And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they anything to any man; for they were afraid.
All Commentaries on Mark 16:8 Go To Mark 16
Jerome
AD 420
After the sadness of the Sabbath, a happy day dawns upon them, which holds the chief place amongst days, for in it the chief light shines forth, and the Lord rises in triumph. Wherefore it is said: “And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, had brought sweet spices.”.
By “very early in the morning,” he means what another Evangelist expresses by at the dawning . But the dawn is the time between the darkness of night, and the brightness of day, in which the salvation of man is coming forth with ahappy closeness, to be declared in the Church, just as the sun, when he is rising and the light is near, sends before him the rosy dawn, that with prepared eyes she may bear to see the graciousness of his glorious brightness, when the time of our Lord’s Resurrection has dawned; that then the whole Church, after the example of the women, may sing the praises of Christ, since He has quickened the race of man after the pattern of His Resurrection, since He has given life, and has poured upon them the light of belief.
The white robe is also true joy, now that the enemy is driven away, the kingdom won, the King of Peace sought for and found and never let go by us. This young man then shows an image of the Resurrection to them who feared death. But their being frightened shewsthat “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” There follows: “And he saith unto them, Benot affrighted.”.
For there is no fear in love. Why should they fear, who had found Him whom they sought?.
But the bitter root of the Cross has disappeared. The flower of life has burst forth with its fruits, that is, He who lay in death has risen in glory. Wherefore he adds, “He is risen; He is nothere.”.
But immortality is shown to mortals as due to thankfulness, that we may understand what we were, and that we may know what we are to be. There follows: “But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee. The women are ordered to tell the Apostles, that as by a woman death was announced, so also might life rising again. But He says specially unto Peter, because he had shown himself unworthy of being a disciple, since he had thrice denied his Master; but past sins cease to hurt us when they cease to be pleasing to us.
This sentence is but shortin the number of syllables, but the promise is vast in its greatness. Here is the fountain of our joy, and the source of everlasting life is prepared. Here all that are scattered are brought together, and the contrite hearts are healed. There, he says, ye shall see Him, but not as ye have seen Him.
This also is spoken of the life to come, in which grief and groaning will flee away. For the women prefigure before the Resurrection all that is to happen to them after the Resurrection, namely, they flee away from death and fear. There follows: “Neither said they any thing to any man, for they were afraid.”
