from Athansius, On the Incarnation of the Word of God,
chapter 6

FITTING indeed, then, and wholly consonant was the
death on the cross for us; and we can see how
reasonable it was, and why it is that the salvation of
the world could be accomplished in no other way. Even
on the cross He did not hide Himself from sight;
rather, He made all creation witness to the presence
of its Maker. Then, having once let it be seen that it
was truly dead, He did not allow that temple of His
body to linger long, but forthwith on the third day
raised it up, impassible and incorruptible, the pledge
and token of His victory.
§ 27
A very strong proof of this destruction of death and
its conquest by the cross is supplied by a present
fact, namely this. All the disciples of Christ despise
death; they take the offensive against it and, instead
of fearing it, by the sign of the cross and by faith
in Christ trample on it as on something dead. Before
the divine sojourn of the Saviour, even the holiest of
men were afraid of death, and mourned the dead as
those who perish But now that the Saviour has raised
His body, death is no longer terrible, but all those
who believe in Christ tread it underfoot as nothing,
and prefer to die rather than to deny their faith in
Christ, knowing full well that when they die they do
not perish, but live indeed, and become incorruptible
through the resurrection. But that devil who of old
wickedly exulted in death, now that the pains of death
are loosed, he alone it is who remains truly dead.
There is proof of this too ; for men who, before they
believe in Christ, think death horrible and are afraid
of it, once they are converted despise it so
completely that they go eagerly to meet it, and
themselves become witnesses of the Saviour's
resurrection from it. Even children hasten thus to
die, and not men only, but women train themselves by
bodily discipline to meet it. So weak has death become
that even women, who used to be taken in by it, mock
at it now as a dead thing robbed of all its strength.
Death has become like a tyrant who has been completely
conquered' by the legitimate monarch; bound hand and
foot the passers-by jeer at him, hitting him and
abusing him, no longer afraid of his cruelty and rage,
because of the king who has conquered him. So has
death been conquered and branded for what it is by the
Saviour on the cross. It is bound hand and foot, all
who are in Christ trample it as they pass and as
witnesses to Him deride it, scoffing and saying, " O
Death, where is thy victory? 0 Grave, where is thy
sting?" (1 Cor. 15. 55)