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“So to speak,” he says, “being in the lower place, by choice I was on high.” 17.5 And speaking of him as of a man only, but no longer considering his divine nature, he was saying that he had arrived in the lowest regions, but by choice, indeed, had gone above, just as, of course, other men as well. 17.6 “For thus,” he said, “both the prophets and Samuel, even if they descend where the souls are,” he says, “the ones below, they can be in the lower place, but they are not below by choice.” And having resounded the world with a countless frivolity of words, he does not even understand this, that every single person, even if he is exceedingly wretched, having descended into Hades, is established on high by choice. 17.7 For there is no one, then, of the just or unjust, who does not yearn to hold to the highest sojourns at all times, and to be rid of the subterranean places. If, therefore, all who have been brought down to Hades together desire the upward courses by choice, even if some have not cared for a very just life, what sort of dignity did he declare for the prophetic choir? 17.8 And what that was exceptional did he announce of the Lord, showing him to be like all men? But thus ignorantly did he sound forth his voice, not understanding that the Word, being God, is not so much by choice, but by the excellence of his divinity present everywhere at once. 17.9 And even if he especially permitted his chosen temple to be destroyed, he immediately raised it up again on the third day in a new manner, and the soul of this human tabernacle, having descended into the lowest parts of the earth, threw open the gates there with a sudden impulse and released the souls imprisoned there; 17.10 and it is so strengthened with divine power through its union with God the Word that it even has all-bearing authority.

18.1 But indeed I am persuaded that this too is clear proof, when

he arrived in the subterranean places, and at the same time on that very day led the soul of the thief into paradise. 18.2 For if through one man salvation came to all men, it is manifest that his soul ransoms kindred souls, at the same time descending into the subterranean parts of the chasm, and at the same time restoring to the most ancient pasture of paradise him who had slipped into the power of the invincible kingdom. 18.3 And consistently with these things, the child of God also testified before, foretelling that “and no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” 18.4 Therefore, if he said that the one sprung from the human race had ascended into heaven alone of all, and from there had descended again hither, and having come here, travels in heaven, it is established that the man did these things exceptionally by the excellence of his soul. 18.5 For the holy soul of Christ, cohabiting with God the Word, travels around all things together, and has gone into the highest heaven itself, into which no one else of men has ascended. But these things are related to that human form, which God the Word wore. 18.6 And that the child of God is present everywhere at once, not least of all John stands as a witness concerning this, being one who heard Christ himself, and he cries out in a loud voice in his very words, “No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” 18.7 And indeed, if Christ, being present here, was visiting bodily, when he announced these words to John, and he, having received his sayings, preached that he was in the bosom of the Father, while being entertained on earth in his own body, how must it not be understood that he was also treading the heavens at that time, and that as one dwelling within the bosom he also divinely visited the earth and was present to all at once, as God?

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«ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω» φησὶν «ἐν τῷ κάτω τόπῳ ὤν, τῇ προαιρέσει ἄω ἦν.» 17.5 ὡς περὶ ἀνθρώπου δὲ μόνου προσομιλῶν ἀλλ' οὐκέτι καὶ τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ στοχαζόμενος φύσεως, ἐν τοῖς κατωτάτω μὲν αὐτὸν ἔφασκεν ἀφῖχθαι, προαιρέσει δὲ δήπουθεν ἄνω βεβηκέναι, καθάπερ οὖν ἀμέλει καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους. 17.6 «οὕτω» γὰρ ἔφη «καὶ οἱ προφῆται καὶ Σαμουήλ, κἂν καταβῶσιν ὅπου αἱ ψυχαὶ» φησὶν «αἱ κάτω, ἐν τῷ κάτω μὲν δύνανται εἶναι τόπῳ, οὐ κάτω δέ εἰσι τῇ προαιρέσει». κουφολογίᾳ δὲ δὴ περιηχήσας ἀπειροπληθεῖ τὸν κόσμον, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ξυνίησιν ὅτι πᾶς ὁστισοῦν ἀνθρώπων, εἰ καὶ σφόδρα σχέτλιός ἐστιν, ἐν ᾅδου κατελθὼν ἄων τῇ προαιρέσει καθέστηκεν. 17.7 οὐδεὶς γοῦν ἂν εἴη γε δικαίων οὐδ' ἀδίκων, ὃς οὐ γλίχεται τῶν ἀνωτάτω μὲν ἑκάστοτε διατριβῶν ἔχεσθαι, τῶν δὲ καταχθονίων 20ἀπηλλάχθαι τόπων. εἰ τοίνυν ἅπαντες ὁμοῦ οἱ20 καταχθέντες εἰς ᾅδου τῶν ἄνω φορῶν ἐρῶσι προαιρέσει, κἂν οὐ πάνυ δικαίου τινὲς ἐπεμελήσαντο βίου, ποταπὸν ἀξίωμα τοῦ προφητικοῦ διεσάφει χοροῦ; 17.8 τί δὲ τὸ περιττὸν ἀπήγγελλε τοῦ κυρίου, πᾶσιν ὅμοιον ἀποφαίνων αὐτόν; ἀλλ' οὕτως ἀμαθῶς ἐξήχησε τὴν φωνήν, οὐκ ἐννοήσας ὅτι θεὸς ὢν ὁ λόγος, οὐ προαιρέσει μᾶλλον, 20ἀλλ' ἀρετῇ τῆς θεότητος ἁπανταχοῦ πάρεστιν20 ἀθρόως. 17.9 εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα τὸν ἔκκριτον ἑαυτοῦ ναὸν ἐπέτρεψε λυθῆναι, τριήμερον μὲν αὐτίκα πάλιν ἀνήγειρε καινοπρεπῶς, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου σκηνώματος εἰς τὰ κατώτατα κατελθοῦσα μέρη τῆς γῆς, ἀνεπέτασε τὰς ἐκεῖσε πύλας ἀθρόᾳ ῥοπῇ καὶ τὰς αὐτόθι καθειργμένας ἀνῆκε ψυχάς· 17.10 οὕτω δὲ θεσπεσίᾳ κεκραταίωται δυνάμει διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ λόγου συνουσίαν, ὥστε καὶ παντέφορον ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν.

18.1 Ἁλλὰ μὴν ἔγωγε πείθομαι καὶ τούτου τεκμήριον εἶναι σαφές, ὁπηνίκα

μὲν εἰς τοὺς καταχθονίους ἀφικνεῖτο τόπους, ἐν ταὐτῷ δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ λῃστοῦ ψυχὴν αὐθήμερον εἰσῆγεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. 18.2 εἰ γὰρ δι' ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου τοῖς ἅπασιν ὑπῆρξεν ἀνθρώποις ἡ 20σωτηρία, πρόδηλον ὡς ἡ ψυχὴ τὰς ὁμογενεῖς20 ἀναλυτροῦται ψυχάς, ἅμα μὲν εἰς τὰ καταχθόνια κατιοῦσα μέρη τοῦ χάους, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῇ ἀρχαιοτάτῃ τοῦ παραδείσου πάλιν ἀποκαθιστῶσα νομῇ τὸν ὑπεισδύντα τῷ κράτει τῆς ἀηττήτου βασιλείας. 18.3 ἀκόλουθα δὲ καὶ πρὸ τούτων ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ παῖς ἐμαρτύρετο, προλέγων ὅτι «καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ». 18.4 τοιγαροῦν εἴπερ ἔφασκε τὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου γένους ὁρμώμενον εἰς οὐρανὸν μὲν ἀναβεβηκέναι μονώτατον ἐκ πάντων, ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἐκεῖσε πάλιν καταβεβηκέναι ἐνθάδε, καὶ δεῦρο βεβηκότα φοιτᾶν ἐν οὐρανῷ, συνέστηκεν ὅτι ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ ταῦτα ἔπραττεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκκρίτως. 18.5 ἡ γὰρ ἁγία τοῦ Χριστοῦ ψυχή, τῷ θεῷ συνδιαιτωμένη καὶ λόγῳ, πάντα μὲν ἐκπεριπολεῖ συλλήβδην, εἰς αὐτὸν δὲ βέβηκεν τὸν ἀνώτατον οὐρανόν, εἰς ὃν οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἀνῆλθε τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα εἰς αὐτὴν ἀνήρτηται τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ἰδέαν, ἣν ὁ θεὸς ἐφόρεσε καὶ λόγος. 18.6 ὅτι δὲ πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν ἀθρόως ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ παῖς, οὐχ ἥκιστα καὶ περὶ τούτου μάρτυς ἕστηκεν Ἰωάννης, αὐτήκοος μὲν ὑπάρχων αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, βοᾷ δὲ γεγωνότως αὐτολεξεί «θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑόρακεν πώποτε· ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο». 18.7 καὶ μὴν εἰ δεῦρο παρὼν ἐπεφοίτα σωματικῶς ὁ Χριστός, ὁπηνίκα τούτους ἀπήγγελλεν 20Ἰωάννῃ τοὺς λόγους, ὁ δὲ τὰς τούτου ῥήσεις20 ὑποδεξάμενος ἐκήρυττε μὲν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις εἶναι τοῦ πατρός, ἑστιώμενον ἐπὶ γῆς αὐτῷ σώματι, πῶς οὐκ ἐννοητέον ὅτι καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιβεβήκει τῷ τότε, καὶ ὡς κόλπων εἴσω διαιτώμενος καὶ τῇ γῇ θεοπρεπῶς ἐπεδήμει καὶ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ παρῆν οἷα θεός;