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united hypostatically to flesh taken from a virgin, endowed with a rational and intellectual soul, and having its being in him, without confusion, without alteration, and without division, not changing the nature of his divinity into the substance of the flesh, nor indeed the substance of his flesh into the nature of his divinity, nor forming one composite nature from his divine nature and the human nature which he assumed. 47 Concerning the two natures For the natures were united to each other unchangeably and unalterably, neither the divine nature departing from its own simplicity, nor indeed the human nature being changed into the nature of divinity or ceasing to exist, nor one composite nature being made from the two. For a composite nature cannot be consubstantial with either of the natures from which it was composed, being something different resulting from different things. For example, the body composed of the four elements is not said to be consubstantial with fire, nor is it called fire, nor is it said to be air, nor water, nor earth, nor is it consubstantial with any of these. If, therefore, according to the heretics, Christ after the union was of one composite nature, he was changed from a simple nature into a composite one and is neither consubstantial with the Father, who is of a simple nature, nor with his mother (for she is not composed of divinity and humanity), nor indeed does he exist in divinity and humanity, nor will he be called God or man, but only Christ. And Christ will be the name not of his hypostasis, but, according to them, of the one nature. But we do not teach that Christ is of one composite nature, nor as something different from other things, as man is from soul and body, or a body from the four elements, but the same from different things; for we confess that the same one is perfect God and perfect man from two and in two natures, and is so called. And we say the name Christ is of the hypostasis, not said in one manner, but signifying the two natures; for he anointed himself, anointing the body as God with his divinity, and being anointed as man; for he is this and that. And the anointing is the divinity of the humanity. For if Christ, being of one composite nature, is consubstantial with the Father, then the Father will also be composite and consubstantial with the flesh, which is absurd and full of all blasphemy. And how will one nature be receptive of contrary essential differences? For how is it possible for the same nature to be at the same time created and uncreated, mortal and immortal, circumscribed and uncircumscribed? If, saying Christ is of one nature, they should say this nature is simple, they will either confess him to be God alone and introduce the incarnation as a fantasy, or a mere man according to Nestorius. And where is the perfection in divinity and the perfection in humanity? And when will they say that Christ is of two natures, if they say that after the union he is of one composite nature? For that Christ is of one nature before the union, is surely plain to all. But this is what causes the error for the heretics, saying that nature and hypostasis are the same. But since we speak of one human nature, it must be known that we do not say this with reference to the concept of soul and body; for it is impossible to say that soul and body, when compared to one another, are of one nature. But since there are very many human hypostases, and all admit the same definition of nature (for all are composed of soul and body, and all have partaken of the nature of the soul and possess the substance of the body) we say that the common species of the many and different hypostases is one nature, with each hypostasis, that is, having two natures and existing in two natures, I mean of soul and of body. But in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is not possible to take a common species; for there neither has been, nor is, nor ever will be another Christ out of divinity and humanity, in divinity and humanity the same perfect God and perfect man. Hence it is not possible to speak of one nature in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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παρθένου ληφθείσῃ λογικῶς τε καὶ νοερῶς ἐψυχωμένῃ σαρκὶ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ εἶναι λαχούσῃ ἑνωθεὶς καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἀσυγχύτως καὶ ἀναλλοιώτως καὶ ἀδιαιρέτως, μὴ μεταβαλὼν τὴν τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ φύσιν εἰς τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς οὐσίαν μήτε μὴν τὴν οὐσίαν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν φύσιν τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητος οὐδὲ ἐκ τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ φύσεως καί, ἧς προσελάβετο ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, μίαν φύσιν ἀποτελέσας σύνθετον. 47 Περὶ τῶν δύο φύσεων Ἀτρέπτως γὰρ καὶ ἀναλλοιώτως ἡνώθησαν ἀλλήλαις αἱ φύσεις μήτε τῆς θείας φύσεως ἐκστάσης τῆς οἰκείας ἁπλότητος μήτε μὴν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἢ τραπείσης εἰς θεότητος φύσιν ἢ εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν χωρησάσης μήτε ἐκ τῶν δύο μιᾶς γεγενημένης συνθέτου φύσεως· ἡ γὰρ σύνθετος φύσις οὐδ' ὁποτέρας τῶν, ἐξ ὧν συνετέθη, φύσεων ὁμοούσιος ὑπάρχειν δύναται ἐξ ἑτέρων ἀποτελεσθεῖσα ἕτερον. Οἷον τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων συντεθειμένον οὐδὲ τῷ πυρὶ λέγεται ὁμοούσιον οὔτε πῦρ ὀνομάζεται οὔτε ἀὴρ λέγεται οὔτε ὕδωρ οὔτε γῆ οὐδέ τινι τούτων ἐστὶν ὁμοούσιον. Εἰ τοίνυν κατὰ τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς μιᾶς συνθέτου φύσεως ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν ἐχρημάτισεν, ἐξ ἁπλῆς φύσεως ἐτράπη εἰς σύνθεσιν καὶ οὔτε τῷ πατρὶ ἁπλῆς φύσεως ὄντι ἐστὶν ὁμοούσιος οὔτε τῇ μητρί (οὐ γὰρ ἐκ θεότητος καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος αὕτη συντέθειται) οὔτε μὴν ἐν θεότητί ἐστι καὶ ἀνθρωπότητι, οὔτε δὲ θεὸς ὀνομασθήσεται οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ Χριστὸς μόνον. Καὶ ἔσται τὸ Χριστὸς οὐ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ τῆς μιᾶς κατ' αὐτοὺς φύσεως. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ μιᾶς συνθέτου φύσεως τὸν Χριστὸν δογματίζομεν οὐδὲ ἐξ ἑτέρων ἕτερον ὥσπερ ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ἄνθρωπον ἢ ὡς ἐκ τεσσάρων στοιχείων σῶμα, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑτέρων τὰ αὐτά· ἐκ θεότητος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος θεὸν τέλειον καὶ ἄνθρωπον τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶναι καὶ λέγεσθαι ἐκ δύο τε καὶ ἐν δυσὶ φύσεσιν ὁμολογοῦμεν. Τὸ δὲ Χριστὸς ὄνομα τῆς ὑποστάσεως λέγομεν, οὐ μονοτρόπως λεγόμενον, ἀλλὰ τῶν δύο φύσεων ὑπάρχον σημαντικόν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἔχρισε, χρίων μὲν ὡς θεὸς τὸ σῶμα τῇ θεότητι αὐτοῦ, χριόμενος δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωπος· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο. Χρίσις δὲ ἡ θεότης τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Εἰ γὰρ μιᾶς φύσεως συνθέτου ὢν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁμοούσιός ἐστι τῷ πατρί, ἔσται ἄρα καὶ ὁ πατὴρ σύνθετος καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ ὁμοούσιος, ὅπερ ἄτοπον καὶ πάσης βλασφημίας ἀνάπλεον. Πῶς δὲ καὶ μία φύσις τῶν ἐναντίων οὐσιωδῶν διαφορῶν δεκτικὴ γενήσεται; Πῶς γὰρ δυνατὸν τὴν αὐτὴν φύσιν κατὰ ταὐτὸν κτιστὴν εἶναι καὶ ἄκτιστον, θνητὴν καὶ ἀθάνατον, περιγραπτὴν καὶ ἀπερίγραπτον; Εἰ δὲ καὶ μιᾶς λέγοντες τὸν Χριστὸν φύσεως ἁπλῆν ταύτην εἴποιεν, ἢ γυμνὸν αὐτὸν θεὸν ὁμολογήσουσι καὶ φαντασίαν εἰσάξουσιν τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἢ ψιλὸν ἄνθρωπον κατὰ Νεστόριον. Καὶ ποῦ τὸ τέλειον ἐν θεότητι καὶ τὸ ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι τέλειον; Πότε δὲ καὶ δύο τὸν Χριστὸν λέξουσι φύσεων μιᾶς συνθέτου φύσεως αὐτὸν μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν λέγοντες; Ὅτι γὰρ μιᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς φύσεως πρὸ τῆς ἑνώσεως, παντί που δῆλον. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ποιοῦν τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς τὴν πλάνην, τὸ ταὐτὸν λέγειν τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὴν ὑπόστασιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν φαμέν, ἰστέον, ὡς οὐκ ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος λόγον τοῦτο λέγομεν· ἀδύνατον γὰρ μιᾶς φύσεως λέγειν τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα πρὸς ἄλληλα συγκρινόμενα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πλεῖσται ὑποστάσεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰσί, πάντες δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπιδέχονται λόγον τῆς φύσεως (πάντες γὰρ ἐκ ψυχῆς εἰσι συντεθειμένοι καὶ σώματος καὶ πάντες τῆς φύσεως τῆς ψυχῆς μετειλήφασι καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ σώματος κέκτηνται) τὸ κοινὸν εἶδος τῶν πλείστων καὶ διαφόρων ὑποστάσεων μίαν φύσιν φαμέν, ἑκάστης δηλαδὴ ὑποστάσεως δύο φύσεις ἐχούσης καὶ ἐν δυσὶ τελούσης ταῖς φύσεσι, ψυχῆς λέγω καὶ σώματος. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔστι κοινὸν εἶδος λαβεῖν· οὔτε γὰρ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἔστιν οὔτε ποτὲ γενήσεται ἄλλος Χριστὸς ἐκ θεότητος καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος, ἐν θεότητι καὶ ἀνθρωπότητι θεὸς τέλειος ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος τέλειος. Ἐντεῦθεν οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν μίαν φύσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.