8

bind the strong man, how will he plunder his goods?” calling the human nature the house of the strong man, since it had deserted to him, and endured to do everything commanded by him, and had drawn upon itself a voluntary servitude. And elsewhere, “Take heart,” He says, “I have overcome the world.” And from another place: “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” And going on, he says this more clearly: 13. That the economy of the Savior is a common benefit for mankind. “And concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged;” and again: “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has no claim on me;” for being free from all fault, he had none of the seeds of the devil. Therefore he also put an end to his tyranny, and cast him out, and caused him to be trampled by those who formerly were slaves, giving the command, and saying: “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.” But that we may see the very wrestling against the devil, let us come to the history of the Gospels. Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness after his baptism, to be tempted by the devil. But it was not God the Word who was led up, but the temple from the seed of David assumed by God the Word; for the Holy Spirit did not lead God the Word into the struggle against the devil, but the temple which he formed in the Virgin for God the Word. He remained without food for forty days, and an equal number of nights; for He did not wish 75.1440 to exceed the measure of those who had fasted in old times, so that the adversary might not flee the battle against him, so that, having recognized the hidden one, he might not flee the contest against the one who was visible. For this reason, after the aforementioned number of days, he shows the passion of human nature, and allows hunger to take its place, giving him a handle through hunger; for he did not dare to approach, seeing many things befitting of God happening around him; for indeed angels danced at his birth, a star having risen guided the magi, the leaders of his own ranks, to worship, and he saw him pursuing all righteousness from childhood, abhorring wickedness, detesting evil; and these things [ξοδ. ταύτην] according to the prophecy made concerning him by the prophet, that “Before he knows good or evil, he disobeys wickedness to choose the good;” And John also cried out: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” The Father from above testified: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The grace of the Spirit came upon him. These and such things, striking the devil with terror, did not allow him to approach the champion of our nature; but when he received the attack of hunger, and he saw him in need of human food, and unable to endure longer than the men of old, he approaches, thinking he has found the greatest handle, and believing he would conquer easily. 14. In what way the Lord Christ contended against the devil. And just as in wars one wishing to shoot down someone covered on all sides with full armor, scans him all over with his eyes, searching from afar, seeking an exposed limb, so that by casting his arrow there he may strike his adversary, so the devil, seeing Christ armed with all righteousness, and seeking a suitable place, so that he might hurl his dart there, when he saw hunger appear, he approaches boldly as having found what he was looking for, as having seen in him the passion of our first father. For he also, by means of food, deprived him of the life without sorrow, and yoked him to sweat and hardship and death; he approaches, therefore

8

ἰσχυρὸν δήσῃ, πῶς τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει;» οἰκίαν λέγων τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ τὴν ἀνθρω πείαν φύσιν, ὡς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον αὐτομολήσασαν, καὶ πᾶν τὸ κελευσθὲν ὑπ' ἐκείνου ποιεῖν ἀνασχομένην, καὶ αὐθαίρετον δουλείαν ἐπισπασαμένην. Καὶ ἀλλα χοῦ δὲ, «Θαρσεῖτε, φησὶν, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον.» Καὶ ἑτέρωθεν· «Νῦν κρίσις ἐστὶ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, νῦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω· κἀγὼ ἐὰν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ὑψωθῶ, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν.» Καὶ προϊὼν δὲ τοῦτο λέγει σαφέστερον· ΙΓʹ. Ὅτι κοινὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐεργεσία ἡ τοῦ Σωτῆρος οἰκονομία. «Περὶ δὲ κρίσεως, ὅτι ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου κέκριται·» καὶ αὖθις· «Ἔρχεται ὁ τοῦ κόσμου τού του ἄρχων, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδέν·» πάσης γὰρ ἀπηλλαγμένος αἰτίας, οὐδὲν εἶχε τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου σπερμάτων. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ τυραννεῖν κατέπαυσεν, καὶ ἐξέβαλεν ἔξω, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν πάλαι δουλευόντων πα τεῖσθαι πεποίηκε, παρεγγυῶν, καὶ λέγων· «Ἰδοὺ δίδωμι ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων, καὶ σκορ πίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Ἐχθροῦ.» Ἵνα δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν ἴδωμεν τὴν πρὸς τὸν διάβολον πά λην, ἔλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν τῶν Εὐαγγελίων. Ἀνήχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, πειρασθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου. Ἀνήχθη δὲ οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου ληφθεὶς ναός· οὐ γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον εἰς τὴν πρὸς τὸν διάβολον πάλην ἀπήγαγε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἀλλ' ὃν ἐν τῇ Παρθένῳ διέπλασε τῷ Θεῷ Λόγῳ ναόν. Ἄσιτος διετέλεσεν ἡμέρας τεσ σαράκοντα, καὶ νύκτας ἰσαρίθμους· οὐ γὰρ ἠθέλησεν 75.1440 ὑπερβῆναι τῶν πάλαι νενηστευκότων τὸ μέτρον, ἵνα μὴ φύγῃ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ ἀντίπαλος μάχην, ἵνα μὴ γνωρίσας τὸν κρυπτόμενον, φύγῃ τὴν πρὸς τὸ φαινό μενον πάλην. Τούτου χάριν μετὰ τὸν προειρημένον ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν, τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως τὸ πάθος ὑποφαίνει, καὶ συγχωρεῖ τῇ πείνῃ χώραν λαβεῖν, λαβὴν ἐκείνῳ διὰ τῆς πείνης διδούς· οὐ γὰρ προσελθεῖν ἐτόλμα, πολλὰ περὶ αὐτὸν θεοπρεπῆ γινόμενα θεωρῶν· καὶ γὰρ ἄγγελοι τεχθέντος ἐχό ρευον, ἀνατείλας ἀστὴρ μάγους ἐποδήγησεν εἰς προσκύνησιν τοὺς τῆς αὐτῆς φάλαγγος κορυφαίους, καὶ αὐτὸν ἑώρα πᾶσαν ἐκ παιδὸς μετιόντα δικαιοσύ νην, βδελυττόμενον κακίαν, μυσαττόμενον πονηρίαν· καὶ ταῦτα [ξοδ. ταύτην] κατὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν γεγενη μένην πρόῤῥησιν ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου, ὅτι «Πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸν ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακὸν, ἀπειθεῖ πονηρίᾳ τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι τὸ ἀγαθόν·» ἐβόα δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννης· «Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.» Πατὴρ ἄνωθεν ἐμαρτύρησεν· «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα.» Τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ χάρις ἐφοίτησε. Ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα τὸν διάβολον καταπλήττοντα προσελθεῖν οὐκ εἴα τῷ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως ἀθλητῇ· ὡς δὲ τῆς πείνης τὴν προσβολὴν ὑπεδέξατο, καὶ τροφῆς αὐτὸν εἶδεν ἀνθρωπίνης δεό μενον, καὶ καρτερεῖν περαιτέρω τῶν παλαιῶν ἀν δρῶν οὐ δυνάμενον, προσέρχεται, λαβὴν οἰόμενος εὑ ρηκέναι μεγίστην, καὶ νικήσειν ῥᾳδίως πιστεύων. Ι∆ʹ. Τίνι τρόπῳ κατηγωνίσατο τὸν διάβολον ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστός. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις τὸν πανταχόθεν τῇ πανοπλίᾳ κεκαλυμμένον κατατοξεῦσαί τις ἐθέλων, ὅλον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς περισκοπῶν, πόῤῥωθεν ἐρευνῶν, μέλος γεγυμνωμένον ἐπιζητῶν, ἵνα τὸ βέλος ἐκεῖ ῥί ψας τὸν ἀντίπαλον πλήξῃ, οὕτως ὁ διάβολος πάσῃ δικαιοσύνῃ τὸν Χριστὸν καθωπλισμένον ὁρῶν, καὶ τόπον ζητῶν ἁρμόδιον, ἵνα τὸ βέλος ἐκεῖ ἀκοντίσῃ, ὡς εἶδε τὴν πείναν ἀναφανεῖσαν, προσέρχεται θαρσα λέως ὡς εὑρὼν τὸ ζητούμενον, ὡς τοῦ προπάτορος ἐν αὐτῷ θεωρήσας τὸ πάθος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον διὰ βρώσεως στερήσας τῆς ἀλύπου ζωῆς, ἱδρῶτι καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ καὶ θανάτῳ συνέζευξε· προσέρχεται τοίνυν