Vigils Reading – St Athanasius

HE HIGHLY

EXALTED HIM

By St Athanasius

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Since…the Word, being the Image of the Father and immortal, took the

form of a servant, and as man underwent for us death in His flesh, that thereby

He might offer Himself for us through death to the Father; therefore also, as

man, He is said because of us and for us to be highly exalted, that as by His death

we all died in Christ, so again in the Christ Himself we might be highly exalted,

being raised from the dead, and ascending into heaven, “where the forerunner

is for us entered, not into the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to

appear in the presence of God for us.”

But if now for us the Christ is entered into heaven itself, though He was

even before and always Lord of the heavens, for us therefore is that present

exaltation also written. And as He Himself, who sanctifies all, says also that He

sanctifies Himself to the Father for our sakes, not that the Word may become

holy, but that He Himself may in Himself sanctify all of us, in like manner we

must take the present phrase, “He highly exalted Him“, not that He Himself

should be exalted, for He is the highest, but that He may become righteousness

for us; and we may be exalted in Him, and that we may enter the gates of heaven,

which He has also opened for us, the forerunners saying, “Lift up your heads, O

gates, and be lift up everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.“

For here also not on Him were shut the gates, who is Lord and Maker of all, but

because of us is this too written, to whom the door of paradise was shut. And

therefore in a human relation, because of the flesh which He bore, it is said of

Him, “Lift up, O gates” “and the King of Glory shall come in”, as if humanity

were entering; but in a divine relation on the other hand it is said of Him, since

the “Word was God“, that He is the “Lord” and the “King of Glory”. For as

Christ died and was exalted as man, so, as man, is He said to take what, as God

He ever had, that even this so high a grant of grace might reach to us.