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| Concerning the Cross and here further concerning Faith.
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Chapter
XI.—Concerning the Cross and here further
concerning Faith.
The word ‘Cross’ is
foolishness to those that perish, but to us who are saved it is the
power of God.2343
For
he that is spiritual judgeth all things, but the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit.2344
For it is foolishness to those who
do not receive in faith and who do not consider God’s goodness
and omnipotence, but search out divine things with human and natural
reasonings. For all the things that are of God are above nature
and reason and conception. For should any one consider how and
for what purpose God brought all things out of nothing and into being,
and aim at arriving at that by natural reasonings, he fails to
comprehend it. For knowledge of this kind belongs to spirits and
demons. But if any one, under the guidance of faith, should
consider the divine goodness and omnipotence and truth and wisdom and
justice, he will find all things smooth and even, and the way
straight. But without faith it is impossible to be
saved2345
. For it
is by faith that all things, both human and spiritual, are
sustained. For without faith neither does the farmer2346
cut his furrow, nor does the merchant
commit his life to the raging waves of the sea on a small piece of
wood, nor are marriages contracted nor any other step in life
taken. By faith we consider that all things were brought out of
nothing into being by God’s power. And we direct all
things, both divine and human, by faith. Further, faith is assent
free from all meddlesome inquisitiveness2347
.
Every action, therefore, and performance of
miracles by Christ are most great and divine and marvellous: but
the most marvellous of all is His precious Cross. For no other
thing has subdued death, expiated the sin of the first parent2348
| 2348 Text, προπάτορος
ἁμαρτία. Variant,
προπατ.
᾽Αδὰμ
ἁμαρτ. | , despoiled Hades, bestowed the
resurrection, granted the power to us of contemning the present and
even death itself, prepared the return to our former blessedness,
opened the gates of Paradise2349
| 2349 Text, ἠνοίχθησαν.
Variant, ἠνοίγησαν. | , given our nature
a seat at the right hand of God, and made us the children and heirs of
God2350
| 2350 Cyril, Hier.
catech. i. 14. | , save the Cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ. For by the Cross2351
| 2351 Text, διὰ
σταυροῦ. Variant,
δί
αὐτοῦ. | all things have
been made right. So many of us, the apostle says, as were
baptized into Christ, were baptized into His death2352
, and as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ, have put on Christ2353
. Further Christ is the power of
God and the wisdom of God2354
. Lo! the
death of Christ, that is, the Cross, clothed us with the enhypostatic
wisdom and power of God. And the power of God is the Word of the
Cross, either because God’s might, that is, the victory over
death, has been revealed to us by it, or because, just as the four
extremities of the Cross are held fast and bound together by the bolt
in the middle, so also by God’s power the height and the depth,
the length and the breadth, that is, every creature visible and
invisible, is maintained2355
.
This was given to us as a sign on our forehead,
just as the circumcision was given to Israel: for by it we
believers are separated and distinguished from unbelievers. This
is the shield and weapon against, and trophy over, the devil.
This is the seal that the destroyer may not touch you2356
, as saith the Scripture. This is
the resurrection of those lying in death, the support of the standing,
the staff of the weak, the rod of the flock, the safe conduct of the
earnest, the perfection of those that press forwards, the salvation of
soul and body, the aversion of all things evil, the patron of all
things good, the taking away of sin, the plant of resurrection, the
tree of eternal life.
So, then, this same truly precious and august
tree2357
| 2357 Cf.
Cyril, Contr. Jul., bk. vi. | , on which Christ hath offered Himself
as a sacrifice for our sakes, is to be worshipped as sanctified by
contact with His holy body and blood; likewise the nails, the spear,
the clothes, His sacred tabernacles which are the manger, the cave,
Golgotha, which bringeth salvation2358
| 2358 Text, ὁ Γοργοθᾶς, ὁ
σωτήριος.
Variant, ὁ σταυρός. | , the tomb
which giveth life, Sion, the chief stronghold of the churches and the
like, are to be worshipped. In the words of David, the father of
God2359
| 2359 ὁ θεοπάτωρ
Δαβίδ. Cf.
Dionysiaster, Ep. 8. | , We shall go into His tabernacles, we
shall worship at the place where His feet stood2360
. And that it is the Cross that is
meant is made clear by what follows, Arise, O Lord, into Thy
Rest2361
. For the
resurrection comes after the Cross. For if of those things which
we love, house and couch and garment, are to be longed after, how much
the rather should we long after that which belonged to God, our
Saviour2362
| 2362 Text,
Σωτῆρος.
Variant, σταυρός. | , by means of
which we are in truth saved.
Moreover we worship even the image of the precious
and life-giving Cross, although made of another tree, not honouring the
tree (God forbid) but the image as a symbol of Christ. For He
said to His disciples, admonishing them, Then shall appear the sign
of the Son of Man in Heaven2363
, meaning
the Cross. And so also the angel of the resurrection said to the
woman, Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified2364
. And the Apostle said, We
preach Christ crucified2365
. For
there are many Christs and many Jesuses, but one crucified. He
does not say speared but crucified. It behoves us, then, to
worship the sign of Christ2366
| 2366 Text,
Χριστοῦ.
Variant, σταυροῦ. | . For
wherever the sign may be, there also will He be. But it does not
behove us to worship the material of which the image of the Cross is
composed, even though it be gold or precious stones, after it is
destroyed, if that should happen. Everything, therefore, that is
dedicated to God we worship, conferring the adoration on
Him.
The tree of life which was planted by God in Paradise
pre-figured this precious Cross. For since death was by a tree, it was
fitting that life and resurrection should be bestowed by a
tree2367
. Jacob, when He worshipped the
top of Joseph’s staff, was the first to image the Cross, and when
he blessed his sons with crossed hands2368
he made most clearly the sign of the
cross. Likewise2369
| 2369 Auct.,
Quæst. ad Antioch., 9, 63. | also did
Moses’ rod, when it smote the sea in the figure of the cross and
saved Israel, while it overwhelmed Pharaoh in the depths; likewise also
the hands stretched out crosswise and routing Amalek; and the bitter
water made sweet by a tree, and the rock rent and pouring forth streams
of water2370
, and the rod
that meant for Aaron the dignity of the high priesthood2371
: and the serpent lifted in
triumph on a tree as though it were dead2372
, the tree bringing salvation to those
who in faith saw their enemy dead, just as Christ was nailed to the
tree in the flesh of sin which yet knew no sin2373
| 2373 Text,
οὐκ
εἰδυί& 139·. Variant,
εἰδώς. | . The mighty Moses cried2374
| 2374 Iren., bk.
v., c 18. | , You will see your life hanging on
the tree before your eyes, and Isaiah likewise, I have spread
out my hands all the day unto a faithless and rebellious
people2375
. But
may we who worship this2376
| 2376 Text,
τοῦτο. Variants,
τοῦτον and τούτῳ. | obtain a
part in Christ the crucified. Amen.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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