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The evil Powers had their energies invisibly concealed in the circumstantial law of nature; naturally, seeing in the Savior God of Adam that which is subject to passion according to nature because of the flesh, and thinking that out of circumstantial necessity, as a mere man, the Lord also possessed the law of nature, but was not moved by will according to intention, they attacked, hoping to persuade him also, through the passion according to nature, to imagine the passion contrary to nature, and to do something like them. He, through the first trial of the temptations according to pleasure, having allowed them to be mocked by their own deceits, stripped them off, having been cast out of nature, remaining inaccessible and untouched by them; manifestly accomplishing the victory for us, but not for himself; for whom he also became man, offering as the good one the whole accomplishment. For he himself did not need trial, being God and Master, and free from every passion according to nature; but so that by our temptations he might call forth the evil power, and might seize by the assault of death the one that expected to seize him as it did Adam in the beginning.

Thus, then, in the first trial, he stripped off the Principalities and the Powers that attacked him, putting them far from nature, and healing that which is subject to passion according to pleasure, and wiping away in himself the handwriting of Adam’s volitional (316) consent to the passions of pleasure. Through which man, having a will inclined toward pleasure, proclaimed the evil dominion over himself, even while silent, through his works, not being freed by the fear of death from the guilt according to pleasure.

Since, therefore, by conquering through the first trial according to pleasure, the Lord frustrated the evil Powers, both Principalities and Authorities, he also allows them to make a second assault, and to bring on the remaining trial of temptations through pain and labors; in order that, having completely emptied in himself the corrupting venom of their evil, he might consume it like fire, making it completely disappear from nature, having disarmed at the time of death on the cross the Principalities and the Powers, remaining unconsumed by the pains; or rather, appearing terrible against death, he drove out from nature that which is subject to passion according to pain; by which man, having a will that inclined away through cowardice, was always tyrannized by the fear of death and against his will, for the sake of living, clung to the slavery of pleasure.

The Lord, then, stripped off the Principalities and the Powers during the first trial of temptations in the desert, healing that which is subject to passion according to pleasure in the whole of nature. And he disarmed them again at the time of death, likewise having driven from nature that which is subject to passion according to pain, accomplishing for us what he, because of his love for mankind, made his own as if he were liable; or rather, as the good one, reckoning the glory of the accomplishments to us. For since, having taken on like us, without sin, that which is subject to passion of nature, through which every evil and destructive power is wont to effect its own ends, at the time of death, he also disarmed those that came upon him for the sake of investigation, both triumphing over and making a public spectacle of them on the cross at the departure of his soul, when they found nothing at all of their own in that which was subject to passion of nature in him; at the very time when they most expected, because of what is naturally subject to passion according to the flesh, to find something certainly human; rightly by his own power, and as through a kind of first-fruit of his holy flesh from us, he freed the nature of men from the evil mixed with it in respect to that which is subject to passion, having subjected to that which is subject to passion of nature itself the evil dominion that once reigned in it, I mean in that which is subject to passion of nature.

It was indeed possible to consider the discourse on this matter in another, more mystical and loftier way; but since, as you know, the more ineffable aspects of divine doctrines must not be committed to writing, let us be content with what has been said, which dissuades a mind meddlesome about this. But with God granting it, and that which according to

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πονηραί ∆υνάμεις ἔσχον τάς ἐνεργείας ἀφανῶς ἐγκεκρυμμένας τῷ περιστατικῶ νόμῳ τῆς φύσεως· εἰκότως ἐν τῷ Σωτῆρι Θεῷ τοῦ Ἀδάμ θεωροῦσαι κατά φύσιν διά τήν σάρκα τό παθητόν, καί δοκοῦσαι πρός ἀνάγκης περιστατικῶς ὡς ψιλόν ἄνθρωπον, καί τόν Κύριον κεκτῆσθαι τόν νόμον τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχί κατά θέλησιν γνώμῃ κινούμενον, προσέβαλον, ἐλπίζουσαι κἀκεῖνον διά τοῦ κατά φύσιν πάθους τό παρά φύσιν πείθειν φαντάζεσθαι πάθος, καί τι δρᾷν αὐταῖς ἐοικός. Ὅς διά τῆς πρώτης πείρας τῶν καθ᾿ ἡδονήν πειρασμῶν, τοῖς οἰκείοις συγχωρήσας ἐμπαίζεσθαι αὐτάς δόλοις, ἐξεδύσατο ταύτας ἐξωσθείσας τῆς φύσεως, ἀπρόσιτος μείνας αὐταῖς καί ἀνέπαφος· ἡμῖν προδήλως, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τήν νίκην ποιούμενος· οἷς καί γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, προσάγων ὡς ἀγαθός ὅλον τό κατορθούμενον. Οὐ γάρ αὐτός ἐδεῖτο πείρας, Θεός ὤν καί ∆εσπότης, καί παντός πάθους κατά φύσιν ἐλεύθερος· ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα τοῖς ἡμετέροις πειρασμοῖς τήν πονηράν προσκαλούμενος δύναμιν, ἕληται τῇ προσβολῇ νεκρώσεως, τήν ἑλεῖν αὐτόν ὡς ἐν ἀρχῇ τόν Ἀδάμ προσδοκήσασαν.

Οὕτω μέν οὖν κατά τήν πρώτην πεῖραν προσβαλούσας τάς Ἀρχάς καί τάς ἐξουσίας ἐξεδύσατο, πόῤῥω ποιήσας τῆς φύσεως, καί τό καθ᾿ ἡδονήν παθητόν ἰασάμενος, καί τό χειρόγραφον ἐν ἑαυτῷ τοῦ Ἀδάμ τῆς τῶν καθ᾿ ἡδονήν παθῶν γνωμικῆς (316) συγκαταθέσεως ἀπαλείψας. ∆ι᾿ οὗ τήν γνώμην ὁ ἄνθρωπος ῥέουσαν ἔχων πρός ἡδονήν, τήν πονηράν καθ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, καί σιγῶν διά τῶν ἔργων ἀνεκήρυττε δεσποτείαν, τῷ τοῦ θανάτου φόβῳ τῆς καθ᾿ ἡδονήν ἐνοχῆς οὐκ ἐλευθερούμενος.

Ἐπειδή τοίνυν διά τῆς καθ᾿ ἡδονήν πρώτης πείρας ἡττήσας, τάς πονηράς ἐματαίωσε ∆υνάμεις, Ἀρχάς τε καί Ἐξουσίας ὁ Κύριος, καί δευτέραν αὐταῖς συγχωρεῖ ποιεῖσθαι προσβολήν, καί τήν λειπομένην δι᾿ ὀδύνης καί πόνων πεῖραν τῶν πειρασμῶν προσαγαγεῖν· ἵνα τελείως κενώσας ἐν ἑαυτῷ τόν φθαρτικόν ἰόν τῆς αὐτῶν πονηρίας, ὡς πῦρ δαπανήσῃ, παντελῶς ἐξαφανίσας τῆς φύσεως, ἀπεκδυσάμενος κατά τόν τοῦ θανάτου καιρόν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τάς Ἀρχάς καί τάς Ἐξουσίας, μείνας τοῖς πόνοις ἀνάλωτος· μᾶλλον δέ φοβερός φανείς κατά τοῦ θανάτου, τό κατ᾿ ὀδύνην παθητόν ἐξηλώσας τῆς φύσεως· ἧς ἀποῤῥέπουσαν διά τῆς δειλίας τήν γνώμην ἔχων ὁ ἄνθρωπος, διά παντός φόβῳ θανάτου καί παρά γνώμην τυραννούμενος, διά τό ζῇν, τῆς καθ᾿ ἡδονήν ἀντείχετο δουλείας.

Ἐξεδύσατο μέν οὖν ὁ Κύριος τάς Ἀρχάς καί τάς Ἐξουσίας κατά τήν πρώτην ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πεῖραν τῶν πειρασμῶν, τό καθ᾿ ἡδονήν παθητόν τῆς ὅλης φύσεως ἰασάμενος. Ἀπεξεδύσατο δέ ταύτας πάλιν κατά τόν καιρόν τοῦ θανάτου, τῆς φύσεως ὁμοίως ἐξηλώσας τό κατ᾿ ὀδύνην παθητόν, τό ἡμῖν κατορθούμενον, ἑαυτοῦ διά τήν φιλανθρωπίαν ὡς ὑπευθύνου ποιούμενος· μᾶλλον δέ τῶν κατορθουμένων τό κλέος, ἡμῖν ὡς ἀγαθός λογιζόμενος. Ἐπειδή γάρ ὁμοίως ἡμῖν λαβών χωρίς ἁμαρτίας τό τῆς φύσεως παθητόν, δι᾿ οὗ πέφυκεν ἐνεργεῖν τά ἑαυτῆς πᾶσα πονηρά καί ὀλέθριος δύναμις, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ θανάτου, καί ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν ἐλθούσας ἐρεύνης χάριν ἀπεξεδύσατο, θριαμβεύσας τε καί παραδειγματίσας αὐτάς ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ κατά τήν ἔξοδον τῆς ψυχῆς, μηδέν τό σύνολον εὑρούσας ἐν τῷ κατ᾿ αὐτόν παθητῷ τῆς φύσεως ἴδιον· ὅτε μάλιστα προσεδόκων διά τό φύσει κατά σάρκα παθητόν, εὑρεῖν τι πάντως ἀνθρώπινον· εἰκότως τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει, καί πᾶσαν ὡς διά τινος ἀπαρχῆς τῆς ἐξ ἡμῶν ἁγίας αὐτοῦ σαρκός, τήν φύσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῆς ἐμφυρείσης αὐτῇ κατά τό παθητόν κακίας ἠλευθέρωσεν, ὑποτάξας αὐτῶ τῷ τῆς φύσεως παθητῷ τήν ἐν αὐτῷ ποτε, φημί δέ τῷ παθητῷ, βασιλεύσασαν τῆς φύσεως πονηράν δυναστείαν.

Ἦν μέν καί ἄλλως τόν περί τούτου λόγον μυστικώτερόν τε καί ὑψηλότερον θεωρῆσαι δυνατόν· ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή, καθώς ἴστε, τά τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἀποῤῥητότερα διά γραφῆς οὐ δεῖ κατατίθεσθαι, ἀρκεσθῶμεν τοῖς εἰρημένοις δυσωποῦσι φιλοπραγμονοῦσαν περί τούτου τήν ἔννοιαν. Θεοῦ δέ χαριζομένου, καί τό κατ᾿