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| The Word, since death alone could stay the plague, took a mortal body which, united with Him, should avail for all, and by partaking of His immortality stay the corruption of the Race. By being above all, He made His Flesh an offering for our souls; by being one with us all, he clothed us with immortality. Simile to illustrate this.
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§9.
The Word, since death alone could stay the plague, took a mortal
body which, united with Him, should avail for all, and by partaking of
His immortality stay the corruption of the Race. By being above all, He
made His Flesh an offering for our souls; by being one with us all, he
clothed us with immortality. Simile to illustrate this.
For the Word, perceiving that no otherwise could
the corruption of men be undone save by death as a necessary condition,
while it was impossible for the Word to suffer death, being immortal,
and Son of the Father; to this end He takes to Himself a body capable
of death, that it, by partaking of the Word Who is above all, might be
worthy to die in the stead of all, and might, because of the Word which
was come to dwell in it, remain
incorruptible, and that thenceforth corruption might be stayed from all
by the Grace of the Resurrection. Whence, by offering unto death the
body He Himself had taken, as an offering and sacrifice free from any
stain, straightway He put away death from all His peers by the offering
of an equivalent. 2. For being over all, the Word of God naturally by
offering His own temple and corporeal instrument for the life224
of all
satisfied the debt by His death. And thus He, the incorruptible Son of
God, being conjoined with all by a like nature, naturally clothed all
with incorruption, by the promise of the resurrection. For the actual
corruption in death has no longer holding-ground against men, by reason
of the Word, which by His one body has come to dwell among them. 3. And
like as225
| 225 Possibly suggested by the practice of the emperors. Constantinople
was thus dignified a few years later (326). For this simile compare
Sermo Major de Fide, c. 6. | when a great king has entered into some large
city and taken up his abode in one of the houses there, such city is at
all events held worthy of high honour, nor does any enemy or bandit any
longer descend upon it and subject it; but, on the contrary, it is
thought entitled to all care, because of the king’s having taken
up his residence in a single house there: so, too, has it been with the
Monarch of all. 4. For now that He has come to our realm, and taken up
his abode in one body among His peers, henceforth the whole conspiracy
of the enemy against mankind is checked, and the corruption of death
which before was prevailing against them is done away. For the race of
men had gone to ruin, had not the Lord and Saviour of all, the Son of
God, come among us to meet the end of death226
| 226 Or,
“to put an end to death.” | .E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
