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Properly speaking, He Himself, without change having become that which nature truly is, unimaginably has fulfilled the economy for our sake.
Therefore, the Teacher did not abolish the constitutive 1049 energy of the assumed substance, just as neither the substance itself, having said: "Beyond substance He was substantiated, and beyond man He performed the things of man;" but He showed in both the newness of the modes preserved in the permanence of the natural principles, without which nothing of existing things is what it is. But if we should say that the negation by eminence is an affirmation of the assumed substance, but a removal of its constitutive energy, by what reason will we show that the same [negation] applied equally to both signifies existence for the one, but (14∆_040> utter abolition for the other? Or again, since the assumed nature is not self-moved, being truly moved by the Godhead hypostatically united to it, and we take away its constitutive motion, shall we not also confess the substance itself, which appeared not self-subsistent, that is, on its own, but received its being in God the Word Who truly substantiated it, having an equal reason for the denial in both cases? Or shall we confess the motion along with the nature, without which it is not even a nature, knowing that the principle of being is one thing, and the mode of how to be is another, the one confirming the nature, the other the economy. The coming together of which, having made the great mystery of the supernatural physiology of Jesus, showed the difference of the energies and the union preserved at the same time, the one being seen indivisibly in the natural principle of the united natures, the other being known unconfusedly in the single mode of the things that came to be.
For what and who, where and how will a nature be, having become bereft of constitutive power? For that which has absolutely no power neither exists, nor is anything, nor is there any affirmation of it at all, says this great teacher. But if there is no account of these things, it is necessary to confess piously both the natures of Christ of which He was the hypostasis, and His natural energies, of which He was the true union, according to both natures; since He acted in a manner befitting Himself, singularly, that is, in a unified way, and through all things inseparably manifested together with the divine power the energy of His own flesh. For how will the same one be God by nature and again man by nature, not possessing unfailingly that which is natural to both? And what and who will He be known as being, not confirming by what He naturally worked what He is without changing? and how (14∆_042> will He confirm each of the things from which, in which, and which He is, remaining motionless and inactive?
Therefore, beyond substance He was substantiated, having fashioned for nature another beginning of generation and of birth, conceived indeed by the seed of His own flesh, but born having become the seal of virginity for her who bore Him, and showing in her the contradiction of unmixed things proving true together. For the same one was both virgin and mother, innovating nature by the convergence of 1053 opposites, since virginity and giving birth are opposites, for which no reconciliation can be devised by nature. Wherefore the Virgin is also truly Theotokos, having supernaturally in the manner of seed conceived and borne the super-essential Word; since she who gives birth is properly the mother of that which was sown and conceived.
And beyond man He worked the things of man, showing the human energy to be connatural with the divine power according to the ultimate union without change; since also the nature unconfusedly united to the nature has wholly interpenetrated it, having nothing at all absolute and separated from the Godhead hypostatically united to it. For the super-essential Word, having been truly substantiated with our substance beyond us, joined to the affirmation of the nature and of its natural properties the negation by eminence, and became man, having the supernatural mode of how to be joined to the [principle] of
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κυρίως εἰπεῖν, αὐτός δίχα τροπῆς τοῦθ᾿ ὅπερ ἐστί πραγματικῶς ἡ φύσις γενόμενος ἀφαντάστως τήν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν οἰκονομίαν πεπλήρωκεν.
Οὐκ ἀνεῖλεν οὖν τήν συστατικήν 1049 τῆς προσληφθείσης οὐσίας ἐνέργειαν, ὥσπερ οὐδ᾿ αὐτήν τήν οὐσίαν ὁ διδάσκαλος, εἰπών· " Ὑπέρ οὐσίαν οὐσιώθη, καί ὑπέρ ἄνθρωπον ἐνήργει τά ἀνθρώπου· " ἀλλ᾿ ἔδειξεν ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοῖν τήν καινότητα τῶν τρόπων ἐν τῇ μονιμότητι τῶν φυσικῶν σωζομένην λόγων, ὧν χωρίς οὐδέν τῶν ὄντων ἐστίν ὅπερ ἐστίν. Εἰ δέ φῶμεν, ὡς τῆς μέν προσληφθείσης οὐσίας θέσις, τῆς δέ συστατικῆς αὐτῆς ἐνεργείας ἀφαίρεσις, ἡ καθ᾿ ὑπεροχήν ἐστιν ἀπόφασις, τίνι λόγῳ τήν αὐτήν ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοῖν ἴσως τεθεῖσαν, τῆς μέν ὕπαρξιν, τῆς (14∆_040> δέ πάντως ἀναίρεσιν σημαίνουσαν δείξομεν; Ἤ πάλιν ἐπείπερ οὐκ αὐτοκίνητος ἡ προσληφθεῖσα φύσις ἐστίν, ὑπό τῆς ἡνωμένης αὐτῇ καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν ἀληθῶς κινουμένῃ θεότητος, καί τήν συστατικήν αὐτῆς ἀφαιρούμεθα κίνησιν, μηδ᾿ αὐτήν τήν οὐσίαν ὁμολογήσομεν, οὐκ αὐθυπόστατον φανεῖσαν, τουτέστι καθ᾿ ἑαυτήν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ κατ᾿ ἀλήθειαν αὐτήν οὐσιωθέντι Θεῷ Λόγῳ τό εἶναι λαβοῦσαν, ἴσην ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοῖν τήν αἰτίαν ἔχοντες τῆς παραιτήσεως, ἤ καί τήν κίνησιν τῇ φύσει συνομολογήσομεν, ἧς χωρίς οὐδέ φύσις ἐστί, γινώσκοντες ὡς ἕτερος μέν ὁ τοῦ εἶναι λόγος ἐστίν, ἕτερος δέ ὁ τοῦ πῶς εἶναι τρόπος, ὁ μέν τήν φύσιν, ὁ δέ τήν οἰκονομίαν πιστούμενος. Ὧν ἡ σύνοδος τό μέγα τῆς ὑπερφυοῦς Ἰησοῦ φυσιολογίας ποιησαμένη μυστήριον σωζομένην ἔδειξεν ἐν ταυτῷ τήν διαφοράν τῶν ἐνεργειῶν καί τήν ἕνωσιν, τήν μέν ἀδιαιρέτως ἐν τῷ φυσικῷ θεωρουμένην λόγῳ τῶν ἡνωμένων, τήν δέ ἀσυγχύτως ἐν τῷ μοναδικῷ γνωριζομένην τρόπῳ τῶν γινομένων.
Τί γάρ καί τίς, ποῦ τε καί πῶς φύσις ἔσται συστατικῆς ἔρημος γενομένη δυνάμεως; Τό γάρ καθόλου μηδέ μίαν ἔχον δύναμιν οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε τί ἐστίν, οὔτε ἔστι τις αὐτοῦ παντελῶς θέσις, φησίν ὁ πολύς οὗτος διδάσκαλος. Εἰ δέ τούτων λόγος οὐδείς, εὐσεβῶς ὁμολογεῖσθαι χρή τάς τε τοῦ Χριστοῦ φύσεις ὧν αὐτός ὑπόστασις ἦν, καί τάς αὐτοῦ φυσικάς ἐνεργείας, ὧν αὐτός ἕνωσις ἦν ἀληθής, κατ᾿ ἄμφω τάς φύσεις· εἴπερ ἑαυτῷ προσφυῶς, μοναδικῶς, ἤγουν ἑνοειδῶς, ἐνεργῶν, καί διά πάντων ἀχωρίστως τῇ θεϊκῇ δυνάμει συνεκφαίνων τῆς οἰκείας σαρκός τήν ἐνέργειαν. Πῶς γάρ ἔσται φύσει Θεός, καί φύσει πάλιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ αὐτός, οὐκ ἔχων ἀνελλιπῶς τό φύσει κατ᾿ ἄμφω πεφυκός; Τί τε καί τίς ὑπάρχων γνωσθήσεται, μή πιστούμενος οἷς ἐνήργει φυσικῶς ὅπερ ἐστί μή τρεπόμενον; πῶς (14∆_042> δέ πιστώσεται καθ᾿ ἕν τῶν ἐξ ὧν , ἐν οἷς τε καί ἅπερ ἐστίν ἀκίνητος μένων καί ἀνενέργητος;
Ὑπέρ οὐσίαν οὖν οὐσιώθη, γενέσεως ἀρχήν καί γεννήσεως ἑτέραν τῇ φύσει δημιουργήσας, συλληφθείς μέν σπορᾷ τῆς οἰκείας σαρκός, τεχθείς δέ σφραγίς τῆς παρθενίας τῇ τεκούσῃ γενόμενος, καί τῶν ἀμίκτων ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς τήν ἀντίφασιν δείξας συναληθεύουσαν. Ἡ γάρ αὐτή καί παρθένος καί μήτηρ, καινοτομοῦσα τήν φύσιν τῇ συνόδῳ τῶν 1053 ἀντικειμένων, εἴπερ τῶν ἀντικειμένων παρθενία καί γέννησις, ὧν ἐκ φύσεως οὐκ ἄν τις ἐπινοηθήσεται σύμβασις. ∆ιό καί Θεοτόκος ἀληθῶς ἡ Παρθένος, ὑπερφυῶς δίκην σπορᾶς συλλαβοῦσά τε καί τεκοῦσα τόν ὑπερούσιον Λόγον· ἐπείπερ τοῦ σπαρέντος τε καί συλληφθέντος κυρίως ἡ τίκτουσα μήτηρ.
Καί ὑπέρ ἄνθρωπον ἐνήργει τά ἀνθρώπου, κατ᾿ ἄκραν ἕνωσιν δίχα τροπῆς συμφυεῖσαν δεικνύς τῇ θεϊκῇ δυνάμει τήν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐνέργειαν· ἐπειδή καί ἡ φύσις ἀσυγχύτως ἐνωθεῖσα τῇ φύσει δι᾿ ὅλου περικεχώρηκε, μηδέν ἀπόλυτον παντάπασιν ἔχουσα, καί τῆς ἡνωμένης αὐτῇ καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν κεχωρισμένον θεότητος. Ὑπέρ ἡμᾶς γάρ ἀληθῶς τήν ἡμῶν οὐσίαν οὐσιωθείς ὁ ὑπερούσιος Λόγος συνῆψε τῇ καταφάσει τῆς φύσεως καί τῶν αὐτῆς φυσικῶν καθ᾿ ὑπεροχήν τήν ἀπόφασιν, καί γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, τόν ὑπέρ φύσιν τοῦ πῶς εἶναι τρόπον ἔχον συνημμένον τῷ τοῦ