Word on Great Saturday. St. Epiphani of Cyprus #
What is this? Why is there such deep silence upon the earth today, and such stillness? It is because the King is at rest. The earth grew silent with awe, for the Lord has fallen asleep in the flesh, and has raised up those who have slept from ages past. The Lord died in the flesh, and Hades trembled. The Lord slept but a little while, and awakened those who had been sleeping in Hades from of old.
Where now, O ungodly ones, are those loud and furious voices that once cried out against Christ? Where has the crowd gone, the conspiracies, the spears and staves? Where are the kings, the priests, and the judges worthy of condemnation? Where are the lanterns, the swords, the chaotic cries? Where has the frenzied mob gone, and the shameful guard? Truly, “the people imagined a vain thing” (cf. Psalm 2:1). They stumbled against the cornerstone—Christ—and they were broken. They struck against the solid Rock and shattered themselves. Their waves turned to foam. They bound the great Samson, but He burst the eternal bonds and destroyed the lawless foreigners. God, the Sun—Christ—went down beneath the earth and left the Jews in perpetual darkness.
Today salvation has shone forth to those who dwell on the earth and to those who from of old were in the underworld. Today salvation has shone forth both to the visible and the invisible world. Christ has come with a double visitation: a double descent, a double work of love, a double building of salvation. He has descended from heaven to earth, and from earth into Hades. The gates of Hades are opened. O ye who have died from of old, rejoice! And ye who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, receive the great light! The Master among slaves, God among the dead, Life among mortals; the Innocent among the guilty; the Light without evening among those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death; the Liberator among the captives; He who is above the heavens among those who dwell in the depths.
Christ is on earth, and we have believed. Christ is among the dead—let us also go down with Him into Hades and behold the mysteries that take place there. Let us understand the hidden wonders that are wrought beneath the earth by the Hidden One—Christ.
Let us learn how the Gospel was proclaimed even to those in Hades. But what then? Does God, having descended into Hades, save all without distinction? No. There too He saves only those who believe. Yesterday He showed forth the works of His humanity, and today the works of His Lordship. Yesterday, the deeds of weakness; today, of omnipotence. Yesterday, the deeds of manhood; today, of Divinity. Yesterday, He was struck on the cheek; today, He shakes the dwellings of Hades with the splendor of His Godhead. Yesterday, He was bound; today, He binds the tyrant with unbreakable chains. Yesterday, He was condemned; today, He grants freedom to the condemned. Yesterday, the servants of Pilate mocked Him; today, the keepers of Hades tremble at His sight.
But listen to the essential cause of Christ’s suffering. And having heard it, sing, glorify, and proclaim the great wonders of the Lord. Behold how the Law gives way to grace, how types pass away and shadows vanish, how the Sun fills the whole world, how the Old Covenant is worn out, and the New is established—how “the old things are passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17), and the new has blossomed!
At the time of Christ’s Passion, there were two peoples in Zion—the Jews and the Gentiles; two kings—Pilate and Herod; two high priests—Annas and Caiaphas; two Passovers were being celebrated: the Old, which was coming to its end, and the New, which was just beginning. That same evening, two sacrifices were offered, for salvation was accomplished both for the living and the dead.
The Jews, binding the Lamb for slaughter, still looked toward the shadow; the Gentiles turned to the Sun of Righteousness—God. The former, having bound Christ, passed Him from one to another; the latter received Him eagerly. One sacrifice was of a beast (κτηνοθυτον); the other of Him who is God in the flesh (θεοσωμον). The Jews remembered their departure from Egypt; the Gentiles proclaimed their deliverance from delusion.
And where did all this occur? In Zion, the city of the great King, where He worked salvation in the midst of the earth. “In the midst of two living beings” (Habakkuk 3:2), Jesus the God-man was made known, the Fountain of life between the two Fountains of life—the Father and the Spirit, life from life; born in a manger among angels and men; lying as the cornerstone among two peoples; preached in the midst of the Law and the Prophets; revealed on the mountain between Moses and Elijah; crucified between two thieves, and confessed to be God by the penitent thief.
As the eternal Judge, He sits between the life that now is and that which is to come. In the midst of the living and the dead, He has now accomplished a double life and salvation—I speak of birth and rebirth.
Hear of Christ’s double birth, and clap your hands at the wonders. An angel announced to Mary His birth from her; an angel declared to Mary Magdalene His dreadful rebirth from the tomb. At night, Christ was born in Bethlehem; at night in Zion He is reborn. At His birth, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes—here, He is wrapped in a winding sheet. At His birth, myrrh was brought to Him; with myrrh and aloes He is now prepared for burial. There, Joseph was the betrothed of Mary; here, Joseph of Arimathea is the caretaker of our life—Christ. The manger of Bethlehem served as His cradle; and in the tomb He lay as in a manger.
At His birth, the first to proclaim Him were shepherds; and the first to declare His resurrection from the dead were also shepherds—the disciples of Christ. There, an angel said to Mary, “Rejoice!” Here, “the Angel of Great Counsel”—Christ—says to the women, “Rejoice!” Forty days after His first birth, Christ entered the earthly Jerusalem and the temple and, as the firstborn, offered to God two turtledoves. And forty days after His resurrection, He ascended to the heavenly Jerusalem—to the true Holy of Holies—and as the incorrupt Firstborn from the dead, He offered to God the Father our soul and body as two spotless turtledoves.
And there, the Ancient of Days—the God and Father—received Him inexpressibly into His bosom, just as the aged Simeon once received Him into his arms in the earthly temple.
If you think this is a fable and listen with unbelief, the seals of the Lord’s tomb will condemn you—those seals that remained unbroken after Christ’s resurrection. For just as He was born of the Virgin and did not destroy the signs of her virginity, so also He rose, not breaking the seals of the tomb.
But let us now listen to the sacred narratives: when, and by whom, was Christ—our Life—laid in the tomb?
“Now when the evening was come,” says the Scripture, “there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57–58).
A mortal came to a mortal, asking permission to receive the God of mortals; dust approached dust, requesting to take the Fashioner of all things; hay asked hay to grant the Heavenly Fire; a tiny drop reached out to receive the Sea. Who has ever seen or heard anything like this? A man gives over to a man the Creator of men; a lawbreaker promises to deliver the Righteous One and the Giver of the Law; an unrighteous judge hands over the Judge of judges, as if He were condemned, to be buried.
“When the evening was come, there came a rich man named Joseph.” Truly he was rich, for he received the entire composite nature of the Lord. Truly rich, for from Pilate he received the double essence of Christ. Rich, for he was counted worthy to receive the priceless Pearl. Truly rich, for he carried the Treasure-house filled with Divinity. How can he not be called rich, who obtained the Life and Salvation of the world? How can Joseph not be rich, who received as a gift Him who feeds all and reigns over all?
“When the evening was come,” for the Sun of Righteousness had already descended into Hades. Therefore, “there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was a secret disciple for fear of the Jews.” Nicodemus also came, the one who had come to Jesus by night. O mystery of mysteries, most hidden! Two secret disciples come to hide Jesus in the tomb—by their concealment teaching the hidden mystery of the God who was concealed in the flesh and now in Hades!
One of them surpassed the other in zeal for Christ: Nicodemus won praise for his generosity in bringing myrrh and aloes, and Joseph—for his boldness and courage before Pilate. For he, having cast off fear, “boldly went in unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”
See what prudence Joseph displays before Pilate to obtain his request; with what humility he speaks, lest by provoking him he lose what he seeks. He does not say: Give me the body of Jesus, who darkened the sun, split the rocks, shook the earth, opened graves, and tore the temple veil. No—he puts forth the smallest and humblest of requests.
“Governor,” he says, “I have come to ask something small of you: permit me to bury the dead body of that Jesus of Nazareth whom you condemned—Jesus, poor, without home, hanged, naked, despised; Jesus, the son of the carpenter; Jesus, who was bound, who had no dwelling, a stranger unknown, rejected by all. Give me this Stranger, for what profit does His body bring to you?
Give me this Stranger, for He came from a far country to save strangers; He descended into the dark region to lift up the stranger. Give me this Stranger, for He alone is truly a Stranger—whose homeland is unknown to us strangers. Give me this Stranger, whose Father is unknown to us strangers. Give me this Stranger, whose place, birth, and manner of life are unknown to us strangers. Give me this Stranger, who lived as a stranger among strangers. Give me this Stranger of Nazareth, who had nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20). Give me this Stranger, who, like a stranger in a foreign land, had no dwelling place, and was even born in a manger. Give me this Stranger, who even from the manger had to flee from Herod. Give me this Stranger, who, even when wrapped in swaddling clothes, had to find shelter in Egypt. He had no city, no village, no home, no dwelling, no kin, and He lived in a strange land.
Give me, O governor, this naked One hanging on the tree. I will cover Him—I will cover Him who covered my nakedness. Give me this dead man who is also God. I will cover Him, for He has covered my lawlessness. Give me, O governor, this dead man, who in the Jordan buried my sin.
I plead for the dead man who endured insult from all: who was sold by a friend, betrayed by a disciple, pursued by His brethren, and struck by a servant. I plead for the dead man who was condemned by those He freed from bondage. I ask you, O governor, for this dead man, who has no father on earth, no friend, no disciple, no relative, no one to bury Him. He alone is the only-begotten of the one Father—God in the world—and there is no other beside Him.”
When Joseph thus spoke to Pilate, the latter gave orders to release to him the all-holy body of Jesus. And Joseph, having come to Golgotha, took down from the tree God in the flesh and laid Him upon the earth. And so He lay outstretched upon the ground—He who draws all things upward. Life and Breath became breathless for a little while. The Creator of the many-eyed was rendered sightless. The Resurrection of all was cast down to the earth. God, who raises the dead, was slain in the flesh, and the thunder of the Word of God was silenced. He who holds the heavens in the hollow of His hand is now carried by hands.
Tell me, tell me, O Joseph: how is it that thou performest the dread burial of the body of Jesus? Art thou not afraid to bear in thine arms Him whom the cherubim tremble to behold? With what awe dost thou unwrap His divine flesh? Dost thou not quake as thine eyes gaze upon the unveiled nature of the flesh of the God who is beyond nature?
Tell me, O Joseph: how wilt thou lay to rest facing east the One who is Himself the East of all Easts? How shalt thou close with thy fingers the eyes of Jesus, who with His immaculate fingers opened the eyes of the blind? How shalt thou shut the mouth of Him who loosed the tongue of the mute? How shalt thou fold the hands of Him who healed the withered hand? How shalt thou bind the feet of Him who strengthened the cripple? How shalt thou lay upon a bed the One who said to the paralytic, “Take up thy bed and walk” (Matthew 9:6)? How wilt thou anoint with ointment the heavenly Myrrh, who poured Himself out and sanctified the world?
How wilt thou wipe clean the side of Jesus that still pours forth blood—He who healed the woman with the issue of blood? How wilt thou wash the body of God, who washed and purified all? What lamps wilt thou light for the true Light, who enlighteneth every man? What funeral hymns shalt thou sing for Him whom the heavenly hosts ceaselessly glorify? How wilt thou mourn Him who wept for Lazarus and raised him on the fourth day? How canst thou weep for Him who granted joy to all and destroyed the sorrow of Eve?
I bless thy hands, O Joseph, for they touched the hands and feet of Jesus still streaming with blood. I bless thy hands, for they handled the wound still flowing. I bless thy lips, which touched the lips of Jesus and drew forth the Holy Spirit. I bless thine eyes, which gazed into the eyes of Jesus and drank the true light from them. I bless thy face, which drew near to the face of God. I bless thy shoulders, which bore Him who beareth all. I bless thy head, upon which Christ—the Head of all—rested. I bless thy hands, by which thou didst carry Him who carrieth all things.
I bless Joseph and Nicodemus, for they bore God before the cherubim did, and ministered to God before the six-winged hosts. Not with wings, but with a linen shroud they covered the Lord. Joseph and Nicodemus bore upon their shoulders Him before whom the cherubim tremble, and all the ranks of the bodiless powers are filled with awe.
“Joseph came with Nicodemus” (John 19:38–40), and so the whole divine host of angels gathered there. The cherubim preceded them. The seraphim assembled. The thrones bore Him. The six-winged covered Him. The many-eyed trembled, beholding Jesus with sight extinguished. The powers veiled themselves. The principalities chanted. The dominions were filled with dread. All the armies of the exalted powers stood in awe and asked one another in amazement: What is this strange and incomprehensible sight? Mortal men freely look upon the God whom we bodiless ones dare not gaze upon! Joseph and Nicodemus freely bury Him before whom the cherubim stand with trembling!
How has He who is in the bosom of the Father come forth? How has He who filleth all things come to earth? How has He who is hidden from all been revealed? The perfect God, who abideth above with the Father, now appears below with His Mother as a perfect mortal. He who was never seen before—how is He now seen by men? And as a man—and yet as the God who loveth mankind!
How has the Invisible become visible? How has the Immaterial taken on flesh? How has the Passionless One suffered? How has the Judge stood before the judgment seat? How has Life tasted death? How is the Uncontainable contained in a tomb? How does He who is in the bosom of the Father dwell in a grave? (cf. John 1:18). How does He who opened the gates of Paradise enter the door of a cave? He who did not break the seal of the Virgin’s womb now breaks open the gates of Hades.
How did He appear to the disciples with the doors shut? (cf. John 20:19). How did He open the gates of the heavenly kingdom for men, yet leave intact the seals of the tomb? How is He counted among the dead—He “who is free among the dead”? (Psalm 87:6 LXX). How does the Light that knows no evening appear in the darkness and shadow of death?
For what purpose does He descend into Hades? Could it be that He has come to raise up the condemned Adam? Indeed! He has come to seek the first-formed one, like a lost sheep. Indeed, God, the Son of Eve, comes to deliver the captive Adam, and together with him, the captive Eve, from torment.
Let us go down with Him and rejoice! Let us make haste and sing praises! Let us hasten to behold how God is reconciled with man—how the all-good Lord frees the condemned. For He who is by nature the Lover of mankind comes with power and authority to bring forth from the depths those held captive from of old, and to number among the citizens of heaven those whom bitter and insatiable death had swallowed up and cut off from God.
There, in Hades, was Adam—the first-created, the first to be condemned. There was Abel, the first to die and the first righteous shepherd, a type of the unjust slaughter of the Shepherd Christ. There was Noah, a type of Christ, the builder of the ark—the great Church of God—which saved the wild-beast-like Gentiles from the flood of ungodliness, through the dove—the Holy Spirit—and sent forth the black raven. There was Abraham, the forefather of Christ, who offered to God a sacrifice without slaughter. There was Isaac, whom Abraham bound for sacrifice as a figure of Christ. There was Jacob, who sorrowed in Hades just as he once sorrowed on earth for Joseph. There was Joseph, the prisoner, who was cast into prison in Egypt as a type of Christ—and in the end became lord of all.
There was Moses—in the same darkness as when he was laid in the little ark. There was Daniel in the pit of Hades, once thrown into the lions’ den. There was Jeremiah, who had once been cast into the miry pit. There was Jonah, who had been in the belly of the whale, a figure of the eternal and pre-eternal Christ. There also was the godly David, from whom Christ was born in the flesh.
But why speak only of David, Jonah, or Solomon? In the dark womb of Hades was the great John—the greatest of the prophets—who proclaimed Christ to all those dwelling there, thus becoming a double Forerunner: a preacher to the living and to the dead. From the prison of Herod, he was sent to the universal prison of Hades, where from ages past the righteous and the unrighteous had been confined.
But the prophets and all the righteous continually cried out to the Lord from there, entreating Him to deliver them from their sorrows and the night of eternal darkness. One said, “Out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heardest my voice” (Jonah 2:3); another, “Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice” (Psalm 129:1 LXX); one said, “Shew the light of Thy countenance, and we shall be saved” (Psalm 79:4); another, “Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, appear” (Psalm 79:2); another said, “Stir up Thy strength, and come to save us” (Psalm 79:3); another, “Let Thy tender mercies speedily go before us, O Lord” (Psalm 78:8); one said, “Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell” (Psalm 85:13); another, “O Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave” (Psalm 29:4); one said, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell” (Psalm 15:10); and another, “Let my life rise up from corruption unto Thee, O Lord my God” (Jonah 2:6).
The all-merciful Lord Christ, hearing them, did not consider it just to make only those who lived during His time on earth or those who would live after Him partakers of His lovingkindness, but also those who before His coming had been held in Hades, who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death. Therefore, to those living in the flesh, He appeared in an animate body, and to the souls separated from the body, He manifested Himself with His divine and most pure soul—which, though separated from the body, was never separated from the Godhead.
Let us hasten then in spirit to descend into Hades, to behold how there He overcame the strong tyrant by His strength and disarmed the immortal powers without weapon, by His mere radiance; how He shattered the gates and opened the doors with the Tree of the Cross; how He trampled the serpent and hung up his head; how He destroyed the dividing wall, raised up an unconquerable trophy, slew death, dissolved corruption, and restored man to his original dignity.
Yesterday, He rebuked Peter and rejected the aid of angels, saying, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). But now, in divine authority, as Conqueror and Master, He descends even into Hades and death, accompanied by the bodiless hosts and the invisible orders—not merely twelve legions, but tens of thousands of thousands and myriads of angels, dominions, thrones, six-winged and many-eyed beings, in order to destroy the tyrant through His death.
These ranks followed Him—not as co-workers, but with reverence, as attendants upon their Lord and King. For the almighty Christ has no need of assistance; but it is their duty, and their burning desire, to stand before their Lord and God. Therefore, at a single nod, they rush to fulfill His commands and are ever ready for battle with the enemies and lawless. So now too, they descended with the Lord their God into Hades and the nethermost dwellings, to those held captive from of old, that they might in strength bring forth the prisoners.
And when the radiant coming of the Lord, with His divine host, shone forth upon the well-guarded, dark, and unknown dungeon and prisons of Hades, the Archangel Gabriel was first to go before all and proclaim to the hostile powers the following command: “Lift up your gates, O ye princes!” Then Michael cried aloud: “And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors!” (Psalm 23:7). After them the powers said, “Stand aside, ye lawless gatekeepers!” And finally the dominions, with dominion, proclaimed, “Be loosed, ye unbreakable bonds!”
Think not that the Lord who has come is unable to pass through closed doors. He commands you, as runaway slaves, to lift up the everlasting gates—that is, to break them down. “Lift up your gates, O ye princes,” for Christ stands before you—the Door of heaven. Make straight the path for Him who approaches the western realm of Hades. His name is the Lord. His going forth is through the gates of death. You made entrances, but He has come to make an exodus. Therefore, delay not—lift up the gates and hasten! Lift them up without delay! And if you hesitate, we will command the gates themselves to lift up without hands: “And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors!”
After these words of the heavenly powers, the gates were lifted, the bonds were loosed, the bolts fell away, and the foundations of the prison were shaken. The hostile powers fled. Casting away their authority, they cried aloud: “Who is this King of glory?” (Psalm 23:8). Who is this who works such wonders in Hades? Who is this who brings forth the dead from ages past? Who is this who breaks our power and leads away those long bound in the prison of hell?
Meanwhile, the Lord approached even unto the very depths of Hades, where especially guarded in bonds was the first-created Adam. And the Lord, taking him by the hand, raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).
I am thy God, and by My authority I command the prisoners to come forth, those in darkness to be enlightened, the dead to arise. Therefore to thee also I say: Arise, O sleeper! For I did not create thee to be held in Hades. Arise from the dead! I am the Life of the dead. Arise, O My image, fashioned after My likeness. Arise, let us go hence. Thou art in Me, and I am in thee; together we are one undivided person.
For thee I, thy God, became thy son. For thee I, the Lord, took the form of a servant. For thee, I, who am higher than the heavens, descended to the earth and even beneath the earth. For thee, O man, who art free among the dead, I became as a man. For thee, who wast cast out of the garden, I was delivered up to the Jews in a garden and crucified on a tree.
Behold the spittle on My face—it was for thee, that I might restore to thee thy original dignity. Behold the blows upon My cheeks—I endured them that I might refashion thy disfigured image into My own. Behold My scourged back—I accepted stripes that I might lift the burden of sin from thy shoulders. Behold My hands nailed to the Cross—for thee they were stretched out. Behold My feet pierced—for thee, who ran to the tree of transgression. I suffered to restore thee and to open Paradise for thee once more.
For thy sake I tasted gall—to heal the bitterness of thy sin acquired through that sweet fruit. I drank vinegar—to destroy the power of that bitter cup that brought death upon thee. I accepted the sponge—that I might blot out the handwriting of thy sins. I accepted the reed—that I might sign the freedom of mankind. My side hath healed the wound in thine. My sleep hath awakened thee from the sleep of death in Hades. The spear that pierced Me hath turned away the sword aimed at thee.
So arise, let us go hence! The enemy led thee out of Paradise; I restore thee not to Paradise, but to the heavenly throne. I forbade thee once to reach out to the symbol of the tree of life—but lo! now I, the true Life, am joined to thee.
I set the cherubim to guard the gate of Paradise; now I command the cherubim to serve thee. Once thou didst hide from God because of thy nakedness—now I have hidden Myself in thee, O true God, clothed in thy nature. Thou didst wear garments of skins in shame—but I, thy God, have clothed Myself in thy flesh, the robe of blood.
So arise, let us go hence—
from death into life,
from corruption into incorruption,
from darkness into eternal light.
Arise, let us go hence—
from sorrow into joy,
from slavery into freedom,
from captivity into the delight of Paradise,
from earth unto heaven.
For I died for this, and I arose again: that I might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Arise, let us go hence! For My heavenly Father awaits the lost sheep. The ninety and nine sheep—that is, the angels—await their fellow-servant Adam, to see when he shall rise, when he shall return and ascend to God.
The cherubic throne is prepared. Those who are to lift you into the heavens are swift to obey. The mansions of heaven are made ready. The treasuries of blessings are opened. The kingdom of heaven, prepared from before the ages, stands ready. Such good things await mankind as “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
At the word of the Lord, Adam rises with Him and in Him—joined to Him. Eve rises too, and many other bodies of the righteous who from ages past had died in faith arose, proclaiming the Lord’s glorious three-day Resurrection.
This Resurrection we too, who believe, shall greet with brightness. We shall behold it with joy and embrace it, rejoicing with the angels, exulting with the bodiless hosts, and glorifying Christ, who raised us from corruption and gave us life.
To Him be glory and dominion, with His unoriginate Father, and with the All-Holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.