Christ Casts Out the Tyrant
… peoples of the Savior, those sanctified (through the Spirit, that is) and cleansed through faith, he leapt upon terribly and bitterly. He made war on the Church of God, shaking at her the most unholy phalanx of the spirits under his hand. Perhaps he even thought he could overturn her with very little effort, the truly venerable and holy city of God, the spiritual Jerusalem. But he was caught, for none of his plans was possible. He could not besiege and take the holy city, or overpower a right hand so very strong. For who will stand against God, who can do all things?
So he perished together with his own shield-bearers, and was driven away from the flock of the godly, though he sprang on it like a savage beast; and he has been cast out of his tyranny over us. The Savior taught us this when he said: “Now is the judgment of this age; now the ruler of this age will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up on the earth, will draw all to myself” (John 12:31–32). For the passion of Christ became the overthrow of death, the pulling down of the devil, and the destruction of sin: he was lifted up on the cross, and he brought down the devil’s boast and threw it to the ground.
In due time, then, after those events, the God of all now brings in the account of the Only-Begotten’s birth according to the flesh, and reveals the mystery beforehand through the voice of prophets, so that when the events came to fulfillment, it might be believed by all without dispute. What, then, does he say? “Behold, the Master, the Lord of Hosts, will throw the glorious into confusion with strength” (Isaiah 10:33).
The mystery of Christ refashions those on earth into the newness of gospel life (compare Romans 6:4), since the older customs are plainly overturned, and what was in shadows and types no longer has power to prevail. This was the purpose of his coming into this world. He came to proclaim, to the people of Israel before all others, that what was imposed until the time of reformation (compare Hebrews 9:10), that is, the law in letters, now at last comes to its end, as the mind of believers is remolded, as I said, into what is better and into a spiritual way of life. For all things in Christ are new (compare 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Yet though they ought to have been persuaded by him, the leaders of the synagogue of the Jews above all, who boasted not a little of the glories of the priesthood, opposed him headlong, worked against him impiously, and, though always talking of the law given through the most wise Moses, wanted to make of no effect, as far as it lay with them, the mystery of the Only-Begotten’s economy in the flesh …
Greek
ωτῆρος λαοῖς τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις, δηλονότι διὰ Πνεύματος, καὶ κεκαθαρμένοις διὰ τῆς πίστεως, δεινῶς ἐπεπήδα καὶ πικρῶς, καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ κατεστρατεύετο, τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα πνευμάτων ἐπι- σείων αὐτῇ τὴν ἀνοσιωτάτην φάλαγγα· καὶ τάχα που καὶ ἀναστρέψειν αὐτὴν ᾠήθη δύνασθαι, καὶ λίαν ἀμο- γητὶ, τὴν σεπτὴν ἀληθῶς καὶ ἁγίαν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν νοητὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἀλλ' ἥλω πεφρονηκὼς τῶν ἐνδεχομένων οὐδέν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἰσχύσαι, τὴν ἁγίαν αὐτὸν ἐκπολιορκῆσαι πόλιν, καὶ κατακρατῆσαι δε- ξιᾶς τῆς οὕτω εὐσθενεστάτης. Τίς γὰρ ἀντιστήσεται τὰ πάντα ἰσχύοντι Θεῷ; Ἀπόλωλε τοίνυν ὁμοῦ τοῖς οἰκείοις ὑπασπισταῖς, καὶ τῆς τῶν εὐσεβούντων ἀγέ- λης ἀπελέλακται, θηρὸς ἀνημέρου δίκην ἐπιπηδῶν· ἐκβέβληται δὲ τῆς καθ' ἡμῶν τυραννίδος. Καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών· "6Νῦν κρίσις ἐστὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, νῦν ἄρχων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐκβλη- θήσεται ἔξω. Κἀγὼ ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν."6 Ἀνατροπὴ γὰρ θανάτου, καὶ διαβόλου καθαίρεσις, καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἀναίρεσις τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέγονε πάθος, ὑψουμένου μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυ- ροῦ, κατακομίζοντος δὲ καὶ καταῤῥιπτοῦντος εἰς γῆν τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ καύχημα. Ἐπὶ καιροῦ τοίνυν μετ' ‹70.308› ἐκεῖνα καὶ νῦν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, τὸν περὶ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γεννήσεως τοῦ Μονογενοῦς εἰσκομίζει λόγον, καὶ προαναφαίνει τὸ μυστήριον διὰ φωνῆς προφητῶν, ἵνα τῶν πραγμάτων εἰς πέρας ἐκβεβηκότων, ἀναμ- φίλογον δέχοιτο παρὰ πάντων τὴν πίστιν. Τί τοίνυν φησίν· "6Ἰδοὺ δὴ ὁ ∆εσπότης Κύριος Σαβαὼθ, συν- ταράξει τοὺς ἐνδόξους μετὰ ἰσχύος;"6 Εἰς καινότητα ζωῆς εὐαγγελικῆς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον ἀνα- μορφοῖ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀνατετραμμένων δηλονότι τῶν ἀρχαιοτέρων ἐθῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐν σκιαῖς καὶ τύ- ποις, οὐκ ἐχόντων ἔτι τὸ δύνασθαι κρατεῖν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τῆς ἀφίξεως τῆς εἰς τόνδε τὸν κόσμον αὐτῷ σκο- πὸς γέγονεν οὑτοσὶ, καὶ διακηρύξων ἀφῖκται, καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι τὰ μέχρι και- ροῦ διορθώσεως ἐπικείμενα, τουτέστιν, ὁ ἐν 111 γράμ- μασι νόμος, καταίρει λοιπὸν εἰς τέλος, μεταπλαττο- μένης, ὡς ἔφην, εἰς τὰ ἀμείνω καὶ πνευματικὴν πολιτείαν τῆς τῶν πιστευόντων διανοίας. Καινὰ γὰρ πάντα τὰ ἐν Χριστῷ. Ἀλλὰ καίτοι καταπείθεσθαι δέον αὐτῷ, καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων τῆς Ἰουδαίων συν- αγωγῆς τοὺς προεστηκότας, καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἱερωσύνης αὐχήμασιν οὐ μετρίως κομπάζοντας, ἐκ τῶν ἐναν- τίων ἀντεφέροντο νεανικῶς, ἀντέπραττον ἀφοσίως, καὶ τὸν διὰ τοῦ πανσόφου Μωσέως ἀεὶ λαλοῦντες νό- μον, ἄπρακτον ἀποφαίνειν ἤθελον τό γε ἧκον εἰς αὐ- τοὺς τῆς μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίας τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τὸ μυστήριον