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comprehensible by the mind, nor expressible by word. 3. Ques. In how many ways is God? Ans. God the Father; God the Son; God the Holy Spirit; the blessed nature, the ungrudging goodness; beloved by all who have partaken of reason, the much-desired beauty, the beginning of beings, the fount of life, the unapproachable wisdom, the immutable nature, the untroubled life, the sorrowless existence, concerning which there is no alteration, which change does not touch; the gushing spring, the ungrudging grace, the inexhaustible treasure. 4. We confess our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word of the Father, light from light, true God from true God, to have been incarnate and made man of the Holy Spirit, and of the holy glorious Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary. The same, perfect God and perfect man, one and only Son, both before the incarnation and after the incarnation; consubstantial with the Father according to the divinity, in all things like unto us, and consubstantial with us according to the humanity, having become man without sin; begotten of the Father before the ages according to the divinity, but in the last days, the same, for us and for our salvation, from the holy Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, one and only Son in two natures, known unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly. For two natures came together with each other in an inseparable, unconfused, immutable union. For the flesh is flesh, and not divinity, even though it became the flesh of God; likewise also the Word is God and not flesh, even though He made the flesh one through the economy; therefore we say there are two natures, but one Christ, and Son, and Lord, the Word of God who became man and was incarnate. For the Master did not diminish 95.16 His own glory, because He took on flesh; for before He took the flesh, and humbled Himself, only angels knew Him; but since He humbled Himself, the whole nature of men has come to know Him. You see how the humiliation did not work a diminution, but made His glory shine forth more. But if some curious person says that the divinity was on the cross, or was not, he makes it not to be in everything, and circumscribed in one place; but we say God is uncircumscribed and incomprehensible. 5. Ques. From where is Theos (God) etymologically derived? Ans. From ‘tho,’ to construct and make; as the maker of all things, and the cause of the construction of all things, or from ‘theo,’ to run. For God is present everywhere. Or Theos, from ‘theasthai’ (to behold); for God beheld all things before their genesis. And Kyrios (Lord) from ‘kyros,’ which signifies authority. Ques. What is union? Ans. That which is according to hypostasis, and the reality which subsists from different natures. Ques. Is the divine nature communicative or receptive? Ans. Communicative. Ques. What is synaloiphe (fusion)? Ans. Confusion. Ques. By what names is the Father honored, and on what account is He called Father? Ans. One Father, the holy God, and almighty, without beginning, eternal, immortal, uncircumscribable, ineffable, without end, without successor, immovable, unsearchable. He is called Father, because He preserves all things. Ques. By what names is the Son honored, and on what account is He called Son? Ans. One Son, the holy Word, unspeakable offspring, ineffable Word, uncircumscribable mind, light of life, sun of righteousness, shepherd, door, way, lamb. And He is called Son, because He is from the Father. Ques. By what names is the Holy Spirit honored? On what account is He called Spirit? Ans. One Holy Spirit, lord, life-giving, loving mankind, substantial, existent, hypostatic, firm, sharp, without care, sanctifying power, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. For He is a vapor of the higher powers of God; And He is called Spirit, because in whatever way He wills, He moves and breathes. Ques. What is Jesus
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νῷ καταληπτὸν, οὔτε λόγῳ ῥητόν. γʹ. Ἐρώτ. Ὁσαχῶς ὁ Θεός; Ἀπόκρ. Θεὸςὁ Πατήρ· Θεὸς ὁ Υἱός· Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· ἡ μακαρία φύσις, ἡ ἄφθονος ἀγαθότης· τὸ ἀγαπητὸν πᾶσι τοῖς τοῦ λόγου μετειληφόσι, τὸ πολυπόθητον κάλλος, ἡ ἀρχὴ τῶν ὄντων, ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς, ἡ ἀπρόσιτος σοφία, ἡ ἄτρεπτος φύσις, ἡ ἀνενόχλητος ζωὴ, ἡ ἄλυπος διαγωγὴ, περὶ ἣν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλοίωσις, ἧς οὐχ ἅπτεται μεταβολή· ἡ βρύουσα πηγὴ, ἡ ἄφθονος χάρις, ὁ ἀδαπάνητος θησαυρός. δʹ· Ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν μονογενῆ Υἱὸν καὶ Λόγον τοῦ Πατρὸς, φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς, Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, σαρκωθῆναί τε καὶ ἐνανθρωπῆσαι ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας ἐνδόξου Θεοτόκου καὶ ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας. Θεὸν τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἄνθρωπον τέλειον, ἕνα καὶ μόνον Υἱὸν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς σαρκώσεως, καὶ μετὰ τὴν σάρκωσιν· ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιον ἡμῖν, καὶ ὁμοούσιον ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον· πρὸ αἰώνων μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς γεννηθέντα κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν τὸν αὐτὸν δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου καὶ Ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας, ἕνα καὶ μόνον Υἱὸν ἐν δυσὶ φύσεσιν, ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀδιαιρέτως γνωριζόμενον. ∆ύο γὰρ φύσεις συνῆλθον ἀλλήλαις καθ' ἕνωσιν ἀδιάσπαστον, ἀσύγχυτον, ἄτρεπτον. Ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ, σάρξ ἐστι, καὶ οὐ θεότης, εἰ καὶ γέγονε Θεοῦ σάρξ· ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ Λόγος, Θεός ἐστι καὶ οὐ σὰρξ, εἰ καὶ μίαν ἐποιήσατο τὴν σάρκα διὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας· δύο τοίνυν τὰς φύσεις εἶναί φαμεν, ἕνα δὲ Χριστὸν, καὶ Υἱὸν, καὶ Κύριον τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον ἐνανθρωπήσαντα καὶ σεσαρκωμένον. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δόξαν 95.16 ἠλάττωσεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὅτι σάρκα ἀνέλαβε· πρὶν μὲν γὰρ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν σάρκα, καὶ ταπεινῶσαι ἑαυτὸν, ἄγγελοι μόνον ἐγίνωσκον αὐτόν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν, ἅπασα ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσις ἐπέγνω αὐτόν. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς ἡ ταπείνωσις οὐκ ἐλάττωσιν εἰργάσατο, ἀλλὰ πλεῖον αὐτοῦ τὴν δόξαν διαλάμψαι ἐποίησεν. Εἰ δέ τις τῶν περιέργων λέγει, ὅτι ἡ θεότης ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ ἦν, ἢ οὐκ ἦν, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μὴ ἐν παντὶ οὖσαν, καὶ περιγραπτὴν εἰς ἕνα τόπον· ἡμεῖς δὲ λέγομεν τὸν Θεὸν ἀπερίγραπτον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον. εʹ. Ἐρώτ. Πόθεν ἐτυμολογεῖται Θεός; Ἀπόκρ. Παρὰ τὸ, θῶ, τὸ κατασκευάζω, καὶ ποιῶ· ὡς πάντων ποιητὴς, καὶ τῆς τῶν πάντων κατασκευῆς αἴτιος, ἢ παρὰ τὸ, θέω, τὸ τρέχω. Καὶ γὰρ Θεὸς πανταχοῦ πάρεστι. Ἢ Θεὸς, παρὰ τὸ θεᾶσθαι· ἐθεάσατο γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν. Κύριος δὲ παρὰ τὸ κῦρος, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Ἐρώτ. Τί ἐστιν ἕνωσις; Ἀπόκρ. Τὸ καθ' ὑπόστασιν, καὶ τὸ ἐκ διαφόρων φύσεων ὑφεστὼς πρᾶγμα. Ἐρώτ. Μεταδοτική ἐστιν ἡ θεία φύσις, ἢ μεταληπτική; Ἀπόκρ. Μεταδοτική. Ἐρώτ. Τί ἐστι συναλοιφή; Ἀπόκρ. Ἡ σύγχυσις. Ἐρώτ. Ποίοις ὀνόμασι τιμᾶται ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ κατὰ τί εἴρηται Πατήρ; Ἀπόκρ. Εἷς Πατὴρ, ὁ ἅγιος Θεὸς, καὶ παντοκράτωρ, ἄναρχος, ἀΐδιος, ἀθάνατος, ἀπερίβλεπτος, ἀνερμήνευτος, ἀτελεύτητος, ἀδιάδοχος, ἀκίνητος, ἀνεξερεύνητος. Εἴρηται Πατὴρ, διὰ τὸ πάντα τηρεῖν. Ἐρώτ. Ποίοις ὀνόμασι τιμᾶται ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ κατὰ τί εἴρηται Υἱός; Ἀπόκρ. Εἷς Υἱὸς, ὁ ἅγιος Λόγος, ἄῤῥητον γέννημα, ἀμύθητος Λόγος, ἀπερίβλεπτος νοῦς, φῶς ζωῆς, ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης, ποιμὴν, θύρα, ὁδὸς, ἀμνός. Υἱὸς δὲ εἴρηται, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός. Ἐρώτ. Ποίοις ὀνόμασι τιμᾶται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; κατὰ τί εἴρηται Πνεῦμα; Ἀπόκρ. Ἓν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, κύριον, ζωοποιὸν, φιλάνθρωπον, ἐνούσιον, ἐνύπαρκτον, ἐνυπόστατον, βέβαιον, ὀξὺ, ἀμέριμνον, δύναμις ἁγιαστικὴ, ὁμοούσιον Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ. Ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστι τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων τοῦ Θεοῦ· Πνεῦμα δὲ εἴρηται, διὰ τὸ καθ' ὃ ἐὰν βουληθῇ νεύειν καὶ πνεῖν. Ἐρώτ. Τί ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς