Epiphanius of Salamis, Homily on Christ's Resurrection

Homily on the Resurrection of Christ

A discourse on the holy resurrection of Christ by our Father among the saints, Epiphanius, bishop of Cyprus.

Lord, bless. The three-day Sun of righteousness has risen today, and has illumined all creation; the three-day and pre-eternal Christ, the cluster of grapes, has sprouted, and has filled the world with gladness. Let us see the morning that has no evening, let us rise before dawn today, and we have been filled with the light of joy. The gates of Hades have been opened by Christ, and the dead have risen as from sleep. Christ has risen, the resurrection of the fallen, and has raised up Adam with Him; Christ has risen, the resurrection of all, and has delivered Eve from the curse; Christ has risen, the resurrection, and has adorned and brightened what was previously unadorned; He was roused as the sleeping Lord, and having struck all His enemies, He put them to shame. He has risen, and has bestowed joy on all creation; He has risen, and the prison of Hades has been emptied; He has risen, and has translated the corruption of nature into incorruption; Christ has risen, and has restored Adam to the ancient dignity of immortality. Whoever is a new creation in Christ is renewed by the resurrection; whoever in Christ is a new world, let us who are unadorned be adorned; whoever is the Church in Christ, is a new heaven today; a heaven more beautiful than the visible heaven. For it is not clothed with the daily setting sun, but with the Sun Whom this servant sun, revering Him upon the cross, set; the Sun, of whom the prophet says, The Sun of righteousness shall arise for those who fear Jesus; the Sun, ever-shining, with whom the Church is clothed, for whom the Scripture says: The sun went forth upon the earth, and Lot, as a type of the law, entered into Zoar, which is interpreted as smallness. This is the Sun who makes wise the unwise; this is the Sun who is founded in the firmament with our faith. Through this Sun of righteousness, Christ, the Church has become heaven; not having a moon that waxes and wanes, but having an ever-shining grace; not causing some wandering stars to rise, but bringing forth newly-illumined stars from the baptismal font; not having rain-bearing clouds, but the Church having teachers who are theologians; not suspended over murky waters, but founded upon sacred dogmas; not sending forth a winter rain, not with the cries of birds, but with the voices of teachers enrolling people. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice spiritually, and be glad 43.468 in it in a manner befitting God. This for us is the feast of all feasts; this is the feast, concerning which the Holy Spirit exhorts, saying: Keep the feast with dense boughs and branches, even unto the horns of the altar; this is the feast of the whole world, a renewal and a salvation at once. This feast is the crown and citadel of all feasts; this is the day which God blessed, He hallowed it, because on it He rested from all His works, having completed the salvation of those on earth and those under the earth. On it He put an end to the rites and dances of idols and beasts; on it He put an end to the power of all adversaries. On this day He put an end to feasts and demonic festivals; on this day He put an end to the stench and sacrifices of idolatrous blood; on this day He put an end to the error of impiety; on this day He put an end to the might of the tyrant, and the people's sting; on this day He put an end to profane sacrifices and new moons;

Homilia in Christi resurrectionem

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἐπιφανίου ἐπισκόπου Κύπρου λόγος εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνάστασιν.

Κύριε, εὐλόγησον. Ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης τριήμερος Ἥλιος ἀνέτειλε σήμερον, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν ἐφώτισεν· ὁ τριήμερος καὶ προαιώνιος Χριστὸς ὁ βότρυς ἐβλάστησε, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην εὐφροσύνης ἐπλήρωσε. Τὸν ἀνέσπερον ὄρθρον ἴδωμεν, πρὸ ὄρθρου ἐγείρωμεν σήμερον, καὶ φωτὸς χαρᾶς ἐπληρώθημεν. Πύλαι ᾅδου ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ ἠνοίχθησαν, καὶ νεκροὶ ὡς ἐξ ὕπνου ἀνέστησαν. Ἀνέστη Χριστὸς ἡ τῶν πεσόντων ἀνάστασις, καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ συνήγειρεν· ἀνέστη Χριστὸς ἡ πάντων ἀνάστασις, καὶ τὴν Εὔαν τῆς κατάρας ἀπήλλαξεν· ἀνέστη Χριστὸς ἡ ἀνάστασις, καὶ τὸν πρὶν ἄκοσμον, καὶ τὰ κοσμήσας ἐφαίδρυνεν· ἐξηγέρθη ὡς ὁ ὑπνῶν Κύριος, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ πάντας πατάξας κατῄσχυνεν. Ἀνέστη, καὶ χαρὰν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει ἐδωρήσατο· ἀνέστη, καὶ τὸ τοῦ ᾅδου δεσμωτήριον ἐκενώθη· ἀνέστη, καὶ τὴν φθορὰν τῆς φύσεως εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν μετήγαγεν· ἀνέστη Χριστὸς, καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀξίωμα τῆς ἀθανασίας κατέστησεν. Ἥτις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις τῇ ἀναστάσει ἀνακαινίζηται· ἥτις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὸς κόσμος, κοσμηθῶμεν οἱ ἄκοσμοι· ἥτις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἐκκλησία, καινὸς οὐρανὸς σήμερον· οὐρανὸς τοῦ ὁρωμένου οὐρανοῦ ὡραιότερος. Οὐ γὰρ ἥλιον περίκειται καθημερινὸν δύνοντα, Ἥλιον δ' ὃν ἐπὶ σταυροῦ αἰδεσθεὶς ἔδυσεν ὁ δοῦλος οὗτος ἥλιος, Ἥλιον, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ προφήτης, Ἀνατελεῖ τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν Ἰησοῦν Ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης, Ἥλιον, ὃνἡ Ἐκκλησία ἀειλαμπῆ περιβέβληται, δι' ὅν φησιν ἡ Γραφή· Ἥλιος ἐξῆλθεν εἰς γῆν, καὶ Λωτὸν, εἰς τύπον τοῦ νόμου, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς Σιγὼρ, ὅπερ σμικρότης ἑρμηνεύεται. Οὗτος ὁ Ἥλιος σοφίζων τὰ ἄσοφα· οὗτος ὁ Ἥλιος ἐν τῷ στερεῷ μετὰ τῆς ἡμῶν πίστεως τεθεμελίωται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτον τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἥλιον Χριστὸν οὐρανὸς ἡ Ἐκκλησία γεγένηται· οὐ σελήνην αὔξουσαν καὶ λήγουσαν, ἀλλὰ χάριν ἀειλαμπῆ ἔχουσα· οὐκ ἀστέρας τινὰς πλανήτας ἀνατέλλουσα, ἀλλ' ἀστέρας νεοφωτίστους ἐκ κολυμβήθρας ἀναφέρουσα· οὐ νεφέλας ὀμβροφόρους, ἀλλὰ διδασκάλους θεολόγους ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἔχουσα· οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν θολερῶν ὑδάτων κρεμαμένη, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἱερῶν δογμάτων τεθεμελιωμένη· οὐκ ὄμβρον χειμωνικὸν ἀναπέμπουσα, οὐκ ὀρνέων κλαγγαῖς, ἀλλὰ διδασκάλων φωναῖς ἀνθρώπους καταλέγουσα. Αὕτη ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος· ἀγαλλιασώμεθα πνευματικῶς, καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν θεο 43.468 πρεπῶς ἐν αὐτῇ. Αὕτη ἡμῖν ἡ πασῶν τῶν ἑορτῶν ὑπερεόρτιος· αὕτη ἡ ἑορτὴ, περὶ ἧς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον παρακελεύεται λέγον· Συστήσασθε ἑορτὴν ἐν τοῖς πυκάζουσιν ὁμοῦ τε καὶ θάλπουσιν, ἕως τῶν κεράτων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου· αὕτη ἡ ἑορτὴ τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου, ἐγκαίνιον ὁμοῦ καὶ σωτήριον. Αὕτη ἡ ἑορτὴ πασῶν τῶν ἑορτῶν κορυφὴ καὶ ἀκρόπολις· αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, ἣν εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἡγίασεν αὐτὴν, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, τελειώσας τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν ἐπιγείων ὁμοῦ καὶ καταχθονίων. Ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν εἰδώλων καὶ κνωδάλων τελετὰς καὶ ὀρχήσεις· ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσε τὴν δύναμιν πάντων ἐναντίων. Ἐν ταύτῃ κατέπαυσεν ἑορτὰς καὶ δαιμονικὰς πανηγύρεις· ἐν ταύτῃ κατέπαυσεν εἰδωλικῶν αἱμάτων κνίσσας καὶ θυσίας· ἐν ταύτῃ κατέπαυσε τὴν πλάνην τῆς ἀσεβείας· ἐν ταύτῃ κατέπαυσε τὸ κράτος τοῦ τυράννου, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ κέντρον· ἐν ταύτῃ κατέπαυσεν ὁμικὰς θυσίας καὶ νεομηνίας·