B.  True.

A. Why then was none of these called Emmanuel, but the name befitted Him alone Who was wondrously born after the flesh of a woman in the last times of the world?

B.  How then shall we deem that God has been born of a woman? that the Word partook of Being, in her and from forth her?

A. Away with so frigid ill-advice! For these are the words of one who wanders, and of a mind diseased with a turning aside to what it ought not, to think that the Ineffable Being of the Only-Begotten has become fruit of flesh: He was as God Co-Eternal with the Father Who begat Him and Ineffably begotten of Him by Nature. But to those who would know clearly how and in what manner He appeared in likeness to us and became man, the Divine Evangelist John will make it known, saying, And the Word was made flesh and tabernacled in us ( andwe saw His glory, ( the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.

B. Yet if the Word has become (they say) flesh, no longer hath It remained Word but hath left being what It was.

A. Verily this is jugglery and humbug and the inventions of a mind beside itself and nought else. For they (it appears) are supposing that the word Was made indicates as of unavoidable necessity, turning and change.

B. Yes (they say), and they moreover confirm their affirmation, taking proofs out of the God-inspired Scripture itself. For it has been somewhere said (he says) of Lot's wife that she WAS MADE a pillar of salt, and besides of Moses' Rod that he cast it on the ground and it WAS MADE a serpent. For in these cases a change of nature took place.

A.  Therefore when certain sing, And the Lord WAS MADE to me a refuge, and again, O Lord, Thou WERT MADE a refuge, to us in generation and generation, what now will they say ? hath He Who is hymned, letting go His being God, passed by a change into being a refuge, and removed He by Nature into something other than what He was at first?

B.  How is such a thing not incongruous and unbefitting Him Who is by Nature God: for being by Nature without change, He abideth full surely what He was and ever is, even though He be said to be made a refuge to any?

A.  You spoke most excellently, and very right. Hence the mention of God being brought forward, if Was made be said by any body, how is it not unlearned and unholy exceedingly to suppose that it means change, and not rather to strive to conceive of it in some other way, and to turn in wisdom to what most especially befits and is congruous to the Unchangeable God?

B.  How then do we say that the Word WAS MADE flesh, preserving to It ever Unchangeableness and without-turning, as Its own and Essentially innate to It?

A. The all-wise Paul, the steward of His mysteries, the Priest of the Gospel preachings, will make it clear saying, He ye thus minded each one in yourselves according to what was in Christ Jesus also, Who being in the Form of God held not the being Equal to God a thing to seize, yet emptied Himself taking bondman's form, MADE in likeness of men, and, found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, MADE obedient unto death, the death of the Gross. For His Only-Begotten Word albeit God and out of God by Nature, the Brightness of the glory and the Impress of the Person of Him Who begat Him, WAS MADE man and that not turned into flesh, or undergoing commingling or mixture or ought else of such like, but rather abasing Himself unto emptiness, and for the joy set before Him despising shame and not dishonouring the poverty of the human nature. For He willed as God to render the flesh which is holden of death and sin, superior to both death and sin, and to restore it to what it was in the beginning, having made it His own, not (as some say) soulless but ensouled with intellectual soul: yet, not disdaining to go along the path hereto befitting, He is said to undergo a birth like ours, abiding what He was. For He has been born in wondrous wise according to flesh of a woman: for no otherwise was it possible that He being God by Nature should be seen by them on earth than in likeness of us, the Impalpable and without body, yet Who thought good to be made man and in Himself Alone to shew our nature illustrious in the dignities of Godhead: for He the Same was God alike and man, and in likeness of man, in that herewith He was also God, but in fashion as a man. For He was God in appearance as we, and in bondman's form the Lord, for thus do we say that He was MADE FLESH.

Therefore do we affirm that the holy Virgin is also mother of God.

B. Does it like you that arraying their words against yours we make a subtler scrutiny of the conceptions, or shall we yield it simply to your word that the matter has been well apprehended?

A. Irreprehensible as I deem is all that will be said by us, wisely and skilfully and not repugnant to the God-inspired Scriptures. But say, yourself too, what seems good to you: for a counter-plea will beget something profitable.

B. The Divine Paul writes (they say) of the Son as having BEEN MADE both curse and sin : for he says, Him that knew not sin He made for our sakes sin, and again, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, MADE for our sakes a curse. They say that He was not MADE actual curse and sin, but the holy Scripture is indicating hereby something else: thus they say that And the Word WAS MADE flesh is conceived of by us.  

A. And verily as in saying that He WAS MADE a curse and sin, so this that He WAS MADE flesh introduces with it and has in its horizon the conception of what follows thereupon.

B. How say you? for when one says of Him, He that knows not sin has BEEN MADE sin for us, and has bought from the curse of the law also them who were under the law, MADE for their sakes a curse, how should one doubt that this is in the times wherein the Only-Begotten was Incarnate and MADE man?

A. It introduces therefore with the mention of the Incarnation the things too that on account thereof are economically brought upon Him Who underwent the voluntary emptying, as are hunger and weariness. For as He would not have been wearied Whose is all might, neither would He have been said to hunger, Himself the Food and life of all, had He not made His own the body whose nature it is to hunger and be weary : so neither would He ever have been numbered among transgressors (for thus do we say that He WAS MADE sin ), He would not have been MADE a curse, enduring the cross for our sakes, had He not been MADE flesh, i. e., been Incarnate and made man, enduring generation like ours in human wise, that I mean through the holy Virgin.

B. I assent, for you deem aright.  

A. It is without understanding another respects too to think and to say that the Word was in such sort MADE flesh as He WAS MADE a curse and sin.

Β: Ἀληθές.

Α: Ἀνθότου δὴ οὖν οὐδεὶς μὲν ἐκείνων Ἐμμανουὴλ ὠνόμασται, ἥρμοσε δὲ μόνῳ τοὔνομα τῷ κατὰ σάρκα ἐκ γυναικὸς ἐν ἐσχάτοις τοῦ αἰῶνος καιροῖς παραδόξως γεγεννημένῳ;

Β: Οἰησόμεθα δὴ οὖν τίνα τρόπον γεγεννῆσθαι Θεὸν ἐκ γυναικός; ἆρ' ὡς τῆς ὑπάρξεως τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ τε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς μετεσχηκότος τοῦ Λόγου;

Α: Ἄπαγε τῆς οὕτω ψυχρᾶς εἰκαιοβουλίας. Παραπαίοντος γὰρ οἱ λόγοι, καὶ νοῦ κατηρρωστηκότος τὸ ἐφ' ἃ μὴ προσῆκεν ἐκτετραμμένον, τὸ σαρκὸς οἴεσθαι γενέσθαι καρπὸν τὴν ἄρρητον ὕπαρξιν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς. Ἀλλ' ἦν, ὡς Θεός, συναΐδιος τῷ γεννήσαντι Πατρί, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἀπορρήτως γεγεννημένος. Ἐθέλουσί γε μὲν εἰδέναι σαφῶς ὅπως τε καὶ τίνα τρόπον ἐν εἴδει πέφηνε τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς καὶ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος σαφηνιεῖ λέγων ὁ θεσπέσιος εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης· Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς Μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας.

Β: Ἀλλ' εἰ γέγονε, φασί, σὰρξ ὁ Λόγος, οὐκ ἔτι μεμένηκε Λόγος, ἀποπεφοίτηκε δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ εἶναι ὃ ἦν.

Α: Καὶ μὴν τοῦτό γέ ἐστι τερθρεία καὶ λῆρος καὶ ἐξεστηκότος εὑρέματα νοῦ, καὶ ἕτερον οὐδέν. Οἴονται γάρ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὡς ἐξ ἀφύκτου τε καὶ ἀναγκαίου λόγου, τροπῆς τε καὶ ἀλλοιώσεως σημαντικὸν εἶναι τὸ ἐγένετο.

Β: Ναί, φασί, καὶ δὴ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐμπεδοῦσι λόγον, ἐξ αὐτῆς ἑλόντες τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς. Εἴρηται γάρ που, φησίν, ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς τοῦ Λὼτ γυναικὸς ὅτι ἐγένετο στήλη ἁλός. Καὶ μὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Μωϋσέως ῥάβδου ὅτι ἔρριψεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐγένετο ὄφις. Φυσικὴ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις γέγονεν ἡ τροπή.

Α: Οὐκοῦν, ὅταν ψάλλωσί τινες· Καὶ ἐγένετό μοι Κύριος εἰς καταφυγήν, καὶ πάλιν· Κύριε, καταφυγὴ ἐγενήθης ἡμῖν ἐν γενεᾷ καὶ γενεᾷ, τί δὲ φαῖεν ἄν; Ἆρα τὸ εἶναι Θεὸς ἀφεὶς ὁ ὑμνούμενος, μετακεχώρηκεν ἐκ μεταβολῆς εἰς τὸ εἶναι καταφυγή, καὶ μετέστη φυσικῶς πρὸς ἕτερόν τι παρ' ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν ἐν ἀρχαῖς;

Β: Καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἀπεοικὸς καὶ ἀνάρμοστον τῷ γε ὄντι κατὰ φύσιν Θεῷ τὸ χρῆμά ἐστιν; Ἄτρεπτος γὰρ ὢν κατὰ φύσιν, μένει που πάντως ὅπερ ἦν καὶ ἔστιν ἀεί, κἂν εἰ λέγοιτό τισι γενέσθαι καταφυγή.

Α: Ἄριστά γε καὶ μάλα ὀρθῶς ἔφης. Οὐκοῦν παρενηνεγμένης εἰς μέσον τῆς Θεοῦ μνήμης, εἰ ὑπό του λέγοιτο τὸ Ἐγένετο, πῶς οὐκ ἀμαθὲς καὶ ἀνόσιον κομιδῇ τροπὴν οἴεσθαι σημαίνειν αὐτό, καὶ οὐχὶ δὴ μᾶλλον καθ' ἕτερόν τινα τρόπον πειρᾶσθαι νοεῖν, καὶ περιτρέπειν ἐμφρόνως εἰς τὸ ὅτι μάλιστα πρέπον τε καὶ ἐοικὸς τῷ ἀτρέπτῳ Θεῷ;

Β: Πῶς δὴ οὖν ἄρα εἰς σάρκα φαμὲν γενέσθαι τὸν Λόγον, τὸ ἄτρεπτόν τε καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον ὡς ἴδιόν τε καὶ οὐσιῶδες καὶ ἐμπεφυκὸς αὐτῷ τηροῦντες ἀεί;

Α: Ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλος, ὁ τῶν αὐτοῦ μυστηρίων ταμίας, ὁ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν κηρυγμάτων ἱερουργός, σαφηνιεῖ λέγων· Τοῦτο φρονεῖτε ἕκαστος ἐν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε, μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος, καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν, γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. Καίτοι γὰρ Θεός τε καὶ ἐκ Θεοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ὑπάρχων ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ Λόγος, τὸ ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης, καὶ ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ γεννήσαντος, γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οὐκ εἰς σάρκα τραπείς, ἢ φυρμόν, ἢ κρᾶσιν, ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων ἕτερον ὑπομείνας, καθεὶς δὲ μᾶλλον ἑαυτὸν εἰς κένωσιν, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος πτωχείαν οὐκ ἀτιμάσας. Ἠθέλησε γάρ, ὡς Θεός, τὴν θανάτῳ καὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ κατεχομένην σάρκα, καὶ θανάτου καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἀποφῆναι κρείττονα, καὶ ἀνακομίσαι πρὸς τὸ ἐν ἀρχαῖς, ἰδίαν αὐτὴν ποιησάμενος, καὶ οὐκ ἄψυχόν γε κατά τινας, ἐψυχωμένην δὲ μᾶλλον ψυχῇ νοερᾷ. Ἰέναι γε μὴν τὴν τῷ πράγματι πρέπουσαν οὐκ ἀπαξιώσας τρίβον, τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς γέννησιν ὑπομεῖναι λέγεται, μεμενηκὼς ὅπερ ἦν. Γεγέννηται γὰρ παραδόξως κατὰ σάρκα ἐκ γυναικός· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἑτέρως Θεὸν ὄντα κατὰ φύσιν ἢ ἐν εἴδει τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὀφθῆναι τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς τὸν ἀναφῆ καὶ ἀσώματον. Πλὴν ἐνανθρωπῆσαι κρίναντα, καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ καὶ μόνῳ τοῖς τῆς θεότητος ἀξιώμασιν ἐκπρεπῆ τὴν ἡμῶν ἀποφῆναι φύσιν· ἦν γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς Θεός τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἐν ὁμοιώματι μὲν ἀνθρώπου, καθὸ μετὰ τούτου καὶ Θεὸς ἦν, σχήματι δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωπος. Θεὸς γὰρ ἦν ἐν εἴδει τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐν δούλου μορφῇ ∆εσπότης. Σάρκα γὰρ οὕτω φαμὲν γενέσθαι. Ταύτῃτοι καὶ θεοτόκον εἶναι διαβεβαιούμεθα τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον.

Β: Βούλει τοῖς σοῖς ἀντιπαρεξάγοντες λόγοις τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων ἰσχνοτέραν ἀποτελῶμεν τῶν ἐννοιῶν τὴν βάσανον, ἢ παραχωρῶμεν ἁπλῶς λέγοντί σοι τὸ εὖ ἔχειν ὑπειλημμένον;

Α: Ἀνεπίπληκτον μέν, ὥς γε οἶμαι, πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν λέγοιτο πρὸς ἡμῶν σοφῶς τε καὶ ἐπιστημόνως καὶ οὐκ ἀπᾳδόντως ἔχον ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις Γραφαῖς. Φράζε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ δοκοῦν. Ἐκτέκοι γὰρ ἄν τι τῶν ὀνησιφόρων ἡ ἀντίστασις.

Β: Ὁ θεσπέσιος γράφει, φασί, Παῦλος περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἅτε δὴ γεγονότος κατάρας τε καὶ ἁμαρτίας. Ἔφη γὰρ ὅτι Τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησε. Καὶ πάλιν· Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα. Γενέσθαι δέ φασιν αὐτὸν οὐκ αὐτόχρημα κατάραν καὶ ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τι παρὰ τοῦτο δηλοῦν τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερόν. Οὕτω πρὸς ἡμῶν νοεῖσθαί φασι τὸ Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο.

Α: Καὶ μὴν ὡς ἔν γε τῷ φάναι κατάραν γενέσθαι καὶ ἁμαρτίαν, οὕτω γενέσθαι σάρκα αὐτὸν συνεισκρίνεται, καὶ προανίσχουσαν ἔχει τῶν μεθ' ἑαυτὸν τὴν ἔννοιαν.

Β: Πῶς ἔφης; Ὁπηνίκα γὰρ φαίη τις ἂν αὐτοῖς· Ὁ μὴ εἰδὼς ἁμαρτίαν ἁμαρτία γέγονεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἐξεπρίατο δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν κατάρα. Εἶτα πῶς ἂν ἐνδοιάσειέ τις ὡς ἐν καιροῖς δηλονότι καθ' οὓς ἐσαρκώθη τε καὶ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος ὁ Μονογενής;

Α: Συνεισφέρεται τοίνυν τοῖς τῆς σαρκώσεως λόγοις, καὶ τὰ δι' αὐτὴν οἰκονομικῶς ἐπενηνεγμένα τῷ τὴν ἑκούσιον παθόντι κένωσιν, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τὸ πεινῆν καὶ τὸ κοπιᾶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν κεκοπίακεν αὐτὸς ᾧ ἡ πᾶσα δύναμις, οὐδ' ἂν εἴρητο πεινῆσαι, τροφὴ καὶ ζωὴ τῶν ὅλων ὑπάρχων αὐτός, μὴ οὐχὶ προοικειωσάμενος σῶμα τὸ πεινῆν τε καὶ κοπιᾶν πεφυκός, οὕτως οὐκ ἂν ἐν ἀνόμοις κατελογίσθη πώποτεγενέσθαι γὰρ οὕτω φαμὲν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτόνοὐκ ἂν γέγονε κατάρα, σταυρὸν ὑπομείνας τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς, εἰ μὴ γέγονε σάρξ, τουτέστιν ἐσαρκώθη τε καὶ ἐνηνθρώπησε, τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς [δι' ἡμᾶς] ὑπομείνας γέννησιν ἀνθρωποπρεπῶς, τὴν διά γέ φημι τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου.

Β: Σύμφημι. Φρονεῖς γὰρ ὀρθῶς.

Α: Ἀσύνετον δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως τὸ οἴεσθαί τε καὶ λέγειν οὕτω γενέσθαι σάρκα τὸν Λόγον καθάπερ ἀμέλει κατάρα καὶ ἁμαρτία γέγονεν.