robes were given to each of them one; and it was said to them that they should rest for a little time, till their fellow servants, and their brethren who are to be slain, even as they, should be filled up." Together with the martyrs of Jesus, they also will rise in the first resurrection, "who had not adored the beast, nor his image, nor received his character on their foreheads or in their hands," namely, all the elect who shall have passed to a state of blessedness with the Lord Jesus. This truth afforded the greatest comfort to the apostle St. Paul, who often brings it before the minds of the faithful, and exhorts them to take courage and to console themselves by its consideration."1

This first resurrection, in which the wicked have no part, seems to have been predicted by holy David, in these words: "The wicked shall not rise in judgment, nor the sinners in the assembly of the just."2

Many Catholic writers, by the first resurrection mentioned by St. John, understand the rising of the soul to the life of glory, by which it is admit

The Church thus exclaims in her office for Advent :-"Ecce Dominus veniet, et omnes sancti ejus cum eo, et erit in die illa lux magna, alleluja." (Domin. i. Ant. 3, ad laudes.) St. Ireneus, disciple of St. Polycarp, who was disciple of the Evangelist St. John, writes thus: "Diligenter Joannes prævidit primam justorum resurrectionem, et in regno terræ hæreditatem: consonanter autem et prophetæ prophetaverunt de ea. Hæc enim et Dominus docuit, mixtionem calicis novam in regno cum discipulis habituram se pollicitus. Et apostolus autem liberam futuram creaturam a servitute corruptela, in libertatem filiorum Dei confessus est: et in omnibus et per omnia idem Deus Pater ostenditur, qui plasmavit hominem, et hæreditatem terræ promisit patribus, qui educet illam in resurrectione justorum, et promissiones adimplet in Filii sui regno." (St. Iren, adv. Hæres. lib. v. xxxvi.)

2 Psalm i. 5.

ted to reign together with Christ in his heavenly kingdom, which they call a spiritual resurrection. Yet it seems that this explanation does not convey the entire and literal meaning of the passage, for the following reasons:

1. The spiritual resurrection is more properly the rising of the soul from sin to grace, than from the state of grace to the life of glory.

2. The spiritual resurrection is a fact which began to be fulfilled soon after the resurrection of Christ, whereas the first resurrection, of which St. John speaks, happens only after the destruction of Babylon and the defeat of Antichrist and his followers.

3. The antithesis which is made by St. John, as regards the first and second resurrection, is not between soul and body, but between persons and persons. We are first taught that those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and such as have not adored the beast nor his image lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years: and we are next taught, in immediate sequence, that the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. These two particulars being thus uninterruptedly set forth in one and the same passage, and being thus evidently foretold in direct mutual relation, must naturally be interpreted homogeneously; that is to say, of whatever nature the first resurrection is, of that same nature must also be the other resurrection. Now, the resurrection of the rest of the dead, which is to take place after the thousand years, is a true and literal resurrection of the body; and, therefore, that also which takes place before the thousand years, must be of the same kind. If the martyrs and other saints who have part in the first resurrection rise

only in a spiritual sense, then the rest of the dead also who have to rise afterwards, will rise only in a spiritual sense; but if the rest of the dead really rise, then the martyrs also, and the other saints, at the first resurrection, rise in the same manner. There is no difference between the two.

4. Amongst those whom St. John saw raised from the dead and reigning with Christ, besides the martyrs of Jesus, they also were numbered "who have not adored the beast nor his image, nor received its character," that is those who have withstood the power and seduction of Antichrist. The resurrection, therefore, of which St. John speaks, is a fact which must happen at the end of the world, when Antichrist shall have exerted his malice against Christ and his saints; and consequently it cannot be a mere spiritual resurrection which began to be accomplished immediately after the death of Christ.

This belief of a literal first resurrection of the martyrs and other saints immediately at the coming of Christ, prevailed to a considerable extent throughout the early Church; and often animated the primitive Christians to encounter death with an undaunted courage, and to seal their belief with their blood. Nor is there anything unreasonable in this belief; for as when Christ came out from the sepulchre a conqueror over death," the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints that had slept arose, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, came into the holy city and appeared to many;"1 so it must not appear strange that when He shall come again, in the last day, as a great conqueror and judge of the living and the dead, He may

1 Matt. xxvii. 52, 53.

be pleased to perform a similar wonder, although in a far greater extent, and gather His elect from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Objections examined and refuted.

An objection may be raised against this opinion concerning the first resurrection, from the Gospel of St. John, where Christ assigns one hour for the resurrection, both of the good and the bad. "The hour cometh," says He," wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment." 1 But this difficulty disappears if we consider that, according to the language of Scripture, the word hour is often used to signify an indefinite period of time. "I need not say," writes St. Augustine, "how the Scriptures are used to adopt the word day or hour to signify a period of time." Thus, for instance, St. John calls the whole time of the New Testament the last hour. "Little children," says he, "it is the last hour. And as you have heard that Antichrist cometh, even now there are many Antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last hour." 3

St. Austin, commenting on this passage, writes thus: "The Apostle did not say, It is the last time, or the last year, or the last month, or the last day, but he said, It is the last hour. And behold, how long is this hour. Yet he is not a

1 John v. 28, 29.

2 Omitto dicere quemadmodum soleant scripturæ diem vel horam etiam pro tempore ponere. (Epist. cxcvii. 2.)

3 1 John ii. 18.

R

liar, but must be understood as intending by an hour to signify a time." So, where Christ says that all that are in the graves will hear His voice, and rise to life, He does not mean that the resurrection of the good and bad will be simultaneous, but only that it will take place by His Omnipotent power.

Others, perhaps, may object that passage of St. Paul to the Corinthians, where, speaking of the resurrection which takes place immediately at the coming of Christ, he makes no distinction between good and bad, and says only that the "dead shall rise incorruptible.” To this may be answered, that the word incorruption, as is remarked by Estius and some other divines, is never used in Holy Scripture in reference to the reprobate, but only to the elect.? A careful examination of the text also shows plainly that St. Paul speaks only of the just. For there he speaks only of such as shall rise to life endued with the properties of a glorified humanity which will belong only to the elect.

Another objection may be raised against the particular resurrection of the elect from the symbol of St. Athanasius, where the saint, after stating that Christ has ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, proceeds: "Thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead, and at His coming all men shall rise with their bodies, and shall give an ac

I Neque enim dixit, novissimum tempus est, aut novissimus annus, aut mensis aut dies; sed novissima hora est. Et ecce ista hora quam longa est: nec tamen est ille mentitus, sed utique intelligendus est horam pro tempore posuisse. (Epist. cxcix. 17.)

2 See Estius i. Epist. to Corinth. chap. xv.