The Holy Sabbath
On the holy Sabbath, the discourse of Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, for the holy Sabbath. Today we celebrate the epitaphios feast of our Savior.
And while He is the one near the dead below death, loosening the bonds and filling Hades with light and awakening those who have fallen asleep, we dance, imagining the resurrection upon the earth, and we have not surrendered to corruption, lest it overpower incorruptibility. For He says, 'You shall not see your Holy One see corruption' (Acts 2:27). And perhaps Jews and Greeks laugh at our philosophy; some awaiting a different Christ, others having entrusted their hopes to tombs, concerning which the prophet appropriately says: 'Their graves will be their homes forever' (Ps 16:10). But while those laughing groan—for they will groan later seeing Him whom they stretched out and insulted—let us, weeping, receive the passion with joy.
Death seized the Lord Christ, but it shall not keep life with itself. It swallowed Him in ignorance, but He will vomit out many with Him. Though He is currently held, after having plundered Hades this day, He rises. Yesterday, having been crucified, He darkened the sun, and while it was midday, night came; today death is loosed, having received a strange dead man.
Yesterday creation mourned, seeing the madness of the Jews, and the darkness clothed itself in mourning garments; today the people sitting in darkness saw a great light (Isa 9:2). Yesterday the earth rejoiced and was counseling about flight, and threatened to depart from those dwelling in it, and the mountains were being cut and the rocks were being split; and the temple was naked, as if having torn the garment through which it breathed and suffered.
Greek
In diem sabbati sancti Ἀμφιλοχίου ἐπισκόπου Ἰκονίου λόγος τῷ ἁγίῳ σαββάτῳ. Ἐπιτάφιον ἑορτὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἑορτάζομεν σήμερον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς νεκροῖς κάτω τοῦ θανάτου τὰ δεσμὰ διαλύων καὶ φωτὸς τὸν ᾅδην πληρῶν καὶ ἀφυπνίζων τοὺς κεκοιμημένους, ἡμεῖς δὲ χορεύομεν ὑπὲρ γῆν τὴν ἀνάστασιν φανταζόμενοι καὶ οὐ δεδοίκαμεν τὴν φθοράν, μὴ κατισχύσῃ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας. Οὐ δώσεις γάρ, φησίν, τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. Καὶ ἴσως ἡμῶν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν γελῶσι Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες· οἱ μὲν ἕτερον Χριστὸν προσδεχόμενοι, οἱ δὲ τάφοις ἐναποκλείσαντες αὐτῶν τὰς ἐλπίδας, περὶ ὧν εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης φησίν· Οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν οἰκίαι αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν γελῶντες στενάζουσι–στενάξουσι γὰρ ὕστερον ὁρῶντες εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν καὶ ἐξύβρισαν–, ἡμεῖς δὲ δακρύοντες ἡδονῇ τὸ πάθος κεράσωμεν. Ἥρπασεν ὁ θάνατος τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν, ἀλλ' οὐ καθέξει παρ' ἑαυτῷ τὴν ζωήν. Κατέπιεν ἀγνοήσας, ἀλλ' ἐξεμέσει πολλοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ. Ἑκὼν κατέχεται νῦν, μετὰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν σκυλεύσας τὸν ᾅδην ἀνίσταται. Χθὲς ἠμαύρωσε τὸν ἥλιον σταυρωθεὶς καὶ μεσούσης ἡμέρας ἐπεισῆλθεν νύξ, σήμερον ὁ θάνατος παραλύεται ξένον νεκρὸν εἰσδεξάμενος. Χθὲς ἐπένθησεν ἡ κτίσις τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων μανίαν ὁρῶσα καὶ στολὴν πενθικὴν τὸ σκότος ἐνεδύσατο, σήμερον ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει φῶς εἶδε μέγα. Χθὲς ἐδονήθη ἡ γῆ καὶ περὶ φυγῆς ἐβουλεύετο καὶ διαστῆναι τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσιν ἠπείλει καὶ τὰ μὲν ὄρη ἐκόπτετο, ἐσχίζοντο δὲ αἱ πέτραι· γυμνὸς δὲ ἦν ὁ ναὸς καθάπερ ἔμπνους τὸ ἱμάτιον διαρρήξας, δι' ὧν ἔπαθε