How the Cross Changed Death

That death has been destroyed, that the cross has become the victory over it, and that it has no more power but is truly dead, has no small proof, or rather a plain guarantee: it is despised by all Christ’s disciples. They all go on the attack against it and no longer fear it; by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ they trample it down as dead. In former times, before the Savior’s divine coming among us took place, death was terrible even to the saints, and everyone wept for the dead as though they had perished. But now that the Savior has raised his body, death is no longer terrible. All who believe in Christ trample it underfoot as nothing, and would rather die than deny their faith in Christ. For they truly know that when they die they are not destroyed, but actually begin to live, and become incorruptible through the resurrection. [a]

And the devil, who once gloated in his malice over death, now that its pains were loosed, remained the only one truly dead. A proof of this is that before people believe in Christ, they see death as something to dread and act like cowards before him. But once they have gone over to Christ’s faith and teaching, their contempt for death is so great that they even rush eagerly to meet it, and become witnesses to the resurrection the Savior has won over it. For while still young in years they hurry to die; and not men only, but women also, train themselves against it by bodily discipline. So weak has he become that even women, who were once deceived by him, now mock him as dead and paralyzed. When a usurper has been defeated by a true king and bound hand and foot, all who pass by laugh him to scorn, striking and reviling him, no longer fearing his fury and savagery because of the king who has conquered him. In the same way, since death has been conquered and exposed by the Savior on the cross, and bound hand and foot, all who are in Christ trample on him as they pass by. Bearing witness to Christ, they scoff at death and jeer at him, saying what was written against him long ago: “O death, where is your victory? O grave, where is your sting?”