Theodoret of Cyrus, Eranistes

have we often confessed? {ERAN.} I have supposed it superfluous to call Christ a man, especially when a faithful man is conversing with a faithful man. {ORTH.} Do you consider the divine apostle to be faithful? {ERAN.} Indeed, the teacher of all the faithful. {ORTH.} And do you consider Timothy worthy of this address? {ERAN.} As his disciple and the teacher of others. {ORTH.} Listen, then, to the teacher of teachers writing to his 122 most perfect disciple: "One God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all;" and cease your idle chatter, and laying down for us laws about divine names. And the very name of mediator here is indicative of both divinity and humanity. For he was not called mediator existing as God alone; for how could he have mediated for us with God, having nothing of ours? But since as God he is united with the Father, having the same substance, and as man with us, for from us he took the form of a servant, he is reasonably named mediator, joining in himself the separated things by the union of the natures, I mean of divinity and humanity. {ERAN.} Was not Moses then named a mediator, being only a man? {ORTH.} He was a type of the truth; but the type does not have everything that the truth has. For this reason, he was not God by nature, yet was nevertheless named God, that he might fulfill the type. "Behold," for it says, "I have made you a god to Pharaoh;" straightway then as for a god he also appointed a prophet. "Aaron," for it says, "your brother, shall be your prophet." But the truth is both God by nature and man by nature. {ERAN.} And who would call him a type who does not have the clear features of the archetype? {ORTH.} As it seems, you do not call royal images images of the king? {ERAN.} Of course. {ORTH.} And yet they do not have everything that the archetype has. For first, they are soulless and irrational; then they are deprived of the internal parts, I mean heart, and belly, and liver, and all the other things that are joined to these. Then they have the appearance of the senses, but no longer their activities. For they neither hear, nor speak, nor see; they do not write, they do not walk, nor do they do anything else that is human; yet they are called royal images. So also Moses is a mediator and Christ is a mediator; but the one, as an image and a type; the other, as the truth. But that I may show this to you more clearly from another source, remind me of the things said about Melchizedek in the epistle to the Hebrews. 123 {ERAN.} Which? {ORTH.} Those, where the divine apostle, comparing the Levitical priesthood with that of Christ, likened Melchizedek in other respects to the Lord Christ; but he said that the Lord had the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. {ERAN.} I think the divine apostle says thus: "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually." I think you have spoken of these sayings. {ORTH.} Of these I spoke, and I praise you that you did not interrupt the passage, but have set it down whole. Tell me then, does each of these things fit Melchizedek by nature and in truth? {ERAN.} And who is so bold as to un-fit what the divine apostle fitted? {ORTH.} You say then that these things fit Melchizedek according to nature? {ERAN.} I say so. {ORTH.} Do you say that he is a man, or that he has taken some other nature? {ERAN.} A man. {ORTH.} Begotten or unbegotten? {ERAN.} You ask very absurd questions. {ORTH.} You are clearly the cause of these things, fighting against the truth; answer, then. {ERAN.} There is only one who is unbegotten,

πολλάκις ὡμολογήσα μεν; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τὸ ἄνθρωπον καλεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν ὑπείληφα περιττόν, μάλιστα πιστόν τινα πιστῷ προσδιαλεγόμενον. {ΟΡΘ.} Τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον πιστὸν εἶναι νομίζεις; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πιστῶν μὲν οὖν ἁπάντων διδάσκαλον. {ΟΡΘ.} Τὸν δὲ Τιμόθεον τῆσδε τῆς προσηγορίας ὑπείληφας ἄξιον; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὡς ἐκείνου γε μαθητὴν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων διδάσκαλον. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἄκουσον τοίνυν τοῦ διδασκάλου τῶν διδασκάλων τῷ 122 τελειοτάτῳ γράφοντος μαθητῇ· "Εἷς θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ἀντὶ πάντων·" καὶ παῦσαι μάτην ἀδολεσχῶν, καὶ νόμους ἡμῖν περὶ θείων ὀνομάτων τιθείς. Καὶ αὐτὸ δέ γε τοῦ μεσίτου τὸ ὄνομα θεότητος ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος ὑπάρχει δηλωτικόν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὑπάρ χων θεὸς ἐκλήθη μεσίτης· πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἐμεσίτευσεν ἡμῖν καὶ θεῷ μηδὲν ἔχων ἡμέτερον; Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὡς θεὸς συνῆπται τῷ πατρὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχων οὐσίαν, ὡς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἡμῖν, ἐξ ἡμῶν γὰρ ἔλαβε τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν, εἰκότως μεσίτης ὠνόμασται, συνάπτων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὰ διεστῶτα τῇ ἑνώσει τῶν φύσεων, θεότητος λέγω καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Μωϋσῆς οὖν οὐκ ὠνομάσθη μεσίτης, ἄνθρωπος ὢν μόνον; {ΟΡΘ.} Τύπος ἦν ἐκεῖνος τῆς ἀληθείας· ὁ δὲ τύπος οὐκ ἔχει πάντα ὅσαπερ ἡ ἀλήθεια. Οὗ δὴ χάριν ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἦν μὲν φύσει θεός, ὠνομάσθη δὲ ὅμως θεός, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὸν τύπον. "Ἰδού, γάρ φησι, τέθεικά σε θεὸν τῷ Φαραῷ·" αὐτίκα τοίνυν ὡς θεῷ καὶ προφήτην ἀφώρισεν. "Ἀαρών, γάρ φησιν, ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ἔσται σοι προφήτης." Ἡ δὲ ἀλήθεια καὶ θεὸς φύσει καὶ ἄνθρωπος φύσει. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Καὶ τίς ἂν καλέσαι τύπον τὸν οὐκ ἐναργεῖς ἔχοντα τοῦ ἀρχετύπου τοὺς χαρακτῆρας; {ΟΡΘ.} Ὡς ἔοικε, τὰς βασιλικὰς εἰκόνας οὐ καλεῖς βασιλέως εἰκόνας; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πάνυγε. {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ μὴν οὐ πάντα ἔχουσιν, ὅσαπερ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον ἔχει. Πρῶτον μὲν γάρ εἰσιν ἄψυχοί τε καὶ ἄλογοι· εἶτα τῶν ἐντὸς μορίων ἐστέρηνται, καρδίας, φημί, καὶ κοιλίας καὶ ἥπατος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁπόσα τούτοις συνέζευκται. Ἔπειτα τὸ μὲν τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἔχουσιν εἶδος, τὰς δὲ τούτων ἐνεργείας οὐκέτι. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐπαΐουσιν, οὔτε φθέγγονται, οὔτε ὁρῶσιν· οὐ γράφουσιν, οὐ βαδίζουσιν, οὐκ ἄλλο τι δρῶσι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων· ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰκόνες καλοῦνται βασιλικαί. Οὕτω καὶ Μωϋσῆς μεσίτης καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς μεσίτης· ἀλλ' ὁ μέν, ὡς εἰκὼν καὶ τύπος· ὁ δέ, ὡς ἀλήθεια. Ἵνα δέ σοι καὶ ἑτέρωθεν αὐτὸ σαφέστερον ἐπιδείξω, ἀνάμνησόν με τῶν περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ εἰρη μένων ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐπιστολῇ. 123 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ποίων; {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐκείνων, ἔνθα παρεξετάζων ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος τὴν λευϊτι κὴν ἱερωσύνην τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀπείκασε μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ τῷ δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ· τὴν δέ γε ἱερωσύνην ἔχειν ἔφη τὸν κύριον κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οἶμαι οὕτω λέγειν τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον· "Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ, ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ὁ συναν τήσας Ἀβραὰμ ὑποστρέφοντι ἀπὸ τῆς κοπῆς τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ εὐλογήσας αὐτόν· ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην ἐμέρισεν ἀπὸ πάντων Ἀβραάμ· πρῶτον μὲν ἑρμηνευόμενος βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ, ὅ ἐστι βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης, ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, ἀγε νεαλόγητος· μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων· ἀφωμοι ωμένος δὲ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές." Περὶ τούτων οἶμαί σε τῶν ῥητῶν εἰρηκέναι. {ΟΡΘ.} Περὶ τούτων ἔφην, καὶ ἐπαινῶ δέ γε ὅτι τὸ χωρίον οὐ διέκοψας, ἀλλ' ὅλον τέθεικας. Εἰπὲ τοίνυν, ἁρμόττει τούτων ἕκαστον τῷ Μελχισεδὲκ φύσει καὶ ἀληθείᾳ; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Καὶ τίς οὕτω θρασὺς ἀφαρμόσαι ἅπερ ἥρμοσεν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος; {ΟΡΘ.} Λέγεις τοίνυν τῷ Μελχισεδὲκ ταῦτα κατὰ φύσιν ἁρμόττειν; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Λέγω. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγεις, ἤ τινα ἄλλην εἰληφέναι φύσιν; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἄνθρωπον. {ΟΡΘ.} Γεννητὸν ἢ ἀγέννητον; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀτόπους ἄγαν ἐρωτήσεις προσφέρεις. {ΟΡΘ.} Σὺ τούτων αἴτιος προφανῶς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μαχόμενος· ἀπό κριναι τοίνυν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Εἷς ἐστι μόνος ἀγέννητος,