Leaves from St. John ChrysostomJohn Chrysostom, Saint
Religion
Leaves from St. John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom, Saint
Christian literature, Early; John Chrysostom, Saint, -407
required to come after the cross, but even the former ones should have
been blotted out. Follow my argument attentively, as what I have said is
an irrefutable proof of the Resurrection, and therefore I repeat it.
First, Christ did wonders, He raised the dead and cleansed lepers, and
cast out devils: after this He was crucified, and, as the lawless Jews
assert, He did not rise from the dead. Now, how are we to answer them?
That if He did _not_ rise, how after this did greater signs take place
in His Name? No living man at his death ever worked greater wonders
after it, but in this case they _were_ greater after it, both in manner
and in matter. They were greater in matter, for never had the shadow of
Christ raised from the dead, yet the shadows of the Apostles did many
things of this kind. And they were greater in manner when at His command
signs took place; but after the crucifixion His servants, using His
awful and all-holy Name, did greater and more wonderful things, so that
their power shone forth more conspicuously than His. For it was much
more striking that another should do these things by invoking His Name
than that He should command them to be done. See you, dear brethren, how
the signs of the Apostles after Christ’s Resurrection were greater both
in manner and in matter? Therefore, the proof of the Resurrection is
irrefutable. As I was saying, and now repeat, if Christ had died and not
risen again, wonders also should have ceased and been extinguished: now,
not only were they not quenched, but they became more evident and more
glorious after these things. And if Christ had not risen, others would
not have worked signs so great in His Name. One and the same power did
wonders both before and after the Cross, first through Himself and
afterwards through His disciples; but the greater and more wonderful
signs took place after the Cross in order that the proof of the
Resurrection might be the clearer and more renowned. ‘And how,’ the
unbeliever asks, ‘is it certain that signs _did_ take place?’ ‘How is it
certain that Christ was crucified?’ ‘From Holy Scripture,’ you answer.
And it is also evident from Holy Scripture both that signs took place
then and that Christ was crucified, for they say one and the other. And
if the adversary assert that the Apostles did no signs, he shows their
power and divine grace to have been the greater, inasmuch as without
wonders they were able to win such a world to the service of God.[13]
For this is the greatest sign and the crowning wonder of all, that the
lowly, and poor, and despised, and ignorant, and unlearned, and needy,
twelve men in number, seem without signs to drag in their train cities
so great, and races and peoples, kings, tyrants, philosophers, and
orators, and, so to speak, the whole world. Would you like to see signs
taking place now? Then I will show you signs more striking than the
former ones—not one dead man raised to life, not one blind man restored
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account