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energy; we are compelled, just as to the Son, so also to the Father and to the Spirit to assign hypostatic energies; and according to you, the blessed Godhead will have four energies: three defining the persons in which they exist, and one common, signifying the natural community of the three hypostases; and according to the Fathers, if we accept their teaching, we will suffer from a belief in four gods. For they declare every energy to be natural, but not hypostatic. And if this is true, as indeed it is, we will be shown to be saying there are four natures, four gods, differing from each other in both hypostasis and nature. Furthermore, who has seen or considered a particular energy of any of those things that are by nature brought under the species, and by nature are arranged under the common definition of the species? For 15Γ_036 what is common by nature never becomes the property of one and only one. For hypostatic markers, such as, hooked-nosedness, or snub-nosedness, or gray-eyedness, or lisping, and such things, are defining accidents of those differing from one another in number. For every man, being a *what* by nature, but not a *who* by hypostasis, is disposed to energize, according to the particularly and commonly conceived and stated categorical definition, such as living, rational, mortal, which is of our generic definition. For we all partake of the same life, the same rationality, and the same flux and reflux, and of sitting and standing, and speaking and being silent, and seeing and hearing and touching; which are of the common definition conceived of us. Therefore one must not innovate with expressions having no authority, either Scriptural, or Patristic, or natural; but rather one that is foreign, and invented by the perversions of men. Nevertheless show me this expression lying in any Father, and then we will seek the mind of the one who said it.

15. THEOD. What then? Must one not at all speak of one energy in Christ? MAX. According to the holy Scripture and the holy Fathers, no such thing

have we received to say, but just as [we confess] Christ’s two natures from which He is, so also we have been permitted to believe and confess His natural wills and energies suitable to Him, being at once by nature God and man, the same person.

THEOD. Truly, my lord, we too confess both the natures and the different energies, that is, divine and human, and His divinity as willing, and His humanity as willing, since His soul was not without will. But we do not say two, lest we introduce Him as fighting with Himself.

MAX. What then? By saying two natures, do you introduce them as fighting because of the number?

15Γ_038 THEOD. No. MAX. What then? Does the number, when spoken of natures, not divide, but when upon

wills and energies it is spoken, does it have the power of division? THEOD. By all means, the Fathers did not speak [thus] of wills and energies,

fleeing the division, but "one and another," and "divine and human," and "double" and "twofold," and I say as they said, and as they have spoken, I speak.

16. MAX. For the Lord's sake, if someone says to you, "one and another," how many do you understand? Or

"divine and human," how many do you understand? Or "double" and "twofold," how many do you understand? THEOD. I know how I understand it, but I do not say "two." Then Abba Maximus, turning to the officials, said:

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ἐνέργειαν· ἀναγκαζόμεθα δέ ὥσπερ τῷ Υἱῷ, οὕτω καί τῷ Πατρί καί τῷ Πνεύματι ὑποστατικάς ἐνεργείας ἀπονεῖμαι· καί καθ' ὑμᾶς, τέσσαρας ἐνεργείας ἕξει μακαρία Θεότης· τρεῖς ἀφοριστικάς τῶν ἐν οἷς ἔστι προσώπων, καί μίαν κοινήν σημαντικήν τῆς κατά φύσιν τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων κοινότητος· καί κατά τούς Πατέρας, εἴπερ αὐτῶν δεχόμεθα τήν διδασκαλίαν, τετραθεΐαν νοσήσομεν. Φυσικήν γάρ, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑποστατικήν πᾶσαν εἶναι διαγορεύουσιν ἐνέργειαν. Καί εἰ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθῶς, ὡς οὖν καί ἔστι, τέσσαρας φύσεις, τέσσαρας θεούς, διαφέροντας ἀλλήλων ὑποστάσει τε καί φύσει δειχθησόμεθα λέγοντες. Πλήν, τίς εἶδεν ἤ ἐθεώρησεν ἰδιάζουσαν ἐνέργειαν οἱανδήποτε τῶν ὑπό τό εἶδος φύσει ἀγομένων, καί ὑπό τόν κοινόν ὁρισμόν τοῦ εἴδους φύσει ταττομένων; Οὐδέποτε 15Γ_036 γάρ γίνεται τό φύσει κοινόν, ἑνός καί μόνου τινός ἴδιον. Τά γάρ ὑποστατικά σήμαντρα, οἷον, γρυπότης, ἤ σιμότης ἤ γλαυκότης, ἤ ψεδνότης, καί ὅσα τοιαῦτα, ἀφοριστικά εἰσι συμβεβηκότα τῶν ἀριθμῷ ἀλλήλων διαφερόντων. Πᾶς γάρ ἄνθρωπος, ὥς τι τήν φύσιν ὤν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὥς τις τήν ὑπόστασιν, ἐνεργεῖν πέφυκε, κατά τε τόν ἰδιαίτατα καί κοινῶς νοούμενόν τε καί λεγόμενον κατηγορικόν λόγον, οἷον τό ζῶον, τό λογικόν, τό θνητόν, ὅπερ ἐστί τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς γενικοῦ λόγου. Πάντες γάρ τῆς αὐτῆς μετέχομεν ζωῆς, τῆς αὐτῆς λογικότητος, καί τῆς αὐτῆς ῥοῆς καί ἀποῤῥοῆς, καί τοῦ καθέζεσθαι καί ἵστασθαι, καί λαλεῖν καί σιγᾷν, καί ὁρᾷν καί ἀκούειν καί ἅπτεσθαι· ἅπερ εἰσί τοῦ κοινοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῶν νοουμένου λόγου. Οὐ δεῖ οὖν καινοτομεῖν φωνάς μή ἐχούσας ἰσχύν ἤ Γραφικήν, ἤ Πατρικήν, ἤ φυσικήν· ἀλλά ξένην, καί διαστροφαῖς ἀνθρώπων ἐξηυρημένην. Πλήν δεῖξόν μοι ταύτην κειμένην ἐν οἱῳδήποτε Πατρί, καί πάλιν τόν νοῦν τοῦ ταύτην εἰρηκότος ἐπιζητοῦμεν.

ΙΕ'. ΘΕΟ∆. Τί οὖν; Οὐ δεῖ παντελῶς ἐπί Χριστοῦ λέγειν μίαν ἐνέργειαν; ΜΑΞ. Κατά τήν ἁγίαν Γραφήν καί τούς ἁγίους Πατέρας οὐδέν τοιοῦτον

λέγειν παρελάβομεν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ δύο φύσεις τόν Χριστόν τάς ἐξ ὧν ἐστιν, οΰτω καί τάς φυσικάς αὐτοῦ θελήσεις καί ἐνεργείας καταλλήλως αὐτῷ, ὁμοῦ τε φύσει Θεῷ καί ἀνθρώπῳ ὄντι τῷ αὐτῷ πιστεύειν καί ὁμολογεῖν ἐπετράπημεν.

ΘΕΟ∆. Ὄντως, δέσποτα, καί ἡμεῖς ὁμολογοῦμεν καί τάς φύσεις καί διαφόρους ἐνεργείας, τουτέστι θείαν τε καί ἀνθρωπίνην, καί θελητικήν αὐτοῦ τήν θεότητα, καί θελητικήν αὐτοῦ τήν ἀνθρωπότητα, ἐπειδή οὐκ ἄνευ θελήσεως ἦν ἡ ψυχή αὐτοῦ. ∆ύο δέ οὐ λέγομεν, ἵνα μή μαχόμενον αὐτόν αὐτῷ εἰσαγάγωμεν.

ΜΑΞ. Τί οὖν; δύο φύσεις λέγοντες, μαχομένας αὐτάς εἰσάγετε διά τόν ἀριθμόν;

15Γ_038 ΘΕΟ∆. Οὔ. ΜΑΞ. Τί οὖν; φύσεσιν ἐπιφημηζόμενος ὁ ἀριθμός οὐ διαιρεῖ ἀλλ' ἐπί

θελήσεων καί ἐνεργειῶν λεγόμενος, διαιρέσεως ἔχει δύναμιν; ΘΕΟ∆. Πάντως καί οἱ Πατέρες ἐπί θελήσεων καί ἐνεργειῶν οὐκ εἶπον,

φεύγοντες τήν διαίρεσιν, ἀλλ' ἄλλην καί ἄλλην, καί θείαν καί ἀνθρωπίνην, καί διπλῆν καί διττήν, καί ὡς εἶπαν λέγω, καί ὡς εἰρήκασι λέγω.

ΙS'. ΜΑΞ. ∆ιά τόν Κύριον, ἐάν τίς σοι εἴπῃ, Ἄλλην καί ἄλλην, πόσας νοεῖς; ἤ

θείαν καί ἀνθρωπίνην, πόσας νοεῖς; ἤ διπλῆν καί διττήν, πόσας νοεῖς; ΘΕΟ∆. Οἶδα πῶς νοῶ, δύο δέ οὐ λέγω. Τότε στραφείς ὁ ἀββᾶς Μάξιμος πρός τούς ἄρχοντας, εἶπε·