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TOPIC: Post-Nicene Fathers Vol 07 (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 27.01.17 Lecture XIV Part 2
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17. But again they say, "A corpse then lately dead was raised by the living; but shew us that one three days dead can possibly arise, and that a man should be buried, and rise after three days." If we seek for Scripture testimony in proof of such facts, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself supplies it in the Gospels, saying, Far as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earthhyperlink . And when we examine the story of Jonas, great is the forcehyperlink of the resemblance. Jesus was sent to preach repentance; Jonas also was sent: but whereas the one fled, not knowing what should come to pass; the other came willingly, to give repentance unto salvation. Jonas was asleep in the ship, and snoring amidst the stormy sea; while Jesus also slept, the sea, according to God's providencehyperlink , began to rise, to shew in the sequel the might of Him who slept. To the one they said, Why art thou snoring? Arise, call upon thy God, that God may save ushyperlink ; but in the other case they say unto the Master, Lord, save ushyperlink . Then they said, Call upon thy God; here they say, save Thou. But the one says, Take me, and cast me into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto youhyperlink ; the other, Himself rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calmhyperlink . The one was cast into a whale's belly: but the other of His own accord went down thither, where the invisible whale of death is. And He went down of His own accord, that death might cast up those whom he had devoured, according to that which is written, I will ransom them from the power of the grave; and from the hand of death I will redeem themhyperlink .
18. At this point of our discourse, let us consider whether is harder, for a man after having been buried to rise again from the earth, or for a man in the belly of a whale, having come into the great heat of a living creature, to escape corruption. For what man knows not, that the heat of the belly is so great, that even bones which have been swallowed moulder away? How then did Jonas, who was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, escape corruption? And, seeing that the nature of all men is such that we cannot live without breathing, as we do, in air, how did he live without a breath of this air for three days? But the Jews make answer and say, The power of God descended with Jonas when he was tossed about in hell. Does then the Lord grant life to His own servant, by sending His power with him, and can He not grant it to Himself as well? If that is credible, this is credible also; if this is incredible, that also is incredible. For to me both are alike worthy of credence. I believe that Jonas was preserved, for all things are possible with Godhyperlink ; I believe that Christ also was raised from the dead; for I bare many testimonies of this, both from the Divine Scriptures, and l from the operative power even at this dayhyperlink of Him who arose,-who descended into hell alone, but ascended thence with a great company; for He went down to death, and many bodies of the saints which slept arosehyperlink through Him.
19. Death was struck with dismay on beholding a new visitant descend into Hades, not bound by the chains of that place. Wherefore, O porters of Hades, were ye scared at sight of Him? What was the unwonted fear that possessed your? Death fled, and his flight betrayed his cowardice. The holy prophets ran unto Him, and Moses the Lawgiver, and Abraham, and sane, and Jacob; David also, and Samuel, and Esaias, and John the Baptist, who bore witness when he asked, Art Thou He that should come, or look we for anotherhyperlink ? All the Just were ransomed, whom death had swallowed; for it behoved tile King whom they had proclaimed, to become the redeemer of His noble heralds. Then each of the Just said, O death, where is thy victory? O grave, where is thy stinghyperlink ? For the Conqueror hath redeemed us.
20. Of this our Saviour the Prophet Jonas formed the type, when he prayed out of the belly of the whale, and said, I cried in my affliction, and so on; out of the belly of hellhyperlink , and yet he was in the whale; but though in the whale, he says that he is in Hades; for he was a type of Christ, who was to descend into Hades. And after a few words, he says, in the person of Christ, prophesying most clearly, My head went down to the chasms of the mountainshyperlink ; and yet he was in the belly of the whale. What mountains then encompass thee? I know, he says, that I am a type of Him, who is to be laid in the Sepulchre hewn out of the rock. And though he was in the sea, Jonas says, I went dawn to the earth, since he was a type of Christ, who went down into the heart of the earth. And foreseeing the deeds of the Jews who persuaded the soldiers to lie, and told them, Say that they stole Him away, he says, By regarding lying vanities they forsook their own mercyhyperlink . For He who had mercy on them came, and was crucified, and rose again, giving His own precious blood both for Jews and Gentiles; yet say they, Say that they stole Him away, having regard to lying vanitieshyperlink . But concerning His Resurrection, Esaias also says, He who brought up from the earth the great Shepherd of the sheephyperlink ; he added the word, great, lest He should be thought on a level with the shepherds who had gone before Him.
21. Since then we have the prophecies, let faith abide with us. Let them fall who fall through unbelief, since they so will; but thou hast taken thy stand on the rock of the faith in the Resurrection. Let no heretic ever persuade thee to speak evil of the Resurrection. For to this day the Manichees say, that, the resurrection of the Saviour was phantom-wise, and not real, not heeding Paul who says, Who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and again, By the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord from the deadhyperlink . And again he rims at them, and speaks thus, Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven; or who shall descend into the deep I that is, to bring up Christ from the deadhyperlink ; and in like manner warning as he has elsewhere written again, Remember Jesus Christ raised from the deadhyperlink ; and again, And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He raised not uphyperlink . But in what follows he says, But now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that are asleephyperlink ;-And He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; (for if thou believe not the one witness, thou hast twelve witnesses;) then He was seen of above five hundred brethren at oncehyperlink ; (if they disbelieve the twelve, let them admit the five hundred;) after that He was seen
Jameshyperlink , His own brother, and first Bishop of this diocese. Seeing then that such a Bishop originallyhyperlink saw Christ Jesus when risen, do not thou, his disciple, disbelieve him. But thou sayest that His brother James was a partial witness; afterwards He was seen also of mehyperlink Paul, His enemy; and what testimony is doubted, when an enemy proclaims it? "I, who was before a persecutorhyperlink , now preach the glad tidings of the Resurrection."
22. Many witnesses there are of the Saviour's resurrection.-The night, and the light of the full moon; (for that night was the sixteenthhyperlink ;) the rock of the sepulchre which received Him; the stone also shall rise up against the face of the Jews, for it saw the Lord; even the stone which was then rolled awayhyperlink , itself bears witness to the Resurrection, lying there to this day. Angels of God who were present testified of the Resurrection of the Only-begotten: Peter and John, and Thomas, and all the rest of the Apostles; some of whom ran to the sepulchre, and saw the burial-clothes, in which He was wrapped before, lying there after the Resurrection; and others handled His hands and His feet, and beheld the prints of the nails; and all enjoyed together that Breath of the Saviour, and were counted worthy to forgive sins in the power of the Holy Ghost. Women too were witnesses, who took hold of His feet, and who beheld the mighty earthquake, and the radiance of the Angel who stood by: the linen clothes also which were wrapped about Him, and which He left when He rose;-the soldiers, and the money given to them; the spot itself also, yet to be seen;-and this house of the holy Church, which out of the loving affection to Christ of the Emperor Constantine of blessed memory, was both built and beautified as thou seest.
23. A witness to the resurrection of Jesus is Tabitha also, who was in His name raised from the deadhyperlink ; for how shall we disbelieve that Christ is risen, when even His Name raised the dead? The sea also bears witness to the resurrection of Jesus, as thou hast heard beforehyperlink . The drought of fishes also testifies, and the fire of coals there, and the fish laid thereon. Peter also bears witness, who had erst denied Him thrice, and who then thrice confessed Him; and was commanded to feed His spiritualhyperlink sheep. To this day stands Mount Olivet, still to the eyes of the faithful all but displaying Him Who ascended on a cloud, and the heavenly gate of His ascension. For from heaven He descended to Bethlehem, but to heaven He ascended from the Mount of Oliveshyperlink ; at the former place beginning His conflicts among men, but in the latter, crowned after them. Thou hast therefore many witnesses; thou hast this very place of the Resurrection; thou hast also the place of the Ascension towards the east; thou hast also for witnesses the Angels which there bore testimony; and the cloud on which He went up, and the disciples who came down from that place.
24. The course of instruction in the Faith would lead me to speak of the Ascension also; but the grace of God so orderedhyperlink it, that thou heardest most fully concerning it, as far as our weakness allowed, yesterday, on the Lord's day; since, by the providence of divine grace, the course of the Lessonshyperlink in Church included the account of our Saviour's going up into the heavenshyperlink ; and what was then said was spoken principally for the sake of all, and for the assembled body of the faithful, yet especially for thy sakehyperlink . But the question is, didst thou attend to what was said? For thou knowest that the words which come next in the Creed teach thee to believe in Him "Who Rose Again The Third Day, And Ascended Into Heaven, And Sat Down ON The Right Hand OF The Father." I suppose then certainly that thou rememberest the exposition; yet I will now again cursorily put thee in mind of what was then said. Remember what is distinctly written in the Psalms, God is gone up with a shouts; remember that the divine powers also said to one another, Lift up your gates, ye Princeshyperlink , and the rest; remember also the Psalm which says, He ascended on high, tie led captivity captivehyperlink ; remember the Prophet who said, Who buildeth His ascension unto heavenhyperlink ; and all the other particulars mentioned yesterday because of the gainsaying of the Jews.
25. For when they speak against the ascension of the Saviour, as being impossible, remember the account of the carrying away of Habakkuk: for if Habakkuk was transported by an Angel, being carried by the hair of his headhyperlink , much rather was the Lord of both Prophets and Angels, able by His own power to make His ascent into the Heavens on a cloud from the Mount of Olives. Wonders like this thou mayest call to mind, but reserve the preeminence for the Lord, the Worker of wonders; for the others were borne up, but He bears up all things. Remember that Enoch was translatedhyperlink ; but Jesus ascended: remember what was said yesterday concerning Elias, that Elias was taken up in a chariot of firehyperlink ; but that the chariots of Christ are ten thousand-fold even thousands upon thousandshyperlink : and that Elias was taken up, towards the east of Jordan; but that Christ ascended at the east of the brook Cedron: and that Elias went as into heaven ; but Jesus, into heaven: and that Elias said that a double portion in the Holy Spirit should be given to his holy disciple; but that Christ granted to His own disciples so great enjoyment of the grace of the Holy Ghost, as not only to have It in themselves, but also, by the laying on of their hands, to impart the fellowship of It to them who believed.
26. And when thou hast thus wrestled against the Jews,-when thou hast worsted them by parallel instances, then come further to the pre-eminence of the Saviour's glory; namely, that they were the servants, but He the Son of God. And thus thou wilt be reminded of His pre-eminence, by the thought that a servant of Christ was caught up to the third heaven. For if Elias attained as far as the first heaven, but Paul as far as the third, the latter, therefore, has obtained a more honourable dignity. Be not ashamed of thine Apostles; they are not inferior to Moses, nor second to the Prophets; but they are noble among the noble, yea, nobler still. For Elias truly was taken up into heaven; but Peter Has the keys of the kingdom of heaven, having received the words, Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heavenhyperlink . Elias was taken up only to heaven; but Paul both into heaven, and into paradisehyperlink (for it behoved the disciples of Jesus to receive more manifold grace), and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful far than to utter. But Paul came down again from above. not because he was unworthy to abide in the third heaven, but in order that after having enjoyed things above man's reach, and descended in honour, and having preached Christ, and died for His sake, he might receive also the crown of martyrdom. But I pass over the other parts of this argument, of which I spoke yesterday in the Lord's-day congregation; for with understanding hearers, a mere reminder is sufficient for instruction.
27. But remember also what I have often saidhyperlink concerning the Son's sitting at the right hand of the Father; because of the next sentence in the Creed, which says, "And Ascended Into Heaven, And Sat Down AT The Right Hand OF The Father." Let us not curiously pry into what is properly meant by the throne; for it is incomprehensible: but neither let us endure those who falsely say, that it was after His Cross and Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, that the Son began to sit on the right hand of the Father. For the Son gained not His throne by advancementhyperlink ; but throughout His being (and His being is by an eternal generationhyperlink ) He also sitteth together with the Father. And this throne the Prophet Esaias having beheld before the incarnate coming of the Saviour, says, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted uphyperlink , and the rest. For the Father no man hath seen at any timehyperlink , and He who then appeared to the Prophet was the Son. The Psalmist also says, Thy throne is prepared of old; Thou art from everlastinghyperlink . Though then the testimonies on this point are many, yet because of the lateness of the time, we will content ourselves even with these.
28. But now I must remind you of a few things out of many which are spoken concerning the Son's sitting at the right hand of the Father. For the hundred and ninth Psalm says plainly, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstoolhyperlink . And the Saviour, confirming this saying in the Gospels, says that David spoke not these things of himself, but from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, saying, How then data David in the Spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right handshyperlink ? and the rest. And in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter on the day of Pentecost standing with the Elevenhyperlink ; and discoursing to the Israelites, has in very words cited this testimony from the hundred and ninth Psalm.
29. But I must remind you also of a few other testimonies in like manner concerning the Son's sitting at the right hand of the Father. For in the Gospel according to Matthew it is written, Nevertheless, I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of powerhyperlink , and the rest: in accord-once with which the Apostle Peter also writes, By the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heavenhyperlink . And the Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, says, It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of Godhyperlink . And charging the Ephesians, he thus speaks, According to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right handhyperlink ; and the rest. And the Colossians he taught thus, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of Godhyperlink . And in the Epistle to the Hebrews he says, When He had made purification of our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on highhyperlink . And again, But unto which of the Angels hath He said at any time, Sit thou at My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstoolhyperlink ? And again, But He, when He had offered one sacrifice for all men, far ever sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstoolhyperlink . And again, Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising shame, and is set down an the right hand of the throne of Godhyperlink ·
Footntes
84 "e'ne/rgeia [Forte e'na/rgeia, Edit.]." This conjecture of the Benedictine Editor is recommended by the very appropriate sense "distinctness of the resemblance" but seems to have no Ms. authority.
85 kat0 oi'konomi/an.
86 Jonah i. 6.
87 Matt. viii. 25, 26.
88 Jonah i. 12.
89 Hosea xiii. 14.
90 Matt. xix. 26.
91 Cf. Cat. iv. 13; xiii. 3.
92 Matt. xxvii. 52.
93 Ib. xi. 3.
94 1 Cor. xv. 55. On the opinion that the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Righteous men were redeemed by Christ in Hades, compare Irenaeus (Hoer. I. xxvii. § 2), Clem. Alex. (Stromat. vi. c. 6), Origen (In Genes. Hom. xv. § 5).
95 Jonah ii. 2.
96 Ib. v. 6: (R. V.) I went down to the bottoms of the mountains: the earth with her bars closed upon me for ever..
97 v. 8.
98 By lying vanities are meant in the original "vain idols."
99 Isa. lxiii. 11; (R. V.), Where is He that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds (Marg. shepherd) of His flock? Cyril's reading, e'k th=j gh=j instead of e'k th=j qala/sshj is found in the Alexandrien Ms. of the Septuagint. Athanasius (Ad Seraption Ep. i. 12) has the same reading and interpretation as Cyril. By "the shepherds" are probably meant Moses and Aaron: cf. Ps. lxxvii. 20: Who leddest Thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Heb. xiii. 20: Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,, &c. The word "great" is added by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews not by Isaiah.
100 Rom. i. 3, 4. Cyril in his incomplete quotation of v. 4 makes 0Ihsou= Xristou= tou= K. m 9u. depend on a'nasta/sewj. The right order and construction is given in R. V. who was declared to be the Son of God. . . . by the resurrection of the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord.
101 Rom. x. 6, 7.
102 2 Tim. ii. 8.
103 1 Cor. xv. 14, 15.
104 Ib. v. 20.
105 Ib. 5, 6.
106 Ib. 7. This appearance of Christ to James is not mentioned in the Gospels. Jerome (Catalog. Script. Eccles. p. 170 D) mentions a tradition that James had taken an oath that he would eat no bread from the hour in which he had drunk the Cup of the Lord, until he should see Him rising from the dead. Wherefore the Saviour immediately after He had risen appeared to James and commanded him to eat.
107 For toiou/tou toi/nun e'pisko/pou prwtotu/pwj i'do/ntoj Codd. Roe, Casaub. have tou= toi/nun prwtotu/pou e'pisko/pou ido/ntoj, which gives the better sense - "since therefore the primary Bishop saw, &c." On the meaning of paroiki/a, and the extent of a primitive Diocese, see Bingham. IX. c. 2.
108 1 Cor. xv. 8.
109 1 Tim. i. 13.
110 If the Crucifixion took place on the 14th of Nisan, the following night would begin the 15th, and the next night the 16th.
111 Cf. Cat. xiii. 39.
112 Acts ix. 41.
113 See § 17, above.
114 nohta/.
115 St. Luke (xxiv. 50) describes the Ascension as taking place at Bethany, but the tradition, which Cyril follows had long since fixed the scene on the summit of the Mount of Olives, a mile nearer to Jerusalem; and here the Empress Helena had built the Church of the Ascension (Eusebius, Life of Constantine, III. 43; Demonstr. Evang. VI. xviii. 26). There is nothing in Cyril's language to warrant the Benedictine Editor's suggestion that he alludes to the legend, according to which the marks of Christ's feet were indelibly impressed on the spot from which He ascended. In the next generation St. Augustine seems to countenance the miraculous story (In Joh. Evang. Tract xlvii.): "There are His footsteps, now adored, where last He stood, and whence He ascended into heaven." The supposed trace of one foot is still shewn on Mount Olivet; "the other having been removed by the Turks is now to be found in the Chapel of S. Thecla, which is in the Patriarch's Palace" (Jerusalem Ed.). Compare Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, c. xiv.; Dictionary of Bible, Olives Mount of.
116 w'kono/mhse. In this word, as also in the phrase below, kat0 oi'konomi/an th=j Qei/aj xa/ritoj, Cyril refers to the order of reading the Scriptures as part of a dispensation established by Divine grace.
117 a'nagnwsma/twn a term including the portions of Scripture (perikapai/) appointed for the Epistle and Gospel as well as the daily lessons from the Old and New Testaments.
118 The section Luke xxiv. 36-53, which in the Eastern Church is the Gospel for Ascension Day, is also one of the "eleven morning Gospels of the Resurrection (eu/agge/lia a'nastasima\ e'wqina/), which were read in turn, one every Sunday at Matins." Dictionary of Chr. Antiq. "Lectionary." This Lecture being delivered on Monday, the Section in question had been read on the preceding day.
119 ma/lista me\n. . . e'caire/twj de/.
120 Ps. xlvii. 5.
121 Ps. xxiv. 7: Lift up, O gates, your heads. The order of the Hebrew words misled the Greek Translators.
122 Ps. lxviii. 18. On the reading a'ne/bh, found in a few Mss. of the Septuagint, see Tischendorf's note on Eph. iv. 8.
123 Amos ix. 6: (R. V.) It is He that buildeth His chambers in the heaven. (A. V.) His stories. Marg. ascensions, or spheres. Sept. th\n a'i a/basin au'tou;.
124 Bel and the Dragon, v. 33: Compare Ezek. viii. 3.
125 Heb. xi. 5.
126 2 Kings ii. 11.
127 Ps. lxviii. 17: xilia/dej eu'qhnou/ntwn. The Hebrew means literally "thousands of repetition," i.e. many thousands: eu=qhnei=n, "to abound."
128 Spet. w 9j ei'j to\n ou'urano/n. In 1 Macc. ii. 58 the Mss. vary between e!wj and w 9j, but the latter (says Fritzsche) "is an alteration made to agree with a 2 Kings ii. 11. But there the reference is to the intended exaltation of Elijah into heaven, and therefore wj is rightly used (Kühner, Gramm. § 604, note; Jelf, § 626, Obs. 1), while here the thing is referred to as an accomplished historical fact." The distinction here drawn by Cyril is therefore hypercritical, as is seen below in § 26, where he writes, 0Hli/aj me\n ga\r a/nelh/fqh ei'j ou'rano/n.
129 2 Cor. xii. 2, 4.
130 See Cat. iv. 7; xi. 17. The clause, kai\ kaqisanta e'k deciw=n tou= Patro/j, does not occur in the original form of the Nicene Creed, but is found in the Confession of Faith contained in Const. Apost. c. 41, in the four Eusebian Confessions of Antioch (341, 2 A.D.), and in the Macrostichos (344 A.D.). An equivalent clause is found in the brief Confession of Hippolytus (circ. 220 A.D.) Contra Hoeres. Noeti, c. 1: "kai\ o!nta e'n deci/a tou= Patro/j," and in Tertullian, De Virgin. Veland. c. 1: "Regula quidem Fidei una omnino est, sola immobilis et irreformabilis,. . . . sedentem nunc ad dextram Patris:" , c 13: "Regula est autem fidei. . . . sedisse ad dexteram Patris:" adversus Praxean, c. 2: "sedere ad dexteram Patris."
131 e'k prokoph=j. Cf. Cat. x. 5, note 8.
132 a'f0 ou[per e!stin, (e!sti de\ a\ei\ gennhqei/j). In both clauses e!stin is emphatic.
133 Is. vi. 1.
134 Joh. i. 18.
135 Ps. xciii. 2.
136 Ps. cx. 1.
137 Matt xxii. 43.
138 Acts ii. 34.
139 Matt. xxvi. 64.
140 1 Pet. iii. 22.
141 Rom. viii. 34.
142 Eph. 1. 19, 20.
143 Col. iii. 1.
144 Heb. i. 3.
145 Ib. v. 13. Ib. x. 12.
146 Ib. x. 12.
147 Ib. xii. 2. On Cyril's omission of Mark xvi. 19. see Westcott and Hort.
148 th\n e!nsarkon parousi/an. Cf. § 27.