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Homily on the burial of the divine body

A discourse of our Father among the saints, Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, on the burial of the God-receiving body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and on Joseph of Arimathea, and on the Lord's descent into Hades,

which wondrously occurred after the saving passion. For the holy and great Sabbath.

What is this? Today a great silence is on the earth; a great silence and stillness at last; a great silence, because the King sleeps. The earth feared and was still, because God has fallen asleep in the flesh, and has raised up those who slept from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and Hades has trembled. God has slept for a little while, and has roused those in Hades. Where now are the recent disturbances, and cries, and noises against Christ, O lawless ones? where are the crowds, and objections, and ranks, and the weapons, and spears? where are the kings and priests and the condemned judges? where are the torches and swords and the disorderly rumors? where are the peoples, and the arrogance, and the irreverent guard? Truly indeed, since also indeed truly the peoples have plotted empty and vain things. They stumbled on the cornerstone Christ, but they themselves were crushed; they dashed against the solid rock, but they themselves were shattered, and their waves were dissolved into foam; they struck against the invincible anvil, and they themselves were broken; they lifted up on the wood the rock of life, and it, having come down, put them to death; they bound the great Samson, the Sun, God; but having loosed the bonds from the ages, he destroyed the foreigners and the lawless. God the Sun Christ has set beneath the earth, and has made a night-long darkness for the Jews. Today there is salvation for those on earth, and for those from the ages beneath the earth; today there is salvation for the world, both what is visible and what is invisible. Twofold today is the Master's presence, twofold the economy, twofold the love for mankind, twofold the descent and condescension together, twofold the visitation to men; from heaven to the earth, from the earth beneath the earth God comes; the gates of Hades are opened. You who have slept from the ages, rejoice; you who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, receive the great light. With the servants is the Master; with the dead is God; with mortals is Life; with the accountable is the unaccountable; with those in darkness is the unwaning Light; with the captives is the Liberator; and with those below is the one above the heavens. Christ is on earth, we have believed; Christ is among the dead, let us descend with him and behold the mysteries there; let us know the hidden wonders of the hidden one beneath the earth; let us learn how the preaching was also revealed to those in Hades. What then? Does God, having appeared in Hades, simply save everyone? No, but there too those who believed. Yesterday the things of the economy, today the things of authority; yesterday the things of weakness, today the things of sovereignty; yesterday the things of humanity, today the things of divinity are shown. Yesterday he was struck, today with the lightning of divinity he strikes the dwelling-place of Hades; yesterday he was bound, today with unbreakable bonds he binds the tyrant; yesterday he was condemned, today he bestows freedom on the condemned; yesterday the ministers of Pilate mocked him, today the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing him, shuddered. But indeed hear the higher account of Christ's passion; hear, and sing praises; hear, and glorify; hear, and proclaim the great wonders of God; how the

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Homilia in divini corporis sepulturam

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἐπιφανίου ἐπισκόπου Κύπρου λόγος εἰς τὴν θεόσωμον ταφὴν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὸν Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἀπὸ Ἀριμαθαίας, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ τοῦ Κυρίου κατάβασιν,

μετὰ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος παραδόξως γεγενημένην. Τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ μεγάλῳ Σαββάτῳ.

Τί τοῦτο; σήμερον σιγὴ πολλὴ ἐν τῇ γῇ· σιγὴ πολλὴ καὶ ἠρεμία λοιπόν· σιγὴ πολλὴ, ὅτι ὁ Βασιλεὺς ὑπνοῖ· γῆ ἐφοβήθη καὶ ἡσύχασεν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς σαρκὶ ὕπνωσε, καὶ τοὺς ἀπ' αἰῶνος ὑπνοῦντας ἀνέστησεν. Ὁ Θεὸς ἐν σαρκὶ τέθνηκε, καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἐτρόμαξεν. Ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς βραχὺ ὕπνωσε, καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ ἐξήγειρε. Ποῦ ποτε νῦν εἰσιν αἱ πρὸ βραχέος ταραχαὶ, καὶ φωναὶ, καὶ θόρυβοι κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὦ παράνομοι; ποῦ οἱ δῆμοι, καὶ ἐνστάσεις, καὶ τάξεις, καὶ τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ δόρατα; ποῦ οἱ βασιλεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς καὶ κριταὶ οἱ κατάκριτοι; ποῦ αἱ λαμπάδες καὶ μάχαιραι καὶ οἱ θρύλλοι οἱ ἄτακτοι; ποῦ οἱ λαοὶ, καὶ τὸ φρύαγμα, καὶ ἡ κουστωδία ἡ ἄσεμνος; ἀληθῶς ὄντως, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὄντως ἀληθῶς λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενὰ καὶ μάταια. Προσέκοψαν τῷ ἀκρογωνιαίῳ λίθῳ Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ συνετρίβησαν· προσέῤῥηξαν τῇ πέτρᾳ τῇ στερεᾷ, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ συνετρίβησαν, καὶ εἰς ἀφρὸν τὰ κύματα αὐτῶν διελύθησαν· προσέκοψαν τῷ ἀηττήτῳ ἄκμονι, καὶ αὐτοὶ κατεκλάσθησαν· ὕψωσαν ἐπὶ ξύλου τὴν πέτραν τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ κατελθοῦσα αὐτοὺς ἐθανάτωσεν· ἐδέσμησαν τὸν μέγαν Σαμψὼν ἥλιον Θεόν· ἀλλὰ λύσας τὰ ἀπ' αἰῶνος δεσμὰ, τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους καὶ παρανόμους ἀπώλεσεν. Ἔδυ Θεὸς ἥλιος Χριστὸς ὑπὸ γῆν, καὶ σκότος πανέσπερον Ἰουδαίοις πεποίηκεν. Σήμερον σωτηρία τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ τοῖς ἀπ' αἰῶνος ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς· σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ κόσμῳ, ὅσος ὁρατὸς, καὶ ὅσος ἀόρατος. ∆ιττὴ σήμερον τοῦ ∆εσπότου παρουσία, διττὴ ἡ οἰκονομία, διττὴ φιλανθρωπία, διττὴ ἡ κατάβασις ὁμοῦ καὶ συγκατάβασις, διττὴ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἐπίσκεψις· ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς ὁ Θεὸς παραγίνεται· πύλαι ᾅδου ἀνοίγονται. Οἱ ἀπ' αἰῶνος κεκοιμημένοι, ἀγάλλεσθε· οἱ ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθήμενοι, τὸ μέγα φῶς ὑποδέξασθε. Μετὰ τῶν δούλων ὁ ∆εσπότης· μετὰ τῶν νεκρῶν ὁ Θεός· μετὰ τῶν θνητῶν ἡ ζωή· μετὰ τῶν ὑπευθύνων ὁ ἀνεύθυνος· μετὰ τῶν ἐν σκότει τὸ ἀνέσπερον φῶς· μετὰ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ὁ ἐλευθερωτής· καὶ μετὰ τῶν κατωτάτω ὁ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Χριστὸς ἐπὶ γῆς, πεπιστεύκαμεν· Χριστὸς ἐν νεκροῖς, συγκατέλθωμεν καὶ θεάσωμεν καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ μυστήρια· γνῶμεν κρυπτοῦ κρυπτὰ ὑπὸ γῆν θαυμάσια· μάθωμεν πῶς καὶ τοῖς ἐν ᾅδου ἐπεφάνη τὸ κήρυγμα. Τί οὖν; πάντας ἁπλῶς σώζει ἐπιφανεὶς ἐν ᾅδῃ Θεός· οὐχὶ, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖ τοὺς πιστεύσαντας. Χθὲς τὰ 43.441 τῆς οἰκονομίας, σήμερον τὰ τῆς ἐξουσίας· χθὲς τὰ τῆς ἀσθενείας, σήμερον τὰ τῆς αὐθεντίας· χθὲς τὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, σήμερον τὰ τῆς θεότητος ἐνδείκνυται. Χθὲς ἐῤῥαπίζετο, σήμερον τῇ ἀστραπῇ τῆς θεότητος τὸ τοῦ ᾅδου ῥαπίζει οἰκητήριον· χθὲς ἐδεσμεῖτο, σήμερον ἀλύτοις δεσμοῖς καταδεσμεῖ τὸν τύραννον· χθὲς κατεδικάζετο, σήμερον τοῖς καταδίκοις ἐλευθερίαν χαρίζεται· χθὲς ὑπουργοὶ τοῦ Πιλάτου αὐτῷ ἐνέπαιζον, σήμερον οἱ πυλωροὶ τοῦ ᾅδου ἰδόντες αὐτὸν, ἔφριξαν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἄκουσον τοῦ Χριστοῦ πάθους τὸν λόγον ἀνώτερον· ἄκουσον, καὶ ὕμνησον· ἄκουσον, καὶ δόξασον· ἄκουσον, καὶ κήρυξον Θεοῦ μεγάλα θαυμάσια· πῶς ὁ