The answer
God does not die, for divinity does not die.
The Master Christ, however, is not divinity alone. He is united with humanity, which is composed of a human body and a human soul, exactly like our human nature, which is susceptible to death.
When He died on the Cross, He suffered death in the flesh (in His humanity). This is why we say at the Prayer of the Ninth Hour, “O You Who tasted death in the flesh at the time of the ninth hour...”
His death was not contradictory to His divinity, because the divinity is alive by its nature and does not die. Also, He willed for His humanity to die as a pleasing burnt offering, and for the redemption of the world.
As for who governed the universe while He was dead, the answer is:
It was His divinity that was governing the universe, for it did not die, nor was it affected at all by the death of the flesh. The divinity is present in all places, and is also in Heaven (John 3:13).
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Pope Tawadros II, My Faith: A Series of Dialogues on the Creed (Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, 2014), 99.
The page in the book (99)
