Church Fathers Commentary Luke 24:1-12

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel: and as they were affrighted and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, and returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the [mother] of James: and the other women with them told these things unto the apostles. And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk; and they disbelieved them. But Peter arose, and ran unto the tomb; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths by themselves; and he departed to his home, wondering at that which was come to pass." — Luke 24:1-12 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: Devout women bought spices to anoint the body of Jesus, as Mark testifies. They did this not only on the day of preparation but also after the Sabbath had passed—that is, at sunset, as soon as the freedom to work returned.

Still, as long as night restrained them, they did not come to the sepulcher. Therefore, it is said, On the first day of the week, very early in the morning... The "first of the Sabbath" is the first day after the Sabbath, which Christians are accustomed to call "the Lord's day" because of our Lord’s resurrection. The women's coming to the sepulcher very early in the morning makes manifest their great zeal and fervent love for seeking and finding the Lord.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now this passage has caused great perplexity for many, because while St. Luke says, Very early in the morning, Matthew says that it was in the evening of the sabbath that the women came to the sepulcher. But we may suppose that the Evangelists spoke of different occasions, allowing us to understand that there were both different groups of women and different appearances.

However, since it was written that our Lord rose in the evening of the sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, we must understand this to mean that the resurrection should not be thought to have taken place either on the morning of the Lord's day or on the Sabbath itself. For how else are the three days fulfilled? He rose not as the day grew toward evening, but in the evening of the night.

Lastly, the Greek word used is "late," which can signify both the hour at the end of the day and the slowness of something, as when we say, "I was told this lately." Therefore, "late" can also mean the dead of night. This would have given the women the opportunity to come to the sepulcher when the guards were asleep. And so that you may know it was nighttime, some of the women are ignorant of it. They who watch night and day know, but they who have gone back do not know. According to John, one Mary Magdalene does not know, for the same person could not first know and then afterward be ignorant. Therefore, if there are several Marys, perhaps there are also several Mary Magdalenes, since the former is a personal name and the latter is derived from a place.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, Matthew, by mentioning the first part of the night (the evening), intended to represent the entire night, at the end of which the women came to the sepulcher. He may have done this because they had been preparing since that evening, as it was then lawful to bring spices since the Sabbath was over.

Eusebius of Caesarea: The Instrument of the Word lay dead, and a great stone enclosed the sepulcher, as if death had led Him captive. But three days had not yet elapsed when life emerged again after sufficient proof of death, for it follows, And they found the stone rolled away.

Theophylact of Ohrid: An angel had rolled it away, as Matthew declares.

St. John Chrysostom: The stone was rolled away after the resurrection for the sake of the women, so that they might believe that the Lord had risen again by seeing the grave without the body. Hence it follows, And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: When they did not find the body of Christ, which had risen, they were distracted by various thoughts. For their love of Christ and the tender care they had shown Him, they were deemed worthy of the vision of angels. For it follows, And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

Eusebius of Caesarea: The messengers of the life-giving resurrection and their shining garments are signs of joy and rejoicing. For when Moses was preparing plagues against the Egyptians, he perceived an angel in a flame of fire. But those who appeared to the women at the sepulcher were not like that; they were calm and joyful, as was fitting for them to be seen in the kingdom and joy of the Lord. And just as the sun was darkened at the Passion, displaying signs of sorrow and woe to the crucifiers of our Lord, so the angels, as heralds of life and resurrection, marked the character of the life-giving feast day by their white garments.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But how is it that Mark and Matthew mention one young man sitting in white garments, while John and Luke relate that two angels were seen sitting in white garments?

St. Augustine of Hippo: We can understand that one angel was seen by the women, as both Mark and Matthew say. This could be if we suppose they entered the sepulcher—that is, into a space enclosed by a wall in front of the stone tomb itself. There they saw an angel sitting on the right, as Mark says. But afterward, when they looked into the place where our Lord was lying, they saw two other angels standing inside, as Luke says, who spoke to encourage them and build up their faith. Hence it follows, And as they were afraid...

The Venerable Bede: The holy women, when the angels stood beside them, are reported not to have fallen to the ground but to have bowed their faces to the earth. Nor do we read that any of the saints, at the time of our Lord’s resurrection, worshiped either our Lord Himself or the angels who appeared to them by prostrating themselves on the ground. From this has arisen the ecclesiastical custom of praying on every Lord's day and throughout the whole season of Pentecost, not with bent knees but with our faces bowed to the earth, either in memory of our Lord’s resurrection or in hope of our own.

But He who rose from the dead to life was not to be sought in the sepulcher, which is the place of the dead. Therefore, the angels said to the women, Why seek you the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Then on the third day, as He Himself foretold to the women and the rest of His disciples, He celebrated the triumph of His resurrection. Thus it follows, Remember how he spoke to you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. For on the day of preparation, giving up His spirit at the ninth hour and buried in the evening, He rose again early on the morning of the first day of the week.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: He might indeed have immediately raised His body from the dead. But someone would have said that He was never dead, or that death truly had never existed in Him. And perhaps if the resurrection of our Lord had been delayed beyond the third day, the glory of incorruption would have been concealed. Therefore, in order to show His body to be dead, He allowed the interval of one day, and on the third day showed His body to be incorruptible.

The Venerable Bede: He also lay in the sepulcher one day and two nights because He joined the light of His single death to the darkness of our double death.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now the women, when they had received the words of the angels, hastened to tell them to the disciples, as it is written, And they remembered his words, and returned from the sepulcher, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. For woman, who was once the minister of death, is now the first to receive and tell the awe-inspiring mystery of the resurrection. Womankind has therefore obtained both deliverance from reproach and the withdrawal of the curse.

St. Ambrose of Milan: It is not allowed for women to teach in the church, but they shall ask their husbands at home. The woman, then, is sent to those who are at home. But Luke explains who these women were, adding, It was Mary Magdalene...

The Venerable Bede: ...who was also the sister of Lazarus, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Mary the mother of James (that is, the mother of James the less, and Joseph). And it is added more generally of the others, and other women that were with them, who told these things to the Apostles.

So that woman might not endure the everlasting reproach of guilt from men, she who had transmitted sin to man now also transmits grace.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The miracle of the resurrection is naturally incredible to mankind. Hence it follows, And their words seemed to them as idle tales.

The Venerable Bede: This was not so much their weakness as, so to speak, our strength. For as we read and acknowledge the many proofs by which the resurrection was demonstrated to those who doubted, we are confirmed in the truth through their very doubts.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Peter, as soon as he heard this, does not delay but runs to the sepulcher, for fire when applied to matter knows no delay. As it follows, Then arose Peter, and ran to the sepulcher.

Eusebius of Caesarea: For he alone believed the women who said they had seen angels. And as he was more fervent than the rest, he anxiously rushed ahead, looking everywhere for the Lord. As it follows, And stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But now when he was at the tomb, he began to marvel at those things which he or the others had previously ridiculed, as it is written, And departed, wondering in himself at what had come to pass. He wondered at how it had happened: how the linen clothes had been left behind, since the body was anointed with myrrh, or what opportunity a thief could have had to put aside the neatly wrapped clothes and take the body while soldiers stood guard.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Luke is thought to have mentioned this concerning Peter as a recapitulation. For Peter ran to the sepulcher at the same time as John, as soon as the women (especially Mary Magdalene) had told them alone that the body was taken away. The vision of angels, however, took place afterward. Luke, therefore, mentioned only Peter because Mary told him first.

It may also strike one that Luke says Peter saw the linen clothes by themselves without entering, only stooping down, and then departed wondering. John, on the other hand, says that he himself saw the linen clothes in the same position and that he entered after Peter. We must understand, then, that Peter first saw them by stooping down, which Luke mentions and John omits, but that he afterward entered before John came in.

The Venerable Bede: According to the mystical meaning, the women coming early in the morning to the sepulcher provides an example for us. Having cast away the darkness of our vices, we should come to the Body of the Lord. For that sepulcher also represented the Altar of the Lord.

On this altar, the mysteries of Christ’s Body ought to be consecrated, not in silk or purple cloth, but in pure white linen, like that in which Joseph wrapped it. For just as He offered up for us to death the true substance of His earthly nature, so we also, in commemoration of Him, should place on the Altar linen—pure flax from the earth, made white and refined in many ways through a kind of crushing to death.

The spices which the women bring signify the fragrance of virtue and the sweetness of prayers, with which we ought to approach the Altar. The rolling back of the stone alludes to the unveiling of the Sacraments, which were concealed by the veil of the letter of the law written on stone.

When this covering is taken away, the dead body of the Lord is not found; instead, the living body is proclaimed. For although we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Furthermore, just as angels are said to have stood by when the Body of our Lord lay in the sepulcher, so also are they to be believed to stand by the mysteries of Christ at the time of consecration.

Let us then, following the example of the devout women, whenever we approach the heavenly mysteries, bow our faces to the earth with all humility—both because of the presence of the angels and from reverence for the Sacred Offering—remembering that we are but dust and ashes.