The Reality of Resurrection and the Defeat of Death

the passion

Were the events concerning Lazarus not a phantom? Were the events concerning the daughter of Jairus not a dream? Were the events concerning the widow's son not a shadow? But the things that happened were truth. How then can he who has despoiled death fear death? How can he who raises the dead with authority pray and be cowardly toward death, fearing to fall? For even if you fall, he will set you free. For he who raises others much more raises his own body.

Therefore, explain the meaning to me, Lord, or cease this speech and do not exhaust my soul, or make my reasoning stumble. For if you are the one who knew all things before their coming into being, how do you now be ignorant whether it is possible or impossible for the cup to pass? For if you are ignorant, Paul lies when he says that nothing is hidden from your sight, but all things are naked and laid bare to your eyesbrews 4:13). But if you know, why do you say, 'Is it possible?' For when one is ignorant, it is a question, and when one is not knowing, it is a decision. Therefore, explain to us, Lord, the meaning of the things said. For now Eunomius rejoices, now Arius is delighted, snatching the word for the hypothesis of blasphemy. But they rejoice in vain. For it is not for the ungodly to rejoice, says the Lord (Psalm 2:4). I do not fear death, as they say; I do not decline the passion, as they think.

For if he did not wish to grant life through death to the race of humans, being a passionless Word, he would not have entered into suffering flesh. Since he saw the race of humans held by deception and not by necessity, by the seduction of demons and not by force, he descended into your body, so that having constructed the opposites from the opposites through every deception, he might set the human free. Because the tyrant thought greatly that, finding sin and bringing death through sin, he had made the citizen of Paradise, Adam—the appointed master of the inhabited world—a slave, a robber, and a thief; because of this, he set the earth apart as a king, having the flesh as a stronghold, so that, by decapitating the tyrant's insolence, he might undo the deception with deception, muster righteousness against sin, and touch life through death. Therefore, not fearing death, I am not cowardly; for the matter is not unintentional, but the deed is self-chosen. For I am the good shepherd who...

Greek

ἐστιν ἢ καταδέξασθαι ἢ παραιτήσασθαι τὸ πάθος. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐν σοὶ κεῖται, εἰκότως δειλιᾷς ὡς ἄκων καὶ παρὰ γνώμην ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἑλκόμενος. Εἰ δὲ ἄκων τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν θάνατον ἀναδέχῃ, πῶς λέγεις· Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτήν, πῶς δὲ πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ χωρίῳ παίζων τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἔλεγες· Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν; Ὁ τοίνυν πολλαχῶς πολλάκις πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου τὸν θάνατον προτυπώσας καὶ πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τρόπαιον διαγράψας, ὁ εἰπὼν ὅτι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθῆναι καὶ σταυρωθῆναι καὶ ταφῆναι καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστῆναι, τί ἐλθὼν νῦν ὑπὸ τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν θάνατον παραιτῇ; Εἰ γὰρ δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθῆ ναι, πῶς λέγεις· Εἰ δυνατὸν παρελθάτω τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο; Ὅλως δὲ εἰ τὸ μὴ παθεῖν ἐβούλου, τί τὸ παθητὸν ἐνεδύου σῶμα; Εἰ δὲ σῶμα παθητὸν φορέσας ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἔρχῃ, τί λυπῇ καὶ δυσχεραί νεις; Πῶς δὲ ὅτε τὸν θάνατον διέγραφες, ὅτε τὸ πάθος ἱστόρεις, ὅτε τὸν σταυρὸν προετύπους, πρὸς Πέτρον ἠγανάκτεις λέγοντα· Ἵλεώς σοι, κύριε, οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο καὶ οὕτως ἠγανάκτεις ὡς λέγειν· Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ, σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων; Εἰ οὖν ἀνθρώπινόν ἐστιν φρόνημα, τὸ τὸν θάνατον παραιτεῖσθαι, τίνος ἕνεκεν νῦν ἐπιζη τεῖς ὃ πάλαι διεκώλυες; Πῶς δὲ νῦν ἐκκλῖναι τὸν θάνατον εὔχῃ, ὁ πάλαι τῷ μαθητῇ ἐπιτιμῶν διὰ τὸ δειλιᾶν τοῦ θανάτου τὴν προσβολήν; Οὐ σὺ εἶ ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν προ αναφωνούμενος; Οὐ περὶ σοῦ Ὠσηὲ ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν· Τάδε λέγει κύριος· Ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι αὐτούς, ἵνα εἴπωσιν· Ποῦ ἡ νίκη σου, θάνατε, ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου, ᾅδη; Εἰ οὖν σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ᾅδου ῥυόμενος, πῶς δειλιᾷς τὸν θάνατον; Εἰ δὲ σὺ τὸν θάνατον δειλιᾷς, δι' οὗ τὸν θάνατον νικᾶν ἐλπίζομεν, ματαία ἡμῶν ἡ ἐλπίς, ἀνόνητος ἡ προσδοκία. Ὅλως δὲ εἰ σὺ τὸν θάνατον φοβῇ, ἐν τίνι ἕξομεν λοιπὸν τὰς τῆς ζωῆς ἐλπίδας, πῶς δὲ λέγεις· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις; Ζωὴ γὰρ θάνατον οὐ φοβεῖται, ἀνάστασις πάθος οὐ δειλιᾷ. Ἀλλὰ σὺ εἶ ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις. Τί μου οὖν φοβεῖς τὴν ψυχήν, τί μου τοὺς τόνους τῆς διανοίας ἐκλύεις δειλίας προ φέρων ῥήματα; Μὴ φάσμα ἦν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Λάζαρον; Μὴ ὄναρ ἦν τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰαείρου θυγατέρα; Μὴ σκιὰ ἦν τὰ κατὰ τὸν υἱὸν τῆς χήρας; Ἀλλὰ ἀλήθεια ἦν τὰ γεγενημένα. Πῶς οὖν ὁ τὸν θάνατον σκυλεύσας θάνατον φοβῇ, πῶς δὲ ὁ τοὺς νεκροὺς ὀδωδότας μετ' ἐξουσίας ἐγείρων εὔχῃ καὶ δειλιᾷς τῷ θανάτῳ μὴ περιπε σεῖν; Τί δὲ ὅλως τὸ περιπεσεῖν φοβῇ; Κἂν γὰρ περιπέσῃς, ἐλευθερώσῃ. Ὁ γὰρ ἑτέρους ἀνιστῶν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἐγείρει σῶμα. Ἢ φράσον οὖν μοι τὴν ἔννοιαν, δέσποτα, ἢ παῦσαι τοῦ ῥήματος καὶ μὴ διέλῃς μου τὴν ψυχήν, ἢ ὀκλᾶσαι ποιήσῃς τὸν λογισμόν. Εἰ γὰρ σὺ εἶ ὁ πάντα εἰδὼς πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, πῶς νῦν ἀγνοεῖς πότερον δυνατόν ἐστιν ἢ ἀδύνατον παρελθεῖν τὸ ποτήριον; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀγνοεῖς, ψεύδεται Παῦλος λέγων ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιόν σου, πάντα δὲ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ γινώσκεις, πῶς λέγεις· Εἰ δυνατόν; Ἀγνοοῦντός ἐστι πεῦσις καὶ οὐκ εἰδότος ἀπόφασις. Φράσον οὖν ἡμῖν, δέσποτα, τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ἔννοιαν. Νῦν γὰρ Εὐνόμιος χαίρει, νῦν Ἄρειος εὐφραίνεται εἰς ὑπόθεσιν βλασφημίας τὸν λόγον ἁρπάζοντες. Ἀλλὰ μάτην χαίρονται. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι χαίρειν τοῖς ἀσεβέσι, λέγει κύριος. Οὐ φοβοῦμαι γὰρ τὸν θάνατον, ὥς φασιν· οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ πάθος, ὡς νομίζουσιν. 2 Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἤθελον διὰ θανάτου ζωὴν χαρίσασθαι τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐκ ἄν, λόγος ὢν ἀπαθής, παθητὴν ὑπεισῆλθον σάρκα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδον τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπάτῃ καὶ οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ, γοητείᾳ δαιμόνων καὶ οὐ βίᾳ κρατούμενον, ὑπῆλθον τὸ ὑμέτερον σῶμα, ἵνα ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων τὰ ἐναντία κατασκευάσας διὰ πάσης ἐξαπάτης ἐλευθερώσω τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέγα ἐφρόνει ὁ τύραννος, ὅτι τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν εὑρὼν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸν θάνατον εἰσαγαγὼν τὸν Ἀδὰμ τὸν τοῦ παραδείσου πολίτην, τὸν χειροτονητὸν τῆς οἰκου μένης δεσπότην, δοῦλον καὶ λῃστὴν καὶ γηπόνον ἐποίησεν, διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεχωρίασα τῇ γῇ ὡς βασιλεὺς τὴν σάρκα ὡς ἁλουργίδα ἔχων, ἵνα τοῦ τυράννου ἀποκείρας τὸ θράσος τῇ μὲν ἀπάτῃ τὴν ἀπάτην λύσω, τῇ δὲ ἁμαρτίᾳ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐπιστρατεύσω, τῷ δὲ θανάτῳ τὴν ζωὴν ἐπαφήσω. Οὐ φοβούμενος οὖν τὸν θάνατον δειλιῶ· οὐ γὰρ ἀκούσιον τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλ' αὐτοπροαίρετον τὸ κατόρθωμα. Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς ὁ τὴν

About this text

A bishop confronts heretics by questioning Jesus' fear of death, using miracles to challenge doubters.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 39 (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.