Angels' Enlightenment

Ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ διαπορεῖσθαι αὐτὰς περὶ τούτου, κ.τ.λ.   Ἀφίκοντο μὲν αἱ γυναῖκες ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα· οὐχ εὑροῦσαί γε μὴν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐγήγερτο γὰρ, εἰς πολλὴν πεπτώκασιν ἀπορίαν. Καὶ τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν; τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης ἕνεκα, καὶ τῆς εἰς τοῦτο γενομένης σπουδῆς ἠξιώθησαν ἰδεῖν ἁγίους ἀγγέλους· καὶ δὴ καὶ γεγόνασιν αὐταῖς εὐαγγελισταὶ, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως κήρυκες, Τί ζητεῖτε, φάσκοντες, τὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τῶν νεκρῶν; Οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἀλλ' ἠγέρθη." Ζῇ μὲν γὰρ ἀεὶ, καὶ ζωὴ κατὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος· καθεὶς δὲ ἑαυτὸν εἰς κένωσιν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁμοίωσιν ὑπελθὼν, ἐγεύσατο θανάτου. Ἀλλ' ἦν τοῦτο τοῦ θανάτου θάνατος. Ἐγήγερται τοίνυν ἐκ νεκρῶν, ὁδὸς τῆς εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν ἀναδρομῆς, οὐχ ἑαυτῷ μᾶλλον, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν, γενόμενος· καὶ μηδεὶς ζητείτω τὸν ἀεὶ ζῶντα μετὰ νεκρῶν· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ ὧδε, τουτέστιν ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ μνήματι. Ποῦ δὲ μᾶλλον; Ἐν οὐρανῷ δηλονότι καὶ ἐν δόξῃ θεοπρεπεῖ. Ἵνα δὲ βεβαιοτέραν αὐταῖς τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐνιδρύσειαν πίστιν, εἰς μνήμην ἀναφέρουσιν, ὡς ἔφη Χριστὸς, ὅτι χρὴ πάντως αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας ἁμαρτωλῶν δοθῆναι καὶ παθεῖν, καὶ ἀναστῆναι τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Ἄγγελοι μέν τοι καὶ τοῖς ποιμέσιν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τὸν τόκον εὐηγγελίζοντο, καὶ νῦν τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Καὶ λελει τούργηκεν οὐρανὸς τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ κηρύγμασι, καὶ περιέπουσι τὸν Υἱὸν ὡς Θεὸν, καὶ ὅτε γέγονε σὰρξ, αἱ τῶν ἄνω πνευμάτων στρατιαί. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Κεφ. ΚΔ'

'It was that they were confused because of this...' etc 1 The women who went out to the tomb and did not find the body of Christ because He had already risen, fell into great perplexity. And what then? On account of the love of Christ and their zeal they were worthy to see holy angels, who being to them bringers of the good news and preachers of the resurrection, said 'Why do you seek, the living among the dead? He is not here but He is risen.' For He lives always, life being the nature of the Word of God, but to emptiness he gave Himself, taking upon Himself our likeness and tasting death. 2 Truly this is the death of death. Therefore from the dead He makes the way that leads to immortality, not for Himself but rather for us. And let no one now seek the ever living among the dead. He is not here, that is, in death or in the tomb. Where then? Obviously in heaven with the glory appropriate to God. And then, that they make the faith of the women even firmer, to their memory they recalled that Christ had said that it should be that He would be given into the hands of sinners and suffer and on the third day rise. Angels announced His birth to the shepherds at Bethlehem and now the same announce His resurrection. Heaven is called to serve the preaching of Christ, and around the Son as God, as when He was made flesh, the heavenly spirits gather. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 24 1 Lk 24.4 2 cf Phillipp 2.7-9