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the singularity of the nature and the unconfused co-inherence in one another, but without confusion because of the hypostatic difference, that is, the mode of existence, I mean the unbegotten and the begotten and the proceeding—and the number of hypostases does not introduce division, so also in the incarnation of God the Word the two natures are united at once indivisibly and without confusion—indivisibly because of the singularity of the hypostasis and the unconfused co-inherence of the natures in one another, but without confusion because of the essential difference, I mean the created and the uncreated, the mortal and the immortal, the circumscribed and the uncircumscribed, and such things—and the number of natures does not introduce division. 5 But since they seem to raise a difficulty for us, speaking uncertain things, that if there is no anhypostatic substance nor an impersonal nature, you who speak of two substances and natures in Christ must of necessity say there are two hypostases and persons, we say that there is no anhypostatic substance nor an impersonal nature—for substance and nature are beheld in hypostases and persons—, but substance is not hypostasis, nor is nature person. For if substance is hypostasis and nature is person, it is necessary in the case of the holy Godhead either for those who say one substance and one nature to confess one hypostasis and one person, or for those who confess three hypostases and persons to confess also three substances and natures, likewise also in the case of humanity, either to confess one nature and one hypostasis, or to speak of infinite substances just as there are infinite hypostases, and for those who say Christ is of two natures to confess him of two hypostases. 6 We say, then, that substance is beheld in hypostases, wherefore it is enhypostatic, but not a hypostasis. It is not necessary, therefore, for that which is enhypostatic to be called a hypostasis. For both hypostasis and the enhypostatic are spoken of in two ways. For hypostasis sometimes signifies simple existence, in which sense it signifies not simply substance, but also what is accidental, and sometimes the individual, that is, the person, which is called hypostasis in itself, which signifies Peter, Paul, this horse, and such things. But the enhypostatic sometimes signifies substance, as being beheld in a hypostasis and being self-subsistent, and sometimes each of the things that come together for the composition of one hypostasis, as is the case with soul and body. Therefore both the divinity and the humanity of Christ are enhypostatic; for each has his one composite hypostasis in common, the divinity before the ages and eternally, but the ensouled and intelligent flesh assumed by it in the last times, existing in it and having it as its hypostasis. 7 They say further that the holy fathers used the example of man for the mystery concerning Christ; but there is one nature of men, therefore there will be one nature of Christ also. Let them hear then: The name of nature is also applied to the species. Therefore all men are said to be of one nature, as being classed under one species, that of humanity. But man is not of one nature, being of soul and body; for the incorporeal and invisible soul is not consubstantial with the visible body. Therefore when man is compared to man, they are called consubstantial, as belonging to one species, and as all being composed of soul and body, and as all possessing two natures; but when man is considered in his nature, two natures are beheld in him, I mean of soul and of body, composed in one hypostasis. For in the comparison of soul to body, who is so foolish as to say there is one nature of both? But in the case of Christ there is no species; for there are not many Christs composed of divinity and humanity, so that all being classed under the same species might be said to be of one nature, but there is one Christ, known of two and in two natures. For Gregory the Theologian says:
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μοναδικὸν τῆς φύσεως καὶ τὴν ἐν ἀλλήλαις ἀσύγχυτον περιχώρησιν, ἀσυγχύτως δὲ διὰ τὴν ὑποστατικὴν διαφορὰν ἤτοι τὸν τῆς ὑπάρξεως τρόπον, τὸ ἀγέννητόν φημι καὶ τὸ γεννητὸν καὶ τὸ ἐκπορευτόν-καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν ὑποστάσεων οὐκ εἰσάγει διαίρεσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου σαρκώσεως αἱ δύο φύσεις ἀδιαιρέτως ἅμα καὶ ἀσυγχύτως ἥνωνται- ἀδιαιρέτως μὲν διά τε τὸ μοναδικὸν τῆς ὑποστάσεως καὶ τὴν ἐν ἀλλήλαις τῶν φύσεων ἀσύγχυτον περιχώρησιν, ἀσυγχύτως δὲ διὰ τὴν οὐσιώδη διαφοράν, τὸ κτιστὸν λέγω καὶ τὸ ἄκτιστον, τὸ θνητὸν καὶ τὸ ἀθάνατον, τὸ περιγραπτὸν καὶ ἀπερίγραπτον καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα-καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν φύσεων οὐκ εἰσάγει διαίρεσιν. 5 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπορεῖν δοκοῦσιν ἡμῖν ἀβέβαια λαλοῦντες, ὅτι, εἰ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐσία ἀνυπόστατος οὐδὲ φύσις ἀπρόσωπος, δύο οὐσίας καὶ φύσεις ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ λέγοντες ἐξ ἀνάγκης δύο ἐρεῖτε ὑποστάσεις καὶ πρόσωπα, φαμέν, ὅτι οὐσία μὲν ἀνυπόστατος οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲ φύσις ἀπρόσωπος- ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ὑποστάσεσί τε καὶ προσώποις ἡ οὐσία καὶ ἡ φύσις θεωρεῖται -, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἡ οὐσία ὑπόστασίς ἐστιν οὐδὲ ἡ φύσις πρόσωπον. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ οὐσία ὑπόστασίς ἐστι καὶ ἡ φύσις πρόσωπον, ἀνάγκη ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς ἁγίας θεότητος ἢ μίαν λέγοντας οὐσίαν καὶ φύσιν μίαν ὁμολογεῖν ὑπόστασιν καὶ ἓν πρόσωπον ἢ τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις ὁμολογοῦντας καὶ πρόσωπα τρεῖς συνομολογεῖν οὐσίας καὶ φύσεις, ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ἢ μίαν φύσιν καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν ὁμολογεῖν ἢ ἀπείρους λέγειν οὐσίας ὥσπερ καὶ τὰς ὑποστάσεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ δύο φύσεων λέγοντας τὸν Χριστὸν ἐκ δύο αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖν ὑποστάσεων. 6 Φαμὲν οὖν, ὅτι ἐν ὑποστάσεσι μὲν ἡ οὐσία θεωρεῖται, διὸ καὶ ἐνυπόστατός ἐστιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπόστασις. Οὐκ ἀνάγκη τοίνυν τὸ ἐνυπόστατον ὑπόστασιν λέγεσθαι. ∆ιττῶς γὰρ ἥ τε ὑπόστασις καὶ τὸ ἐνυπόστατον λέγεται. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ὑπόστασις ποτὲ μὲν τὴν ἁπλῶς ὕπαρξιν δηλοῖ, καθὸ σημαινόμενον οὐ τὴν ἁπλῶς οὐσίαν σημαίνει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ συμβεβηκός, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ ἄτομον ἤτοι τὸ πρόσωπον, ἥτις καθ' αὑτὸ λέγεται ὑπόστασις, ἥτις δηλοῖ Πέτρον, Παῦλον, τόνδε τὸν ἵππον καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. Τὸ δὲ ἐνυπόστατον ποτὲ μὲν τὴν οὐσίαν σημαίνει ὡς ἐν ὑποστάσει θεωρουμένην καὶ αὐθύπαρκτον οὖσαν, ποτὲ δὲ ἕκαστον τῶν εἰς σύνθεσιν μιᾶς ὑποστάσεως συνερχομένων, ὡς ἐπὶ ψυχῆς ἔχει καὶ σώματος. Καὶ ἡ θεότης τοίνυν καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπότης τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνυπόστατός ἐστιν· ἔχει γὰρ ἑκατέρα κοινὴν τὴν μίαν σύνθετον αὐτοῦ ὑπόστασιν, ἡ μὲν θεότης προαιωνίως καὶ ἀιδίως, ἡ δὲ ἔμψυχος σὰρξ καὶ νοερὰ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν χρόνων ὑπ' αὐτῆς προσληφθεῖσα καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ὑπάρξασα καὶ αὐτὴν ἐσχηκυῖα ὑπόστασιν. 7 Ἔτι φασίν, ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι πατέρες τῷ ὑποδείγματι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐχρήσαντο ἐπὶ τοῦ κατὰ Χριστὸν μυστηρίου· μία δὲ φύσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστί, μία τοίνυν καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἔσται φύσις. Ἀκουσάτωσαν τοίνυν· Τὸ τῆς φύσεως ὄνομα τάττεται καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ εἴδους. Πάντες μὲν οὖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι λέγονται μιᾶς φύσεως εἶναι ὡς ὑφ' ἓν εἶδος ταττόμενοι, τὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Οὐ μιᾶς δὲ φύσεως ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ ψυχῆς ὢν καὶ τοῦ σώματος· οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀσώματος καὶ ἀόρατος ψυχὴ τῷ ὁρατῷ σώματι ὁμοούσιος. Ὅταν μὲν οὖν ἄνθρωπος πρὸς ἄνθρωπον συγκρίνηται, ὁμοούσιοι λέγονται ὡς ὑφ' ἓν εἶδος τελοῦντες καὶ ὡς ἅπαντες ἐκ ψυχῆς συντεθειμένοι καὶ σώματος καὶ ὡς ἅπαντες δύο φέροντες φύσεις· ὅταν δὲ φυσιολογῆται ὁ ἄνθρωπος, δύο φύσεις ἐπ' αὐτοῦ θεωροῦνται, ψυχῆς λέγω καὶ σώματος, ἐν μιᾷ συντεθειμέναι ὑποστάσει. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ συγκρίσει τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὸ σῶμα τίς οὕτως ἀνόητος, ὡς μίαν ἀμφοτέρων φύσιν εἰπεῖν; Ἐπὶ δὲ Χριστοῦ εἶδος οὐκ ἔστιν· οὐ γὰρ πολλοὶ Χριστοὶ ἐκ θεότητος συντεθειμένοι καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος, ἵνα πάντες ὑπὸ τὸ αὐτὸ εἶδος ταττόμενοι μιᾶς λεχθῶσι φύσεως, ἀλλ' εἷς ἐστι Χριστὸς ἐκ δύο καὶ ἐν δυσὶ γνωριζόμενος φύσεσι. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ θεολόγος Γρηγόριος·