Words for Holy Easter

“The Word for Holy Pascha” consists of the following sermons by St. Gregory of Nyssa, in which he reveals the doctrine of the salvation of people: 1. “On the three-day stay of our Lord Jesus Christ between death and resurrection” (“The 1st Sermon on the Resurrection of Christ”). The sermon was delivered on Easter 382. In particular, it talks about the descent of Christ into hell and the liberation of people from the power of the devil. St. Gregory first defines the educational significance of the Old Testament events and the gracious power of the new covenant, and at the same time explains the relation of the immeasurable omnipotence of God to a certain period of time in cleansing the world from evils. 2. “On Holy Easter” (“The 3rd Sermon on the Resurrection of Christ”). The sermon was delivered on Easter 379 and is connected with the previously written treatise “On the Constitution of Man.” St. Gregory defines the relationship of the Savior's resurrection to human salvation, speaks of the final resurrection of all people for a new life, and resolves various objections that were then raised against the possibility and reality of a future resurrection. 3. “On the holy and saving Easter” (“Homily 4 on the Resurrection of Christ”). The essence of the sermon lies in the comparison of two opposing facts: the fall with all its consequences and the rise to new life with the risen Christ. *The title of the work in Greek is Λόϒος εἰς τὸ ἅϒιον Πάσχα. *The title of the work in Latin is In sanctum pascha. Contents About the three-day stay of our Lord Jesus Christ between death and resurrection (“1st Sermon on the Resurrection of Christ”) For Holy Easter (“3rd Sermon on the Resurrection of Christ”) On the holy and saving Easter (“4th Sermon on the Resurrection of Christ”) About the three-day stay of our Lord Jesus Christ between death and resurrection (“1st Sermon on the Resurrection of Christ”) If any blessing given to the patriarchs by the Divine Spirit was confirmed, if any good promised by spiritual legislation is expected by those who fulfill it, if in the mysterious events of (Sacred) history some destined truth is discerned by faith, if any prophetic voice preached about the supernatural; then all this is a work of real grace. And as in the spectacle before our eyes, our eyes are illuminated by one light, united from countless lamps; so the whole blessing of Christ, shining in itself, like a flame, sheds upon us this great light, merging from the many and varied rays of Scripture. For from each of the divinely inspired instructions one can borrow something suitable for a real celebration. Will you ask about the meaning of Abraham's blessing? (Gen. 26:4). You will find what you are looking for by looking at the present. Do you see the stars of heaven - I’m talking about the stars that shone beautifully from our Father and made the Church the whole sky - about the stars, the grace from which, illuminating the soul, means the rays of lamps? And he who calls them in truth the children of Abraham, born to him according to the promise, like the stars of heaven, will not sin against the truth. Do you marvel at the exalted Moses, who with the power of knowledge declared all of God’s creation? Here is the blessed Saturday of the first peacemaking. Through that Sabbath, know this Sabbath, the day of rest, which God blessed above other days. For in it the Only Begotten God truly rested from all his deeds, having been the sabbath of the flesh through the providential acceptance of death, and having ascended again to where he was, by resurrection he raised with himself all that lay, having become life, and resurrection, and east, and day for those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death (Is. 9:2). (Sacred) History is full of (examples of) such blessings. Isaac's father does not spare this beloved; the only begotten is made an offering and a sacrifice, and in his place a lamb is slain (Gen. 22:1-13): in this story one can see the whole mystery of piety. The lamb is caught on a tree, "held by its horns"; the only-begotten bears the wood for the burnt offering for himself: do you see how he who bears everything with the “verb of power” Himself carries the burden of our wood (i.e., sins), and is perceived by the tree, carried as God, and lifted up as the Lamb? Thus, the Holy Spirit figuratively divided the great sacrament between both - the beloved son and together the indicated lamb, in order to show in the lamb the sacrament of death, and in the only begotten - life indestructible by death. If you want to take Moses himself, raising his hands to represent the cross and with this sign putting Amalek to flight (Ex. 17:11-13), then you can see the implementation of this image, and Amalek – submitting to the cross. You also have Isaiah, who brings you no little to clarify true grace. For from him you were taught about the brideless Mother, about the fatherless flesh, about the painless illness of giving birth, about the undefiled birth. This is what the prophet says: “Behold, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, as it is said: God is with us” (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23). As for the fact that childbirth was painless, then first find out that this was how it should have been. Since all pleasure is connected with suffering, it is absolutely necessary that when of (these) two inseparably conceivable states, one is not there, there is no other; therefore, where passionate pleasure did not precede birth, illness (birth) did not follow. Then this thought is confirmed by the prophetic word, saying this: “before the work of labor suffers from stomach pain, you will avoid and give birth to the male sex” (Is. 66:7); or, as another interpreter said, before she suffered from childbirth, she gave birth. From this, says the prophet, Virgin Mother, “A Son was born unto us, and was given unto us, whose principality was upon his frame: great was the counsel of the Angel,” and so on (Is. 9:6). As a child, this son “is led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearers is silent” (Isaiah 53:7), or better yet, as Jeremiah said, “like a lamb, kindly led to the slaughter” (Jeremiah 11:19). He is the “bread” into which the enemies of bread and wood “put wood” (Jer. 11:19). We receive the most obvious and clear indication from the prophet, through whom the sacrament was clearly written - I’m talking about Jonah, who hid harmlessly in a whale and came out of the whale without illness, and for three days and the same number of nights (spent) in the entrails of the whale, who prescribed the Lord’s stay in hell (Jon. 2:1-11). This and the like should be sought out and selected from every book of Scripture; for you see all this in the present. At this bright festival, “all the law and the prophets hang” (i.e., they are confirmed), as the Gospel says nowhere (Matthew 22:40), and every divinely inspired word and law, according to the word of Paul, is accomplished in this grace (2 Tim. 3:16). For here is the end of suffering and the beginning of blessings. I will say, for example, “royal death from Adam, having received the beginning of corruptive power; but her evil power continued until Moses” (Rom. 5:14), and the law did not at all curb the evil power of death. The kingdom of life has come, and the kingdom of death has collapsed; another birth appeared, another life, another way of life, the transformation of our very nature. This birth “was not born of blood, nor of carnal lust, nor of man’s lust, but was born of God” (John 1:13). How is this possible? I will clearly express and present this grace to you. This fruit is born by faith, brought into the world by the rebirth of baptism; his nurse is the Church, breasts, instructions; food, bread from above; fulfillment of age, – high life; marriage is cohabitation with wisdom; children - hope; houses, - kingdom; inheritance and wealth - pleasure in paradise, the end - instead of death, eternal life in the bliss ahead of the saints. And the great Zechariah sees this beginning of a change for the better and doubts the naming of the name: what should true grace be properly called; because, listing other miracles related to suffering, he also says about this time that it is “neither day nor night” (Zech. 14:7), thereby showing that it cannot be called day; because there is no sun, and there is no night; because there is no darkness; for as Moses says: “God... calls this night” (Gen. 1:5). So, since the time is night; in the world - day; then the prophet said: “neither day nor night.” If this time, according to the word of the prophet, is not night, then real grace is called and is something completely different in comparison with this. Would you like to tell me what came to my mind? “This is the day, the Lord made it” (Psalm 117:24), it is different, different from the days created in the beginning (Gen. 1:5). For on this day the Lord creates new heavens and a new earth, as the prophet says (Isa. 65:17). What sky? Firmament of faith in Christ. What land? That is, a good heart, as the Lord said, is a land that drinks the rain that falls on it and bears abundant ears of fruit (Heb. 6:7). In this creation, the sun is pure life, the stars are virtues, the air is bright social activity; the sea - the depth of the wealth of wisdom and knowledge, grass and vegetation - good teaching and divine dogmas, on which the people of the flock, that is, the flock of God, graze; fruitful trees - fulfillment of the commandments. In this creation, true man is created, in the image and likeness of God. Doesn’t this beginning seem to you like a new world, “the day the Lord has made” (Ps. 117:24), is the day about which the prophet Zechariah speaks, that it is neither a day compared to other days, nor a night compared to other nights? But our word has not yet announced the most excellent thing about real grace. She destroyed mortal sorrow; she brought forth the firstborn from the dead; with it the iron gates of death have been crushed; it destroyed the copper locks of hell. Now the prison of death is opened; now liberation is proclaimed to the captives; now the blind are given sight; Now those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death are visited by the East from above (Luke 1:58; Isaiah 9:2). Would you like to know anything about the three-day period? It is enough to know only that for the omnipotent Wisdom that was in the heart of the earth, for the Lord, such a short period of time was enough for that great mind that dwells in it to become muddled; for this is what the prophet calls him, calling him a great mind and prince of Assyria (Is. 10:12). So, since the heart is a kind of dwelling of the mind: for in the heart, as they think, resides the ruling power of the soul; therefore, the Lord descends into the heart of the earth, which replaces the heavenly dwelling for this mind, in order to make his advice foolish, as the prophet says (Is. 19:11), to catch the wise man in his deceit and to turn his crafty enterprises against his worthlessness (Job 5:12-13). It was impossible for the leader of darkness to approach the pure light that had come if he had not seen some part of the flesh in it; therefore, as soon as he saw the God-bearing body, and at the same time he saw the miracles performed by the Divine himself, he had the hope that if through death he mastered the flesh, he would also master all the power found in it. And therefore, having swallowed the bait of the flesh, he is pierced by the milk of the deity, and thus the serpent is brought by the milk, as Job said, who foretold what was to happen through him, saying: “Will you bring out the serpent with the fish” (Job 40:20). Let us listen to the prophet what the very heart of the earth was plotting against the universe when it opened its mouth on the Lord’s flesh. What does Isaiah tell him to rebuke him? “You advertise... in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of heaven... and I will be like the Most High” (Is. 14:13-14). This is how the evil heart planned for itself. And as before this great mind in evil, the evil Assyrian, reasoned with himself, about this again let us listen to the words of Isaiah: “This is what I say: with the strength of my hand I will create, and with the wisdom of my understanding I will take away the ends of tongues, and the power of their captivity, and I will shake the inhabited cities, and the whole world with my hand, like a nest, and like an abandoned egg. I will, and there is no one who will run away from me or speak against me” (Is. 10:13-14). With such hope he accepts into himself the One who, out of love for mankind, descended to the depths of the earth. And what happened to him instead of what he hoped for, the prophecy clearly tells about this, speaking about his suffering: “as the star fell from heaven... crushing on the earth,” the one to whom “rottenness” was laid, whose clothing was a covering of worms (Is. 14:11-12), and so on, what is said about his death, which anyone can learn with accuracy from the scriptures themselves; I need to turn again to the purpose of the word. For this reason, true Wisdom visits this eloquent heart of the earth, in order to destroy the mind great in evil in it and enlighten the darkness; so that the mortal will be swallowed up by life, and evil will turn into insignificance, after the destruction of the last enemy, which is death (1 Cor. 15:26). This is what has been accomplished for you in three days. Isn't grace slow? Was it not in a very long time that such a good thing was accomplished? – Do you want to know the power of the force that has accomplished (so much) in such a short time? Count me all the passing generations of people, (starting) from the first appearance of evil (in the world) until its destruction: how many people are in each generation and how many thousands can you count them? It is not possible to enumerate in number the multitudes in which evil has spread through succession; the evil wealth of vice, shared by each of them, increased by each, and thus the fertile evil passed on to continuously successive generations, spreading over many people to infinity, until, having reached the very extreme limit, it took possession of all human nature, as the prophet directly said about everyone in general: “everyone has turned aside, and together there were no keys” (Psalm 13:3), and there was nothing in existence, which would not be an instrument of evil. So, having destroyed in three days such an accumulation of evil, which had been gathering from the creation of the world until the completion of our salvation through the death of the Lord, has this really given you little proof of superior power? Is it not stronger than all the miracles (mentioned) in the sacred narratives? For Samson’s miracle is especially great because he not only defeated the lion, but also easily killed it with his bare and unarmed hands, as if jokingly tearing the beast apart; so the fact that the Lord destroyed such evil without any difficulty is the strongest proof of his excellent power. Not streams of immeasurable waters falling down from the upper rapids, nor abysses that overflow their own borders and flood the earth with seas, hiding the entire universe in the depths of the waters, like a ship with people, making underwater mountains and flooding the tops of mountains, nor streams of flame in the likeness of Sodom, purifying the corrupt with fire, nor anything else similar, but one simple and incomprehensible coming Life and the presence of Light for those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death produced the complete disappearance and destruction of darkness and death. Is there anything else to add to what has been said? Evil originated in the serpent; the woman was overcome by the temptation of the serpent; after that the husband is defeated by the wife; evil came into being through three. Why do I remember this? From the order in evil one can understand a certain order of good. I notice these three vessels of evil: the first, in which (evil) was first formed; the second, into which it passed; the third, in which it grew after. So since evil has spread in these three (vessels), that is, in the devilish nature, in the female sex, and in the totality of men; therefore, the disease is destroyed accordingly in three days; each clan of those sick with evil is given one day for healing: on one day the men are freed from the disease; in the other, the female gender is treated; in the latter, the last enemy is abolished - death and along with him his companions are destroyed: the principles, powers and forces of hostile and superior forces (evil). Do not be surprised that the creation of good is separated by time intervals. For even at the first creation of the world, the divine power was not weak in order to complete everything that exists in an instant; but despite this, during the creation of existing things, it determined the existence of temporary intervals. And as it happens, on the first day a part of creation was completed, and on the second - another, and then, in order, in the same way, everything that existed was completed, so that on certain days God brought order to the entire creation; so here too, according to the unspoken thought of his wisdom, in three days evil is expelled from existing things - from husbands, from wives and from the genus of serpents, in whom the nature of evil first came into being. However, about the reason for the number of days we only assume this; whether this is true or not, we will leave it to the judgment of the listeners; for (our) word is not a decision, but an exercise and research. If you want to know exactly the specific period of these days of suffering (for the number will not be enough if you begin to count the time from the ninth hour of Friday, on which (the Lord) gave up the spirit into the hands of the Father); then slow down a little, and maybe the word will explain this to you. What word? Turn your gaze to the greatness of divine power, and you will know what you are asking about here. Remember the saying of the Lord that He declares Himself to have power over everything, as by autocratic power, and not by natural necessity He separates the soul from the body. He says: “No one will take it from Me, but I set it about Myself: the Imam will lay down the area, and the Imam will again accept the area.” (John 10:18). As soon as this is firmly known to me, then what I am looking for becomes clear. For the Ruler of all with sovereign autocracy does not expect coercion (to suffering) from betrayal, does not expect the predatory attack of the Jews, nor the lawless court of Pilate, so that their malice would be the beginning and cause of the general salvation of people; but by his house-building he himself prevents their onset in a way of sacred rites ineffable and unseen by people, offering himself as an offering and sacrifice for us, being at the same time a priest and a lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world. When is this? When He offered His poisoned body for food, He clearly showed that the sacrifice of the lamb had already been completed. For the sacrificial body would not be suitable for eating if it were still animated. So, when (the Lord) gave the disciples a body to eat and blood to drink, then by the free power of the House-Builder of the sacrament, His body was ineffably and invisibly sacrificed, and the soul was in those places where the power of the House-Builder carried it, together with the divine power united with it; she walked around this country in the heart (of the earth). So, one who counts the time from the hour when a sacrifice was made to God by the great Bishop, who unspokenly and invisibly sacrificed Himself as a lamb for common sin, will not sin against the truth. For it was evening when this sacred and holy body was eaten. This evening was followed by the night before Friday. Next, the day of Friday, cut by the opening night, is divided into one night and two days. For if God “called darkness night” (Gen. 1:5), and for three hours there was darkness throughout the entire universe, then this darkness is the night that newly divided the day in the middle, delimiting two sections of the day, one from dawn to the sixth hour, the other from the ninth (hour) to the evening. Thus until now there were two days and two nights. Further, the night before the Sabbath and the day of the Sabbath with it, you have three nights. Finally, examine the time of resurrection, and you will find the truth of what was said. When did the resurrection occur? “On the Sabbath evening,” proclaims Matthew (Matthew 28:1). So this is the (very) hour of resurrection according to the voice of the Angel. This is the limit of the Lord's presence in the heart of the earth. For when it was already deep evening, which began the night that followed the first of the (after) Sabbath days; then there was an earthquake; then the Angel, shining with robes, rolled away the gravestone. And the women who rose shortly before morning, when daylight was already appearing, so that some of the radiance of the rising sun was also visible, announced the resurrection that had already taken place; They learned about the miracle, but the hour was not revealed to them. For the Angel told them that the Lord had risen, but when, he did not add to his word. But the great Matthew, one of all the Evangelists, accurately indicated the time, saying that Saturday evening was the hour of resurrection. If so, then the deadline according to our calculation has been met when we count from the evening of Thursday to the evening of Saturday, inserting, as said, the night dividing Friday into two days and one night. For it was fitting for the One who rules over the very age with His power, so that His deeds should not necessarily conform to the measures established for time, but that the measures of time should be divided according to a new order in accordance with the needs of existence, and so that when the divine power accomplishes a good deed in the shortest possible time, the measures of time would be shortened. In this way, no less than three days and the same number of nights passed (because this number is required by a mysterious and unspeakable reason) - and the divine power, in waiting for the usual intervals of days and nights, did not encounter any obstacle to the speed of action. For He who had the power to lay down his soul on himself and to take it again when he wanted, as the Creator of centuries, had the power in his affairs not to be subject to time, but to arrange time in accordance with his affairs. But the word has not yet touched on the most important issue. It is natural for the more inquisitive to ask: how could the Lord be in these three at the same time: in the heart of the earth, in paradise with the thief, and in the hands of the Father. For He says to the Pharisees: “As Jonah was in the belly of the whale..., so will the Son of man be in the hearts of the earth” over the course of three days (Matthew 12:40); to the thief: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43); To the Father: “In Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46). But there is no heaven in the underworld, nor is there any underworld in heaven, so that at the same time one could be in both, or call them the hands of the Father. For those who think piously, this may not even merit investigation. For He who exists everywhere by divine power is present everywhere, and does not withdraw from anything. While studying this subject, I came to another thought, which I will briefly outline for those of you who are interested. When the Holy Spirit descended on the Virgin and the power of the Most High overshadowed her (Lk. 1:35), in order to form in it a new man (because he is called new, because he was created according to God, and not according to human custom), in order to be a receptacle for God not made with hands (for the Most High “does not live in churches made with hands, that is, not prepared by men” (Acts 17:24): then, at the same time, the house was built by Wisdom itself (Prov. 9, 1) and the overshadowing of the Force, as if by imposing a seal from within, its formation was completed, the divine power is united with both component parts of human nature, that is, with the soul and the body, correspondingly combining with both. to drive out death by the admixture of life. So, after the union of the Divinity with each of the parts of man, clear signs of an all-transcending nature appeared in both. For the body revealed the Divinity (located) in it, performing healings through touch, the soul showed divine power through its powerful will. For just as the body is characterized by sensation through touch, so the soul is characterized by movement through will. The leper arrives, already decaying and no longer in control of his body; How is he healed by the Lord? The soul desires, the body touches. And the disease is driven out in one way or another. For immediately, as it is written, “his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:3) 1. Again, He does not want to let go hungry the many thousands who were with Him in the wilderness, but He breaks the bread with His hands. You see how the Divinity, co-present in both (parts), is revealed in each - in the body by action, in the soul by the desire of its will. And what is the need to list the miracles themselves, all performed in a similar way, and burden the word with what is known? I’ll move on to why I mentioned what was said. How was the Lord in hell and heaven at the same time? There is one solution to this question: there is nothing inaccessible to God, “all things will take place in him” (Col. 1:17). The other is the one to which our word now tends: since God changed (μετασκευάσαντος) all (perceived by him) man into the divine nature through union with him; even during the suffering of the economy, he did not retreat from any of the parts with which he had once united: “unrepentant for the gifts” of God (Rom. 11:29). Although the Deity voluntarily separated the soul from the body, it showed that it abides in both. For with a body that did not accept the corruption of death, it crushed him who had the power of death (Heb. 2:14); the soul opened the entrance to paradise for the thief: both are done at the same time and the deity accomplishes good through one and the other (parts of man): through the incorruptibility of the body, it destroys death, and through the soul, ascending to its own home, it returns people to paradise. So since the human composition is dual, but the Divine nature is simple and uniform; then even during the separation of the body from the soul, the indivisible is not separated along with the complex; but on the contrary remains the same. For by the unity of the Divine nature, equally present in both body and soul, the scattered are again united together. And thus death comes from the separation of the united, but resurrection comes from the union of the divided. If you ask how, being in paradise, the Lord gives Himself into the hands of the Father, then the great Isaiah will explain to you what you are looking for. For on behalf of God he says about heavenly Jerusalem, which, as we believe, is nothing other than paradise: “Behold, your walls are written on my hands” (Is. 49:16). So, if Jerusalem, which is paradise, is written in the hands of the Father, then it is clear that he who has entered paradise completely dwells in the hands of the Fathers, on which the divine city also has (its) mark. Enough about that. It is worth briefly mentioning what we hear from the Jews, who strongly attack (our) dogma with their accusations. They say that in the decree of Passover, the Jews were commanded by Moses not only to celebrate the fourteenth period of the lunar course, but also to eat unleavened bread for seven days, and to make seasoning for unleavened bread from bitter herbs. So, says the Jew, if you observe the fourteenth day so carefully, then at the same time keep bitter herbs and unleavened bread; If this can be neglected, then why bother about celebrating that day? For the same legislator cannot consider one thing to be fair and beneficial to the soul, and another to be unhelpful and deserving of rejection; so it is necessary either for us to fulfill everything commanded about Easter, or not to adhere to anything. What shall we say? Let us remember that the Lord taught us not to be afraid of reproach from people and not to be embarrassed by their reproach (Matthew 5:11). We know the spiritual benefits of keeping unleavened bread, the benefits of bitter herbs and the fourteenth day. And in what sense, let us briefly consider. The law “a shadow of good things to come” (Heb. 10:1) primarily has one goal in mind - as if, through various decrees, to cleanse a person from the evil mixed in with him. This is fulfilled in circumcision, in the Sabbath, in the observation of food, in various animal sacrifices, in the observance of every (precept) of the law. And it would take a long time to explain with accuracy everything that the law in particular indicates to us in a fortune-telling way regarding the purification of life. Therefore, just as through circumcision, performed spiritually, nature puts aside passion, being truncated in the fleshly life; how through subservience she learns not to do evil; just as the slaughter of animals tempers passions, and the legal separation of unclean foodstuffs encourages you to alienate yourself from a dirty and unclean life: so this very holiday points you to that holiday for which the soul is prepared through unleavened bread, during seven days of abstinence from eating leavened bread. The meaning of these (days) is this: the seven-day number points you to this transitory time, which returns weekly, when you must take care that on the coming day you do not retain any remnant of yesterday’s malice, so that the (admixture of) the malice of the past day does not produce any kvass or acid in today’s mixture. “Let not the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26), says the Apostle, who commands the celebration “not with the leaven of wickedness, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but without the leaven of purity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). And what we have learned about one type of malice, as we know, applies to other types of it. As for the use of bitter herbs, bitterness drives out corruption and licentiousness in life, but on the contrary introduces a life of abstinence, strict and unpleasant for the senses; since “every punishment at this time is not thought to be joyful, but sorrowful” (Heb. 12:11). So, whoever, throughout the entire week of this life, always spends the present day without the admixture and leaven of old malice, making abstinence the seasoning of life, he removes from himself every admixture of darkness. This is indicated by the fourteenth (day) of the lunar course. since the circle of the moon consists of twenty-nine days and a half, in which the moon, having reached fullness from the new moon through growth, again through damage reaches the complete disappearance of light; then it is clear that half of the number mentioned is the fourteenth day and a little more. The moon then appears in such a form that, having completed its characteristic course throughout the night, it continues its rotation for some more time, and full of light mixes its radiance with the light of the day's rays, so that neither in the evening nor in the morning does any interval of darkness cut through the continuity of light and, despite the continuity of day and night, the light is not divided (by darkness). For before the sun's ray completely disappears on the opposite side, that hour the moon appears and illuminates the earth with its light; and again, before its circle completely goes beyond the horizon, the daylight mixes with the remnants of the moonlight. Thus, on this day of the full moon, darkness is destroyed and the morning and evening are illuminated by the succession of the luminaries. So, what happens to the sensory light on the fourteenth day, when the admixture of darkness is not allowed throughout the whole night and day, the spiritual law wants to make it a symbol for those who celebrate spiritually, so that they make the entire week of life, the entire time of their lives, one bright and unclouded Easter. This is the meaning of the Easter instructions for Christians. For this reason, we observe the fourteenth day, through this sensory and material light, ascending to the representation of the immaterial and mental; so that apparently we pay attention to the full moon, illuminating us with sufficient light throughout the night, but in fact we see here the law for us which consists in observing that all the time, measured by night and day, is continuously light and free from an admixture of dark affairs. And that's enough about that. And all those thoughts to which the cross leads us, through which the sacrament of suffering was accomplished, can anyone easily explain it in words? For were there not countless ways leading to death, through which the dispensation for us could be fulfilled by death? But of all (types of death), this one is assigned to autocracy, having determined suffering for Himself. For “befits the Son of man” (Mark 8:31). He did not say, the Son of Man will endure this and that, as if someone simply said, predicting what he was talking about; but he claims that this must happen for some ineffable reason, saying that “it is fitting for the Son of man to suffer much, and to be tempted..., and to be killed, and to rise on the third day” (Mark 8:31). Understand with me the meaning of the word appropriate, from which it is decisively revealed that suffering could not have been accomplished otherwise than through the cross. What is the reason for this? One great Paul, taught by the ineffable verbs that he, initiated into the mysteries of paradise, heard there, tends to understand this mystery, as in his words to the Ephesians he partly gives insight into the hidden, saying: “That you may be able to understand with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and understand the love of Christ that surpasses understanding, so that you may be filled to all fulfillment.” God" (Eph. 3:18-19). For it was not in vain that the divine eye of the Apostle mentally saw (here) the image of the cross; but through this (the Apostle) clearly showed; that everyone, having cast away the scales of ignorance from his eyes, will clearly see the truth itself. For he knew that the image of the cross, representing four protrusions connected in the middle, denotes the all-extending power and providence of the One who appeared on it; and therefore he gives each protrusion a distinctive name: by depth he calls that which goes down from the middle, by height that which is above, and by breadth and longitude that which extends across on both sides of the connection, so that (the part) on that side of the middle is called latitude, and on the other side - longitude. Through this, it seems to me, the word clearly indicates that there is nothing existing that is not possessed by the Divine nature - both heavenly and underground, and extending from everywhere in the middle to the limits of existence. For by height is meant what is above, by depth is signified what is underground, by longitude and breadth is everything that is in the middle and that is held together by the governing force. Let the proof of what has been said be what happens in your soul when you think about God. For look at the sky, imagine in your mind the depths of the earth, stretch your thought to the breadth and to the limits of everything that exists, and think about the power that contains all this, serving as a kind of connection of everything - and you will see how the thought of divine power itself draws in your mind the image of the cross, from the heavenly descending into the abyss and stretching across to the extreme limits. This image (of the cross) was also sung by the great David, speaking of himself: “Where shall I go from Thy Spirit? and will I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend into heaven,” this is the height; “If I go down to hell” - this is the depth; “If I take my wings early” (of course, the sunny east), this is the latitude; if “I dwell in the last of the seas” (as he calls the west), this is the longitude (Psalm 139:7-9). Do you see how he paints the image of the cross with words? You, he says, permeate everything, you connect everything that exists and embrace all ends with You, You are on the mountain, You are present below, Your hand is present at this end, and Your right hand shows the way at the other. Therefore, the great Apostle says that when everything is filled with faith and knowledge, then He who is above every name will receive worship in the name of Jesus Christ from “those in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil. 2:10). Again here, in accordance with the image of the cross, (the Apostle) shares the worship of the cross. For the supermundane region in the upper part of the cross renders worship to the Lord, the worldly part in the middle, and the underworld corresponds to the lower part (of the cross). The same thing, in my opinion, means “iota” in conjunction with “line”, which turns out to be harder than the sky, more constant than the earth and stronger than the entire composition of existence. Heaven and earth pass by (Matt. 24:35) and the image of the whole world “passes away” (1 Cor. 7:32); “one jot” is from the law “and the line shall not pass” (Matthew 5:18). A line lowered to the bottom, descending from top to bottom, is called “iota”, and a line drawn longitudinally across is called “line”, as this can be learned from sailors; because the tree lying across the mast on which the sail is unfurled is called a line (κεραία), calling it by its appearance. Therefore, it seems to me that the divine words of the Gospel, under the image of the cross, are meant, fortune-telling and as if in a mirror, to indicate that in which everything has existence, that which is more eternal than what is contained in it, and the power of which preserves all that exists. This is why he says that it is fitting for the Son of Man to not just die, but to be “crucified,” so that for those who are more discerning, the cross would be a theologian, through (its) image proclaiming the omnipotent power of Him who appeared on it and who is all in all. Let us not remain silent, brothers, about the noble adviser, Joseph of Arimathea, who took the body of the Lord, a pure and holy gift, wrapped it in a clean shroud and laid it in a clean tomb. Let the work of this noble adviser be a law for us, so that we, in the same way, when we accept this gift of the body, do not advise ourselves to accept (it) in the defiled shroud of conscience and place it in the tomb of the heart, stinking from dead bones and all uncleanness. But, as the Apostle says, let everyone examine himself, so that grace will not be condemned unworthy of the one who receives it (1 Cor. 11:28-29). But as I say this, I suddenly feel struck by the Angel’s luminous robe, and my heart is shaken with joy by the longed-for earthquake, which rolls away the heavy stone of the human tomb, opening the door of resurrection to everyone. Let us also flow to this spectacle of an extraordinary miracle. For the Sabbath is already past, let us not be left behind the women. Let there be aromas in our hands: faith and conscience; for it is the fragrance of Christ. Let us no longer seek the living with the dead, for the Lord rejects the one who seeks in this way, saying: “Do not touch Me” (John 20:17); but when I ascend to the Father, then you can touch. Let us listen to what the wife also preaches, who by faith warned her husband and did it well, so that by foregoing good she would be justified in causing evil. What does the wife preach? Truly “neither of man nor by man, but by Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:1). For listen, says the myrrh-bearer, what the Lord commanded us to say to you, whom He calls his brothers: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17). O wonderful and good news! He who became like us for us, so that, being akin to us, would make us His brothers, brings His humanity to the true Father, so that with Himself we would attract all that is akin to us, so that in the future no one would reproach us that we served “not according to nature gods” (Gal. 4:8), because we were again brought to the living and true God, and so that we would not be rejected and deprived of our fatherly inheritance, having followed through adoption for the Son. He who through the incarnation made Himself the firstborn “among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29) attracted all creation, which He communed with, in the flesh He took upon Himself. But whereas before Easter unleavened bread was seasoned with bitterness, we see that after the resurrection the bread is seasoned with some sweet food. Do you see, when Peter was catching fish, the bread and honeycomb were in the hands of the Lord? Think about what the bitterness of life has in store for you? So we too, having risen from the fishing of words, let us now approach the bread, sweetened with the honeycomb of good hope, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. For Holy Easter (“Homily 3 on the Resurrection of Christ”) Poor people, but loving festivals and meeting them not only with joy in their souls, but also in bright clothes, not having their own means to decorate themselves as they would like, ask for all sorts of jewelry from their relatives and friends, and thus satisfy all their needs. I am in the same position today. Not being able on my own to say anything worthy of the praises we have already heard, I will resort to the aid of the sacred song that we recently sang; I will make use of its contents, and thus fulfill my duty by adding a few of my own to the words of Scripture, if only the poor servant has at least some doxologies to express gratitude to his Lord. Recently David exclaimed, and we sang after him: “Praise the Lord, all you nations; praise Him, all you people” (Psalm 116:1). With this psalm, David calls on all people, without exception, to glorify the Lord, starting from Adam himself; whether someone lives in the west or east, or in the countries around them, whether he lives in the north or in the south, he still encourages everyone to chant. In other cases, he addresses only some people in particular, calls for example saints, or encourages youths to sing, but in the present he collects languages ​​and peoples with his psalter. And when “...,” in the words of the Apostle, “the image of this world” (1 Cor. 7:31), when Christ, the King and God, having filled every unbelieving soul with faith and stopped the lips of blasphemy, appears before everyone and puts an end to the vain teaching of the Greeks, the errors of the Jews and the unbridled idle talk of heretics; then indeed all tongues and all people who have died from time immemorial will give Him unanimous worship. Then there will be some wondrous agreement in the doxology; because the righteous will praise the Lord according to their usual custom, and sinners will propitiate as necessary. Then, truly, everyone will unanimously sing the victorious song, both the vanquished and the winners. Then the culprit of the indignation, imagining himself in the greatness of the Lord, will appear before everyone as a despised slave and will be taken away by the Angels to torment, and all accomplices and servants of his malice will be subjected to worthy punishment. There will then be one King and Judge, whom everyone will confess as their common Lord; and then there will be general silence, such as happens when the judge sits on the throne, the herald gives a sign for silence, and the people, waiting for the judge’s speech, direct both sight and hearing towards him. “Praise the Lord, all nations, praise Him, all people” (Psalm 116:1), praise him as the omnipotent, praise him as the lover of mankind. For He revived all the lost and the dead, renewed the broken vessel from the mortal remains lying in the tombs, formed, out of love for mankind, an incorruptible being, and brought the soul, separated from the body for several thousand years, again, as if after a long wandering, into its former home, which neither from time nor from oblivion had become alien to it and to which it rushed sooner than the bird flies to its nest. Let us begin to talk about subjects close to the real holiday, so that our celebration will be consistent with the essence of the holiday. It is useless, inappropriate, and strange to talk about anything extraneous and unrelated to the matter, not only in conversations about subjects of faith and piety, but also in speeches that have as their subject ordinary affairs and worldly wisdom. Wouldn't the speaker be mad and extremely funny when, having been invited to a bright wedding feast, instead of decent cheerful speeches corresponding to the joy of the holiday, he begins to sadly proclaim sad songs and sadly tell the disasters of married life described in tragedies? Or, on the contrary, when he is instructed to pay his last respects to the deceased and honor his deeds with a speech, he, not paying attention to the sad event, will rejoice and be merry in the midst of a grief-stricken meeting? If in worldly affairs it is good to observe rank and decency, then, of course, this is much more necessary when it comes to important and heavenly objects. So today Christ has risen, the passionless and immortal God. (Pagan, restrain yourself from reckless laughter for a while until you have heard everything!) He did not suffer out of necessity, did not descend from heaven under compulsion, and did not resurrect out of hope, as if this were an unexpected benefit for Him. No, He knew the end of everything at the very beginning; everything that had to happen was revealed before His Divine eyes. Even before descending from heaven, He saw the confusion of the pagans, and the bitterness of Israel, and Pilate sitting on the throne, and Caiaphas tearing his clothes, and the fury of the rebellious people, and the betrayal of Judas, and the defense of Peter, and soon after this his resurrection and transition to immortal glory. And knowing everything that had to happen, He did not change His mercy towards man, did not postpone the fulfillment of His vision for his salvation. How (magnanimous) people, at the sight of a weak person carried away by the desire of a stream, moved by compassion for the perishing person, rush into the water to save him, although they know that they too can get bogged down in the silt of the stream and suffer from stones quickly rushing through the water; so our humane Savior, in order to save the lost from deception, voluntarily endured reproach and disgrace. He descended to earth because he foresaw a glorious ascension from it; He was pleased to die as a man, because he knew in advance about his resurrection. He did not recklessly expose Himself to danger, leaving everything to the unknown of the future, as an ordinary man does, but as God, He disposed all events to a known and definite purpose. “This is the day that the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 117:24), let us rejoice not in drunkenness and gluttony, not in rejoicing and excesses, but in godly reflections. Today, the entire universe, like one family gathered for one thing, leaving ordinary affairs, as if by a given sign, turns to prayer. There are no travelers on the roads today; no sailors are visible at sea; the farmer, leaving the plow and spade, adorned himself with festive clothes; the taverns stand empty; noisy gatherings have disappeared, just as winter disappears with the advent of spring; the restlessness, confusion and storms of life were replaced by the silence of the holiday. The poor are adorned like the rich; the rich dress more splendidly than usual; the old man, like the young man, hastens to take part in the joy, and the sick man overcomes his illness; the child, having changed his clothes, celebrates sensually, because he cannot yet celebrate spiritually; the virgin rejoices in her soul because she sees the bright, solemn pledge of her hope; The mother of the family, triumphant, rejoices with all her household, and she herself, and her husband, and the children, and the servants and members of the household, everyone is having fun. Just as a new, newly formed swarm of bees, flying out of the beehouse into the light and air for the first time, all sit together on one branch of a tree, so on a real holiday, all members of families from everywhere gather in their homes. And in truth they rightly compare the present day with the day of the future resurrection, because both gather people; only then will everyone come together, but now they are gathering in parts. As for joy and joy, in all fairness we can say that the present day is more joyful than the future: then, of necessity, those whose sins will be exposed will cry; Now, on the contrary, there are no sad people among us. Now the righteous man rejoices, and the one who has not cleared his conscience hopes to be corrected by repentance. This day eases all sorrow, and there is no person so sad who would not find consolation in the celebration of the holiday. Nowadays a prisoner is freed, a debtor is forgiven a debt, a slave receives freedom, according to the good and humane appeal of the Church, not with dishonor and strangulation, not with wounds, he is freed from wounds, as happens during popular festivals, at which slaves, exhibited on an elevated place, atone for their freedom with shame and disgrace, but is released with honor, as you yourself know; now even he who remains in slavery receives joy. Even if the slave had committed many important offenses that could neither be forgiven nor excused: and then his master, out of respect for the day, which is conducive to joy and philanthropy, accepts the rejected and disgraced one, like Pharaoh, who brought the cupbearer out of prison; for he knows that on the day of the future resurrection, in the image of which we honor the present day, he himself will have a need for the long-suffering and kindness of the Lord, and therefore, showing mercy now, expects reward on that day. You heard, gentlemen; Do not put me to shame before my slaves, as if I were falsely praising this day; take away sorrow from souls oppressed by sorrow, just as the Lord took away mortification from our body; restore honor to the disgraced, bring joy to the saddened, encourage the discouraged, bring to light those prisoners, as if in a tomb, in the dark corners of your houses; Let the beauty of the holiday bloom like a flower for everyone. If the birthday of an earthly king opens prisons, then will not the victorious day of the Resurrection of Christ console those who mourn? Poor people, accept with love this day that nourishes you! Weakened and crippled, welcome this day that heals your illnesses! It contains the hope of our resurrection, which prompts us to be zealous for virtue and hate vice; for with the destruction of the thought of the resurrection, everyone will have one dominant thought: “Let us eat and drink, and in the morning we will die” (1 Cor. 15:32). Looking at this day, the Apostle despises temporary life, ardently desires eternal life and, placing everything visible at nothing, says: “If in this life there is trust..., we are the most wretched of all men” (1 Cor. 15:19). For the sake of this day, people became heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. For the sake of this day, all parts of the body will rise intact with the resurrected person, even if they were devoured over several thousand years by carnivorous birds, or swallowed up by fish, dogs and other sea animals, even if they were destroyed by fire or became food for grave worms. In a word, all bodies that have become the prey of corruption since the beginning of the world will return from the earth safe and sound. Moreover, resurrection, as St. teaches. Paul, it will be accomplished “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52); and the blink of an eye is only the movement of the people, so that nothing can be faster than this speed. Calculating humanly, in accordance with your strength, first of all, you cannot even imagine the amount of time that is needed for the bones that have rotted and turned into earth to become as dense and even as before, to unite again and come into a decent and natural order among themselves. Then you can’t figure out how the bones will be covered with flesh and held together by extended nerves; how veins and arteries run under the skin, like thin tubes; how a countless, indescribable multitude of souls will appear from some unknown dwellings, each of which will recognize its body, like a special garment, and will immediately settle in it again, each, despite such a multitude of homogeneous spirits, will have its own distinctive characteristics. For you need to imagine all the souls and bodies, starting from Adam himself, you need to imagine that, despite so many destroyed houses and so many returning homeowners, as if from a distant wandering, everything happens surprisingly and not according to the usual. The dwelling is immediately created, and the inhabitant does not wander and does not walk back and forth, looking for his dwelling, but immediately goes to it, like a dove unerringly flies to its tower, even if there were many towers near the same place and they were similar to one another. Moreover, how can the memory of a previous life and the thought of each of its actions appear so quickly in a being that has decayed for so many centuries, while a person awakened from deep sleep does not know for some time who he is and where he is, and does not remember the most ordinary things, until wakefulness dispels his sleepiness and returns to him the activity of memory? This and the like, when it comes to the mind of many, strikes them with extreme surprise, and along with surprise penetrates their soul and unbelief. For if our mind does not find a solution to its doubts and perplexities and cannot calm its inquisitiveness with understanding, then finally, due to the weakness of its considerations, it falls into unbelief, rejecting the truth and reality of the matter itself. But now we have reached a subject that is often discussed, and which is close and proper to a real celebration. Let us dwell on it for a while and, having raised our word to a decent beginning, we will try to assure those who incorrectly doubt obvious things. The Creator of all things, desiring to create man, created him not as a despicable animal, but as a being most superior to all creatures, and made him king of all creatures under heaven. Having destined him for this purpose, He gave him wisdom and His image and adorned him with many gifts. How, after this, can one think that man is called into existence only in order to be born, die and undergo complete destruction? Such a goal is insignificant, and to attribute such an intention to God is extremely unworthy of God. This would mean likening him to children who carefully build something and immediately destroy what they have built; That is why they have no thought of any useful purpose. But we have been taught quite the opposite; we believe that God created the progenitor immortal; but when a crime and sin occurred, he was deprived of immortality as punishment for this. Then, as the source of goodness and love for mankind, he bowed down in mercy to the creation of his hands, adorned with wisdom and intelligence, and deigned to return us to our previous state. This teaching is true in itself and in accordance with the correct concept of God; That is why it testifies not only to His goodness, but also to His power. And kind and compassionate people do not remain indifferent and cruel to the creatures under their power and supervision. So the sheep shearer wants his flock to be safe and even, as it were, immortal; the one who herds oxen tries in every possible way to multiply his oxen; the steward of a herd of goats wants his goats to have many fruits; in a word: every shepherd, having some useful goal in mind, always makes sure that his flock is safe and constantly multiplies. If all this is true, and if everything that we have just said shows that it is even more fitting for the Author and Creator of the human race to restore and correct His fallen creation, then it is obvious that those who do not believe (to the future resurrection) base their opposition only on the idea that it is impossible for God to resurrect what is dead and destroyed. But, in truth, only the dead and the unconscious can think that there is something impossible and impracticable for God, and thus attribute their own weakness to the almighty majesty. To expose their madness with clear evidence, we will show from the past and present the possibility of a future that they do not believe. You have heard that man is created from earth. Explain to me, you who want to comprehend everything with your mind, explain how small, scattered dust was united into one dense body? How did the earth become flesh? How were bones, skin, fat, and hair made from the same substance? How were members formed in one body, different in appearance and properties? Why is something soft to the touch and bluish in color? Why is the liver hard and purple in color? Why is the heart compressed and the hardest part of the body, and the spleen has no density and is black, while the membrane is white and naturally woven like nets? Let us also think about how the first wife was formed from one rib and appeared as a perfect being, similar to the first perfect man? How did one member become sufficient for a complete composition and how did a small one become a whole? How did the head, and arms, and legs, and the twisted and varied internal parts, the soft body, and hair, and the eye and nose, form from the rib? But, in order not to spread too much of our word, let us briefly say that for us, weak and insignificant, everything in creation is wonderful and incomprehensible, and that for God the creation of everything, as everyone knows, did not cost any labor. After this, how can we call those sane who admit that the whole man is made up of one rib, and at the same time do not believe that he can arise again from the whole human composition? No, we cannot understand and explore the powers of Divine activity with our human thoughts. If we could understand everything, then God, the highest being, would not be superior to us. But why talk about God? In some strengths we cannot be equal to dumb animals, but we are lower than them. For example, horses, dogs and many other animals surpass us in speed, camels and mules in strength, donkeys in road knowledge, and chamois in visual acuity. Therefore, wise and prudent people believe everything spoken from God, but do not ask about the methods and reasons for His actions, since this exceeds our understanding. You can say to any of the inquisitive lovers: explain to me how everything visible came into being, tell me, with the help of what art did the Lord create such a diverse creation? If you study and understand all this, then you have the right to be perplexed and complain that, having understood the image of the original origin of things, you do not understand their future transformation. If all this seems to you like a dream and a daydream, if your knowledge is weak and imperfect everywhere, then do not complain or murmur that you, not understanding how everything was created, do not comprehend how what has decayed will be resurrected. One and the same Author of both the initial creation and the second transformation. He knows how to return his creation, which has undergone decay, to its previous state. Whether wisdom is needed for this, He has the source of wisdom. Whether power is required, He has no need for assistance or assistance. He is the One who, in the words of the wisest Prophet, “measure water in a handful, and the boundless sky in a span, and the whole earth in a handful” (Is. 40:12). Pay attention to these images: they serve as signs of ineffable power and force our minds to admit with sorrow that it cannot invent anything worthy of the Divine nature. So, God is omnipotent, and is called omnipotent (of course, you will not argue against this, but you will agree that this is really so); and for the Almighty nothing is difficult or impossible. There are many reasons for your faith (in the future resurrection) that involuntarily force you to agree with our words, and firstly, this is all a diverse and complex creation, which proclaims more clearly than any preacher that the Artist is great and wise, who created everything visible. Moreover, God, providing for His creations and contemplating from afar the weak souls of unbelievers, in fact confirmed the truth of the resurrection of the dead, returning the souls to the bodies of many dead. For this, Lazarus, four days dead, came out of the tomb (John 11:44); For this purpose, the widow’s only son was returned to his mother alive from her deathbed (Luke 7:12–15), and many others, which would be difficult to list here. But why talk about God and the Savior, when He, for greater reassurance to those who doubted, granted the power to raise the dead even to His servants - the Apostles? Here is the proof, clear and obvious! Why else do you, lovers of debate, bother us, as if we were talking about something that cannot be proven? As one is resurrected, so ten will be resurrected; both ten and three hundred, three hundred and more. Whoever made one statue will not find it difficult to make a thousand of them. Do you not see how artists imprint on a small piece of wax the forms and models of great and enormous buildings? In this case, even a small thing has the same significance as many great buildings. The vast sky is a beautiful creation of God. But here comes man, whom God created as a rational being, so that, by cognizing what has been created, he glorifies the all-wise Creator, so man builds a small ball, which in the hands of a knowledgeable man turns in the same way as God moves the heavens. Thus, the smallest work becomes an image of a majestic creation, and in a reduced form explains that which exists on an enormous scale and is not subject to our senses. But why did I talk about this? So that you know that, as soon as you ask me how all the bodies of all ages will be resurrected, I will immediately answer you: just as the four-day-old Lazarus was resurrected. A sane person will obviously believe on the same basis the resurrection of many as he believes the resurrection of one. And you, having admitted that God is doing this, of course, will not say that there is anything impossible in this, and you will not consider the wisdom of the incomprehensible comprehensible to your mind; for for you everything related to the infinite is unsearchable, whereas for God there is no infinite. But our reasoning will be more obvious if, in addition to what has been said, we also think about the image of our birth - not about the original and ancient one according to which we came from God, and about which we spoke before, but about the one that is still taking place according to the laws of nature. It is unsearchable and incomprehensible to the human mind. In fact, how from a seed, a liquid substance that has neither form nor image, is a head formed, hard thighs and ribs, a soft and tender brain, with such hard and hard bones surrounding it, and in general, so as not to get too carried away with the details, let’s say briefly, the entire diverse composition of a living being? But just as this seed, which at the beginning did not have any definite form, receives, according to the arrangement of the incomprehensible wisdom of God, a definite form, grows and increases in volume, in the same way the clay that is in the tombs and which once had its own form will again receive its former structure, and dust will again become man, just as it was in the beginning. There is nothing strange here; on the contrary, everything is completely natural. Let us suppose that God has as much power as a potter, and let us see how the latter acts. He takes ugly clay, turns it into a vessel, and, putting it in the sun, dries it and makes it hard. Let it be a jug, or a plate, or another vessel; but if something accidentally falls on this vessel and knocks it over, it immediately collapses and loses its shape, turning again into ugly clay. But the artist, if he wants, soon corrects what was accidentally destroyed and, with the help of his art, from the rubble he again creates a vessel that is no worse than the previous one. If this can be done by the potter, who himself is a small creature of Divine omnipotence; then how can one not believe God after this, when He promises to resurrect the dead? Truly, this is great madness! Let us also look at the likeness of wheat, with which the wise Paul admonishes the foolish: “You are a fool,” he says, “you are sown..., it is not the future body that you sown, but a naked grain, if it happens, wheat or something else from the others. God gives it a body as He pleases” (1 Cor. 15, 36-38). Let us look carefully at the vegetation of a grain of wheat, and we will soon we recognize the image of the future resurrection: a grain of wheat is thrown into the ground. Here, having rotted from dampness and, so to speak, died, it turns into a certain milky substance, which, somewhat thickened, gives rise to a thin and white sprout. When this sprout increases in volume so much that it comes out of the ground, it little by little turns from white to green and becomes grass and leaves. Having unfolded and developed, it sends down a multi-branched root, preparing in it support for its future weight, for just as ship rigging, stretched from all sides to the mast, keeping it in balance, gives it firmness and durability; When the grain grows into a stalk, and the stalk rises upward, God supports it, fencing it with knees and knots, like a house with ties, so that it can hold the weight of the future ear. Then, when the stem acquires sufficient hardness, the husk disintegrates and the ear itself appears. Here again there are even more miracles. Grains appear in the ear one after another, and each seed has its own special storage. Finally, thin and sharp needles grow, which, it seems to me, serve as protection for the ear against birds that destroy the seeds, because by pricking them with their point, they prevent them from harming the grains. Do you see how many miracles one rotten grain represents, and, having been thrown into the ground alone, in what quantity does it rise from it? But a person in resurrection will receive only what he once had, and therefore our renewal seems even easier and more understandable than the vegetation of grain. Let us move our thoughts from here to the trees, for which winter every year is a time of death. The fruits break off, the leaves fall, and the trees become dry and lose all their beauty; but spring comes, and they are overgrown with beautiful flowers and covered with leaves. Then, with their beauty, they attract the eyes of people and serve as a place of entertainment for songbirds that sit on their branches. Then so much pleasure flowed around them that many left their houses, decorated with gold and Thessalian and Laconian stones, finding it more pleasant to live under a tree. So Patriarch Abraham built his tent under an oak tree, not because he did not have a home, but because he was attracted by the beauty of the branchy tree. The life of serpents also furnishes me with evidence for the subject in question. During the winter, their life force freezes, and for six whole months they lie in caves without any movement. But as soon as a certain time comes and thunderclaps are heard on the earth, they, taking this as a kind of conventional sign, leave the caves and live for a long time in their usual state. Where is the reason for all this, tell me, tester and judge of Divine actions? Explain why you admit that a thunderclap awakens dead snakes, and do not believe that at the sound of God’s heavenly trumpet people will come to life, as the word of God testifies to this: “the trumpet will sound... and the dead will rise” (1 Cor. 15:52), and in another place even more clearly: “their angels will come with a great trumpet voice, and they will gather His elect” ( Matt. 24, 31). Let us not persist in disbelief in these changes and updates. The life of various plants, animals, even people themselves, teaches us that nothing subject to decay and birth remains forever in the same state, but everything changes and passes from one state to another. And first of all, if you wish, let us consider this change in our own ages. We know what a baby is like while he is feeding on his mother's milk; after some time he gains strength and begins to crawl like small animals, supporting himself with his arms and legs. About three years old he already walks upright and begins to speak, although unclearly and stuttering; then he pronounces the words separately and becomes a handsome youth. From this age he passes to the age of a youth; then his cheeks become covered with hair, little by little he becomes bearded, and so on; then he becomes a mature husband, strong and capable of work. But when forty years have passed, he begins to bow his head, his strength little by little gives way to weakness, and finally old age comes, with which his strength completely weakens. The body bows and bends towards the ground, like dry ears of corn; hitherto smooth, it becomes wrinkled, and the one who was once a youth blooming with strength again becomes a baby, stutters, loses firmness of thought, and again, as before, crawls on his hands and feet. How and what does all this look like to you? Isn't this a change? Aren't these various transformations? Are these not various renewals that transform a mortal being even before death? Likewise, sleep and awakening also necessarily convince a person of what we are talking about. Truly, sleep is a picture of death, and awakening is a picture of resurrection. That is why some pagan sages called sleep the brother of death, due to the similarity of the phenomena that accompany both. In both states, a person forgets the past, loses thought about the future; the body lies without feelings, does not recognize either friend or enemy, does not see the faces surrounding it and looking at it, becomes weak, deathly, loses all its liveliness, and is no different from the bodies lying in coffins and graves. Therefore, you can easily rob a sleeping person, just like a dead person, if you want, you can empty his house and put him in chains; he does not feel anything that is happening around him. But as soon as the time of calm and rest for the senses passes, a person gets up, like a creature just brought back to life, little by little comes to consciousness of himself and the objects around him, gradually regains his strength, as if animated by life-giving wakefulness. If a creature, still in real life, experiences so many transformations, changes, alterations, changes of memory and oblivion, day and night; then it is reckless and bold to disbelieve God when He promises us the last renewal, God, who is at the same time the author of our original existence. Unbelievers, it seems to me, are most inclined to disbelief because they consider the destruction of the body to be complete destruction. But it's not fair. The body is not completely destroyed, but is only resolved into its constituent parts, which are water, air, earth and fire. If the basic elements remain and are not destroyed; then together with them, after their decomposition, the creatures composed of them continue to exist, retaining all their parts in them. And since it is not difficult for God to create everything out of nothing, just as in fact everything came into being in the beginning; then, obviously, it is even easier and more convenient for Him to form everything from principles that already exist. So, let us not overthrow the good hope of people, we will not deny the future resurrection of our body, the second, so to speak, existence, not involved in death, and we will not become angry with an excessive inclination to pleasures of the humane God, who has given us such a sweet promise. For it seems to me that this truth is opposed by people who love wickedness and are enemies of all virtue, sensualists and covetous people, who do not curb their sight, nor their hearing, nor their sense of smell, but who indulge in pleasure with all their senses. Since the doctrine of the resurrection presupposes a future judgment, and St. Scripture clearly says that we will have to give an account of our lives, and after the resurrection in the next century we will all appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, so that according to His judgment we will receive a worthy reward for our deeds; then they, recognizing their own iniquities, worthy of great punishment, out of fear of judgment, reject the resurrection, like crafty slaves who, having squandered the property of their master, think about death and his destruction, and, in accordance with their desires, form vain thoughts for themselves. But no sane person would think like that. If there is no resurrection, then what good is justice and truth, goodness and any other form of piety? Why do people strive and philosophize? Why do they enslave the lusts of the belly, love abstinence, allow themselves little sleep and rest, and expose themselves to suffering from cold and heat? “Yes, we drink pits,” let’s say in the words of the Ap. Paul, “we will die in the morning” (1 Cor. 15:32). In fact, if there is no resurrection, and death is the final limit of our life; then destroy all accusation and censure, grant the murderer unhindered freedom, allow the adulterer to openly rebel against the marriage. Let the robber quietly indulge in luxury and triumph over his opponents; let no one curb the slanderer, let the perjurer constantly resort to an oath, because death awaits even the one who sacredly keeps the oath. Let everyone deceive as much as he wants, because the truth does not bear any fruit. Let no one show mercy to the poor, because mercy remains without retribution. Such reasoning produces more disorder and confusion than a flood; They destroy every sane thought; on the contrary, they support and nourish violent and insane thoughts. In fact, if there is no resurrection, then there will be no judgment; if you destroy judgment, then you will also drive out the fear of God. And where the fear of God does not control people, there the devil triumphs and rejoices with sin. Therefore, David wrote this psalm (13) very appropriately against such people: “The fool says in his heart: there is no God; corrupted and disgusted in our endeavors” (Psalm 13:1). If there is no resurrection, then Lazarus and the rich man, and that terrible abyss, and the unbearable heat of the fire, and the flaming tongue, and the desire for even one drop of water, and the finger of the poor, become a fable. For all this obviously depicts the future resurrection, since the tongue and finger do not mean parts of the disembodied soul, but members of the body. And let no one think that all this has already happened; no, this is only a foreshadowing of the future, but will take place during the renewal, when the dead will come to life and everyone, still consisting of body and soul, will appear for an account of their life. What did Ezekiel, the viewer of great visions inspired by God, learn when he contemplated the great field stretched out before him, covered with human bones, about which he was commanded to prophesy? He saw how the flesh grew and covered the bones, and the bones, separated and scattered without any order, came into harmonious order and were united with each other. Isn’t it obvious that these words clearly indicate the resurrection of our flesh? However, those who disagree with the doctrine of the resurrection seem to me not only wicked people, but also insane. Resurrection, revival, renewal and all similar words lead the listener's thought only to a body subject to destruction. As for the soul, considered in itself, it will never resurrect, because it does not die, but is incorruptible and cannot be destroyed. But, being immortal in herself, she has a mortal body as an accomplice in all her affairs; and therefore, when it is necessary to give an account of deeds before the righteous Judge, she will again dwell in the body that was her helper in order to accept punishments or rewards with it. But, so that there is more consistency in our words, let us begin to reason in this way: what do we call a person - body and soul together, or one of the two? It is obvious that this living being is formed from the union of soul and body: there is no need to dwell long on undoubted and known objects. If this is true, then let us also think about what we should attribute to the deeds committed by man, for example, adultery, murder, theft and all the like, as well as chastity, abstinence and any other action opposite to vice - is it the body and soul together, or the soul alone? And here the truth is obvious. The soul alone without a body never steals, does not rob, does not give bread to the hungry, does not give drink to the thirsty, does not boldly go into prison to serve the one oppressed by chains; but with every action, the soul and body are united with each other and do everything together. How, after this, do you, allowing for a future judgment, separate the body from the soul and assign only the soul to judgment, while the body also took part in the affairs? And if we carefully discuss human sins and carefully consider where their first principles arise from; then it will almost be revealed that in iniquities the body first violates its duty. In fact, often, when the soul is at peace and enjoying an undisturbed world, the eye looks with lust at what it would be better not to see, and, having transferred its illness to the soul, instead of the calm that reigned in it, it creates a storm and excitement. In the same way, the ear, having heard some outrageous and obscene words, through itself, as if through a pipe, introduces the impurity of vices and confusion into the thoughts. Often the nose, through the sense of smell, causes great and indescribable evil to the inner man. And hands, through touch, usually pamper the hardest soul. Thus, gradually examining all the feelings, I find that the body is the cause of many sins. But it also endures labors for virtue, endures illnesses and sorrows in good deeds, when it is cut with an ax, burned in the fire, subjected to scourging, burdened with heavy bonds, and when in general it endures all kinds of torment, so as not to betray sacred wisdom, against which, like against a fortified city, wickedness fights on all sides. So, if in good deeds the body strives together with the soul, and does not abandon the soul in iniquities; then on what basis do you assert that the soul will appear for judgment alone without a body? To teach in this way is both unfair and uncharacteristic of the wise. If the soul sinned alone and outside the body, then it would also suffer punishment alone; but if the body is clearly involved in everything, then the righteous Judge will not leave it unpunished. St. assures me of this. Scripture, when it says that the condemned will undergo worthy punishments, such as: fire, darkness, worm; for all these are punishments for complex and material bodies. As for the soul, considered separately from the body, fire cannot touch it; darkness cannot frighten her either, because she has no eyes or organs of vision. What will a worm do to her, which can only harm the body and not the spirit? Thus, all these consistent considerations necessarily force us to agree that there will be a resurrection of the dead, which God will accomplish at the time determined by Him and thereby confirm it by the very deed of the promise. Let us believe the One who says: “The trumpet will sound... and the dead will rise” (1 Cor. 15:52), or: “The hour is coming, when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come out having done good things to the resurrection of life; and having done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28–29). The Lord not only makes promises, but also by the deeds that he does daily, he clearly teaches us that He is omnipotent. He did not bother in the beginning when creating everything; He will not lack wisdom when renewing what has been created. Let us consider the present and not disbelieve the future. Just as every action of God is amazing for us, so truly great and incomprehensible is the miracle when we see that facial features from parents and grandfathers are completely passed on to children and grandchildren, so that descendants are, as it were, portraits of their ancestors. With amazement I contemplate here the all-wise art of the First Artist-Savior and God, and I do not comprehend by what indescribable sacrament images of persons who are no longer existing and invisible are created and composed, images in which the dead seem to come to life. Often, the features of many faces are also imprinted in one person, for example, a father’s nose, a grandfather’s eyes, an uncle’s gait, a mother’s voice. In this case, a person is like a plant to which shoots of different trees are grafted, and which, therefore, bears different fruits. All this, as surprising and incomprehensible to us, is just as easy for the Creator, and, as we know, is accomplished by Him without any labor. After this, it would be extremely reckless and absurd to admit that the features of already rotten and decayed bodies reappear in other bodies that are born every day, in which other people’s features are thus reproduced, and at the same time not only not agree that their own features will be revived and renewed in people, but on the contrary, stubbornly reject this truth, and consider the very promise of the resurrection to be a fable, and not a word The One who, according to His will, created and decorated everything visible. As for us, we have already been confirmed in the faith of the resurrection, sending glory for this to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. On the holy and saving Easter (“Homily 4 on the Resurrection of Christ”) The true peace of the Sabbath, blessed by God, on which the Lord rested from his works - having won victory over death for the salvation of the world - this true peace has already ended, and has delighted both the eyes and the ears and the heart with all that we, during the celebration, saw, heard, and felt joyful for the heart; for our eyes saw the light shining from the candles and, like a fiery cloud, floating before us in the darkness of the night; our ears resounded all night with the word (of God), psalms, chants and spiritual songs, which, flowing into the soul with a joyful stream, filled us with good hopes, and our heart, coming into admiration from what was heard and seen, and ascending through the sensory to the spiritual, anticipated unspeakable bliss, so that the blessings of this peace, confirming with itself the ineffable hope of receiving prepared, serve for us as an image of those blessings, “for which no eye has seen, nor an ear heard, nor has the heart of man sighed” (1 Cor. 2:9). since this bright night, merging the light of the world with the morning rays of the sun, amounted to one continuous day, not separated by even a small interval of darkness, let us reflect, brethren, on the prophecy proclaiming that this day is “the day that the Lord has made” (Psalm 117:24). joy. For the prophet adds: “Let us rejoice and rejoice in it” (Psalm 117:24). What an easy task! Who will delay the fulfillment of such a command? Who will not consider even the slightest delay in such an activity as a loss? disaster. This day made us forget the first sentence pronounced on us, or better, not only made us forget, but also destroyed it for us, because it completely erased all memory of our condemnation. Then it is said: “in sickness give birth to children” (Gen. 3:16), now birth is painless. Then that which was born of the flesh was flesh; now that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Then we were born sons of men, now we are children of God. Then we fell from heaven to earth, now the Heavenly One has made us heavenly. Then death reigned through sin; now life has again received dominion through righteousness. Then One opened the entrance of death, and now the One introduces life again. Then through death we fell away from life; now death is abolished by life. Then they hid under the fig tree out of shame, but now they have approached the tree of life in glory. Then we were expelled from paradise for disobedience; now we are introduced into paradise for faith. Again the fruit of life is offered to us for enjoyment, according to our desire. Again, the source of paradise, divided into four beginnings by the Gospel streams, waters the entire field of the Church, and the reins held by the Sower of the word in our souls with the rave of teaching, feeding on them, give a bountiful harvest of virtues. What should we do after this? – What else but to leap up like the mountains and hills, which the prophet proclaimed, saying: “The mountains... leap up like rams, and the hills like lambs of sheep” (Psalm 113:6)? So come, let us rejoice in the Lord! He crushed the power of the enemy, and hoisted for us the victorious sign of the Cross, defeating the enemy. Let us exclaim with that voice of joy with which victors usually exclaim over the corpses of the vanquished. since the enemy regiments have fallen, and the “one who has the power” over the evil demonic army is deposed, destroyed and turned into nothing, then we cry out: our God is the strongest Lord and Great King over all the earth; He blessed the crown of the summer of His goodness, and gathered us for this spiritual rejoicing in Christ Jesus the Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Here, in the edition of the works of St. Gregory, there is a pass in Greek. Words marked with additional signs are supplemented according to the Latin translation. You might be interested in: