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it is a composite nature, subsisting altogether whole and perfect with its own perfect parts, having no temporal interval whatsoever with respect to itself or to the parts from which it is composed with respect to each other. But if it is a simple nature, that is, intelligible, it is likewise naturally constituted to subsist altogether whole and perfect with its own inalienable principles, 14Ε_058 with no time whatsoever distinguishing it as a whole from its own principles. For there never was any nature at all among beings, nor is there, nor will there be, existing according to its own principle as something it is not now, nor is it now or will it be hereafter something it was not before. For of those things whose principles possessed perfection with God at the same time as their being, the production and substantialization of these things according to their own principles is utterly incapable of any addition or subtraction with respect to being what they happen to be. But I think what has now been said is sufficient for them in this digression of the argument, so that they might not be easily carried away into absurd opinions by those who place their faith in the technical plausibility found in the elegance of their arguments.

Q. 113. WHY HE JOINED TO THE INCARNATION THE BIRTH FROM BAPTISM THE

TEACHER Why did the teacher join the birth from baptism to the incarnation. With what in view and for what reason did the teacher join the birth from baptism to the incarnation (for this still remains for the examination of the present discourse), I shall state briefly, as I have learned, according to my ability. Those who mystically handle the divine oracles, and, as is fitting, dignify them with higher contemplations, say that man was at first made according to the image of God, in order that he might by all means be born by choice in the Spirit, and receive the likeness which comes to him through the observance of the divine commandment, so that the same man might be a creature according to nature, but a Son of God and God through the Spirit according to grace. For it was not possible otherwise for the one who had become man to be shown to be a Son of God and God according to the deification from grace, unless he had first been born by choice in the Spirit, 14Ε_060 on account of the self-moving and sovereign power naturally inherent in him. 1348 This deifying and divine and immaterial birth the first man neglected, because he preferred the pleasant and manifest which is according to sense over the intelligible and as yet unseen goods, and so he is rightly condemned to have an involuntary and material and mortal birth from bodies, as God justly judged that he who willingly chose worse things over better things should exchange a free and impassible and voluntary and pure birth for an impassioned and servile and compelled birth, in the likeness of the irrational and senseless beasts on earth, and receive in exchange for the honor with God, which is divine and ineffable, a dishonorable co-involvement with senseless beasts. Wishing to free man from this and to lead him back to the divine inheritance, the Logos who created the nature of men, truly becomes man from men and is born bodily without sin for man's sake, and is baptized, willingly undergoing for our sakes the spiritual birth into adoption—He who is God in essence and Son of God by nature—for the abolition of the birth from bodies.

Therefore, since for our sakes the one who made us, the Son and Logos who alone is of one Godhead and one glory with the Father together with the Spirit, truly becomes man like us from us, and is born bodily without sin, and deigns to undergo for us the spiritual birth from baptism into adoption—He who is God by nature—for this reason he joined to the incarnation, as I think, the birth from baptism, the

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σύνθετος φύσις ἐστίν, ὅλη τελεία τελείοις τοῖς οἰκείοις μέρεσιν ἀθρόως συνυφίσταται, μή ἔχουσα πρός ἑαυτήν ἤ πρός ἄλληλα τῶν ἐξ ὧν ἐστι μερῶν τήν οἱανοῦν κατά τόν χρόνον διάστασιν. Εἰ δέ ἁπλῆ φύσις ἐστίν, ἤγουν νοητή, ὡσαύτως ἅμα τοῖς ἑαυτῆς ἀπαραλείπτως λόγοις τελεία τελείοις ἀθρόως συνυφίστασθαι πέφυκε, 14Ε_058 χρόνου τινός τό σύνολον αὐτήν τῶν οἰκείων λόγων, οὐδαμῶς διακρίνοντος. Οὔτε γάρ ἦν ποτε καθόλου τις φύσις ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν, οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε ἔσται κατά τόν ἑαυτῆς λόγον ὑπάρχουσα ὅπερ νῦν οὐκ ἔστιν, οὔτε μήν νῦν ἐστιν ἤ ἐς ὕστερον ἔσται ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν πρότερον. Ὧν γάρ οἱ λόγοι παρά τῷ Θεῷ ἅμα τῷ εἶναι τό τέλειον ἔσχον, τούτων ἡ κατά τούς οἰκείους λόγους παραγωγή καί οὐσίωσις προσθήκης πάσης καί ἐλλείψεως τῆς πρός τό εἶναι ὅπερ ὄντα τυγχάνει παντελῶς ἐστιν ἀνεπίδεκτος. Ἀλλ᾿ ἀρκεῖν οἶμαι κατά τήν τοῦ λόγου παρέκβασιν καί πρός τούτους τά νῦν ῥηθέντα, πρός τό μή παρασύρεσθαι ῥαδίως εἰς ἀτόπους δόξας παρά τῶν πίστιν ποιουμένων τήν ἐν ταῖς κομψείαις τῶν λόγων τεχνικήν πιθανότητα.

ΡΙΓ (113). ∆ΙΑ ΤΙ ΣΥΝΗΨΕ ΤΗ ΣΑΡΚΩΣΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΕΚ ΒΑΠΤΙΣΜΑΤΟΣ ΓΕΝΝΗΣΙΝ Ο

∆Ι∆ΑΣΚΑΛΟΣ ∆ιά τί συνῆψε τῇ σαρκώσει τήν ἐκ βαπτίσματος γέννησιν ὁ διδάσκαλος. Πρός τί δέ βλέπων καί τίνος ἕνεκεν τῇ σαρκώσει συνῆψε τήν ἐκ βαπτίσματος

γέννησιν ὁ διδάσκαλος (τοῦτο γάρ εἰς τήν ἐξέτασιν ἔτι τοῦ προκειμένου λείπεται λόγου), συντόμως ὡς ἔμαθον ἐρῶ κατά δύναμιν. Φασίν οἱ τά θεῖα μυστικῶς περιέποντες λόγια, καί τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις, ὡς εἰκός, αὐτά σεμνύνοντες θεωρήμασι, κατ᾿ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ κατ᾿ ἀρχάς γεγενῆσθαι τόν ἄνθρωπον, ἐπί τῷ πάντως γεννηθῆναι κατά προαίρεσιν πνεύματι, καί προσλαβεῖν τό καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν διά τῆς τηρήσεως τῆς θείας ἐντολῆς αὐτῷ προσγενόμενον, ἵνα ᾗ ὁ αὐτός ἄνθρωπος πλάσμα μέν τοῦ κατά φύσιν, Υἱός δέ Θεοῦ καί Θεός διά Πνεύματος κατά χάριν. Οὐ γάρ ἦν δυνατόν ἄλλως Υἱόν ἀποδειχθῆναι Θεοῦ καί Θεόν κατά τήν ἐκ χάριτος θέωσιν τόν γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον, μή πρότερον κατά προαίρεσιν γεννηθέντα τῷ Πνεύματι, 14Ε_060 διά τήν ἐνοῦσαν αὐτῷ φυσικῶς αὐτοκίνητον καί ἀδέσποτον δύναμιν. 1348 Ἥντινα θεοποιόν καί θείαν καί ἄϋλον γέννησιν, διά τό προτιμῆσαι τῶν νοουμένων καί ἀδήλων τέως ἀγαθῶν τό κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν τερπνόν καί ἐπίδηλον, παραλιπών ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος, τήν ἐκ σωμάτων εἰκότως ἀπροαίρετον καί ὑλικήν καί ἐπίκηρον ἔχειν καταδικάζεται γέννησιν, ἀξίως κρίναντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τόν ἑκουσίως τῶν κρειττόνων τά χείρονα προελόμενον, τήν ἐμπαθῆ καί δούλην καί κατηναγκασμένην, καθ᾿ ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἐπί γῆς ἀλόγων τε καί ἀνοήτων κτηνῶν γέννησιν τῆς ἐλευθερίας καί ἀπαθοῦς καί αὐθαιρέτου καί ἁγνῆς ἀνταλλάξαι γεννήσεως, καί τῆς σύν Θεῷ καί θείας καί ἀνεκλαλήτου τιμῆς τήν μετά τῶν ἀνοήτων κτηνῶν ἄτιμον ἀντιλαβεῖν συμπαρενύλησιν. Ἧστινος τόν ἄνθρωπον ἐλευθερῶσαι καί πρός τήν θείαν εὐκληρίαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν βουλόμενος ὁ τήν φύσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων δημιουργήσας Λόγος, ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀληθῶς γίνεταί τε καί γεννᾶται σωματικῶς χωρίς ἁμαρτίας διά τόν ἄνθρωπον, καί βαπτίζεται, τήν εἰς υἱοθεσίαν πνευματικήν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν ἑκουσίως ὑπερχόμενος γέννησιν, ὁ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν Θεός καί Θεοῦ κατά φύσιν Υἱός, εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῆς ἐκ σωμάτων γεννήσεως.

Ἐπειδή τοίνυν δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ὁ ποιήσας ἡμᾶς καί μόνος τῷ Πατρί μετά τοῦ Πνεύματος ὁμόθεος καί ὁμόδοξος Υἱός καί Λόγος καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀληθῶς ἄνθρωπος γίνεται, καί σωματικῶς γεννᾶται χωρίς ἁμαρτίας, καί τήν ἐκ βαπτίσματος εἰς υἱοθεσίαν πνευματικήν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν ὑπελθεῖν καταδέχεται γέννησιν ὁ φύσει Θεός, διά τοῦτο συνῆψε τῇ σαρκώσει, καθώς οἶμαι, τήν ἐκ βαπτίσματος γέννησιν ὁ