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and healing our passions by the proper passions of his flesh and leaving us an example, most appropriately. For this is what is shown by “in the days of his flesh, though he was a Son.” For the Spirit-bearer Paul was astonished at the mystery and God’s economy concerning us and his philanthropic condescension to us, that “though he was a Son,” “in the days of his flesh” he endured all these things in our nature, so that he might strengthen it against the passions and teach us in temptations to look to God and to call upon him for aid, and how much the endurance of and obedience to the passions leads to perfection and to what rewards. Wherefore the blessed Peter also wrote: “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a grace from God, because Christ also died for us, leaving us an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” Therefore, Christ, being not only a man nor a mere God, but God incarnate, “in the days of his flesh” both suffered and did these things, “leaving us an example,” since he somehow rebukes Peter for saying, “Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to you,” when he foretold his passion to them. 27 If it is said that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor,” do not suppose a mere man, but God who became man and was incarnate, allowing his own flesh to exist through the properties of its own nature, so that the incarnation might not be thought a monstrosity. 28 Paul dares even not to call Jesus a man, not as if he were not a man, but as also being God. Thus he writes to the Galatians: “Paul, an apostle not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ,” and again: “I make known to you the gospel that was preached by me, that it is not according to man; for I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is written: “Not an angel, not an elder, but the Lord himself saved us.” Paul says: “Be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us.” How did he who was sorrowful and prayed that the cup might pass “give himself up,” if he was only a man? 29 The blessed Peter says: “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh.” For what reason did he add “in the flesh” if not knowing that he was God, impassible in his divinity? If a mere man suffered for us, how is “the word of the cross the power of God?” and how is he who “has regarded his blood as common” condemned, as one who has “trampled underfoot the Son of God”? 30 How does Christ say that he ascends “where he was before”? For neither as God does he ascend—for he is uncircumscribed, but to ascend and descend belongs to a circumscribed nature—nor as man was he in heaven before he ascended, but he ascends as man “where he was before” as God; for he is the same, at once God and man. 31 It is written: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” What excess of love, if he gave a common man, made a son by grace, for us? And how is he who is honored by adoption and is not a son by nature only-begotten, when scripture says: “I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High,’” and “as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become children of God”? But just as, though there are many gods by position and by grace, there is one God by nature, so also, though many are honored by adoption, there is one who is by nature the only-begotten Son of God, whom he gave for us.

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καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ πάθεσι τὰ πάθη ἡμῶν θεραπεύοντος καὶ ὑπογραμμὸν ἡμῖν καταλιμπάνοντος, λίαν ἐπιτετευγμένως. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ «ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, καίπερ ὢν υἱός.» Κατατέθηπε γὰρ τὸ μυστήριον ὁ πνευματοφόρος Παῦλος καὶ τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκονομίαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλάνθρωπον συγκατάβασιν, ὅτι «καίπερ ὢν υἱὸς» «ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ» ταῦτα πάντα ὑπέμεινε τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ φύσει, ἵνα νευρώσῃ ταύτην κατὰ τῶν παθῶν καὶ διδάξῃ ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς πρὸς θεὸν βλέπειν καὶ αὐτὸν πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν καλεῖν καὶ ὅσον πρὸς τελείωσιν καὶ πρὸς ποῖα γέρα καταλήγει ἡ τῶν παθῶν ὑπομονὴ καὶ ὑπακοή. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔγραφε Πέτρος· «Ποῖον γὰρ κλέος, εἰ ἁμαρτάνοντες καὶ κολαφιζόμενοι ὑπομένετε; Ἀλλ' εἰ ἀγαθοποιοῦντες καὶ πάσχοντες ὑπομένετε, τοῦτο χάρις παρὰ θεῷ, ὅτι καὶ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἡμῖν ὑπολιμπάνων ὑπογραμμόν, ἵνα ἐπακολουθήσητε τοῖς ἴχνεσιν αὐτοῦ.» Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἄνθρωπος μόνον οὐδὲ γυμνὸς θεός, ἀλλὰ θεὸς σεσαρκωμένος ὢν ὁ Χριστὸς «ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ» πέπονθέ τε καὶ δέδρακε ταῦτα «ἡμῖν ὑπολιμπάνων ὑπογραμμόν», ἐπεί πως ἐπιτιμᾷ τῷ Πέτρῳ φήσαντι· «Ἵλεώς σοι, κύριε, οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο», ὅτε τὸ πάθος αὐτοῖς προὔλεγεν. 27 Εἰ λέγοιτο «προκόπτειν ὁ Ἰησοῦς σοφίᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ καὶ χάριτι», μὴ ψιλὸν ὑποτόπαζε ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ θεὸν ἐνανθρωπήσαντα καὶ σεσαρκωμένον, ἐφιέντα τῇ οἰκείᾳ σαρκὶ διὰ τῶν οἰκείων τῆς ἰδίας εἶναι φύσεως, ἵνα μὴ τέρας νομισθῇ ἡ ἐνανθρώπησις. 28 Τολμᾷ ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπον καλεῖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, οὐχ ὡς οὐκ ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ θεὸν ὄντα. Γράφει γοῦν πρὸς Γαλάτας· «Παῦλος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ δι' ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ», καὶ πάλιν· «Γνωρίζω ὑμῖν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ ἄνθρωπον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτὸ οὐδὲ ἐδιδάχθην, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Γέγραπται· «Οὐκ ἄγγελος, οὐ πρέσβυς, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς.» Φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος· «Γίνεσθε μιμηταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητὰ καὶ περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπη σεν ἡμᾶς καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.» Ὁ λυπούμενος καὶ ἀπευχόμενος τὸ ποτήριον πῶς «ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν», εἰ μόνον ἄνθρωπος ἦν; 29 Ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος φησί· «Χριστοῦ οὖν παθόντος σαρκί.» Τίνος ἕνεκεν προσέθηκε τὸ «σαρκὶ» εἰ μὴ εἰδώς, ὅτι θεὸς ἦν ἀπαθὴς τῇ θεότητι; Εἰ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ἔπαθεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, πῶς «ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ δύναμις θεοῦ ἐστι;» καὶ πῶς «ὁ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος» κατακέκριται, ὡς «τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καταπατήσας»; 30 Πῶς Χριστὸς ἀνιέναι ἑαυτόν φησιν, «ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον»; Οὔτε γὰρ ὡς θεὸς ἄνεισιν-ἀπερίγραπτος γάρ, τὸ δ' ἀνιέναι καὶ κατιέναι περιγραπτῆς φύσεως-οὔτε ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἦν ἐν οὐρανῷ πρὶν ἀνελθεῖν, ἀλλ' ἄνεισιν ὡς ἄνθρωπος, «ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον» ὡς θεός· θεὸς γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς ἅμα καὶ ἄνθρωπος. 31 Γέγραπται· «Οὕτως ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτόν, ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» Ποία ἀγάπης ὑπερβολή, εἰ κοινὸν ἄνθρωπον χάριτι υἱοποιηθέντα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἔδωκε; Πῶς δὲ καὶ μονογενὴς ὁ υἱοθεσίᾳ τετιμημένος καὶ οὐ φύσει ὢν υἱὸς τῆς γραφῆς λεγούσης· «Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ὑψίστου πάντες», καὶ «ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι»; Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ πολλῶν ὄντων θεῶν θέσει καὶ χάριτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ φύσει θεός, οὕτω καὶ πολλῶν υἱοθεσίᾳ τετιμημένων εἷς ἐστιν ὁ φύσει υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ μονογενής, ὃν ἔδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.