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he says, but having the glory before the age reveals [him] as God. And again after a little. But let us not be humbled by considering the worship of the Son of God to be humble, even in his human likeness, but glorifying him with royal glory as a king who appeared even in humble attire, and especially seeing that the very garment was glorified, as was fitting for the body of God and savior of the world and seed of eternal life and instrument of divine energies and destroyer of all evil and demolisher of death and author of the resurrection; for even if he had his nature from men, yet his life was from God and his power from heaven and his virtue divine. And after a little. Therefore we worship the body as the Word, we partake of the body as of the Spirit. {ORTH.} Behold, for you, even the one who first introduced the mixture of the natures has been shown to use the division openly. This man called the body a garment, a creature, and an instrument. And indeed, he even named it a servant, which none of us has ever dared to say. He said this [body] was deemed worthy of the seat at the right hand, and many other things which are cast out by your empty heresy. {ERAN.} And why ever did the one who first introduced the mixture insert so great a division into his words? {ORTH.} The power of the truth compels even those who fight too much against it to agree with the things said by it. But if it seems good to you, let us also move on to the discussion concerning the impassibility of the Lord. {ERAN.} You know that musicians are accustomed to give their strings a rest, and they loosen them by turning the pegs. And if things completely deprived of reason and soul need some rest, then we who have a share in soul and reason will do nothing unseemly by measuring our labor by our strength. Let us therefore postpone it until tomorrow. 188 {ORTH.} The divine David exhorts us to study the divine oracles by night and by day; but nevertheless, let it be as you have said, and let us keep the investigation of what remains for the next day. 189 THE IMPASSIBLE DIALOGUE 3 {ORTH.} That God the Word is immutable and became man, not by being changed into flesh, but by taking a complete human nature, we have demonstrated in the discussions previously examined. And that even after the union he remained as he was, unmixed, impassible, unchangeable, uncircumscribed, and that he preserved unblemished the nature he assumed, the divine Scripture and indeed the teachers of the churches and the luminaries of the world have clearly taught us. Therefore, what remains for us is the discussion concerning the passion, as being most especially important. For it itself has brought to us the saving streams. {ERAN.} I too indeed have supposed this discussion to be profitable. However, I will not abide by the previous order, but I will ask the questions. {ORTH.} And I will answer, and I will not dread the change of order. For the advocate of the truth, not only when asking, but also when being asked, has the power of the truth. Ask, then, as you wished. {ERAN.} Who do you say endured the passion? {ORTH.} Our Lord Jesus Christ. {ERAN.} A man, then, provided salvation for us? {ORTH.} For did we agree that our Lord Jesus Christ was only a man? {ERAN.} Now then, define what you believe Christ to be. {ORTH.} The Son of the living God, become man. {ERAN.} And is the Son of God God? {ORTH.} God, having the same substance as the Father who begot him. {ERAN.} God, then, endured the passion. {ORTH.} If he was nailed to the cross without a body, attribute the passion to his divinity; but if he became man by taking flesh, why ever do you leave the passible impassible, and subject the impassible to the passion? 190 {ERAN.} But he assumed flesh for this reason, so that through the passible the impassible might endure the passion. {ORTH.} You call him impassible, and you attribute passion to him. {ERAN.} I said that he took flesh in order to suffer. {ORTH.} If he had a nature susceptible to passion, he would have suffered even without flesh; the flesh, therefore, is superfluous. {ERAN.} The divine nature

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λέγει, τὸ δὲ ἔχειν πρὸ αἰῶνος τὴν δόξαν ὡς θεὸς ἀποκαλύπτει. Καὶ αὖθις μετ' ὀλίγα. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς μὴ ταπεινωθῶμεν ταπεινὴν ἡγησάμενοι τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ προσκύνησιν καὶ μετὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ὁμοιώσεως, ἀλλ' ὥς τινα βασιλέα καὶ ἐν εὐτελεῖ φανέντα στολῇ τῇ βασιλικῇ δόξῃ δοξάζοντες, καὶ μάλιστα ὁρῶντες καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔνδυμα δοξασθέν, ὡς ἥρμοττε σώματι θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρι κόσμου καὶ σπέρματι ζωῆς αἰωνίου καὶ ὀργάνῳ θείων ἐνεργειῶν καὶ λυτικῷ κακίας ἁπάσης καὶ θανάτου καθαιρετικῷ καὶ ἀναστάσεως ἀρχηγῷ· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἐξ ἀνθρώ πων ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ζωὴν ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν θείαν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα. Ὅθεν ἡμεῖς τὸ σῶμα προσκυνοῦμεν ὡς τὸν λόγον, τοῦ σώματος μετέχομεν ὡς τοῦ πνεύματος. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἰδού σοι καὶ ὁ πρῶτος τῶν φύσεων τὴν κρᾶσιν εἰσάγων ἀναφανδὸν τῇ διαιρέσει χρώμενος ἀπεδείχθη. Οὗτος καὶ στολὴν τὸ σῶμα καὶ κτίσμα καὶ ὄργανον προσηγόρευσε. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ δοῦλον ὠνόμασεν, ὅπερ οὐδεὶς ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν ἐτόλμησε πώποτε. Τοῦτο καὶ τῆς ἐκ δεξιῶν εἴρηκεν ἀξιωθῆναι καθέδρας, καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πλεῖστα παρὰ τῆς κενῆς ὑμῶν αἱρέσεως ἐκβαλλόμενα. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Καὶ τί δήποτε τὴν κρᾶσιν πρῶτος εἰσάγων τοσαύτην ἐντέθεικε τοῖς λόγοις διαίρεσιν; {ΟΡΘ.} Βιάζεται τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ δύναμις καὶ τοὺς ἄγαν αὐτῇ μαχομένους τοῖς παρ' αὐτῆς λεγομένοις συνθέσθαι. Ἀλλ' εἴ σοι δοκεῖ, καὶ τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀπαθείας τοῦ κυρίου κινήσωμεν λόγον. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οἶσθ' ὅτι καὶ τὰς χορδὰς οἱ μουσικοὶ διαναπαύειν εἰώθασι, καὶ χαλῶσι ταύτας τοὺς κόλλοπας περιστρέφοντες. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰ λόγου καὶ ψυχῆς πάμπαν ἐστερημένα δεῖταί τινος ἀναπαύλης, οὐδὲν ἄρα δράσομεν ἀπεικὸς οἱ ψυχῆς καὶ λόγου μετειληχότες, μετροῦντες τῇ δυνάμει τὸν πόνον. Ἀναβαλώμεθα τοίνυν εἰς αὔριον. 188 {ΟΡΘ.} Ὁ μὲν θεῖος ∆αβὶδ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν τῶν θείων ποιεῖσθαι λογίων τὴν μελέτην παρεγγυᾷ· γενέσθω δὲ ὅμως ὅπερ εἴρηκας, καὶ φυλάξωμεν εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν τοῦ λειπομένου τὴν ἔρευναν. 189 ΑΠΑΘΗΣ ∆ΙΑΛΟΓΟΣ Γʹ {ΟΡΘ.} Ὅτι μὲν ἄτρεπτος ὁ θεὸς λόγος καὶ ἐνηνθρώπησεν οὐκ εἰς σάρκα τραπείς, ἀλλ' ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν τελείαν λαβών, ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν ἐξητασμένοις ἀπεδείξαμεν λόγοις. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν μεμέ νηκεν οἷος ἦν, ἀκήρατος, ἀπαθής, ἀναλλοίωτος, ἀπερίγραφος, καὶ ὡς ἣν ἀνέλαβε φύσιν ἀκραιφνῆ διετήρησε, σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἡ θεία γραφὴ καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν οἱ διδάσκαλοι καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης οἱ φωστῆρες ἐδίδαξαν. Λοιπὸν τοίνυν ἡμῖν ὁ περὶ τοῦ πάθους πρόκειται λόγος, ὡς μάλιστα προὐργιαίτατος ὤν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῖν τὰ σωτήρια προσενήνοχε νάματα. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὀνησιφόρον μὲν κἀγὼ τόνδε τὸν λόγον ὑπείληφα. Τῆς μέν τοι προτέρας οὐκ ἀνέξομαι τάξεως, ἀλλὰ ἐγὼ τὰς ἐρωτήσεις ποιήσο μαι. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀποκρινοῦμαι, καὶ οὐκ ὀρρωδήσω τῆς τάξεως τὴν ἐναλλαγήν. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας συνήγορος οὐκ ἐρωτῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐρωτώμενος, ἔχει τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ κράτος. Ἔρου τοίνυν ὡς ἐβουλήθης. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τίνα τὸ πάθος ὑπομεμενηκέναι λέγεις; {ΟΡΘ.} Τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἄνθρωπος οὖν ἡμῖν παρέσχε τὴν σωτηρίαν; {ΟΡΘ.} Ἄνθρωπον γὰρ εἶναι τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν συνωμολογήσαμεν μόνον; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Νῦν οὖν ὅρισαι τί τὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι πιστεύεις. {ΟΡΘ.} Υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος ἐνανθρωπήσαντα. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὁ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς θεός; {ΟΡΘ.} Θεὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχων οὐσίαν τῷ γεγεννηκότι πατρί. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Θεὸς οὖν τὸ πάθος ὑπέμεινεν. {ΟΡΘ.} Εἰ ἀσώματος τῷ σταυρῷ προσηλώθη, τῇ θεότητι τὸ πάθος ἅρμοσον· εἰ δὲ σάρκα λαβὼν ἐνηνθρώπησε, τί δήποτε τὸ μὲν παθητὸν ἐᾷς ἀπαθές, τὸ δὲ ἀπαθὲς ὑποβάλλεις τῷ πάθει; 190 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀλλὰ σάρκα τούτου χάριν προσέλαβεν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ παθη τοῦ τὸ ἀπαθὲς ὑπομείνῃ τὸ πάθος. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἀπαθῆ καλεῖς, καὶ πάθος αὐτῷ προσαρμόττεις. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Εἶπον ὅτι σάρκα ἔλαβεν ἵνα πάθῃ. {ΟΡΘ.} Εἰ φύσιν δεκτικὴν εἶχε πάθους, καὶ δίχα σαρκὸς ἔπαθεν ἄν, περιττὴ τοίνυν ἡ σάρξ. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἡ θεία φύσις