and in another passage he makes his thought still clearer to the Philippians (2.10), to whom be says, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." In that passage he includes in one appellation the centre and projecting arms , calling "things in earth" all that is in the middle between things in heaven and things under the earth. Such is the lesson we learn in regard to the mystery of the Cross. And the subsequent events which the narrative contains follow so appropriately that, as even unbelievers must admit, there is nothing in them adverse to the proper conceptions of the Deity. That He did not abide in death, that the wounds which His body had received from the iron of the nails and spear offered no impediment to His rising again, that after His resurrection He showed Himself as He pleased to His disciples, that when He wished to be present with them He was in their midst without being seen, as needing no entrance through open doors, and that He strengthened the disciples by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and that He promised to be amongst them, and that no partition wall should intervene between them and Him, and that to the sight He ascended to Heaven while to the mind He was everywhere; all these, and whatever like facts the history of Him comprises, need no assistance from arguments to show that they are signs of deity and of a sublime and supereminent power. With regard to them therefore I do not deem it necessary to go into any detail, inasmuch as their description of itself shows the supernatural character. But since the dispensation of the washing (whether we choose to call it baptism, or illumination, or regeneration; for we make the name no subject of controversy) is a part of our revealed doctrines, it may be as well to enter on a short discussion of this as well.

καὶ σαφέστερον ἑτέρωθι τὸ τοιοῦτον νόημα πρὸς Φιλιππησίους͵ οἶμαι͵ ποιεῖ οἷς φησὶν ὅτι Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψει ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων. ἐνταῦθα τὴν μέσην κεραίαν μιᾷ προσηγορίᾳ διαλαμβάνει͵ πᾶν τὸ διὰ μέσου τῶν ἐπουρανίων καὶ ὑποχθονίων ὀνομάσας ἐπίγειον. τοῦτο μεμαθήκαμεν περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ μυστήριον. τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου τοιαῦτα κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον περιέχει ὁ λόγος͵ ὡς ὁμολογεῖσθαι καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀπίστων μηδὲν ἀλλότριον εἶναι τῆς θεοπρεποῦς ὑπολήψεως. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἐμμεῖναι τῷ θανάτῳ͵ καὶ τὰς διὰ τοῦ σιδήρου κατὰ τοῦ σώματος γενομένας πληγὰς μηδὲν ἐμπόδιον πρὸς τὸ εἶναι ποιήσασθαι͵ κατ΄ ἐξουσίαν τε φαίνεσθαι μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῖς μαθηταῖς͵ ὅτε βούλοιτο παρεῖναί τε αὐτοῖς μὴ ὁρώμενον καὶ ἐν μέσῳ γίγνεσθαι͵ μηδὲν τῆς εἰσόδου τῆς διὰ τῶν θυρῶν προσδεόμενον͵ ἐνισχύειν τε τοὺς μαθητὰς τῇ προσφυσήσει τοῦ πνεύματος͵ ἐπαγγέλλεσθαί τε καὶ τὸ μετ΄ αὐτῶν εἶναι͵ καὶ μηδενὶ μέσῳ διατειχίζεσθαι͵ καὶ τῷ μὲν φαινομένῳ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνιέναι͵ τῷ δὲ νοουμένῳ πανταχοῦ εἶναι͵ καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα περιέχει ἡ ἱστορία͵ οὐδὲν τῆς ἐκ τῶν λογισμῶν συμμαχίας προσδέεται πρὸς τὸ θεῖά τε εἶναι καὶ τῆς ὑψηλῆς καὶ ὑπερεχούσης δυνάμεως. περὶ ὧν οὐδὲν οἶμαι δεῖν καθ΄ ἕκαστον διεξιέναι͵ αὐτόθεν τοῦ λόγου τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν ἐμφαίνοντος. ἀλλ΄ ἐπειδὴ μέρος τι τῶν μυστικῶν διδαγμάτων καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὸ λουτρόν ἐστιν οἰκονομία͵ ὃ εἴτε βάπτισμα εἴτε φώτισμα εἴτε παλιγγενεσίαν βούλοιτό τις ὀνομάζειν͵ οὐδὲν πρὸς τὴν ὀνομασίαν διαφερόμεθα͵ καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι καὶ περὶ τούτου βραχέα διεξελθεῖν. 

Cf. PLATO : A moving image of eternity ||| ATHANASIUS THE GREAT : To cure and teach the suffering ||| ROMANOS MELODOS : Rejoice O bride unmarried ||| Christ is Risen