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such a thing once happened, and after death someone was absolved of the charge concerning the faith, and of the condemnation pronounced against him; and may the emperor and the patriarch deign to imitate the condescension of God; and may they make, the one an exhortatory command, the other, a synodical request to the pope of Rome; and if in any way an ecclesiastical manner should be found that permits this on account of the correct confession of the faith, he will be reconciled with you concerning this. (156) THEOD. This will certainly happen, but give me your word that if they send me, you will come with me. MAX. Master, it is more advantageous for you to take my fellow servant in Mesembria with you, rather than me; for he both knows the language, and they respect him worthily, having been punished for so many years, both for the sake of God, and for the orthodox faith that prevails in their see. THEOD. We have various disputes with each other, and I am not pleased to go with him. MAX. Master, when this has been decided to happen, let there be an outcome of what has been decided; and wherever you wish, I will follow you. And at this they all stood up with joy and tears; and they made a prostration, and a prayer was offered; and each of them kissed the holy Gospels, and the precious cross, and the icon of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, and of our Lady, the all-holy Theotokos who bore him, also placing their own hands upon them for the confirmation of what had been spoken.

ΙΘ΄. Then, after speaking a little to one another about the life according to God and the keeping of the divine commandments, Theodosius the bishop, turning to Abba Maximus, said: Behold, all the scandals have been resolved, and peace has come about through God, and will continue; but for the Lord’s sake, do not hide it from me: do you not say in any way one will and one energy in Christ? MAX. It is not possible for me ever to say this. And I state the reason: because the expression is foreign to the holy Fathers, to speak of one will and energy of two natures. Then, in every way, he who says this finds absurdity directly confronting him. For if I say it is natural, I fear confusion; if I say it is hypostatic, I separate the Son from the Father and the Spirit, and I will appear to be introducing three wills, not coinciding with one another, just as the hypostases do not; if I speak of one will and energy as of one person, I am forced to speak also of the will and energy as of one Father, and as of one Spirit, even if I do not wish to, and the argument will be found to fall into polytheism; if I say it is relative, I introduce the personal division of Nestorius; if I say it is contrary to nature, I destroy the existence of the one willing; for what is contrary to nature is a destruction of nature, as the Fathers have said.

Κ ΄ . THEOD. One will, on account of the union of our Savior, in every way and entirely

we ought to say, just as Sergius and Pyrrhus, as I think, having understood it well, have written. MAX. If you command, master, accept two words from me concerning this. If on account of the union one will of our God and Savior came to be, as Sergius, and Pyrrhus, and Paul have written, then according to them the Son will have a different will from the Father; who has one will with the (157) Son on account of nature, but not on account of union, if indeed union and nature are not the same thing. If, according to them, one will of our Savior came to be on account of the union, it will certainly have the un-

ion as its cause, but neither of the natures from which he is; and the will, according to them, will manifestly be of relation, but not of nature; for relation, but not nature, the [one] of truth the

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τοιοῦτον γέγονέ ποτε, καί μετά θάνατον ἀπελύθη τις τοῦ περί τήν πίστιν ἐγκλήματος, καί τοῦ ἐξενεχθέντος κατ' αὐτοῦ κατακρίματος· καί καταδέξηται ὁ βασιλεύς καί ὁ πατριάρχης μιμήσασθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τήν συγκατάβασιν· καί ποιήσωσιν, ὁ μέν κέλευσιν παρακλητικήν, ὁ δέ, συνοδικήν δέησιν πρός τόν πάπαν Ῥώμης· καί πάντως εἴπερ εὑρεθείη τρόπος ἐκκλησιαστικός, τοῦτο ἐπιτρέπων διά τήν ὀρθήν ὁμολογίαν τῆς πίστεως, συμβιβάζεται ὑμῖν περί τούτου. (156) ΘΕΟ∆. Τοῦτο πάντως γίνεται ἀλλά δός μοι λόγον, ὅτι, ἐάν ἐμέ πέμπωσιν, ἔρχῃ μετ' ἐμοῦ. ΜΑΞ. ∆έσποτα, συμφέρει σοι τόν σύνδουλόν μου τόν ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ λαβεῖν μεθ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, εἴπερ ἐμέ· ἐκεῖνος γάρ καί τήν γλῶσσαν οἶδε, καί αἰδοῦνται αὐτόν ἀξίως, τοσούτους χρόνους κολαζόμενον, διά τε τόν Θεόν, καί τήν κρατοῦσαν ὀρθήν πίστιν ἐν τῷ κατ᾿ αὐτούς θρόνῳ. ΘΕΟ∆. Ἀψιμαχίας διαφόρους πρός ἀλλήλους ἔχομεν, καί οὐχ ἠδέως ἔχω μετ᾿ ἐκείνου ἀπελθεῖν. ΜΑΞ. ∆έσποτα, ἐπάν ἔδοξε τοῦτο γενέσθαι, ἔκβασις γένηται τῶν δοξάντων· καί ὅπου βούλεσθε, ἀκολουθῶ ὑμῖν. Καί ἐπί τούτῳ ἀνέστησαν πάντες μετά χαρᾶς καί δακρύων· καί ἔβαλον μετάνοιαν, καί εὐχή ἐγένετο· καί ἕκαστος αὐτῶν τά ἅγια Εὐαγγέλια, καί τόν τίμιον σταυρόν, καί τήν εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καί τῆς ∆εσποίνης ἡμῶν, τῆς αὐτόν τεκούσης παναγίας Θεοτόκου ἠσπάσαντο, τεθεικότες καί τάς ἰδιάς χεῖρας ἐπί βεβαιώσει τῶν λαληθέντων.

ΙΘ΄. Εἶτα μικρόν ὁμιλήσαντες πρός ἀλλήλους περί τοῦ κατά Θεόν βίου, καί τῆς θείων ἐντολῶν τηρήσεως, στραφείς Θεοδόσιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος πρός τόν ἀββᾶν Μάξιμον εἶπεν· Ἰδού πάντα διαλέλυται τά σκάνδαλα, καί γέγονεν εἰρήνη διά τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί γενήσεται· ἀλλά διά τόν Κύριον, μή κρύψῃς με· οὐ λέγεις καθ' οἱονδήποτε τρόπον μίαν θέλησιν καί μίαν ἐνέργειαν ἐπί Χριστοῦ; ΜΑΞ. Οὐκ ἐνδέχεταί με τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ποτέ. Καί λέγω τήν αἰτίαν· ἐπειδή ξένη ἐστίν ἡ φωνή τοῖς ἁγίοις Πατράσι, δύο φύσεων μίαν λέγειν θέλησιν καί ἐνέργειαν. Εἶτα δέ, διά παντός τρόπου ὁ τοῦτο λέγων, εὑρίσκει εὐθυβόλως ὑπαντῶσαν αὐτῷ τήν ἀτοπίαν. Ἐάν γάρ εἴπω φυσικήν φοβοῦμαι τήν σύγχυσιν· ἐάν εἴπω ὑποστατικήν, διαιρῶ τοῦ Πατρός καί τοῦ Πνεύματος τόν Υἱόν, καί τρεῖς θελήσεις εἰσάγων φανήσομαι, μή συμβαινούσας ἀλλήλαις, ὥσπερ καί τάς ὑποστάσεις· ἐάν εἴπω τήν ὡς ἑνός μίαν θέλησιν καί ἐνέργειαν, ἀναγκάζομαι καί τήν ὡς ἑνός Πατρός, καί τήν ὡς ἑνός τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰπεῖν, κἄν μή θέλω, θέλησιν καί ἐνέργειαν, καί εὑρεθήσεται εἰς πολυθεΐαν ἐκπίπτων ὁ λόγος· ἐάν εἴπω σχετικήν, τήν Νεστορίου εἰσάγω προσωπικήν διαίρεσιν· ἐάν εἴπω παρά φύσιν, φθείρω τήν ὕπαρξιν τοῦ θέλοντος· φθορά γάρ τῇ φύσει, τό παρά φύσιν ἐστί, καθώς οἱ Πατέρες εἰρήκασι.

Κ ΄ . ΘΕΟ∆. Μίαν διά τήν ἕνωσιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θέλησιν, πάντη τε καί πάντως

ὀφείλομεν λέγειν, καθάπερ Σέργιος καί Πύῤῥος, ὡς οἶμαι, καλῶς νενοηκότες γεγράφασι. ΜΑΞ. Εἰ κελεύεις, δέσποτα, δέξαι μου περί τούτου δύο ῥήματα. Εἰ διά τήν ἕνωσιν μία τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, καθάπερ Σέργιος, καί Πύῤῥος, καί Παῦλος γεγράφασι, γέγονε θέλησις, ἑτεροθελής κατ' αὐτούς ἔσται ὁ Υἱός τῷ Πατρί· διά τήν φύσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ διά τήν ἕνωσιν, μίαν κατά τόν (157) Υἱόν ἔχοντι θέλησιν, εἴπερ οὐ ταυτόν ἐστιν ἕνωσις καί φύσις. Εἰ διά τήν ἕνωσιν μία κατ᾿ αὐτούς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γέγονε θέλησις, αἰτίαν αὐτῆς ἕξει πάντως τήν ἕ

νωσιν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδετέραν τῶν ἐξ ὧν ἔστι φύσιν· καί σχέσεως κατ᾿ αὐτούς ἔσται προδήλως ἡ θέλησις, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ φύσεως· σχέσιν γάρ , ἀλλ᾿ οὐ φύσιν ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας τήν