A.  There shall no satiety of holy teachings ever come to them who are truly sound in mind and who have gathered the life-giving knowledge into their understanding. For it is written, Not by bread alone shall a man live but by every word that goeth forth through the mouth of God. For the mind's nourishment and spiritual bread which stayeth man's heart, as is sung in the book of Psalms, is the word which is from God.

B.  You say well.

A. The wise therefore and eloquent among the Greeks admire elegancy of speech, and good language is among their chiefest aims and they make their boast in mere refinements of words and revel in bombast of language : and their poets have for their material falsehood, wrought by proportions and measures unto what is graceful and tuneful; but of the truth they reck full little, sick with a scarcity of right and profitable doctrine, I mean regarding God Who is by Nature and truly, yea rather as the most holy Paul says, They became vain in their imaginations and their heart void of understanding was darkened. Saying that they were wise they became foolish and changed the glory of the Incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things.

B. True, verily of them said God by the voice of Isaiah, Know ye that their heart is ashes and they are deceived.

A. Thus much for them : but they who have become inventors of unholy heresies, profane and apostate and enlarging their unbridled mouth against the Divine glory and uttering things perverted, will be caught as having of their folly slipped into charges not slighter than those of the infatuation of the Greeks or haply into charges even surpassing theirs. For it were better for them not to have known the way of truth than having known it to turn back from the holy commandment given to them : for the true proverb hath come to them, The dog returned to his own vomit, and, The washed sow to the wallowing in the mire. For they parted amongst themselves the charges of blasphemy against Christ and like fierce and bitter wolves they waste the flocks for which Christ died, and despoil what is His, multiplying to themselves that which is not theirs, as it is written, and weighting their yoke heavily, of whom may be said with much reason, They went out from us but they were not of us. 

B. Surely.

A. Seasonably does our discourse contend about such things. For some in their lack of understanding do bring down the Only-Begotten Word of God from His Supreme Excellence and lower Him from Equality with God the Father, affirming that He is not Consubstantial, nor liking to crown Him with an Identity Exact and of Nature : others going as it were along the same road with these and falling into the snare of death and pitfall of Hades turn aside the mystery of the Economy with flesh of the Only-Begotten and pursue a folly fraternal (so to speak) with the former. For the one will be caught dragging down as it were (so far as in them lies) from the heights of His Godhead the Word sprung of God the Father ere yet Incarnate; the others have elected to make war with Him Incarnate, well-nigh finding fault (daring ones!) with His Pitying grace, maintaining forsooth that it counselled not well for that He underwent flesh and the measures of our emptiness, i. e. was made man and was seen on earth and conversed with men though God by Nature and co-seated with the Father. 

B. You say rightly.

A.  God-inspired Scripture therefore will cry out against the unlearning of them both, setting forth to us the truth and shewing that feeble and of none account is their speech, and establishing on the path of the Godhead them who are used to view with subtil and accurate eye of understanding the Mystery thereof. But who they will be who in unhallowed wise debase the so august and ineffable Economy of the Saviour (for you seem to be in no small degree troubled about this very thing) I would fain ask you.

B.  You testify rightly, for with jealousy am I jealous for the Lord, and, yet more, goaded am I distraught and that exceedingly. And I fear when I look whither their words will end. For they adulterate the faith that was delivered to us, using the inventions of the new-seen dragon and pouring like venom into the souls of the simpler certain frigid and perverse things and full of infatuation.

A. But who is this new-seen dragon and what his triflings against the doctrines of the Truth tell to me who ask.

B. The new-seen dragon, this crooked one and who has his tongue drunk with venom, who all-but bids farewell to the tradition of the initiators of the world, yea rather to all the God-inspired Scripture, and who innovates what seems good to him and says that the holy Virgin is not Mother of God, but mother of Christ and mother of man, bringing in moreover other things discordant and senseless, upon the right and sincere doctrines of the Catholic Church.

A. You say (I ween) Nestorius, for I understand, but I do not know, my friend, the actual state of his words: how does he say that the holy Virgin is not Mother of God?

B. She bare not (he says) God: for the Word was before her too, yea rather before every age and time, Co-eternal with God the Father.

A. They will therefore manifestly deny this too, that Emmanuel is God, and to no purpose as it seems, does the Evangelist interpret the name saying, Which is interpreted, With us is God, for thus did God the Father clearly affirm through the voice of the Prophet that He was to be called Who has been born of the holy Virgin after the flesh, as God Incarnate.

B. Yet it appears to them to be not so, but they would say that with us is God or the Word out of God, in the way of succouring us: for He hath saved all under heaven through him who was born of woman.

A.  And was He not (tell me) with Moses too freeing Israel from the land of the Egyptians and the tyranny there, in a strong hand and a high arm, as it is written? shall we not find Him after this also saying clearly to Joshua, And as I was with Moses so will I be with thee too?

Α: Μαθημάτων μὲν τῶν ἱερῶν κόρος ἂν γένοιτο παντελῶς οὐδεὶς τοῖς γε ἀληθῶς ἀρτίφροσι καὶ γνῶσιν εἰς νοῦν τὴν ζωοποιὸν συναγηγερκόσι. Γέγραπται γάρ· Ὅτι οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ. Τροφὴ γὰρ νοῦ ὁ λόγος ὁ παρὰ Θεοῦ καὶ ἄρτος πνευματικὸς στηρίζων ἀνθρώπου καρδίαν, κατὰ τὸ ἐν βίβλῳ Ψαλμῶν ὑμνούμενον.

Β: Εὖ λέγεις.

Α: Ἑλλήνων μὲν οὖν οἱ σοφοὶ καὶ λογάδες τεθαυμάκασι τὸ καλλιεπές, καὶ τῶν ὅτι μάλιστα κατεσπουδασμένων παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐστι τὸ εὐηγορεῖν, καὶ ψιλαῖς ῥημάτων ἐπαυχοῦσι κομψείαις, καὶ τὸ τῆς λέξεως ἐναβρύνονται κόμπῳ. Καὶ ὕλη μὲν ποιηταῖς τὸ ψεῦδος, ῥυθμοῖς καὶ μέτροις εἰς τὸ ἐπίχαρί τε καὶ ἐμμελὲς ἐκτετορευμένον, ὀλίγη δὲ παντελῶς τῆς ἀληθείας φροντίς, ἠρρωστήκασι δὲ καὶ σπάνιν ὀρθῆς καὶ ὀνησιφόρου δόξης, τῆς ἐπί γε, φημί, τῷ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ ἀληθῶς ὄντι Θεῷ, μᾶλλον δὲ καθά φησιν ὁ ἱερώτατος Παῦλος· Ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία. Φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοί, ἐμωράνθησαν, καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου Θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν.

Β: Ἀληθές. Ἔφη γοῦν περὶ αὐτῶν διὰ φωνῆς Ἠσαίου Θεός· Γνῶτε ὅτι σποδὸς ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν, καὶ πλανῶνται.

Α: Ἀλλ' ὧδε μὲν τὰ ἐκείνων. Οἵ γε μὴν τῶν ἀνοσίων αἱρέσεων εὑρεταὶ γεγονότες, οἱ βέβηλοί τε καὶ ἀποστάται, καὶ τῆς θείας δόξης τὸ ἀκρατὲς ἑαυτῶν κατευρύνοντες στόμα καὶ λαλοῦντες τὰ διεστραμμένα, καταφωραθεῖεν ἂν οὐκ ἐν μείοσι γραφαῖς τῆς Ἑλλήνων ἀβελτηρίας ἐξ ἀπονοίας ὠλισθηκότες ἢ τάχα που καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπέκεινα. Κρεῖττον γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐπεγνωκέναι τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀληθείας ἢ ἐπεγνωκόσιν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀνακάμψαι ἀπὸ τῆς δοθείσης αὐτοῖς ἁγίας ἐντολῆς. Γέγονε γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς ἀληθοῦς παροιμίας, Κύων ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐξέραμα, καὶ ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κύλισμα βορβόρου. ∆ιεμερίσαντο γὰρ τῆς κατὰ Χριστοῦ δυσφημίας τὰ ἐγκλήματα, καὶ οἷά τινες λύκοι δριμεῖς καὶ πικροί, διαλυμαίνονται τοῖς ποιμνίοις ὑπὲρ ὧν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανε, καὶ διαρπάζουσι τὰ αὐτοῦ, πληθύνοντες ἑαυτοῖς τὰ οὐκ ὄντα αὐτῶν, καθὰ γέγραπται, καὶ βαρύνοντες τὸν κλοιὸν αὐτῶν στιβαρῶς, περὶ ὧν ἂν λέγοιτο καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· Ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν.

Β: Οὐγαροῦν.

Α: Ἀλλ' εἰς καιρὸν ἡμῖν ὁ περί γε τῶν τοιούτων κρίνεται λόγος. Κατακομίζουσι μὲν γὰρ ἀσυνέτως τινὲς τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον τῆς ὑπερτάτης ὑπεροχῆς, καὶ ὑποβιβάζουσι τῆς ἰσότητος τῆς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα καὶ Θεόν, οὐχ ὁμοούσιον εἶναι λέγοντες αὐτόν, οὔτε μὴν φυσικῇ καὶ ἀπαραλλάκτῳ ταυτότητι στεφανοῦν ἐθέλοντες. Ἕτεροι δὲ τοῖς ὠνομασμένοις τὴν αὐτὴν ὥσπερ ἐρχόμενοι τρίβον, καὶ εἰς παγίδα θανάτου καὶ εἰς πέταυρον ᾅδου κατολισθαίνοντες, τῆς μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίας τοῦ Μονογενοῦς παρευθύνουσι τὸ μυστήριον, καὶ ἀδελφὴν ὥσπερ τοῖς πρώτοις ἐπιτηδεύουσι τὴν ἀπόνοιαν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὔπω σεσαρκωμένον τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς φύντα Λόγον τῶν τῆς θεότητος ὑψωμάτων μονονουχὶ κατασύροντες, τό γε ἧκον ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, ἁλοῖεν ἄν. Οἱ δὲ καὶ σεσαρκωμένῳ πολεμεῖν ἐγνώκασι, μονονουχὶ καὶ ἐπιτιμῶντες, οἱ θρασεῖς, τῇ φιλανθρώπῳ χάριτι, οὐκ ὀρθὰ βεβουλεῦσθαι τάχα που διατεινόμενοι, διὰ τὸ ἀνασχέσθαι σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν τῆς κενώσεως μέτρων, ἤγουν ὅτι γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνεστράφη, καίτοι Θεὸς ὢν φύσει καὶ σύνεδρος τῷ Πατρί.

Β: Ἔφης μὲν ὀρθῶς.

Α: Κατακεκράξεται δ' οὖν τῆς ἐν ἀμφοῖν ἀμαθίας ἡ θεόπνευστος Γραφὴ πρεσβεύουσα τἀληθές, καὶ τὸν μὲν παρ' ἐκείνοις λόγον ἀδρανῆ καὶ ἀσύφηλον ἀποφαίνουσα, ἐφιστᾶσα δὲ ταῖς τῆς θεότητος τρίβοις τοὺς ἰσχνῷ τε καὶ ἀκριβεῖ διανοίας ὄμματι καταθρεῖν εἰωθότας τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῷ μυστήριον. Τίνες δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ τὴν οὕτω σεπτὴν καὶ ἀπόρρητον τοῦ Σωτῆρος οἰκονομίαν ἀνοσίως κεκιβδηλευκότεςἔοικας γὰρ οὐ μετρίως ἐπ' αὐτῷ δὴ τούτῳ δυσφορεῖν, ἐθέλοιμ' ἂν διαπυθέσθαι σου.

Β: ∆ιατεκμαίρῃ καλῶς. Ζηλῶν γὰρ ἐζήλωσα τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ πρός γε τουτὶ κατατεθηγμένος ἀλύω καὶ σφόδρα. Τὸ δὲ ὅποι ποτὲ καταστρέψουσιν οἱ παρ' ἐκείνων λόγοι, δέδια καθορῶν. Τὴν γάρ τοι παραδοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν νοθεύουσι πίστιν, δράκοντος ἀρτιφανοῦς εὑρήμασι κεχρημένοι, καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἁπλουστέρων ψυχαῖς ἰοῦ δίκην ἐγχέοντες ψυχρά τινα καὶ διεστραμμένα καὶ ἀβελτηρίας ἔμπλεω.

Α: Εἶτα τίς ὁ ἀρτιφανής ἐστι δράκων, ὁποῖα δὲ ἄττα τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ πεφλυαρημένα κατὰ τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας δογμάτων, ἐρομένῳ φράσον.

Β: Ἀρτιφανὴς μὲν δράκων, ὁ σκολιὸς οὑτοσὶ καὶ ἰῷ μεθύουσαν ἔχων τὴν γλῶτταν, ὁ τῇ παραδόσει τῶν τῆς οἰκουμένης μυσταγωγῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ μονονουχὶ χαίρειν εἰπών, καινοτομήσας δὲ τὸ αὐτῷ δοκοῦν, καὶ θεοτόκον μὲν οὐκ εἶναι λέγων τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον, Χριστοτόκον δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀνθρωποτόκον, ἕτερα δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἀπηχῆ καὶ ἀπόπληκτα, τοῖς ὀρθοῖς καὶ εἰλικρινέσι τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐπεισφορήσας δόγμασιν.

Α: Νεστόριον, οἶμαι, φής. Συνίημι γὰρ ἤδη πως, ἀλλὰ τί τὸ χρῆμα, ὦ τᾶν, τῶν ἐκείνου λόγων, οὐκ ἔχω νοεῖν. Θεοτόκον δὲ πῶς οὐκ εἶναί φησι τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον;

Β: Οὐ γάρ τοι, φησί, Θεὸν ἐκτέτοκεν. Ἦν γὰρ ὁ Λόγος καὶ πρὸ αὐτῆς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πρὸ παντὸς αἰῶνος καὶ χρόνου, συναΐδιος ὢν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί.

Α: Καταρνήσονται δὴ οὖν καὶ τοῦτο ἀναφανδόν, ὡς ἔστι Θεὸς ὁ Ἐμμανουήλ, εἰκῇ δὲ ὡς ἔοικε διερμηνεύει τοὔνομα λέγων ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· Ὅ ἐστι μεθερμηνευόμενον· Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. Οὕτω γὰρ χρῆναι κατονομάζεσθαι διεβεβαιοῦτο σαφῶς διὰ τῆς τοῦ προφήτου φωνῆς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου κατὰ σάρκα γεγεννημένον, ὡς ἐνανθρωπήσαντα Θεόν.

Β: Καίτοι δοκεῖ μὲν ἐκείνοις οὐχ ὧδε ταῦτ' ἔχειν, μεθ' ἡμῶν δὲ φαῖεν γενέσθαι Θεόν, ἤτοι τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Λόγον, κατά γε τοὺς τῆς ἐπικουρίας τρόπους. Σέσωκε γὰρ τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν διὰ τοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐκ γυναικός.

Α: Οὐ γὰρ ἦν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ μετὰ Μωϋσέως τῆς Αἰγυπτίων χώρας καὶ τῆς αὐτόθι πλεονεξίας ἀπαλλάττων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν χειρὶ κραταιᾷ καὶ ἐν βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ, καθὰ γέγραπται; Οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Ἰησοῦ λέγοντα σαφῶς εὑρήσομεν· Καὶ ὡς ἤμην μετὰ Μωϋσῆ, οὕτως ἔσομαι καὶ μετὰ σοῦ;