Resurrection and ascension of Christ in the early church

Christ's rising from the dead, his appearances, and his ascension. Part of Christology.

1 Clement 24.1Clement of Rome · ca. 95–97 (range ca. 70–100) · Christ's resurrection is the firstfruit of ours.
Ascension of Isaiah 3.16Anonymous · late 1st–2nd century
Ascension of Isaiah 9.16Anonymous · late 1st–2nd century
Ascension of Isaiah 11.21Anonymous · late 1st–2nd century
Ascension of Isaiah 11.32Anonymous · late 1st–2nd century
Epistle of Barnabas 5.6Anonymous · ca. 70–135 (often ca. 130) · Christ endured suffering to abolish death and show the resurrection.
Gospel of Peter (Akhmim fragment) 36Anonymous · ca. 100–200 · Two radiant men descend from the opened heavens to the tomb.
Gospel of Peter (Akhmim fragment) 37Anonymous · ca. 100–200 · The stone rolls away by itself and the two young men enter the tomb.
Gospel of Peter (Akhmim fragment) 39Anonymous · ca. 100–200 · The guards see three men come out of the tomb, two supporting one, followed by a cross.
Gospel of Peter (Akhmim fragment) 40Anonymous · ca. 100–200 · The giant figures emerge, a heavenly voice asks whether he has preached to the sleeping, the cross answers 'Yes', and the guards resolve to tell Pilate.
Gospel of Peter (Akhmim fragment) 44Anonymous · ca. 100–200 · The heavens open again and a man descends into the tomb.
Gospel of Peter (Akhmim fragment) 56Anonymous · ca. 100–200 · The young man tells the women that the crucified one has risen and gone back to where he was sent, and they flee in fear.
To the Smyrnaeans 3.1Ignatius of Antioch · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · Christ remained in the flesh after his resurrection.
To the Smyrnaeans 3.2Ignatius of Antioch · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · The risen Christ invited the disciples to touch him, proving he was not a ghost.
To the Smyrnaeans 3.3Ignatius of Antioch · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · The risen Christ ate and drank with his disciples.
To the Trallians 9.2Ignatius of Antioch · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · Christ truly rose, and the Father will raise believers in the same way.
Epistle of the Apostles 10Anonymous · ca. 140-170 · The risen Lord appears to the women and sends them to the apostles, who twice refuse to believe them.
Epistle of the Apostles 11Anonymous · ca. 140-170 · The risen Lord comes to the doubting apostles and invites Peter, Thomas, and Andrew to test that he is no ghost.
Epistle of the Apostles 12Anonymous · ca. 140-170 · The apostles touch the risen Christ, are convinced that he rose in the flesh, and he promises to reveal to them the things of heaven and their resurrection.
Epistle of the Apostles 51Anonymous · ca. 140-170 · Christ announces his departure, and amid thunder and earthquake a bright cloud carries him up while angels praise him, and his voice bids the apostles go in peace.
On the Resurrection 9Justin Martyr · 2nd century (disputed) · Christ healed and raised the flesh, rose in the flesh in which he suffered, ate before his disciples and ascended in the flesh: the resurrection of the flesh is the power of God.
Dialogue with Trypho 100.1Justin Martyr · ca. 155–160 · Christ's resurrection is his “praise”; the Gospel records his words on knowing the Father.
Dialogue with Trypho 106.1Justin Martyr · ca. 155–160 · The end of Psalm 22 foretold the resurrection and Christ praising God among the apostles.
Dialogue with Trypho 107.1Justin Martyr · ca. 155–160 · The sign of Jonah foretold the resurrection on the third day.
Dialogue with Trypho 108.2Justin Martyr · ca. 155–160 · Justin says Jewish leaders spread the story that the disciples stole Jesus' body.
Diatessaron, section 52Tatian · ca. 160-180
Diatessaron, section 53Tatian · ca. 160-180
Diatessaron, section 54Tatian · ca. 160-180
Diatessaron, section 55Tatian · ca. 160-180
Against Heresies 3.12.2Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · Peter's Pentecost sermon proclaims one God and one Christ who suffered, rose, and was exalted, calling hearers to repentance and baptism.
Against Heresies 3.16.9Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · Paul in Romans knows one Christ Jesus who was born, died for us, and rose, not a Christ separate from Jesus.
Against Heresies 4.33.13Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–190 · The prophets foretold Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the persecution of the Church, the shaking of the earth at his return, and his final exaltation over all his enemies.
Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching 38Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–200
Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching 39Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–200
Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching 73Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–200
Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching 83Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–200
Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching 84Irenaeus of Lyons · ca. 180–200
Acts of Thomas 80Anonymous · ca. 200–250 · Thomas glorifies Christ for his incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension, calling him the heavenly Word of the Father.
Didascalia 5.7–9 (Latin)Anonymous · first half of the third century · The resurrection is taught by the prophets, foreshadowed even by the Sibyl and by the phoenix, and guaranteed by Christ's resurrection, so believers should welcome martyrdom, for which a greater glory is promised.
Fragment 19 on Genesis (Gen. 49, 90" ἃ)Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-235 · “Who will rouse him?” means that Christ, who is in the Father, raised himself.
Fragment 44 on Genesis (Gen. 49, 22c—242)Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-235 · Joseph the youngest son is Christ, the man from heaven, who ascended to the Father and whose persecutors' bows were broken by the resurrection.
On the Great Ode (Deut 32), fragment 3 (Deut 34:6)Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-235 · As Israel could not find Moses' grave, the apostles found Christ's tomb empty on the third day.
Commentary on the Song of Songs, fragment 12 (Song 3:1)Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-235 · The bride seeking her beloved by night foreshadows the women at the tomb, who found the risen Christ, held his feet, and became apostles to the apostles, a new Eve undoing the first Eve's disobedience.
Commentary on the Song of Songs, fragment 13 (Song 3:6)Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 202-235 · The women's witness to the resurrection silences the synagogue; the bride coming up from the wilderness is the Gentile church, and her myrrh and incense signify Christ's burial and the worship of God.
Against Marcion 4.43Tertullian · 207/208 (third edition, completed later) · The burial, the women at the tomb, the road to Emmaus, and the risen Christ's showing of his hands and feet all fulfill the prophets and prove his real body, so that the Christ of Marcion's own gospel is the Creator's Christ.
On the Resurrection of the Flesh 48Tertullian · ca. 208–212 · Before turning to “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom,” Tertullian shows that 1 Corinthians 15 models our resurrection on Christ's bodily resurrection and assumes that bodies will rise.
On the Resurrection of the Flesh 51Tertullian · ca. 208–212 · Christ sits in heaven in the flesh as a pledge that ours will follow; Paul's “this corruptible” and “this mortal” point to the very flesh that must put on incorruption and immortality.
Against Praxeas 30Tertullian · ca. 213 or later · Christ's cry “My God, why have you forsaken me?” shows that the Son, not the Father, suffered and died; the Son rose, ascended, sits at the Father's right hand, and poured out the Holy Spirit, the third person.
Fragments on the Song of Songs, chapter 4Origen · ca. 220-254 · Comments on Song of Songs 4:2–5:14 read the bride's features as the gifts of the church's teachers and the bridegroom's as Christ's, with the call to open read of the risen Christ and Thomas.
PG 12:1061Origen · ca. 220-254 · The winepresses as the many churches (Psalms 8, 80, 83 LXX); the titles “for the eighth” as pointing to the resurrection on the eighth day (Psalms 6 and 11 LXX).
PG 12:1215 (Ps 15–16 LXX)Origen · ca. 220-254 · The end of LXX Psalm 15 (Ps 16:7–10): the heart is the mind, the tongue the gift of the Spirit; Christ’s flesh rested in hope of the third-day resurrection and did not see decay, as Peter teaches; the beginning of LXX Psalm 16 (Ps 17).
PG 12:1583 (Ps 118 LXX)Origen · ca. 220-254 · Notes on Psalm 119:1–4 (LXX 118): why each letter is repeated eight times, the eighth day of Christ's resurrection, and the ways of God as contemplations.
Refutation of All Heresies 7.38.4Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 222–235 · Christ died, rose after three days, and showed the disciples his wounds to prove he was not a phantom.
Refutation of All Heresies 10.33.17Hippolytus of Rome · ca. 222–235 · Christ endured weariness, hunger, thirst, sleep, suffering, and death, and rose as the first fruits, so that suffering humans may hope for the same resurrection.
Commentary on John 6.287Origen · ca. 230–248 · After his victory Christ needed a purification from the Father, which is why he told Mary not to touch him before he ascended.
Commentary on John 6.288Origen · ca. 230–248 · As Christ ascends in triumph with his risen body, the powers ask who he is, and his escort bids the heavenly gates open.
Commentary on John 10.241Origen · ca. 230–248 · The temple of Christ's body is destroyed by his enemies and raised on the third day; then the disciples' faith is perfected.
Commentary on John 10.245Origen · ca. 230–248 · Christ's own resurrection had stages: paradise, the appearance to Mary, and its completion in going to the Father.
Commentary on John 19.137Origen · ca. 230–248 · Christ descended to the lowest parts and ascended above the heavens, opening a road for his disciples beyond bodily things.
Homilies on Exodus 5.2Origen · ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) · The stages of the exodus, Ramesses, Succoth, and Etham, mark the soul's leaving worldly treasure, living as a pilgrim in tents, and receiving in baptism the mystery of the third day.
Homilies on Exodus 7.7Origen · ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) · The Lord known “in the evening” and his majesty seen “in the morning” point to Christ's passion and to the resurrection announced at dawn.
Homilies on Jeremiah 14.18Origen · ca. 240 · The prophet's severe wound foreshadows the cross, followed by healing in the resurrection; God's promise “I will restore you” implies a return to where we once were, pointing to the restoration of all things.
Lines 549–572Commodian · 3rd century (disputed) · Christ foretold his passion and resurrection, appeared to the apostles, and showed his wounds to Thomas, who confessed him as God and Lord.
Commentary on the Song of Songs 2.123Origen · ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) · The Ethiopian eunuch who drew Jeremiah from the pit figures the gentile people who, believing in Christ's resurrection, 'bring him up' from death; so the church has many testimonies to answer the daughters of Jerusalem.
Against Celsus 2.16Origen · ca. 248 · Origen answers Celsus that Jesus' death did not contradict his teaching, that his suffering and resurrection were real rather than apparent, and that he is immortal as the one risen from the dead.
Against Celsus 2.55Origen · ca. 248 · Celsus's Jew compares the resurrection to Greek tales of heroes returning from Hades and dismisses its witnesses; Origen answers that the same objections could be made against Moses, so that defending Moses defends Jesus even more.
Against Celsus 2.56Origen · ca. 248 · Origen argues that Jesus' public crucifixion rules out comparison with heroes who merely disappeared and reappeared, and that the disciples' willingness to die shows they did not invent the resurrection.
Against Celsus 2.58Origen · ca. 248 · Origen replies that Christians count the Greek tales as myths but the shared Scriptures as true, and that Jesus' resurrection, worked by the Father himself, has had far greater effects than those worked by Elijah and Elisha.
Against Celsus 2.61Origen · ca. 248 · Against Celsus's view that the risen Jesus was an apparition, Origen points to Thomas, who doubted a bodily resurrection until Jesus invited him to touch his wounds.
Against Celsus 2.62Origen · ca. 248 · Origen explains that the risen Jesus was in a state between an ordinary body and a disembodied soul, entering through shut doors and vanishing at Emmaus, as the Gospels record.
Against Celsus 2.63Origen · ca. 248 · Origen grants that the risen Jesus did not appear publicly to all, citing Acts, the Gospels, and Paul's list of witnesses, and proposes to explain why.
Against Celsus 2.64Origen · ca. 248 · Origen teaches that Jesus appeared differently to different people according to their capacity, as at the Transfiguration, and that after his victory over the powers not everyone could bear to see him.
Against Celsus 2.65Origen · ca. 248 · Origen explains that even the apostles could not always behold the risen Christ, whose appearances were given to those able to see them, and that Christ died and rose to be Lord of both dead and living.
Against Celsus 2.67Origen · ca. 248 · Origen argues that Jesus spared his judges and persecutors by not appearing to them, as the men of Sodom were struck blind, and that he came both to be known and to remain partly hidden.
Against Celsus 2.70Origen · ca. 248 · Origen denies that Jesus hid himself or appeared only to one woman after rising, citing Matthew's account of the two Marys, and points out the absurdity of Celsus's claim that the opposite should have happened.
Against Celsus 2.77Origen · ca. 248 · Origen notes that the Jew in Celsus himself believes in bodily resurrection, yet ignores that Jesus is “the firstborn from the dead,” and answers his demand to see Jesus by asking where the God of the prophets can now be seen.
Against Celsus 3.43Origen · ca. 248 · Origen turns Celsus's defense of Zeus's tomb in Crete against him, citing Callimachus, who called the Cretans liars yet admitted Zeus was born, while Celsus accepts Jesus' burial but denies his resurrection.
Against Celsus 5.57Origen · ca. 248 · Greek philosophers like Chrysippus, Plutarch, and Numenius report supernatural appearances and are believed; Christians who would rather die than lie about God deserve at least equal credence when they report angels.
Against Celsus 5.58Origen · ca. 248 · It is more fitting that a servant angel, not the risen Lord himself, rolled away the stone; the other angels Celsus mentions do nothing for his case, since Christ alone came to turn all humanity from sin and gave God's kingdom to the church.
Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 129Origen · ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) · The guard set to prevent the theft of the body could not prevent the resurrection, attested by many witnesses; so now the word of Scripture, killed by false interpretation, always rises again in those who receive it.
Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 132Origen · ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) · Those who blaspheme Jesus are those who “pass by”, like heretics who have left the Church's way; they falsely made him the destroyer of the temple, whereas he rebuilds what others destroy; he did not come down from the cross to satisfy mockers, but showed himself Son of God to believers after descending to the dead and rising.
Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 1.144Origen · ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) · The chief priests' request for a guard shows that they knew Jesus had spoken of his bodily resurrection and so condemns their own false testimony; the charge that he planned a theft is incredible; like Pharaoh, they hardened their hearts even against the guards' report and bribed the soldiers to lie, yet God bore with them so that salvation might come to the Gentiles.
Commentary on Matthew 12.3Origen · ca. 246–248 · The sign of Jonah, Christ’s three days in the earth and his resurrection, was itself a sign from heaven, and every sign in Scripture points to something fulfilled later.
Commentary on Matthew 12.20Origen · ca. 246–248 · Jesus had to suffer in the earthly Jerusalem so as to make the firstfruits of the resurrection in the heavenly one, ending the earthly worship; his rising on the third day frees believers from a triad of evil powers, so that they may be baptized into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the three eternal days.
Commentary on Matthew 16.19Origen · ca. 246–248 · Christ’s entry into Jerusalem figures his ascension, at which the heavenly powers ask “Who is this?”; Origen explains “Hosanna” as the Hebrew of Ps 118:25, garbled by Greek copyists, and gives Aquila’s rendering.
Commentary on Romans 1.5Origen · ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) · Christ was 'made' of David's seed according to the flesh but 'destined', not predestined, Son of God, for he always existed; his soul, united to the Word, is one spirit with him; his Davidic descent and his being Son of God from the resurrection are discussed.
Commentary on Romans 4.7Origen · ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) · Abraham's justification was written for us, who believe in the God who raised Jesus; raising Christ is greater than creating the world, and Abraham's offering of Isaac foreshadowed it; believing in the resurrection means rising with Christ to a new life, since faith cannot be counted as righteousness to one who holds on to sin; and all that is written of the patriarchs is written for us.
That Idols Are Not Gods 14Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 246–250, if by Cyprian · As foretold, Christ died by his own will, rose on the third day, stayed forty days with his disciples, ascended, and will return as judge, while the disciples spread his teaching.
Ep. Bas. 1Dionysius of Alexandria · ca. 247-265 · Dionysius explains that the Gospels do not fix the hour of the resurrection, harmonizes their accounts, and advises that the Easter fast should not be broken before midnight, though those who end it between midnight and dawn are not to be troubled.
To Quirinus 2.26Cyprian of Carthage · ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) · Daniel's son of man, the Psalm's Lord at God's right hand, and the risen Christ of the Apocalypse and the Gospel show that he received all power from the Father for ever.
Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.2Victorinus of Pettau · late 3rd century · Christ, glorified after his victory over death, walks among the churches, and his white head shows his eternity.
Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.3Victorinus of Pettau · late 3rd century · Christ's face is likened to the sun because, like the sun, he rose, set, and rose again.
Res. 3.5Methodius of Olympus · late 3rd cent. (disputed) · If Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration had already risen in the bodily form, Christ would not be 'the firstborn of the dead'; so the resurrection must be of the flesh, and those raised before Christ died again.
Res. 3.12Methodius of Olympus · late 3rd cent. (disputed) · Against Origen's claim that the risen Christ showed the disciples a body adapted to their sight rather than his real one, the narrator insists from Luke 24 and John 20 that Christ rose in the same body of flesh and bones.
Res. 3.13Methodius of Olympus · late 3rd cent. (disputed) · If the disciples could see Christ's glory as novices at the transfiguration, they could have seen it after the resurrection; instead Christ showed them his flesh and bones, as Paul's creed also teaches.
Church History 2.2.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Following custom, Pilate reported the resurrection of Jesus to the emperor Tiberius.
Church History 3.36.11Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 300–325 · Ignatius (quoted) says that the risen Christ told Peter's company to touch him, for he was not a bodiless spirit.
Prophetic Extracts 2.3Eusebius of Caesarea · before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) · Eusebius reads Psalm 3 as foretelling Christ's resurrection, completing a sequence with Psalms 1 and 2.
Prophetic Extracts 2.6Eusebius of Caesarea · before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) · Eusebius reads “Now I will arise, says the Lord” in the eleventh psalm as Christ speaking of his resurrection for the sake of the nations.
Prophetic Extracts 2.7Eusebius of Caesarea · before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) · Eusebius cites Peter's Pentecost sermon to show that Psalm 16's “you will not abandon my soul to Hades” speaks of Christ's resurrection.
Prophetic Extracts 3.3Eusebius of Caesarea · before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) · Eusebius reads Agur's words in Proverbs, “who has gone up into heaven and come down… what is his name and the name of his children?”, as Christ, whose name is Jesus and whose children are called Christians.
Prophetic Extracts 3.20Eusebius of Caesarea · before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) · Eusebius reads Zephaniah's “wait for me for the day of my resurrection” as Christ's resurrection and the gathering of the Gentile churches.
Prophetic Extracts 3.39Eusebius of Caesarea · before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) · Eusebius applies Baruch's “who has gone up into heaven… this is our God… after this he was seen on earth” to the Word who descended, ascended, and lived among humans.
Prophetic Extracts 4.22Eusebius of Caesarea · before 325 (probably ca. 310–320) · Eusebius applies Isaiah's “God is in you, and there is no God besides you” to Christ, raised as king, against Jews and those who hold him a mere man (the Ebionites, Artemon, Paul of Samosata).
Divine Institutes 4.12.17Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Psalm 110 foretells Christ's ascension to the Father's right hand.
Divine Institutes 4.19.7Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · On the third day he rose and went to Galilee; only the grave-clothes were left.
Divine Institutes 4.19.8Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · David foretold the resurrection.
Divine Institutes 4.19.9Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Hosea foretold rescue from death on the third day.
Divine Institutes 4.19.10Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · The Sibyl foretold his resurrection after three days.
Divine Institutes 4.21.1Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Forty days after the passion Christ ascended in a cloud, as Daniel foretold.
Divine Institutes 4.26.31Lactantius · ca. 303–311 · Second, his body had to remain whole for the resurrection.
Apology before the judgeLucian of Antioch · ca. 312 (reported by Rufinus ca. 400) · Lucian, on trial, defends the Christian faith in one God revealed through Christ, appeals to the witnesses of Christ's death and resurrection, and challenges his judges to believe.
Epitome of the Divine Institutes 42.1Lactantius · ca. 314–320 · Buried, he rose on the third day; only his grave-clothes were found.
Epitome of the Divine Institutes 42.2Lactantius · ca. 314–320 · The Psalms and Hosea foretold the resurrection on the third day.
Epitome of the Divine Institutes 42.3Lactantius · ca. 314–320 · The risen Christ commissioned his disciples, gave them the Spirit, and ascended on the fortieth day.
On the Deaths of the Persecutors 2.2Lactantius · ca. 314–315 · The risen Christ spent forty days with his disciples, opened the Scriptures to them, and commissioned them to preach.
On the Deaths of the Persecutors 2.3Lactantius · ca. 314–315 · Christ was taken up into heaven in a cloud.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.2.27Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Moses’ unknown death and burial parallel the hidden change of Christ into divinity after his resurrection.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.2.60Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Isaiah goes on to foretell Christ’s restoration after death.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.2.70Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Isaiah 53 implies the resurrection, which David also foretold.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.2.71Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · More psalms foretell the resurrection.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.4.28Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · After his burial Jesus took back his body on the third day.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.4.29Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · The risen Jesus appeared bodily to his disciples, ascended, and sent them to teach all nations.
Demonstration of the Gospel 3.7.27Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · The apostles proved the resurrection not by words alone but by works showing that Jesus lives.
Demonstration of the Gospel 4.12.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · At Christ’s resurrection many saints rose with him, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that death would be swallowed up.
Demonstration of the Gospel 4.14.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · In the resurrection the humanity was taken up into the Word’s divinity as the firstfruits of our hope of immortality.
Demonstration of the Gospel 4.16.13Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · “Your salvation” in the psalm is Christ’s resurrection, which raises the fallen.
Demonstration of the Gospel 4.16.14Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · We know that God saved his Christ once we grasp the resurrection; the next heading introduces Psalm 28.
Demonstration of the Gospel 4.16.16Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · The psalm ends by foretelling Christ’s resurrection, “my flesh has flourished again.”
Demonstration of the Gospel 8.1.66Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · “Who shall rouse him?” expresses wonder at the resurrection.
Demonstration of the Gospel 8.1.67Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · The Father raised Christ; Aquila renders the verse “from the capture you went up.”
Demonstration of the Gospel 10.1.35Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Against his enemies’ hopes, Christ prays for resurrection: “Raise me up, and I will repay them.”
Demonstration of the Gospel 10.1.36Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · After the resurrection, death was shamed and, as Josephus shows, disasters overtook the nation and its rulers.
Demonstration of the Gospel 10.1.37Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · The resurrection showed that the Father delighted in Christ, as the Psalm says.
Demonstration of the Gospel 10.8.17Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · The resurrection, the Father’s “help,” took place at dawn.
Demonstration of the Gospel 10.8.19Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · Mark and John likewise place the discovery of the empty tomb at dawn.
Demonstration of the Gospel 10.8.26Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 314–324 · God’s hearing him means the resurrection, the “help at dawn” named in the title.
On the Incarnation 15.6Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 318–325 · Christ's resurrection showed the heroes and poets' gods to be false.
On the Incarnation 20.2Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 318–325 · Having shown his divinity, Christ paid the debt of death for all and showed his incorruptible body as the firstfruits of the resurrection.
On the Incarnation 21.7Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 318–325 · Christ accepted death but not sickness; he hungered but did not perish, and his body rose whole without corruption.
On the Incarnation 22.4Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 318–325 · Christ's public death served his resurrection, a trophy over death and a pledge of the resurrection of all.
On the Incarnation 26.2Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 318–325 · Christ did not rise immediately, lest people say he had not truly died.
On the Incarnation 32.6Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 318–325 · Christ raised his body and is the true Son of God, the Father's own Word, who took flesh, abolished death, and promised resurrection to all.
Theophany 3.44Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Theophany 3.57Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Theophany 3.58Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Theophany 4.25Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Theophany 5.28Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 325–337
Book 4, lines 736–759Juvencus · ca. 330 · The guard and the sealed tomb; at dawn an earthquake and the angel; the guards stricken; the angel announces the resurrection.
Book 4, lines 760–783Juvencus · ca. 330 · The women run to tell the disciples and meet the risen Jesus; the guards are bribed to say the body was stolen.
Letter to Marcellinus 8Athanasius of Alexandria · uncertain, after 335 · The Psalms foretell Christ's ascension, session at God's right hand, judgment, and the calling of the nations.
Tricennial Oration (In Praise of Constantine) 15.5Eusebius of Caesarea · 335–336 · The victory over death had to be public, so Christ did not flee death but engaged it openly and made the mortal immortal for the salvation of all.
Tricennial Oration (In Praise of Constantine) 15.6Eusebius of Caesarea · 335–336 · As one proves a vessel fireproof by putting it in the fire, the Word let his body die for a short time and then raised it, proving eternal life stronger than death.
Tricennial Oration (In Praise of Constantine) 15.7Eusebius of Caesarea · 335–336 · The disciples had to see the resurrection with their own eyes, especially those who would preach it to all nations.
Tricennial Oration (In Praise of Constantine) 15.8Eusebius of Caesarea · 335–336 · To arm the apostles against fear of death, Christ taught them not by argument but by the deed of his resurrection.
Tricennial Oration (In Praise of Constantine) 15.9Eusebius of Caesarea · 335–336 · The first reason for the resurrection was to show death powerless; the second, to prove that Christ, unlike deified mortals, is the true God who conquered death.
Against Marcellus 2.1.13Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 336–337 · Paul says Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more.
Demonstration 21.9Aphrahat · 337-345
Life of Constantine 3.26.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 337–339 · Impious men had tried to bury the tomb where the angel rolled away the stone and announced the resurrection.
Life of Constantine 3.26.4Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 337–339 · Christ's victory over death could no more be hidden than the sun.
Life of Constantine 3.28.1Eusebius of Caesarea · ca. 337–339 · Beneath the fill the tomb of Christ was uncovered, as if itself rising from the dead.
Oration I Against the Arians 44Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 339–346 · Athanasius offers a second reading of Phil 2:9: the exaltation is the resurrection, which happened because the one who died was God in a body.
Oration I Against the Arians 45Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 339–346 · Athanasius explains that the Word is said to be exalted and to receive grace because the body that was raised and exalted was his own; as Word he gives what, as man, he receives.
Oration II Against the Arians 16Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 339–346 · Athanasius paraphrases Peter's argument to the Jews: the Scriptures announce a divine, life-giving Christ, fulfilled in the crucified and risen Jesus, and God made the Word become man so that we would not worship a mere man.
Oration II Against the Arians 61Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 339–346 · God is first creator, then Father of human beings by grace; but he is first Father of the Word and afterwards his creator in the flesh; so Christ is our brother and “firstborn,” his flesh saved first.
Oration II Against the Arians 63Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 339–346 · “Firstborn of all creation” sets the Son apart from creation; he is firstborn among brothers by the flesh, from the dead by the resurrection, and of creation by the Father's love that will set creation free.
Oration II Against the Arians 66Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 339–346 · As “beginning” of the resurrection the Word was created in the flesh, taking an incomplete body to pay our debt and complete what man lacked: immortality and the way to paradise.
Oration III Against the Arians 48Athanasius of Alexandria · ca. 339–346 · Christ said “I do not know” for our profit, to end fruitless questions without lying, since he spoke as man; after the resurrection, with his flesh deified, he said instead, “It is not for you to know” (Acts 1:7).
Oration IV Against the Arians 35Athanasius of Alexandria · 4th century (disputed) · The author shows that Scripture calls the man from Mary “Christ” because of his union with the Word, and that the risen Lord's words “touch me” prove that the Word and his body are one subject.
Catechetical Lecture 4.12Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Christ truly rose on the third day, as Jonah and Elisha’s bones foreshadow, and twelve witnesses testified to it even to death.
Catechetical Lecture 14.1Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Cyril invites the candidates, saddened by the account of the cross, to rejoice at the resurrection of Christ, victor over death.
Catechetical Lecture 14.3Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · After recalling the prophecies of the burial, Cyril shows from Psalms 12, 16 and 30 that Christ's soul was not left in Hades and that he rose in the morning.
Catechetical Lecture 14.8Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Psalm 88 shows that Christ died willingly and rose in the morning; the Song of Songs foretold the shelter before the rock tomb, near the outer wall of Jerusalem.
Catechetical Lecture 14.14Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Though the chief priests bribed the guards, the women saw the risen Christ; the emperors have now adorned the church of the Resurrection, and the world has believed.
Catechetical Lecture 14.16Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · If a dead man rose at the touch of Elisha's bones, Christ's resurrection, which raised many and conquered the world, is no less credible.
Catechetical Lecture 14.17Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Jonah, three days in the sea monster, is the sign of Christ's three days in the earth; if God preserved Jonah alive, he could raise his own Son.
Catechetical Lecture 14.21Cyril of Jerusalem · ca. 350 · Against the Manichaean claim that the resurrection was only apparent, Paul's testimony and the list of witnesses in 1 Corinthians 15, including James, Jerusalem's first bishop, establish it.
Long recension, Smyrnaeans 3Anonymous · later 4th century (probable) · Ignatius affirms that Christ was in the flesh even after his resurrection.
Long recension, Smyrnaeans 4Anonymous · later 4th century (probable) · Ignatius cites the risen Christ's invitation to touch him, his eating with the disciples and his bodily ascension and return, and argues that if Christ only seemed to suffer, his own chains would be a mere seeming.
Cento, lines 638–663Proba · ca. 360 · The disciples scatter in grief and Peter laments; on the third day the tomb is broken open and Christ rises and comes, bearing his wounds, to his followers.
Cento, lines 664–694Proba · ca. 360 · The risen Christ comforts his followers, promises peace and resurrection, shows his wounds, and ascends to heaven; Proba ends with a prayer that her husband and descendants keep the faith.
Commentary on Matthew 33Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 353–355 · Hilary expounds the passion and resurrection: Pilate’s wife as the believing nations, Barabbas as Antichrist, the mocking robes as martyrs and prophets, the cross at the center of the earth, the cry of dereliction as the voice of the body, the vinegar as Adam’s soured immortality, the burial as Christ entering the hearts of the nations, and the women as first witnesses of the resurrection.
On the Trinity 3.16Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · The Son prays that the flesh he assumed may be raised into the eternal glory he always had with the Father.
On the Trinity 3.20Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · The risen Lord's bodily entry through shut doors is a fact beyond explanation; so too the Son's birth from the Father must be believed though not understood.
On the Trinity 9.12Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · Christ raised himself (John 10:17–18; 2:19) and was raised by the Father, since he is the power and wisdom of God.
On the Trinity 10.65Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · Paul's confession in Rom 8:33–34 and Eph 4:9–10 shows one Christ who died, rose, descended, ascended, and intercedes, undivided God and man.
On the Trinity 10.69Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 356–360 · Christ needed no one to bring him down from heaven or up from the dead; he descended and rose by his own freedom (Rom 10:6–7).
Against Arius 3.15Marius Victorinus · ca. 357–362 · Victorinus explains Christ's “going to the Father” as the sanctifying of the risen humanity, and reads John 15:26 and 16:8–11 to show the Father, Son and Spirit joined in sending and in convicting the world.
Against Arius 3.16Marius Victorinus · ca. 357–362 · Victorinus explains the Spirit's work as giving knowledge and testimony, distinguishes baptismal sanctification from the gift of the Spirit for knowledge in Acts, and traces the apostles' witness to Christ's resurrection and ascension.
Homilies on the Psalms 45.5Basil of Caesarea · ca. 360-378 · The morning help of Ps 46:5 is also Christ's resurrection at dawn; Ps 46:6 pictures a besieged city relieved by a general whose shout routs the nations; and in Ps 46:7 the prophet sees Emmanuel, God with us, the same God who appeared to the patriarchs, not another god.
On the Holy Spirit 51Didymus the Blind · Greek ca. 360-390; Latin 387-391 · The right hand of God is Christ, as the Psalms and Peter's Pentecost sermon show of the risen Lord exalted at God's right hand.
Tractates on the Psalms 2.27Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · "Today I have begotten you" refers to the resurrection, when the humanity Christ assumed was begotten into the glory he had with the Father before the world.
Tractates on the Psalms 2.30Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Acts 13 refers Psalm 2:7 to the resurrection, and Matthew 28 shows that the risen Christ received all power.
Tractates on the Psalms 53.5Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · "Judge me in your power": by obedience to death Christ's humanity was exalted and given the divine name and power, as Philippians 2 says.
Tractates on the Psalms 53.14Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Christ gives thanks for deliverance; having died and descended to the underworld, he rose and looks down on his enemies, the temple of his body rebuilt.
Tractates on the Psalms 56.2Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · David's prayer in the cave prophesies Christ's resurrection and his lowly dwelling in a body; one hiding in fear could not have played harp and psaltery.
Tractates on the Psalms 58.6Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Christ prays that the Father meet him at his ascension and visit the nations in him; all are visited through his incarnation, yet workers of iniquity are judged.
Tractates on the Psalms 58.13Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · The closing thanksgiving fits both David and Christ; praise "in the morning" points to the resurrection at dawn.
Tractates on the Psalms 67.6Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Christ, whose name is Lord, rose above the setting of death; we prepare his way by leveling our vices so he may enter our hearts.
Tractates on the Psalms 67.19Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · The Lord of Sinai is the same Christ who ascended in his holy humanity, took captivity captive, and received the nations as gifts.
Tractates on the Psalms 67.27Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · God’s ways were seen at the Red Sea and again at Christ’s ascension, when the heavenly gates were opened to the king of glory.
Tractates on the Psalms 67.34Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Christ, who humbled himself to death, ascended above the heaven of heavens toward the east, as the Dayspring returning on high.
Tractates on the Psalms 68.15Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Christ prays not to stick in the mud or be shut in the pit, confident that, though he died in the body, death could not hold him.
Tractates on the Psalms 138.23Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · The 'wings' taken 'before the light' signify Christ's own power and his resurrection, by which the assumed humanity is raised into the Father's glory.
Tractates on the Psalms 138.27Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · Christ's humanity, wholly devoted to the Father, was 'made terribly wonderful' through the signs at his death, his resurrection and ascension, and the wonders of the apostles.
Tractates on the Psalms 143.14Hilary of Poitiers · ca. 360–367 · The 'hand' of God sent from on high is Christ, through whom the man he assumed was rescued from death by the resurrection.
Commentary on Ephesians 1.19Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · The surpassing power of God toward believers is shown above all in the working he accomplished in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand.
Commentary on Ephesians 1.21Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · Christ, raised and seated at God’s right hand, is above every power and every name, present or future, as the first motion and source of all things; he is head of the church, which Victorinus identifies with all souls to be saved, so nothing may be added to him.
Commentary on Ephesians 4.8Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · The quotation from Psalm 68 shows that the gifts are Christ’s, given after he led captivity captive, so believers should not envy one another’s gifts; the question of his descent and ascent is reserved for a separate book.
Commentary on Ephesians 4.10Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · Christ who descended to the depths ascended above all the heavens, of which Victorinus holds there are three, and by his passion, resurrection, and ascension filled and perfected all things.
Commentary on Philippians 3.10Marius Victorinus · ca. 360–363 · Faith in Christ means knowing him, sharing his sufferings even to death, and so sharing the power of his resurrection, in which believers come to meet him.
Oration 44.2Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · The tabernacle, David's kingdom and Christ's temple of the body were renewed; Christ's resurrection makes us a new creation, and the present feast is a dedication.
Oration 45.1Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Oration 45, the second Easter oration, opens with a vision, after Habakkuk, of an angel proclaiming the resurrection and the renewal of the world.
Oration 45.25Gregory of Nazianzus · ca. 362–383 · Gregory bids his hearers ascend with Christ and answer the angels' question, “Who is this King of glory?”: the risen Lord, whose body is made beautiful by his passion.
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:4Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Christ's burial and third-day resurrection fulfil Isa 53 and Hos 6, the latter spoken in the people's name because all rise in him.
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:7Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Christ's separate appearances to James and to all the apostles confirmed the resurrection.
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:20–21Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Christ, a true man, rose as the firstfruits; as death came by Adam's sin, resurrection came by Christ's righteousness.
Commentary on Ephesians 1:20–21Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Christ's resurrection and exaltation above all powers is the pattern of believers' glory; as Son by nature he is head of all creation, which is filled when it confesses him.
Commentary on Galatians 1:1Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · Paul's apostleship comes from Christ, God and man, which refutes both the Manichees and Photinus; Christ raised himself, yet by the Father's power.
Commentary on Romans 1:2Ambrosiaster · ca. 366–384 · On Rom 1:2–4 Ambrosiaster explains that the gospel was promised in the prophets and that the eternal Son, born of David’s seed by the Virgin, was shown to be Son of God in power by the resurrection.
Question 111, section 1Ambrosiaster · ca. 370–384 · The title of Psalm 24 (23 in the Greek and Latin), “for the first day of the week,” points to Christ and his resurrection, but the psalm begins with God the Father as the origin.
Question 121, section 1Ambrosiaster · ca. 370–384 · A hymn of praise to Easter day, recounting the victory over death and the devil and all the blessings won by Christ’s resurrection and ascension.
Letter 59.4Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome reconciles 'Do not touch me' in John with the women clasping Jesus' feet in Matthew.
Letter 108.24Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome continues his argument from the risen Christ, who had a real male body that could be touched and could eat, explaining the closed doors and the walking on water as God's power, not a change of the body's nature.
Letter 120.3Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome reconciles Matthew and Mark on the time of the resurrection, noting that the ending of Mark is missing from almost all Greek manuscripts.
Letter 120.4Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome reconciles the times given by Matthew and John for Mary Magdalene's visits to the tomb and discusses the several Marys of the Gospels.
Letter 120.5Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome explains why Mary Magdalene, who had embraced the risen Lord's feet, was later told 'Do not touch me', attributing it to her failure of faith at the tomb.
Letter 120.6Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome explains that the guards, struck down with terror at the angel and the earthquake, could not prevent the disciples from entering the tomb.
Letter 120.7Jerome · ca. 370–419 · Jerome distinguishes Christ's brief appearances in Jerusalem from his longer, familiar presence with the disciples in Galilee.
Ancoratus 62.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · Did the risen Christ appear naked?
Ancoratus 62.7Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · The risen Christ was clothed; who made his garments?
Ancoratus 80.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · The risen Christ passed through doors yet was touched by Thomas.
Ancoratus 80.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · Thomas touched the one who is both God and man.
Ancoratus 80.8Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · The risen Christ sits at the Father's right hand with his flesh.
Ancoratus 90.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · The Gospels show the same body risen.
Ancoratus 91.1Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · The risen body kept its wounds yet was spiritual.
Ancoratus 91.3Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · He kept the scars to refute unbelievers.
Ancoratus 91.4Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · What suffered is what rose.
Ancoratus 91.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · The whole body rose, none of it saw corruption.
Ancoratus 91.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · Christ showed his flesh and bones.
Ancoratus 92.5Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · Christ, unlike them, rose never to die again.
Ancoratus 100.2Epiphanius of Salamis · 374 · At Christ's resurrection many saints rose.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 28.6.1Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Cerinthus is said to deny that Christ has yet been raised.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 30.19.4Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The risen Christ ate fish.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 40.8.1Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · John 2:19 shows the bodily resurrection.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 40.8.2Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · A phantom body could not be killed and raised.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.2.8Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Apelles says Christ returned his body to the elements before ascending.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.3.4Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Apelles makes Christ's resurrection pointless labour.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.3.9Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The apostles saw Christ ascend and no remains were left.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.5.10Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Why raise the body only to dissolve it again?
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.5.11Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ raised his body and took it with him wholly.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.5.12Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ ascended bodily and will return in the same way.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.6.2Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ's risen body was made spiritual and united to his Godhead.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 44.6.3Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ is seated in his body at the Father's right hand.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 51.31.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The firstfruits sheaf prefigures the resurrection.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 51.31.7Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ raised his body and bore it to the Father.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 56.2.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ died and rose as the pledge of our resurrection.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 56.2.8Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The angels testify to the resurrection.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 57.7.6Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The Father raised Christ, as Paul says.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 62.6.8Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The angels at the ascension speak of Jesus returning.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 64.18.2Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · An objection from Christ’s bodily resurrection is raised.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 64.64.3Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ rose in the same body, made spiritual.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 64.64.7Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The risen body had flesh and bones.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 64.65.3Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Christ’s whole humanity rose, as the psalm foretold.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 64.67.18Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The empty tomb shows the whole body rose.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 64.67.19Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · The same wounded body rose.
Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 64.71.15Epiphanius of Salamis · 374-377 · Many bodies of the saints rose with Christ.
Apostolic Constitutions 5.19.6Anonymous · ca. 380 · Christ's resurrection on the Lord's day fulfilled the Psalms.
Apostolic Constitutions 5.19.8Anonymous · ca. 380 · For unbelievers Christ remains dead, for believers he is risen.
Apostolic Constitutions 6.30.9Anonymous · ca. 380 · Christ ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father.
On the Christian Faith 4.1Ambrose · ca. 378–380 · Opening the fourth book, Ambrose describes Christ’s triumphant ascension, with the angels asking “Who is this King of glory?” (Ps 24), and concludes that the ascending Son is the Lord of hosts and almighty.
On the Christian Faith 4.2Ambrose · ca. 378–380 · Ambrose teaches that only those who confess Christ almighty may enter heaven, and urges each believer to open and lift up the gates of the heart so that the ascended Christ may enter.
Chapter 6Nicetas, bishop of Remesiana · ca. 380–414 · Nicetas explains the resurrection, ascension, session at the Father’s right hand and Christ’s coming to judge the living and the dead.
Book of Heresies 71.2Philastrius of Brescia · ca. 380s · Salvation depends on Christ's bodily resurrection and ascension.
Canons on the Letters of Paul 83Priscillian · ca. 380–400 · Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection and sits above every power at the Father's right hand.
Pilgrimage (Itinerarium) 24.10Egeria · ca. 381-395 · The bishop reads the gospel of the resurrection amid the people's tears.
Pilgrimage (Itinerarium) 39.5Egeria · ca. 381-395 · At Sion they read of Christ's appearing to the disciples and Thomas's doubt.
Pilgrimage (Itinerarium) 40.2Egeria · ca. 381-395 · At Sion they read of Thomas's encounter with the risen Lord.
Pilgrimage (Itinerarium) 43.5Egeria · ca. 381-395 · At the Imbomon the accounts of the ascension are read.
On the Complaints of Job and David 1.30Ambrose · ca. 383-390 · Wisdom is not in the abyss or the sea, for Christ rose and trod the waves; we find it by walking over the world’s waves with faith.
Altercatio, chapter 2, speech 47Evagrius of Gaul · ca. 400 · Theophilus explains the church as open to all, the synagogue as divorced, Wisdom 2 as prophecy of the Passion, and cites many passages for Christ’s resurrection, ascension, session and second coming.
Catechetical Oration 32Gregory of Nyssa · ca. 385–390 · Christ was born in order to die and so raise our whole nature with his own body; the four arms of the cross show that he holds all creation together; the resurrection appearances need no defence.
Exposition of Psalm 118 0.2.2Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · The eighth day is the day of resurrection, on which the believer, washed, offers a spiritual sacrifice.
Exposition of Psalm 118 5.20.2Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Christ, who is love, was raised from the dead by his own and the Father’s power.
Exposition of Psalm 118 8.58.2Ambrose · ca. 386-397 · Christ, the sun of righteousness, rose and suffered for all; unbelievers shut themselves off from his light.
Letter 102.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · The first pagan question asks whether the promised resurrection resembles Christ's or Lazarus's, and why the risen Christ ate and showed wounds.
Letter 102.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Christ's resurrection, not Lazarus's, is the pattern, since he dies no more; a different birth makes no difference to death or resurrection.
Letter 102.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Christ showed real scars, not wounds, to prove the same body had risen, as a soldier might keep scars as badges of honour.
Letter 102.31Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Jonah's preservation is no harder to believe than the resurrection; the monster's size, attested by ribs displayed at Carthage, made it possible, clothes or no clothes.
Letter 102.36Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · The “morning worm” is Christ, who calls himself a worm in Psalm 22 and rose at dawn; let the pagans laugh, for they are being consumed.
Letter 121.15Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Paulinus asks how the risen Christ, in the same body, was at first not recognized and then recognized.
Letter 140.25Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Christ showed his risen body not to his persecutors but to his disciples, so that others would believe their testimony, sealed with signs and their own sufferings.
Letter 149.31Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Christ's risen body could be unrecognized because God changed its features, just as at the Transfiguration he changed its brightness and as age changes a face.
Letter 164.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine questions the view that the saints raised at Christ's death already received the final resurrection, citing Christ as firstborn from the dead, Peter on David's tomb, and Hebrews 11.
Letter 187.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Christ's risen body, immortal but still a body, is in heaven, not everywhere; he is everywhere as God and in heaven as man.
Letter 205.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 386–430 · Augustine answers Consentius that Christ's risen body is in heaven as it was when he ascended, with flesh and bones, preserved from corruption by God's power.
Homilies on Matthew 43.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · When the scribes and Pharisees ask for a sign after so many signs, Christ calls them an evil and adulterous generation and promises only the sign of Jonah, hinting at his resurrection and at the ruin that would come on Jerusalem.
Homilies on Matthew 89.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The leaders’ request for a sealed tomb unwittingly attests Christ’s death, burial and resurrection; the evangelist hides nothing of their slander, and fearful, unlearned, poor and scattered disciples could neither have stolen the body nor invented and preached a resurrection that had not happened.
Homilies on Matthew 89.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · Christ rose within the three days while his enemies guarded the tomb, so that their precautions proved the resurrection; the angel and then Christ himself send the women, the first witnesses, to the disciples. We may still hold his feet in the mysteries, but women who load themselves with gold while the poor go hungry cannot.
Homilies on Matthew 90.1John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The guards, shaken by the earthquake, became unimpeachable witnesses, and the bribe they took for the story of a theft only confirms the empty tomb: frightened, poor disciples could neither have rolled away the sealed stone nor slipped past so many guards, and would have struck on the first, unguarded night if at all.
Homilies on Matthew 90.2John Chrysostom · ca. 390 · The grave cloths left in the myrrh, the bribe and the admission that the body was gone all confirm the resurrection; in Galilee the risen Christ sends the disciples to baptize all nations with the promise of his presence to the end. His commands are easy; it is the love of money, not poverty, that enslaves, and poverty is a safe harbor and a school of self-command.
On Joseph 80Ambrose · ca. 387-390 · Jacob's disbelief turning to joy figures the people coming to believe in Christ's resurrection, the foundation of faith.
On the Blessings of the Patriarchs 20Ambrose · ca. 387-392 · The sleeping lion signifies Christ resting in the tomb and raising himself by his own power.
On the Blessings of the Patriarchs 49Ambrose · ca. 387-392 · 'Return to me' signifies the Father raising the Son and frustrating his enemies, as Isaiah foretold.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.13.4Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · From his wounded side Christ brought forth life and, by his own power, rose while the adversary fell.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.15.4Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · Christ’s enemies wished his name to perish, but he was lifted from the earth, rose, ascended and restored his kingdom.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.20.2Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · Something may be added to man, but nothing to God; Christ rose in the humanity he had assumed.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.20.3Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · The flesh belongs to Christ’s saving dispensation; the psalm’s active verb shows that the Son of God raised himself.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.20.4Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · The flesh received resurrection, but Christ as God worked it by his own power, the one power of Father and Son.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 40.26.4Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · The wounded “horse” rose and ascended above all heavens to sit at the right hand of power.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 43.6.2Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · The day of the resurrection, lit by the sun of righteousness, is the day the Lord made; there are “days of Christ” in which righteousness rises.
Explanation of Twelve Psalms 45.14.1Ambrose · ca. 387-397 · “At daybreak” points to the morning resurrection; Christ suffered at evening, like the Passover lamb, and rose at dawn.
Sermon 22.10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Adam and Eve begot us to death, Christ and the Church beget us to eternal life; Christ has received the inheritance in his flesh as head, and the whole Christ, head and body, will receive it, as the ungodly will receive eternal fire.
Sermon 25.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The peace we must pursue is Christ, who passed through the human race, prayed for his enemies on the cross, and ascended; we follow him by lifting up our hearts.
Sermon 44.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Isaiah foretells Christ’s silent suffering, his eternal and his virginal generation, his resurrection, and his death for his people’s sins, as Christ himself said the Scriptures foretold.
Sermon 44.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The “rich” in Isaiah is Joseph of Arimathea, the “wicked” the guards who sold a lie about the resurrection; Augustine closes by urging thanks for Christ’s mercy and fear of his coming judgment.
Sermon 45.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The holy mountain is Christ with his body the Church, one man, head and members; the head rose first, as women first announced, so that the members might hope to rise and dwell on the mountain forever.
Sermon 67.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Confessing sin is a sign that the sinner has been raised from death by Christ, as Lazarus was, so self-accusation is praise of God.
Sermon 75.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ’s praying alone on the mountain signifies his ascension and intercession for us in heaven.
Sermon 96.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ is to be followed into heaven, where he ascended, but by the road of his cross; humility is the step, as he told the sons of Zebedee who wanted the highest seats.
Sermon 110.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The psalm’s “arise, Lord, let not man prevail” is fulfilled in Christ: human falsehood prevailed from the flood to the crucifixion, but Christ rose from the tomb and will come to judge the nations.
Sermon 116.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The disciples, troubled by earthly thoughts, would not believe Christ had raised his body until he showed them his hands and feet; we believe their preaching without seeing.
Sermon 116.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The disciples’ joyful trembling shows how incredible the resurrection then was; Christ convinced their eyes and hands, and even ate, though not hungry, so that the faith they preached would reach a world that cannot see or touch.
Sermon 119.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · As a spoken word reaches the hearer without leaving the speaker’s heart, the Word came forth in flesh without leaving the Father; unlike our fleeting voice, he raised his flesh, his garment, vehicle, beast of burden, and temple, to the Father’s right hand, as our hope.
Sermon 163.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · As a converted pagan site has its idols destroyed and other parts put to better use, so the works of the flesh must be destroyed in us; the temple, dedicated in Christ's resurrection, is being built throughout the whole earth.
Sermon 213.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The resurrection shows what we hope for, as the passion shows what we must endure; “sitting at the right hand” means dwelling in eternal blessedness, not a bodily posture.
Sermon 214.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ rose in true flesh and ascended after forty days; “sitting at the right hand” means dwelling in the height of honor and blessedness, as Scripture uses “sit” for “dwell.”
Sermon 215.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ's death for his enemies shows a love greater than any; believers should not be ashamed of the cross, and faith in his resurrection is what sets Christians apart.
Sermon 217.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ has prepared the good place; Lent signifies the toil of this passing world and the Easter season the one eternal day to come.
Sermon 221.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Days are now reckoned from the night, since we pass from the darkness of sin to light; the Vigil keeps the night of the resurrection, which ended at the dawn when the women found the tomb empty.
Sermon 231.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The disciples, rebuked for not believing in the resurrection, were shown their own weakness, as Peter was; we believe their words though they doubted their eyes.
Sermon 231.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ, free of sin, shared our punishment of death to cancel both guilt and punishment; his resurrection on the eighth day, prefigured by circumcision, is our new life, as we die to evil and rise to good living.
Sermon 231.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Happiness is not found on earth, as Christ, who found only our misery here, showed; he invites us to his heavenly table and gives his death as a pledge of his life.
Sermon 236.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ was handed over for our offenses and rose for our justification: in his death our sin dies, and in his resurrection our righteousness rises.
Sermon 242.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ kept his scars by choice, not necessity, so that the scar in his flesh might heal the wound of the disciples’ unbelief.
Sermon 242.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ, Word, soul, and body in one person, ascended with the flesh taken from earth; even Plato makes God keep created gods from dissolving by his will, so God can do what is otherwise impossible.
Sermon 243.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Augustine raises the difficulty of “Do not touch me” (John 20:17), since in Matthew the women held his feet before he ascended.
Sermon 244.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Mary, Peter, and John at first believed only that the body had been taken; Peter’s confession had been swallowed up at the cross, and Christ the rock rose to make Peter firm.
Sermon 244.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Augustine sharpens the difficulty of “Do not touch me”: the disciples handled the risen Lord, and the women held his feet, before he ascended.
Sermon 244.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · “Do not touch me” means: do not believe me only a man; Christ ascends to the Father for whoever understands him as God equal to the Father, as well as the man who was crucified.
Sermon 245.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The ascension came forty days later, yet the disciples and Thomas touched Christ before it; “Do not touch me” therefore means: do not believe me only a man, but equal to the Father.
Sermon 246.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Mary thought Christ the gardener, and so he is, the planter of the mustard seed of faith; she recognized him when he called her by the name written in his book.
Sermon 261.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The resurrection is our hope and the ascension our glorification; we must lift our hearts with the ascending Christ, but to the Lord, for a heart lifted to him is refuge and one lifted elsewhere is pride.
Sermon 261.11Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ ascending led captivity captive by killing death, remains with us, and gives gifts to men.
Sermon 263.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · We see the ascension by faith and should ascend with Christ in heart; no one ascends but he who descended, yet we ascend in him as his members, if sins do not weigh the spirit down.
Sermon 263.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · “No one ascended but he who descended” refers to the person, not to what he wore; Christ descended without a body and ascended with it, and we too shall ascend by our unity with him, as two in one flesh.
Sermon 263.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ fasted forty days before his death and ate forty days after his resurrection, signifying the present contest of abstinence and the hope of peace; forty is the ten commandments times the four quarters of the world.
Sermon 264.5Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ stayed forty days to strengthen the disciples’ faith, but ascended so that they would stop loving him carnally and learn to see with the heart the Word equal to the Father.
Sermon 264.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · The same flesh will rise, the wicked to punishment and the good to be changed into a heavenly body; Christ, true flesh, rose first as the firstfruits, and those who would believe a risen grandfather refuse to believe the risen Lord.
Sermon 279.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · We should not be ashamed of a crucified Christ: what died was the servant’s form he took from us, and his birth and death showed our condition, his resurrection and ascension our hoped-for reward.
Sermon 305.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 391-430 · Christ laid down his life by his own power and took it up again, as the psalm ‘I slept and I rose’ shows; on the cross he used his persecutors’ madness for our salvation, making his shed blood their medicine.
On Illustrious Men 16Jerome · 392–393 · Ignatius of Antioch, condemned to the beasts under Trajan, wrote seven letters on his way to Rome; Jerome quotes Smyrnaeans and Romans.
On Faith and the Creed 12Augustine of Hippo · 393 · Christ rose on the third day as the firstborn of the adopted children of God.
On Faith and the Creed 13Augustine of Hippo · 393 · Christ's body ascended into heaven as a spiritual body, wholly subject to the spirit; where and how it is there is not to be asked.
Against Jovinianus 2.17Jerome · 393 · Jerome answers the appeal to Christ's eating and drinking: Christ sanctified fasting, ate after the resurrection only to prove his body, and Scripture condemns gluttony and commands fasts.
On the Christian Struggle 26Augustine of Hippo · ca. 396–397 · Christ rose in the same body that was buried, as his words 'Handle me and see' show; his entering through shut doors no more disproves it than his walking on water.
On the Christian Struggle 27Augustine of Hippo · ca. 396–397 · Augustine answers the objection from John 3:13 that Christ's body could not ascend: the Lord ascended and took his body up with him, like a man who goes up a mountain clothed.
Against the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental 10Augustine of Hippo · ca. 396–397 · The Spirit was given twice, after the resurrection and after the ascension, as Scripture says; Augustine will now examine whether Mani’s letter shows the truth or merely demands belief.
On Christian Doctrine 3.35Augustine of Hippo · Books 1–3 ca. 396–397; completed 426–427 · Tyconius's fifth rule, on times, works by synecdoche (as with the six or eight days before the Transfiguration and Christ's three days in the tomb) and by symbolic numbers.
Confessions 9.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 397–401 · Psalm 4's "Why do you love vanity?" strikes Augustine, who sees in it the risen Christ and the gift of the Spirit.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 11.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine explains that “flesh” in 2 Cor 5:16 means mortality and corruption, which Christ has put off in his resurrection and believers have put off in hope, not the substance of the body.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 11.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · From the context of 2 Cor 5 and parallels in Ephesians and Romans, Augustine shows that Paul speaks of Christ’s risen, immortal state and of believers’ hope, not of a denial of Christ’s flesh.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 12.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine says the Manichaeans, like unbelieving readers of Moses, have a veil over their hearts, and, as Christ’s parable warns, do not believe in his resurrection because they reject Moses and the prophets.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 16.33Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine turns Faustus's appeal to Thomas against him: the scars Thomas touched prove Christ's true flesh, which the Manichaeans deny.
Against Faustus the Manichaean 29.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 398–400 · Augustine answers that Christ could have had true flesh without birth, but chose to be born of a virgin, and that the Manichaean view of an apparent death makes his resurrection and wounds a deception.
Against Secundinus the Manichaean 25Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399 · Augustine answers Secundinus's claim that Christ was only spiritual: it contradicts his hope in Mani, who had flesh, and makes Christ a deceiver in showing his wounds to Thomas, whereas Augustine prefers to believe Mani the liar.
On the Trinity 2.17Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–419 · Augustine interprets God's 'back parts' shown to Moses as Christ's flesh, seen by faith in his resurrection from the 'rock' of the catholic Church, and his 'face' as the form of God that no one can see in this life; he concludes that the Father too may have appeared through creatures, since the visions signified God without showing his substance.
On the Trinity 4.6Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–419 · Augustine shows that Christ's three days in the tomb were partial days, counts forty hours from his death to the resurrection and thirty-six from his burial, and relates these numbers to perfection and to the ratio of one to two, while allowing that others may find better explanations.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.66Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · The 'three days and three nights' of Christ in the tomb are reckoned by the figure of the whole for a part: part of Friday, all of the Sabbath, and part of Sunday.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.68Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · John's account of Mary Magdalene, Peter and the beloved disciple, the two angels, and Christ's appearance to Mary agrees on the time and with Luke's two angels, but needs careful ordering.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.69Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Augustine weaves all four resurrection accounts into one: Mary's report, Peter and John at the tomb, the angels, Christ's appearances to Mary and the women, the disciples' unbelief, and the guards' bribe.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.70Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · The evangelists' resurrection appearances must agree with Paul's list; Luke's account of Peter at the tomb is a recapitulation, and Peter first stooped down and then went in, as Luke and John together show.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.71Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Of the men, Christ appeared first to Peter, then to the two going to Emmaus, whose 'village' Mark calls the 'country'; Paul's 'twelve' may be a fixed sacred number or other disciples.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.74Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Luke's and John's accounts of Christ's appearance to the disciples on Easter evening interlock; Luke joins the ascension, forty days later, without marking the interval, and Thomas had left before Jesus came.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.75Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · John's second appearance, to Thomas, is not Mark's 'last' appearance; Mark's 'last of all' means the last on Easter day itself, when Christ reproached the doubters.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.76Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Mark's 'eleven' may mean the apostolic company even with Thomas absent, or the last appearance on the fortieth day, when Christ rebuked their unbelief before sending them to preach.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.77Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Mark's signs and ascension suggest this was the last appearance on the fortieth day, though 'after he had spoken to them' need not mean immediately after.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.79Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · The angel's words in Matthew and Mark suggest the disciples would see Christ first in Galilee, yet Mark records appearances in Jerusalem and Matthew only the one in Galilee.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.80Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · The angel did not say Christ would be seen first or only in Galilee, so Matthew does not conflict with the Jerusalem appearances; yet the choice of Galilee invites a search for its mystical sense.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.81Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Matthew's appearance in Galilee cannot have been on Easter day; if within the next eight days, the 'eleven disciples' there may have included others besides apostles, so that Thomas was absent.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.82Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · John's 'third time' counts days of appearance, not appearances; so Matthew's appearance on the mountain in Galilee came after all these.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.83Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · The Gospels record ten appearances of the risen Christ: nine on earth and one at the ascension.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.84Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Christ appeared often but not daily during the forty days; Peter's 'for forty days' is a whole for a part, and forty signifies the world or this age.
The Harmony of the Gospels 3.85Augustine of Hippo · ca. 399–400 · Paul's list of appearances agrees with the Gospels, since he does not say Cephas was first, and the later appearances fit the forty days.
Greek Questions to the Christians 3.14Anonymous · 5th century (disputed) · Against eyewitness testimony to Christ's resurrection the Greeks offer only a puzzle, not a proof, and no syllogism can overturn what has been shown to have happened.
Questions and Answers to the Orthodox 47–49Anonymous · 5th century (disputed) · Three questions: Scripture's addresses to heaven and earth are meant for their rational inhabitants; “Do not touch me” told Mary not to cling to Christ as before, since he was weaning the disciples from his bodily presence; and God made one pair of each kind and created Adam's garments of skin directly, not from slaughtered animals.
Questions and Answers to the Orthodox 117Anonymous · 5th century (disputed) · The risen Christ entered through shut doors with his real body, as he walked on the sea, by divine power and not by becoming spirit; the stone was rolled away only so that the empty tomb and grave clothes could be seen.
Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 29Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 404 · Christ's resurrection reveals the glory hidden in his weakness; he rose victorious, led out the dead, and set our flesh at God's right hand.
Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 30Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 404 · Testimonies to the resurrection from the Psalms, Hosea's 'third day', Isaiah, and the Song of Songs on the women who sought him.
Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 31Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 404 · The ascension is to be understood worthily of God: the Word made flesh entered heaven as victor, bringing back the captives and giving the Spirit.
Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 32Rufinus of Aquileia · ca. 404 · Christ's sitting at the Father's right hand belongs to the flesh he assumed, as the Psalms, the Gospels, Peter and Paul show.
Against Felix the Manichaean 1.4Augustine of Hippo · December 404 · Augustine reads Acts 1, on the ascension, the promise of the Spirit, and Matthias's election in the place of Judas.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 9.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Prophecy about Christ has run through all ages but was hidden like water, as the risen Christ showed when he opened the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and in Jerusalem.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 10.11Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Christ's flesh came from Adam, and both the Father and the Son raised it, for the Son is equal to the Father and they are one.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 25.4Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Christ's “flight” was a sign, not a necessity: his height could not be understood; he ascended alone, the firstborn from the dead, to intercede for us.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 47.7Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Christ lays down his life by his own will and power, so the Jews cannot boast; he also raised himself, as the temple saying shows, though he gives the glory to the Father.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 63.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · God glorifies the Son of Man in himself by raising the human nature assumed by the Word to immortality at once in the resurrection.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 64.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · "Yet a little while I am with you" may mean either the forty days after the resurrection or his time in mortal weakness before the passion.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 91.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · The works "which no one else did" are Christ's many healings done in the people themselves; the virgin birth and resurrection, though greater, were not done before them.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 104.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Christ's glorification is his resurrection, the reward of the humility of his passion; it was done in the form of a servant, while in the form of God his glory is eternal.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 105.8Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · Christ as man was predestined, as Rom 1:4 shows; the glory he had with the Father before the world was is the glory of his resurrection, predestined then and now fulfilled.
Tractates on the Gospel of John 121.3Augustine of Hippo · ca. 406–420 · 'Do not touch me' teaches Mary to believe in Christ as equal to the Father; God is his Father by nature and ours by grace.
Homilies on the First Epistle of John 2.1Augustine of Hippo · ca. 407 · The risen Christ strengthened his disciples' faith from the Scriptures, which all speak of him and are our sure defence against heretics, since we cannot touch him as they did.
Homilies on the First Epistle of John 3.2Augustine of Hippo · ca. 407 · 'Do not touch me' teaches spiritual touching, that is, understanding Christ as coequal with the Father, not only reaching his flesh.
Homilies on the First Epistle of John 10.9Augustine of Hippo · ca. 407 · Christ's last words before his ascension commended his body, the Church spread over the whole earth; if heirs keep the last words of a dying father, how much more should Christians keep the last words of the ascending Christ.
City of God 16.41Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Jacob's blessing of Judah (Gen 49:8–12) foretells Christ from the tribe of Judah: his death as a lion's sleep, his resurrection by his own power, and the Church washed in his blood.
City of God 17.18Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Psalms 3, 41, 16, and 68 foretell Christ's death as 'sleep', his betrayal by Judas, his resurrection without corruption, and salvation through his death.
City of God 18.28Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine reads Hosea's prophecies of the calling of the nations, the later conversion of Israel, and the third-day resurrection, and Amos's prophecies, as foretelling Christ and the church.
City of God 18.44Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine explains the Hebrew “forty days” and the Septuagint “three days” of Jonah's warning to Nineveh as both pointing to Christ's resurrection and ascension, and resolves to use both the Hebrew and the Septuagint as authoritative.
City of God 22.5Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · Augustine argues from three “incredible” facts, Christ's bodily resurrection and ascension, the world's belief in it, and its persuasion by a few unlearned fishermen, backed by the apostles' miracles, that the promised resurrection of the flesh is credible.
City of God 22.7Augustine of Hippo · 413–426 · In more educated times than Romulus's, the world could have come to believe Christ's bodily resurrection and ascension only through divine power, prophecy, and miracles, despite persecution.
Commentary on Jeremiah 6.23Jerome · ca. 414-419 · Restored Judah will bless 'the holy mountain,' who is Christ, fulfilled spiritually in his comings; God satisfies the thirsty and hungry soul, and the people wake from a sweet sleep, as Christ slept and rose (Jer 31:23–26).
Enchiridion (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love) 53Augustine of Hippo · ca. 421–423 · Christ's cross, burial, resurrection, ascension, and session are patterns for the Christian life.
Carmen de Christo 1–30Flavius Merobaudes · ca. 430-450 · A short hymn to Christ: the eternal Son, born of the Virgin, recognized by the Magi, who raised the dead, descended to the realm of death, rose and ascended, and is one with the Father in a threefold light.
Part 17Eutherius of Tyana · ca. 431-440 · The author rejects the claim that the two natures are no longer distinct after the ascension, citing Christ's return in the same form, his intercession, Paul's 'by a man', and the marks of the nails.
Chapter 16Quodvultdeus of Carthage · ca. 437-450 · The Sibyl is called as a third Gentile witness: her acrostic verses on the judgment spell “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior,” and other verses foretell his passion and resurrection.
Part 1, chapter 29Quodvultdeus of Carthage · ca. 445-450 · Joseph’s release on the third year, his rule over Egypt, and his granaries that fed the famine figure Christ’s resurrection, his universal authority, the churches, and the food of his body.
Part 3, chapter 29Quodvultdeus of Carthage · ca. 445-450 · Hosea’s third day and the Psalms’ rising before the dawn are fulfilled in the resurrection, the sign of Jonah, and the empty tomb; Christ is the first fruits because, unlike others raised, he dies no more.
Part 3, chapter 31Quodvultdeus of Carthage · ca. 445-450 · The Psalms on ascending on high and sending the Spirit are fulfilled in Christ’s ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.