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is defeated, and he who was formerly hateful and loathed is now preferred to life. These are the achievements of Christ's coming, these are the signs of his power. For not as through Moses did he save one people out of Egypt and the slavery of Pharaoh by parting the sea, but rather he rescued all of humanity from the corruption of death and from the bitter tyrant, sin, not leading them by force to virtue, not burying them in the earth and burning them with fire and ordering the sinners to be stoned, but by gentleness and longsuffering persuading men to choose virtue and to compete in and delight in the struggles for its sake; for formerly when they sinned they were tortured and yet held fast to sin, and sin was reckoned a god to them; but now for piety and virtue's sake they choose tortures and torments and death. Well done, O Christ, Word and Wisdom and Power of God, and God almighty. What shall we in our poverty give you in return for all these things? For all things are yours, and you ask nothing from us except to be saved, you yourself both giving this and showing gratitude to those who receive it through your ineffable goodness—to you be thanks, who have given being and bestowed well-being—and having brought back to this again those who had fallen away from it through your ineffable condescension.

78 To those asking whether the hypostasis of Christ is created or uncreated

The hypostasis of God the Word before the incarnation was simple and uncompounded and bodiless and uncreated, but having been incarnate, it became also the hypostasis for the flesh and became composite out of the divinity which it always had, and out of the flesh which it assumed, and it bears the properties of the two natures, being known in two natures, so that the same one hypostasis is both uncreated in its divinity and created in its humanity, visible and invisible; since we are compelled either to divide the one Christ, speaking of two hypostases, or to deny the difference of the natures and to introduce change and confusion. 79 Concerning when he was called Christ Not, as some falsely claim, was the mind united to God the Word before the incarnation from the virgin and from then was he called Christ; this is an offshoot of the nonsense of Origen, who dogmatized about the pre-existence of souls. But we say that the Son and Word of God became and was called Christ from when he tabernacled in the womb of the holy ever-virgin and became flesh without change and the flesh was anointed with the divinity; “for this is the anointing of the humanity,” as Gregory the Theologian says. And the most holy Cyril of Alexandria, writing to the emperor Theodosius, says this: “For I say that it is necessary that neither the Word of God apart from humanity, nor the temple born of a woman, not united to the Word, be called Jesus Christ; for the Word of God, mysteriously brought together with humanity in an economic union, is understood as Christ.” And to the empresses thus: “Some say that the name Christ is fitting also for the Word of the Father, conceived of and existing alone and by himself, who was begotten of God the Father. But we have not been taught to think or speak thus; for when the Word became flesh, then we say he was also named Jesus Christ. For since he was anointed with the oil of gladness, that is, with the Holy Spirit by God the Father, for this reason he is named Christ. And that the anointing concerns his humanity, no one accustomed to thinking rightly would doubt.” And Athanasius, the all-praised, in his work on the saving epiphany says something like this: “The pre-existing God, before his sojourn in the flesh, was not a man, but was God with God, being invisible and impassible; therefore, the name Christ is not applied apart from the flesh, since passion and death follow the name.” But if the divine scripture says: “Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,” it should be known that the divine scripture often uses the past tense for the future, as in “after this he was seen upon earth and dwelt among men” (for not yet

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ἥττηται, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς νῦν ὁ στυγητὸς καὶ μισητὸς πάλαι προκρίνεται. Ταῦτα τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας τὰ κατορθώματα, ταῦτα τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως τὰ γνωρίσματα. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς διὰ Μωσέως ἕνα λαὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου καὶ τῆς Φαραὼ δουλείας θάλασσαν διαστήσας διέσωσε, πᾶσαν δὲ μᾶλλον τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἐκ φθορᾶς θανάτου καὶ τοῦ πικροῦ τυράννου, τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐρρύσατο, οὐ βίᾳ ἄγων πρὸς ἀρετήν, οὐ γῇ καταχωννὺς καὶ πυρὶ φλέγων καὶ λιθοβολεῖσθαι προστάττων τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἀλλὰ πραότητι καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πείθων αἱρεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ ταύτης ἐναμιλλᾶσθαι πόνοις καὶ ἐνηδύνεσθαι· πάλαι μὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτάνοντες ᾐκίζοντο καὶ ἔτι τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀντείχοντο, καὶ θεὸς αὐτοῖς ἡ ἁμαρτία λελόγιστο· νῦν δὲ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καὶ ἀρετῆς αἰκισμοὺς αἱροῦνται καὶ στρεβλώσεις καὶ θάνατον. Εὖγε, ὦ Χριστέ, θεοῦ λόγε καὶ σοφία καὶ δύναμις καὶ θεὲ παντοκράτορ. Τί σοι τούτων ἁπάντων οἱ ἄποροι ἡμεῖς ἀντιδοίημεν; Σὰ γὰρ ἅπαντα, καὶ αἰτεῖς παρ' ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἢ τὸ σῴζεσθαι, αὐτὸς καὶ τοῦτο διδοὺς καὶ λαμβάνουσι χάριν εἰδὼς δι' ἄφατον ἀγαθότητα-σοὶ χάρις τῷ τὸ εἶναι δεδωκότι καὶ τὸ εὖ εἶναι χαρισαμένῳ-κἀκ τούτου παραπεσόντας αὖθις ἐπαναγαγὼν πρὸς τοῦτο διὰ τῆς ἀφάτου συγκαταβάσεως.

78 Πρὸς τοὺς ἐρωτῶντας, εἰ ἡ ὑπόστασις τοῦ Χριστοῦ κτιστή ἐστιν ἢ ἄκτιστοσ

Ἡ ὑπόστασις τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου πρὸ τῆς σαρκώσεως ἁπλῆ ἦν καὶ ἀσύνθετος καὶ ἀσώματος καὶ ἄκτιστος, σαρκωθεῖσα δὲ αὕτη γέγονε καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ ὑπόστασις καὶ γέγονε σύνθετος ἐκ θεότητος, ἧς ἀεὶ εἶχε, καὶ ἐξ ἧς προσείληφε σαρκός, καὶ φέρει τῶν δύο φύσεων τὰ ἰδιώματα ἐν δυσὶ γνωριζομένη ταῖς φύσεσιν, ὥστε ἡ αὐτὴ μία ὑπόστασις ἄκτιστός τέ ἐστι τῇ θεότητι καὶ κτιστὴ τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι, ὁρατὴ καὶ ἀόρατος· ἐπεὶ ἀναγκαζόμεθα ἢ διαιρεῖν τὸν ἕνα Χριστὸν δύο τὰς ὑποστάσεις λέγοντες ἢ τὴν τῶν φύσεων ἀρνεῖσθαι διαφορὰν καὶ τροπὴν εἰσάγειν καὶ σύγχυσιν. 79 Περὶ τοῦ πότε ἐκλήθη Χριστόσ Οὐχ, ὥς τινες ψευδηγοροῦσι, πρὸ τῆς ἐκ παρθένου σαρκώσεως ὁ νοῦς ἡνώθη τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἐκ τότε ἐκλήθη Χριστός· τοῦτο τῶν Ὠριγένους ληρημάτων τὸ ἀπότημα προΰπαρξιν τῶν ψυχῶν δογματίσαντος. Ἡμεῖς δὲ Χριστὸν γεγενῆσθαί τε καὶ κεκλῆσθαί φαμεν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀφ' οὗ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τῆς ἁγίας ἀειπαρθένου ἐσκήνωσε καὶ σὰρξ ἀτρέπτως ἐγένετο καὶ ἐχρίσθη ἡ σὰρξ τῇ θεότητι· «χρίσις γὰρ αὕτη τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος», ὥς φησιν ὁ θεολόγος Γρηγόριος. Καὶ ὁ ἱερώτατος δὲ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων Κύριλλος πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Θεοδόσιον γράφων τάδε φησίν· «Χρῆναι γὰρ ἔγωγέ φημι μήτε τὸν ἐκ θεοῦ λόγον ἀνθρωπότητος δίχα μήτε μὴν τὸν ἐκ γυναικὸς ἀποτεχθέντα ναὸν οὐχ ἑνωθέντα τῷ λόγῳ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ὀνομάζεσθαι· ἀνθρωπότητι γὰρ καθ' ἕνωσιν οἰκονομικὴν ἀπορρήτως συνενηνεγμένος ὁ ἐκ θεοῦ λόγος νοεῖται Χριστός». Καὶ πρὸς τὰς βασιλίδας οὕτως· «Τινές φασιν, ὅτι τὸ Χριστὸς ὄνομα πρέπει καὶ μόνῳ καὶ ἰδίᾳ καθ' αὑτὸν νοουμένῳ καὶ ὑπάρχοντι, τῷ ἐκ θεοῦ πατρὸς γεννηθέντι λόγῳ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως δεδιδάγμεθα φρονεῖν ἢ λέγειν· ὅτε γὰρ γέγονε σὰρξ ὁ λόγος, τότε καὶ ὠνομάσθαι λέγομεν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κέχρισται τῷ ἐλαίῳ τῆς ἀγαλλιάσεως ἤτοι τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρός, ταύτῃ τοι Χριστὸς ὀνομάζεται. Ὅτι δὲ περὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἡ χρίσις, οὐκ ἂν ἐνδυάσειέ τις τῶν ὀρθὰ φρονεῖν εἰωθότων». Καὶ Ἀθανάσιος δὲ ὁ παναοίδιμος ἐν τῷ περὶ τῆς σωτηριώδους ἐπιφανείας ὧδέ πῃ λέγει· «Ὁ προϋπάρχων θεὸς πρὸ τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ ἐπιδημίας οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ θεὸς ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀπαθὴς ὤν· οὔτε οὖν τὸ Χριστὸς ὄνομα δίχα τῆς σαρκὸς προσάγεται, ἐπειδὴ ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ ὀνόματι τὸ πάθος καὶ ὁ θάνατος». Εἰ δὲ ἡ θεία γραφή φησι· «∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου», ἰστέον ὡς πολλάκις ἡ θεία γραφὴ κέχρηται τῷ παρῳχηκότι χρόνῳ ἀντὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος, ὡς τὸ «μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη» (οὔπω γὰρ