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is near.” 10.8.63 For it is about to come, he says, and in a moment it will be here and is approaching, already constraining and pressing upon me, the final cloud of all my exceeding affliction. For I do not yet call this affliction that now surrounds me either the cross, or the reproaches from men, or the mockery, nor indeed the things that happened to me before the cross, the scourgings, the insults, and whatever other outrages the sons of men inflicted upon me; but I see, after the departure of the body at the very moment of death and the descent into Hades, the approaching rebellion of the powers that are opposed and hostile to God. Therefore I say: “for affliction is near, for there is no one to help.” 10.8.64 For how was that affliction not exceeding and greatest, in which “there is no one to help”? For he went for the salvation of the souls in Hades, who for a long age had been awaiting his arrival, and he descended to shatter “bronze gates” and to break “iron bars” and to lead forth as free those who were formerly prisoners of Hades, which also happened, when “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep” were raised and entered with him “into the” truly “holy city” of God. 10.8.65 But the opposing powers, in addition to the evils from men, were warring against him, causing him no small grief and affliction, as he lamented even for them out of an excess of goodness; but indeed observe in what manner all these things are said as from the person of him who was carried in the womb and born from his mother's belly, whom we said was “the lamb of God.” 10.8.66 For to this one also happen the things concerning the passion, just as the things of the incarnate birth were fitting. For that which is born also dies, and that which dies does not meet death in any other way than by first having passed through birth. 10.8.67 Our savior and lord, therefore, relates these things, not insofar as he is fleshless and bodiless by nature, nor insofar as he is conceived as God's Word and God, but insofar as he was able to say in prayer to the Father: “for you are he who drew me from the womb, my hope from my mother's breasts; upon you I was cast from the womb, from my mother's belly you are my God.” 10.8.68 This one, therefore, being at his passion, offers the preceding prayers to the Father, and, he says, with so many opposing operations and unclean demons and spiritual wickedness about to surround me, and above all the worst of all, the ruler of this age himself, whom it is fitting to call evil beasts on account of their wickedness—either wild bulls or calves or lions or dogs—and being about to stand against them all and to do no good to them, because they accept none of my good things on account of their extreme habit of wickedness, and also obtaining neither a helper nor a co-worker of any of the aforementioned for the struggle on behalf of the souls in Hades, how would I not reasonably say, “for affliction is near, for there is no one to help”? Now, that the wicked and opposing powers did not cooperate with him nor help him in the good thing he was accomplishing was not at all surprising; but the greatest part of the affliction that especially pressed upon him was this, that no one, not even of the propitious and right-hand angels nor indeed of the divine powers, dared to enter the kingdoms of death nor to cooperate in helping the souls there. 10.8.69 For to him alone was this a fearless thing, since for him alone were “the gates of death” opened, and him alone “the gatekeepers of Hades saw and were terrified,” and he who holds the power of death, stepping down from his royal thrones, since he recognized him alone as his lord, spoke to him “softly with prayer and supplication,” according to what is indicated concerning these things in Job. 10.8.70 But nevertheless, seeing the impious tyranny of the despot prevailing to such an extent that no one else of those in heaven dared to be present with him in those places and to cooperate in the salvation of the souls there, he reasonably says, “for affliction is near, for there is no one to help,” since the only one able to help him even there had forsaken him

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ἐγγύς». 10.8.63 μέλλει γάρ, φησίν, καὶ ὅσον οὔπω πάρεστιν καὶ πλησιάζει συνέχον ἤδη καὶ ἐπικείμενόν μοι τὸ πάντων ἔσχατον τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης μου θλίψεως νέφος. οὔπω γὰρ ἐγὼ θλῖψιν ταύτην τὴν νῦν περιέχουσάν με καλῶ οὔτε τὸν σταυρόν, οὔτε τοὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὀνειδισμούς, οὔτε τὰς χλεύας, οὔτε μὴν τὰ πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ συμβεβηκότα μοι, τὰς μάστιγας, τὰς ὕβρεις, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἐπαροίνησαν εἰς ἐμὲ οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὁρῶ, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀνάλυσιν κατ' αὐτὸν τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὴν εἰς ᾅδου κατάβασιν, πλησιάζουσαν τῶν ἀντικειμένων καὶ ἐχθρῶν τῷ θεῷ δυνάμεων ἐπανάστασιν. διό φημι· «ὅτι θλῖψις ἐγγύς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν». 10.8.64 πῶς γὰρ οὐχ ὑπερβάλ λουσα ἦν καὶ μεγίστη θλῖψις αὕτη ἐκείνη, ἐν ᾗ «οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν»; ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἐν ᾅδου ψυχῶν παρῄει, ἐκ μακροῦ αἰῶνος τὴν ἄφιξιν αὐτοῦ περιμενουσῶν, καὶ κατῄει γε «θύρας χαλκᾶς» συντρίψων καὶ «μοχλοὺς σιδηροὺς» συνθλάσων καὶ τοὺς πρὶν δεσμίους ᾅδου ἐλευθέρους ἀνήσων, ὃ καὶ γέγονεν, ὅτε «πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων» ἀναστάντα συνεισῆλθον αὐτῷ «εἰς τὴν» ἀληθῶς «ἁγίαν» τοῦ θεοῦ «πόλιν». 10.8.65 Αἱ δὲ δυνάμεις αἱ ἀντικείμεναι πρὸς τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων κακοῖς ἐπεστρατεύοντο αὐτῷ, λύπην οὐ μικρὰν καὶ θλῖψιν αὐτῷ παρέχουσαι, ἀποκλαομένῳ καὶ ἐπ' αὐταῖς δι' ὑπερβολὴν ἀγαθότητος· ἀλλὰ γὰρ τήρει, τίνα τρόπον ταῦτα πάντα λέλεκται ὡς ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἐν μήτρᾳ κυοφορηθέντος καὶ ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς γεγεννημένου, ὃν ἐφάσκομεν εἶναι «τὸν ἀμνὸν τοῦ θεοῦ». 10.8.66 τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ συμβαίνει τὰ περὶ τὸ πάθος, ὡς καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐνσάρκου γενέσεως ἥρμοζεν. τὸ γοῦν γεννηθὲν καὶ ἀποθνήσκει, τὸ δὲ θνῆσκον οὐκ ἄλλως θανάτου τυγχάνει ἢ πρότερον ὁδεῦσαν διὰ γενέσεως. 10.8.67 ταῦτ' οὖν διέξεισιν ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν, οὐ καθ' ὃ ἄσαρκος καὶ ἀσώματος ὑπάρχει τὴν φύσιν, οὐδὲ καθ' ὃ θεοῦ λόγος καὶ θεὸς ἐπινοεῖται, ἀλλὰ καθ' ὃ οἷός τε ἦν ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εὐχῇ λέγειν· «ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκσπάσας με ἐκ γαστρός, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ μαστῶν τῆς μητρός μου· ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας, ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρός μου θεός μου εἶ σύ». 10.8.68 οὗτος δὴ οὖν, πρὸς τῷ πάθει γεγονώς, εὔχεται τὰ προκείμενα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, καὶ τοσούτων, φησίν, μελλόντων με περιστήσεσθαι ἀντικειμένων ἐνεργειῶν καὶ δαιμόνων ἀκαθάρτων καὶ πνευματικῶν πονηρίας, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῦ πάντων χειρίστου αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, οὓς τῆς κακίας ἕνεκεν θῆρας πονηροὺς ὀνομάζειν ἄξιον καὶ ἤτοι ταύρους ἀγρίους ἢ μόσχους ἢ λέοντας ἢ κύνας, μέλλων τε πρὸς ἅπαντας ἵστασθαι καὶ μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐνεργεῖν, τῷ μηδὲν παραδέχεσθαι αὐτοὺς τῶν ἐμῶν ἀγαθῶν δι' ἄκραν κακίας ἕξιν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ βοηθοῦ μηδὲ συνεργοῦ τυγχάνων τινὸς τῶν προειρημένων εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν ᾅδου ψυχῶν ἆθλον, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως εἴποιμ' ἂν καὶ «ὅτι θλῖψις ἐγγύς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν»; τὸ μὲν οὖν τὰς πονηρὰς καὶ ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις μὴ συνεργεῖν αὐτῷ μηδὲ βοηθεῖν ἐπ' ἀγαθὸν αὐτῷ κομι ζομένῳ οὐδὲν ἦν θαυμαστόν· τὸ δὲ πάντων μέγιστον τῆς θλίψεως τῆς μάλιστα πιεζούσης αὐτὸν τοῦτ' ἦν ἄρα, τὸ μηδένα μηδὲ τῶν αἰσίων καὶ δεξιῶν ἀγγέλων μηδὲ μὴν τῶν θείων δυνάμεων τολμᾶν ἐπιβαίνειν τοῖς τοῦ θανάτου βασιλείοις μηδὲ συνεργεῖν ἐπὶ βοηθείᾳ τῶν αὐτόθι ψυχῶν. 10.8.69 μόνῳ γὰρ αὐτῷ τοῦτ' ἀτρεμὲς ἦν, ἐπεὶ καὶ μόνῳ ἠνεῴχθησαν «πύλαι θανάτου», καὶ μόνον αὐτὸν «πυλωροὶ ᾅδου ἰδόντες ἔπτηξαν», αὐτός τε ὁ τὸ κράτος ἔχων τοῦ θανάτου, ὑπεκστὰς τῶν βασιλείων θρόνων, ἅτε μόνον αὐτὸν ἐπιγνοὺς ἑαυτοῦ κύριον, ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ «δεήσει καὶ ἱκετηρίᾳ μαλακῶς», κατὰ τὰ δηλούμενα ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ περὶ τούτων. 10.8.70 πλὴν ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀσεβῆ τοῦ τυράννου καταδυναστείαν τοσοῦτον ὁρῶν ἰσχύουσαν, ὡς μηδένα ἄλλον τολμᾶν τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν ἐν τοῖς αὐτόθι χωρίοις συμπαρεῖναι αὐτῷ καὶ τῇ τῶν αὐτόθι ψυχῶν συνεργεῖν σωτηρίᾳ, εἰκότως φησὶν «ὅτι θλῖψις ἐγγύς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν», ἑνὸς μόνου τοῦ κἀκεῖσε βοηθεῖν αὐτῷ δυναμένου καταλελοιπότος