The Resurrection Letters
THE RESURRECTION LETTERS
alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies" (Num.
10:9).
But they did not blow the trumpet only in wars. Under the law there was also a festal trumpet. In that same passage we read, "Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets" (Num. 10:10). This instruction about the trumpets is no light or silly matter; it is actually a wonderful and awesome thing. Israel was given instruction by means of trumpets because their blasts are exciting and terrifying. In its infant stages
Israel needed that.
In order that the proclamation should not be seen as merely human, the Lord ordered trumpet blasts that reminded the people of the shock of those voices they heard on Mount Sinai
(Exod. 19:16). Thus, after being reminded of the Law they had been given, they kept it. After all, the Law was worthy of admiration and the picture of what was to come was excellent.
That was why those who heard the trumpet blasts felt fear and reverence, especially those who had not only heard the sounds on the mountain but had also seen the signs God gave.
THE CHRISTIAN TRUMPET
Well, then, all those things were pictures foreshadowing what was to come. Let us, then, leave them behind and turn our minds to that which they portrayed. Consider the "priestly trumpets" of our Savior that sometimes call us to war, as the apostle Paul said: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world-forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12). Sometimes the call is to virginity, or to humility, or to marital harmony; thus
God might call virgins to the things of virgins, and those who have vowed to abstain to the things of abstinence, and those who are married to the things of an honorable marriage. Thus each maintains his own virtues and his own rewards.
On the other hand, sometimes the call is to fasting, and
LETTERI
sometimes to a feast. Listen to the apostle Paul again "blowing the trumpet," and proclaiming, "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed; let us therefore keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness" (1 Cor. 5:7,8).
And there is an even greater trumpet than all of these — our Savior. "On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink' " (John 7:37). For the Savior did not just call us to a feast, but to the Great Feast, because He wants us to be prepared to hear and obey every true trumpet call of God.
THE CHARACTER OF A REAL FAST
Since, as I said, there are many kinds of proclamations, let us listen to the trumpet blast of the prophet: "Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast" (Joel 2:15). This is a warning trumpet, and it earnestly commands us that when we fast, we should do it in a holy manner, for God is holy and has pleasure in His holy people (Ps. 16:3). Not everyone, however, who calls upon God honors Him. Some defile Him — although they don't actually defile Him: that's impossible. But they do defile their own consciences concerning Him.
The apostle Paul tells us how it is that some people dishonor God: Those who break the Law dishonor God (Rom. 2:23). So the prophet said, in order to point out those who pollute the fast, "Sanctify a fast." Many people, though they go through the motions of a fast, are still polluted in their hearts because they do evil against their brothers and sisters or because they dare to cheat. And many, if nothing else, think more highly of themselves than of their neighbors, thereby committing a great offense.
Remember the story the Lord told of the Pharisee who fasted twice each week (Luke 18:10). His fasting did him no good, simply because he considered himself better than the publican.
In the same manner the Lord found fault with the children of Israel because they had that kind of attitude in their fast and then made a great pretense of humility: "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for
THE RESURRECTION LETTERS
bowing one's head like a reed, and for spreading out sack cloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?" (Isa. 58:5).
In order to see what we should be like when we fast, and what the fast should be like, listen to what God told Moses: "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord"
(Lev. 23:26).
FOOD OF THE SOUL
A little further on He makes the issue very clear: "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people" (Lev. 23:29). See then, brothers and sisters, what a real fast amounts to, and how we are supposed to fast. We are not to fast only with the body, but also with the soul. Now the soul is humbled when it is not occupied with wicked ideas, but is fed by appropriate thoughts.
Virtues and vices are the food of the soul and it can feed on either one, turning to whichever one it wants to. If it is bent toward moral excellence, it will be fed by virtue — by righteousness, temperance, meekness, endurance. In other words, it's just as St. Paul says, "being nourished by the word of truth"
(1 Tim. 4:6). That's the way it was with our Lord, who said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me'" (John 4:34).
But if the soul does not incline toward good things, but rather toward evil, it is nourished by nothing but sin. The Holy Spirit, describing sinners and their food, alluded to the devil when he said, "Thou didst give him as food for the people of the wilderness" (Ps. 74:14). Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is heavenly bread, the food of the saints, as He said: "Unless you eat My flesh, and drink My blood" (John 6:53). In the same way, the devil is the food of impure people who want nothing to do with the light, but want to do the works of darkness. Therefore, in order to turn His people away from vices, God commands them to feed on virtue, which is humbleness of mind, willingness to endure humiliation, and the acknowledgment of God.
LETTER I
FASTING IS A PREPARATION
Fasting like this not only makes God look on us favorably, but it also prepares us for the Easter Feast by setting our hearts on things above. Consider the facts written in the Scriptures about great men of old. Moses was fasting when he talked with God and received the Law. That very great and holy man Elijah, when fasting, was thought worthy of divine vision. At the end of his life he was taken up like the Lord, who ascended into heaven. Daniel, too, though a very young man, was entrusted with things no one else knew while he was fasting. He was made to understand the king's problems and was given divine visions.
Now, no one should be skeptical of the fact that these men often fasted for very long periods of time. We need to understand that looking to God and the word that proceeds from Him is enough nourishment for those who hear. It takes the place of all food. Do not forget that the angels are sustained by looking at all times on the face of the Father—and of the Savior who is in heaven. So Moses could fast bodily as long as he talked with God, for he was nourished by divine words. But when he came down from the presence of God to live among other people, he got hungry just as they did. That is why he fasted for just the forty days during which he talked with God. And many of the saints have had a similar experience.
THE JEWS MISUNDERSTAND
Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us nourish our souls with divine food, Jesus Christ the Word. And, fasting with both body and soul as God desires, let us keep this great and saving fast as we should. Even the Jews, foolish as they were, actually received a type of this divine food when they ate the Passover lamb. Although they no longer have the city (Jerusalem) nor the truth, they still eat the lamb, even to this day, without understanding the type. As long as Judea and Jerusalem existed, they were a picture and a type of a lamb. But the Law commanded that the sacrifices should not be carried on anywhere else.
THE RESURRECTION LETTERS
Further, the Law commanded them to build their altar and their temple in Jerusalem — and in Jerusalem only. Therefore, the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices were to be offered only there, so that when that city came to an end, these figurative things would also come to an end. Now consider: After the coming of the Savior, that city was destroyed and the whole land of Judea was laid waste. Thus, the Jewish sacrificial system also ended.
Again, you don't just have my word for it. The prophet Nahum proclaimed the good news of what was to come, "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace" (Nah. 1:15). Then he went on to tell them, "Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; pay your vows. For they shall no more go to that which is old; it is finished; it is taken away: he is gone up who breathed upon the face, and delivered you from affliction" (Nah. 1:15; 2:1).
THE JEWISH ORDINANCES ENDED
Now who is he who went up? Notice, by the way, that the one who went up went to the Jews, so there is no way they can ignore the end of those practices that foreshadowed His coming.
And the prophet did say, "It is finished." But as I asked, who was he? It would be absurd to say that he was Moses, because when he was with Israel they hadn't even entered the land in which these sacrificial rites were to be carried out. Or suppose that he was Samuel or some other one of the prophets. That wouldn't do either, because while they were around the sacrifices were being made and Jerusalem was still standing. Thus it was none of these men who went up.
But if you want to know the truth and not some Jewish fable, look to our Savior, who went up and who "breathed upon them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit' " (John 20:22). As soon as these things were done, all the old things came to an end. The altar was broken; the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. And although the city was not yet sacked and destroyed, its time was coming. As the prophecy foretold (Dan.
LETTER I
11:31; Matt. 24:15), the abomination of desolation was soon to rest upon the temple and the city. The consummation of the ancient ceremonies was at hand.
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR THE FEAST
Thankfully, then, we have come far beyond these shadows of reality, having turned to the Lord Himself. And we know that "the Lord is a Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17). Therefore, as the ears of our hearts hear the call of the priestly trumpet we do not look with our physical eyes and see an animal lamb slain, but we see the true
Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ. For as Isaiah said, He "was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and was dumb, as a lamb before her shearers" (Isa. 53:7).
We are purified by His precious blood, which cleanses us from sin. His blood does not cry out for vengeance as did the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:24). Our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel (Eph. 6:15) and we carry the rod and staff of the Lord, our Shepherd. We are comforted, as was the one who said, "Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me" (Ps. 23:4).
Collectively, then, as the people of God, we are completely prepared for whatever comes and do not have to worry about anything. The apostle Paul wrote, "The Lord is at hand" (Phil.
4:5). And our Savior Himself told us that He will come when He is not expected (Luke 12:40).
So, "Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8). "Putting off the old man and his deeds, let us put on the new man" (Eph. 4:22-24), which is created in God, in humbleness of mind and a pure conscience. Indeed, let us meditate on His law by day and by night. Also, let us rid ourselves of all hypocrisy and fraud, and free ourselves of haughtiness and deceit. Then let us take up love towards God and neighbor. Thus prepared as new creatures drinking the new wine—the Holy Spirit—we will be able to properly keep the Feast, the season of these new fruits.
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THE PROPER TIME OF THE FEAST
We begin the holy fast of Easter Week on March 31, and when we add to that day the five following ones (the symbol of the creation of the world), we come to the end of the fast on Saturday, April 5. Then, when Easter Sunday comes on April 6, we begin the Feast, which lasts through all the seven weeks to the holy day of Pentecost. That day, you will recall, was to the Jews the "Feast of Weeks." On it, they granted forgiveness and settled debts, in order that it might be a day of deliverance in every respect. As for us, let us keep that Feast as a symbol of the world to come, for on it we receive a pledge that we shall have everlasting life (cf. Rom 8:23; 2 Cor 1:22).
THE BLESSINGS OF THE HEAVENLY FEAST
In that great day, we will keep a perfect feast with Christ.
And we will cry out with the psalmist, "I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept feast day" (Ps. 42:4). Then sorrow and mourning and sighing shall flee away, and gladness and joy shall be upon our heads!
May we be worthy of all this! Let us remember the poor and not forget kindness to strangers. Above all, let us love God with all our soul, and might, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Let us receive those things that the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9). For all these have been prepared by God for those who love Him, through His only Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through whom, to the Father alone, by the Holy Spirit, be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the brothers and sisters who are with me salute you.
THE SECOND LETTER
A.D. 330
WICKEDNESS AND HERESY
INTRODUCTION TO
THE SECOND LETTER
Athanasius had spent the year visiting his churches. The ancient chronicle says, "In this year he went through the Thebais." In that area of the ruins of ancient Thebes, many of the old temples and tombs had been made into Christian churches and monastaries. It was probably at this time that the people of the area developed the deep love and respect for their bishop they would later display in times of persecution.
In his Easter Letter of 330, he compared the condition of the wicked and the heretics with the condition of the faithful, who will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your master" (Matt. 25:21). The wicked and the heretics, however, earn only "grief and misery in the torments of hell."
And, oh, what a contrast there is (or should be) between the holidays of the wicked and the Christian holy days! Athanasius saw the corruption of the worldly holidays in his time and condemned it. Was it right for him to be so strong?
Consider our own era. Take New Year's Eve, for example.
There is a sort of anticipation of the coming celebration that is a corrupt parallel of the Christian's anticipation of Easter. But alas! The anticipation is of a drunken, adulterous brawl. When the whole crazy thing is over, there is not the good healthy feeling of the believer who has kept the Holy Feast. No, there is pollution and guilt. Warning: Beware of the feasts of the wicked]
INTRODUCTION TO RESURRECTION LETTER II
Let us not forget the heretics. Athanasius wrote about how they pervert the Scripture. They take the truth and twist it, he said. They devise novel interpretations of the holy writings. He was undoubtedly referring to the Arians, who took some parts of Scripture and made their own deductions from them —as if the truth had been hidden there and had only just now been discovered by them. This private interpretation is how they came up with the novel doctrine that Christ is not really quite
God.
We have their counterparts in our day. There are the modern Arians, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and the followers of Victor Paul Wierwille (The Way, International). And we must add to them the disciples of "liberal" scholars such as Adolph
Harnack, F.E.D. Schleiermacher, and Rudolph Bultmann. But there is a wide proliferation of others: Sun Myung Moon's
Unification Church, Christian Science, Mormonism. They all do the same thing to the Scriptures, and we can only repeat Paul's warning, quoted by Athanasius: "If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:9).