John Chrysostom, On Consubstantiality

we find this, and that for this reason He came. How then does He say here, "If it is possible"? He shows us the weakness of human nature, which does not simply choose to be torn from the present life, but shrinks and hesitates because of the friendship for this present life implanted in it from the beginning by God. For if, when He had said so many and such great things, some dared to say that He did not take on flesh, what would they not have said if none of these things had been spoken? For this reason, He foretells as God there, and desires the passion to occur; but here He flees and declines it, as man. For that He came willingly to the passion, He says, "I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again." "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself." How then does He say, "Not as I will, but as you"? And why do you marvel, if before the cross He made such effort to confirm the reality of the flesh, when even after the resurrection, seeing the disciple disbelieving, He did not refuse to show him both wounds and the prints of the nails, and to submit the scars to the touch of his hand, and to say, "Handle me, and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones"? For this reason, He did not take on man at a mature age from the beginning, but He endured to be conceived, and born, and nursed, and to spend so much time upon the earth, so that both by the length of time, and by all other things, He might confirm this very fact. For since angels often appeared on earth in the form of a man, and God Himself also, but what appeared was not the reality of flesh, but a condescension; so that you might not think this presence was also of such a kind as those were, but might be truly assured that it was true flesh, He was also conceived, and born, and nourished, and laid in a manger, not in some little house, but in an inn, an immense crowd being present, so that His birth might be made public. For this reason also swaddling clothes, and prophecies from above saying this very thing, not only that He will be a man, but that He will also be conceived, and born, and nourished according to the law of children. And Isaiah proclaims this, saying, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel; butter and honey shall he eat;" and again, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Do you see how they proclaimed His early age beforehand? Ask the heretic then: Does God feel dread, and shrink, and hesitate, and grieve? and if he says, yes, then withdraw, and place him down with the devil, or rather even lower than him; for not even he would dare to say this; but if he says that none of these things is worthy of God, say, then neither does God pray. For besides these things there will be another absurdity, if the words are God's. For the words indicate not only agony, but also two wills, one of the Son, and one of the Father, contrary to each other; for saying, "Not as I will, but as you," indicates this. But this they have never conceded, but while we always say that "I and the Father are one" refers to power, they say this was spoken of the will, saying that the will of the Father and the Son is one. If, then, the will of the Father and the Son is one, how does He say here, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you"? For if this was spoken concerning the divinity, a certain contradiction arises, and many absurdities are born from this; but if concerning the flesh, what was said is reasonable, and there could be no accusation. For it is not a matter for condemnation that the flesh does not wish to die; for this belongs to nature; and He displays all the things of nature, without sin, and with great abundance, so as to shut the mouths of the heretics. When, therefore, He says, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from me," and, "Not as I will, but as you," He shows nothing else but that He has truly been clothed with flesh that fears death; for the

αὐτὸ εὑρίσκομεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παραγενόμενον. Πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθά φησιν, Εἰ δυνατόν; Τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἡμῖν ἐνδείκνυται, οὐχ αἱρουμένης ἁπλῶς ἀποῤῥαγῆναι τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς, ἀλλ' ἀναδυομένης καὶ ὀκνούσης διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐντεθεῖσαν αὐτῇ φιλίαν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν παρόντα βίον. Εἰ γὰρ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ, ἐτόλμησαν εἰπεῖν τινες, ὅτι σάρκα οὐκ ἀνέλαβεν, εἰ μηδὲν τούτων εἴρητο, τί οὐκ ἂν εἶπον; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προλέγει μὲν ὡς Θεὸς ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖ γενέσθαι τὸ πάθος· φεύγει δὲ καὶ παραιτεῖται ἐνταῦθα, ὡς ἄνθρωπος. Ὅτι γὰρ ἑκὼν ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἤρχετο, φησὶν, Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω λαβεῖν αὐτήν. Οὐδεὶς αὐτὴν αἴρει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἐγὼ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ τίθημι αὐτήν. Πῶς οὖν λέγει, Οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σύ; Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοσαύτην ἐποίησε σπουδὴν, πιστώσασθαι τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὅπου γε καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὸν μαθητὴν ἰδὼν ἀπιστοῦντα οὐ παρῃτήσατο αὐτῷ καὶ τραύματα καὶ τύπους ἥλων ἐπιδεῖξαι, καὶ χειρὸς ἁφῇ τὰς ὠτειλὰς ὑποβαλεῖν, καὶ εἰπεῖν, Ἐρεύνησον καὶ ἴδε ὅτι πνεῦμα σάρκα καὶ ὀστέα οὐκ ἔχει; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τελείας ἡλικίας τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀνέλαβεν, ἀλλ' ἠνέσχετο καὶ συλληφθῆναι, καὶ τεχθῆναι, καὶ γαλακτοτροφηθῆναι, καὶ χρόνον τοσοῦτον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διατρίψαι, ἵνα καὶ τῷ μήκει τοῦ χρόνου, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν αὐτὸ τοῦτο πιστώσηται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἄγγελοι πολλάκις ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφάνησαν ἐν ἀνθρώπου τύπῳ, καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ δὲ φαινόμενον οὐκ ἦν σαρκὸς ἀλήθεια, ἀλλὰ συγκατάβασις· ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς καὶ ταύτην τὴν παρουσίαν τοιαύτην εἶναι, οἷαι ἐκεῖναι ἐγένοντο, ἀλλὰ πιστωθῇς ἀληθῶς, ὅτι σὰρξ ἦν ἀληθινὴ, καὶ συνελήφθη, καὶ ἐτέχθη, καὶ ἐτράφη, καὶ ἐπὶ φάτνης ἐτέθη, οὐκ ἐν οἰκίσκῳ τινὶ, ἀλλ' ἐν καταλύματι, πλήθους ἀπείρου παρόντος, ἵνα δημοσιεύηται αὐτοῦ ἡ γέννησις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ σπάργανα, καὶ προφητεῖαι ἄνωθεν αὐτὸ τοῦτο λέγουσαι, οὐχ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ἔσται μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ συλληφθήσεται, καὶ τεχθήσεται, καὶ τῷ τῶν παιδίων νόμῳ τραφήσεται. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Ἡσαΐας βοᾷ λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει, καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ· βούτυρον καὶ μέλι φάγεται· καὶ πάλιν, Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ ἡλικίαν προανεφώνησαν; Ἐρώτησον τοίνυν τὸν αἱρετικόν· Θεὸς δειλιᾷ, καὶ ἀναδύεται, καὶ ὀκνεῖ, καὶ λυπεῖται; κἂν εἴπῃ, ὅτι ναὶ, ἀπόστηθι λοιπὸν, καὶ στῆσον αὐτὸν κάτω μετὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνου κατώτερον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τολμήσει τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· ἂν δὲ εἴπῃ, ὅτι οὐδὲν τούτων ἄξιον Θεοῦ, εἰπὲ, οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ εὔχεται Θεός· χωρὶς γὰρ τούτων καὶ ἕτερον ἄτοπον ἔσται, ἂν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα ᾖ. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀγωνίαν μόνον ἐμφαίνει τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύο θελήματα, ἓν μὲν Υἱοῦ, ἓν δὲ Πατρὸς, ἐναντία ἀλλήλοις· τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σὺ, τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐμφαίνοντος. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνοί ποτε συνεχώρησαν, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν ἀεὶ λεγόντων τὸ, Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν, ἐπὶ τῆς δυνάμεως, ἐκεῖνοι ἐπὶ τῆς θελή 48.766 σεως τοῦτο εἰρῆσθαί φασι, λέγοντες Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ μίαν εἶναι βούλησιν. Εἰ τοίνυν Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ μία βούλησίς ἐστι, πῶς φησιν ἐνταῦθα, Πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σύ; Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς θεότητος τὸ εἰρημένον ᾖ τοῦτο, ἐναντιολογία τις γίνεται, καὶ πολλὰ ἄτοπα ἐκ τούτου τίκτεται· ἂν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκὸς, ἔχει λόγον τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ οὐδὲν γένοιτ' ἂν ἔγκλημα. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ μὴ θέλειν ἀποθανεῖν τὴν σάρκα, ἐστὶ κατάγνωσις· φύσεως γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο· αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἅπαντα χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας ἐπιδείκνυται, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας, ὥστε τὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἐμφράξαι στόματα. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ, Εἰ δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο, καὶ, Οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σὺ, οὐδὲν ἕτερον δείκνυσιν, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅτι σάρκα ἀληθῶς περιβέβληται φοβουμένην θάνατον· τὸ γὰρ