyzed, having received a strange corpse. Yesterday creation mourned, seeing the madness of the Jews, and darkness put on a mourning garment; today the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. Yesterday the earth was shaken and considered flight and threatened to split apart for its inhabitants, and the mountains were cut down, and the rocks were rent; and the temple was naked, as if a living being tearing its garment, showing through what it suffered that the holy things had been profaned. The inanimate things perceived the audacious act, but those who dared these things had unfeeling souls. The elements were indignant and almost abandoned their order and brought about a confusion of the universe, had they not perceived the will of the Creator, that he was not insulted unwillingly. O new and paradoxical things! He who by a word stretched out the heaven is stretched on a tree, and he who bound the sea with sand is encircled with bonds, and he who granted the springs of honey is given gall to drink, and he who crowned the earth with flowers is crowned with thorns, and he who struck Egypt with ten plagues and covered the head of Pharaoh with the waters is struck on the head with a reed, and the face which the cherubim cannot bear to look upon is spit upon. And suffering these things, he prayed for those who crucified him, saying: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. He conquers malice with goodness, he makes a defense for the Christ-killers, drawing them into a net for salvation, he absolves the crime, blaming ignorance, he is not angered, becoming a plaything of their drunken violence, he accepts the drunkenness and with love for mankind calls them to repentance. What more need I say? Benefiting not at all from his goodness, they enclose in a tomb him whom none of all beings can contain and they place seals, guarding our salvation for us, and fearing the resurrection, they post soldiers as guards at the tomb. Who has seen a dead man being guarded? Or rather, who has seen a dead man being warred against? Who has heard of a death being doubted and inspiring fear in those who brought it about? Who has not ceased from his enemy after taking away his life? Who has not put an end to hatred, being satisfied with the death of the foe? Why do you dread him whom you have destroyed, O Jew? Why do you fear him whom you killed? Why do you tremble at him who has departed? Why are you afraid of him who was slain? Why are you in agony over him whom you crucified? You have security from the slaughter. Take courage; if the dead one is a mere man, he does not rise again; if a mere man, well

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In diem sabbati sancti

Ἀμφιλοχίου ἐπισκόπου Ἰκονίου λόγος τῷ ἁγίῳ σαββάτῳ.

Ἐπιτάφιον ἑορτὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἑορτάζομεν σήμερον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν παρὰ

τοῖς νεκροῖς κάτω τοῦ θανάτου τὰ δεσμὰ διαλύων καὶ φωτὸς τὸν ᾅδην πληρῶν καὶ ἀφυπνίζων τοὺς κεκοιμημένους, ἡμεῖς δὲ χορεύομεν ὑπὲρ γῆν τὴν ἀνάστασιν φανταζόμενοι καὶ οὐ δεδοίκαμεν τὴν φθοράν, μὴ κατισχύσῃ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας. Οὐ δώσεις γάρ, φησίν, τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. Καὶ ἴσως ἡμῶν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν γελῶσι Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες· οἱ μὲν ἕτερον Χριστὸν προσδεχόμενοι, οἱ δὲ τάφοις ἐναποκλείσαντες αὐτῶν τὰς ἐλπίδας, περὶ ὧν εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης φησίν· Οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν οἰκίαι αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν γελῶντες στενάζουσι-στενάξουσι γὰρ ὕστερον ὁρῶντες εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν καὶ ἐξύβρισαν-, ἡμεῖς δὲ δακρύοντες ἡδονῇ τὸ πάθος κεράσωμεν. Ἥρπασεν ὁ θάνατος τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν, ἀλλ' οὐ καθέξει παρ' ἑαυτῷ τὴν ζωήν. Κατέπιεν ἀγνοήσας, ἀλλ' ἐξεμέσει πολλοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ. Ἑκὼν κατέχεται νῦν, μετὰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν σκυλεύσας τὸν ᾅδην ἀνίσταται. Χθὲς ἠμαύρωσε τὸν ἥλιον σταυρωθεὶς καὶ μεσούσης ἡμέρας ἐπεισῆλθεν νύξ, σήμερον ὁ θάνατος παραλύεται ξένον νεκρὸν εἰσδεξάμενος. Χθὲς ἐπένθησεν ἡ κτίσις τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων μανίαν ὁρῶσα καὶ στολὴν πενθικὴν τὸ σκότος ἐνεδύσατο, σήμερον ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει φῶς εἶδε μέγα. Χθὲς ἐδονήθη ἡ γῆ καὶ περὶ φυγῆς ἐβουλεύετο καὶ διαστῆναι τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσιν ἠπείλει καὶ τὰ μὲν ὄρη ἐκόπτετο, ἐσχίζοντο δὲ αἱ πέτραι· γυμνὸς δὲ ἦν ὁ ναὸς καθάπερ ἔμπνους τὸ ἱμάτιον διαρρήξας, δι' ὧν ἔπαθε δεικνὺς ὡς ἐβεβηλώθη τὰ ἅγια. Τὰ ἄψυχα τοῦ τολμήματος αἴσθετο, οἱ δὲ ταῦτα τολμῶντες ἀναισθήτους εἶχον ψυχάς. Ἠγανάκτει τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ μικροῦ τὴν τάξιν ἀπέλιπε καὶ σύγχυσιν εἰργάσατο τοῦ παντός, εἰ μὴ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῆς βουλήσεως ᾔσθετο, ὅτι μὴ ἄκων ὑβρίζετο. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων! Ξύλῳ τανύεται ὁ λόγῳ τείνας τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ δεσμοῖς περιβάλλεται ὁ δήσας ψάμμῳ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ποτίζεται χολὴν ὁ τὰς πηγὰς τοῦ μέλιτος χαρισάμενος, καὶ στεφανοῦται ἀκάνθαις ὁ τὴν γῆν στεφανώσας τοῖς ἄνθεσι, καὶ τύπτεται μὲν καλάμῳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ὁ πατάξας τὴν Αἴγυπτον ταῖς δέκα πληγαῖς καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Φαραὼ καλύψας τοῖς ὕδασιν, ἐμπτύεται δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον ὃν ἰδεῖν οὐ φέρει τὰ χερουβίμ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάσχων ὑπὲρ τῶν σταυρούντων προσηύχετο λέγων· Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσιν. Ἀγαθότητι τὴν κακίαν νικᾷ, ἀπολογεῖται ὑπὲρ τῶν χριστοκτόνων εἰς σωτηρίαν αὐτοὺς σαγηνεύων, λύει τὸ ἔγκλημα τὴν ἄγνοιαν αἰτιώμενος, οὐ χαλεπαίνει τῆς ἐκείνων παροινίας γινόμενος παίγνιον, δέχεται τὴν μέθην καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ καλεῖ πρὸς μετάνοιαν. Τί δεῖ λέγειν τὰ πλείω; Οὐδὲν τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἀπωνάμενοι ἐγκλείουσι τάφῳ ὃν οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων χωρεῖ καὶ σήμαντρα ἐπιτιθέασι ἡμῖν τὴν σωτηρίαν φυλάττοντες καὶ δεδιότες τὴν ἀνάστασιν στρατιώτας φύλακας ἐφιστῶσι τῷ μνήματι. Τίς εἶδε νεκρὸν φυλαττόμενον; Μᾶλλον δὲ τίς εἶδε νεκρὸν πολεμούμενον; Τίς ἤκουσε τελευτὴν ἀμφιβαλλομένην καὶ δέος ἐμποιοῦσαν τοῖς ἐργασαμένοις; Τίς οὐκ ἐπαύσατο πρὸς ἐχθρὸν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀφειλάμενος; Τίς οὐ κατέλυσεν ἔχθραν ἀρκεσθεὶς θανάτῳ τοῦ δυσμενοῦς; Τί ὃν ἀνήλωσας δειλιᾷς, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε; Τί φοβῇ ὃν ἀπέκτεινας; Τί τρέμεις τὸν μεταστάντα; Τί δέδοικας τὸν ἀναιρεθέντα; Τί ὃν ἐσταύρωσας ἀγωνιᾷς; Ἔχεις ἀπὸ τῆς σφαγῆς τὴν ἀσφάλειαν. Θάρρει· εἰ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ὁ τεθνηκώς, οὐκ ἀνίσταται· εἰ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος, καλῶς

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