28

29. But the saint, having refuted the absurdity in such things, and how if one energy,

he says, were posited to be spoken of for the divinity and the humanity, the principle of theology and the principle of the economy will in every way be confused; and the absurdity, there will be a tetrad or a triad, by the flesh becoming of one nature with the Word; since, according to the Fathers, "Of whom the substance is one, the energy also will be one." But indeed also the distinctive and constitutive properties of both the divinity and the humanity will be removed, or each will proceed to complete non-existence; by it being possible neither to think nor to say that the energies or the wills are one or two, according to these arguments of yours, and the new fabrication of dogma; and having added many other things to the argument, as if at a loss, Theodosius says, "But what has come to be for the sake of the economy, he says, it is not necessary to take as a principal dogma, just as (100) now the type proposed by us has come to be economically, but not dogmatically."But when the saint subjoined, "It is neither reasonable nor just to agree with such innovations," and that such a thing is of false teachers and deceivers, whom one must not obey, but avoid, as much as possible, and stand apart from, "lest we should also seem to derive some evil from their company;" they, becoming as it were speechless at what was said, were silent for a considerable time, and bowed their heads down.

30.But again Theodosius, having come to himself, and other questions at his leisure

having collected, which he thought would remain for him like certain indestructible citadels; having therefore proposed these sayings, and the acceptance of certain simple expressions; and having insisted that Maximus accept them; and in addition, having also initiated other inquiries concerning hypostatic energy, and a certain natural and relative will, the account of which both requires a longer discourse and is not according to the present narrative; since, therefore, while he was saying these things, the saint happened to have very easily overturned every proposition in his words and reasonings; finally, this man, having grown weary, and for the time being having nothing to say in response to the present matters, tries to draw the saint on in another way; conversing with him in a more friendly manner, forsooth, and saying how he himself would also wish that the stumbling blocks and offenses in their midst be removed, and the former peace be restored to the Church. Which would not, he says, happen otherwise, unless we now also went to those in Rome, and called them to agreements and reconciliations; that is, having breathed and thought the one thing with them. At which the saint, becoming even more cheerful, how could you say he would be disposed toward what was said; with what expressions of joy did he not respond to the one who had spoken. He who, although being in such a bad state of body, worn out by asceticism and old age together, was nevertheless eager to go to Rome again, and to accomplish together with them what was expedient; "Only let this become a deed," he says, "and not be a word spoken in vain."

31. And when Theodosius had confirmed what was said also by an oath, and with his hands of the

undefiled Gospels having touched, although the foolish man kept none of these things, being dragged along by the wishes of those in power; the saint was even more cheerful, directing his whole self toward the journey, and considering what would be advantageous both for them and for those in Rome. Then as Theodosius was about to depart from there, so that he might also communicate with those in the queen of cities about these things, having greeted the saint again with an embrace; and having given him a sticharion and a grey coarse cloak, thus he enters (101) Byzantium, together with the two consuls who accompanied him.

28

ΚΘ´. Ἀλλά τήν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀτοπίαν ὁ ὅσιος διελέγξας, καί ὡς εἰ μία ἐνέργεια,

φησίν, δύο θείη ἐπί θεότητος λέγεσθαι καί ἀνθρωπότητος, συγχυθήσεται πάντως καί ὁ τῆς θεολογίας καί ὁ τῆς οἰκονομίας λόγος· καί τό ἄτοπον, τετράς ἔσται ἤ τριάς, τῷ ὁμοφυῆ τῷ Λόγῳ, γενέσθαι τήν σάρκα· εἴπερ, κατά τούς Πατέρας, " Ὧν οὐσία μία, μία ἔσται καί ἐνέργεια." Ἀλλά μήν καί τά γνωριστικά καί συστατικά τῆς τε θεότητος καί ἀνθρωπότητος ἀφαιρεθήσεται, ἤ καί εἰς τελείαν ἑκατέρα χωρήσει ἀνυπαρξίαν· τῷ μήτε μίαν, μήτε δύο τάς ἐνεργείας ἤ τάς θελήσεις, ἐξόν ἤ νοεῖσθαι ἤ λέγεσθαι κατά τούς ὑμετέρους τούτους λόγους, καί τήν καινήν δογματοποιίαν· καί πολλά ἕτερα τῷ λόγῳ προσθείς, ὥσπερ ἀπορήσας ὁ Θεοδόσιος, " Ἀλλά τό δι' οἰκονομίαν, φησί, γεγενημένον οὐ δέον ὡς κύριον δόγμα λαμβάνειν, καθά καί (100) νῦν ὁ παρ' ἡμῶν προτεινόμενος τύπος, οἰκονομικῶς γεγένητο, ἀλλ' οὐ δογματικῶς."Τοῦ δέ ὁσίου, "Οὔτ' εὔλογον, οὔτε δίκαιον ταῖς τοιαύταις καινοτομίαις συμφέρεσθαι, ὑπειπόντος, καί ὡς ψευδοδιδασκάλων τό τοιοῦτον καί ἀπατεώνων, οἷς οὐδέ πείθεσθαι χρή, ἀλλ' ἐκκλίνειν, ὡς ἐγχωροῦν, καί ἀποδιίστασθαι, ἵνα μή καί δόξωμεν κακόν τι τῆς τούτων συνουσίας παραπολαύειν·" ἐνεοί ὥσπερ ἐπί τοῖς λαληθεῖσιν οὗτοι γενόμενοι, σιγῶντες ἦσαν ἐφ' ἱκανοῦ, καί τάς κεφαλάς κάτω κύπτοντες.

Λ´.Ἀλλά πάλιν ὁ Θεοδόσιος ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ γεγονώς, καί πεύσεις ἑτέρας κατά σχολήν

συναγηοχώς, ἅς καί ὡσεί τινας ἀκροπόλεις ἀκαθαιρέτους ἑαυτῷ ᾤετο διαμένειν· ταύτας οὖν τάς ῥήσεις προτεθεικώς, καί παραδοχήν φωνῶν τινων ἁπλῶν· καί παραδέχεσθαι τόν Μάξιμον ταύτας ἰσχυρισάμενος· πρός δέ, καί ζητήσεις ἄλλας περί τε ὑποστατικῆς ἐνεργείας, καί φυσικῆς τινος καί σχετικῆς θελήσεως κεκινηκώς, ὧν καί ὁ λόγος μακροτέρας δεῖται, καί οὐ κατά τόν παρόντα λόγον, τῆς διηγήσεως· ἐπεί οὖν ἐκεῖνος μέν ταῦτα, ὁ δ' ὅσιος, πᾶσαν τήν ἐν λόγοις αὐτοῦ καί λογισμοῖς προβολήν μάλα ῥᾳδίως ἔτυχεν ἀνατετραφώς· τέλος ἀποκαμών οὗτος, καί μή ἔχων τέως ἀντιφθέγξασθαί τι πρός τά παρόντα τρόπον ἕτερον πειρᾶται τόν ἅγιον ἐφελκύσαι· φιλικώτερον τούτῳ δήπου προσομιλῶν, καί ὡς βούλοιτο ἄν καί αὐτός, τά ἐν μέσῳ ἐξαιρεθῆναι σκῶλά τε καί προσκόμματα, καί τήν προτέραν εἰρήνην τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀποδοθῆναι. Ὅπερ οὐκ ἄν, φησί, γένοιτο ἄλλως, εἰ μή καί πρός τούς ἐνῬώμῃ ἀφικοίμεθα ἤδη, καί ἐπί συμβάσεις καί διαλλαγάς τούτους ἐκκαλεσοίμεθα· τό ἕν δηλαδή σύν ἐκείνοις καί πνεύσαντες, καί φρονήσαντες. Ἐφ' ᾧ καί μᾶλλον ὁ ἅγιος εὔθυμος γεγονώς, πῶς ἄν εἴποις αὐτόν πρός τά εἰρημένα διατεθήσεσθαι· ποίαις δ' εὐθημίαις τόν εἰρηκότα οὐ διαμείψασθαι. Ὅς γε καί οὕτω πονήρως ἔχων τοῦ σώματος, τῷ ἀσκήσει ἅμα καί γήρᾳ ἐκτετρυχῶσθαι, πρόθυμος ἦν ὅμως καί τῇῬώμῃ αὖθις ἐπιφοιτῆσαι, καί συνάμα αὐτοῖς τά λυσιτελῆ καταπρᾶξαι· "Μόνον ἔργον γένοιτο, φησί, τοῦτο, ἄλλά μή λόγος εἴη λελεγμένος τηνάλλως."

ΛΑ´. Τοῦ δέ Θεοδοσίου καί ὅρκῳ τά εἰρημένα ἐπιβεβαιώσαντος, καί χερσί τῶν

ἀχράντων Εὐαγγελίων προσψαύσαντος, εἰ καί οὐδέν ὁ ἀσύνετος τούτων διεφυλάξατο, οἷα τοῖς τῶν κρατούντων θελήμασι συνελκόμενος· ἔτι μᾶλλον ὁ ὅσιος εὔθυμος ἦν, ὅλον ἑαυτόν πρός τήν ἀποδημίαν συντείνων, καί τά συνοίσοντα αὐτοῖς τε καί τοῖς κατάῬώμην σκοπῶν. Εἶθ' ὡς ἐκεῖθεν ἔμελλεν ἀπαίρειν ὁ Θεοδόσιος, ἵνα καί τοῖς κατά τήν βασιλίδα περί τούτων κοινωνήσοιτο, ἀσπασμῷ αὖθις τόν ὅσιον δεξιωσάμενος· καί τι καί στιχάριον αὐτῷ καί φαιόν ἀναδεδωκώς τριβώνιον, οὕτως τήν (101) Βυζαντίδα εἰσέρχεται, μεθ' ἅμα καί τῶν δύο ὑπάτων, οἵ τούτῳ συνείποντο.