1

In triduanam resurrectionem domini

ON THE THREE-DAY RESURRECTION Of our Lord Jesus Christ, a Homily.

50.821

Rejoice in the Lord always, beloved brethren; again I will say, rejoice; the Lord is near, be anxious for nothing; the Lord has been raised from the dead, and with him a great multitude of saints. Let us celebrate, therefore, with gladness and sobriety; For this is truly the day which the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it; let us proclaim the resurrection of the Savior, or rather let us cry out our salvation; let us proclaim the remembrance of the day of salvation; let us proclaim the death of the devil, the captivity of unclean demons, the salvation of Christians, the resurrection of the dead.

For through the resurrection of Christ the gehenna of fire is quenched, and the sleepless worm dies; Hades is troubled, the devil mourns, sin is put to death, wicked spirits are driven out, those from earth run up to heaven, those in Hades are freed from the bonds of the devil, and fleeing to God, they say to the devil: Where, O death, is your victory? where, O Hades, is your sting? And the cause for us of this holy feast and festival is Christ, who is also the provider for us of all good things. For He both made us from the beginning, and brought us from non-being into being; He has also now saved us who were perishing; He gave life to us who were dead; and took us away from the tyranny of the devil; He made us free who were slaves to sin, having wiped out the handwriting that was against us; Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For which things it is fitting for us also to say: What shall we render to the Lord for all that he has rendered to us? Being the only-begotten God, He was pleased to become man for us, and became obedient unto death, that he might deliver us from eternal death; the Master of angels put on the form of a slave; God the Word took on flesh, and appeared as a man, He who is of the same form and consubstantial with the Father; and He endured these things, that He might take us out of unjust slavery, and redeem us from dishonor; for this reason the giver of our life consented to suffer in the flesh; for this reason the fount of immortality was also buried, that he might grant everlasting life to mortals. And He was present on earth doing good, and healing the sufferings of men; but He received unworthy rewards from the God-fighting Jews. For our Lord Jesus Christ through His great goodness cleansed lepers, granted sight to the blind, healed the lame, drove out demons, raised Lazarus from the dead after four days, fed five thousand from five loaves, walked upon the sea, changed water into wine, healed the woman with an issue of blood, brought back to life the dead daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, and He has performed many other mysteries worthy of wonder; but the Jews, moved by envy and malice, at one time stoned the Lord, at another tried to throw him down from a cliff, and at last even led him to the cross. But our Lord Jesus Christ did not imitate the malice of the blasphemous Jews; but He even gave his back to the scourges, according to the prophet, and his cheeks to blows; and He did not turn away his face from the shame of spitting; and at last He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb, not resisting, not speaking against it. When reviled, He did not revile in return; when suffering, He did not threaten; but He committed himself to him who judges righteously. Not

1

In triduanam resurrectionem domini

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΤΡΙΗΜΕΡΟΝ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΝ Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, Ὁμιλία.

50.821

Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε, ἀγαπητοὶ ἀδελφοί· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε· ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε· ὁ Κύριος ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγήγερται, καὶ μετ αὐτοῦ ὄχλος πολὺς ἁγίων. Ἑορτάσωμεν οὖν ἡδέως τε καὶ σωφρόνως· Αὕτη γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος· ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ· κηρύξωμεν τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀνάστασιν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν βοήσωμεν σωτηρίαν· κηρύξωμεν τῆς σωτηρίου ἡμέρας τὴν ὑπόμνησιν· κηρύξωμεν τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ διαβόλου, τὴν τῶν ἀκαθάρτων δαιμόνων αἰχμαλωσίαν, τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν σωτηρίαν, τὴν τῶν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν.

∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ σβέννυται μὲν γέεννα πυρὸς, σκώληξ δὲ ἀκοίμητος τελευτᾷ· ᾅδης ταράττεται, πενθεῖ διάβολος, ἁμαρτία νεκροῦται, πνεύματα πονηρὰ διώκεται, οἱ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνατρέχουσιν, οἱ ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ ἐλευθεροῦνται τῶν δεσμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ Θεῷ προσφεύγοντες, λέγουσι τῷ διαβόλῳ· Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ νῖκος; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ κέντρον, Αἴτιος δὲ ἡμῖν τῆς ἁγίας ταύτης ἑορτῆς τε καὶ πανηγύρεως ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ καὶ πάντων ἡμῖν τῶν καλῶν πρόξενος. Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐποίησε, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγεν· οὗτος καὶ νῦν ἀπολλυμένους ἔσωσε· νεκρωθέντας ἐζωοποίησε· καὶ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου τυραννίδος ἀφείλετο· οὗτος δούλους ὄντας ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἐλευθέρους ἐποίησεν, ἐξαλείψας τὸ καθ ἡμῶν χειρόγραφον· Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Ἐφ οἷς ἄξιον καὶ ἡμᾶς εἰπεῖν· Τί ἀνταποδώσομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἀνταπέδωκεν ἡμῖν; Θεὸς ὢν μονογενὴς, ἄνθρωπος δι ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι ηὐδόκησε, καὶ γέγονε ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, ἵνα ἡμᾶς αἰωνίου θανάτου ῥύσηται· δούλου μορφὴν ἐφόρεσεν ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότης· σάρκα προσέλαβεν ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐφαίνετο, ὁ σύμμορφος καὶ ὁμοούσιος τῷ Πατρί· καὶ ταῦτα ὑπέμεινεν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς τῆς ἀδίκου δουλείας ἐξέληται, καὶ τῆς ἀτιμίας λυτρώσηται· διὰ τοῦτο παθεῖν ἠνέσχετο σαρκὶ ὁ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν χορηγός· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐτάφη τῆς ἀθανασίας ἡ πηγὴ, ἵνα τοῖς θνητοῖς ἀΐδιον χαρίσηται ζωήν. Καὶ παρῆν μὲν ἐπὶ γῆς εὐεργετῶν, καὶ ἰώμενος τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ πάθη· ἀναξίας δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν θεομάχων Ἰουδαίων ἀπελάμβανε τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς διὰ πολλὴν ἀγαθότητα λεπροὺς ἐκαθάριζε, τυφλοῖς τὸ βλέπειν ἐχαρίζετο, χωλοὺς ἐθεράπευε, δαίμονας ἀπήλαυνε, τὸν Λάζαρον τετραήμερον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἤγειρε, ἐκ πέντε ἄρτων πεντακισχιλίους ἐχόρτασεν, ἐπὶ θαλάσσης περιεπάτησε, τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μετέβαλε, τὴν αἱμοῤῥοοῦσαν ἰάσατο, τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου θανοῦσαν ἀνεζωοποίησε, καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ μυστήρια θαύματος ἄξια πεποίηκεν· Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ ὑπὸ φθόνου καὶ βασκανίας κινηθέντες, ποτὲ μὲν ἐλίθαζον τὸν Κύριον, ποτὲ δὲ κατακρημνίζειν ἐπειρῶντο, τελευταῖον δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἤγαγον. Ἀλλ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐμιμήσατο τὴν κακίαν τῶν βλασφήμων Ἰουδαίων· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν νῶτον αὐτοῦ ἐδίδου εἰς μάστιγας, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, καὶ τὰς σιαγόνας αὐτοῦ εἰς ῥαπίσματα· καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ αἰσχύνης ἐμπτυσμάτων· καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος, οὐκ ἀντιτασσόμενος, οὐκ ἀντιλέγων. Βλασφημούμενος οὐκ ἀντελοιδόρει, πάσχων οὐκ ἠπείλει· παρεδίδου δὲ ἑαυτὸν τῷ κρίνοντι, δικαίως. Οὐ