Passages from Sacred Scripture to meditate on the Passion:
Epistle of St. Peter:
220b But if doing well you suffer patiently; this is thankworthy before God.
21 For unto this are you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps.
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.
23 Who, when he was reviled, did not revile: when he suffered, he threatened not: but delivered himself to him that judged him unjustly.
24 Who his own self bore our sins in his body upon the tree: that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed.
25 For you were as sheep going astray; but you are now converted to the shepherd and bishop of your souls.
. . .
318 Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit,
4 Christ therefore having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the same thought: for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sins:
2 That now he may live the rest of his time in the flesh, not after the desires of men, but according to the will of God.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24
• 1:22: “For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
• 1:23: “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness:”
• 1:24: “But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:7-9
• 2:7: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, a wisdom which is hidden, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory:”
• 2:8: “Which none of the princes of this world knew; for if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Suffering Servant Prophesy in Isaiah 53
3 Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.
8 He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him.
9 And he shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death: because he hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in his mouth.
10 And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand.
11 Because his soul hath laboured, he shall see and be filled: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I distribute to him very many, and he shall divide the spoils of the strong, because he hath delivered his soul unto death, and was reputed with the wicked: and he hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for the transgressors.
Diverse Church Fathers on the Meaning of the Passion of Jesus
(Grok collected)
1. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–107): “My love has been crucified, and there is no fire in me that loves anything; but there is living water springing up in me, and which says to me within, ‘Come to the Father.’ I have no delight in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire His blood to drink, which is love incorruptible.” (Epistle to the Romans, 7.2, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
2. Clement of Rome (c. 35–99): “Let us look stedfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the whole world.” (First Epistle to the Corinthians, 7.4, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
3. Justin Martyr (c. 100–165): “For the whole human race will be found to be under a curse. For it is written in the law of Moses, ‘Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them.’ And no one has accurately done all, nor will you venture to deny this; but some more and some less than others have observed the ordinances enjoined. But if those who are under this law appear to be under a curse for not having observed all the requirements, how much more shall all the nations appear to be under a curse who practise idolatry, who seduce youths, and commit other crimes? If, then, the Father of all wished His Christ for the whole human family to take upon Him the curses of all, knowing that, after He had been crucified and was dead, He would raise Him up, why do you argue about Him, who submitted to suffer these things according to the Father’s will, as if He were accursed, and do not rather bewail yourselves?” (Dialogue with Trypho, 95, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
4. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202): “He has therefore, in His work of recapitulation, summed up all things, both waging war against our enemy, and crushing him who had at the beginning led us away captives in Adam, and trampled upon his head, as thou canst perceive in Genesis that God said to the serpent, ‘And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.’ For from that time, He who should be born of a woman, namely from the Virgin, after the likeness of Adam, was preached as keeping watch for the head of the serpent. This is the seed of which the apostle says in the Epistle to the Galatians, ‘that the law of works was established until the seed should come to whom the promise was made.’ This fact is exhibited in a still clearer light in the same Epistle, where he thus speaks: ‘But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman.’ For indeed the enemy would not have been fairly vanquished, unless it had been a man born of a woman who conquered him. For it was by means of a woman that he got the advantage over man at first, setting himself up as an adversary against man. Wherefore also the Lord professes Himself to be the Son of Man, comprising in Himself that original man out of whom the woman was fashioned, in order that, as our species went down to death through a vanquished man, so we may ascend to life again through a victorious one; and as through a man death received the palm against us, so again by a man we may receive the palm against death.” (Against Heresies, Book V, 21.1, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
5. Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–215): “For the Word, having taken to Himself our flesh, offered it willingly in our behalf; wherefore it is said, ‘No one taketh my life from me, but I lay it down of myself.’ For He was crucified in the flesh, bearing our sins, that it might be fulfilled which was written, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; and with His stripes we are healed.’” (Stromata, Book II, Chapter 20, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2)
6. Tertullian (c. 155–240): “Since, therefore, He was Himself to bear our sins in His own body on the tree—for it is written, ‘Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree’—it was requisite that He should be made sin for us, and a curse, as it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree,’ that we might be delivered from the curse of the law.” (Against Marcion, Book IV, 10, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3)
7. Origen (c. 184–253): “For He became a curse for us, as it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree,’ that He might redeem us from the curse of the law; and He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. For this cause He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” (Commentary on John, Book I, 231, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 9)
8. Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200–258): “Also in the same place: ‘The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all; He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.’ And again, He Himself likewise says in Jeremiah: ‘I was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, I was not rebellious, neither turned I back; I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.’” (Treatise XII, Testimonies Against the Jews, 2.15, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5)
9. Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373): “For the Word, perceiving that no otherwise could the corruption of men be undone, save by death as a necessary condition, while it was impossible for the Word to die, being immortal, and Son of the Father; to this end He takes to Himself a body capable of death, that it, by partaking of the Word who is above all, might be worthy to die in the stead of all, and might, because of the Word which was come to dwell in it, remain incorruptible, and that thenceforth corruption might be stayed from all by the Grace of the Resurrection. Whence, by offering unto death the body He Himself had taken, as an offering and sacrifice free from any stain, straightway He put away death from all His peers by the offering of an equivalent.” (On the Incarnation, 9, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 4)
10. Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310–367): “He took upon Him the flesh in which He was to suffer, and suffered in the flesh which He had taken, that in His Passion He might bear our infirmities, and in bearing our infirmities might redeem us from the curse of sin. For He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.” (On the Trinity, Book X, 47, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 9)
11. Basil the Great (c. 330–379): “He was crucified for our sins, and rose again for our justification, that we, being dead to sins, might live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we were healed. For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (Homily on Psalm 28, 6, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 8)
12. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–395): “For since, as has been said before, it was necessary that the debt owing from all to death should be paid by all, but in the person of Him who was exalted above all; on this account He, who is exalted above all, makes His own the debt due from all, and like a great champion undertakes the conflict for our sakes against our enemy, and by His own Passion pays the debt for all.” (Catechetical Oration, 24, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 5)
13. Gregory Nazianzen (c. 329–390): “He is sold, and very cheap, for it is only for thirty pieces of silver; but He redeems the world, and that at a great price, for the price was His own blood. As a sheep He is led to the slaughter, but He is the Shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also. As a lamb He is silent, yet He is the Word, and is proclaimed by the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He is bruised and wounded, but He heals every disease and every infirmity. He is lifted up and nailed to the Tree, but by the Tree of Life He restores us; yea, He saves even the Robber crucified with Him.” (Orations, 29.20, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 7)
14. Ambrose of Milan (c. 340–397): “He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He was made a curse for us, that we might be delivered from the curse of the law. He suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” (On the Duties of the Clergy, Book I, 15.47, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 10)
15. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407): “For this cause He came, not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it. For He Himself bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.” (Homilies on John, 85.1, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. 14)
16. Jerome (c. 347–420): “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Commentary on Isaiah, 53.5, Patrologia Latina, Vol. 24)
17. Augustine of Hippo (354–430): “For even the Lord was subject to death, but not on account of sin: He took upon Him our punishment, and so looses our guilt. For He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Wherefore He suffered for our sakes, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (Sermons, 130.2, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. 6)
18. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386): “Jesus then really suffered for all men; for the Cross was no illusion, otherwise our redemption is an illusion also. His death was not a mere show, for then is our salvation also fabulous. If His death was but a show, they were true who said, ‘We remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I rise again.’ He was crucified for our sins really; He rose again for our justification really.” (Catechetical Lectures, 13.6, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 7)
19. Leo the Great (c. 400–461): “The Lord’s Cross was the world’s redemption, for it was written, ‘Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree,’ that He might bear the curse which was due to us, and so deliver us from the curse of the law. For He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.” (Sermons, 54.3, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 12)
20. Maximus the Confessor (c. 580–662): “The Lord, by His Passion, has destroyed the passions, and by His death has put death to death. For since He was sinless, He was not subject to death according to the law of nature; but He submitted to death, that through His death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Ambigua, 41, Patrologia Graeca, Vol. 91)
21. John of Damascus (c. 675–749): “He endured the Cross, despising the shame, and for the joy that was set before Him, He humbled Himself even unto death, the death of the Cross. For it pleased Him to bear in His own body our sins upon the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed.” (On the Orthodox Faith, Book III, 27, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 9)
22. Ignatius of Antioch: “His Cross, and His death, and His resurrection, and the faith which is through Him, are my unpolluted monuments; and in these, through your prayers, I am willing to be sanctified. For he who is God, our Lord, was conceived in the womb by Mary, according to God’s plan, of the seed of David, yet by the Holy Ghost; who was born and was baptized, that by His Passion He might purify water.” (Epistle to the Ephesians, 18.2, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
23. Justin Martyr: “And that these things did happen, you can ascertain from the Acts of Pontius Pilate; and we will bring forward also the prophecies, and will prove that Christ was He who was foretold by them, even as He was delivered up to be crucified, and cried out before His Passion, ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’” (First Apology, 50, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
24. Irenaeus of Lyons: “He took up man into Himself, the invisible becoming visible, the impassible becoming passible, the Word becoming man, thus summing up all things in Himself: that as in the super-celestial, spiritual, and invisible things, the Word of God is supreme, so also in things visible and corporeal He might possess the supremacy, and, taking to Himself the pre-eminence, as well as constituting Himself Head of the Church, He might draw all things to Himself at the proper time.” (Against Heresies, Book III, 16.6, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
25. Tertullian: “For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. And He was crucified for us, that He might redeem us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, as it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.’” (On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 13, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3)
26. Origen: “And His blood was poured out for many for the remission of sins, as He Himself says, ‘This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’ For the blood of Jesus speaks better things than that of Abel, and through it we have access to the Father.” (Homilies on Leviticus, 7.2, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 9)
27. Cyprian of Carthage: “That Christ was to be made a sacrifice for our sins, it is written: ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; every one has turned to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’” (Treatise XII, Testimonies Against the Jews, 2.13, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5)
28. Athanasius of Alexandria: “For this cause, then, death having gained upon men, and corruption abiding upon them, the race of man was perishing; the rational man made in God’s image was disappearing, and the handiwork of God was in process of dissolution. For death, as I said above, gained from that time forth a legal hold over us, and it was impossible to evade it, since it had been legislated by God because of the transgression. But the Word of God, being immortal, took to Himself a body capable of death, that He might offer it as His own in the stead of all, and suffering for all, through His union with it, might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (On the Incarnation, 20, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 4)
29. Hilary of Poitiers: “He took upon Himself our flesh, that in it He might bear our sins, and in His Passion might pay the debt of our guilt. For it pleased God that in Him should all fulness dwell, and that through Him all things should be reconciled to Himself, whether things in earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (On the Trinity, Book IX, 11, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 9)
30. Basil the Great: “For He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, that with Him He might freely give us all things. For He was crucified for our sins, and rose again for our justification, that we, being dead to sins, might live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we were healed.” (Letters, 8.2, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 8)
31. Gregory of Nyssa: “For the first man, transgressing the commandment, brought in death; but the Lord, by His obedience, brought in life. For as the former was persuaded by the serpent, and so fell from life into death, so the latter, obeying the will of the Father, endured the Cross, despising the shame, and so brought us from death unto life.” (Against Eunomius, Book XII, 1, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 5)
32. Gregory Nazianzen: “He is lifted up and nailed to the Tree, but by the Tree of Life He restores us; yea, He saves even the Robber crucified with Him; He covers with shame the sun, and seals up the stars; He makes the earth to tremble and the rocks to rend; He dies, and is buried, and rises again the third day, and ascends into heaven, whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” (Orations, 45.23, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 7)
33. Ambrose of Milan: “For He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him; He was made a curse for us, that we might be delivered from the curse of the law. He suffered for all, that He might redeem all; He died for all, that all might live in Him.” (On the Holy Spirit, Book I, 9.100, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 10)
34. John Chrysostom: “For the Cross is the glory of Christ, and the cause of our salvation; for had He not been crucified, we had not been saved. For He bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (Homilies on Matthew, 88.1, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. 10)
35. Jerome: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Commentary on Isaiah, 53.5, Patrologia Latina, Vol. 24)
36. Augustine of Hippo: “For the death of the Lord was the condemnation of the devil; the death of the Lord was the redemption of man. For He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. Wherefore He suffered, that He might pay the debt which He owed not, and we might be loosed from the debt which we owed.” (Expositions on the Psalms, 22.7, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. 8)
37. Cyril of Jerusalem: “The Cross was no illusion; else our redemption were an illusion also. His death was not a mere show, for then is our salvation also fabulous. If His death was but a show, they were true who said, ‘We remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I rise again.’ He was crucified for our sins really; He rose again for our justification really.” (Catechetical Lectures, 13.22, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 7)
38. Leo the Great: “For the Son of God, taking upon Him our nature, but without our faults, endured the punishment due to our faults, that He might redeem us from the sentence of death by taking upon Him our mortality. For He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.” (Sermons, 59.4, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 12)
39. Maximus the Confessor: “For He became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross, that through His death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For He bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.” (Questions to Thalassius, 61, Patrologia Graeca, Vol. 90)
40. John of Damascus: “For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of His Cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. For He endured the Cross, despising the shame, and for the joy that was set before Him, He humbled Himself even unto death, the death of the Cross.” (On the Holy Images, Book I, 16, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 9)
41. Ignatius of Antioch: “For I know and believe that He was in the flesh even after the resurrection; and when He came to Peter and his company, He said to them, ‘Lay hold and handle me, and see that I am not a bodiless spirit.’ And straightway they touched Him, and believed, being convinced by His flesh and His spirit. For this cause also they despised death, nay, they were found superior to death. And after His resurrection He ate and drank with them as one in the flesh, though spiritually He was united with the Father.” (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, 3.2, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
42. Justin Martyr: “And that He would be sent into the world and be crucified, and die, and rise again, and ascend into heaven, was foretold by the prophets, as I have already shown you. For Isaiah says, ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth.’” (Dialogue with Trypho, 76, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
43. Irenaeus of Lyons: “For He came to save all through means of Himself—all, I say, who through Him are born again to God—infants, and children, and boys, and youths, and old men. He therefore passed through every age, becoming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants; a child for children, thus sanctifying those who are of this age, that He might be a perfect example for all; and so, likewise, He became a man for men, that He might sanctify men; and an old man for old men, that He might sanctify the aged, and be an example to all, even unto death, that He might show that no age is without the influence of His grace.” (Against Heresies, Book II, 22.4, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1)
44. Tertullian: “He was crucified, and that not without the Father’s will, as the Scripture says, ‘He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.’ For it pleased God that in Him should all fulness dwell, and that through Him all things should be reconciled to Himself, whether things in earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His Cross.” (On the Flesh of Christ, 5, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3)
45. Origen: “For the blood of Jesus, shed for the remission of sins, speaks better things than that of Abel. For Abel’s blood cried for vengeance, but the blood of Jesus cries for pardon. And through this blood we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, and access to the Father.” (Commentary on Luke, 22.44, Patrologia Graeca, Vol. 13)
46. Cyprian of Carthage: “That He was to suffer, and that His Passion was to be the redemption of the world, it is written: ‘He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth.’” (Treatise XII, Testimonies Against the Jews, 2.14, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5)
47. Athanasius of Alexandria: “For He suffered for us, that He might cleanse us from our sins; and He rose again for us, that He might give us the pledge of the Resurrection. For He bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed.” (Against the Arians, Discourse II, 55, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 4)
48. Gregory of Nyssa: “For the Cross was the means whereby death was destroyed, and life was restored to us. For as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so by the obedience of One, even unto the death of the Cross, life came to all.” (On the Life of Moses, Book II, 213, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 5)
49. Gregory Nazianzen: “He is bruised and wounded, but He heals every disease and every infirmity. He is lifted up and nailed to the Tree, but by the Tree of Life Hedeparture from the Father’s will, as it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.’” (Orations, 29.20, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 7)
50. John Chrysostom: “For this cause was He crucified, that He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For He bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (Homilies on Hebrews, 9.2, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. 14)
Mothers for Priests 