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deliverance; the cross is the recall of the exiled, and the redemption of captives; the cross is the return of the wandering, and the raising of the fallen; the cross is the power of those being saved, and the healing of the sick; the cross is the progress of the righteous, and the boldness of martyrs; the cross is the proclamation of apostles and the exultation of prophets; the cross is the preaching of teachers, and the praise of monastics; the cross is the prize of peace, and the summoner of harmony; the cross is the bond of things heavenly and earthly, and the plunderer of things under the earth; the cross is the sanctification of creation, and the provider of heavenly goods; the cross is the festival of those celebrating, and the pledge of adoption, and the heir of the kingdom of heaven. And what is most wondrous, it is the greatest symbol of the love of God the Father for us and a demonstration of the Son's most divine obedience even unto death, and of the wisdom of the Spirit. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And the son, having become obedient unto death, even death on a cross, has given us the trophy of victory over death, so that with him, through the wisdom of the Spirit which cast down principalities and powers, we might subdue the enemy, and bind the strong one, and plunder his goods, and henceforth without fear cultivate the paradise of God, and dig up the treasure of the field, and purchase the pearl of great price, the seal of the cross being about to adorn both it and the day of creation.

For just as when Christ was hanging then, the tombs were broken open, and hades was opened, and the rocks were rent, the bars were shattered, the elements were shaken, and the dead were raised, and the souls leaped forth; so also today when the cross is set forth, the devil is put to flight, the demons flee. For on the cross he raised up his flesh, so that the flesh might be seen exalted, and death fallen. Today the cross is venerated, and the seal of the prophetic voices has been fulfilled. For through the cross were loosed the bonds which the serpent forged in paradise, and Adam hardened, and Eve sharpened; through the cross the thief broke into paradise. For what house does not have the cross as its foundation? what ship is not steered by the cross? what city does not have the cross as its fortress? what king does not wield the staff of the cross? what Church does not have the cross as a pledge of victory, and is not walled by it? what widow does not have the cross as her staff? what orphan does not have the cross as a helper? The cross gives light in the night, it holds the torch for the day, it makes souls bright, it stops the winters of misfortunes, it binds fast marriage, it rears orphans. This is the end of the economy, this is the achievement of the cross, this is the trophy of the passion, this is the chief point of the feasts. This is the treasure of the Old Testament, this is the precious pearl of the Gospels, this is the priceless crown of the kingdom, surpassing all speech and narration. For then, he says, the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven. Then, when? When the powers of the heavens will be shaken, when with his angels the only-begotten Son of the Father will come to judge the living and the dead. For then those who are distinguished by the royal sign, and who have acquired for themselves the pearl of great price, and who have preserved the beauty of the image and likeness, will be caught up in the clouds into heaven. For the Lord and God sends his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather the elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to 62.751 its other end.

These things the evangelist Matthew says concerning the future second coming of the Son of God, and of the preceding cross. But what is now being accomplished is a clear type of what is to come. For behold, a cross is set forth upon the earth, and all the tribes of the nations and the race of men, and every age to the sign of the cross

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λύσις· σταυρὸς ἐξορίας ἀνάκλησις, καὶ αἰχμαλώτων λύτρωσις· σταυρὸς πλανωμένων ἐπιστροφὴ, καὶ πιπτόντων ἔγερσις· σταυρὸς σωζομένων δύναμις, καὶ ἀῤῥωστούντων ἴασις· σταυρὸς προκοπὴ δικαίων, καὶ παῤῥησία μαρτύρων· σταυρὸς ἀποστόλων κήρυγμα καὶ προφητῶν ἀγαλλίαμα· σταυρὸς κήρυγμα διδασκάλων, καὶ μοναζόντων ἔπαινος· σταυρὸς βραβεῖον εἰρήνης, καὶ ὁμονοίας κλήτωρ· σταυρὸς οὐρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων σύνδεσμος, καὶ τῶν καταχθονίων ἐκσυλευτής· σταυρὸς κτίσεως ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν πάροχος· σταυρὸς ἑορταζόντων πανήγυρις, καὶ ἀῤῥαβὼν υἱοθεσίας, καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν κληρονόμος. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστότερον, ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς περὶ ἡμᾶς σύμβολον μέγιστον ἔνδειξίς τε τοῦ Υἱοῦ μέχρι θανάτου θειοτέρας ὑπακοῆς καὶ σοφίας τοῦ Πνεύματος. Οὕτω γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτὸν, μὴ ἀπόληται, ἀλλ' ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ὁ δὲ υἱὸς γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ, δέδωκεν ἡμῖν τῆς κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου νίκης τρόπαιον, ἵνα σὺν αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς σοφίας τοῦ Πνεύματος προκαθελόντος ἀρχάς τε καὶ ἐξουσίας, χειρωσώμεθα τὸν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ δήσωμεν τὸν ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ διαρπάσωμεν αὐτοῦ τὰ σκεύη, καὶ λοιπὸν ἀφόβως ἐργασώμεθα τὸν παράδεισον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν ἀνορύξωμεν τοῦ ἀγροῦ, καὶ τὸν πολύτιμον ἐμπορευσώμεθα μαργαρίτην, ἐμπρέπειν τὴν σφραγῖδα μέλλοντα τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς κτίσεως.

Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τότε κρεμαμένου, ἐῤῥάγησαν οἱ τάφοι, καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἠνεῴχθη, καὶ αἱ πέτραι διεῤῥήγνυντο, μοχλοὶ συνετρίβοντο, ἐδονοῦντο στοιχεῖα, καὶ ἀνίσταντο οἱ νεκροὶ, καὶ ἐξήλλοντο αἱ ψυχαί· οὕτω καὶ σήμερον σταυροῦ προκειμένου, φυγαδεύεται ὁ διάβολος, δραπετεύουσι δαίμονες. Ἐπὶ γὰρ σταυροῦ ὕψωσε τὴν σάρκα, ἵνα φανῇ ἡ σὰρξ ὑψουμένη, καὶ θάνατος πεπτωκώς. Σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ τῶν προφητικῶν φωνῶν ἡ σφραγὶς τετέλεσται. ∆ιὰ σταυροῦ γὰρ ἐλύθη δεσμῶν, ἅπερ ἐχάλκευσεν ὁ ὄφις ἐν παραδείσῳ, καὶ ἐστόμωσεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ, καὶ ὤξυνεν ἡ Εὔα· διὰ σταυροῦ ὁ λῃστὴς ἐτυμβωρύχησε τὸν παράδεισον. Ποῖος γὰρ οἶκος, ὁ μὴ ἔχων τὸν σταυρὸν θεμέλιον; ποῖον πλοῖον, τὸ μὴ πηδαλιουχούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ; ποία πόλις, ἡ μὴ ἔχουσα τὸν σταυρὸν φρούριον; ποῖος βασιλεὺς, ὁ μὴ ἀναδεσμούμενος τοῦ σταυροῦ βακτηρίαν; ποία Ἐκκλησία, ἡ μὴ ἔχουσα τὸν σταυρὸν τροπέγγυον, καὶ τούτῳ τετειχισμένη; ποία χήρα, ἡ μὴ ἔχουσα τὸν σταυρὸν βακτηρίαν; ποῖος ὀρφανὸς, ὁ μὴ ἔχων ἀρωγὸν τὸν σταυρόν; Σταυρὸς ἐν νυκτὶ φωτίζει, τὴν ἡμέραν λαμπαδουχεῖ, τὰς ψυχὰς λαμπρύνει, χειμῶνας συμφορῶν παύει, συζυγίαν συσφίγγει, ὀρφανοὺς ἀνατρέφει. Τοῦτο τῆς οἰκονομίας τὸ πέρας, τοῦτο τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ κατόρθωμα, τοῦτο τοῦ πάθους τὸ τρόπαιον, τοῦτο τῶν ἑορτῶν τὸ κεφάλαιον. Οὗτος τῆς Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης ὁ θησαυρὸς, οὗτος τῶν Εὐαγγελίων ὁ τίμιος μαργαρίτης, οὗτος τῆς βασιλείας ὁ πολυτίμητος στέφανος, πάντα λόγον καὶ διήγησιν ὑπεραίρων. Τότε γὰρ, φησὶ, φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Τότε, πότε; Ὅτε αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλευθήσονται, ὅτε μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐλεύσεται κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. Τότε γὰρ οἱ τῷ σημείῳ διαπρέποντες τῷ βασιλικῷ, καὶ τὸν πολύτιμον ἑαυτοῖς κτησάμενοι μαργαρίτην, καὶ τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν κάλλος διασώσαντες, ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς οὐρανὸν ἁρπαγήσονται. Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος καὶ Θεὸς Ἀποστέλλει τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ μετὰ σάλπιγγος φωνῆς μεγάλης, καὶ συνάξουσι τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων, ἀπ' ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἕως 62.751 ἄκρου αὐτοῦ.

Ταῦτα ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ματθαῖος περὶ τῆς ἐσομένης τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ δευτέρας ἐλεύσεως, καὶ τοῦ προηγουμένου σταυροῦ. Τὸ δὲ νῦν τελούμενον τύπος ἐστὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐναργής. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ προτίθεται σταυρὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ γένος ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἡλικία πᾶσα τῷ σημείῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ