50

the Supervisor of the conscience. And I know that the divine Apostle often made use of the testimony of the conscience; For our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience . And again; I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit . Let your sacred and God-loving head know, then, that none of us has ever heard of two sons being preached. For in truth this doctrine seems to me abominable and impious. For one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things . Him I know both as God before the ages, and as man at the end of days, and I offer one adoration to Him as the Only-begotten. However, I was taught the difference of flesh and divinity; for the union is without confusion. Thus, arrayed against the madness of Arius and Eunomius, we most easily refute the blasphemy dared by them against the Only-begotten, attributing the humble things spoken by the Lord and fitting to the assumed nature, as to a man, and again as to God the things befitting God and indicative of that nature; not dividing into two persons, but teaching that both these and those things befit the one Only-begotten; some as to God and Maker and Lord of all, and others as to a man made for our sake. And the divine Scripture says that He became man, not with the divinity being changed, but with the human nature being taken from the seed of Abraham. For the divine Apostle cries this out plainly, saying; For surely He does not take hold of angels, but He takes hold of the seed of Abraham; wherefore He was obliged to be made like His brethren in all things . And again; Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'and to your seed,' who is Christ . Having cut out these and similar passages from the divine Scripture, Simon and Basilides and Valentinus and Bardesanes and Marcion and he who is named after madness, call the Lord Christ God only, having nothing human, but appearing to men as a man by fantasy and appearance. But those who think the things of Arius and Eunomius say that God the Word assumed a body only, and that He Himself fulfilled the need of the soul in the body. But Apollinarius calls the Lord's body ensouled, but deprives the mind of the salvation that has come to pass, I do not know from where he learned the division of soul and mind. But the teaching of the divine Apostles teaches that a rational and intelligent soul was assumed with the flesh, and it promises complete salvation to believers. And there is another band of heretics who hold the opposite to these things. For Photinus and Marcellus and Paul of Samosata say that our Lord and God is a mere man. It is necessary for us, when dialoguing with these, to bring forward the testimonies concerning divinity and to show that the Lord Christ is also God before the ages; but when contending against the other faction, which calls our Lord Jesus Christ God only, to set against them the divine Scripture and to collect from there the testimonies concerning the assumed humanity. For the physician must use medicines appropriate to the ailments and apply to each what is suitable. Therefore, I beseech your holiness to dissolve the slander composed against us and to bridle the tongues that revile us in vain. For we, even after the incarnation, worship one Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and we call those who think otherwise impious. And deign to grant us also your holy prayers, master, so that enjoying the divine benevolence, we may cross the sea full of dangers and come to anchor in the calm harbors of the Savior.

50

συνειδότος Ἐπόπτην. Οἶδα δὲ καὶ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον πολλάκις τῇ τοῦ συνειδότος μαρτυρίᾳ χρησάμενον· Ἡ γὰρ καύ χησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστί, τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς συνειδή σεως ἡμῶν . Καὶ πάλιν· Ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν Χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύδομαι, συμμαρτυρούσης μοι τῆς συνειδήσεώς μου ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ . Ἴστω τοίνυν ἡ ἱερά σου καὶ θεοφιλὴς κεφαλή, ὡς οὐδεὶς ἡμῶν ἀκήκοε πώποτε δύο κηρυττόντων υἱούς. Τῷ ὄντι γάρ μοι μυσαρὸν καὶ δυσσεβὲς τόδε τὸ δόγμα δοκεῖ. Εἷς γὰρ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα . Τοῦτον ἐγὼ καὶ Θεὸν προαιώνιον οἶδα, καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν, καὶ μίαν ὡς Μονογενεῖ προσφέρω προσκύνησιν. Σαρκὸς μέντοι καὶ θεότητος τὸ διάφορον ἐδιδάχθην· ἀσύγχυτος γὰρ ἡ ἕνωσις. Οὕτω κατὰ τῆς Ἀρείου καὶ Εὐνομίου παραταττόμενοι λύττης, ῥᾷστα τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς παρ' αὐτῶν τολμωμένην διελέγχομεν βλασφημίαν, τὰ ταπεινῶς εἰρημένα παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου καὶ τῇ ληφθείσῃ φύσει προσφόρως, ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ προσάπτοντες, καὶ αὖ πάλιν ὡς Θεῷ τὰ θεοπρεπῆ καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἐκείνης δηλωτικά· οὐκ εἰς δύο πρόσωπα διαιροῦντες, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἑνὶ Μονογενεῖ καὶ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα προσήκειν διδάσ κοντες· τὰ μὲν ὡς Θεῷ καὶ Ποιητῇ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ τῶν ὅλων, τὰ δὲ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ δι' ἡμᾶς γενομένῳ. Ἄνθρωπον δὲ αὐτὸν ἡ θεία λέγει γεγενῆσθαι Γραφή, οὐ τῆς θεότητος τραπείσης, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ληφθείσης. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἄντικρυς βοᾷ, λέγων· Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται· ὅθεν ὤφειλεν κατὰ πάντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι . Καὶ πάλιν· Τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἐρρέθησαν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ. Οὐ λέγει· Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐφ' ἑνός· καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, ὅς ἐστι Χρισ τός . Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῆς θείας Γραφῆς περικόψαντες Σίμων καὶ Βασιλείδης καὶ Βαλεντῖνος καὶ Βαρδησάνης καὶ Μαρκίων καὶ ὁ τῆς μανίας ἐπώνυμος, μόνον Θεὸν ἀποκα λοῦσι τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστόν, οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπειον ἔχοντα, ἀλλὰ φαντασίᾳ καὶ δοκήσει φανέντα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὡς ἄνθρωπον. Οἱ δὲ τὰ Ἀρείου καὶ Εὐνομίου φρονοῦντες σῶμα μόνον ἀνειληφέναι τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον φασίν, αὐτὸν δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν τῷ σώματι πληρῶσαι τὴν χρείαν. Ἀπολινάριος δὲ ἔμψυχον μὲν τὸ ∆εσποτικὸν σῶμα καλεῖ, τὸν δὲ νοῦν τῆς γεγενημένης σω τηρίας ἀποστερεῖ, οὐκ οἶδα πόθεν μαθὼν ψυχῆς καὶ νοῦ τὴν διαίρεσιν. Ἡ δὲ τῶν θείων Ἀποστόλων διδασκαλία ψυχὴν λογι-κήν τε καὶ νοερὰν μετὰ σαρκὸς προσειλῆφθαι διδάσκει, καὶ τελείαν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ὑπισχνεῖται τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἕτερον στῖφος αἱρετικῶν τἀναντία τούτοις θρησκεῦον. Φωτεινὸς γὰρ καὶ Μάρκελλος καὶ ὁ ἐκ Σαμοσάτων Παῦλος, ἄνθρωπον μόνον εἶναι λέγουσι τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν καὶ Θεόν. Ἀνάγκη δὲ πρὸς τούτους μὲν διαλεγομένους ἡμᾶς τὰς περὶ θεότητος μαρτυρίας προσφέρειν καὶ δεικνύναι ὡς καὶ Θεὸς προαιώνιος ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστός· πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἑτέραν ἀγωνιζομένους συμμορίαν, ἣ Θεὸν μόνον ἀποκαλεῖ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὴν θείαν αὐτοῖς ἀντιτάττειν Γραφὴν καὶ τὰς περὶ τῆς ληφθείσης ἀνθρωπότητος ἐκεῖθεν μαρτυρίας συλλέγειν. Χρὴ γὰρ τὸν ἰατρὸν ἁρμοδίοις πρὸς τὰ πάθη κεχρῆ σθαι φαρμάκοις καὶ ἑκάστῳ προσφέρειν τὸ πρόσφορον. Παρα καλῶ τοίνυν τὴν σὴν ἁγιωσύνην τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν συντεθεῖσαν διαλῦσαι συκοφαντίαν καὶ τὰς μάτην ἡμῖν λοιδορουμένας χαλινῶσαι γλώττας. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἕνα προσκυνοῦμεν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλο τι φρονοῦντας δυσσεβεῖς ὀνομάζομεν. Παρασχεῖν δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ τὰς ἁγίας σου προσευχάς, δέσποτα, καταξίωσον, ἵνα τῆς θείας ἀπολαύοντες εὐμενείας, τὸ κινδύ νων μεστὸν διαπεράσωμεν πέλαγος καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀπηνέμους τοῦ Σωτῆρος μεθορμισθῶμεν λιμένας.