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But if, being constrained by these pious proclamations of the Fathers, they bring forward the letter of Heraclianus to Achillius, according to which they suggest saying there is one nature of Christ as a whole, in addition to the two, and one motion, let them interpret this themselves. For the letter has it thus: "One is the whole nature and motion of the Lord in itself; but two according to relation. One is the motion and nature of the parts according to appropriation; but two, those in themselves. And when I say motion, I wish to signify energy and passion." It is necessary, therefore, that those who adduce these things for the fortification of their own dogmas clarify in word what is the one nature and motion of the Lord as a whole, and how it is said, and by which of the approved Fathers is it witnessed to; and what are the two according to relation. And what is the one nature and likewise motion of the parts according to appropriation; and what are the two in themselves; that is, these three pairs of the natures and motions of the same one. And who has handed down that the one and same motion signifies both (128) — I mean, energy and passion; and how, if according to them it means both, is the Son not in every motion estranged from the Father, as being passible by nature in every respect; if indeed the motion of God and our Savior in any way whatsoever does not signify both energy and passion together. For the Divine is by nature impassible, and unrelated, and simple; or rather, extended beyond all simplicity. How, again, do they not, with the three pairs of motions, introduce twelve energies and passions, if according to them motion signifies both; and which of the saints has taught the natures in Christ our God according to relation or according to appropriation?

Let them first show these things from Patristic judgment, and then in this way their own conception of their dogmas will be confirmed. But if they are unable, then let them, abandoning these things, adhere with us only to what has been piously judged, both by the God-bearing Fathers of the Catholic Church and by the five holy ecumenical councils; confessing the same one and only Lord and God Jesus Christ as God by nature, perfect in all things, and man by nature, perfect in all things, apart from sin alone; and not by the abolition of that which is by nature perfect in all respects in both, may they abolish together with it his divine or his human will and energy, knowing that the super-essential Word in no way at all diminished or altered or effaced either what He was without beginning and without cause, or what He later became for a cause, that is, for our salvation; but rather wholly and perfectly, apart from sin alone, in Himself and through Himself, in all things and in all ways He preserved them, even these things properly, as I said, in their natural existence; whence also the same one and only Lord our God is by nature possessed of will and is active, according to each of his natures, from which and in which he subsists, for our salvation. For if God, being by nature authoritative and the creator of the authority of all things, did not become a man without a mind, or without a share in the natural life that is ours and which received its being from him through creation; but He, the one who is by nature God alone, was truly a rational man, that is, possessed of will by nature and active; having assumed me whole with all that is mine, so that He might grant salvation to me whole; having dissolved the whole condemnation of sin, since 'what has not been assumed cannot be healed'; 'but what is united to (129) God, that is also saved', as says he who is named for theology.

But since, as we refute the irrational objection of those who are unequally yoked by these very pious teachings of the holy Fathers, they attack us from another side; an attack of our own upon our own; or rather, of the more simple

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Εἰ δέ τούτοις περισχεθέντες τοῖς τῶν Πατέρων εὐσεβέσι κηρύγμασι, τήν πρός Ἀχίλλιον Ἡρακλειανοῦ παρακομίζουσιν ἐπιστολήν, καθ᾿ ἥν ὑποβάλλουσι καί μίαν πρός τοῖς δυσί φύσιν ἐπί Χριστοῦ λέγειν, ὡς ὅλου, καί κίνησιν, αὐτοί ταύτην ἑρμηνευέτωσαν. Ἔχει γάρ ὦδε τό γράμμα· " Μία μέν ἡ καθ᾿ αὑτήν ὅλη τοῦ Κυρίου φύσις τε καί κίνησις· δύο δέ αἱ κατά ἀναφοράν. Μίαν μέν ἡ τῶν μερῶν κίνησίς τε καί φύσις κατ᾿ οἰκείωσιν· δύο δέ , αἱ καθ᾿ αὐτάς. Κίνησιν δέ ὅταν φῶ· Ἐνέργειαν καί πάθος βούλομαι δηλοῦσθαι." Χρή τοιγαροῦν τούς ταῦτα τῶν οἰκείων δογμάτων προσβαλλομένους ὀχύρωσιν, διασαφηνίσαι τῷ λόγῳ, τίς, καί πῶς λεγομένη, καί τίνι τῶν ἐγκρίτων μεμαρτυρημένη Πατέρων, ὡς ἡ ὅλου τοῦ κυρίου μία τε φύσις καί κίνησις· καί τίνες αἱ δύο κατά ἀναφοράν. Τίς δέ καί ἡ τῶν μερῶν μία κατ᾿ οἰκείωσιν φύσις ὁμοίως καί κίνησις· καί τίνες αἱ δύο καθ᾿ αὑτάς· ἤγουν αἱ τρεῖς αὗται συζυγίαι τῶν τε φύσεων τοῦ αὐτοῦ καί κινήσεων. Καί τίς τήν αὐτήν καί μίαν κίνησιν ἑκάτερον δηλοῦν (128) παραδέδωκεν· ἐνέργειάν τε φημί καί πάθος· καί πῶς, εἴπερ ἄμφω κατ' αὐτούς, οὐ κατά πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ διεσχοίνισται κίνησιν τοῦ Πατρός ὁ Υἱός, ὡς φύσει παθητός κατά πᾶσαν· εἴπερ οὐχ ἑκάτερον ἐνέργειαν ὁμοῦ καί πάθος ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος καθ οἷον δήποτε τρόπον ἐπισημαίνεται κίνησις. Ἀπαθές γάρ φύσει τό Θεῖον, καί ἄσχετον, καί ἁπλοῦν· μᾶλλον δέ πάσης ὑπερηπλωμένον ἁπλότητος. Πῶς δέ πάλιν οὐχί ταῖς τῶν τριῶν συζυγίαις κινήσεων, ἐνεργείας τε καί πάθη δυοκαίδεκα παρεισάγουσιν, εἴπερ ἡ κίνησις ἄμφω δηλοῖ κατ᾿ αὐτούς· καί τίς τῶν ἁγίων κατ᾿ ἀναφοράν ἤ κατ᾿ οἰκείωσιν τάς ἐπί Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ διεπρέσβευσε φύσεις;

Ταῦτα δειξάτωσαν πρότερον ἐκ Πατρικῆς ἐπικρίσεως, καί εἶθ᾿ οὕτως αὐτοῖς ἡ τῶν οἰκείων ἐντεῦθεν κυρωθήσεται δογμάτων ὑπόληψις. Εἰ δέ ἀδυνάτως ἔχοιεν, τούτων λοιπόν ἀφέμενοι, μόνοις σύν ἡμῖν τοῖς αὐσεβῶς κεκριμένοις στοιχείτωσαν, ἔκ τε τῶν θεοφόρων τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας Πατέρων, καί τῶν ἁγίων οἰκουμενικῶν πέντε συνόδων· Θεόν φύσει κατά πάντα τέλειον, καί ἄνθρωπον φύσει κατά πάντα τέλειον, πλήν μόνης ἁμαρτίας, τόν αὐτόν καί ἕνα καί μόνον Κύριον καί Θεόν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν ὁμολογοῦντες· καί μή τῇ ἀναιρέσει τοῦ ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοῖν κατά πάντα φύσει τελείου, τήν θείαν ἤ τήν ἀνθρωπίνην τοῦ αὐτοῦ συνανέλωσι θέλησίν τε καί ἐνέργειαν γινώσκοντες, ὡς οὔτε ὅ ἦν ἀνάρχως καί ἀναιτίως, οὔτε ὅ γέγονεν ὕστερον δι᾿ αἰτίαν· ἤγουν τήν ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν, ἐμείωσεν ἤ ἠλλοίωσεν, ἤ ἐξηφάνισε κατά τι γοῦν ὅλως ὁ ὑπερούσιος Λόγος· ὁλικῶς δέ μᾶλλον καί τελείως, δίχα μόνης τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐν ἑαυτῷ τε καί δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, κατά πάντα τε καί ἐν πᾶσιν ἐφύλαξεν, αὐτά τε κυρίως, ὡς ἔφην, καθ᾿ ὕπαρξιν, ὤν φυσικήν· ὅθεν καί θελητικόν φύσει, καί ἐνεργητικός ὁ αὐτός καί μόνος καί εἷς Κύριος ἡμῶν καί Θεός, καθ᾿ ἑκατέραν αὐτοῦ φύσιν, ἐξ ὧν καί ἐν αἷς συνέστηκε, τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας ἐστίν. Εἴπερ Θεός κατά φύσιν ἐξουσιαστικός ὑπάρχων, καί τῆς τῶν ἁπάντων ἐξουσίας δημιουργός, οὐκ ἄνους γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἤ ζωῆς ἄμοιρος τῆς καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς φυσικῆς, καί παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ τό εἶναι κατά δημιουργίαν λαχόντων· ἀλλά νοερός, ἤτοι θελητικός φύσει καί ἐνεργητικός κατ᾿ ἀλήθειαν ἐχρημάτισεν ἄνθρωπος, αὐτός ὁ φύσει καί μόνος Θεός· ὅλον με προσλαβών μετά τῶν ἐμῶν, ἵν᾿ ὅλῳ μοι τήν σωτηρίαν χαρίσηται· ὅλον λύσας τό κατάκριμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐπειδή ἡ τό ἀπρόσληπτον, ἀθεράπευτον· ὅ δέ ἥνωται τῷ (129) Θεῷ, τοῦτο καί σώζεται, καθά φησιν ὁ τῆς θεολογίας ἐπώνυμος.

Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή τούτοις δή τοις τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων εὐσεβέσι διδάγμασι, τήν τῶν ἑτεροζυγούντων ἀποσκευαζομένοις παράλογον ἔνστασιν, ἑτέρωθεν ἡμῖν ἐπιφύονται· τήν τῶν ἡμετέρων εἰς ἡμετέραν καταδρομήν· μᾶλλον δέ, τήν τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων