Martha's Confession and the Two Witnesses

He performed a sign of power, revealing the down payment of the general resurrection. Because of this, he was moved with the one who was acted upon, rejoicing, as one who confirmed through works that he is 'our life and resurrection.' For this too had been previously prophesied by him through the prophet: 'I will be rejoiced in doing good with them.'

By this wonder and by their own feast, the sisters of the Savior and of the risen one were serving as honorable learners, the one providing the things of hospitality and the other the things of devotion. For Martha was indeed a hostess like Abraham, but a lover of the poor like Job, and a lover of Christ in her confession like Peter, having the door of loving hospitality opened to everyone coming. Therefore, she did not receive the angels in ignorance or without knowing, as Lot of old did, but in good knowledge and disposition, she received under her roof the creator and lord of the angels. And Martha was such and so great and in such great things.

And this one's sister Mary also, 'having taken a pound of ointment of nard of faithful preciousness, anointed the feet of Jesus and with her hair wiped his feet, and the house was filled from the fragrance of the ointment.' The holy women, breathing the myrrh of piety, filled the house with the fragrance of myrrh, Martha through confession and Mary through work. Martha is a second Peter; for grace also breathed upon her, and for this reason she surpassed the faith of the one at the top.

She heard: 'he who believes in me even if he dies, shall live,' and she recognized the provider of life and, using a loud voice, cried out: 'I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God coming into the world.' For it was necessary for the feminine nature to recognize and confess the Creator and God. First Peter confesses by divine teaching, second Martha exclaims by divine inspiration, third John theologizes divinely and uniquely in the letters. Peter and Martha say: 'you are the Christ, the Son of the living God'; John says: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.' Pay attention, beloved, to the light of truth; flee the darkness of error.

“You are the Christ,” he says; yet not a mere human Christ, but the Son of the living God, the Word who became flesh and remains unchanging for us, the only Son of the living God, the Word who became flesh. He is not one of the Jewish Christs, nor one of the Jewish and written-of Christs, but you are, according to Paul, “the one Lord, blessed above all unto the ages of ages, Amen” (1 Cor 8:6). You alone are Christ and the only-begotten Son of the living God. “We beheld,” says the evangelist, “his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). You are the firstborn and the only-begotten and alone, consubstantial and co-honorary and equal-power to the One begotten, without beginning and co-existing with God the Father. You are the Christ, not one of your invisible and liturgical powers created under you, but naturally the Son of the living God. “For not an elder nor an angel, but the Lord himself, says, as Isaiah said, saved us, saved them” (Isa 9:6); so the angels are not Christs. You are the Christ, that is, not a human Christ, but a God Christ, a God having become man, not a man having become divine, but having anointed his own and voluntary incarnation with his own divinity, for which reason it is said, “your name emptied of myrrh,” and “we run toward the fragrance of your myrrh.” You are the Christ, worshipped by all creation, as one Lord and God, as one Son, as one Master with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Again, let us bring the word back to the most excellent brotherhood of the pious and faithful brothers. O the unbroken branch of the inward love of the friends and genuine servants of Christ Jesus, one of the uncreated and consubstantial Trinity. Not even the unsevered seed of the inward love of these, of the teacher and master, was torn apart: neither the unbelief of Jews, nor the disobedience of Pharisees, nor the violence of Sadducees, nor the scandals of priests, but having once planted the vine in faith, they remained fruitful, unshakeable by every assault and invincible, knowing God and the Christ.

Greek

δυνάμεως ἀπεποίησε σημεῖον, τῆς καθόλου ἀναστάσεως ἐμφανίσας τὸν ἀρραβῶνα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο συνανεκλίθη τῷ ποιηθέντι εὐφραινόμενος, ὡς πιστοποιήσας διὰ τῶν ἔργων ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν «ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡμῶν»· προαναπεφώνητο γάρ που παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· «εὐφρανθήσομαι ἐν τῷ ἀγαθοποιεῖν με αὐτοῖς.» 11 Τῷδε τῷ θαύματι καὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἑορτῇ αἱ τίμιαι μαθή τριαι τοῦ Σωτῆρος καὶ τοῦ ἀναστάντος ἀδελφαὶ διηκόνουν, ἡ μὲν τὰ τῆς ὑποδοχῆς, ἡ δὲ τὰ τῆς φιλοθεΐας προσκομίζουσαι. Ἦν γάρ πως ἡ Μάρθα φιλόξενος μὲν ὡς ἀβραμιαία, φιλόπτωχος δὲ ὡς ὁ Ἰὼβ, καὶ φιλόχριστος τὴν ὁμολογίαν ὡς Πέτρος, ἠνεῳγμένην ἔχουσα τὴν τῆς φιλοξενίας ἀγαπητικὴν θύραν παντὶ ἐρχομένῳ· ὅθεν οὐ λεληθότως, οὐδὲ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ, ὡς πάλαι ὁ Λὼτ, ἀγγέλους ἐξένισεν, ἀλλ' ἐν εἰδήσει ἀγαθῇ καὶ διαθέσει τὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων δημιουργὸν καὶ κύριον ὑπὸ τὴν ὀροφὴν εἰσεδέξατο. Καὶ ἡ μὲν Μάρθα τοιαύτη καὶ τηλικαύτη καὶ ἐν τηλικούτοις. 12 Ἡ δὲ ταύτης ἀδελφὴ Μαρία καὶ αὐτὴ «λαβοῦσα λίτραν μύρου [νάρδου] πιστικῆς πολυτίμου ἤλειψεν τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ταῖς θριξὶν αὐτῆς ἀπέμαξεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας, ἡ δὲ οἰκία ἐπλήσθη ἐκ τῆς ὀσμῆς τοῦ μύρου.» Μύρον εὐσεβείας πνέουσαι αἱ ἅγιαι, μύρου εὐωδίας καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπλήρωσαν, ἡ μὲν Μάρθα διὰ τῆς ὁμολογίας, ἡ δὲ Μαρία [διὰ] τῆς ἐργασίας. ∆εύτερος Πέτρος ἡ Μάρθα· ἐπέπνευσε γὰρ καὶ ταύτῃ ἡ χάρις καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὴ τὴν τοῦ κορυφαίου ἀνώμβρησε πίστιν. 13 Ἤκουσεν· «ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται», ἐπέγνω τὸν τῆς ζωῆς χορηγὸν καὶ εὐθυβόλῳ χρησαμένη φωνῇ ἀνέκραγεν· «ἐγὼ πεπίστευκα ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐρχόμενος.» Ἔδει γὰρ τὴν γυναικείαν φύσιν ἐπιγνῶναι καὶ ὁμολογῆσαι τὸν κτίστην καὶ θεόν. Πρῶτον Πέτρος θεοδιδάκτως ὁμολογεῖ, δεύτερον Μάρθα θεομυήτως ἀναφωνεῖ, τρίτον Ἰωάννης ἐν δέλτοις θεοφρόνως καὶ μονογενῶς θεολογεῖ. Πέτρος καὶ Μάρθα· «σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος·» Ἰωάννης· «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν.» 14 Πρόσεχε, ἀγαπητὲ, τῷ φωτισμῷ τῆς ἀληθείας, φεῦγε τὸ σκότος τῆς πλάνης. «Σὺ εἶ, φησὶν, ὁ Χριστός»· οὐ ψιλὸς Χριστὸς ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ὁ Λόγος ὁ γενόμενος σὰρξ ἄτρεπτος δι' ἡμᾶς, ὁ μόνος υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ὁ Λόγος ὁ γενόμενος σάρξ· οὐχ εἷς τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν χριστῶν, οὐχ εἷς τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν καὶ παρεγγράπτων χριστῶν, ἀλλὰ σὺ κατὰ Παυλὸν, «ὁ εἷς Κύριος, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν·» σὺ εἶ μόνος Χριστὸς καὶ υἱὸς μονογενὴς τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ ζῶντος· «ἐθεασάμεθα, φησὶν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρὸς, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας·» 15 σὺ εἶ ὁ πρωτότοκος καὶ ὁ μονογενὴς καὶ μόνος σὺν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ὁμοούσιός τε καὶ ὁμότιμος καὶ ἰσοδύναμος τῷ γεγεννηκότι, ἄναρχός τε καὶ συναΐδιος θεῷ Πατρί· σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐχ εἷς τῶν ὑπό σου κτισθέντων ἀοράτων καὶ λειτουργικῶν σου δυνάμεων, ἀλλὰ φυσικῶς υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. «Οὐ πρέσβυς γὰρ οὐδὲ ἄγγελος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος, φησὶν, ὡς εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας, ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς, ἔσωσεν αὐτούς·» ὥστε οὐκ εἰσὶν οἱ ἄγγελοι χριστοί· σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦτ' ἔστιν οὐκ ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ θεὸς Χριστὸς, θεὸς ἐνανθρωπήσας, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἀποθεωθεὶς, ἀλλὰ χρίσας τὴν οἰκείαν καὶ ἑκούσιον σάρκωσιν τῇ οἰκείᾳ θεότητι δι' ὃ καὶ εἴρηται· «μῦρον ἐκκενωθὲν ὄνομά σου,» καὶ «εἰς ὀσμὴν μύρων σου ἐκδραμούμεθα·» σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ παρὰ πάσης κτίσεως προσκυνούμενος, ὡς εἷς Κύριος καὶ θεὸς, ὡς εἷς Υἱὸς, ὡς εἷς ∆εσπότης σὺν Πατρὶ [καὶ] τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι. 16 Πάλιν ἐπανάξωμεν τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὴν καλλίστην ἀδελφότητα τῶν εὐσεβῶν καὶ πιστῶν ἀδελφῶν. Ὦ συμπνοίας τῶν φίλων καὶ θεραπόντων γνησίων Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἑνὸς τῆς ἀκτίστου καὶ ὁμοουσίου Τριάδος. Βαβαὶ τῆς ἐντρίτου ἀγαπῆς τὸ ἀρραγὲς σπαρτίον· οὐδὲν τούτους τῆς τοῦ διδασκάλου καὶ δεσπότου ἀγαπῆς ἀπέρρηξεν, οὐκ ἀπιστία Ἰουδαίων, οὐκ ἀπείθεια Φαρισαίων, οὐ Σαδδουκαίων ὑλακὴ, οὐ σκάνδαλα ἱερέων ἀλλ' ἐγκεντρισθέντες ἅπαξ τὴν καλλιέλαιον τῇ πίστει, ἔμειναν ἔγκαρποι, πάσῃ προσβόλῃ ἄσειστοι καὶ ἀτίνακτοι, θεὸν γνωρίζοντες τὸν Χριστὸν,

About this text

Eustathius on the raising of Lazarus and the two natures.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 18 (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.