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the Lord of glory is glorified, but the flesh of the Lord of glory itself receives glory, ascending with him into heaven. Whence he says, also the spirit of adoption was not yet in men, because the first-fruit taken from men had not yet ascended into heaven. Therefore whatever the scripture says, that the son "received" and "was glorified," it says on account of his humanity, not on account of his divinity. From the same, from the same discourse. So that this one is true God, both before he became man, and after he became Jesus Christ, mediator between God and men, the one united to the Father according to the spirit, but to us according to the flesh, the one who mediated between God and men, the one who is not only man, but also God. Of Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. In an Exposition of the Faith. We confess our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father without beginning before all ages according to his divinity, and in the last days the same one made incarnate from the holy virgin Mary, and having assumed perfect man from a rational soul and body, consubstantial with the Father according to his divinity, and consubstantial with us according to his humanity. For a union of two perfect natures has ineffably come to be. Therefore we confess one Christ, one Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, knowing that being co-eternal with his own Father according to his divinity, according to which he is also the creator of all things, 162 he deigned after the consent of the holy virgin, when she said to the angel, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word," ineffably to build for himself a temple from her, and to unite this to himself from the very conception, not a co-eternal body brought down from heaven from his own substance, but from the dough of our substance, that is from the virgin, having taken this and united it to himself. Not the God Logos having been turned into flesh, nor indeed having appeared as a phantom; but unchangeably and immutably preserving his own substance, having taken the first-fruit of our nature, he united it to himself. Not the God Logos having taken his beginning from the virgin, but being co-eternal with his own Father, he deigned through his great goodness to unite to himself the first-fruit of our nature, not having been mixed, but having appeared one and the same in both substances, according to what is written; "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it." For Christ God is destroyed according to my substance which he assumed, and he himself raises the destroyed temple according to his divine substance, according to which he is also the creator of all things. Never after the union, which from the very conception he deigned to unite to himself, either having departed from his own temple, or being able to depart because of his ineffable love for mankind. But the same one is passible and impassible; passible according to his humanity, impassible according to his divinity. For see, see me, that it is I, and I have not been changed. Therefore the God Logos, having raised his own temple, and having worked in it the resurrection and renewal of our nature, and having shown this to his own disciples, said, "Handle me, and see, that a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me," not "being," but "having," so that having understood both the one having and the one had, you might perceive not a mixture, not a change, not an alteration, but a union having come to be. For this reason he also showed the marks of the nails and the piercing of the spear, and he ate in front of the disciples, so that through all these things he might confirm to them the resurrection of our nature renewed in himself. And that according to the blessed substance of his divinity remaining unchangeable, immutable, impassible, immortal, without need, 163 he allowed by permission all the passions to be brought upon his own temple, and he raised this by his own power, and through his own temple he worked out the perfect renewal of our nature. But those who say Christ is a mere man, or

49

κύριος τῆς δόξης δοξάζεται, ἀλλ' ἡ σὰρξ τοῦ κυρίου τῆς δόξης αὐτὴ λαμ βάνει δόξαν, συναναβαίνουσα αὐτῷ εἰς οὐρανόν. Ὅθεν φησί, καὶ πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας οὔπω ἦν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, διότι ἡ ληφθεῖσα ἀπαρχὴ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων οὔπω ἦν ἀνελθοῦσα εἰς οὐρανόν. Ὅσα οὖν λέγει ἡ γραφή, ὅτι "ἔλαβεν" ὁ υἱὸς καὶ "ἐδοξάσθη," διὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα αὐτοῦ λέγει, οὐ διὰ τὴν θεότητα. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Ὥστε ἀληθινὸς θεός ἐστιν οὗτος, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν ἄνθρω πον, καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι μεσίτην θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὸν ἡνωμένον πατρὶ κατὰ πνεῦμα, ἡμῖν δὲ κατὰ σάρκα, τὸν μεσιτεύσαντα θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις, τὸν μὴ μόνον ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεόν. Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀμβροσίου ἐπισκόπου Μεδιολάνου. Ἐν ἐκθέσει πίστεως. Ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, πρὸ πάντων μὲν τῶν αἰώνων ἀνάρχως ἐκ πατρὸς γεννηθέντα κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας τὸν αὐτὸν σαρκωθέντα, καὶ τέλειον τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκ ψυχῆς λογικῆς καὶ σώματος ἀνειληφότα, ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, καὶ ὁμοούσιον ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρω πότητα. ∆ύο γὰρ φύσεων τελείων ἕνωσις γεγένηται ἀφράστως. ∆ιὸ ἕνα Χριστόν, ἕνα υἱὸν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καθομολογοῦμεν, εἰδότες ὅτιπερ συναΐδιος ὑπάρχων τῷ ἑαυ τοῦ πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, καθ' ἣν καὶ πάντων ὑπάρχει δημιουργός, 162 κατηξίωσε μετὰ τὴν συγκατάθεσιν τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου, ἡνίκα εἴρηκε πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον, "Ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη κυρίου, γένοιτό μοι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου," ἀπορρήτως ἑαυτῷ ἐξ αὐτῆς οἰκοδομῆσαι ναόν, καὶ τοῦτον ἑνῶσαι ἑαυτῷ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς συλλήψεως, οὐ συναΐδιον ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ οὐ σίας οὐρανόθεν ἐπιφερόμενον σῶμα, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ φυράματος τῆς ἡμετέρας οὐσίας, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῆς παρθένου, τοῦτο εἰληφὼς καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἑνώσας. Οὐχ ὁ θεὸς λόγος εἰς σάρκα τραπείς, οὔτε μὴν φάν τασμα φανείς· ἀλλ' ἀτρέπτως καὶ ἀναλλοιώτως τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διατηρῶν οὐσίαν, τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας εἰληφώς, ἑαυτῷ ἥνωσεν. Οὐκ ἀρχὴν ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐκ τῆς παρθένου εἰληφώς, ἀλλὰ συναΐδιος τῷ ἑαυτοῦ πατρὶ ὑπάρχων, τὴν τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀπαρχὴν ἑαυτῷ διὰ πολλὴν ἀγαθότητα ἑνῶσαι κατηξίωσεν, οὐ κρα θείς, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑκατέραις ταῖς οὐσίαις εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς φανείς, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· "Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν." Λύεται γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς θεὸς κατὰ τὴν ἐμὴν οὐσίαν ἣν ἀνέλαβε, καὶ λελυμένον ἐγείρει τὸν ναὸν ὁ αὐτὸς κατὰ τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν, καθ' ἣν καὶ πάντων ὑπάρχει δημιουργός. Οὐδέποτε μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν, ἣν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς συλλήψεως ἑαυτῷ ἑνῶσαι κατηξίωσεν, ἢ ἀποστὰς τοῦ οἰκείου ναοῦ, ἢ ἀποστῆναι διὰ τὴν ἄφατον φιλανθρωπίαν δυνάμενος. Ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὁ αὐτὸς παθητὸς καὶ ἀπαθής· παθητὸς κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρω πότητα, ἀπαθὴς κατὰ τὴν θεότητα. Ἴδετε γάρ, ἴδετέ με, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἠλλοίωμαι. Ἐγείρας τοιγαροῦν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ναὸν ὁ θεὸς λόγος, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀνάστασιν καὶ ἀνανέωσιν ἐργασά μενος, καὶ ταύτην τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς δείξας, ἔλεγε, "Ψηλαφήσατέ με, καὶ ἴδετε, ὅτι πνεῦμα σάρκα καὶ ὀστέα οὐκ ἔχει, καθὼς ἐμὲ θεω ρεῖτε," οὐκ ὄντα, ἀλλ' "ἔχοντα," ἵνα καὶ τὸν ἔχοντα καὶ τὸν ἐχόμενον κατανοήσας, οὐ κρᾶσιν, οὐ τροπήν, οὐκ ἀλλοίωσιν, ἀλλ' ἕνωσιν γεγενημένην ἐπίδοις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς τύπους τῶν ἥλων καὶ τῆς λόγχης τὴν νύξιν ἐπέδειξε, καὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν μαθητῶν ἔφαγεν, ἵνα διὰ πάντων τὴν ἀνάστασιν τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀνανεω θεῖσαν πιστώσηται αὐτούς. Καὶ ὅτι κατὰ τὴν μακαρίαν τῆς θεότητος οὐσίαν ἄτρεπτος, ἀναλλοίωτος, ἀπαθής, ἀθάνατος, ἀνενδεὴς διατελῶν, 163 πάντα τὰ πάθη εἴασε κατὰ συγχώρησιν τῷ οἰκείῳ ἐπενεχθῆναι ναῷ, καὶ τοῦτον τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἀνέστησε δυνάμει, διά τε τοῦ οἰκείου ναοῦ τελείαν τὴν ἀνανέωσιν τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐξειργάσατο φύσεως. Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας ψιλὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν Χριστόν, ἢ