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how number is indicative of quantity. But if number is by nature meant to signify quantity and not relation, he who piously uses number after the union for the sole purpose of signifying the difference of natures from which Christ is, which is preserved in Christ, does not divide the union at all, but only to know that the natures have remained unconfused after the union; from which the one Christ and Lord, and Son and (15Β_268> God exists, that is, incarnate, and completely made man. For this reason he also holds to one incarnate nature of the Word, with a flesh having an intelligent and rational soul, after the union, not being ignorant of the difference, but setting aside and as it were putting outside the division; so that by these expressions(1) he might drive away from the divine court both the confusion of Apollinarius 0537 and the division of Nestorius, evils diametrically opposed; and become a pure worshipper of the mystery; confessing the same one begotten from above from the Father before all ages; and the same one from below, that is by the assumption of flesh, rationally and intelligently ensouled, from his mother for our sakes in the last times. And for this reason believing that the holy Virgin is properly and truly Theotokos, because, having conceived the Word himself without seed, she bore and gave birth to him incarnate of her; the same one working the miracles; the same one voluntarily enduring the trial of human sufferings; the same one crucified, buried, risen on the third day according to the Scriptures; having ascended incarnate into the heavens, from which he came down to us without flesh, as he himself knows; he who as God has by nature no transition from place to place. For by nature he is infinite, and for this reason in no way contained by existing things, as he is free from all circumscription, and by nature a lover of mankind, and for this reason he endured our fleshly birth by his will, and became containable by our standards; the same one who will come with the distribution prepared for each according to his worth.

When the aforementioned most God-loving lord Cosmas gladly accepted this confession, I too joyfully accepted him, and having come to know his simple disposition according to Christ, I esteemed it more than my own soul; and concerning the dogmatic chapters about which he asked, (15Β_270> I have given him a brief written answer; which it is fitting for you, who are protected by God, to receive and to study. For you help him through your own good exegesis on the text, supplying the meaning of what has been left out for the sake of brevity; and so much for that. But I remind you, who are protected by God, to be vigilant and to pray according to the Lord's command, so that we may not be caught in the snares of the temptations that surround us on all sides. For if we are vigilant and sober, I know that we are guarded against the wiles of the demons; and if we pray, we draw down divine grace to our aid, which fights alongside us, and makes us victors over every 0540 opposing power, and delivers us from all error and ignorance; and we especially ought to do this now; because even without the commandment, nature becomes the teacher of taking refuge in God, taking circumstance as its counselor. For what is more circumstantial than the evils now encompassing the world? and what is more terrible to those who are aware of what is happening? and what is more pitiful or more fearful to those who suffer? To see a desert and barbarian nation running through the land of others as if it were its own; and our civilized way of life being consumed by wild and untamed beasts, who have only the bare outward form of men; and a Judaic people, who from of old rejoice in the blood of men, and know as the only divine pleasure the murder of the creature; and for this reason raging all the more, to become more conspicuous in the richness of wickedness than all those who are notorious for evil; and thinking to serve God by things which God detests; the only

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πως ποσότητος ὁ ἀριθμός ὑπάρχει δηλωτικός. Εἰ δέ ποσότητος, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχί σχέσεως ὁ ἀριθμός ποιεῖσθαι πέφυκε δήλωσιν, οὐ διαιρεῖ παντελῶς τήν ἕνωσιν, ὁ πρός μόνην εὐσεβῶς τήν δήλωσιν τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ σωζομένης τῶν ἐξ ὧν ἐστι φύσεων διαφορᾶς τῷ ἀριθμῷ χρώμενος μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, ἀλλά γινώσκειν μόνον ἀσυγχύτως μεμενηκέναι τάς φύσεις μετά τήν ἕνωσιν· ἐξ ὧν ὁ εἷς ὑπάρχει Χριστός καί Κύριος, καί Υἱός καί (15Β_268> Θεός, δηλονότι σεσαρκωμένος, καί τελείως ἐνανθρωπήσας. ∆ιό καί μίαν φύσιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λόγου σεσαρκωμένην, σαρκί ψυχήν ἐχούσῃ τήν νοεράν τε καί λογικήν πρεσβεύει μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τήν διαφοράν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐξιστῶν καί οἷον ἔξω τιθείς τήν διαίρεσιν· ἵν᾿ ὁμοῦ τε διά τουτωνί τῶν φωνῶν(1), Ἀπολιναρίου 0537 τήν σύγχυσιν καί Νεστορίου τήν διαίρεσιν, τά ἐκ διαμέτρου κακά, τῆς θείας αὐλῆς ἀπελάσειε· καί γένηται καθαρός τοῦ μυστηρίου προσκυνητής· ὁμολογῶν τόν αὐτόν ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός γεννηθέντα πρό πάντων τῶν αἰώνων· καί τόν αὐτόν κάτωθεν, προσλήψει δηλονότι σαρκός, λογικῶς τε καί νοερῶς ἐψυχωμένης ἐκ τῆς μητρός δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐπ' ἐσχάτων γεννηθέντα τῶν χρόνων. Καί διά τοῦτο κυρίως καί κατ᾿ ἀλήθειαν εἶναι Θεοτόκον τήν ἁγίαν Παρθένον πιστεύων, ὅτι περ αὐτόν ἀντί σπορᾶς συλλαβοῦσα τόν Λόγον, κεκύεκέ τε καί τέτοκεν ἐξ αὐτῆς σαρκωθέντα· τό αὐτόν ἐνεργοῦντα τά θαύματα· τόν αὐτόν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παθημάτων κατά θέλησιν ἀνεχόμενον πείρας τόν αὐτόν σταυρωθέντα, ταφέντα, ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατά τάς Γραφάς· ἀναληφθέντα σεσαρκωμένον εἰς οὐρανούς, ἐξ ὧν ἄσαρκος πρός ἡμᾶς κατελήλυθεν, ὡς οἶδεν αὐτός· ὁ μηδεμίαν ἔχων ὡς Θεός κατά φύσιν τήν ἐκ τόπων εἰς τόπους μετάβασιν. Φύσει γάρ ἄπειρος, καί διά τοῦτο μηδενί τρόπῳ τοῖς οὖσι χωρούμενος, ὡς πάσης περιγραφῆς ὑπάρχων ἐλεύθερος, καί φύσει φιλάνθρωπος, καί διά τοῦτο τῆς ἡμῶν κατά θέλησιν σαρκικῆς γεννήσεως ἀνασχόμενος, καί χωρητός τοῖς ἡμετέροις γενόμενος· τόν αὐτόν ἤξοντα μετά τῆς ἑκάστω δοῦναι τήν κατ' ἀξίαν ἡτοιμασμένων διανομήν.

Ταύτην ἀσπασίως προσηκάμενον τήν ὁμολογίαν τόν εἰρημένον θεοφιλέστατον κύριον Κοσμᾶν, κἀγώ προσηλάμην χαίρων, καί τῆς ψυχῆς προὐτίμησα τῆς ἐμῆς τήν ἁπλῆν αὐτοῦ κατά Χριστόν διάθεσιν γνούς· καί περί ὧν ἠρώτησε δογματικῶν κεφαλαίων, (15Β_270> ἔγγραφον δέδωκα αὐτῷ σύντομον τήν ἀπόκρισιν· ἥν καί τούς θεοφυλάκτους ὑμᾶς λαβεῖν καί γυμνάσαι, τῶν εἰκότων ἐστίν. Ὠφελεῖτε γάρ αὐτόν διά τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐπί τῷ κειμένῳ καλῆς ἐξηγήσεως, ἀναπληροῦντες τῶν διά τήν συντομίαν ἐλλειφθέντων τόν νοῦν· καί ταῦτα μέν περί τούτου. Ὑπομιμνήσκω δέ τούς θεοφυλάκτους ὑμᾶς γρηγορεῖν, καί προσεύχεσθαι κατά τήν τοῦ Κυρίου διαταγήν, ἵνα μή ταῖς παγίσι τῶν πανταχόθεν ἡμᾶς περιεστηκότων ἁλῶμεν πειρασμῶν. Ἐάν γάρ γρηγορῶμεν καί νήφωμεν, τούς τῶν διαμόνων οἶδ᾿ ὅτι φυλαττόμεθα δόλους· καί ἐάν προσευχώμεθα, πρός τήν ἡμετέραν βοήθειαν τήν θείαν ἐπισπώμεθα χάριν, συμμαχοῦσαν ἡμῖν, καί πάσης ἡμᾶς ἀποφαίνουσαν νικητάς 0540 ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως, καί ῥυομένην ἡμᾶς πάσης πλάνης καί ἀγνωσίας· καί μάλιστα νῦν τοῦτο πράττειν ὀφείλομεν· ὅτι καί δίχα τῆς ἐντολῆς, γίνεται τῆς ἐπί τόν Θεόν καταφυγῆς διδάσκαλος ἡ φύσις, λαμβάνουσα σύμβουλον τήν περίστασιν. Τί γάρ τῶν νῦν περιεχόντων τήν οἰκουμένην κακῶν περιστατικώτερον; τί δέ τοῖς ᾐσθημένοις τῶν γινομένων δεινότερον; τί δέ τοῖς πάσχουσιν ἐλειονότερον ἤ φοβερώτερον; Ἔθνος ὁρᾷν ἐρημικόν τε καί βάρβαρον, ὡς ἰδίαν γῆν διατρέχον τήν ἀλλοτρίαν· καί θηρσίν ἀγρίοις καί ἀτιθάσσοις, μόνης ἀνθρώπων ἔχουσι ψιλόν σχῆμα μορφῆς, τήν ἥμερον πολιτείαν δαπανωμένην· καί λαόν Ἰουδαϊκόν, καί ἀνέκαθεν ἄνθρώπων αἵμασι χαίροντα, καί μόνην θείαν εὐαρέστησιν εἰδότα τόν φόνον τοῦ πλάσματος· καί διά τοῦτο πλέον μαινόμενον, πάντων τῶν ἐπί κακίᾳ διαβεβοημένων ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ τῆς πονηρίας γενέσθαι περιφανέστερον· καί οἷς Θεός ἀπεχθάνεται, Θεόν θεραπεύειν οἰόμενον· τόν μόνον