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of the properties without having touched them. But perhaps one who has learned the mystery with accuracy might more reasonably say that death did not happen because of the birth, but, on the contrary, that the birth was undertaken for the sake of death; for He who always is does not undergo a bodily birth because He needs to live, but to recall us from death to life. Since, therefore, it was necessary for our whole nature to make its return from death, as if stretching out a hand to the one who was lying down, for this reason He stooped to our fallen state, and drew so near to death as to touch mortality and to give to our nature a beginning of the resurrection by means of His own body, raising up with Himself in His power the whole man. For since the God-bearing man was not from another source, but from our own lump, He who was raised up together with the Godhead through the resurrection, just as in our own body the activity of one of the senses brings the whole that is united to the part into a common perception, so also, as if the whole of nature were one single living being, the resurrection of the part passes through to the whole, being transmitted from the part to the entirety according to the continuity and unity of nature. What then do we learn in the mystery that is beyond what is likely, if He who stands stoops to the one who has fallen in order to raise up the one who is lying down? But if the cross also contains some other deeper meaning, those who are knowledgeable of the hidden things would know. What, however, has come down to us from tradition is of this sort. Since all things in the Gospel have been both said and done according to the higher and more divine reason, and there is nothing of such a kind that a mixture of the divine with the human does not altogether appear in it, the voice or the action being carried out humanly, but the hidden meaning showing forth the divine, it would be consistent in this part also not to see one thing and overlook the other, but to perceive the human in the death, and to investigate the more divine element in the manner of it. For since it is a property of the Godhead to pass through all things and to be co-extended with the nature of beings in every part; for nothing could continue in being, if it did not remain in that which is; and that which is properly and primarily is the divine nature, which the permanence of beings compels us of necessity to believe is in all beings; this we are taught through the cross, its shape being divided four ways, so that from the center, where it is joined to itself, four projections are numbered, that He who was stretched out upon this at the time of the economy of His death is the one who binds and fits all things to Himself, bringing the different natures of beings together through Himself into one accord and harmony. For among beings, something is conceived of as above, or below, or the thought passes to the limits on either side. If then you consider the constitution of the heavenly things or of the things under the earth or of the limits of the universe on either side, everywhere your reasoning is met by the Godhead, alone contemplated in every part of beings and holding all things together in being. And whether this nature should be called Godhead, or Word, or Power, or Wisdom, or anything else of the sublime terms that are better able to indicate that which is transcendent, our discourse is not concerned with sound or name or type of words. Since therefore all creation looks to Him, and is centered on Him, and through Him becomes united to itself, the things above being united through Him with the things below, and the things on either side with each other, it was necessary that we should be led by the hand to the understanding of the Godhead not only by hearing, but that sight should also become a teacher of the higher thoughts, whence also the great Paul, being moved, initiates the people in Ephesus, instilling in them by his teaching the power to know what is the depth and the height, and the breadth and the length. For he names each projection of the cross with its own term, calling the part which is above, height; the part which is below, depth; and the transverse extensions, breadth and length. And he makes such a thought clearer elsewhere to the Philippians, I think, in what he says: That in the name of Jesus Christ

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ἰδιωμάτων οὐχ ἁψαμένου. τάχα δ' ἄν τις δι' ἀκριβείας καταμαθὼν τὸ μυστήριον εὐλογώ τερον εἴποι μὴ διὰ τὴν γένεσιν συμβεβηκέναι τὸν θάνατον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔμπαλιν τοῦ θανάτου χάριν παραληφθῆναι τὴν γένεσιν· οὐ γὰρ τοῦ ζῆσαι δεόμενος ὁ ἀεὶ ὢν τὴν σωμα τικὴν ὑποδύεται γένεσιν, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν ζωὴν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου ἀνακαλούμενος. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὅλης ἔδει γενέσθαι τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου πάλιν ἐπάνοδον, οἱονεὶ χεῖρα τῷ κειμένῳ ὀρέγων διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ ἡμέτερον ἐπικύψας πτῶμα, τοσοῦτον τῷ θανάτῳ προσήγγισεν, ὅσον τῆς νεκρότητος ἅψασθαι καὶ ἀρχὴν δοῦναι τῇ φύσει τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῷ ἰδίῳ σώματι, ὅλον τῇ δυνάμει συνανα στήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἄλλοθεν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἡμετέρου φυράματος ὁ θεοδόχος ἄνθρωπος ἦν, ὁ διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως συνεπαρθεὶς τῇ θεότητι, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς σώματος ἡ τοῦ ἑνὸς τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἐνέργεια πρὸς ἅπαν τὴν συναίσθησιν ἄγει τὸ ἡνωμένον τῷ μέρει, οὕτως, καθάπερ ἑνός τινος ὄντος ζῴου πάσης τῆς φύσεως, ἡ τοῦ μέρους ἀνάστασις ἐπὶ τὸ πᾶν διεξέρχεται, κατὰ τὸ συνεχές τε καὶ ἡνωμένον τῆς φύσεως ἐκ τοῦ μέρους ἐπὶ τὸ ὅλον συνεκδιδομένη. τί οὖν ἔξω τοῦ εἰκότος ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ μανθάνομεν, εἰ κύπτει πρὸς τὸν πεπτωκότα ὁ ἑστὼς ἐπὶ τὸ ἀνορθῶσαι τὸν κείμενον; ὁ δὲ σταυρὸς εἰ μέν τινα καὶ ἕτερον περιέχει λόγον βαθύτερον, εἰδεῖεν ἂν οἱ τῶν κρυπτῶν ἐπιίστορες. ὃ δ' οὖν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐκ παραδόσεως ἥκει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. ἐπειδὴ πάντα κατὰ τὸν ὑψηλότερόν τε καὶ θειότερον λόγον ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ καὶ εἴρηται καὶ γεγένηται, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅ τι μὴ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὃ οὐχὶ πάντως μίξις τις ἐμφαίνεται τοῦ θείου πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, τῆς μὲν φωνῆς ἢ τῆς πράξεως ἀνθρω πικῶς διεξαγομένης, τοῦ δὲ κατὰ τὸ κρυπτὸν νοουμένου τὸ θεῖον ἐμφαίνοντος, ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη καὶ ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ μὴ τὸ μὲν βλέπειν, παρορᾷν δὲ τὸ ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τῷ θανάτῳ καθορᾷν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, ἐν δὲ τῷ τρόπῳ πολυπραγμονεῖν τὸ θειότερον. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἴδιόν ἐστι τῆς θεότητος τὸ διὰ πάντων ἥκειν καὶ τῇ φύσει τῶν ὄντων κατὰ πᾶν μέρος συμπαρεκτείνεσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἄν τι διαμένοι ἐν τῷ εἶναι, μὴ ἐν τῷ ὄντι μένον· τὸ δὲ κυρίως καὶ πρώτως ὂν ἡ θεία φύσις ἐστίν, ἣν ἐξ ἀνάγκης πιστεύειν ἐν πᾶσιν εἶναι τοῖς οὖσιν ἡ διαμονὴ τῶν ὄντων καταναγκάζει· τοῦτο διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ διδασκόμεθα, τετραχῆ τοῦ κατ' αὐτὸν σχήματος διῃρημένου, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, καθ' ὃ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συνάπτεται, τέσσαρας ἀριθμεῖσθαι τὰς προβολάς, ὅτι ὁ ἐπὶ τούτου ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς κατὰ τὸν θάνατον οἰκονομίας διαταθεὶς ὁ τὸ πᾶν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συνδέων τε καὶ συναρ μόζων ἐστί, τὰς διαφόρους τῶν ὄντων φύσεις πρὸς μίαν σύμπνοιάν τε καὶ ἁρμονίαν δι' ἑαυτοῦ συνάγων ἐν γὰρ τοῖς οὖσιν ἢ ἄνω τι νοεῖται, ἢ κάτω, ἢ πρὸς τὰ κατὰ τὸ πλάγιον πέρατα διαβαίνει ἡ ἔννοια. ἂν τοίνυν λογίσῃ τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἢ τῶν ὑποχθονίων ἢ τῶν καθ' ἑκάτερον τοῦ παντὸς περάτων τὴν σύστασιν, πανταχοῦ τῷ λογισμῷ σου προαπαντᾷ ἡ θεότης, μόνη κατὰ πᾶν μέρος τοῖς οὖσιν ἐνθεωρουμένη καὶ ἐν τῷ εἶναι τὰ πάντα συνέχουσα. εἴτε δὴ θεότητα τὴν φύσιν ταύτην ὀνομάζεσθαι χρὴ εἴτε λόγον εἴτε δύναμιν εἴτε σοφίαν εἴτε ἄλλο τι τῶν ὑψηλῶν τε καὶ μᾶλλον ἐνδείξασθαι δυναμένων τὸ ὑπερκείμενον, οὐδὲν ὁ λόγος ἡμῶν περὶ φωνῆς ἢ ὀνόματος ἢ τύπου ῥημάτων διαφέρεται. ἐπεὶ οὖν πᾶσα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ κτίσις βλέπει, καὶ περὶ αὐτόν ἐστι, καὶ δι' ἐκείνου πρὸς ἑαυτὴν συμφυὴς γίνεται, τῶν ἄνω τοῖς κάτω καὶ τῶν πλαγίων πρὸς ἄλληλα δι' ἐκείνου συμφυομένων, ἔδει μὴ μόνον δι' ἀκοῆς ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὴν τῆς θεότητος κατανόησιν χειραγωγεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ὄψιν γενέσθαι τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων νοημάτων διδάσκαλον, ὅθεν καὶ ὁ μέγας ὁρμηθεὶς Παῦλος μυσταγωγεῖ τὸν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ λαόν, δύναμιν αὐτοῖς ἐντιθεὶς διὰ τῆς διδασκαλίας πρὸς τὸ γνῶναι τί ἐστι τὸ βάθος καὶ τὸ ὕψος, τό τε πλάτος καὶ τὸ μῆκος. ἑκάστην γὰρ τοῦ σταυροῦ προβολὴν ἰδίῳ ῥήματι κατονομάζει, ὕψος μὲν τὸ ὑπερέχον, βάθος δὲ τὸ ὑποκείμενον, πλάτος τε καὶ μῆκος τὰς πλαγίας ἐκτάσεις λέγων. καὶ σαφέστερον ἑτέρωθι τὸ τοιοῦτον νόημα πρὸς Φιλιππησίους, οἶμαι, ποιεῖ οἷς φησὶν ὅτι Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ