ACC ~ 1 Peter 4 v1

CHRIST DID NOT DIE IN HIS DIVINITY. ATHANASIUS: The apostle did not say that Christ died in his divinity but in his flesh, so as to emphasize that it was not his divine nature which suffered but his human one. The sufferings are those of the one to whom the body belongs. Since the flesh belonged to the Word, the sufferings of the flesh must be attributed to the Word as well. CATENA.

I GAVE MY BACK TO LASHES. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: In order that Christ might be believed to be the Savior of all, according to their appropriation of his incarnation, he assumed the sufferings of his own flesh, as was foretold in Isaiah [50:6]: “I gave my back to lashes, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; I did not turn away my face from the disgrace of their spittings.” LETTERS 39.

UNION OF TWO NATURES. SEVERUS OF ANTIOCH: By proclaiming that he would suffer and die in the flesh, Christ was indicating that he was passible in his flesh but impassible in his divinity. The ineffable union of the two natures did not cut him in two, for he remains one Lord, one Christ and one Son, one person and one hypostasis, that of the Word incarnate. By becoming man he became capable of suffering and death, but in the divine nature which he had from eternity he remained impassible and consubstantial with the Father and the Son. But insofar as he was consubstantial with us also, he was able to partake of our sufferings and did so willingly and in truth. CATENA.

COMFORT TO SUFFERERS. BEDE: The apostle Peter gave this comfort to those of us who are bound by the chains of persecution. ON ACTS 12:7.

ABSTAINING FROM SIN. BEDE: There can be no doubt that the saints who submitted their bodies to martyrdom at the hands of violent persecutors abstained from sin as far as they could, right up to the end of their lives. For who would have time to think about sinning if he were being crucified, stoned, thrown to the lions, burnt at the stake, buried alive with scorpions or whatever? Would such a person not be much more focused on obtaining an eternal crown of glory as soon as sufferings of that kind were over? Peter exhorts us all to have the same attitude. ON 1 PETER.

FROM HIS WOUNDS FLOW SALVATION. NICETA OF REMESIANA: Christ did not suffer in his divinity but in his flesh. God can never suffer. Christ suffered in the flesh, as the apostle teaches, so that from his wounds might flow salvation to humanity. This was foretold by the prophet Isaiah: Christ suffered for our sins so that grace might be given to us. EXPLANATION OF THE CREED 5.

1 Pet