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possible, that which by nature is to come to be from us according to our power. And if it is by nature to come to be from us, we have it according to our natural power. But deification is not among the things that by nature come to be from us according to our power, since it is not within our capacity; for there is no principle in nature of things that are beyond nature. Therefore deification is not an act of our power, of which we do not have the capacity by nature; but only of divine power, not being a recompense for the righteous works of the saints(8); but a demonstration of the abundance of the Maker; Who by adoption made the lovers of good things that which He Himself is by nature 15Α_044 will be shown, according to principles which He Himself knows; so that He might be both perfectly known, and remain completely incomprehensible. I have not, then, abolished the natural energy of those who will experience this, which has by nature ceased from producing its effects, having shown only the passive enjoyment of good things; but I have pointed out only 0036 the superessential power as productive of deification, which comes to be by grace for those who are deified.

And let no one suppose that by these things one energy of Christ is proclaimed. For we do not proclaim Christ as a man who was deified, but as God who was perfectly incarnate, and who made manifest the infinite, infinitely infinite, and super-infinite power of his own ineffable divinity through a flesh, by nature active and rationally ensouled; the same one wholly God, and truly man; the same one perfect and most full in both natures; and possessing without lack everything that is natural to both, except sin, of which there is no principle. For of those natures of which he was the hypostasis, of these he naturally accepted also the essential principles. And if he accepted the essential principles of those natures of which he was the hypostasis, he also reasonably had the natural ensouled energy of the flesh, whose essential principle is sown in the nature. And if as man he had a natural energy, of which the principle of the nature was constitutive, then clearly as God he also had a natural energy, of which the principle of the superessential divinity was manifestive. For being perfect God, and the same one perfect man, according to each nature of which he was the hypostasis, he acted naturally without being divided. And if according to each nature of which he was the hypostasis he acted naturally without being divided, it is clear that along with the natures, of which he was the hypostasis, he also had their 15Α_046 essential and constitutive energies, of which he himself was the union; acting suitably to himself, and confirming by the things in which he acted the truth of the natures from which, in which, and as which he existed.

Christ, then, is one, from two natures: divinity and humanity; the only-begotten Word and Son and Lord of glory; in which he is known, and in which he is believed truly to exist; having two natural and generic and constitutive motions, that is, energies, of the natures from which he was, of which the particular operations were the effects; both proceeding from him, and being perfected by him, without division of the natures from which he existed, and without any confusion whatsoever. For he who is never subject to change does not admit of division or confusion, and who provides to all beings both their being and the permanence and constitution of how they are.

0037 Let these things be said briefly, hallowed Father, for the sake of your command; so that you may have, if they bear anything useful, how to refute the babbling of the talkative, which has taken license from the difficulty of the times. And do not overlook your impoverished servant; but enrich him with the divine Spirit, giving in return for his obedience your powerful prayers; and do not cease commending him to Christ, the great God and maker of all things, who is worshipped by all creation, with the Father and the Holy Spirit unto the ages. Amen.

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δυνατόν, τό παρ᾿ ἡμῖν κατά δύναμιν γενέσθαι πεφυκός. Εἰ δέ τό παρ᾿ ἡμῖν γίνεσθαι πεφυκός, κατά δύναμον ἔχομεν φυσικήν. Οὐκ ἔστι δέ τῶν παρ᾿ ἡμῶν κατά δύναμιν γίνεσθαι πεφυκότων ἡ θέωσις, οὐκ οὖσα τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν· οὐδείς γάρ ἐν τῇ φύσει, τῶν ὑπέρ φύσιν λόγος. Ἄρα τῆς ἡμῶν οὐκ ἔστι δυνάμεως πρᾶξις ἡ θέωσις, ἧς οὐκ ἔχομεν κατά φύσιν τήν δύναμιν· ἀλλά μόνης τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, οὐκ ἔργων ὑπάρχουσα δικαίων τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀντίδοσις(8)· ἀλλά τῆς τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἀφθονίας ἀπόδειξις· τοῦτο θέσει ποιήσαντος τούς ἐραστάς τῶν καλῶν, ὅπερ αὐτός ὑπάρχων φύσει 15Α_044 δειχθήσεται, καθ' οὕς αὐτός ἐπίσταται λόγους· ἵνα καί τελείως γνωσθῇ, καί μείνῃ παντελῶς ἀκατάληπτος. Οὐκ ἀνεῖλον οὖν τήν φυσικήν τῶν τοῦτο πεισομένων ἐνεργείαν, ὧν ἀποτελεῖν πέφυκε πεπαυμένην, καί μόνην ἐμφήνας τῶν ἀγαθῶν τήν ἀπόλαυσιν πάσχουσαν· ἀλλά μόνην ὑπέδειξα 0036 θεώσεως ἀπεργαστικήν τήν ὑπερούσιον δύναμιν, κατά χάριν τῶν θεωθέντων γεγενημένην.

Καί μηδείς ὑπονοήσει τούτοις μίαν καταγγέλλεσθαι Χριστοῦ τήν ἐνέργειαν. Οὐ γάρ ἄνθρωπον ἀποθεωθέντα τόν Χριστόν καταγγέλλομεν, ἀλλά Θεόν τελείως ἐνανθρωπήσαντα, καί τῆς οἰκείας ἀφράστου θεότητος τήν ἄπειρον, ἀπειράκις ἀπείρως ὑπεράπειρον δι᾿ ἐνεργοῦς φύσει σαρκός νοερῶς ἐψυχωμένης ἐμφανῆ ποιησάμενον δύναμιν· ὅλον Θεόν τόν αὐτόν, καί ἄνθρωπον ἀληθῶς· ἄμφω τε φύσει τέλειον τόν αὐτόν καί πληρέστατον· καί πᾶν εἴ τι κατ' ἄμφω πεφυκός ἀνελλιπῶς ἔχοντα πλήν ἁμαρτίας, ἧς λόγος οὐδείς. Ὧν γάρ αὐτός φύσεων ὑπόστασις ἦν, τούτων καί τούς οὐσιώδεις φυσικῶς ἐπεδέχετο λόγους. Εἰ δέ τούς οὐσιώδεις ὧν αὐτός ὑπόστασις ἦν, ἐπεδέχετο λόγους, καί φυσικήν ἔμψυχον σαρκός εἰκότως εἶχεν ἐνέργειαν, ἧς οὐσιώδεις τῇ φύσει κατέσπαρται λόγος. Εἰ δέ φυσικήν ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐνέργειαν εἶχεν, ἧς ὁ λόγος τῆς φύσεως ὑπῆρχε συστατικός, καί ὡς Θεός δηλονότι φυσικήν εἶχεν ἐνέργειαν, ἧς ὁ λόγος τῆς ὑπερουσίου θεότητος ὑπῆρχεν ἐκφαντικός. Θεός γάρ ὑπάρχων τέλειος, καί ἄνθρωπος τέλειος ὁ αὐτός, καθ᾿ ἑκάτερον ὧν ὑπῆρχεν ὑπόστασις, φυσικῶς ἐνήργει μή διαιρούμενος. Εἰ δέ καθ᾿ ἑκάτερον ὧν ὑπῆρχεν ὑπόστασις φυσικῶς ἐνήργει μή διαιρούμενος, δῆλον ὅτι μετά τῶν φύσεων, ὧν ὑπόστασις ἦν, καί τάς 15Α_046 οὐσιώδεις αὐτῶν καί συστατικάς ἐνεργείας εἶχεν, ὧν αὐτός ἕνωσις ἦν· ἑαυτῷ προσφυῶς ἐνεργῶν, καί οἷς ἐνήργει πιστούμενος, τήν τῶν ἐξ ὧν, ἐν οἷς τε καί ἅπερ ὑπῆρχεν, ἀλήθειαν.

Εἷς οὖν ἐκ δύο φύσεων ὁ Χριστός· θεότητός τε καί ἀνθρωπότητος· μονογενής Λόγος καί Υἰός καί Κύριος τῆς δόξης· ἐν αἷς γνωρίζεται, καί αἷς ἀληθῶς ὑπάρχων πιστεύεται· δύο τε φυσικάς καί γενικάς, καί τῶν ἐξ ὧν ἦν συστατικάς κινήσεις, ἤγουν ἐνεργείας ἔχων, ὧν ἀποτελέσματα τά κατά μέρος ἦν ἐνεργήματα· ἐξ αὐτοῦ τε προβαλλόμενα, καί ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ τελειούμενα, χωρίς τομῆς τῶν ἐξ ὧν ὑπῆρχε, καί τῆς οἰασοῦν δίχα συγχύσεως. Οὐ γάρ ὑπομένει τομήν ἤ σύγχυσιν, ὁ μηδέποτε τροπαῖς ὑποκείμενος, καί πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι τήν τε τοῦ εἶναι, καί πῶς εἶναι διαμονήν τε καί σύστασιν παρεχόμενος.

0037 Ταῦτα τῆς σῆς χάριν ἐπιτόμως, ἡγιασμένε Πάτερ, εἰρήσθω κελεύσεως· ἵνα ἔχοις εἴπερ τι χρήσιμον φέροιεν, πῶς διακρούσασθαι τήν τῶν φιλολάλων ἀδολεσχίαν, ἄδειαν λαβοῦσαν τήν τῶν καιρῶν δυσκολίαν. Καί μή παρίδῃς τόν σόν δοῦλον πενόμενον· ἀλλά θείῳ πλούτισον Πνεύματι, τῆς εὐπειθείας ἀντιδούς τάς εὐσθενεῖς σου δεήσεις· καί παρατιθέμενος Χριστῷ τῷ μεγάλῳ Θεῷ καί ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων μή διαλείποις, τῷ παρά πάσης προσκυνουμένῳ τῆς κτίσεως, σύν Πατρί καί ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.