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is of life, from which we begin and in which we end, necessarily the one who heals our whole life embraces us through the two extremities, grasping both our beginning and our end, so that from both he might raise up 3.22 the one who is fallen. What, therefore, we perceive concerning the part at the end, this we also consider concerning the beginning. For just as there he caused the body to be separated from the soul according to the economy, but the indivisible divinity, once having been mixed with the substance, was separated neither from the body nor from the soul, but through the soul he is in paradise, making a way for men through the thief for their entrance, and through the body he is in the heart of the earth destroying the one who holds the power of death, and for this reason the body is also called Lord, because of the indwelling divinity; so also we reason concerning the beginning, that the power of the Most High, having been mixed with our whole nature through the coming of the Holy Spirit, is both in our soul, as it is fitting to be in a soul, and is mingled with the body, so that through all parts our salvation might become complete, with the God-befitting and sublime impassibility being preserved for the divinity both at the beginning of human life and at the end. For neither was the beginning according to our beginning, nor the end according to our end, but he showed both there and here the divine authority, with the beginning neither being defiled by pleasure nor the end concluding in corruption.
3.23 If, then, we proclaim these things and testify, that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, always unchangeable, always incorruptible, even if he is in what is changeable and corruptible, not being defiled himself but cleansing what has been defiled, what wrong do we do and for what are we hated? And what is the meaning of the setting up of new altars in opposition? 3.24 Do we proclaim another Jesus? Do we point to a different one? Do we set forth other scriptures? Has any one of us dared to call the holy virgin, the Theotokos, also an anthropotokos (bearer of a man), which we hear some of them say without restraint? Do we invent fables of three resurrections? Do we promise a gluttony of a thousand years? Do we say that the Jewish animal sacrifice will be repeated again? Do we incline the hopes of men toward the earthly Jerusalem, fabricating its resettlement through the most brilliant material of stones? Having what such thing to be accused of were we considered objects to be shunned, and another altar is being raised up against us by some, as if we were profaning the holy things? 3.25 Having my heart in inflammation and grief over these things, as soon as I arrived in the metropolis I was eager to empty the bitterness from my soul by writing to your love. But as for you, in whatever the Holy Spirit will lead you, in that go, walking behind God, but not conferring with flesh and blood nor providing an occasion for boasting to any, so that they may not boast in you through your way of life, with their ambition being increased. But remember 3.26 the holy fathers, to whom you were entrusted by your blessed father, whose succession we also have been deemed worthy to have according to the grace of God; and do not move <the> boundaries, which your fathers have set, nor dishonor the simplicity of the plainer preaching, nor give more weight to various teachings; but conform to the ancient canon of the faith, and the God of peace will be with you. May the Lord keep you strong in soul and body in incorruptibility, as we pray.
4.τ To Eusebius
4.1 When the daily measure begins to increase during the winter season
as the sun returns to its upward course, we celebrate the Theophany of the true light that shone upon human life through the flesh; but now, with the luminary having already reached its zenith in its cycle, so that night and day toward
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ἐστὶ ζωῆς, ὅθεν ἀρχόμεθα καὶ εἰς ὃ κατα λήγομεν, ἀναγκαίως ὁ πᾶσαν ἡμῶν τὴν ζωὴν θεραπεύων διὰ τῶν δύο ἄκρων ἡμᾶς περιπτύσσεται, καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ τέλους περιδρασσόμενος, ἵνα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ὑψώσῃ 3.22 τὸν κείμενον. ὅπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸ τέλος μέρους κατα λαμβάνομεν, τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς λογιζόμεθα. ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖ τὸ μὲν σῶμα τῆς ψυχῆς διαζευχθῆναι κατ' οἰκονομίαν ἐποίησεν, ἡ δὲ ἀμέριστος θεότης, ἅπαξ ἀνακραθεῖσα τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ, οὔτε τοῦ σώματος οὔτε τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπεσπάσθη, ἀλλὰ διὰ μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ γίνεται ὁδοποιοῦσα διὰ τοῦ λῃστοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν εἴσοδον, διὰ δὲ τοῦ σώ ματος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς ἀναιροῦσα τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ σῶμα κύριος λέγεται, διὰ τὴν ἐγκειμένην θεότητα· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς λογιζόμεθα ὅτι ὅλῃ τῇ φύσει ἡμῶν ἡ τοῦ ὑψίστου δύναμις διὰ τῆς ἐπε λεύσεως τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐγκραθεῖσα, καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἡμῶν γίνεται, καθὸ εἰκὸς ἐν ψυχῇ γενέσθαι, καὶ τῷ σώματι καταμίγνυται, ὡς ἂν διὰ πάντων ὁλοτελὴς ἡμῖν ἡ σωτηρία γένηται, φυλασσομένης τῇ θεότητι καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς ἀνθρω πίνης ζωῆς καὶ ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς θεοπρεποῦς τε καὶ ὑψηλῆς ἀπα θείας. οὔτε γὰρ ἡ ἀρχὴ κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀρχὴν οὔτε τὸ τέλος κατὰ τὸ ἡμέτερον τέλος, ἀλλ' ἔδειξε κἀκεῖ καὶ ὧδε τὴν θεϊκὴν ἐξουσίαν, μήτε τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐν ἡδονῇ μολυνθείσης μήτε τοῦ τέλους εἰς φθορὰν καταλήξαντος.
3.23 Εἰ οὖν ταῦτα βοῶμεν καὶ διαμαρτυρόμεθα, ὅτι Χριστὸς θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία, ἀεὶ ἄτρεπτος ἀεὶ ἄφθαρτος, κἂν ἐν τῷ τρεπτῷ καὶ φθαρτῷ γένηται, οὐκ αὐτὸς μολυνό μενος ἀλλὰ τὸ μολυνθὲν καθαρίζων, τί ἀδικοῦμεν καὶ ὑπὲρ τίνος μισούμεθα; καὶ τί βούλεται ἡ τῶν καινῶν θυσιαστηρίων 3.24 ἀντεξαγωγή; μὴ ἄλλον Ἰησοῦν καταγγέλλομεν; μὴ ἕτερον ὑποδεικνύομεν; μὴ ἄλλας γραφὰς ἐκτιθέμεθα; μὴ τὴν ἁγίαν παρθένον τὴν θεοτόκον ἐτόλμησέ τις ἡμῶν καὶ ἀνθρωποτόκον εἰπεῖν, ὅπερ ἀκούομέν τινας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀφειδῶς λέγειν; μὴ τρεῖς ἀναστάσεις μυθοποιοῦμεν; μὴ χιλίων ἐτῶν γαστριμαρ γίας ἐπαγγελλόμεθα; μὴ τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν ζῳοθυσίαν πάλιν ἐπαναληφθήσεσθαι λέγομεν; μὴ περὶ τὴν κάτω Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὰς ἐλπίδας τῶν ἀνθρώπων κλίνομεν, ἀνοικισμὸν αὐτῆς διὰ τῆς εὐφανεστέρας τῶν λίθων ὕλης ἀναπλάσσοντες; τί τοιοῦτον ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖσθαι φευκτοὶ ἐνομίσθημεν, καὶ ἄλλο παρά τινων ἀντεγείρεται ἡμῖν θυσιαστήριον ὡς ἡμῶν βεβη λούντων τὰ ἅγια; 3.25 Ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐν φλεγμονῇ καὶ λύπῃ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχων, ὁμοῦ τῷ ἐπιβῆναι τῆς μητροπόλεως ἀποκενῶσαι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν πικρίαν διὰ τοῦ γράψαι πρὸς τὴν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν προεθυ μήθην. ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐφ' ὅπερ ἂν ὑμᾶς χειραγωγήσῃ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐν ἐκείνῳ ἴτε, ὀπίσω τοῦ θεοῦ πορευόμεναι, σαρκὶ δὲ καὶ αἵματι μὴ προσανέχουσαι μηδὲ ἀφορμὴν παρασκευάζουσαί τισι καυχήματος, ἵνα μὴ ἐν ὑμῖν καυχήσωνται διὰ τοῦ ὑμετέ ρου βίου τῆς φιλοδοξίας αὐτῶν ἐπαυξανομένης. ἀλλὰ ἀναμνή 3.26 σθητε τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων, οἷς παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πατρὸς ὑμῶν ἐνεχειρίσθητε, ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς κατὰ θεοῦ χάριν τὴν διαδοχὴν ἔχειν κατηξιώθημεν· καὶ μὴ μεταίρετε <τὰ> ὅρια, ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν, μηδὲ ἀτιμάζετε τὸν ἰδιωτισμὸν τοῦ ἁπλουστέρου κηρύγματος, μηδὲ ταῖς ποικίλαις διδαχαῖς τὸ πλέον νέμετε· ἀλλὰ στοιχεῖτε τῷ ἀρχαίῳ κανόνι τῆς πίστεως, καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ' ὑμῶν. ἐρρωμένας ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι ὁ κύριος φυλάσσοι ὑμᾶς ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ, καθὼς εὐχόμεθα.
4.τ Εὐσεβίῳ
4.1 Ὅτε πλεονάζειν ἄρχεται τὸ ἡμερήσιον μέτρον κατὰ τὴν χειμέριον ὥραν
τοῦ ἡλίου πρὸς τὸν ἄνω δρόμον ἀναποδίζοντος, τὴν τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς θεοφάνειαν τοῦ διὰ σαρκὸς ἐπιλάμψαντος τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ζωῇ ἑορτάζομεν· νυνὶ δὲ μεσουρανήσαντος ἤδη τοῦ φωστῆρος κατὰ τὸν κύκλον, ὡς νύκτα τε καὶ ἡμέραν πρὸς