The Fisherman's Bait

In the manner of death. For nature does not do these things, but power accomplishes them. Being God, therefore, I descended into a human body. This was first contrary to nature; but it did not happen through nature as an impossibility, because it lay within my authority, the one who created nature.

I also consented again for the body itself to fall into general death, so that life, mastering death, might demonstrate its energy within that death. The living is not wonderful, but the dead living is this great and paradoxical thing. Therefore I also consented to be dissolved, and after being dissolved I rose, so that I might show that even after the body was subjected to death, I remained thus impassive, because I raised not only my own body, but also the bodies of the sleeping righteous together with me.

Voluntarily, therefore, through philanthropy I undergo death, but voluntarily, according to some economy, I feign cowardice. For I feign cowardice so that I might deceive death. Just as in the desert, if I had not become hungry, the devil would not have approached (Matt 4:3). But because of this I became hungry, so that, not thinking there was another Adam, he might bring the beast. Thus also here, because of this, I offer the word of cowardice as bait, so that I might hook death for myself.

For when the devil saw many signs having been performed: paralyzing nerves, joining tongues that were wandering, opening deaf ears, giving sight to the blind, turning the surge of the sea into calm, drying up the bleeding springs by the touch of the vessel, raising Lazarus by the word (John 11:43), raising the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:41), calling up the son of the widow from the dead (Luke 7:14); all these things having seen and having been persuaded by these deeds, that I am the Son of God having appeared in the form of man according to the prophecy of the prophets, he fears and is terrified to crucify me and hand me over to death, lest, having entered under the form of a dead man, I might free the dead.

What then do I do, so that I might also transform the cowardice of the devil into madness and make him attack death? I flee so that he may pursue, I feign cowardice so that he may be emboldened; I use lowly words so that, thinking me one of many, he may rush upon and overwhelm me. For if he does not overwhelm me, he will not be able to overwhelm those who are laid upon me. Therefore I speak words of cowardice, in order to—

Having deceived the deceiver, I will undo the deception. That one deceived Adam with deceitful words; I deceive the deceiver with cowardly words. But he spoke words to deceivers in order to destroy man, while I speak words of cowardice in order to free the inhabited world.

I am a fisherman fishing. For just as a fisherman, having placed a worm on a hook, extends the rod and sometimes gives the hook and sometimes pulls and withdraws, so that by showing the fleeing worm he might prepare to strike the fish, so also I, having placed the body like a worm on the hook of my divinity—for I am a worm and not a man—sometimes pull death as a coward, and sometimes give the hook as a brave man, so that the devil, as a fish falling upon the worm, that is, coming upon the flesh, might secretly fall upon the hook of divinity and, having fallen, be pulled, so that what was said by Job might be fulfilled upon him: 'You shall draw a dragon with a hook' (Job 41:1).

Therefore, not fearing death, I said: 'My soul is in great distress' (Psalm 91:7). Nor do I say I am cowardly to suffer: 'Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me' (Matthew 26:39). For I do all things so that death might not escape me. I act cowardly as a man, so that having laid it down as a man, I may work as God.

I have used lowly words, so that by consuming my leaven of the flesh, he might find the coal of divinity fiercely burning him. I act cowardly so that my body might chew a grain of mustard seed, and he will find the sharpness of divinity severely tormenting him. I act cowardly so that he might swallow me as a man. For if he swallows me, he will find the hard rock of divinity crushing his teeth, so that what is written might be fulfilled upon him: 'God will crush his teeth in his mouth' (Psalm 3:7).

Therefore, I hide the authority of the divinity and put forward the cowardice of the flesh, so that he might not be hunted by the power of divinity, but might be cast down by the weakness of the body. For lest he think highly of himself as being defeated by God, for this reason I deceive him through the flesh, so that he might be attacked through those things by which he planned to attack. I therefore conquer him through the weakness of the body, so that he might not think highly of himself as being rebuked by divine power. For that which is by the divinity...