1

Supplementa ad quaestiones ad Marinum

Αʹ. Since the fear of the Jews was pressing upon the disciples of the Savior, John at least says that the disciples were gathered together in one house, the doors being shut for fear of the Jews. How did Peter and John go to the tomb? And this, while a military guard was watching the place, as Matthew testified; for the *custodia* is a military detachment. We will say to these things, that the apostles went boldly to the tomb, having learned beforehand from the Magdalene that none of those guarding the place were there, as was clear from the fact that the stone had been taken away from the tomb; and it was taken away in no other way than by the angel from heaven illuminating the place with a great light, and him rolling away the stone, and frightening the guards, so that they nearly became as stone from fear; and after this, as was likely, they took to flight, so that none of them remained, and the place was left open for those arriving to see the saving resurrection; for this was especially the reason for the angel's appearance. For he did not move the stone for the sake of the resurrection, nor did he appear in such a manner on account of the stone, but so that he might drive some away, and welcoming the women coming to see, he might announce the resurrection to them. Matthew is therefore a witness to these things, saying, From fear of him the guards trembled, and became as dead men. For the Savior, having risen, even precedes the angel, and does not await the removal of the stone, but even with it lying before the door, and sealed with the seals of the chief priests, and with the guards surrounding the place, he was gone from the tomb, having accomplished the resurrection from the dead by divine power, at an hour which no one knew, and at a time which none of the evangelists marked; so that one might appropriately say of it this very thing which was said by him concerning the universal consummation, in that, "But of that day no one knows, not even the angels of God." Thus, the Savior, having become the firstfruits of the resurrection, was raised at an hour which no one knew, hidden from all, and he was raised while the stone remained in its place. And an angel of good things, the angel was present for men, contributing nothing to the resurrection by his presence, but ministering the great things of men's salvation; wherefore he also shone in appearance, showing himself in white garments, and being the first to proclaim the saving resurrection. And just as at sunrise venomous reptiles and such beasts as are friends of night and darkness flee, but men, being akin to the light, pursue it, in the very same way the angel, dazzling with the flashes of his light, drove away the enemies of truth and life, who are kin and friends of death; but to those longing for the saving resurrection, he announced this good news, providing them a ready opportunity by the driving away of the guards; for he provided two signs for his own to see: the removal of the stone, and the opening of the tomb's door, and the putting to flight of the guards; which the Magdalene, having seen, announced to the disciples; and they, having learned these things from her, went boldly and running, with no one standing in their way.

Βʹ. And how, since it was dark, according to the evangelist John, the things inside the

tomb did the two disciples see?

For he himself also marked the hour, saying, "Early, while it was still dark," and that the two disciples saw the things inside the tomb; "For they entered," he says, "and believed." As the day was first beginning, Scripture testified that it was still dark at the tomb; however, it was already early morning; and this "early, while it was still dark" Mary, having seen it by herself

1

Supplementa ad quaestiones ad Marinum

Αʹ. Τοῦ φόβου τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπικειμένου τοῖς μαθηταῖς τοῦ Σωτῆρος, λέγει γοῦν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὡς ἦσαν ὁμοῦ συνηγμένοι οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐν οἴκῳ ἑνὶ, τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Πῶς ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἀπήντων ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα; Καὶ ταῦτα στρατιωτικῆς φρουρᾶς φυλαττούσης τὸν τόπον, ὡς ὁ Ματθαῖος ἐμαρτύρησεν· ἡ γὰρ κουστωδία στρατιωτικόν ἐστι τάγμα. Ἐροῦμεν δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα, θαρσαλέως τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἀπηντηκέναι ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα, προμεμαθηκότας παρὰ τῆς Μαγδαληνῆς μηδένα τῶν φυλαττόντων τὸν τόπον αὐτόθι παρεῖναι, ὅπως δῆλον ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν λίθον ᾖρθαι τοῦ μνημείου· ᾖρτο δὲ οὐκ ἄλλως, ἢ τῷ τὸν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἄγγελον ἐξαστράψαι τὸν τόπον πολλῷ φωτὶ, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀποκυλίσαι τὸν λίθον, φοβῆσαί τε τοὺς φύλακας, ὡς μικροῦ δεῖν καὶ ἀπολιθωθῆναι αὐτοὺς τῷ φόβῳ· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ὡς εἰκὸς φυγῇ χρήσασθαι, ὡς μηδένα μὲν περιλειφθῆναι αὐτῶν, σχολάζειν δὲ τὸν τόπον τοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν ἀφικνουμένοις τῆς σωτηρίου ἀναστάσεως· αὕτη γὰρ ἦν μάλιστα ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ ἀγγέλου. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χάριν ἀπεκίνει τὸν λίθον, οὐδ' ἕνεκεν τοῦ λίθου τοιόσδε ὤφθη, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς μὲν ἀπελάσῃ, τὰς δὲ ἐρχομένας ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν δεξιωσάμενος, τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐταῖς καταγγείλειε. Τούτων οὖν μάρτυς ὁ Ματθαῖος λέγων, Ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου αὐτοῦ ἐσείσθησαν οἱ τηροῦντες, καὶ ἐγένοντο ὡσεὶ νεκροί. Φθάνει μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸν ἄγγελον ἀναστὰς ὁ Σωτὴρ, οὐδὲ ἀναμένει τὴν ἀποκίνησιν τοῦ λίθου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου πρὸ τὴν θύραν κειμένου, καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀρχιερέων σημαντῆρσι κατεσφραγισμένου, τῶν τε φρουρῶν κυκλούντων τὸν τόπον, ἀφανὴς ἦν τοῦ μνήματος, τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν πεποιημένος θεϊκῇ δυνάμει, καθ' ἣν ὥραν οὐδεὶς ἔγνω, καὶ καθ' ὃν οὐδεὶς ἐπεσημήνατο τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν καιρόν· ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν εὐκαίρως τινὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ περὶ τῆς καθόλου συντελείας πρὸς αὐτοῦ λελεγμένον ἐν τῷ, «Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Οὕτω γοῦν πρῶτος αὐτὸς ἀπαρχὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως γεγονὼς ὁ 22.985 Σωτὴρ, καθ' ἣν ὥραν οὐδεὶς ἔγνω, ἐγήγερτο, λαθὼν τοὺς ἅπαντας, καὶ ἐγήγερτο τοῦ λίθου μεμενηκότος ἐπὶ σχήματος. Ἀγαθῶν δὲ ἄγγελος, ἀνθρώποις παρῆν ὁ ἄγγελος, οὐδὲν μὲν τῇ ἀναστάσει διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας συμβαλλόμενος, τὰ μεγάλα δὲ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διακονούμενος σωτηρίᾳ· διὸ καὶ ἐξήστραπτε τὴν μορφὴν, λευχείμονα δεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν, καὶ πρῶτος τῆς σωτηρίου ἀναστάσεως ἀπαρχόμενος. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἡλίου ἀνατολὰς ἑρπετὰ μὲν ἰοβόλα καὶ θηρίων ὅσα νυκτὸς καὶ σκότους εἰσὶ φίλα φεύγει, ἄνδρες δὲ ταύτας οἷα φωτὸς συγγενεῖς μεταδιώκουσι, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον τοὺς μὲν τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ζωῆς ἐχθροὺς, θανάτου δὲ οἰκείους καὶ φίλους, ταῖς τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ μαρμαρυγαῖς καταστράπτων, ἤλαυνεν ὁ ἄγγελος· τοῖς δὲ ποθοῦσι τὴν σωτήριον ἀνάστασιν, ταύτην εὐηγγελίζετο, σχολὴν αὐτοῖς εὐτρεπῆ διὰ τῆς τῶν φρουρῶν ἀπελάσεως παρέχων· δύο γοῦν γνωρίσματα τοῖς οἰκείοις παρεῖχεν ὁρᾷν, τὴν ἀποκίνησιν τοῦ λίθου, καὶ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνήματος τὴν ἄνεσιν, τῶν τε φυλάκων τὴν δίωξιν· ἃ δὴ τεθεαμένη ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπήγγειλεν· οἱ δὲ ταῦτα παρ' αὐτῆς μεμαθηκότες, θαρσαλέως ἀπήντων δρομαῖοι, μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς ἐμποδὼν καθεστῶτος.

Βʹ. Καὶ πῶς σκοτίας οὔσης, κατὰ τὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν Ἰωάννην, τὰ εἴσω τοῦ

μνήματος ἑώρων οἱ δύο μαθηταί; Ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ τὴν ὥραν ἐπεσημήνατο εἰπών· «Πρωῒ ἔτι σκοτίας οὔσης,» καὶ τοὺς δύο μαθητὰς τὰ εἴσω ἐν τῷ μνήματι τεθεαμένους· «Εἰσῆλθον γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν.» Ἀρχομένης μὲν κατ' ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας, ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἐμαρτύρησεν ἡ Γραφὴ ἔτι τότε σκοτίαν εἶναι· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἤδη πρωΐα ἦν· τοῦτο δὲ τὸ πρωῒ ἔτι σκοτίας οὔσης αὐτὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἰδοῦσα Μαρία