Answer:
The early Christian fathers believed that Jesus Christ was triumphant over the hostile forces of sin, death, and the devil.
Explanation:
Alister McGrath, an American Theologian and author of many books including "Christianity: An Introduction" wrote about the Christian faith and its interpretations. His books on the Christian belief all provide a good deal of understanding and insight to the faith.
He gave a detailed discussion on the idea of the cross as representative of a victory, a victory of Christ over evil and the many sins that engulfs man. Christ's victory was also depicted as a great procession of a triumphant celebration. He implied that the early Christian Fathers understood the victory of Christ as something over the overbearing and hostile forces of the devil, sin and death.
