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of the incarnation, and that natural and necessary things are not base. For because of this he drew near to the flesh of the Word of God, not that it might be strengthened, but that it might be abolished in him; for he did not suffer unseemly passions even in appearance.Darkness and the world must now be understood in comparison with the inexpressible and unapproachable light. 11 {3Jο 1, 6}3John is sent as having moved from the desert into the inhabited land, that he might preach Christ to the peoples. But the Lord was also himself called "sent," not as having moved from place to place, for the divine is immovable, but as having been, as it were, moved from the bosom of the Father and having come to our poverty, for which reason he is also said to have humbled himself. When, therefore, Scripture says words fitting to the economy, if it says that "he emptied himself," it signifies his absolute power and royalty, that he was willingly incarnate, but if it says that he was sent, it teaches that he was not incarnate without the Father. But we speak these things as men; for the will of the Father and of the Son is one, even if we understand the difference of the hypostases of the one divinity and substance; for thus we say, that only the Son was made flesh, not the Father, not the Spirit. 12 {3Jο 1, 7}3For this reason John is greater than the other prophets, because they preached the one who was expected, but he, having seen him and been persuaded by signs that this is he,

came bearing witness from what he had heard and seen. 13 {3Jο 1, 8-9}3Even if John and the saints are a light, they are not so as Christ, who is proclaimed God, who is light by nature; for the saints have illumination by grace. Therefore concerning Christ he says: He was the true light. 14 {3ςο 1, 9}3The Lord enlightens his rational creatures from natural concepts to be persuaded that he is God, they conjecturing from the beauty and good order of his creatures the excellence of his power. 15 {3Jο 1, 10}3As God he was in the world not according to substance, but according to providence. 16 {3Jο 1, 10}3Again he refutes the heresy of those who say that human beings and the rest are not creatures of God. 17 {3ςο 1, 10}3Here by "world" he means only human beings, naming the world from a part, that is, those who mind the things of the world and are attached to it, who because of their passion for earthly things did not know him at all, who were idolaters and slaves of passions. 19 {3Jο 1, 11}3He is said to have come to his own inasmuch as being incarnate he was made known visibly to those who saw him, or because he came to his own people, who were thought to be his own according to "from whom is the Christ according to the flesh." 22 {3Jο 1, 13}3There is no longer a need for the sacrifice of oxen as pleasing to God according to the type of the law, as the blood of Christ is sufficient for justification. 23 {3ςο 1, 14}3When the Word became flesh, he was not changed in substance, but even having become visible through the flesh he remained having his own glory as the only-begotten Son of God and Father; for that which tabernacles is different in substance from the tabernacle. And he did not say body, lest some should say that he put on a heavenly body, nor did he say he became man, lest others should say he took not the outer, but the inner man, nor did he say flesh came to be from the Word, lest others should say he was changed from this into that. Flesh, then, is also called body, but not every body is also flesh. Therefore the Lord also said: "He who eats my flesh," and elsewhere: "Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 25 {3Jο 1, 14}3How did we behold? Through the star of the Magi, the angels, the shepherds, Anna, Simeon, Gabriel, the ineffable birth from the virgin, the voice of the Father bearing witness to him, the coming of the Spirit upon him and the countless divine signs and healings. 26 {3Jο 1, 16}3As the root and spring of all good things, imparting his own good things to many, he is not diminished; from which, as he supplies and creation receives, it is clear that Christ is God. 27 {3Jο 1, 17}3Instead of the grace in Adam, from which we fell away, Christ through the font has given us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 28 {3Jο 1, 18}3Not only the Father

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σαρ κώσεως, καὶ ὅτι οὐ φαῦλα τὰ φυσικὰ καὶ ἀναγκαῖα. διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο προσήγ γιζε τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου σαρκί, οὐχ ἵνα κρατυνθῇ, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ ἀναι ρεθῇ· τὰ γὰρ ἄσεμνα πάθη οὐδὲ κατὰ φαντασίαν ὑπέστη.Σκοτίαν καὶ τὸν κόσμον νυνὶ νοητέον πρὸς σύγκρισιν τοῦ ἀνεκφρά στου καὶ ἀπροσίτου φωτός. 11 {3Jο 1, 6}3Ἀπεσταλμένος ἐστὶν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου μεταβὰς ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ χώρᾳ, ἵνα κηρύξῃ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῖς λαοῖς. ὁ δὲ κύριος ἐκλήθη καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπεσταλμένος, οὐχ ὡς ἀπὸ τόπων εἰς τόπους μεταβάς, ἀκίνητον γὰρ τὸ θεῖον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ τῶν τοῦ πατρὸς κόλπων οἱονεί πως κινηθεὶς καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐλθὼν πτωχείαν, δι' ἣν καὶ λέγεται ἑαυτὸν ταπεινῶσαι. ὅταν οὖν εἴπῃ ἡ γραφὴ τὰ τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ πρέποντα ῥήματα, εἰ μὲν εἴπῃ, ὅτι «ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν», σημαίνει τὸ αὐτοδέσποτον καὶ βασιλικόν, ὅτι ἑκὼν ἐσαρκώθη, εἰ δὲ εἴπῃ, ὅτι ἀπεστάλη, διδάσκει, ὅτι οὐκ ἄνευ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐσαρκώθη. ταῦτα δὲ λαλοῦμεν ὡς ἄνθρωποι· μία γὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ βούλησις, κἂν τὸ διάφορον ἐννοῶμεν τῶν τῆς μιᾶς θεότητος καὶ οὐσίας ὑποστάσεων· οὕτω γὰρ λέγομεν, ὅτι μόνος ὁ υἱὸς σεσάρκωται, οὐχ ὁ πατήρ, οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα. 12 {3Jο 1, 7}3∆ιὰ τοῦτο μείζων τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν ὁ Ἰωάννης, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἐκή ρυξαν τὸν προσδοκώμενον, οὗτος δὲ ἑωρακὼς αὐτὸν καὶ πεισθεὶς διὰ σημείων, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν,

ἦλθεν μαρτυρῶν ἐξ ὧν ἤκουσε καὶ εἶδεν. 13 {3Jο 1, 8-9}3Εἰ καὶ φῶς ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι ὡς ὁ θεολογούμενοςΧριστός, ὃ φύσει φῶς· οἱ γὰρ ἅγιοι χάριτι ἔσχον τὸν φωτισμόν. διὸ περὶ τοῦΧριστοῦ φησιν· ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν. 14 {3ςο 1, 9}3Ὁ κύριος τὰ λογικὰ αὐτοῦ κτίσματα ἀπὸ φυσικῶν ἐννοιῶν φωτίζει εἰς τὸ πεισθῆναι, ὅτι ἐστὶ θεός, στοχαζομένους ἐκ τῆς τῶν κτισμάτων αὐτοῦ καλλονῆς καὶ εὐταξίας τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως. 15 {3Jο 1, 10}3Ὡς θεὸς ἦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ οὐ κατ' οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ προνοητικόν. 16 {3Jο 1, 10}3Πάλιν ἀνασειράζει τὴν αἵρεσιν τῶν λεγόντων μὴ εἶναι κτίσματα τοῦ θεοῦ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὰ λοιπά. 17 {3ςο 1, 10}3Ὧδε κόσμον μόνους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λέγει ἀπὸ μέρους ὀνομάζων τὸν κόσμον ἤτοι τοὺς τὰ τοῦ κόσμου φρονοῦντας καὶ αὐτῷ προσηλωμένους, οἵτινες διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὰ γήϊνα προσπάθειαν οὔτε ὅλως ἔγνωσαν αὐτόν, οἳ ἦσαν οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι καὶ τῶν παθῶν δοῦλοι. 19 {3Jο 1, 11}3Λέγεται εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἐληλυθέναι καθὸ σαρκωθεὶς ἐγνωρίσθη τοῖς αὐτὸν θεασαμένοις ὀφθαλμοφανῶς ἢ ὅτι πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους ἦλθεν, οἳ ἐδόκουν αὐτοῦ ἴδιοι εἶναι κατὰ τὸ «ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα». 22 {3Jο 1, 13}3Οὐκέτι χρεία τῆς βουθυσίας ὡς ἀρεστῆς θεῷ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ νόμου τύπον ὡς ἀρκοῦντος τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρὸς δικαίωσιν. 23 {3ςο 1, 14}3Ὅτε γέγονε σὰρξ ὁ λόγος, οὐ μετεβλήθη τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁρατὸς γεγονὼς διὰ τὴν σάρκα ἔμεινεν ἔχων τὴν ἰδίαν δόξαν ὡς μονογενὴς υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρός· τὸ γὰρ οὖν σκηνοῦν ἕτερόν ἐστι κατ' οὐσίαν τῆς σκηνῆς. οὐκ εἶπεν δὲ σῶμα, ἵνα μὴ εἴπωσί τινες, ὅτι οὐράνιον σῶμα ἐφόρεσεν, οὔτε εἶπεν ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν, ἵνα μὴ ἄλλοι εἴπωσιν οὐ τὸν ἔξω, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον ἔλαβεν, οὔτε εἶπεν ἐκ τοῦ λόγου σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ἵνα μὴ ἄλλοι εἴπωσι μετεβλήθη ἐκ τοῦδε εἰς τόδε. ἡ μὲν οὖν σὰρξ καὶ σῶμα λέγεται, οὐ πάντως δὲ καὶ σῶμα σάρξ. διὸ καὶ ὁ κύριος ἔλεγεν· «ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα» καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «ψηλαφήσατέ με καὶ ἴδετε, ὅτι πνεῦμα σάρκα καὶ ὀστέα οὐκ ἔχει καθὼς ἐμὲ θεωρεῖτε ἔχοντα». 25 {3Jο 1, 14}3Πῶς ἐθεασάμεθα; διὰ τοῦ ἀστέρος τῶν μάγων, τῶν ἀγγέλων, τῶν ποιμένων, τῆς Ἄννης, τοῦ Συμεών, τοῦ Γαβριήλ, τοῦ τόκου τῆς παρθένου τοῦ ἀφράστου, τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ πατρὸς τῆς μαρτυρούσης αὐτῷ, τῆς ἐπ' αὐτὸν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπιφοιτήσεως καὶ τῶν μυρίων θεοσημείων καὶ ἰάσεων. 26 {3Jο 1, 16}3Ὡς ῥίζα πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ πηγὴ πολλοῖς μεταδιδοὺς τῶν ἰδίων ἀγαθῶν οὐκ ἀπομειοῦται, πλὴν ἐξ ὧν ὁ μὲν χορηγεῖ, ἡ δὲ κτίσις δέχεται, δῆλον ὅτι θεὸς ὁ Χριστός. 27 {3Jο 1, 17}3Ἀντὶ τῆς ἐν Ἀδὰμ χάριτος, ἧς ἐξεπέσαμεν, ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐνοίκησιν. 28 {3Jο 1, 18}3Οὐ μόνος ὁ πατὴρ