He chose the cross not because it was noble but because it was the very death His enemies prepared for Him, and by conquering what they deemed most shameful He showed Himself Lord of every death. Today Athanasius leads us through the logic of the crucifixion—why He did not select a “glorious” death, why only the cross could bear the weight of salvation, and why resurrection on the third day struck the perfect blow against unbelief. Augustine then lifts our eyes to the long arc of sacred history, showing how Abraham, Israel, the prophets, and the nations converge in the fulfillment of Christ, while Aquinas clarifies why prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance truly stand as the great hinges of the moral life (John 12:32; Deuteronomy 21:23; Psalm 24:7; Matthew 22:37–39).

Readings:

Athanasius, On the Incarnation, Sections 24–26

Augustine, Letter on the Order of Salvation and the Testimony of History (Part 3)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 61, Article 4

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