How did the Lord Christ subjugate the devil?

• a. Through the incarnation, He crushed the throne of the devil. St. Ambrose says, “For holy Job prophesied of the coming of the Lord of Whom he said in truth that He would vanquish the great Leviathan (Job 41:8) and it was done. For that dread Leviathan that is, the devil, He smote, and struck down, and laid low in the last times by the adorable Passion of His own Body (Isa. 27:1).”⁷¹¹

• b. Through the incarnation, He crushed the heads of the dragon. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says: “Since, therefore, it was necessary to break the heads of the dragon in pieces (Ps. 74:14), He went down and bound the strong one in the waters, that we might receive power to tread upon serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19). The beast was great and terrible. No fishing-vessel was able to carry one scale of his tail (Job 40:26): destruction ran before him (Job 41:13), ravaging all that met him. The Life encountered him, that the mouth of Death might henceforth be stopped, and all we that are saved might say, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor. 15:55) The sting of death is drawn by Baptism.”⁷¹²

• c. Through the incarnation, we were liberated from the slavery of the devil. St. Dorotheos of Gaza says: “Having become man, then, for our sakes, God freed man from the Enemy’s tyranny. He took away his power, broke his strength, took us out of his hand, and freed us from slavery to him—unless we spontaneously choose to obey him by sinning. For the Lord gave us power, as he told us, to trample on serpents and scorpions and all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).”⁷¹³

• d. Through the incarnation, He defeated the devil and condemned sin in the flesh (Rom. 8:3). When the devil saw Jesus the Man, he coveted Him. But instead of snaring Him in the net of sin, he was shocked and terrified to discover that He lovingly bore the sins of all humanity. St. John Chrysostom says, “In the past, the devil

710 St. Gregory of Nyssa, Homilies on The Song of Songs , ed., Brian E. Daley S.J. and John T. Fitzgerald, trans., Richard A. Norris Jr. (Society of Biblical Literature, 2012) Homily 5: p. 177–179.

711 St. Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Christian Faith 5.2.30 (NPNF II/10:288).

712 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 3.11 (NPNF II/7:17).

713

St. Dorotheos of Gaza, Discourses and Sayings , trans., Eric P. Wheeler (Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1977) Discourse 1: p. 79.

destroyed Adam through a virgin; but now, the Lord Christ has defeated the devil through the Virgin.”

• e. Christ grants victory. St. Jerome sees the vision of the prophet Zechariah (Zech. 3:1–5) as a type of the Lord Christ. In the vision, Joshua (a type of Jesus) is clothed with filthy garments and Satan stands at His right-hand. In His love, Jesus stands in the place of Adam and his descendants, and when sin is taken away, a clean turban is placed on his head — this is our new condition in Christ Jesus our Savior.

Our secret weapon is the presence of the Lord Christ within us, for it is He who defeated the devil, and continues to defeat him through us. The Lord Christ Himself is our weapon, our victory, and our conquering over the devil and his army. The scholar Origen speaks of this. St. Ephrem the Syrian likens the devil to a wolf attacking the Lamb, Jesus, and devouring Him; but when death swallows Christ, it cannot contain Him; for He explodes it from within and liberates all those whom death had trapped within. St. Gregory of Nyssa likens the devil to a voracious fish that swallows the bait but is caught by the hook.⁷¹⁴ And Gregory the Great likens him to a bird attracted to the grain and thus snared in the net.⁷¹⁵

• f. Angels will receive us as victors in the Lord. Commenting on the temptation, it says, “Then the devil left Him, and behold angels came and ministered to Him” (Matt. 4:11). St. John Chrysostom says, “After your victories, which are copied from His, angels will receive you also, applauding you and waiting on you as guards in all things.”⁷¹⁶

• g. Through the Lord, images were turned from the worship of the devil to honoring the Incarnate . Images played a significant role in the worship of idols, drawing the hearts of many to the worship of the devil and other creatures. But now the Word has become flesh and dwelt among us (cf. John 1:14), sanctifying many as members of His body. Thus, icons became reminder of Him, and of the work of His grace in the lives of His saints who strive in the spirit of true love.

• h. The fire of the Spirit burns devils. After His ascension, Christ granted the Church the Holy Spirit of God who descended on the day of Pentecost in the form of fiery tongues. The fiery Spirit bestows upon the Church that which properly belongs to Christ Himself: victory over the devil. And He grants those who labor in the Church the gift of service by the power of that fiery Spirit; to rescue humanity from the kingdom of the devil’s compulsion and restore us to the kingdom of the Holy God.

• St. Jerome says, “If God is fire, He is fire in order to drive out the cold of the devil … let us pray the Lord that any hardness in us may soften, that our sins be purged,

714 J. Tixeront, History of Dogmas: Volume II (Christian Classics, 1984): p. 155.

715 Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job in Three Volumes 33.31 (LFHCC 31:586).

716 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew 13.5 (NPNF I/10:80) amended.

that we may become as fire, so the chill of the devil—what· ever there is of it in our hearts—may be expelled so that we may grow warm with the Holy Spirit.”⁷¹⁷

St. Macarius the Great says, “As sticks thrown into the fire cannot resist the power of the fire, but are forthwith burned up, so the devils desiring to fight with a man to whom the Spirit has been vouchsafed are burned and consumed by the divine power of the fire, if only the man is at all times cleaving to the Lord, and keeping his trust and his hope towards Him. And even if the devils are strong as strong mountains, they are burned by prayer, like wax by fire.”⁷¹⁸

St. Anthony the Great says, “I believe that those who have entered with all their heart, and have prepared themselves to endure all the trials of the enemy [the devil] until they prevail, are first called by the Spirit, who alleviates everything for them so that the work of repentance becomes sweet for them.”⁷¹⁹

• i. Victory over the devil is attained through faith. The believer enters into a hidden war with a hidden enemy who never rests. Placing our faith in the One who dwells in heaven, the Lover of humanity, the Savior of the world with His precious Blood, we face the enemy with the fear of the Lord who grants us divine power and glorious joy. Standing fast with a powerful spirit against the devil, the apostle John says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

One may ask, how can anyone overcome the love of the world, out which the devil strives to create a kingdom and an army against the Church, using all his temptations and tribulations? Only through our faith in our Lord Jesus, who defeated the devil, and who continues to defeat him through His work in us, and shall have the victory. So, if we hide ourselves in Him, the way becomes easy, the heavy burden becomes light (cf. Matt. 11:28–30), worldly temptations become as nothing to us, and the tribulations of the world become a cause of joy to us (cf. John 16:33).

Abba Macarius says, “Indeed it is impossible for anyone who firmly believes, who labours with devotion, to fall into the impurity of the passions and be led astray by the demons.”⁷²⁰

• j. Victory over the devil is attained through prayer and praise. Nothing supports us in our war against the devil and his angels more than prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God; for it is He who grants us victory in spiritual warfare. We should never cease

717 St. Jerome, The Homilies of Saint Jerome, Volume 1 (1–59 on the Psalms) 57 (FOTC 48:414–415).

718 St. Macarius the Great, Fifty Spiritual Homilies of St. Macarius the Egyptian , trans., A. J. Mason (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1921) Sermon 43.3: p. 270.

719 St. Anthony the Great, The Letters of St. Antony , trans., Samuel Rubenson (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995) Letter 1.18–19: p. 198.

720 Macarius the Great, 20 in Benedicta Ward, ed., The Desert Christian: The Sayings of the Desert Fathers . trans., Benedicta Ward (MacMillan, 1975): p. 131.

from praying for our victory, and for the victory of our brothers and sisters; for through prayer and love, God gives them His help and grace.

“It was said of Abba Theodore [of Pherme] that when he settled down at Scetis, a demon came to him wanting to enter his cell, but he bound him to the outside of his cell. Once more another demon tried to enter, and he bound him too. A third demon came as well, and finding the other two bound, said to them, ‘Why are you standing outside like this?’ They said to him, ‘He is sitting inside, and will not let us enter.’ So the demon tried to enter by force. The old man bound him too. Fearing the prayers of the old man, they begged him, saying, ‘Let us go,’ and the old man said to them, ‘Go away.’ Then they went off covered with confusion.”⁷²¹

St. Isaac the Syrian says, “Praying the psalms, the Lord’s prayer to our heavenly Father, and the recitation of spontaneous prayers asking for mercy, aid, and salvation — these three are like three arrows that pierce devils and kill them.”⁷²²

St. Arsenius says, “Do not cease from prayer lest the demons find a place to sow weeds in your field (Matt. 13:25). Do not pity your body and let it sleep, but rouse it for praise. If you do not know how to praise, then thank God and say: ‘Glory be to You O Lord.’ Repeat these words many times; if you are able, repeat a thousand times, ‘Glory be to You O Lord!’ and the Lord will send His angel to help you cast away the demons. And do not fear them (Isa. 8:12), for He has assigned to you a guardian angel, as the Bible says: “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Ps. 34:7). In another place it says, ‘For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways’ (Ps. 91:11). Do not put your hope in the angels alone, saying, ‘they guard me.’ Rather, do not cease from prayer for it their responsibility to record your righteousness and to offer it to God. Guard yourself against laziness, for it makes the body heavy and keeps it from prayer. Strive in prayer and fasting, for nothing makes the demons flee like prayer (Mark 9:29). If they hinder you from sleeping at night, or torment and disturb you, then rise and pray that you may drive them away like dust (Ps. 37:20), and you will find rest. Do not say that the hour of prayer has not yet come. Do not cease from prayer at all times, because prayer is an arrow that expels demons. Even if Satan appears like a morning star before your eyes, be certain that the one who appeared is not the Lord, but Satan, trying to distract your attention with wonders.”

“If you pray, do not hurry, but contemplate on the One before whom you stand. Walk quietly and increase your prayer, for prayer is like an arrow that drives away demons,

721 Theodore of Pherme, 27 in Benedicta Ward, ed., The Desert Christian: The Sayings of the Desert Fathers trans., Benedicta Ward (MacMillan, 1975): p. 78. 722 St. Isaac the Syrian, Part 1, Homily 5.

who will wail and flee. If you want to visit someone, pray to God saying, ‘For this purpose, O Lord, I go out of my cell.’”