Seen only by those with eyes to see
And why do I say “to all”? For not even with the apostles and disciples themselves was he always present, or always visible to them, since they could not take in the sight of him without a break. For once he had completed the dispensation, his divinity shone more brightly. Cephas, that is Peter, as it were the “firstfruits” of the apostles, was able to see it; after him the Twelve, Matthias having been appointed in place of Judas (Acts 1:26); and after them “five hundred brothers at one time.” “Then he appeared to James, then to all the” other “apostles” besides the Twelve, perhaps to the Seventy (Luke 10:1); “and last of all” to Paul, as to “one untimely born” (1 Corinthians 15:5–8). Paul knew well in what sense he said, “To me, less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given” (Ephesians 3:8); and perhaps “less than the least” means the same as “untimely born.”
Just as, then, no one could readily find fault with Jesus for not taking all the apostles up the high mountain, but only the three already named, when he was about to be transfigured and to show the brightness of his garments and the glory of Moses and Elijah talking with him (Matthew 17:1–3), so no one could reasonably blame the apostles’ accounts for relating that after the resurrection Jesus was seen not by all, but by those whom he saw had gained eyes able to see his resurrection.
I think these words said about him also help the defence of what is before us: “For to this end Christ died and rose, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9). Notice in these words that Jesus “died” “that he might be Lord of the dead,” “and rose, that he might be Lord” not only “of the dead” but “also of the living.” And the apostle does know as the dead over whom Christ is Lord those he lists in this way in the First Epistle to the Corinthians: “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:52); and as the living, those who will be changed, who are other than the dead who will be raised. About these too the passage reads: “and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52), said right after “the dead will be raised first” (compare 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians as well he sets out the same distinction in other words, and says that those who sleep are one group and the living another: “We do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you may not grieve as the rest do who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means go before those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–15). The interpretation of these passages that seemed right to us we have set out in the commentaries we dictated on the First Epistle to the Thessalonians.
Greek
Καὶ τί λέγω πᾶσιν; οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἀεὶ συνῆν ἢ ἀεὶ ἐφαίνετο. μὴ δυναμένοις αὐτοῦ χωρῆσαι τὴν θεωρίαν διηνεκῶς. λαμπροτέρα γὰρ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τελέσαντος ἡ θειότης ἦν αὐτοῦ, ἥντινα Κηφᾶς ὁ Πέτρος ὡσπερεὶ „ἀπαρχὴ“ τῶν ἀποστόλων δεδύνηται ἰδεῖν, καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτὸν οἱ δώδεκα, τοῦ Ματθίου ἀντὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα καταταχθέντος, καὶ μετ᾿ ἐκείνους „πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐφάπαξ.“ „ἔπειτα ὤφθη Ἰακώβῳ. ἔπειτα τοῖς“ ἑτέροις παρὰ τοὺς δώδεκα „ἀποστόλοις πᾶσι.“ τάχα τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα. „ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων“ Παύλῳ τῷ ὡσπερεὶ „ἐκτρώματι“ καὶ ἐπισταμένῳ. πῶς ἔλεγεν· „ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη.“ καὶ τάχα τὸ „ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ“ ἴσον ἐστὶ τῷ „ἐκτρώματι.“ ὥσπερ οὖν οὐκ ἄν τις εὐκόλως ἐγκαλέσαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ μὴ παραλαμβάνοντι πάντας τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἰς τὸ ὑψηλὸν ὄρος ἀλλὰ μόνους τοὺς προειρημένους τρεῖς. ἡνίκα ἔμελλε μεταμορφοῦσθαι καὶ τὴν λαμπρότητα δεικνύναι τῶν ἱματίων ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν δόξαν Μωϋσέως καὶ Ἠλίου συλλαλούντων αὐτῷ. οὕτως οὖν οὐκ ἂν τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς λόγοις μέμφοιτ᾿ ἄν τις εὐλόγως εἰσάγουσιν ὦφθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν οὐ πᾶσιν. ἀλλ᾿ οἷς εἶδεν ἀνειληφόσιν ὀφθαλμοὺς χωροῦντας ἰδεῖν τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ. χρήσιμον δ᾿ οἶμαι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν τῶν προκειμένων ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ οὕτως εἰρημένον περὶ αὐτοῦ· „εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη. ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ.“ ὅρα γὰρ ἐν τούτοις ὅτι „ἀπέθανεν“ Ἰησοῦς. „ἵνα νεκρῶν κυριεύσῃ.“ „καὶ ἀνέστη, ἵνα“ μὴ μόνον „νεκρῶν“ ἀλλὰ „καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ.“ καὶ οἶδέ γε ὁ ἀπόστολος νεκροὺς μὲν. ὧν κυριεύει ὁ Χριστὸς. τοὺς οὕτως κατειλεγμένους ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους προτέρᾳ· „σαλπίσει γὰρ. καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐγερθήσονται ἄφθαρτοι.“ ζῶντας δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἀλλαγησομένους. ἑτέρους ὄντας τῶν ἐγερθησομένων νεκρῶν, ἔχει δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτων ἡ λέξις οὕτως· „καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀλλαγησόμεθα.“ ἑξῆς εἰρημένη τῷ „οἱ νεκροὶ ἐγερθήσονται πρῶτον.“ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς προτέρᾳ ἐν ἑτέραις λέξεσι τὴν αὐτὴν διαφορὰν παριστὰς. φησὶν ἄλλους μὲν εἶναι τοὺς κοιμωμένους ἄλλους δὲ τοὺς ζῶντας λέγων· „οὐ θέλομεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, περὶ τῶν κοιμωμένων, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ. τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας.“ τὴν δὲ φανεῖσαν ἡμῖν εἰς τοὺς τόπους διήγησιν ἐξεθέμεθα ἐν οἷς ὑπηγορεύσαμεν ἐξηγητικοῖς τῆς πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς προτέρας ἐπιστολῆς.