John of Damascus, Dialectic Fuller Recension

as the bed in the rest of men; for a bed is made for the rest of men; 11. as in a subject, as whiteness in a body. It must be known that parts are said to be of a whole, but a whole is in no way of its parts, but a whole is in its parts. 40 On substance. Substance is a thing existing of itself, not needing another for its constitution; and again, substance is everything that is self-subsistent and does not have its being in another, that is, that which does not exist through another nor has its existence in another nor needs another for its constitution, but is in itself, in which also the accident has its existence; for color came to be because of the body, that it might color it, and not the body because of the color. And the color exists in the body and not the body in the color; whence also color is said to be of the body, and not the body of the color. Therefore, although the color is often altered and changed, the substance, that is, the body, is not changed, but remains the same. Substance is so called from "to be". 41 On nature. Nature is the principle of motion and of rest of each of the beings, for example, the earth is moved in respect to sprouting, but is at rest in respect to transition from place to place; for it is not moved from place to place. Therefore the principle and the cause of its motion and of its rest, according to which it is its nature to be so moved and to be at rest essentially, that is, naturally, and not accidentally, is called nature from being naturally so and existing. But this is nothing other than substance; for from its substance it has such a power, that is, motion and rest. And the substance is the cause of its motion and rest. And nature is so called from "to be by nature". 42 On form. Form is a substance as if formed and specified by the essential differences, which signifies the most specific species; for instance, the substance, having been formed and specified by being an ensouled and sentient body and having constituted the animal, and again having additionally taken on the rational and the mortal, constitutes the species of man. Which most specific species is called form, as a substance that has been formed. Therefore the holy fathers apply the name of substance and nature and form to the most specific species, and they say that substance and nature and form are the same, that is, the most specific species; and they call consubstantial and connatural and congeneric and conformable the individuals under the same most specific species. But they call the most specific species heteroousian and of different nature and of different species and of different genus and of different form. For it is not possible for one species not to be heteroousian and of different nature and of different form from another species, or one nature from another nature, or one substance from another substance. It must be known that it is impossible for one composite nature to come to be from two substances, that is, natures; for it is impossible for the contrary constitutive differences to exist together in the same thing at the same time. But it is possible for one composite hypostasis to come to be from different natures, as man is composed of soul and body; for even if one speaks of one nature of men, yet the individual man is not said to be of one nature. For one composite nature of men is spoken of, because all the composite hypostases of men are included under one species. But the individual man is not said to be of one nature, because each hypostasis of men consists of two natures, I mean of soul and of body, and it keeps these unconfused within itself; and the division which results from death is a witness. 43 On hypostasis. The name of hypostasis signifies two things: sometimes simply existence, and according to this signification substance and hypostasis are the same, whence some of the holy fathers called them natures, that is, the hypostases; but sometimes existence in itself and with its own constitution, and according to this signification it indicates the individual, differing in number, that is, Peter, Paul, a particular horse. For it must be known that neither a formless substance subsists by itself, nor an essential difference, nor a species, nor an accident, but only the hypostases, that is, the individuals, and in them are observed the substances and the essential differences, the species and the accidents. And the simple substance is observed in the same way in all hypostases, both in the inanimate and

ὡς ἡ κλίνη ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀναπαύσει· διὰ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γίνεται κλίνη· ιαʹ ὡς ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ ὡς λευκὸν ἐν σώματι. Ἰστέον, ὅτι μέρη ὅλου λέγονται, ὅλον δὲ μερῶν οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' ὅλον ἐν μέρεσι. 40 Περὶ οὐσίας. Οὐσία ἐστὶ πρᾶγμα αὐθύπαρκτον μὴ δεόμενον ἑτέρου πρὸς σύστασιν· καὶ πάλιν οὐσία ἐστὶ πᾶν, ὅτιπερ αὐθυπόστατόν ἐστι καὶ μὴ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ἔχει τὸ εἶναι ἤγουν τὸ μὴ δι' ἄλλο ὂν μηδὲ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ἔχον τὴν ὕπαρξιν μηδὲ δεόμενον ἑτέρου πρὸς σύστασιν, ἀλλ' ἐν αὑτῷ ὄν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὸ συμβεβηκὸς ἔχει τὴν ὕπαρξιν· τὸ γὰρ χρῶμα διὰ τὸ σῶμα γέγονεν, ἵνα χρῴζῃ αὐτό, καὶ οὐ τὸ σῶμα διὰ τὸ χρῶμα. Καὶ τὸ χρῶμα ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑπάρχει καὶ οὐ τὸ σῶμα ἐν τῷ χρώματι· ὅθεν καὶ τὸ χρῶμα τοῦ σώματος λέγεται καὶ οὐ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ χρώματος. Πολλάκις τοιγαροῦν ἀλλασσομένου τοῦ χρώματος καὶ μεταβαλλομένου ἡ οὐσία οὐ μεταβάλλεται ἤγουν τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ μένει τὸ αὐτό. Λέγεται δὲ οὐσία παρὰ τὸ εἶναι. 41 Περὶ φύσεως. Φύσις ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ τῆς ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων κινήσεώς τε καὶ ἠρεμίας, οἷον ἡ γῆ κινεῖται μὲν κατὰ τὸ βλαστάνειν, ἠρεμεῖ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἐκ τόπου εἰς τόπον μετάβασιν· οὐ γὰρ κινεῖται ἀπὸ τόπου εἰς τόπον. Ἡ οὖν ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ αἰτία τῆς κινήσεώς τε καὶ τῆς ἠρεμίας αὐτῆς, καθ' ἣν πέφυκεν οὕτω κινεῖσθαι καὶ ἠρεμεῖν οὐσιωδῶς ἤγουν φυσικῶς καὶ οὐ κατὰ συμβεβηκός, φύσις λέγεται παρὰ τὸ τοιῶσδε πεφυκέναι τε καὶ ὑπάρχειν. Αὕτη δὲ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν εἰ μὴ οὐσία· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς οὐσίας ἔχει τὴν τοιαύτην δύναμιν ἤγουν τὴν κίνησιν καὶ ἠρεμίαν. Καὶ ἡ οὐσία ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία τῆς κινήσεως αὐτῆς καὶ ἠρεμίας. Λέγεται δὲ φύσις παρὰ τὸ πεφυκέναι. 42 Περὶ μορφῆς. Μορφή ἐστιν ὑπὸ τῶν οὐσιωδῶν διαφορῶν οἱονεὶ μορφωθεῖσα καὶ εἰδοποιηθεῖσα οὐσία, ἥτις σημαίνει τὸ εἰδικώτατον εἶδος· οἷον ἡ οὐσία μορφωθεῖσα καὶ εἰδοποιηθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ἐμψύχου καὶ αἰσθητικοῦ καὶ ἀποτελέσασα τὸ ζῷον, πάλιν τε προσλαβοῦσα τὸ λογικὸν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν ἀποτελεῖ τὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἶδος. Ὅπερ εἰδικώτατον εἶδος μορφὴ λέγεται οἷον οὐσία μεμορφωμένη. Οἱ οὖν ἅγιοι πατέρες ἐπὶ τοῦ εἰδικωτάτου εἴδους τάσσουσι τὸ τῆς οὐσίας καὶ φύσεως καὶ μορφῆς ὄνομα καὶ ταὐτὸν λέγουσιν οὐσίαν καὶ φύσιν καὶ μορφὴν τὸ εἰδικώτατον εἶδος· καὶ ὁμοούσια καὶ ὁμοφυῆ καὶ ὁμογενῆ καὶ σύμμορφα λέγουσι τὰ ὑπὸ τὸ αὐτὸ εἰδικώτατον εἶδος ἄτομα. Ἑτεροούσια δὲ καὶ ἑτεροφυῆ καὶ ἑτεροειδῆ καὶ ἑτερογενῆ καὶ ἑτερόμορφα τὰ εἰδικώτατα εἴδη λέγουσιν. Οὐ δυνατὸν γὰρ εἶδος ἄλλῳ εἴδει ἢ φύσιν ἄλλῃ φύσει ἢ οὐσίαν ἄλλῃ οὐσίᾳ μὴ εἶναι ἑτεροούσιον καὶ ἑτεροφυῆ καὶ ἑτερόμορφον. Χρὴ γινώσκειν, ὡς ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἐκ δύο οὐσιῶν ἤγουν φύσεων μίαν φύσιν σύνθετον γενέσθαι· ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἅμα τὰς ἀντιδιῃ ρημένας συστατικῶς ὑπάρξαι διαφοράς. Ὑπόστασιν δὲ μίαν σύνθετον ἐκ διαφόρων φύσεων δυνατὸν γενέσθαι, ὡς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ ψυχῆς ἐστι συντεθειμένος καὶ σώματος· εἰ γὰρ καὶ λέγεται μία φύσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' οὐ μιᾶς φύσεως ὁ ἄνθρωπος λέγεται ὁ καθέκαστα. Μία μὲν γὰρ φύσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων σύνθετος λέγεται, διότι ὑφ' ἓν εἶδος πᾶσαι αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τελοῦσι σύνθετοι ὑποστάσεις. Μιᾶς δὲ φύσεως ὁ καθέκαστα ἄνθρωπος οὐ λέγεται, διότι ἑκάστη τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπόστασις ἐκ δύο συνέστηκε φύσεων, ἐκ ψυχῆς λέγω καὶ σώματος, καὶ ἀσυγχύτους ταύτας ἐν ἑαυτῇ φυλάττει· καὶ μάρτυς ἡ ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου γινομένη διαίρεσις. 43 Περὶ ὑποστάσεως. Τὸ τῆς ὑποστάσεως ὄνομα δύο σημαίνει· ποτὲ μὲν τὴν ἁπλῶς ὕπαρξιν, καθὸ σημαινόμενον ταὐτόν ἐστιν οὐσία καὶ ὑπόστασις, ὅθεν τινὲς τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων εἶπον αὐτὰς φύσεις ἤγουν τὰς ὑποστάσεις· ποτὲ δὲ τὴν καθ' αὑτὸ καὶ ἰδιοσύστατον ὕπαρξιν, καθ' ὃ σημαινόμενον τὸ ἄτομον δηλοῖ τῷ ἀριθμῷ διαφέρον ἤγουν τὸν Πέτρον, τὸν Παῦλον, τὸν τινὰ ἵππον. Χρὴ γὰρ γινώσκειν, ὡς οὔτε οὐσία ἀνείδεος ὑφέστηκε καθ' ἑαυτὴν οὐδὲ διαφορὰ οὐσιώδης οὔτε εἶδος οὔτε συμβεβηκός, ἀλλὰ μόναι αἱ ὑποστάσεις ἤτοι τὰ ἄτομα καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς αἵ τε οὐσίαι καὶ αἱ οὐσιώδεις διαφοραί, τά τε εἴδη καὶ τὰ συμβεβηκότα θεωροῦνται. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἁπλῆ οὐσία ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὑποστάσεσιν ὡσαύτως θεωρεῖται, ἔν τε ταῖς ἀψύχοις καὶ