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earth. Where now are those who tear down the glory of the Only-begotten? Behold, the Son is called a great king, which was said concerning the Father: For do not swear, he says, neither by heaven, for it is His throne; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the king. And again elsewhere: God mighty, ruler; which is king. When, therefore, you hear that your Master was crucified, that He was hung upon the cross, that He was buried, that He descended to the lower parts of the earth, do not fall down, nor be dismayed; for He is most high, and most high by nature. That which is high by nature could never be moved from its highness, nor become lowly; but even in His humiliation the highness remains and is shown forth. Since even when He died, then especially He showed His strength against death. The light shines in the darkness, he says, and the darkness did not overcome it; so also His highness appeared in His humility. See Him, therefore, being in Hades, and shaking all things on high. For then the sun turned away its rays, the rocks were split, the veil was rent, the earth was shaken, Judas hanged himself, Pilate and his wife were terrified, the judge himself made a defense. When, therefore, you hear that He was bound and scourged, be not troubled; but see Him even in His bonds displaying His power. He said, Whom do you seek? and cast them all on their backs. Did you see how terrible He is, working such things with only a voice and a nod? When, therefore, you see Him dead, consider the stone being raised, the angels remaining with fear at the tomb, Hades being undone, death melting away, Him freeing the prisoners; and then you will see His terror. If in the time of dishonor He showed such things, in heaven, on earth, in Hades, what will He not show in the time of His future coming? Hear what the demons say in the time of His humiliation, those who foam at the mouth, who break their chains, who make the road impassable: What have we to do with you, Son of God? 55.211 Have you come here before the time to torment us? If, therefore, these things then, when He arrives, and the powers of the heavens are shaken, and the sun is turned to darkness, and the moon does not give its light, what will they say? For this reason he says: Most high, terrible. Or rather, what worthy thing could one say, describing that day, when He sends the angels to every part of the world, when all things are shaken, when the earth is convulsed giving up its deposit of the dead, when the countless bodies are raised, when the heaven is rolled up, just as a curtain being rolled up; when the terrible judgment seat is set, when the rivers of fire are drawn, when the books are opened, when for each one the things done in darkness are brought into the open; when those unbearable punishments and retributions, when the menacing powers, when the drawn swords, when the leadings away to Gehenna; when all dignities are dissolved, of kings, and of generals, and of consuls, and of prefects; when such a host of angels is present, when the ranks of martyrs, prophets, apostles, priests, monks, when those ineffable prizes, when awards, when the crowns, when the good things that surpass the mind? γʹ. What word will present this? For if the Prophet, going over creation, grew weary and recoiled, saying: How magnificent are your works, O Lord; and Paul, investigating one form of providence, cried out saying: O the depth of the riches; what could one say, describing that day? The Prophet, foreseeing all these things, said: The Lord most high, terrible, a great king over all the earth, signifying the universal salvation. He was, therefore, a great king even before this, but was unknown. For the world came to be through him, and the world did not know him. But now He has also achieved this, so that also according to the appropriation

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γῆν. Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τὴν δόξαν καθαιροῦντες; Ἰδοὺ βασιλεὺς μέγας ὁ Υἱὸς λέγεται, ὃ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἴρηται· Μὴ ὀμόσῃς γὰρ, φησὶ, μήτε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὅτι θρόνος αὐτοῦ ἐστι· μήτε εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα, ὅτι πόλις ἐστὶ τοῦ βασιλέως. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πάλιν· Θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς, ἐξουσιαστής· ὅπερ ἐστὶ βασιλεύς. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἀκούσῃς ὅτι ἀνεσκολοπίσθη σου ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὅτι ἐκρεμάσθη ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ, ὅτι ἐτάφη, ὅτι κατῆλθεν εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς, μὴ καταπέσῃς, μηδὲ ἀδημονήσῃς· ὕψιστος γάρ ἐστι, καὶ ὕψιστος φύσει. Τὸ δὲ ὑψηλὸν φύσει οὐκ ἄν ποτε μετασταίη τοῦ ὕψους, οὐδ' ἂν γένοιτο ταπεινόν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ μένει τὸ ὕψος καὶ διαδείκνυται. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀποθανὼν, τότε μάλιστα τὴν κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου ἰσχὺν ἔδειξε. Τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ταπεινότητι ἐφάνη. Ὅρα γοῦν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ ὄντα, καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ἅπαντα σείοντα. Ὁ γὰρ ἥλιος τότε τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀπέστρεψε, πέτραι ἐσχίζοντο, τὸ καταπέτασμα ἐῤῥήγνυτο, ἐκλονεῖτο ἡ γῆ, Ἰούδας ἀπήγχετο, Πιλάτος καὶ ἡ τούτου γυνὴ ἐδειματοῦτο, αὐτὸς ὁ δικάζων ἀπελογεῖτο. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι ἐδέθη καὶ ἐμαστιγώθη, μὴ συγχυθῇς· ἀλλ' ὅρα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ δεσμῷ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐπιδεικνύμενον. Εἶπε, Τίνα ζητεῖτε; καὶ πάντας ἔῤῥιψεν ὑπτίους. Εἶδες πῶς φοβερὸς, φωνῇ μόνῃ καὶ νεύματι τοσαῦτα ἐργαζόμενος; Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς αὐτὸν νεκρὸν, ἐννόησον τὸν λίθον αἰρόμενον, τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοὺς μετὰ φόβου παραμένοντας τῷ τάφῳ, τὸν ᾅδην λυόμενον, τὸν θάνατον τηκόμενον, τοὺς δεσμώτας ἀπολύοντα· καὶ τότε ὄψει αὐτοῦ τὸ φοβερόν. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀτιμίας τοσαῦτα ἐπεδείξατο, ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἐν γῇ, ἐν ᾅδῃ, τίνα οὐκ ἐπιδείξηται ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς μελλούσης παρουσίας; Ἄκουσον τῶν δαιμόνων ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ταπεινώσεως τί λέγουσι, τῶν ἀφριζόντων, τῶν δεσμὰ διαλυόντων, τῶν ἄβατον ποιούντων τὴν ὁδόν· Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ, Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; 55.211 Ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ, βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς; Εἰ τοίνυν ταῦτα τότε, ὅταν παραγένηται, καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν σαλεύωνται, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφῇ εἰς σκότος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φῶς αὐτῆς, τί ἐροῦσι; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Ὕψιστος, φοβερός. Μᾶλλον δὲ, τί ἄν τις ἄξιον εἴποι, τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην διηγούμενος, ὅταν πέμπῃ τοὺς ἀγγέλους πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὅταν πάντα σείηται, ὅταν ἡ γῆ κλονῆται τὴν παρακαταθήκην τῶν νεκρῶν ἀποδιδοῦσα, ὅταν τὰ μυρία σώματα ἐγείρηται, ὅταν ὁ οὐρανὸς συστέλληται, καθάπερ τι καταπέτασμα συστελλόμενον· ὅταν τὸ βῆμα τιθῆται τὸ φοβερὸν, ὅταν οἱ ποταμοὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἕλκωνται, ὅταν αἱ βίβλοι ἀνοίγωνται, ὅταν ἑκάστῳ τὰ ἐν σκότῳ πεπραγμένα εἰς μέσον ἄγῃ· ὅταν αἱ ἀφόρητοι κολάσεις ἐκεῖναι καὶ τιμωρίαι, ὅταν αἱ ἀπειληφόροι δυνάμεις, ὅταν αἱ ῥομφαῖαι ἐσπασμέναι, ὅταν αἱ πρὸς τὴν γέενναν ἀπαγωγαί· ὅταν πάντα τὰ ἀξιώματα λύηται, καὶ βασιλέων, καὶ στρατηγῶν, καὶ ὑπάτων, καὶ ὑπάρχων· ὅταν τοσοῦτος δῆμος ἀγγέλων παρῇ, ὅταν τάγματα μαρτύρων, προφητῶν, ἀποστόλων, ἱερέων, μοναχῶν, ὅταν τὰ ἔπαθλα ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα, ὅταν βραβεῖα, ὅταν οἱ στέφανοι, ὅταν τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ ὑπερβαίνοντα τὸν νοῦν; γʹ. Τίς παραστήσει τοῦτο λόγος; Εἰ γὰρ τὴν κτίσιν ἐπιὼν ὁ Προφήτης, ἀπέκαμε, καὶ ἀπεπήδησε, λέγων· Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε· καὶ ἓν εἶδος ἀνερευνῶν προνοίας ὁ Παῦλος ἐβόησεν εἰπών· Ὢ βάθος πλούτου· τί ἄν τις εἴποι, τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ὑπογράφων; Ταῦτα ἅπαντα προϊδὼν ὁ Προφήτης, ἔλεγε· Κύριος ὕψιστος, φοβερὸς, βασιλεὺς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, τὴν οἰκουμενικὴν σωτηρίαν ἐμφαίνων. Ἦν μὲν οὖν καὶ πρὸ τούτου βασιλεὺς μέγας, ἀλλ' ἠγνοεῖτο. Ὁ γὰρ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω. Νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο κατώρθωσε, ὡς καὶ κατὰ τὴν οἰκείωσιν