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Emmanuel. Yet they have not kept entirely sound and blameless the doctrine concerning him. For they divide the one Christ into two, and introducing a crude division, as it were, they present each one almost separately and standing apart, contending that the one born of the Virgin is a complete man, and the Word from God the Father is another, not discerning what the nature of the Word and of the flesh is, nor willing to dwell only on these differences. For they would not have missed the true concept 680 in this, since the nature of flesh and of God is not the same, but they set the one apart as a man, and call the other Son by nature and truly as God, although they wish to be Christians. And indeed, writing certain treatises about this, they have dared to say in these very words: 'For the Son by nature and truly is the Word from God the Father, but the other is son homonymously with the Son.' And again after other things: 'The Word of God is not flesh, but has assumed a man.' 'For the Only-Begotten is primarily and in himself Son of God, the creator of all, but the man whom he assumed, not being Lord by nature, is called so homonymously on account of him who assumed him, the true Son of God.' For the saying: 'No one knows the Son except the Father,' indicates the Son from the Father by nature and in truth. But what was said by Gabriel: 'Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus,' applies to the man. But these things are what they say. But we shall not think thus. From where? For the reasoning of the heterodox will in no way persuade us, having left the straight path, to walk another, one that is off the mark and perverse. But you, finish what seems good to you and try to tell me, as I am ready to hear and to learn especially that which is unadulterated. {A} How heavy is the matter, and how utterly difficult to carry is the burden. Or do you not know, my friend, that if one should choose to make a long speech on each point and a thorough examination, he will not only spend a considerable amount of time, but enduring a grievous and inescapable sweat, will barely succeed? {B} True. {A} Therefore, letting go, if you please, of the notion that we must engage in long and very tedious talk, and applying just a little examination to each point, come let us speak, and before all else to the Docetists: 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor indeed the great mystery of godliness, that is, Christ,' 'Who was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.' I think that those who are opposed must either bring a most shameful verdict against the ancients, and call the mystagogues of the world liars, to whom Christ himself said: 'Go and make disciples of all nations,' or if they shudder to do this, they should choose to think rightly concerning Christ, and having bid farewell 681 to their own ignorance, they must hold fast to the sacred Writings, and travelling the unerring path of the saints, go to the truth itself. For the mystery of godliness would be nothing else, I think, than the Word himself from God the Father, who was manifested in the flesh. For he was born through the holy Virgin, taking the form of a servant. And he was seen by angels, who honor him at his birth, saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' And indeed, indicating to the shepherds the God-Word in the flesh for our sake: 'Behold,' they say, 'to you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord in the city of David.' 'And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.' But if the birth through the Virgin is a manifestation in the flesh, how is it not an inert, idle tale, how is it not madness and nonsense to ascribe the name of 'appearance' to such a substantial and manifest economy? For if it were a shadow and an appearance, and not an incarnation

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Ἐμμανουήλ. Οὐ μὴν ἔτι καὶ ὑγιᾶ καὶ ἀμώμη τον παντελῶς τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῷ τετηρήκασι δόξαν. Καταδιϊστᾶσι γὰρ εἰς δύο τὸν ἕνα Χριστόν, καὶ παχεῖαν ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς ἐνιέντες τὴν διατομήν, ἀναμέρος ἑκάτερον μονονουχὶ καὶ ἑστῶτα παραδεικνύουσιν, ἕτερον μὲν εἶναι διατεινόμενοι τὸν ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθέντα τελείως ἄνθρωπον, ἕτερον δὲ αὖ τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγον, οὐχ ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστιν ἥ τε τοῦ Λόγου φύσις καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς διακρίνοντες, οὐδὲ μόναις ταῖς εἰς τοῦτο διαφοραῖς ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν ἐθέλοντες. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐννοίας 680 τῆς ἀληθοῦς εἰς τοῦτο διήμαρτον, ἐπεὶ μὴ φύσις ἡ αὐτὴ σαρκός τε καὶ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ὡς ἄνθρωπον ἰδίᾳ τιθέντες καὶ ἀναμέρος, τὸν δὲ ὡς Θεὸν φύσει τε καὶ ἀληθῶς Υἱὸν ὀνομάζουσι, καίτοι θέλοντες εἶναι χριστιανοί. Καὶ δὴ καὶ λογίδια ἄττα περὶ τούτου συγγράφοντες, εἰπεῖν τετολμήκασιν αὐταῖς λέξεσιν· Ὁ μὲν γὰρ φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς Υἱὸς ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγος ἐστίν, ὁ δὲ ὁμωνύμως τῷ Υἱῷ υἱός. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα πάλιν· Οὐ σὰρξ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ἀλλὰ ἄνθρωπον ἀνειληφώς. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Μονογενὴς προηγουμένως καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι, τοῦ πάντων δημιουργοῦ, ὃν δὲ ἀνέλαβεν ἄνθρωπον, οὐ φύσει Κύριος ὤν, διὰ τὸν ἀναλαβόντα αὐτὸν ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ Υἱόν, ὁμωνύμως αὐτῷ χρηματίζει. Τὸ μὲν γάρ· Οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν Υἱόν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ, τὸν φύσει τε καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δηλοῖ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς Υἱόν. Τὸ δὲ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Γαβριήλ· Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ· εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρί, καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν, τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐφαρμόζει. Ἀλλὰ ταυτὶ μὲν ἐκεῖνοι. Φρονήσομεν δὲ ἡμεῖς οὐχ ὧδε. Πόθεν; Ἀναπείσει γὰρ οὐδαμῶς τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ὁ λόγος, τροχιὰν ἀφέντας τὴν ἐπ' εὐθύ, διαστείχειν ἑτέραν, τὴν ἔξω σκοποῦ καὶ διεστραμμένην. Σὺ δὲ ἀλλὰ πέραινε τὸ δοκοῦν καὶ πειρῶ μοι λέγειν, ὡς ἀΐειν ἕτοιμος ἐγὼ καὶ ἀναμαθεῖν ὅτι μάλιστά γε τὸ ἀκιβδήλως ἔχον. {Α} Ὡς βαρὺ τὸ χρῆμα, καὶ δυσδιακόμιστον παντελῶς τὸ φορτίον. Ἢ οὐκ οἶσθα, ὦ φιλότης, ὡς εἴπερ τις ἕλοιτο μακρὸν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ ποιεῖσθαι λόγον καὶ διαρκῆ τὴν βάσανον, οὐκ εὐαρίθμητον μὲν δαπανήσει χρόνον, δυσαχθῆ δὲ ἱδρῶτα καὶ δυσδιάφυκτον ἀνατλάς, κατορθώσει μόλις; {Β} Ἀληθές. {Α} Παρέντες δὴ οὖν, εἰ δοκεῖ, τὸ δεῖν οἴεσθαι μακρὰ καὶ σφόδρα στενολεσχεῖν, καὶ ὀλίγην κομιδῇ τὴν βάσανον ἐπιρριπτοῦντες ἑκάστῳ, φέρε λέγωμεν, καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων τοῖς δοκηταῖς· Πλανᾶσθε μὴ εἰδότες τὰς Γραφάς, μήτε μὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸ μέγα μυστήριον, τουτέστι Χριστόν, Ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν Πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήφθη ἐν δόξῃ. ∆εῖν δὲ οἶμαι τοῦς δι' ἐναντίας ἢ ψῆφον ἐπάγειν τὴν αἰσχίω τοῖς πάλαι, καὶ ψευδηγόρους ἀποκαλεῖν τοὺς τῆς οἰκουμένης μυσταγωγούς, οἷς αὐτὸς ἔφη Χριστός· Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἢ εἴπερ τοῦτο καταπεφρίκασι δρᾶν, ὀρθὰ μὲν ἑλέσθαι φρονεῖν τὰ ἐπὶ Χριστῷ, φράσαντας δὲ τὸ ἐρρῶσθαι δεῖν 681 ταῖς σφῶν αὐτῶν ἀμαθίαις, ἀπρὶξ μὲν ἐξέχεσθαι τῶν ἱερῶν Γραμμάτων, τὴν δὲ ἀπλανῆ τῶν ἁγίων διᾴττοντας τρίβον ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἰέναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Εἴη γὰρ ἂν οὐχ ἕτερον, οἶμαι, τὶ τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον ἢ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγος, ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί. Γεγέννηται γὰρ διὰ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου, μορφὴν δούλου λαβών. Ὤφθη δὲ καὶ ἀγγέλοις, οἳ γεννηθέντα καταγεραίρουσι, ∆όξα, τέ φασιν, ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία. Καὶ μὴν τοῖς ποιμέσι κατασημαίνοντες τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς ἐν σαρκὶ Θεὸν Λόγον· Ἰδοὺ δή, φασίν, ἐγεννήθη ὑμῖν σήμερον Σωτήρ, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς Κύριος ἐν πόλει ∆αυείδ. Καὶ τοῦτο ὑμῖν τὸ σημεῖον· εὑρήσετε βρέφος ἐσπαργανωμένον καὶ κείμενον ἐν φάτνῃ. Εἰ δὲ τόκος ὁ διὰ Παρθένου, καὶ φανέρωσις ἐν σαρκί, πῶς οὐκ ἀδρανὴς εἰκαιομυθία, πῶς δὲ οὐχὶ μανία καὶ λῆρος τὸ τῆς δοκήσεως ὄνομα τῆς οὕτω παχείας καὶ ἐναργοῦς καταγράφειν οἰκονομίας; Εἰ γὰρ σκιὰ καὶ δόκησις ἦν, καὶ οὔτε σάρκωσις