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humanity. 29 But if you speak of the natures of Christ according to conception and contemplation, tell us, you conceivers and contemplators of natures: Is conception of true and existing realities, as if articulating and distinguishing by thought those things that appear simple to the senses, as in the case of a human being, recognizing, along with the visible body, the invisible soul? Or is it a fabrication of the mind, by a combination of sense and fantasy, composing and fashioning out of existing things things that in no way exist, like the mythological creation of hippocentaurs and goat-stags—for it signifies a thing—, or is it a mere and meaningless sound like *skindapsos* and *blityri*? If, then, the latter, the mystery of the economy is a fantasy and a deception. But if the former, and you contemplate two natures according to conception—and contemplation is of existing things—why do you not number the existing things, when indeed the holy fathers did not say the natures, but the distinction between them, was according to conception? "For when the natures," he says, "are distinguished by conceptions." If, therefore, the natures are distinguished by conception, it is clear that what is by conception is not in actuality nor in existence; for if what is by conception exists, and the father said the distinction is by conception, then he says the distinction is in actuality and in existence, which is impossible. You, therefore, in speaking of the divinity and humanity in Christ after the union by conception, do not confess them in actuality or in reality. Therefore, according to you, he will be neither God in truth and existence nor man, but something else besides these. 30 And again, if you say the two natures of Christ are by contemplation, and contemplation is concerned with existing things, as those skilled in these matters have determined, then the natures of Christ certainly exist; and if they exist, why do you flee from the number as from some bogeyman? 31 And if you say that one who speaks of two natures divides the economy and speaks of two Christs, then one who speaks of the union as being from two natures will also say the union is from two Christs. 32 If speaking of two natures divides Christ, and you say there are two natures in the union, then in the union you divide the union, and according to you the union will be a division. 33 Nature and nature will never be said of one nature, but perhaps of one hypostasis; nor will hypostasis and hypostasis be said of one hypostasis, but of one nature. Therefore, by saying that the components from which Christ is are of one nature, you would be confessing these as hypostases and not natures. But if, choosing the truth over falsehood, you were to say that after the union the components from which Christ is are of one hypostasis, you would be confessing them to be natures. 34 If you confess the difference of the natures even after the union, how is it that when you speak of the natures in the plural, you do not confess two natures? For if according to you there is one composite nature after the union, you ought to speak not of a difference of natures, but of a difference of the one nature with itself, which is for you, not for us, to say and to think; for the same nature will never have an essential difference with itself. 35 If there is one nature of Christ, tell us its name; for what exists must both be named and be named appropriately, just as the nature of God is divinity and of man, humanity. How, then, shall we name the nature of Christ? Christ-ness? But none of the divinely inspired have said this. But divinity-humanity? Not this either. Why then do you introduce to us a nameless nature? But if you say that natures are made new and something strange happens because of the strangeness of the mystery, yet nothing is more incomprehensible or higher than the nature of God, and yet the only incomprehensible one endured to be named by us. Either, therefore, say that the nature devised by you is higher and better than the divinity, and that is sufficient for us, or reveal its name, or with the heralds of the truth

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ἀνθρωπότητα. 29 Εἰ δὲ κατ' ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰς φύσεις λέγετε καὶ θεωρίαν, εἴπατε ἡμῖν, οἱ τῶν φύσεων ἐπινοηταὶ καὶ θεωρηταί· Ἡ ἐπίνοια ἀληθῶν καὶ ὄντων πραγμάτων ἐστίν, οἱονεὶ τὰ τῇ αἰσθήσει δοκοῦντα ἁπλᾶ τῇ νοήσει διαρθροῦσα καὶ διακρίνουσα, ὡς ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπου σὺν τῷ φαινομένῳ σώματι καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπιγινώσκουσα τὴν ἀόρατον ἢ διανοίας ἀνάπλασμα κατὰ συμπλοκὴν αἰσθήσεώς τε καὶ φαντασίας ἐκ τῶν ὄντων τὰ μηδαμῶς ὄντα συντιθεῖσα καὶ ἀναπλάττουσα ὡς ἡ τῶν ἱπποκενταύρων καὶ τραγελάφων μυθοπλαστία-πρᾶγμα οὖν σημαίνει-, ἢ ψιλὴ φωνὴ καὶ ἄσημός ἐστιν ὡς σκινδαψὸς καὶ τὸ βλίτυρι; Εἰ μὲν οὖν τὸ δεύτερον, φαντασία καὶ φενακισμὸς τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον· εἰ δὲ τὸ πρότερον, δύο δὲ κατ' ἐπίνοιαν τὰς φύσεις θεωρεῖτε-ὄντων δὲ ἡ θεωρία-, τί τὰ ὄντα μὴ ἀριθμεῖτε, ὅπου γε οἱ πατέρες οἱ ἅγιοι οὐ τὰς φύσεις, τὴν δὲ τούτων διάστασιν κατ' ἐπίνοιαν εἶπον; «Ἡνίκα γὰρ αἱ φύσεις», φησί, «διίστανται ταῖς ἐπινοίαις.» Εἰ οὖν τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ αἱ φύσεις διίστανται, δῆλον, ὡς οὐκ ἐνεργείᾳ οὐδὲ ὑπάρξει τὸ ἐπινοίᾳ· εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἐπινοίᾳ ὑπάρξει, ἐπινοίᾳ δὲ ὁ πατὴρ τὴν διάστασιν ἔφη, ἐνεργείᾳ καὶ ὑπάρξει φησὶν τὴν διάστασιν, ὅπερ ἀμήχανον. Ὑμεῖς τοιγαροῦν ἐπινοίᾳ τὴν θεότητα καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν λέγοντες, οὐκ ἐνεργείᾳ οὐδὲ πράγματι ταύτας ὁμολογεῖτε. Οὐκοῦν οὔτε θεὸς ἔσται καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ὑπάρξει οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλά τι παρὰ ταῦτα ἕτερον. 30 Καὶ πάλιν, εἰ θεωρίᾳ φατὲ δύο τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰς φύσεις, περὶ τὰ ὄντα δὲ ἡ θεωρία, ὡς οἱ ταῦτα δεινοὶ διειλήφασιν, εἰσὶ πάντως καὶ αἱ Χριστοῦ φύσεις· καὶ εἰ εἰσί, τί τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὥσπερ τι μορμολύκειον φεύγετε; 31 Εἰ δέ φατε, ὡς ὁ λέγων δύο φύσεις διαιρεῖ τὴν οἰκονομίαν καὶ δύο λέγει Χριστούς, ἄρα καὶ ὁ ἐκ δύο φύσεων τὴν ἕνωσιν λέγων ἐκ δύο Χριστῶν φήσει καὶ τὴν ἕνωσιν. 32 Εἰ τὸ λέγειν δύο φύσεις διαιρεῖ τὸν Χριστόν, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἑνώσει δύο φύσεις φατέ, ἐν τῇ ἑνώσει διαιρεῖτε τὴν ἕνωσιν καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἕνωσις καθ' ὑμᾶς διαίρεσις. 33 Φύσις καὶ φύσις μιᾶς φύσεως οὐ λεχθήσεται πώποτε, ἀλλὰ μιᾶς τυχὸν ὑποστάσεως, οὐδ' ὑπόστασις καὶ ὑπόστασις μιᾶς ὑποστάσεως, ἀλλὰ μιᾶς φύσεως. Μιᾶς οὖν φύσεως τὰ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς λέγοντες ὑποστάσεις ταύτας καὶ οὐ φύσεις ὁμολογήσοιτε. Εἰ δὲ τἀληθὲς τοῦ ψεύδους προαιρούμενοι μιᾶς ὑποστάσεως τὰ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν εἴπετε, φύσεις ταῦτα ὁμολογήσοιτε. 34 Εἰ τὴν διαφορὰν τῶν φύσεων καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν ὁμολογεῖτε, πῶς τῶν φύσεων πληθυντικῶς λέγοντες οὐ δύο φύσεις ὁμολογεῖτε; Εἰ γὰρ μία καθ' ὑμᾶς φύσις σύνθετός ἐστι μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν, ἔδει ὑμᾶς λέγειν οὐ φύσεων διαφοράν, ἀλλὰ μιᾶς φύσεως πρὸς ἑαυτὴν διαφοράν, ὅπερ ὑμῶν, οὐχ ἡμῶν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν καὶ φρονῆσαι· ἡ αὐτὴ γὰρ φύσις οὐσιώδη διαφορὰν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν οὐχ ἕξει ποτέ. 35 Εἰ μία φύσις ἐστὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἴπατε ἡμῖν τὸ ταύτης ὄνομα· χρὴ γὰρ τὸ ὂν καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι καὶ οἰκείως ὀνομάζεσθαι ὥσπερ θεοῦ φύσις θεότης καὶ ἀνθρώπου ἀνθρωπότης. Πῶς οὖν τὴν Χριστοῦ φύσιν ὀνομάσομεν; Χριστότητα; Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς τῶν θεοπνεύστων εἴρηκε τοῦτο. Ἀλλὰ θεοτητοανθρωπότητα; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Τί οὖν ἡμῖν φύσιν ἀνώνυμον εἰσκομίζετε; Εἰ δέ φατε, ὅτι καινοτομοῦνται φύσεις καὶ τῷ ξένῳ τοῦ μυστηρίου ξένον τι γίνεται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ φύσεως ἀληπτότερον ἢ ὑψηλότερον καὶ ὅμως τὸ μόνον ἄληπτον ἠνέσχετο πρὸς ἡμῶν ὀνομάζεσθαι. Ἢ τοίνυν ὑψηλοτέραν καὶ κρείττονα τῆς θεότητος τὴν πρὸς ὑμῶν σχεδιασθεῖσαν φύσιν εἴπατε, καὶ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν, ἢ τὸ ταύτης ὄνομα ἐμφανίσατε ἢ μετὰ τῶν κηρύκων τῆς ἀληθείας