Слово на Святую Пасху (о воскресении Господа нашего Иисуса Христа и о том, что Евангелисты ни в чем не противоречат друг другу, различно передавая происходившее при воскресении Еммануила). Святого Григория, епископа Нисского

Beloved! On the Lord's Night, of course, everyone hears readings from the Holy Gospels about the resurrection of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. However, some say that they are confused by the fact that the Evangelists do not narrate the same thing about the same event, but the opposite, and thereby lead the listener to disbelief. Who should you really believe? Is it Matthew, who writes that the resurrection occurred on Saturday evening (Matthew 28:1), or John, who tells that it happened early in the morning, while darkness was still present (John 20:1), or Luke and Mark, who call this time, one in the deep morning (Luke 24:1), and the other, the rising of the sun (Mark 16:2)? So, we need, although we are weak, to begin to solve the question presented and other perplexities that arise when examining what we are talking about, and give a clear interpretation. The holy writers of the Gospels did not say that the Lord rose on Saturday evening, or after most of the night had passed, or in the morning, or when the sun's rays appeared (in this case there would be a contradiction: the writers would convey that one event happened not at one, but at different times); but they wrote that the wives came to the tomb at different times, and in different ways, and not at the same time, coming at different times, they all equally heard about the Savior from the angels, that He arose and was here (Matthew 28:6), without adding when. Thus, undoubtedly, all evangelists agree on this: the resurrection took place on the night of the Lord, but no one noted the hour, since it was unknown to anyone except the risen God and the One Father, Who knows the Son, as He Himself is known by the Son (Matthew 11:27), - and the Holy Spirit, Who tests all things, and the depth of God (1 Cor. 2:10). And truly, St. Matthew says that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came on the Sabbath evening to look at the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, terrifying the guards with his very appearance, who, unable to bear the vision, almost died, deadened by fear; With his brilliance, the angel instilled courage in women, timid and fearful by nature, and by his very appearance announced to them the resurrection with great joy (for this he was sent). When he rolled away the stone from the tomb, he found that the Lord had risen, leaving the tomb closed, guarded by seals and guarded by a detachment of soldiers, as befitted God, just as, having passed through the closed doors, He came to the house of the disciples. Therefore, the angel said: there is no rising here, announcing by this that the resurrection of the Lord miraculously happened before His coming to the tomb - that, having accomplished it as God by His own power, Christ did not need the assistance of angels to fulfill the economy: for if this (resurrection) had not happened, then he would have said: “Behold, he rises,” pointing to what is happening at the present moment; but since this happened earlier, then, using the past tense, the angel says: there is no rise. From here it is also clearly seen that the apostles, when they preached the Gospel, then, due to the weakness of the listeners, said that Christ was “resurrected by the Father,” thus making their word more convenient. The angel, who first proclaimed the resurrection, denoting the power filled with greatness, and therefore the most befitting of the Risen One, exclaimed: there is no rising here. So, when it is said that Christ is “resurrected by the Father,” this, so to speak, expresses concern for the weak listeners, and here lies the same and not a different meaning. In fact, in whom does the Father act? – obviously, in His power!. And who is the power of the Father? None other than Christ: for Christ is the Power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24). Therefore, Christ resurrected Himself, although it is said that He was resurrected by the Father. The expression: “on Saturday evening” does not mean the evening that occurs after sunset, for the Evangelist did not just say: “on Saturday evening,” but in the plural: on Saturday evening, and Jews usually call every seventh day Saturday. The evangelists say: “one of the Sabbaths,” when they should say: “on the first day of the week”; We usually use this phrase when we call the second and third Saturdays—the second and third days of the week. Thus the Evangelist said, “on Saturday evening,” to indicate a later time. Sometimes we also have the habit of saying: “you came in the evening,” or “late in time, that is, later than a certain hour,” meaning not the evening, not the time after sunset, but indicating that something happened later than the time or need required; also “on Saturday evening” denotes a time distant and later than the past week. And every week ends with the beginning of sunset on Saturday; That is why Matthew, as if explaining himself, adds: having been gathered together in one, from the Sabbaths (Matt. 28:1): already, he says, the night has passed so far that the roosters have crowed, anticipating the light of the coming day. Then, of course, at this time, and not in the evening that followed Saturday, we, allowing fasting, begin to rejoice, in accordance with the general custom. So, at that time, Mary Magdalene and her sister-in-law came to the tomb and, in the manner described above, saw an angel descend from heaven, roll away the stone and sit on it. Having been called by him, they saw the place where the Lord lay, and when they were commanded to go quickly and tell the disciples, they hastily left the tomb and ran; and Jesus, meeting them running, said to them, “Rejoice.” The female sex had to be the first to receive the good news of the resurrection from the angel, to see the Lord and hear from Him the first voice: “Rejoice”: for the wife was the first to listen to the flattery of the serpent, contrary to the commandment, to see the fruit of the forbidden tree and was condemned to bear the punishment of sorrow. That is why the Lord also allowed the wives to worship Him, to touch their feet - the wives as the first to fall away and move away from Him - and commanded them to proclaim joy to the disciples, since, by healing like with like, the Lord wanted the wife, who was a servant of sorrow for Adam, to become a messenger of joy for their husbands. When they went to convey what they had been told to the disciples, the seedlings from the Custodian came to the city, announcing the bishop to everyone who was there. And having gathered with the elders, having made a council, the silver coins were pleased with the warrior, saying: Shout, as His disciples, who came at night, stole Him, to us sleeping. And if the hegemon hears this, we will satisfy him, and we will make you sorrowless. They received the pieces of silver and did as they had been taught. And this word rushed through the Jews even to this day (Matthew 28:11–15). Of course, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (it is natural to believe that it was the Mother of God: She stood at the cross, why She also had to proclaim what relates to joy, since She was the root of joy and heard: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You), fulfilling the command of the Lord, they laid everything out to the disciples. And it was impossible not to fulfill what was so clearly commanded, although those who heard did not believe, as often happens when great miracles are proclaimed. However, something human happened to Magdalene, who departed with the Mother of God and, like Her, hastened to announce what had happened. Ap. Peter, captured by Herod and brought out of custody by an angel (when his bonds fell apart by themselves), having traveled a long distance, even arriving at the gates of the city, did not think that what was happening was reality, but assumed that he was seeing a vision. So Magdalene, considering the miracle to be something untimely and, moreover, when the returning guards and the priests began to weave slander about the resurrection, of course, having learned that she was saying something similar, she allowed thoughts of doubt and, neglecting the message and command of the Savior, rushed to the tomb early in the morning: still in the present darkness, as St. John (John 20:1). And truly, the Lord allowed Thomas to say out of unbelief: If I do not see the wound of the nails in His hand, I will put my finger into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I have no faith (John 20:25), and so that through such inquisitive distrust and research we would be confirmed in the faith that Emmanuel was resurrected in the same body in which he suffered. So the Lord allowed Mary Magdalene to turn to unbelief (since this very easily could have happened to her, for the weakness of the female sex and the ease with which it falls are known), so that by still unnecessary research she would make more reliable a miracle that surpasses faith and all reasoning. So, when with such a wavering thought she came to the tomb, when she saw only a stone rolled away from the entrance, and not an angel sitting on it, as a little earlier, she was overcome by unbelief and thought that the vision was a ghost, a false frenzy - and, running to Peter and the other disciple, his beloved Jesus, she exclaimed: “I have taken the Lord from the tomb, and do not know where I have laid Him” (Jn. 20:2). You see that as soon as something invented by the Jews at night reached her ears, after the story of the guards, she changed her mind and thought that the enemies had stolen the body of Jesus in order to accuse the apostles of theft... But Peter and John hastily stood up and ran to the tomb (it was not surprising what was said so that they would not believe what was related to the resurrection: on the contrary, it was probable and in accordance with the malice of the Jews...). They did this without fear, since it was quiet and dark, and they received it. strengthening from God. But when they got there, they found clear signs of the resurrection: they saw the shrouds lying in the cave, which would never have happened if the body had been stolen. For, firstly, it is common for thieves to strip off and carry away clothes, and secondly, to commit the theft as quickly as possible, so that they are not caught at the scene of the crime and are not severely punished. About the body of Jesus Evang. John wrote this: wrapped in vestments with fragrances, as is the custom of burying Jews (John 19:40). So, how could the kidnappers, without much difficulty, untie the shrouds and expose the body from the shrouds, which were already stuck, and could not be easily unwrapped, but would rather be torn than separated from the body: since they were combined with the mixture of aloes and myrrh brought by Nicodemus? Likewise, the sir who was on His head, lying not together with the shrouds, but laid folded separately, discovered that there was no fear to which the thieves would be subjected when they carried away the body: how would the thieves have had such leisure and peace of mind to correctly roll up the head covering and lay it separately? Therefore, this clearly shows the truth of the resurrection, and at the same time the divine sacrament, namely, that the head of Christ, which occupies a special place (according to what was said: the Head of Christ, God. 1 Cor. 2:3), and the words about it remain after the perception of human flesh, as if unexpanded and incomprehensible; although the lower, relating to the incarnate economy and to His treatment on earth with people (the sign of which were the shrouds), as far as is accessible to us, is resolved and explored. Seeing this, Peter and his companion believed: for they contemplated not simply, but with a better and apostolic mind. And truly, the tomb was full of light, so that although there was still darkness, they clearly, sensually and spiritually saw the inside of it: for if “the light of the righteous always,” as it is written (Prov. 13:9), then much more righteous before the Lord. They did not believe because they did not yet know the Scripture, as it was fitting for Him to rise from the dead (John 20:9). However, although they knew (since the Savior often predicted to them that He would rise), however, not as those who were convinced from Scripture and from the prophecies drawn from there (which could not but come true), but as having still insufficient faith. And the fact that Christ rose naked, without clothes, means that He will never after this be known as needing food and drink, clothing and coverings. And if, while completing the economy, He voluntarily underwent this necessity, as having become a partaker of our nature, then such a resurrection also signifies the restoration of Adam to his previous state, when he was naked in paradise and was not ashamed. However, as God, although incarnate, Christ was clothed with the most divine glory, for He Himself is clothed with light, like a robe, according to the word of the prophet David (Ps. 103:2). And Peter and John returned home, having been led to faith by what they had seen, but they did not say anything to Mary Magdalene: since the Only Wise One arranged that an unbeliever should be better convinced by what she saw than by what she heard. So, she stood at the tomb, weeping and, bowing down, she saw two angels in white and light clothes sitting - one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus lay (John 20:12)... And when it was appropriate to turn crying into joy, she did not stop crying, so that the angels said, as if with reproach: “It’s a woman that you cry,” as if saying: “Women’s tears are not characteristic of a cheerful spirit: for what place is there for me to cry after such a sight”? But, continuing to remain in the same unbelief, because the confusion continued, so that with words added a little later, she was completely purified to faith, she said to them: “I have taken my Lord, and do not know where I have laid Him” (John 20:13). Having said this, she turned back and saw Jesus standing; but she did not recognize that it was Jesus, partly because she was darkened by tears, and, as it were, suppressed by darkness; partly because Jesus arranged things so that she would not recognize Him. That's why He said to her: “Woman, why are you crying? who are you looking for? She thought that she was a heli-grader and said to him: “Lord, if you have taken it, tell me where you have laid it: and I will take it away” (John 20:14–15). And, perhaps, not beyond the bounds of propriety, she mistook Jesus for a heli-grader: since He was a genuine and immortal heli-grader, who corrected in the garden at the tomb, as in paradise, the fallen wife who had seduced Adam, the first heli-grader. Thus everything is full of sacraments and must be applied to higher and Divine thoughts. When Mary said this and tried to find out about the body and had already turned to leave, He who penetrates to the division of soul and spirit, members and marrow, and judges the thoughts and thoughts of the heart (Heb. 4:12), seeing that she was sufficiently tested, cut off her unbelief with one word, and raised the woman’s doubt to knowledge, saying only one thing: “Mary.” She immediately turned around and, saying: “Teacher,” wanted to take hold of His feet, but heard: “Do not touch Me, for I will not sigh for My Father” (John 20:16–17). Having already received, He says, this gift (for together with the other Mary you touched Me and worshiped and held My feet), you despised it so much that you did not yet believe, and did not think anything great about Me in your soul, but until now you were looking near the tomb of Him who was Divine in the highest with the Father. And now do not touch Me, if with the same thought you think that I still lack to enter the Father. I have not sighed to My Father, as you think: go to My brethren, and say to them: I will ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God (John 20:17). Since I was the firstborn among many brethren, now not for Myself, but for the sake of you, brothers according to the flesh, I ascend to My Father and your Father and My God and your God. For if He had not been called My God, when in Me, who saw no sin, I saw the innocence of human nature, then He would not have been called your God and Father, since you were alienated from Him. That's why ap. Paul says in the letter to the Hebrews that Christ entered not into the sanctuary made with hands (built in the image of the true one), but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24). So, Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had told her this. When she came and announced, she again found Mary of James and Joanna and some others with them, hastening to the tomb with the prepared aromas, when the darkness dispersed very early, that is, in the deep morning, now just beginning, as Luke says (Luke 24:1), and, joining, she went with them, and because of her fiery desire for Jesus, she turned out to be their leader, and according to the glory that she acquired by this, the evangelists consider her to be the first. Mary Magdalene wanted them to believe not on the basis of what they heard from her or from the other Mary, but on the basis of what they themselves saw, such as the presence of angels, and therefore she wisely remained silent, walking with them, when they, wondering and doubting, questioned her (she waited for the evidence of works, believing that they themselves would be given the fullness of faith by what they saw). So, when they saw the stone rolled away from the tomb, they entered and, not finding the body of Jesus, in bewilderment they saw two men standing before them in clothes shining like lightning, from whom they heard: What are you looking for, the living with the dead? There is no here, but there is ..; and returning, says St. The evangelist, from the grave, announced all this to the eleven men and to everyone else (Luke 24:1–6, 9). But they, like a crowd, showed more unbelief and ridiculed what was announced: the words of the wives seemed empty to them, and they were not believed to such an extent that even Peter, as if somewhat embarrassed because of their unbelief, stood up and ran again to the tomb. Bending down again, he saw only the shrouds lying, which he had already seen more clearly, having previously entered; and, satisfied with just worshiping the tomb and not noticing any change, he walked away, marveling and amazed at what had happened and glorifying the One who arranged it this way. And Mary Magdalene again, as she went into the deep morning along with those who were with Joanna, the wives, and who carried the aromas prepared before the Sabbath, she also went now with Salome, who, although late, nevertheless bought the aromas, but after the Sabbath, and in the same thought, she hastened without laziness, taking with her Mary of Jacob (for they also bought the aromas together: they were accomplices in paths, and therefore every business was considered a common concern). And early in the morning, one day after the Sabbath, I came to the tomb (Mark 16:2); at the same time, explaining the words, Mark adds: to the rising sun. And I say to myself, says the Evangelist Mark: who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? And matured. I saw that the stone was rolled away: it was great and great (Mark 16:3). When Salome naturally wondered how she would enter the tomb, and said this to her companions, she silently raised her eyes and gave the answer with her very gaze, since the rolled away stone was still before her eyes. It is incredible that those who have already often seen the rolled away stone should worry about this. It was not proper for them to say: who will roll away the stone for us, because the Jews sealed the entrance of the tomb, setting up a guard of soldiers, and it was already the third day, for the evildoers said to Pilate: remember, as a flatterer, He said while still alive: in three days I will rise (Matthew 27:63). So, if the wives knew about the miracle performed through the angel and that the stone had been rolled away, that the guards, frightened and deadened, had fled, then they could not worry about the stone being rolled away; if they did not know the miracle, then they should have thought about the guard, and not about how to open the coffin. But Salome did not know this, and the words spoken above belonged to her alone, for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, when they sat opposite the tomb, as St. Matthew, they did this with great care and saw with their own eyes both the seal of the Jews and the armed guard. Having entered, Salome and the other Mary saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in white clothing; and everyone was horrified: this one - because she had insufficient faith and was in a human frame of mind; and those because they often came to the tomb and inquired more deeply about the resurrection with curiosity, for the young man, who could frighten with greatness, also appeared for this purpose. And mixing encouragement and joy with fear (through the shine of clothes, so that on the holiday they would not be silent from fear), he speaks to them more strictly, commanding them not to be curious after so many visions, but to remain firmly convinced of what they saw. Go, - he says, - shout as His disciples and Petrov (disciples, as those who often did not believe; Peter, as one who, out of the same curiosity as you, came a second time to the tomb), as you cook in Galilee: there you see Him, as I spoke to you (Mark 16:7), - to you, wives, on Saturday morning, appearing as one from the Sabbaths, as he wrote St. Matthew (Matthew 28:1). He did not tell the disciples that after the resurrection he would meet them in Galilee; except for the case when, after the mystical supper, singing, they entered the Mount of Olives (which was recorded by Matthew and Mark), and the Savior said here: after My resurrection, I will cook you in Galilee (Matthew 26:32). Coming out of the tomb, Mary and Salome, overwhelmed with fear and trembling, ran and said nothing to anyone: I was afraid (Mark 16:8), partly thanks to the fear inspired by the young man, partly because the day had already come, and the Jews, walking back and forth, were ready to kill. In the Gospel of Mark, the following is added to the words: fearfully: Jesus rose again on the morning of the first Saturday, appearing before Mary Magdalene, and from her he cast out seven demons (Mark 16:9). Apparently, this contains something opposite to what we said earlier. In fact, if the hour of the night at which the Savior was resurrected is unknown, then why is it written that He rose “in the morning”? But this expression will not seem at all contradictory if we read it judiciously. The expression “resurrected” must be completely separated and then continued: “on the morning of the first Saturday he appeared before Mary Magdalene,” so that the word “resurrected” refers, according to Matthew, to an earlier time, and the expression “the morning” refers to the former appearance of Mary, who first with another Maria and then alone again saw the Lord, for “morning” embraces all the time that occurs after the roosters crow. And since there were four times, and the same number of parishes and wives to the tomb, the Holy Spirit arranged things in such a way that each Evangelist described a separate moment in time. The Evangelist Matthew mentioned those who came to the tomb on Saturday evening, and about the descent from heaven of one angel who rolled away the stone; John wrote how Mary came alone in the darkness before dawn and saw two angels in the tomb; Luke - about others who came around dawn. And Mark speaks of another who came when the sun rose, along with some who had already been at the tomb; and they saw two men appearing to them, and these saw one young man sitting on the right side. But all the evangelists reported that the angels were dressed in white robes. So, if someone combines what was written by each individual according to the order of times, he can establish complete agreement and compose one whole narrative, as if he were describing everything by one, and not by many. And in fact, if everyone mentioned the same coming of the women, that it happened at one point in time, and said that the same angels appeared, or, speaking of the same phenomenon, said that it happened at different times, then such a narrative could be accused of contradiction. But if the times are different, and the persons who appeared are not the same (since God wanted to arouse faith in the incredible miracle of the resurrection in many ways), and what one missed was reported by another Evangelist in the narrative: then such a narrative, of course, is free from any reproach. The Gospel mentions many Marys; their number should be determined by three, which John counts together, saying: And His Mother stood at the cross of Jesus, and His mother’s sister, Mary of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25). Mary of Jacob and the matter of Josiah called by other evangelists (Mark 15:40) was the Mother of God, and not another. Providence arranged it in such a way that the Divine birth was hidden, and it was not announced to the bloodthirsty Jews that the Virgin conceived from the Holy Spirit around the time when it was necessary to lead Her to the marriage bed. The Scripture says that both Her husband and the father of Jesus were called Joseph; This is how the Mother of God was called and considered the mother of Josiah and Jacob, the sons of Joseph the Treemaker from his first marriage, who were left as children from his deceased wife. Of course, the Jews spoke about this, blaspheming the Savior: is this not the son of Tekton? Is not His mother called Miriam, and His brothers, Jacob, and Josiah, and Simon, and Judah (Matthew 13:55)? And therefore John, who freely wrote the Divine narrative, called the One who stood at the cross the Matter of Jesus, as it really was; the other evangelists, who did a lot of house-building for a certain purpose, called Her the matter of Jacob and Josiah (for these were the first and famous sons of Joseph). This also clearly shows that, thanks to such a dispensation and the opinion that arose from this, Mary could safely be present at the saving passion: since if the people had known that She was a Virgin, then She would probably have died at the hands of the evil Jews. The evangelists call it the matter of only one of the sons of Joseph, Mary of Jacob or Mary of Joseph. Mark called Her the matter of Josiah, and Jacob the small (since there was another Jacob - Alpheus, the great, numbered among the twelve apostles, while the small one was not among them). Someone, not without reason, can doubt how the Savior, promising the disciples (and through the angels and Himself) to appear to them in Galilee, also appeared in Jerusalem in order to fulfill what he promised. For, according to the Evangelist Luke, on the very day of the resurrection the eleven gathered together, and according to the Evangelist John, both on this and on the eighth day He gave the appearance, standing in the middle and speaking; “Peace be with you,” and even allowing Thomas to touch himself (John 20:27). But this only shows the wealth of generosity and love for mankind, for the Lord did not say: “Only in Galilee will they see Me”; and, having appeared in Jerusalem, He did not refuse to appear in Galilee, as He had promised. The Savior also appeared in Jerusalem to those who locked themselves in the house for fear of the Jews and needed His presence; and he fulfilled his promise, also appearing in Galilee: both were completely humane and in accordance with the truth. What was said by St. Matthew, namely, that the apostles go to Galilee, where they will see Him, has some mysterious and great meaning. And truly, since Christ had to appear to them often, the words of His promise refer to one, as especially important, His appearance on the mountain: because at this time, when they came and worshiped Him, some doubted, He with the full power of Divine majesty said to them: all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). For what He had by nature as God, that (it is said of Him) He received as man, having become one according to the economy - why He also says: Thou, Father, glorify Me with thee with the glory which I had with thee, before the world was not (John 17:5). And then He adds the words by which the apostles had to grasp the whole universe, and in which the whole sacrament of piety consists: go and teach all tongues, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: more often than not, they shall keep all the holy commandments unto you; also adds that on which the fulfillment of these words depends; and lo I am with you all the days to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19–20). Therefore, the Savior says: “Tell my brethren, so that they may go to Galilee, and there they will see Me” (Mark 16:7). Looking at this phenomenon as a special phenomenon, He even more predicted for them in other words, not recorded in the Gospels, because if it had not been so, then Matthew would not have said: “And ten disciples went into Galilee, into a mountain, even as Jesus commanded them” (Matthew 28:17), while in the Gospels Jesus never promised to appear to them on the mountain. For before this appearance, which occurred on the mountain, He appeared at the Sea of ​​Tiberias to seven who were together, that is, Peter, Thomas, Nathanael and the sons of Zebedee with two other disciples, as John recorded it (John 20:8). But the words: “there they will see Me” referred to the mountain, even as Jesus commanded them in words filled with Divine majesty: go and teach all tongues, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And not without purpose, it seems, on Mount Galilee, and not anywhere else, these words were spoken, for “Galilee” means “rolled down” (hence “Galgal” means “wheel”); So, these words spoken from the lips of the Savior rolled throughout the entire universe, like a wheel from a high mountain, and all nations and kingdoms were baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, having heard these words, the disciples did not immediately go to any people, but remained until Pentecost in Jerusalem, waiting for the appearance of the Holy Spirit, which descended on them in the form of tongues of fire. When the Lord appeared to them for forty days and gathered them together, as St. Luke at the beginning of the book of Acts, then commanded and commanded them the following: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (says) from Me: just as John baptized with water, but you must be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). And very well the Lord commanded them “not to leave” Jerusalem (that is, not to leave for a long time and not to go far), and did not say that they should not leave Jerusalem at all (and how would the One who commanded them to go to Galilee tell them this?). And what is said at the end of the Gospel of Luke: and when He had blessed them, He departed from them and ascended into heaven (Luke 24:51), and what is written in Mark: But the Lord, when He spoke to them, was ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God (Mk. 16:19), - it must be thought that it happened on the fortieth day, according to what is conveyed in the Acts, for they set forth and explain in more detail what is briefly stated in the Gospels. This is what is contained in the Gospel readings of the Lord's Night, which can confuse the ignorant, and which, as a duty, we have conveyed to you... May God give us the strength to shun evil and do good, according to the grace and love of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, to Him be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen 211. Curs. Compl. Patrblog. Migne, series graeca, vol. XLVI, col. 629–650; cp. “The Triumphant” (IX century) – handicraft. Moscow. Synod. Library (284–CCLXXI) l. l. 304–313. You might be interested in: