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temperate; and he who is not unjust, is just. According to nature, the reason is prudence; and the faculty of judgment, justice, and the spirited part, courage; and desire, temperance. Therefore, by the removal of what is contrary to nature, what is according to nature alone is accustomed to shine through; just as by the removal of rust, the natural gleam and brightness of iron.

PYRR. From this the greatest blasphemy is revealed for those who speak of a 'gnome' in Christ.

MAX. It is necessary not to pass over this without remark, that the term 'gnome' is used in many ways and has many meanings both in holy Scripture and in the holy Fathers, as is clear to those who read carefully. For sometimes they use it for counsel and advice; as when the Apostle says: Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord; yet I give my judgment; and sometimes for a plot, as when the blessed David [says]: Against thy people they have craftily devised a plot; which another interpreter, clarifying, said, Against thy people, he said, they have craftily devised a counsel; and sometimes for a decree; as when Daniel, the great among the prophets, says concerning a certain person: The shameless decree went forth from the face of the king; and sometimes for opinion, or faith, or mindset, as when Gregory, surnamed the Theologian, explains in his first Oration on the Son: "Since to find fault is not a great thing, for it is easy, 15Γ_146 and for anyone who wishes; but to introduce one's own opinion in its place is the mark of a pious and intelligent man." And in short, lest by going through all things one by one, I heap up a crowd in my discourse, I have observed and found the term 'gnome' to have twenty-eight significations both in holy Scripture and in the holy Fathers; for it does not signify a common or an individual character, but the meaning of the speaker is determined either from what is said before it, or from what follows. For which reason it is also impossible to define such a term by one single meaning.

PYRR. For how is it possible for that which is said in many ways to be assigned to any one thing?

MAX. In order, therefore, that the shame of such a heresy may become more manifest, let us also examine such a proposition in another way.

PYRR. If you please, let us examine it. MAX. In saying one will, whether of choice or deliberative, or

authoritative, even if they should wish to call it something else; for we are not disputing about this; they will be forced to say this is either divine, or angelic, or human. And in the first place, whichever of these they say it is, they will be calling it natural; 0313 since each of them is indicative of a nature; and what they thought to escape by the method of division, this they have been shown to establish by the method of analysis. Consequently, if they say it is divine, they have acknowledged Christ to be God by nature and only God; but if angelic, neither God nor man, but some angelic nature; but if human, they have shown him to be a mere man and subject to another's authority.

PYRR. When they fall into these absurdities, they say the will is neither natural nor deliberative; but they say it belongs to us by aptitude.

MAX. Does this aptitude belong to us according to nature, or not according to nature? PYRR. According to nature. MAX. Therefore again, by analysis, they will be calling the will natural; and nothing

have they gained from this circumlocution; and since 15Γ_148 aptitude produces the state and the readiness from learning; therefore, according to them, Christ had the state of the will, and its readiness, from learning and progress; and he progressed, being ignorant of the lessons before the learning. For what reason then do they reject Nestorius, when they eagerly hold to his words and concepts?

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σώφρων· καί ὁ μή ἄδικος, δίκαιος. Κατά φύσιν δέ ὁ λόγος, φρόνησίς ἐστι· καί τό κριτήριον, δικαιοσύνη, καί ὁ θυμός, ἀνδρεία· καί ἡ ἐπιθυμία, σωφροσύνη. Ἄρα τῇ ἀφαιρέσει τῶν παρά φύσιν, τά κατά φύσιν καί μόνα διαφαίνεσθαι εἴωθεν· ὥσπερ καί τῇ τοῦ ἰοῦ ἀποβολῇ, ἡ τοῦ σιδήρου κατά φύσιν αὐγή καί λαμπρότης.

ΠΥΡ. Μεγίστη ἐντεῦθεν ἀναδέδεικται βλασφημία τοῖς γνώμην ἐπί Χριστοῦ λέγουσιν.

ΜΑΞ. Χρή μηδέ τοῦτο παρελθεῖν ἀπαρασήμαντον, ὅτι πολύτροπον καί πολύσημον παρά τε τῇ ἁγίᾳ Γραφῇ καί τοῖς ἁγίοις Πατράσιν ἐστί τό τῆς γνώμης ὄνομα, ὡς τοῖς ἐπιμελῶς ἀναγινώσκουσι δῆλον ὑπάρχει. Ποτέ μέν γάρ ἐπί παραινέσεως καί ὑποθήκης αὐτό φέρουσιν· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Περί δέ τῶν παρθένων ἐπιταγήν Κυρίου οὐκ ἔχω· γνώμην δέ δίδωμι· ποτέ δέ ἐπιβουλῆς, ἡνίκα ὁ μακάριος ∆αβίδ· Ἐπί τόν λαόν σου κατεπανουργεύσαντο γνώμην· ὅπερ ἄλλος ἐκδότης σαφηνίζων, Ἐπί τόν λαόν σου, ἔφη, κατεπανουργεύσαντο βουλήν· ποτέ δέ ἐπί τῆς ψήφου· ὁπηνίκα ∆ανιήλ, ὁ ἐν προφήταις μέγας, λέγει περί τινος· Ἐξῆλθεν ἡ γνώμη ἡ ἀναιδής ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ βασιλέως· ποτέ δέ ἐπί δόξης, ἤ πίστεως ἤ φρονήματος, ἡνίκα Γρηγόριος ὁ τῆς θεολογίας ἐπώνυμος ἐν τῷ πρώτω Περί Υἱοῦ λόγῳ διέξεισιν· "Ἐπεί δέ τό μέν ἐπιτιμᾷν οὐ μέγα, ῥᾷστον γάρ, 15Γ_146 καί τοῦ βουλομένου παντός· τό δέ ἀντεισάγειν τήν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην, ἀνδρός ἐστιν εὐσεβοῦς καί νοῦν ἔχοντος." Καί ἁπλῶς, ἵνα μή καθ᾿ ἕν τά πάντα διεξερχόμενος, ὄχλον ἐπισωρεύσω τῷ λόγῳ, κατά εἰκοσιοκτώ σημαινόμενα παρά τε τῇ ἁγίᾳ Γραφῇ καί τοῖς ἁγίοις Πατράσιν ἐπιτηρησάμενος, τό τῆς γνωμης εὗρον ὄνομα· οὐδέ γάρ κοινοῦ τινος ἤ ἰδικοῦ ἐμφαίνει χαρακτῆρα, ἀλλ᾿ ἤ ἐκ τῶν πρό αὐτοῦ λεγομένων, ἤ τῶν ἐφεξῆς, ἡ τοῦ λέγοντος κανονίζεται διάνοια. ∆ιό καί ἀδύνατον ἑνί καί μόνῳ σημαινομένῳ, τό τοιοῦτο ἀφορίσαι ὄνομα.

ΠΥΡ. Πῶς γάρ ἐνδέχεται τό πολλαχῶς λεγόμενον, ἑνός τινος εἶναι ἀποκληρωτικόν;

ΜΑΞ. Ἵνα οὖν τό αἶσχος τῆς τοιαύτης αἱρέσεως φανερώτερον γένηται, καί ἑτέρως τήν τοιαύτην διασκεψώμεθα πρότασιν.

ΠΥΡ. Εἴ σοι φίλον, διασκεψώμεθα. ΜΑΞ. Ἕν θέλημα λέγοντες, εἴτε προαιρετικόν εἴτε γνωμικόν, εἴτε

ἐξουσιαστικόν, εἰ καί ἑτέρως πως αὐτό καλεῖν βούλοιντο· οὐ γάρ διαφερόμεθα περί τούτου· ἤ θεῖον, ἤ ἀγγελικόν, ἤ ἀνθρώπινον τοῦτο λέγειν βιασθήσονται. Καί προηγουμένως μέν, ὁπότερον τούτων αὐτό εἴπωσι, φυσικόν λέξουσιν· 0313 εἴπερ ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν φύσεως ὑπάρχει δηλωτικόν· καί ὅπερ διά τῆς διαιρετικῆς μεθόδου φεύγειν ἔδοξαν, τοῦτο διά τῆς ἀναλυτικῆς συνιστῶντες ἐδείχθησαν. Ἐφεπομένως δέ, εἰ μέν θεῖον αὐτό λέξουσι, Θεόν καί μόνον φύσει ὄντα τόν Χριστόν ἐγνώρισαν· εἰ δέ ἀγγελικόν, οὔτε Θεόν οὔτε ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλ᾿ ἀγγελικήν τινα φύσιν· εἰ δέ ἀνθρώπινον, ψιλόν ἄνθρωπον καί ὑπεξούσιον αὐτόν ἔδειξαν.

ΠΥΡ. Ὁπηνίκα ταύταις περιπέσωσι ταῖς ἀτοπίαις, οὔτε φυσικόν οὔτε γνωμικόν λέγουσι τό θέλημα· ἀλλ' ἐπιτηδειότητι προσεῖναι ἡμῖν φασιν.

ΜΑΞ. Ἡ ἐπιτηδειότης αὕτη κατά φύσιν ἡμῖν πρόσεστιν, ἤ οὐ κατά φύσιν; ΠΥΡ. Κατά φύσιν. ΜΑΞ. Οὐκοῦν πάλιν, κατά ἀνάλυσιν, φυσικόν λέξουσι τό θέλημα· καί οὐδέν

ἐκ τῆς περιόδου ταύτης ἀπώναιντο· καί ἐπειδή 15Γ_148 ἡ ἐπιτηδειότης ἐκ μαθήσεως ποιεῖται τήν ἕξιν καί τήν προχείρησιν· ἀπό μαθήσεως ἄρα καί προκοπῆς ἔσχεν ὁ Χριστός κατ᾿ αὐτούς τήν ἕξιν τοῦ θελήματος, καί τήν προχείρησιν· καί προέκοπτεν, ἀγνοῶν πρό τῆς μαθήσεως τά μαθήματα. Τίνος οὖν χάριν τόν Νεστόριον ἀποστρέφονται, τῶν ἐκείνου θερμῶς ἀντεχόμενοι λέξεων καί ἐνννοιῶν;