The Resurrection Letters
THE RESURRECTION LETTERS
like this are foolish and deceitful and love sin. They still walk as if they were in darkness, not having that "Light which lights every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9).
We are told that the word of the Lord was in Jeremiah like a burning fire. His response was, "Holding it back makes me very weary, I can no longer endure it" (Jer. 20:9). Our Lord Jesus
Christ, being so good and loving humanity so much, came in the flesh to bring this kind of fire to the earth. "Oh! that it were already kindled!" He said (Luke 12:49). He wanted people to repent rather than to die (as we find in Ezekiel). Therefore, He wished to have the evil and the wickedness burned out of men so that, being purified, they would be fruitful (Ezek. 18:23,32). We know that the Word He sows will be productive—some thirty-, some sixty-, and some a hundredfold (Mark 4:20).
THE INGRATITUDE OF THE WICKED
As an example, consider Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). At first their faith was weak from lack of knowledge, but the words of our Savior fired them up and brought forth the fruits of knowing Him. And St. Paul, when caught by this fire of God, did not run around telling people about it. Nevertheless, after he had experienced God's grace he became a preacher of the Word.
On the other hand, we have nine lepers whom the Lord cleansed from their leprosy, yet who were not thankful to Him
(Luke 17). They certainly were not like Paul! Judas, who had the privilege of being an apostle, was not called a disciple of the Lord. On the contrary, at the very end, while eating bread with our Savior, he "lifted up his heel against Him," and became a traitor (John 13:18).
People like that will get what they deserve for their foolishness. Because of their lack of gratitude, their hope will be futile, for there is no hope for the ungrateful. The final fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, awaits those who disregard divine light. And the unthankful belong in that category.
But the faithful and true servants of the Lord are very different.
Knowing that the Lord loves thankful people, they never cease
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to praise Him, and they regularly thank Him. In both good times and bad times they offer praise and thanksgiving to God.
They worship the Lord, the God of times, without regard to what the times are like.
A good example from ancient days is Job, who thought about these things when he prospered. Then when troubles came, he patiently endured; when he suffered, he gave thanks. Or consider David, who sang praises in a time of great difficulty, saying, "I will bless the Lord at all times" (Ps. 34:1). Or St.
Paul, who thanked God in every one of his letters. First of all, he didn't turn away from God in good times. But he also was happy to face problems, knowing that "trouble develops endurance and endurance builds strong character, which in turn strengthens our hope and hope is no mockery" (Rom. 5:3-5).
PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
With such men as these going before us as examples, let us give thanksgiving in all kinds of times. But right now especially, when we have tremendous tribulations and the heretics are inciting people against us, we will praise the Lord.? Yes, we will use the words of the ancient saints, "All these things have come upon us, yet we have not forgotten You" (Ps. 44:17). In those days the Jews were attacked by the Edomites and were oppressed by other enemies of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, they did not give themselves up for lost. Instead, they sang more praises to the Lord.
All right then, brothers and sisters, if they interfere with our speaking of the word of the Lord, we will proclaim it all the more. And if we are persecuted we will sing Psalms, because
God counts us worthy to be despised and to work eagerly for the truth. Yes, the more we are harrassed, the more we will give thanks!
The apostle Paul, who thanked God all the time, urges us to 2Remember that this letter was written at a time when Athanasius had been called before the emperor to answer false charges made by the Arian heretics.
THE RESURRECTION LETTERS
approach God in the same manner, "Let your requests, with thanksgiving, be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). And wanting us to continue in that, he says, "At all times give thanks; pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). He knew that believers are strong when engaged in thanksgiving. He also knew that when we rejoice we go right over the enemy's walls, like the saints who sang, "By your strength I can attack any enemy, go over any wall" (Ps. 18:29).
So then, let us stand firm all the time, but especially right now even though we have many troubles and many heretics are violently attacking us. Let us, dear brothers and sisters, celebrate with thanksgiving the holy Easter Feast coming up.
Further, let us gird up our minds (1 Peter 1:13), like Jesus Christ our Savior, of whom it is written, "Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness shall gird His body" (Isa.
11:5). Each of us is to have in his hand the staff that came out of the root of Jesse (Isa. 11:1), and our feet are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel (Eph. 6:15).
Therefore, being so well prepared, let us keep the Feast as Paul tells us to keep it, "Not with the old leaven, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:7). That way we will reverently think of Christ and keep our faith in Him, and we will not dirty ourselves by getting mixed up with heretics and strangers to the truth—whose behavior and desires will destroy them. No, rejoicing in all our troubles, we break through the iron furnace of slavery to sin (Deut. 4:20) and cross over the terrible Red Sea to salvation (cf. Ps. 106:9).
And therefore when we see the confusion of the heretics, we will join Moses in that great song of praise, "We will sing unto the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously" (Exod. 15:1). Then, singing praises and seeing the doom of sinners who have come against us, we will go on with the Lord.
Finally, purifying our hearts with the fast of forty days — along with prayers, discipline, and good works
— we shall be ready to eat the holy Passover in the heavenly Jerusalem.
THE DATES OF THE EASTER SEASON
The beginning of the fast of forty days is March 1. Then, after
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ads we have been purified and prepared by those days, we will begin the Holy Week of Easter on Monday, April 5. During that week we should continue to watch and pray and fast, preparing ourselves for that "anointing of our doorposts with precious blood, by which we escape the destroyer" (cf. Exod. 12:7,23).
Our fast will cease on Saturday evening, April 10, for on that night we hear the angels say, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He has risen!" (Luke 24:5). Next day is the first day of the great week — April 11, the day on which the Lord rose and gave us peace toward our neighbors.
After we have kept the Easter Feast according to His will, let us keep an attitude of expectation through the seven weeks till
Pentecost, the day of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then indeed, we shall give thanks to the Lord at all times, through whom to the Father be glory and dominion, by the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. The brothers and sisters who are with me greet you. I pray, dear ones, whom I long to see, that you may be healthy and that you may remember us in the Lord.
THE FOURTH LETTER
A.D. 332
PASSOVER FULFILLED IN
CHRIST THE LAMB
INTRODUCTION TO
THE FOURTH LETTER
As the year 332 began, St. Athanasius was still in Constantinople, answering the accusations of his enemies. They were refuted, and Emperor Constantine highly approved of the young bishop.
Athanasius' trip home was delayed by a number of things, including a long illness. The Easter Letter was sent on ahead of him, and he returned to Alexandria midway through the fast. At the end of the letter, Athanasius notes that he has put the letter in the hands of Ablavius, prefect of the Praetorium, who sent it to Alexandria by a soldier. Ablavius was a great favorite of Constantine, serving him well and, Athanasius says, "fears God in truth."
The message this year is that the Christian festival of the Resurrection celebrates the grand and complete fulfillment of all that was pictured in the ancient Feast of the Passover. Sin, death, and the devil are defeated, and we, putting on Christ, celebrate the Feast. No longer do we need to go to a certain city, such as Jerusalem; the celebration is commanded for every church everywhere.
In the Scriptures, Christ is recognized as the true and final Passover Lamb. Athanasius recognized that fact, and so do we today. It is still true and will always be. So this year, when you gather with the brothers and sisters for the Great Eucharist, hear the Savior say, "Take, eat and drink; this is My body and blood."
LETTER IV
A.D. 332
I know this letter is late, dear brothers and sisters. Still, I hope you will forgive the delay, which came about because I am traveling so far from home and because I have had a long illness. Since these two problems hindered my reply and since there have been some unusually severe storms, this letter will be quite late. However, in spite of the distance and my distressing illness, I have not forgotten you. Herein, then, as is my duty, I announce to you the Easter Feast.
Although this letter is much later than the usual announcement, it should not be considered ill-timed. Our enemies have been put to shame and reproved by the church because they persecuted us for no good reason. Therefore, we may now sing a festal song of praise, such as the triumphant hymn Israel sang against Pharaoh, "We will sing unto the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and rider he has thrown into the sea" (Exod. 15:1). Thus, we appropriately proceed as usual: from feast to feast. Once again holy self-examination stirs up our minds and keeps our consciences on guard to think on good things.
FEASTS ESTABLISHED ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS
We do not act like mourners during these days. Rather, we put down the appetites of our bodies in order to refresh ourselves with spiritual food. In this way we gain strength to
THE RESURRECTION LETTERS
conquer our enemies (as, for example, Judith did when she fasted and prayed before killing Holofernes and overcoming the enemies of Israel). When the whole nation of Israel was about to perish, blessed Esther defeated the tyrant's anger simply by fasting and praying to God. By faith she changed the ruin of her people into safety (Esther 4:16)! Those days are feast days for Israel (Esther 9:20-28);2 they used to call a feast when an enemy was slain or a conspiracy against the people was broken up, and Israel was delivered. That is why Moses established the Feast of the Passover — because Pharaoh was killed and the people were delivered from bondage.
So then, especially when tyrants were slain, temporal feasts and holidays were established in Judea. Now, however, the devil, that tyrant against the whole world, is slain. Therefore, our Feast does not relate only to time, but to eternity. It is a heavenly Feast! We do not announce it as a shadow or a picture or a type, but as the real thing.
THE GLORIOUS CHRISTIAN FESTIVAL
Israel ate the meat of a dumb lamb to complete the Passover, and having done so, they smeared their doorposts with blood and laughed at the destroyer. But we eat of the Word of the Father, the Son our Savior. We have the lintels of our hearts sealed with the blood of the New Covenant (Matt. 26:28).
Therefore we acknowledge the grace given to us by our Savior, who said, "Behold I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy"
(Luke 10:19).
Death does not reign anymore! Instead of death there is life, since our Lord said, "I am the life" (John 14:6). For His people everything is filled with gladness and rejoicing, as the Psalm says, "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice" (Ps. 97:1). For when death reigned, "sitting down by the rivers of Babylon, we wept" (Ps. 137:1) and mourned because we were experiencing
Nudith 13:8.
2Judith 9.