John Chrysostom, On John

For what reason then did he use the word 'became'? To shut the mouths of the heretics. For since there are those who say that all the things of the economy were a kind of phantasm and hypocrisy and a suspicion, he set down 'became' to destroy their blasphemy from the start; not signifying a change of substance, far from it, but wishing to show the assumption of true flesh. For just as when he says, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, he does not say this, that his substance, departing from its own glory, was substantiated into a curse; for not even demons could conceive this, nor those who are exceedingly foolish and deprived of their natural minds; so great is its madness along with its impiety; so he does not say this, but that having received the curse against us, he does not permit us to remain cursed any longer; so also here, he says, that he became flesh, not by changing his substance into flesh, but by assuming it, while that substance remained untouched. But if they should say that God, being able to do all things, was also able to change into flesh; we will say this to them, that he is able to do all things, as long as he remains being God; but if he underwent a change, and a change for the worse, how could he be God? For to be changed is far from that unadulterated nature. Wherefore also the Prophet said: They all shall wax old as a garment, and as a vesture you will roll them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years shall not fail. For this substance is above all change. For there is nothing better than it, so that it might advance and come to that. What do I say, better? 59.80 Nothing equal, not even a little close. Therefore, it remains that he would have to undergo a change for the worse, if he were to change. But this would not be God. But may the blasphemy be turned upon the head of those who say these things. For that 'became' was said for this reason alone, so that you might not suppose it a phantasm, consider from what follows how he clarifies the statement, and overturns the evil suspicion. For he added: And dwelt among us; as if to say, do not suspect anything absurd from the word 'became'. For I did not speak of a change of that unchangeable nature, but a tabernacling and an indwelling. And that which tabernacles would not be the same as the tabernacle, but something else. For one thing tabernacles in another; since it would not even be a tabernacling; for nothing dwells in itself. And I said 'another' with respect to substance. For by the union and the conjunction, God the Word and the flesh are one, not by a confusion having taken place, nor a disappearance of the substances, but by a certain ineffable and indescribable union. But as to how, do not ask; for it happened as he himself knows. What then is the tabernacle in which he dwelt? Hear the Prophet saying: I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David. For our nature had indeed fallen, it had fallen an incurable fall, and it needed that mighty hand alone. For it was not possible for it to rise up otherwise, unless he who formed it in the beginning stretched out his hand to it, and fashioned it anew from above through regeneration by water and the Spirit. And behold for me the awesome and ineffable aspect of the mystery: He dwells in the tabernacle forever; for he put on our flesh, not so as to put it off again, but so as to have it with himself forever. For if this were not so, he would not have deemed it worthy of the royal throne, nor, wearing it, would he have been worshiped by all the host above, angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, powers. What word, what thought, will be able to represent such great honor done to our race, that is truly supernatural and awesome? what angel? what archangel? No one anywhere, not of those in heaven, not of those on earth. For such are the achievements of God, and so great and supernatural are his benefits, that their precise narration surpasses not only the human tongue, but also angelic power. Wherefore we too for the time being shall conclude our discourse in silence, having enjoined this much upon you, to repay our so great benefactor with returns, which again will turn all the profit back to us. And these are,

Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τῷ Ἐγένετο κέχρηται ῥήματι; Τὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἐμφράττων στόματα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰσὶν οἱ λέγοντες, ὅτι φαντασία τις ἦν καὶ ὑπόκρισις καὶ ὑπόνοια τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἅπαντα, ἄνωθεν αὐτῶν προαναιρῶν τὴν βλασφημίαν, τὸ Ἐγένετο τέθεικεν· οὐ μεταβολὴν οὐσίας, ἄπαγε, ἀλλὰ σαρκὸς ἀληθινῆς ἀνάληψιν παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ, Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα, οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι ἡ οὐσία αὐτοῦ, τῆς οἰκείας ἀποστᾶσα δόξης, εἰς κατάραν οὐσιώθη· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐδ' ἂν δαίμονες ἐννοήσαιεν, οὔτε οἱ σφόδρα ἀνόητοι καὶ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἀπεστερημένοι φρενῶν· τοσαύτην ἔχει μετὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας καὶ τὴν παράνοιαν· οὐ δὴ τοῦτο οὖν λέγει, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν κατάραν δεξάμενος, οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἡμᾶς ἐπαράτους εἶναι λοιπόν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα σάρκα, φησὶν, αὐτὸν γενέσθαι, οὐ μεταβαλόντα εἰς σάρκα τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀλλ' ἀναλαβόντα αὐτὴν, ἀνεπάφου μενούσης ἐκείνης. Εἰ δὲ λέγοιεν, ὅτι Θεὸς ὢν ἅπαντα δύναται, ὥστε καὶ εἰς σάρκα μεταπεσεῖν ἐδύνατο· ἐκεῖνο πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι πάντα δύναται, ἕως ἂν μένῃ Θεὸς ὤν· εἰ δὲ μεταβολὴν ἐδέξατο, καὶ μεταβολὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πῶς ἂν εἴη Θεός; Τὸ γὰρ μεταβάλλεσθαι, πόῤῥω τῆς ἀκηράτου φύσεως ἐκείνης. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Προφήτης ἔλεγε· Πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται. Σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ, καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσι. Πάσης γὰρ ἀνωτέρα μεταβολῆς ἡ οὐσία αὕτη. Οὔτε γὰρ κρεῖττόν τί ἐστιν αὐτοῦ, ὥστε προκόψαντα αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν. Τί λέγω κρεῖττον; 59.80 Οὐδὲν ἴσον, οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἐγγύς. Οὐκοῦν λείπεται τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον αὐτὸν δέξασθαι μεταβολὴν, εἴ γε μεταβάλ[λ]οιτο. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἂν εἴη Θεός. Ἀλλ' ἡ βλασφημία τραπείη εἰς τὴν τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων κεφαλήν. Ὅτι γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο μόνον εἴρηται τὸ, Ἐγένετο, ἵνα μὴ φαντασίαν ὑπολάβῃς, σκόπει διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς, πῶς ἐκκαθαίρει τὸν λόγον, καὶ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἀνατρέπει τὴν πονηράν. Ἐπήγαγε γάρ· Καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν· μονονουχὶ λέγων, μηδὲν ἄτοπον ὑποπτεύσῃς ἀπὸ τοῦ, Ἐγένετο. Οὐ γὰρ τροπὴν εἶπον τῆς ἀτρέπτου φύσεως ἐκείνης, ἀλλὰ σκήνωσιν καὶ κατοίκησιν. Τὸ δὲ σκηνοῦν, οὐ ταὐτὸν ἂν εἴη τῇ σκηνῇ, ἀλλ' ἕτερον. Ἕτερον γὰρ ἐν ἑτέρῳ σκηνοῖ· ἐπεὶ οὐδ' ἂν εἴη σκήνωσις· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῷ κατοικεῖ. Ἕτερον δὲ εἶπον κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν. Τῇ γὰρ ἑνώσει καὶ τῇ συναφείᾳ ἕν ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος καὶ ἡ σὰρξ, οὐ συγχύσεως γενομένης, οὐδὲ ἀφανισμοῦ τῶν οὐσιῶν, ἀλλ' ἑνώσεως ἀῤῥήτου τινὸς καὶ ἀφράστου. Τὸ δὲ ὅπως, μὴ ζήτει· ἐγένετο γὰρ ὡς οἶδεν αὐτός. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ σκηνὴ ἣν κατεσκήνωσεν; Ἄκουσον τοῦ Προφήτου λέγοντος· Ἀναστήσω τὴν σκηνὴν ∆αυῒδ τὴν πεπτωκυῖαν. Πεπτώκει γὰρ ὄντως, πεπτώκει πτῶμα ἀνίατον ἡ φύσις ἡ ἡμετέρα, καὶ τῆς κραταιᾶς ἐκείνης ἐδεῖτο μόνης χειρός. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ἑτέρως ἀναστῆναι αὐτὴν, μὴ τοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν διαπλάσαντος αὐτῇ χεῖρα ὀρέξαντος, καὶ διατυπώσαντος ἄνωθεν τῇ δι' ὕδατος ἀναγεννήσει καὶ Πνεύματος. Καὶ θέα μοι τὸ φρικτὸν καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον τοῦ μυστηρίου· ∆ιαπαντὸς κατοικεῖ τὴν σκηνήν· τὴν γὰρ σάρκα τὴν ἡμετέραν περιεβάλετο, οὐχ ὡς πάλιν αὐτὴν ἀφήσων, ἀλλ' ὡς διαπαντὸς ἕξων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, καὶ τοῦ θρόνου κατηξίωσεν αὐτὴν τοῦ βασιλικοῦ, καὶ φορῶν αὐτὴν προσεκυνεῖτο ὑπὸ πάσης τῆς ἄνω στρατιᾶς, ἀγγέλων, ἀρχαγγέλων, θρόνων, κυριοτήτων, ἀρχῶν, ἐξουσιῶν. Ποῖος λόγος, ποία διάνοια τὴν τοσαύτην τιμὴν τὴν εἰς τὸ γένος γεγενημένην τὸ ἡμέτερον, τὴν ὄντως ὑπερφυῆ καὶ φρικτὴν παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται; τίς ἄγγελος; τίς ἀρχάγγελος; Οὐδεὶς οὐδαμοῦ, οὐ τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ, οὐ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα, καὶ οὕτω μεγάλαι καὶ ὑπερφυεῖς αἱ εὐεργεσίαι αὐτοῦ, ὡς μὴ μόνον ἀνθρωπίνην γλῶτταν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγελικὴν δύναμιν ὑπερβαίνειν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀκριβῆ διήγησιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς σιγὴν τέως τὸν λόγον κατακλείσομεν, τοσοῦτον ὑμῖν παρεγγυήσαντες, ἀμείψασθαι τὸν τηλικοῦτον ἡμῶν εὐεργέτην ἀμοιβαῖς, αἳ πάλιν εἰς ἡμᾶς τὸ κέρδος περιστήσουσιν ἅπαν. Αὗται δέ εἰσι,