Chapter 44

The enhypostaton, too, sometimes means existence in the strict sense. In this sense, we call not only simple substance but also the accident an enhypostaton, although, properly speaking, the accident is not an enhypostaton but hetero-hypostaton, or something which subsists in another. Sometimes it means the self-subsistent hypostasis, that is to say, the individual, which, properly speaking, is not an enhypostaton but a hypostasis and is so called. In its proper sense, however, the enhypostaton is either that which does not subsist in itself but is considered in hypostases, just as the human species, or human nature, that is, is not considered in its own hypostasis but in Peter and Paul and the other human hypostases. Or it is that which is compound with another thing differing in substance to make up one particular whole and constitute one compound hypostasis. Thus, man is made up of soul and body, while neither the soul alone nor the body alone is called a hypostasis, but both are called enhypo-stata. That which consists of both is the hypostasis of both, for in the proper sense hypostasis is that which subsists of itself by its own subsistence, and such this is called.

Again, that nature is called enhypostaton which has been assumed by another hypostasis and in this has its existence. Thus, the body of the Lord, since it never subsisted of itself, not even for an instant, is not a hypostasis, but an enhypostaton. And this is because it was assumed by the hypostasis of God the Word and this subsisted, and did and does have this for a hypostasis.

[30] {Περὶ ἐνυποστάτου.} Καὶ τὸ ἐνυπόστατον δὲ ποτὲ μὲν τὴν ἁπλῶς ὕπαρξιν σημαίνει, καθ' ὃ σημαινόμενον οὐ μόνον τὴν ἁπλῶς οὐσίαν ἐνυπόστατον λέγομεν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ συμβεβηκός, ὅπερ κυρίως οὐκ ἐνυπόστατόν ἐστιν ἀλλ' ἑτεροϋπόστατον, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ τὴν καθ' αὑτὸ ὑπόστασιν ἤγουν τὸ ἄτομον δηλοῖ, ὅπερ κυρίως οὐκ ἐνυπόστατον ἀλλ' ὑπόστασίς ἐστί τε καὶ λέγεται. Κυρίως δὲ ἐνυπόστατόν ἐστιν ἢ τὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ μὲν μὴ ὑφιστάμενον ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς ὑποστάσεσι θεωρούμενον, ὥσπερ τὸ εἶδος ἤγουν ἡ φύσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ἰδίᾳ ὑποστάσει οὐ θεωρεῖται ἀλλ' ἐν Πέτρῳ καὶ Παύλῳ καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑποστάσεσιν, ἢ τὸ σὺν ἄλλῳ διαφόρῳ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν εἰς ὅλου τινὸς γένεσιν συντιθέμενον καὶ μίαν ἀποτελοῦν ὑπόστασιν σύνθετον, οἷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ ψυχῆς ἐστι καὶ σώματος συντεθειμένος: οὔτε ἡ ψυχὴ μόνη λέγεται ὑπόστασις οὔτε τὸ σῶμα ἀλλ' ἐνυπόστατα, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἀποτελούμενον ὑπόστασις ἀμφοτέρων. Ὑπόστασις γὰρ κυρίως τὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ ἰδιοσυστάτως ὑφιστάμενόν ἐστί τε καὶ λέγεται. Λέγεται πάλιν ἐνυπόστατον ἡ ὑφ' ἑτέρας ὑποστάσεως προσληφθεῖσα φύσις καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ἐσχηκυῖα τὴν ὕπαρξιν. Ὅθεν καὶ ἡ σὰρξ τοῦ κυρίου μὴ ὑποστᾶσα καθ' ἑαυτὴν μηδὲ πρὸς καιροῦ ῥοπὴν οὐχ ὑπόστασις ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐνυπόστατόν ἐστιν: ἐν γὰρ τῇ ὑποστάσει τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ὑπέστη προσληφθεῖσα ὑπ' αὐτῆς καὶ ταύτην καὶ ἔσχε καὶ ἔχει ὑπόστασιν.