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we were baptized.” For as many of us as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. But Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Behold, the death of Christ, that is the cross, has clothed us with the hypostatic wisdom and power of God. The power of God is the word of the cross, either because the might of God, that is, the victory over death, has been revealed to us through it, or because, just as the four ends of the cross are held and bound together by the center point, so by the power of God both height and depth, length and breadth, that is, all visible and invisible creation, is held together. This has been given to us as a sign on our forehead, in the same way that circumcision was for Israel; for by it we believers are distinguished and recognized from the unbelievers. This is a shield and weapon and trophy against the devil. This is a seal, so that the destroyer may not touch us, as Scripture says. This is the resurrection of those who have fallen, the support of those who stand, the staff of the weak, the rod of the shepherded, the guidance of those returning, the perfection of those progressing, the salvation of soul and body, the averter of all evils, the procurer of all goods, the destruction of sin, the plant of resurrection, the wood of eternal life. The precious wood itself, then, is truly venerable, on which Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for us; having been sanctified by the touch of His holy body and blood, it is fittingly to be venerated, the nails, the lance, the garments, and His holy tabernacles, which are the manger, the cave, the saving Golgotha, the life-giving tomb, Zion the acropolis of the churches, and the like; as the Forefather of God, David, says: “We will go into His tabernacles, we will worship at the place where His feet have stood.” That he means the cross is shown by what follows: “Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest”; for the resurrection follows the cross. For if the house and bed and garment of loved ones are desirable, how much more so are those things of our God and Savior, through which we have been saved. We also venerate the image of the precious cross, even if it is made of other material, not honoring the material—may it never be—but the image as a symbol of Christ. For He said to His own disciples, when making His testament: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,” meaning the cross. Therefore also the angel of the resurrection said to the women: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified,” and the Apostle: “But we preach Christ crucified.” For there are many Christs and Jesuses, but one who was crucified. He did not say “pierced with a lance,” but “crucified.” Therefore, the sign of Christ is to be venerated. For wherever the sign is, there He will be also. But the material from which the image of the cross is composed, even if it be gold or precious stones, after the dissolution (if it should happen) of the image, is not to be venerated. Therefore we venerate all things dedicated to God, offering our reverence to Him. This precious cross was prefigured by the tree of life planted by God in paradise (for since death came through a tree, it was necessary for life and resurrection to be bestowed through a tree), Jacob, having venerated the top of the staff, blessed the sons of Joseph with crossed hands and most clearly depicted the sign of the cross, the rod of Moses striking the sea in the form of a cross and saving Israel, but drowning Pharaoh, hands stretched out in the form of a cross and routing Amalek, the bitter water made sweet by a tree, and a rock being split and pouring forth streams, the rod declaring for Aaron the dignity of the priesthood, the serpent triumphed upon a tree (as it has been put to death by the tree, which saves those who believe, seeing the enemy dead, just as Christ was nailed in the flesh of sin that knew no sin), the great Moses crying: “You shall see your life hanging on a tree before your eyes,” Isaiah: “All the day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” May we who venerate this obtain the portion of Christ crucified. Amen. 85 Concerning worshipping towards the East Not

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ἐβαπτίσθημεν». Ὅσοι δὲ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθημεν, Χριστὸν ἐνεδυσάμεθα. Χριστὸς δέ ἐστι θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ σοφία. Ἰδοὺ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἤτοι ὁ σταυρὸς τὴν ἐνυπόστατον τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν ἡμᾶς περιέβαλε. ∆ύναμις δὲ θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἢ ὅτι τὸ δυνατὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἤτοι ἡ κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου νίκη δι' αὐτοῦ ἡμῖν πεφανέρωται, ἢ ὅτι, ὥσπερ τὰ τέσσαρα ἄκρα τοῦ σταυροῦ διὰ τοῦ μέσου κέντρου κρατοῦνται καὶ συσφίγγονται, οὕτω διὰ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεως τό τε ὕψος καὶ τὸ βάθος μῆκός τε καὶ πλάτος ἤτοι πᾶσα ὁρατή τε καὶ ἀόρατος κτίσις συνέχεται. Οὗτος ἡμῖν σημεῖον δέδοται ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου, ὃν τρόπον τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἡ περιτομή· δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ οἱ πιστοὶ τῶν ἀπίστων ἀποδιιστάμεθά τε καὶ γνωριζόμεθα. Οὗτος θυρεὸς καὶ ὅπλον καὶ τρόπαιον κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου. Οὗτος σφραγίς, ἵνα μὴ θίγῃ ἡμῶν ὁ ὀλοθρεύων, ὥς φησιν ἡ γραφή. Οὗτος τῶν κειμένων ἀνάστασις, τῶν ἑστώτων στήριγμα, ἀσθενῶν βακτηρία, ποιμαινομένων ῥάβδος, ἐπιστρεφόντων χειραγωγία, προκοπτόντων τελείωσις, ψυχῆς σωτηρία καὶ σώματος, πάντων κακῶν ἀποτρόπαιον, πάντων ἀγαθῶν πρόξενος, ἁμαρτίας ἀναίρεσις, φυτὸν ἀναστάσεως, ξύλον ζωῆς αἰωνίου. Αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τὸ τίμιον ξύλον ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ σεβάσμιον, ἐν ᾧ ἑαυτὸν εἰς θυσίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν Χριστὸς προσενήνοχεν, ὡς ἁγιασθὲν τῇ ἁφῇ τοῦ ἁγίου σώματος καὶ αἵματος εἰκότως προσκυνητέον, τοὺς ἥλους, τὴν λόγχην, τὰ ἐνδύματα καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ αὐτοῦ σκηνώματα, ἅτινά εἰσιν ἡ φάτνη, τὸ σπήλαιον, ὁ Γολγοθᾶς ὁ σωτήριος, ὁ ζωοποιὸς τάφος, ἡ Σιὼν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἡ ἀκρόπολις, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια· ὥς φησιν ὁ θεοπάτωρ ∆αυίδ· «Εἰσελευσόμεθα εἰς τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτοῦ, προσκυνήσομεν εἰς τὸν τόπον, οὗ ἔστησαν οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ». Ὅτι δὲ τὸν σταυρὸν λέγει, δηλοῖ τὸ ἑπόμενον· «Ἀνάστηθι, κύριε, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου»· ἕπεται γὰρ τῷ σταυρῷ ἡ ἀνάστασις. Εἰ γὰρ τῶν ἐρωμένων ποθητὸν οἶκος καὶ κλίνη καὶ περιβόλαιον, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος, δι' ὧν καὶ σεσῴσμεθα. Προσκυνοῦμεν δὲ καὶ τὸν τύπον τοῦ τιμίου σταυροῦ, εἰ καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρας ὕλης γένηται, οὐ τὴν ὕλην τιμῶντες-μὴ γένοιτο-, ἀλλὰ τὸν τύπον ὡς Χριστοῦ σύμβολον. Ἔφη γὰρ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς διατιθέμενος· «Τότε φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ», τὸν σταυρὸν λέγων. ∆ιὸ καὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἔλεγεν ὁ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἄγγελος· «Ἰησοῦν ζητεῖτε τὸν Ναζαρηνὸν τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον», καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος· «Ἡμεῖς δὲ κηρύσσομεν Χριστὸν ἐσταυρωμένον». Πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ Χριστοὶ καὶ Ἰησοῖ, ἀλλ' εἷς ὁ ἐσταυρωμένος. Οὐκ εἶπε λελογχευμένον, ἀλλ' «ἐσταυρωμένον». Προσκυνητέον τοίνυν τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἔνθα γὰρ ἂν ᾖ τὸ σημεῖον, ἐκεῖ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται. Τὴν δὲ ὕλην, ἐξ ἧς ὁ τύπος τοῦ σταυροῦ συνίσταται, εἰ καὶ χρυσὸς ἢ λίθοι εἶεν τίμιοι, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ τύπου (εἰ τύχοι) διάλυσιν οὐ προσκυνητέον. Πάντα τοίνυν τὰ θεῷ ἀνακείμενα προσκυνοῦμεν αὐτῷ τὸ σέβας προσάγοντες. Τοῦτον τὸν τίμιον σταυρὸν προετύπωσε τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς τὸ ἐν παραδείσῳ ὑπὸ θεοῦ πεφυτευμένον (ἐπεὶ γὰρ διὰ ξύλου ὁ θάνατος, ἔδει διὰ ξύλου δωρηθῆναι τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν), Ἰακὼβ προσκυνήσας τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου ἐνηλλαγμέναις ταῖς χερσὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰωσὴφ εὐλογήσας καὶ τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ διαγράψας σαφέστατα, ῥάβδος Μωσαϊκὴ σταυροτύπως τὴν θάλασσαν πλήξασα καὶ σώσασα μὲν τὸν Ἰσραήλ, Φαραὼ δὲ βυθίσασα, χεῖρες σταυροειδῶς ἐκτεινόμεναι καὶ τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ τροπούμεναι, ξύλῳ τὸ πικρὸν ὕδωρ γλυκαινόμενον καὶ πέτρα ῥηγνυμένη καὶ προχέουσα νάματα, ῥάβδος τῷ Ἀαρὼν τὸ τῆς ἱεραρχίας ἀξίωμα χρηματίζουσα, ὄφις ἐπὶ ξύλου θριαμβευόμενος (ὡς νενέκρωται τοῦ ξύλου τοὺς νεκρὸν ὁρῶντας τὸν ἐχθρὸν διασῴζοντος τοὺς πιστεύοντας, ὡς Χριστὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἁμαρτίας ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἰδυίᾳ προσήλωται), Μωσῆς ὁ μέγας· «Ὄψεσθε», βοῶν, «τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν ἐπὶ ξύλου κρεμαμένην ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν», Ἡσαΐας· «Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν διεπέτασα τὰς χεῖράς μου πρὸς λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα». Οἱ τοῦτο προσκυνοῦντες τῆς μερίδος τύχοιμεν Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἐσταυρωμένου. Ἀμήν. 85 Περὶ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν κατὰ ἀνατολάσ Οὐχ