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of Arsas; whence also, having wished to effect his deposition on her account, he was prevented by the raid of the Persians that took place in Egypt at that time. Or when he wrote to Cyrus of Phasis concerning one energy and two, when he was asked by him, sending him also the said libellus of Menas? What then? Since Sergius in many ways put forth his own sickness in public, and corrupted the greater part of the Church, when the blessed Sophronius reminded him with the humility befitting his station, prostrating himself at his feet and instead of any supplication offering to him the life-giving passions of Christ the God, so as not to renew the voice of heretics, well extinguished long ago by the holy Fathers who have gone before in this life, did he himself become the cause of such a scandal?

15Γ_174 PYRRHUS. The discussion has duly made the refutation of all that was proposed, and the inquiry concerning the wills is in no way lacking.

MAXIMUS. Since the inquiry concerning the wills has reached its end, do you wish that we should also make one concerning the energies?

PYRRHUS. Having been ignorant of the argument that the wills are natural, I accepted the one concerning the energies in the same way; and whatever was said to me, unwritten or written, has this purpose in view. But now, since it is synecdochically confessed that to will is natural, and to energize is natural, all things concerning this that were formerly not established have been invalidated; and I think it superfluous to raise any further discussion at all about this.

MAXIMUS. What then? since God, because of our purpose foreknown to him, has called us to the knowledge of his truth, ought we not to examine the things said to some people concerning this, written or unwritten, for the sake of those who, as is likely, have encountered or are encountering them unguardedly and are rather susceptible?

PYRRHUS. If the examination has this in view, it is necessary. For to care for the safety of the more simple is an imitation of divine philanthropy.

MAXIMUS. If then this is an imitation of divine philanthropy, let us begin the examination concerning this from here.

PYRRHUS. Let us begin. MAXIMUS. I have found in your writings that you one energy of Christ, as of a whole,

dogmatized. If, then, there is one energy, as of a whole, and the whole is his hypostasis, then this one energy will be hypostatic; and of another energy as also of another hypostasis 0336 from both Father and Mother; since Christ is neither of them.

PYRRHUS. If you speak of energies because of the difference of the two natures in Christ, and not one because of the unity of the person, two energies will also be found in man, because of the essential difference of his soul and his body. And if this is so, there will be three energies of Christ, and not two.

MAXIMUS. The very things you put forward for the abolition of the natural [properties], 15Γ_176 those who fight against the natures also propose against the natures. For this is your one clever point, to be in agreement with them in all things. Whence we also bring against you the refutations brought by the Fathers against them, as you are sick with the same things as they; that, if because of the difference of the natures in Christ, you yourselves also say with us two natures, and not one because of the unity of the person, thus two natures of man will also be found, because of the essential difference of his soul and his body; and if this is so, there will be three natures of Christ, and not two. But if, because of the difference of the natures, you say two natures with us, and you do not say three natures in Christ; how to us, who say two energies because of the difference of the natures? the three

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τοῦ Ἀρσᾶ· ὅθεν καί βουληθείς δι᾿ αὐτήν ποιῆσαι τήν καθαίρεσιν αὐτοῦ, ἐκωλύθη ἐκ τῆς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τηνικαῦτα γενομένης τῶν Περσῶν ἐπιδρομῆς. Ἤ ὅτε πρός Κῦρον τόν Φάσιδος ἐντέγραψε περί μιᾶς ἐνεργείας καί δύο, ἐρωτηθείς παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ, πέμψας καί αὐτῷ τόν ῥηθέντα λίβελλον Μηνᾶ; Τί οὖν; Ἐπειδή Σεργίου πολυτρόπως τήν οἰκείαν νόσον ἐν τῷ κοινῷ προθέντος, καί τό πλεῖστον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας λυμηναμένου, ὁ μακάριος Σωφρόνιος ὑπέμνησεν αὐτόν μετά τῆς πρεπούσης τῷ σχήματι αὐτοῦ ταπεινοφροσύνης, τοῖς ἴχνεσιν αὐτοῦ προκαλινδούμενος καί ἀντί πάσης ἱκετηρίας αὐτοῦ προσφέρων αὐτῷ τά ζωοποιά Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ παθήματα, ὥστε μή φωνήν αἱρετικῶν, καλῶς πάλαι ὑπό τῶν προωδευκότων τόν βίον ἁγίων Πατέρων σβεσθεῖσαν, ἀνανεώσασθαι, αὐτός αἴτιος τοῦ τοιούτου γέγονε σκανδάλου;

15Γ_174 ΠΥΡ. Πάντων τῶν προταθέντων τήν ἀνατροπήν δεόντως ὁ λόγος ἐποιήσατο, καί οὐδέν ὅλως ἐλλείπει ἡ περί θελημάτων ζήτησις.

ΜΑΞ. Ἐπειδή ἡ περί θελημάτων ζήτησις πέρας εἴληφε, βούλει καί τήν περί ἐνεργειῶν ποιησώμεθα;

ΠΥΡ. Τόν περί τοῦ φυσικά εἶναι τά θελήματα λόγον ἀγνοήσας κατά τοῦτον καί τόν περί ἐνεργειῶν παρεδεξάμην· καί εἴ τι ἀγράφως, ἤ ἐγγράφως ἐῤῥέθη μοι, πρός τοῦτον ὁρᾷν τόν σκοπόν. Νυνί δέ τοῦ πεφυκέναι θέλειν, καί τοῦ πεφυκέναι ἐνεργεῖν συνεκδοχικῶς ὁμολογουμένων, πάντα τά περί τούτου πρώην μή συσταθέντα, ἠκύρωται· καί περιττόν ἡγοῦμαι, λοιπόν τινα ὅλως περί τούτου κινῆσαι λόγον.

ΜΑΞ. Τί οὖν; ἐπειδή ὁ Θεός, διά τήν προγνωσθεῖσαν αὐτῷ πρόθεσιν ἡμῶν, ἐκάλεσε πρός τήν τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτοῦ ἐπίγνωσιν, οὐ δεῖ τά περί τούτου ἐγγράφως, ἤ ἀγράφως πρός τινας εἰρημένα βασανίσαι, διά τούς, ὡς εἰκός, ἀφυλάκτως αὐτοῖς περιτυχόντας, ἤ καί περιτυγχάνοντας εὐχερεστέρους;

ΠΥΡ. Εἰ τι προς τοῦτο ὁρᾷ ἡ βάσανος, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι. Τό γάρ φροντίσαι τῆς τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων ἀσφαλείας, μίμησίς ἐστι θείας φιλανθρωπίας.

ΜΑΞ. Εἰ οὖν θείας φιλανθρωπίας ἐστί τοῦτο μίμησις, ἀρξώμεθα ἐντεῦθεν τῆς περί τούτου ἐξετάσεως.

ΠΥΡ. Ἀρξώμεθα. ΜΑΞ. Ἐν τοῖς σοῖς εὗρον συγγράμμασι, μίαν σε Χριστοῦ, ὡς ὅλου, ἐνέργειαν

δογματίσαντα. Εἰ οὖν μία, ὡς ὅλου ἔστιν ἐνέργεια, τό δέ ὅλον ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ὑπόστασις, ἄρα ἡ μία αὕτη ἐνέργεια ὑποστατική ἔσται· καί ἑτέρας ἐνεργείας ὥσπερ καί ὑποστάσεως 0336 Πατρί τε καί Μητρί· εἴπερ οὐδέτερον αὐτῶν ὑπάρχει Χριστός.

ΠΥΡ. Εἰ διά τό διάφορον τῶν δύο ἐν Χριστῷ φύσεων λέγετε ἐνεργείας, καί οὐ διά τό μοναδικόν τοῦ προσώπου μίαν, δύο εὑρεθήσονται καί τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐνέργειαι, διά τό κατ᾿ οὐσίαν διάφορον τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ καί τοῦ σώματος. Εἰ δέ τοῦτο, τρεῖς ἔσονται τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνέργειαι, καί οὐ δύο.

ΜΑΞ. Ἅπερ ὑμεῖς ἐπ᾿ ἀναιρέσει τῶν φυσικῶν προΐσχεσθε, 15Γ_176 ταῦτα καί κατά τῶν φύσεων οἱ πρός αὐτάς μαχόμενοι προτείνουσι. Τοῦτο γάρ ὑμῶν καί μόνον τό χάριεν, τό ἐκείνοις ἐν πᾶσι συμπεριάγεσθαι. Ὅθεν καί ἡμεῖς τούς παρά τῶν Πατέρων ἐκείνοις ἐπενεχθέντας ἐλέγχους, καί ὑμῖν, ὡς τά αὐτά αὐτοῖς νοσοῦσι προσάγομεν· ὅτι, εἰ διά τό διάφορον τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ φύσεων, δύο φύσεις καί αὐτοί μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν λέγετε, καί οὐ διά τό μοναδικόν τοῦ προσώπου μίαν, δύο εὐρεθήσονται οὕτω γε καί τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσεις, διά τό κατ᾿ οὐσίαν διάφορον τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ καί τοῦ σώματος· καί εἰ τοῦτο, τρεῖς ἔσονται τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καί οὐ δύο φύσεις. Εἰ δέ διά τό διάφορον τῶν φύσεων, δύο μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν λέγοντες φύσεις, τρεῖς οὐ λέγετε ἐπί Χριστοῦ φύσεις· πῶς ἡμῖν διά τό διάφορον τῶν φύσεων δύο λέγουσιν ἐνεργείας; αἱ τρεῖς