49
salvation, the one who thinks such things? For we are not able to think that the mind is something else, nor can we say that this is a hypostasis in itself, but the composite and the rational and the thinking in each of those who have not been deceived, so to speak, the thought of man; as eyes are in the body, so is the mind in the soul. And again we do not say this contentiously, but simply the faculty of thought in men *. 78.5 What then is man? Soul, body, mind, and if there is anything else. What then did the Lord come to save? A perfect man, certainly. 78.6 Therefore, then, He took all things in him perfectly. Since whence were these things fulfilled in him, which were both prophesied and related concerning man, from mind and body and soul and the whole incarnation without sin? 78.7 For the divine word clearly lays it down for us, saying, "Behold, my beloved servant will understand, whom I have chosen, in whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him," and what follows. Where then has "will understand" been fulfilled? If in the divinity, is the divinity then in need of understanding? May it not be; for this is fulfilled in the Lord's human nature. But if it is fulfilled in the Lord's human nature, how will an incarnation that is without a mind understand? 78.8 This is impossible. For if "he will understand" refers to Christ at all, and Christ is the God Logos from above, who became flesh from Mary, who also having become man "dwelt among us" according to what is written, then doubtless he received the economy with a mind, since understanding is fitting for it. 78.9 For because of this the Gospel says of him, "he advanced in wisdom and in stature"; not the divinity, which is not subject to age nor lacking in wisdom, being all wisdom. But the Savior's incarnation advanced in wisdom, not being without a mind, since otherwise it could not have become wise; and it advanced in stature as the child grew, as is true. 79.1 But if on account of having taken a mind † this is considered a sin, then all the more so, if we grant that he took flesh, without which sin is not accomplished; "for the works of the flesh are manifest." We must certainly grant that he also sinned in the flesh, having taken the flesh. 79.2 "For I know," says the apostle, "that in me dwelleth no good thing, that is, in my flesh." But who will dare to say that because the Savior took on flesh, he was carried away with the flesh, and performed the unreasonable things of the flesh, according to the succession of his own entire vessel, good and bad alike, having it though it was human flesh, but stumbling in nothing. 79.3 For God the Logos, having come forth from the Father from above, being pleased to be in the flesh, bridled the vessel and if he wished to restrain it from every useless carnal action, he was able; but if he wished, he yielded. And he yielded to the reasonable bodily needs that were also fitting to his divinity. 79.4 For neither, possessing the mind in truth, just as he possessed the whole incarnation in truth, did the mind extend to irrational desires, nor did he do or consider the things of the flesh in the same way as we do, but as God, having become in true flesh from the virgin Mary, he acted * with flesh and soul and mind and the whole vessel, having come to dwell in the race of men from above from the Father, the hypostatic God the Logos. 79.5 But let no one sophistically say this is spoken improperly, like "understand my cry"; for the one is spoken improperly for the sake of prayer and it is clear that the usage is for... but this was prophesied as a type of his fleshly presence; but "and he advanced in stature" is true. 80.1 But what do such men think we are saying, if we should say that Christ, become a perfect man from Mary, or having a mind, lest we should suppose him in sins
49
σωτηρίαν ὁ τὰ τοιαῦτα διανοούμενος; ἡμεῖς γὰρ οὐδὲν δυνάμεθα διανοεῖσθαι ἕτερον τὸν νοῦν εἶναι οὐδὲ ὑπόστασιν τοῦτον δυνάμεθα λέγειν καθ' ἑαυτόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ σύνθετον καὶ τὸ λογικὸν καὶ φρονοῦν ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν οὐ πεπλανημένων οἷον εἰπεῖν νόημα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐν τῷ σώματι, οὕτως νοῦς ἐν ψυχῇ. πάλιν δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἐριστικῶς φαμέν, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς τὸ ἐννοητικὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων *. 78.5 τί οὖν ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος; ψυχὴ σῶμα νοῦς καὶ εἴ τί ἐστιν ἕτερον. τί τοίνυν ἦλθεν ὁ κύριος σῶσαι; ἄνθρωπον τέλειον πάντως. ἄρα 78.6 οὖν πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ τελείως ἔλαβεν. ἐπεὶ πόθεν ταῦτα ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπληροῦντο, ἃ εἰς ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ νοῦ καὶ σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ πάσης ἐνανθρωπήσεως ἄνευ ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἐπροφητεύετο καὶ ἀνελο78.7 γεῖτο; σαφῶς γὰρ ἡμῖν ὑποτίθεται ὁ θεῖος λόγος λέγων «ἰδοὺ συνήσει ὁ παῖς μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ὃν ᾑρέτισα, ἐφ' ὃν ηὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου, θήσω ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ πνεῦμά μου» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἆρα γοῦν τὸ συνιέναι ποῦ πεπλήρωται; εἰ μὲν εἰς τὴν θεότητα, ἐνδεὴς ἆρα ἡ θεότης τοῦ συνιέναι; μὴ γένοιτο· τοῦτο γὰρ εἰς τὸν κυριακὸν ἄνθρωπον πληροῦται. εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν κυριακὸν ἄνθρωπον πεπλήρωται, πῶς συνήσει ἐναν78.8 θρώπησις ἄνευ νοὸς ὑπάρχουσα; ἀδύνατον τοῦτο. εἰ γὰρ ὅλως τὸ συνήσει ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀναφέρεται, Χριστὸς δὲ ὁ ἄνωθεν θεὸς Λόγος, σὰρξ δὲ γενόμενος ἀπὸ Μαρίας, ὃς καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσας «ἡμῖν συνανεστράφη» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἄρα ἀναμφιβόλως σὺν τῷ νῷ 78.9 τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἐδέξατο, ἐπειδὴ αὐτῇ συμπρέπει τὸ συνιέναι. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ φησι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον «προέκοπτε σοφίᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ»· οὐχ ἡ θεότης ἡλικίαν ἐπιδεχομένη οὔτε σοφίας ὑστεροῦσα, ἡ οὖσα σοφία ὅλη. σοφίᾳ δὲ προέκοπτεν ἡ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐνανθρώπησις, οὐκ ἐκτὸς νοῦ ὑπάρχουσα, ἐπειδὴ ἄλλως οὐδὲ σοφίσασθαι ἠδύνατο· καὶ ἡλικίᾳ προέκοπτεν ἁδρυνομένου τοῦ παιδίου, ὡς ἔστιν ἀληθές. 79.1 Εἰ δὲ διὰ τὸ εἰληφέναι νοῦν † ἁμαρτία αὕτη νοεῖται, οὐκοῦν περισσοτέρως, ἐὰν δῶμεν αὐτὸν εἰληφέναι σάρκα, ἧς ἐκτὸς ἁμαρτία οὐ τελεῖται· «φανερὰ γὰρ τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός». πάντως ὅτι δῶμεν ὅτι καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ ἥμαρτε, λαβὼν τὴν σάρκα. «οἶδα γάρ» φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος «ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐδὲν ἀγαθόν, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ σαρκί 79.2 μου». τίς δὲ τολμήσει λέγειν διὰ τὸ τὸν σωτῆρα εἰληφέναι σάρκα σαρκὶ συναπῆχθαι, καὶ τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς οὐκ εὔλογα ἐπιτελέσαντα, εἰς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς σκεύους τοῦ ἰδίου ἀκολουθίαν, ἀγαθὴν ὁμοίως καὶ φαύλην, ἐσχηκότα καίτοιγε καὶ σάρκα οὖσαν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐδενὶ 79.3 πταίουσαν. ὁ θεὸς γὰρ Λόγος ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ πατρὸς προελθὼν εὐδοκήσας ἐν σαρκὶ γενέσθαι ἐχαλιναγώγει τὸ σκεῦος καὶ εἰ ἤθελεν ἐπέχειν αὐτὸ ἀπὸ πάσης ἀχρειώδους πράξεως σαρκικῆς, ἠδύνατο· εἰ δὲ ἤθελεν, ἐνεδίδου. ἐνεδίδου δὲ εἰς τὰς εὐλόγους καὶ συμπρε79.4 πούσας τῇ αὐτοῦ θεότητι σωματικὰς χρείας. οὔτε γὰρ ἔχων τὸν νοῦν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, ὥσπερ ὅλην τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ εἶχεν, ὁ νοῦς ἐπεκτείνετο εἰς ἀλόγους ἐπιθυμίας οὔτε τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ἴσα ἡμῖν ἔπραττεν ἢ ἐλογίζετο, ἀλλ' ὡς θεὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἀληθινῇ γενόμενος ἀπὸ παρθένου Μαρίας ἔπραττε * σαρκὶ καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ νῷ καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ σκεύει, ἐνδημήσας τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει ἄνωθεν ἐκ πατρὸς 79.5 ἐνυπόστατος θεὸς Λόγος. ἀλλὰ μὴ σοφίσωνταί τινες καταχρηστικῶς τοῦτο λεγόμενον, ὡς τό «σύνες τῆς κραυγῆς μου»· τὸ μὲν γὰρ καταχρηστικῶς δι' εὐχὴν εἴρηται καὶ δῆλόν ἐστιν ὅτι ἡ χρῆσις εἰς τὸ δὲ ὑπόδειγμα σαρκικῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας προεφήτευται· τὸ δέ «καὶ προέκοπτεν ἡλικίᾳ» ἐστὶν ἀληθές. 80.1 Ἀλλὰ τί οἱ τοιοῦτοι νομίζουσι ἡμᾶς λέγειν, ἐὰν εἴπωμεν τέλειον ἄνθρωπον ἐκ Μαρίας τὸν Χριστὸν γεγονότα ἢ νοῦν ἐσχηκότα, μὴ ὑπονοήσωμεν αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαις