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Christ the Lord. {ΕΡΑΝ.} You speak correctly. {ΟΡΘ.} But when discussing the incarnation of the only-begotten with Arius and Eunomius, what might we persuade them to add to their own confession? {ΕΡΑΝ.} The assumption of the soul; for they say that God the Word assumed a body only. {ΟΡΘ.} And what is lacking for Apollinarius, that he might make precise the account concerning the incarnation? {ΕΡΑΝ.} Not to separate the mind from the soul, but to confess that the rational soul was assumed with the body. {ΟΡΘ.} Therefore, shall we also discuss this with him? {ΕΡΑΝ.} By all means. {ΟΡΘ.} And as for Marcion and Valentinus and Manes, and all who are neighbors to these, what did we say they confess in this regard, and what do they completely deny? 120 {ΕΡΑΝ.} That they said they believe in the divinity of Christ; but they do not accept the account concerning his humanity. {ΟΡΘ.} Therefore we shall strive to persuade these men to accept also the account of the humanity, and not to call the divine economy a fantasy. {ΕΡΑΝ.} It is fitting to do so. {ΟΡΘ.} We shall say to them, therefore, that it is necessary to call Christ not only God, but also man. {ΕΡΑΝ.} By all means. {ΟΡΘ.} And how is it possible for us, who refuse to call Christ also man, to recommend this to others? For they will not yield to our advice, but will convict us of thinking the same things. {ΕΡΑΝ.} And how do we think the same things as they, when we confess that God the Word assumed both flesh and a rational soul? {ΟΡΘ.} If, then, we confess the realities, why do we flee the names? {ΕΡΑΝ.} One must call the savior by his more honorable titles. {ΟΡΘ.} Observe this rule, therefore, and do not call him crucified nor raised from the dead, and whatever is similar to these. {ΕΡΑΝ.} But these are the names of the saving passions; and the denial of the passions is the abolition of salvation. {ΟΡΘ.} But the name 'man' is the name of a nature; and the silence of this is the denial of the nature; and the denial of the nature is the abolition of the passions; and the abolition of these makes salvation vanish. {ΕΡΑΝ.} I consider it important to know the nature that was assumed; but to call the savior of the world 'man' is to diminish the glory of the Lord. {ΟΡΘ.} Do you then consider yourself wiser than Peter and Paul and even the savior himself? For the Lord said to the Jews: 121 "Why do you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from my Father?" And in many places he called himself the Son of Man. And the all-praised Peter, speaking to the Jewish people, said thus: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God." And the blessed Paul, on the Areopagus, offering the saving proclamation to those present, said these things among many others: "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." He therefore who refuses the name established and proclaimed by the Lord and the apostles considers himself wiser than the great teachers, and indeed than the very source of the wisest teachers. {ΕΡΑΝ.} They offered this teaching to unbelievers; but now the greater part of the world has believed. {ΟΡΘ.} Especially since there are still Jews and Greeks and countless systems of heretics, and it is necessary to offer to each of these a suitable teaching. And if we were all of one mind, tell me, what harm is there in confessing Christ as God and man? Or do we not behold in him a perfect divinity and likewise a complete humanity? {ΕΡΑΝ.} We have confessed these things many times. {ΟΡΘ.} Why then do we abolish what

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τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὀρθῶς λέγεις. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἀρείῳ δὲ καὶ Εὐνομίῳ περὶ τῆς τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἐνανθρωπή σεως διαλεγόμενοι, τί ἂν προσθεῖναι πείσαιμεν αὐτοὺς τῇ σφετέρᾳ ὁμολογίᾳ; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀνάληψιν· σῶμα γὰρ τὸν θεὸν λόγον μόνον ἀνειληφέναι φασίν. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἀπολιναρίῳ δὲ τί ἐλλείπει, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀκριβοῦν τὸν περὶ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως λόγον; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τὸ μὴ διιστάναι τὸν νοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλ' ὁμολογεῖν τὴν λογικὴν ψυχὴν μετὰ τοῦ σώματος ἀνειλῆφθαι. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐκοῦν καὶ τούτῳ περὶ τούτου διαλεξόμεθα; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πάνυγε. {ΟΡΘ.} Μαρκίωνα δὲ καὶ Βαλεντῖνον καὶ Μάνητα, καὶ ὅσοι γει τονεύουσι τούτοις, τί μὲν ὁμολογεῖν ἔφαμεν κατὰ τόδε τὸ μέρος, τί δὲ πάμπαν ἀρνεῖσθαι; 120 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὅτι πιστεύειν μὲν ἔφασαν εἰς τὴν θεότητα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· τὸν δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος οὐ προσίενται λόγον. {ΟΡΘ.} Τοιγάρτοι πεῖσαι τούτους σπουδάσομεν, στέρξαι καὶ τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος λόγον, καὶ μὴ φαντασίαν τὴν θείαν οἰκονο μίαν καλεῖν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οὕτω προσήκει ποιεῖν. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐροῦμεν τοίνυν αὐτοῖς, ὡς οὐ χρὴ μόνον θεόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἀποκαλεῖν τὸν Χριστόν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πάνυγε. {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ πῶς οἷόν τε παραιτουμένους ἡμᾶς τὸ καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἀποκαλεῖν τὸν Χριστόν, ἄλλοις τοῦτο παρεγγυᾶν; οὐ γὰρ εἴξουσι παραινοῦσιν ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ ταὐτὰ φρονοῦντας ἐλέγξουσι. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς τὰ αὐτὰ φρονοῦμεν ἐκείνοις καὶ σάρκα ὁμολογοῦντες καὶ ψυχὴν λογικὴν ἀνειληφέναι τὸν θεὸν λόγον; {ΟΡΘ.} Εἰ τοίνυν τὰ πράγματα ὁμολογοῦμεν, τί δήποτε φεύγομεν τὰ ὀνόματα; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀπὸ τῶν τιμιωτέρων χρὴ τὸν σωτῆρα καλεῖν. {ΟΡΘ.} Φύλαξον τοιγαροῦν τοῦτον τὸν κανόνα, καὶ μὴ καλέσῃς ἐσταυρωμένον μηδὲ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγηγερμένον, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἐστὶ παραπλήσια. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τῶν παθημάτων ἐστὶ τῶν σωτηρίων ὀνόματα· ἡ δὲ τῶν παθημάτων ἄρνησις, τῆς σωτηρίας ἀναίρεσις. {ΟΡΘ.} Τὸ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ὄνομα φύσεως ὄνομά ἐστιν· ἡ δὲ τούτου σιωπή, τῆς φύσεως ἄρνησις· ἡ δὲ τῆς φύσεως ἄρνησις, τῶν παθη μάτων ἀναίρεσις· ἡ δέ γε τούτων ἀναίρεσις φροῦδον τὴν σωτηρίαν ποιεῖ. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τὸ μὲν εἰδέναι τὴν ληφθεῖσαν φύσιν προὔργου τίθεμαι· τὸ δέ γε ἄνθρωπον ἀποκαλεῖν τὸν σωτῆρα τῆς οἰκουμένης σμικρύνειν ἐστὶ τοῦ δεσπότου τὴν δόξαν. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐκοῦν σοφώτερον σαυτὸν καὶ Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου καὶ αὐτοῦ γε τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡγῇ; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ κύριος πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἔφη· 121 "Τί με ζητεῖτε ἀποκτεῖναι, ἄνθρωπον ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λελάληκα, ἣν ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου;" Καὶ πολλαχοῦ δὲ υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου ἑαυτὸν προσηγόρευσεν. Ὁ δὲ πανεύφημος Πέτρος πρὸς τὸν Ἰουδαϊ-κὸν διαλεγόμενος δῆμον οὕτως ἔφη· "Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται, ἀκούσατε τοὺς λόγους τούτους· Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον, ἄνδρα ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποδεδειγμένον εἰς ὑμᾶς." Καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀρειου πάγου τοῖς παρεστῶσι προσφέρων τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα πρὸς πολλοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ ταῦτα ἔφη· "Τοὺς μὲν οὖν χρόνους τῆς ἀγνοίας ὑπεριδὼν ὁ θεός, τὰ νῦν παραγγέλλει πᾶσι πανταχοῦ μετανοεῖν· καθότι ἔστησεν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ μέλλει κρίνειν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαι οσύνῃ, ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισε, πίστιν παρασχὼν πᾶσιν, ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν." Ὁ τοίνυν τὸ παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τεθέν τε καὶ κηρυχθὲν ὄνομα παραιτούμενος, σοφώτερον ἑαυτὸν καὶ τῶν μεγάλων διδασκάλων ὑπείληφε, καὶ μέντοι καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς τῶν σοφωτάτων διδασκάλων πηγῆς. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τοῖς ἀπίστοις ἐκεῖνοι τήνδε τὴν διδασκαλίαν προσήνεγ καν· νῦν δὲ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸ πλεῖστον ἐπίστευσεν. {ΟΡΘ.} Μάλιστα μέν εἰσιν ἔτι καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες καὶ αἱρετικῶν μυρία συστήματα, καὶ χρὴ τούτων ἑκάστῳ κατάλληλον διδασκαλίαν προσφέρειν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πάντες ἦμεν ὁμόφρονες, εἰπέ, τί λωβᾶται τὸ θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ὁμολογεῖν τὸν Χριστόν; Ἢ οὐ θεό τητα τελείαν ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀνθρωπότητα ὡσαύτως ἀνελλιπῆ θεωροῦ μεν; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ταῦτα πολλάκις ὡμολογήσαμεν. {ΟΡΘ.} Τί δήποτε τοίνυν ἀναιροῦμεν ἅπερ