Melito was bishop of Sardis in the second half of the second century A.D. His sermon, “On the Passover,” only recently discovered, translated, and published, has been called “the most important addition to Patristic literature in the present century.” Unfortunately space requirements prohibit us from presenting it here in its entirety. (The full translation of the homily appears in Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, Eerdmans, 1975; the excerpt here is reprinted by permission.) Melito was the first Christian preacher known to make full use of the verbal arts of his day to impress his audience with the dramatic power of the Gospel.
As late as the second century most church leaders in Asia Minor, including Melito, still celebrated Easter at the same time as the Jews celebrated Passover. They did so in the following way: with a fast that ended on the fourteenth of Nisan (the first month of the Hebrew calendar, March–April of our calendar); with a vigil that included a sermon on the Christian meaning of the Passover; with the rite of baptism that depicted the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; and with the eating of a love feast and the celebration of the eucharist. Melito’s sermon probably was composed especially as an Easter sermon; he delivered it during the vigil of a second-century Christian Passover celebration.
1. First of all, the Scripture about the Hebrew Exodus has been read
and the words of the mystery have been explained
as to how the sheep was sacrificed
and the people were saved.
2. Therefore, understand this, O beloved:
The mystery of the passover is
new and old,
eternal and temporal,
corruptible and incorruptible,
mortal and immortal
in this fashion:
3. It is old insofar as it concerns the law,
but new insofar as it concerns the gospel;
temporal insofar as it concerns the type,
eternal because of grace;
corruptible because of the sacrifice of the sheep,
incorruptible because of the life of the Lord;
mortal because of his burial in the earth,
immortal because of his resurrection from the dead.
4. The law is old,
but the gospel is new;
the type was for a time,
but grace is forever.
The sheep was corruptible,
but the Lord is incorruptible,
who was crushed as a lamb,
but who was resurrected as God.
For although he was led to sacrifice as a sheep,
yet he was not a sheep;
and although he was as a lamb without voice,
yet indeed he was not a lamb.
The one was the model;
the other was found to be the finished product.
5. For God replaced the lamb,
and a man the sheep;
but in the man was Christ,
who contains all things.
6. Hence, the sacrifice of the sheep,
and the sending of the lamb to slaughter,
and the writing of the law—
each led to and issued in Christ,
for whose sake everything happened in the ancient law,
and even more so in the new gospel.
7. For indeed the law issued in the gospel—
the old in the new,
both coming forth together from Zion and Jerusalem;
and the commandment issued in grace,
and the type in the finished product,
and the lamb in the Son,
and the sheep in a man,
and the man in God.
8. For the one who was born as Son,
and led to slaughter as a lamb,
and sacrificed as a sheep,
and buried as a man,
rose up from the dead as God,
since he is by nature both God and man.
9. He is everything:
in that he judges he is law,
in that he teaches he is gospel,
in that he saves he is grace,
in that he begets he is Father,
in that he is begotten he is Son,
in that he suffers he is sheep,
in that he is buried he is man,
in that he comes to life again he is God.
10. Such is Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever. Amen.
11. Now comes the mystery of the passover,
even as it stands written in the law …
But I will clearly set forth the significance of the
words of this Scripture,
showing how God commanded Moses in Egypt,
when he had made his decision,
to bind Pharaoh under the lash,
but to release Israel from the lash
through the hand of Moses.
12. For see to it, he says,
that you take a flawless and perfect lamb,
and that you sacrifice it in the evening
with the sons of Israel,
and that you eat it at night, and in haste.
You are not to break any of its bones …
Melito continues with a paraphrase of Exodus 12:11–30.
16. But when the sheep was sacrificed,
and the passover consumed,
and the mystery completed,
and the people made glad,
and Israel sealed,
then the angel arrived to strike Egypt,
who was neither
initiated into the mystery,
participant of the passover,
sealed by the blood,
nor protected by the Spirit,
but who was the enemy and the unbeliever.
17. In a single night the angel struck and made Egypt childless.
For when the angel had encompassed Israel,
and had seen her sealed with the blood of the sheep,
he advanced against Egypt,
and by means of grief subdued the stubborn Pharaoh,
clothing him,
not with a cloak of mourning,
nor with a torn mantle,
but with all of Egypt, torn,
and mourning for her firstborn.
Sections 18–29 graphically detail the horrible fear and agony of Egypt at the loss of the firstborn-quite in keeping with the style of second century orators who revelled in the gruesome.
30. Such was the misfortune which en compassed Egypt.
In an instant it made her childless.
But Israel, all the while, was being protected
by the sacrifice of the sheep
and truly was being illumined
by its blood which was shed;
for the death of the sheep
was found to be a rampart for the people.
31. O inexpressible mystery!
the sacrifice of the sheep
was found to be the salvation of the people,
and the death of the sheep
became the life of the people.
For its blood warded off the angel.
32. Tell me, O angel,
At what were you turned away?
At the sacrifice of the sheep,
or the life of the Lord?
At the death of the sheep,
or the type of the Lord?
At the blood of the sheep,
or the Spirit of the Lord?
Clearly, you were turned away
33. because you saw the mystery of the Lord
taking place in the sheep,
the life of the Lord
in the sacrifice of the sheep,
the type of the Lord
in the death of the sheep.
For this reason you did not strike Israel,
but it was Egypt alone that you made childless.
In the next section (34–45), here omitted, Melito shows the importance of first making a model for the construction of any desired building-a set of blueprints for the erection of the finished product. Israel was the model, the Church is the finished product; the lamb was the model, Christ the finished product. The model has use only until the completion of that for which it was made. Then Melito continues.
46. … What is the passover?
Indeed its name is derived
from that event—
“to celebrate the passover” (to Paschein) is derived from
“to suffer” (tou pathein).
Therefore, learn who the sufferer is
and who he is who suffers along with sufferer.
47. Why indeed was the Lord present upon the earth?
In order that having clothed himself with the one who suffers,
he might lift him up to the heights of heaven.
In the beginning, when God made heaven and earth,
and everything in them through his word,
he himself formed man from the earth
and shared with that form his own breath,
and himself placed him in paradise,
which was eastward in Eden,
and there they lived most luxuriously.
Then by way of command God gave them this law:
For your food you may eat from any tree,
but you are not to eat
from the tree of the one who knows good and evil.
For on the day you eat from it,
you most certainly will die.
48. But man,
who is by nature capable of receiving good and evil
as soil of the earth is capable of receiving seeds from
both sides,
welcomed the hostile and greedy counsellor,
and by having touched that tree
transgressed the command,
and disobeyed God.
As a consequence, he was cast out into this world
as a condemned man is cast into prison.
In sections 49–65, here omitted, Melito, again in the style of his contemporaries, takes delight in describing the gross acts of sinful man and the consequent suffering he must endure, especially the ultimate suffering of death. But he introduces hope by recalling the prophets’ prediction of Christ’s suffering. Then he continues …
66. When this one [Christ] came from heaven to earth
for the sake of the one who suffers,
and had clothed himself with that very one
through the womb of a virgin,
and having come forth as man,
he accepted the sufferings of the sufferer
through his body which was capable of suffering.
And he destroyed those human sufferings
by his spirit which was incapable of dying.
He killed death which had put man to death.
67. For this one,
who was led away as a lamb,
and who was sacrificed as a sheep,
by himself delivered us from servitude to the world
as from the land of Egypt,
and released us from bondage to the devil
as from the hand of Pharaoh,
and sealed our souls by his own spirit
and the members of our bodies by his own blood.
68. This is
the one who covered death with shame
and who plunged the devil into mourning
as Moses did Pharaoh.
This is the one who smote lawlessness
and deprived injustice of its offspring,
as Moses deprived Egypt.
This is the one who delivered us
from slavery into freedom,
from darkness into light,
from death into life,
from tyranny into an eternal kingdom,
and who made us a new priesthood,
and a special people forever.
69. This one is the passover of our salvation.
This is the one who patiently endured many things in many people:
This is the one who was murdered in Abel,
and bound as a sacrifice in Isaac,
and exiled in Jacob,
and sold in Joseph,
and exposed in Moses,
and sacrificed in the lamb,
and hunted down in David,
and dishonored in the prophets.
70. This is the one who became human in a virgin,
who was hanged on the tree,
who was buried in the earth,
who was resurrected from among the dead,
and who raised mankind up
out of the grave below
to the heights of heaven.
71. This is the lamb that was slain.
This is the lamb that was silent.
This is the one who was born of Mary, that beautiful ewe-lamb.
This is the one who was taken from the flock,
and was dragged to sacrifice,
and was killed in the evening,
and was buried at night;
the one who was not broken while on the tree,
who did not see dissolution while in the earth,
who rose up from the dead,
and who raised up mankind
from the grave below.
72. This one was murdered.
And where was he murdered?
In the very center of Jerusalem!
Why?
Because he had healed their lame
and had cleansed their lepers,
and had guided their blind with light,
and had raised up their dead.
For this reason he suffered.
Somewhere it has been written in the law and prophets,
“They paid me back evil for good,
and my soul with barrenness,
plotting evil against me,
saying, Let us bind this just man
because he is troublesome to us.”
73. Why, O Israel, did you do this strange injustice?
You dishonored the one who had honored you.
You held in contempt the one who held you in esteem.
You denied the one who publicly acknowledged you,
You renounced the one who proclaimed you his own,
You killed the one who made you to live.
Why did you do this, O Israel?
74. Has it not been written for your benefit:
“Do not shed innocent blood
lest you die a terrible death”?
Nevertheless, Israel admits, I killed the Lord!
Why?
Because it was necessary for him to die.
You have deceived yourself, O Israel,
rationalizing thus about the death of the Lord.
75. It was necessary for him to suffer, yes,
but not by you;
it was necessary for him to be dishonored,
but not by you;
it was necessary for him to be judged,
but not by you;
it was necessary for him to be crucified,
but not by you,
nor by your right hand.
76. O Israel!
You ought to have cried aloud to God with this voice:
“O Lord,
if it was necessary for your Son to suffer,
and if this was your will,
let him suffer indeed,
but not at my hands.
Let him suffer at the hands of strangers.
Let him be judged by the uncircumcised.
Let him be crucified by the tyrannical right hand,
but not by mine.”
77. But you, O Israel,
did not cry out to God with this voice,
nor did you absolve yourself of guilt before the Lord,
nor were you persuaded by his works …
81. O lawless Israel,
why did you commit this extraordinary crime
of casting your Lord into new sufferings—
your master,
the one who formed you,
the one who made you,
the one who honored you,
the one who called you Israel?
82. But you were found not really to be Israel,
for you did not see God,
you did not recognize the Lord,
you did not know, O Israel,
that this one was the firstborn of God,
the one who was begotten before the morning star,
the one who caused the light to shine forth,
the one who made bright the day,
the one who parted the darkness,
the one who established the primordial starting point,
the one who suspended the earth,
the one who quenched the abyss,
the one who stretched out the firmament,
the one who formed the universe,
83. the one who set in motion the stars of heaven,
the one who caused those luminaries to shine,
the one who made the angels in heaven,
the one who established their thrones in that place,
the one who by himself fashioned man upon the earth.
This was the one who chose you,
the one who guided you
from Adam to Noah,
from Noah to Abraham,
from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob and the Twelve Patriarchs …
94. Pay attention, all families of the nations, and observe!
An extraordinary murder has taken place
in the center of Jerusalem,
in the city devoted to God’s law,
in the city of the Hebrews,
in the city of the prophets,
in the city thought of as just.
And who has been murdered?
And who is the murderer?
I am ashamed to give the answer,
but give it I must.
For if this murder had taken place at night,
or if he had been slain in a desert place,
it would be well to keep silent;
but it was in the middle of the main street,
even in the center of the city,
while all were looking on,
that the unjust murder of this just person took place.
95. And thus he was lifted up upon the tree,
and an inscription was affixed
identifying the one who had been murdered.
Who was he?
It is painful to tell,
but it is more dreadful not to tell.
Therefore, hear and tremble
because of him for whom the earth trembled.
96. The one who hung the earth in space, is himself hanged;
the one who fixed the heavens in place, is himself impaled;
the one who firmly fixed all things, is himself firmly
fixed to the tree.
The Lord is insulted,
God has been murdered,
the King of Israel has been destroyed
by the right hand of Israel.
97. O frightful murder!
O unheard of injustice!
The Lord is disfigured
and he is not deemed worthy of a cloak for his naked body,
so that he might not be seen exposed.
For this reason the stars turned and fled,
and the day grew quite dark,
in order to hide that naked person hanging on the tree,
darkening not the body of the Lord,
but the eyes of men.
98. Yes, even though the people did not tremble,
the earth trembled instead;
although the people were not afraid,
the heavens grew frightened;
although the people did not tear their garments,
the angels tore theirs;
although the people did not lament,
the Lord thundered from heaven,
and the most high uttered his voice.
Late March Love Poem
one red tulip
multitudes of jonquils
a tilted wisteria
tiny wild blue violets
I am delirious with her kisses
come, let us walk
along the tracks and sing small buds
the iris will bloom later
peonies’s red stalks press upward
I long for coleus
the sun is a rose too hot to sniff
I am pricked by her touches,
yea, she causes my heart to pant
Oh Solomon, your proverbs,
your Song, your weariness,
your odes, I am comforted
with the least apple-seed
of her crisp, sweet flesh,
the softest syllable of her psalm
all our branches have buds
my desire is for my beloved
and her desire is mine
what sweet billows crown the horizon
yea,Iwill feed among her blossoms,
the tender grasses of her love
Ah, my sister, my garden,
my bride, Spring is here,
multitudes of jonquils,
one red tulip
EUGENE WARREN
99. Why was it like this, O Israel?
You did not tremble for the Lord …
You dashed the Lord to the ground;
you, too, were dashed to the ground.
and lie quite dead.
If these sections (72–99) are read literally, Melito is the first (or one of the first) Christian to blame Christ’s death exclusively on the Jews; he would then be culpable himself of initiating a tragic error. But if this section is read in the context of the Passover, the rhetorical style of Melito’s day-a style given to exaggeration, and Melito’s supreme desire to show all men as sinners and Christ’s death universal in scope, then perhaps by“Israel” Melito means “Everyman,” for in reality all “lie quite dead” and all stand in need of Christ’s resurrection power.
100. But he arose from the dead
and mounted up to the heights of heaven.
When the Lord had clothed himself with humanity,
and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer,
and had been bound for the sake of the imprisoned,
and had been judged for the sake of the condemned,
and buried for the sake of the one who was buried,
101. he rose up from the dead,
and cried aloud with this voice:
Who is he who contends with me?
Let him stand in opposition to me.
I set the condemned man free;
I gave the dead man life;
I raised up the one who had been entombed.
102. Who is my opponent?
I, he says, am the Christ.
I am the one who destroyed death,
and triumphed over the enemy,
and trampled Hades under foot,
and bound the strong one,
and carried off man to the heights of heaven,
I, he says, am the Christ.
103. Therefore, come, all families of men,
you who have been befouled with sins,
and receive forgiveness for your sins.
I am your forgiveness,
I am the passover of your salvation,
I am the lamb which was sacrificed for you,
I am your ransom,
I am your light,
I am your saviour,
I am your resurrection,
I am your king,
I am leading you up to the heights of heaven,
I will show you the eternal Father,
I will raise you up by my right hand.
104. This is the one who made the heaven and the earth,
and who in the beginning created man.
who was proclaimed through the law and prophets,
who became human via the virgin,
who was hanged upon a tree,
who was buried in the earth,
who was resurrected from the dead,
and who ascended to the heights of heaven,
who sits at the right hand of the Father,
who has authority to judge and to save everything,
through whom the Father created everything.
from the beginning of the world to the end of the age.
105. This is the alpha and the omega.
This is the beginning and the end—
an indescribable beginning
and an incomprehensible end.
This is the Christ.
This is the king.
This is Jesus.
This is the general.
This is the Lord.
This is the one who rose up from the dead.
This is the one who sits at the right hand of the Father.
He bears the Father
and is borne by the Father,
to whom be the glory
and the power forever. Amen.
The Peri Pascha of Melito.
Peace to the one who wrote,
and to the one who reads,
and to those who love the Lord
in simplicity of heart.
D. Bruce Lockerbie is chairman of the Fine Arts department at The Stony Brook School, Stony Brook, New York. This article is taken from his 1976 lectures on Christian Life and Thought, delivered at Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado.
