The heavenly hosts and the breaking of the gates of Hades

My life is a destruction toward you, Lord my God. Having heard these things, the all-ruling God, Christ, did not consider it just to share his own household only with those who are upon him and with him through philanthropy, but also with those held in Hades before his coming, and those sitting in darkness, the shadows of death.

Therefore, because men were in the flesh, the God Word visited them through flesh; but for souls separated from bodies through his divine and incorruptible soul in Hades, he shone upon them, being a body but not having been separated from divinity. Let us then hasten with the mind and walk upon Hades, so that we may see how there he once, the one mightier in power than the one ruling by power, overpowers the power of the ruler, and with his lightning, a people of an entire army, handles those immortal ranks of phalanxes without hands.

He broke through the doorless bed in the middle, and the un-wooden gates, Christ having smashed the door with the wood of the cross, having crushed and smashed the eternal levers with the divine tools; and having dissolved the unloosed chains like wax with divine hands; and having pierced the incorporeal heart of the tyrant with the God-pierced spear. There he crushed the strength of the bows, when by the cross he stretched out the sinews of the archers by hand.

Therefore, if you follow Christ in stillness, you will now see where he bound the tyrant; where he hung up this one's head; how he dug up the prison, where he led out the prisoners; how he trampled the serpent, and where he hung up the skull; how he freed Adam, and how he raised up Eve, and how he dissolved the partition, and how he judged the bitter dragon, and how he set up the unshakeable trophies; where he killed death, and how he destroyed corruption, and how he restored man to his ancient dignity.

He who yesterday, in an economical way, was requesting the legions of angels and saying to Peter, 'I am not able right now to present more than twelve legions of angels,' today, in a God-befitting, both peaceful and warlike and lordly way, descends below Hades and death; and through death, he conquers the tyrant, possessing not merely twelve legions, but myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands of angels, powers, thrones without number, six-winged, wingless, many-multitudinous, and uncounted, heavenly.

Regarding the ranks: as if she were merely escorting, guarding, and honoring Christ as a master, not as allies—away with that! For what kind of alliance does the Almighty Christ require? Rather, because certain bodyguards, soldiers, and bright scepter-bearers, who are always obligated and loving toward their own God and Master, must stand by Him, being sharp in divine scepter-bearing, rushing quickly at the mere signal to one another, leading the action together by command, and having cut off the victory from the enemies and lawless ranks.

Therefore, having also run together as companions to God and Master toward the things in Hades and the underworlds, and the deeper parts of all the earth, the subterranean dwellings of those asleep from eternity, leading out in courage those leveled since the age. Just as the all-door, sunless, and all-dark prisons and dwellings of Hades, the caves, are seized by the bright presence of the Lord's people, Gabriel the arch-strategos rushes ahead; as one who is from the custom of bringing the joyful gospel to men and certain words most archangelic and most strategic, a bright and lion-like voice toward the opposing powers, saying: 'Lift up your gates, O your rulers'; with whom Michael also cries: 'And rise, eternal gates.'

Then the powers say: 'Stand back, lawless gatekeepers'; then authority after authority: 'Be shattered, unyielding chains'; and another: 'Be ashamed, opposing enemies'; and another: 'Be terrified, lawless tyrants.' And just as a shuddering and tumult and deadly fear falls upon the enemies from the deployment of a certain fearsome and ungraspable, almighty, royal, triumphal army, so also it happened suddenly at those in Hades and in the underworlds by the presence of the unconquerable Christ; a darkness like lightning from above, darkening the eyes of the opposing powers of Hades, and hearing thunderous shouting and armies commanding, saying: 'Lift up your gates, O your rulers.' For you did not merely open, but you lifted these up from their very foundations, you uprooted them, you moved them so they can no longer close: 'Lift up your gates, O your rulers.' Not as if the present Master were unable, and the doors...