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God had not been seen nor had conversed with men, when these things were said) and the text "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept" (for these things had not yet happened). 80 To those who ask, whether the holy Theotokos gave birth to two natures, whether two natures were hung upon the cross Belonging to nature are the "unmade" and the "made," written with one 'n', which signifies the uncreated and created; but the "unbegotten" and the "begotten" belong not to nature, but to hypostasis, that is, to be begotten and not to be begotten, which is expressed with two 'n's. Therefore the divine nature is unmade, that is, uncreated, and all things after the divine nature are made, that is, created. Accordingly, in the divine and uncreated nature is considered the unbegotten in the Father (for he was not begotten), the begotten in the Son (for he is eternally begotten of the Father), and the proceeding in the Holy Spirit. And of each species of living things the first were unbegotten, but not unmade; for they were made by the Creator, but they were not begotten from similar beings. Creation is a created thing, but begetting, in the case of God, is the procession of the consubstantial Son from the Father alone, and in the case of created things, it is the procession of a consubstantial hypostasis from the union of male and female. From which we know that being begotten belongs not to nature, but to hypostasis. For if it belonged to nature, the begotten and the unbegotten would not be observed in the same nature. Therefore, the holy Theotokos gave birth to a hypostasis known in two natures, in divinity begotten of the Father without time, but in the last times incarnate from her in time and born in the flesh. But if the questioners should imply that he who was born of the holy Theotokos is two natures, we say: Yes, he is two natures; "for he is the same one, God and man." Likewise also concerning the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension; these things belong not to nature, but to hypostasis. Therefore Christ, being in two natures, suffered and was crucified in his passible nature; for he was hung on the cross in the flesh and not in the divinity. Since if they should say, when we ask: Did two natures die? They will say, No. Therefore, neither were two natures crucified, but Christ was born, that is, God the Word having become man, he was born in the flesh, was crucified in the flesh, suffered in the flesh, died in the flesh, his divinity remaining impassible.

81 How the only-begotten Son of God is called firstborn A firstborn is the

one born first, whether only-begotten or before other brothers. If, then, the Son of God were called firstborn, but were not called only-begotten, we might have suspected him to be the firstborn of created things, as being a creature. But since he is called both firstborn and only-begotten, it is necessary to maintain both for him. We call him "firstborn of all creation," since both he is from God and creation is from God, but he alone is begotten timelessly from the substance of God the Father, and is rightly called only-begotten Son, firstborn, and not first-created; for creation was not brought into being from the substance of the Father, but by his will out of non-being. And "firstborn among many brothers"; for, being only-begotten, since he partook of blood and flesh from a mother just as we have and became man. And we too through him have become sons of God, having been adopted through baptism; he, the Son of God by nature, has become the firstborn among us who have become sons of God by position and grace and have been named his brothers. Wherefore he said: "I am ascending to my Father and your Father." He did not say: our Father, but "my Father," clearly by nature, and "your Father" by grace, and "my God and your God." And he did not say our God, but "my God," if you distinguish with subtle thoughts the seen from the conceived, and "your God" as creator and lord. expositio in mn, sed add. Helionikes (Helios of victory n) true (true n) mind (mind n) sweetly shining, always flashing forth a mortal-shining (ph/egm; phagn) all-wise splendor sweetly-shining, graceful, flashing forth sweetly mn; continuat Beginning with desire and faith

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ὤφθη οὐδὲ συνανεστράφη θεὸς ἀνθρώποις, ὅτε ταῦτα ἐλέγετο) καὶ τὸ «ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν» (οὔπω δὲ ταῦτα ἐγεγόνει). 80 Πρὸς τοὺς ἐρωτῶντας, εἰ δύο φύσεις ἐγέννησεν ἡ ἁγία θεοτόκος, εἰ δύο φύσεις ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ἐκρέμαντο Φύσεως μέν ἐστι τὸ ἀγένητον καὶ τὸ γενητὸν δι' ἑνὸς τοῦ ˉν γραφόμενον, ὅπερ δηλοῖ τὸ ἄκτιστον καὶ κτιστόν· τὸ δὲ ἀγέννητον καὶ γεννητὸν οὐ φύσεως, ἀλλ' ὑποστάσεως ἤτοι τὸ γεννηθῆναι καὶ τὸ μὴ γεννηθῆναι, ὅπερ διὰ τῶν δύο ˉνˉν ἐκφέρεται. Ἔστι οὖν ἡ μὲν θεία φύσις ἀγένητος ἤτοι ἄκτιστος, πάντα δὲ τὰ μετὰ τὴν θείαν φύσιν γενητὰ ἤτοι κτιστά. Θεωρεῖται τοίνυν ἐν μὲν τῇ θείᾳ καὶ ἀκτίστῳ φύσει τὸ μὲν ἀγέννητον ἐν τῷ πατρί (οὐ γὰρ ἐγεννήθη), τὸ δὲ γεννητὸν ἐν τῷ υἱῷ (ἐκ πατρὸς γὰρ ἀιδίως γεγέννηται), τὸ δὲ ἐκπορευτὸν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. Ἑκάστου δὲ εἴδους ζῴων τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἀγέννητα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγένητα· γεγόνασι μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, οὐκ ἐγεννήθησαν δὲ ἐξ ὁμοίων. Γένεσις μὲν κτιστή ἐστι, γέννησις δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν θεοῦ ἐκ μόνου πατρὸς ὁμοουσίου υἱοῦ πρόοδος, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν κτισμάτων ἡ ἐκ συναφείας ἄρρενός τε καὶ θηλείας ὁμοουσίου ὑποστάσεως πρόοδος. Ὅθεν γινώσκομεν, ὡς οὐκ ἔστι φύσεως τὸ γεννᾶσθαι, ἀλλ' ὑποστάσεως. Εἰ γὰρ φύσεως ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ φύσει τὸ γεννητὸν ἐθεωρεῖτο καὶ τὸ ἀγέννητον. Ὑπόστασιν τοίνυν ἐγέννησεν ἡ ἁγία θεοτόκος ἐν δυσὶ γνωριζομένην ταῖς φύσεσι, θεότητι μὲν ἐκ πατρὸς γεννηθεῖσαν ἀχρόνως, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων δὲ ἐν χρόνῳ ἐξ αὐτῆς σαρκωθεῖσαν καὶ σαρκὶ τικτομένην. Εἰ δὲ οἱ ἐρωτῶντες αἰνίττοιντο, ὅτι ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου δύο φύσεις ἐστί, φαμέν· Ναί, δύο φύσεις ἐστί· «θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος». Ὁμοίως καὶ περὶ τῆς σταυρώσεως ἀναστάσεώς τε καὶ ἀναλήψεως· οὐ φύσεως ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ὑποστάσεως. Ἔπαθεν οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ἐν δύο φύσεσιν ὢν τῇ παθητῇ φύσει ἐσταυρώθη τε· σαρκὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ἐκρέματο καὶ οὐ θεότητι. Ἐπεὶ εἴπωσιν, ἡμῖν ἐρωτῶσιν· ∆ύο φύσεις ἀπέθανον; Οὐχί, ἐροῦσιν. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ δύο φύσεις ἐσταυρώθησαν, ἀλλ' ἐγεννήθη ὁ Χριστὸς ἤτοι ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐνανθρωπήσας, ἐγεννήθη σαρκί, ἐσταυρώθη σαρκί, ἔπαθε σαρκί, ἀπέθανε σαρκί, ἀπαθοῦς μεινάσης αὐτοῦ τῆς θεότητος.

81 Πῶς πρωτότοκος λέγεται ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ Πρωτότοκός ἐστιν ὁ

πρῶτος γεννηθεὶς εἴτε μονογενής, εἴτε καὶ πρὸ ἄλλων ἀδελφῶν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐλέγετο ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ πρωτότοκος, μονογενὴς δὲ οὐκ ἐλέγετο, ὑπενοήσαμεν ἂν κτισμάτων αὐτὸν εἶναι πρωτότοκον ὡς κτίσμα ὑπάρχοντα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ πρωτότοκος καὶ μονογενὴς λέγεται, δεῖ δὲ καὶ ἀμφότερα τηρῆσαι ἐπ' αὐτοῦ. «Πρωτότοκον» μὲν αὐτόν φαμεν «πάσης κτίσεως», ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ κτίσις ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς μὲν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς μόνος ἀχρόνως γεγεννημένος εἰκότως υἱὸς μονογενὴς πρωτότοκος καὶ οὐ πρωτόκτιστος λεχθήσεται· ἡ γὰρ κτίσις οὐκ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ πατρός, ἀλλὰ θελήματι αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθη. «Πρωτότοκος δὲ ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς»· μονογενὴς γὰρ ὢν καὶ ἐκ μητρὸς ἐπειδήπερ μετέσχηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκὸς παραπλησίως ἡμῖν καὶ ἄνθρωπος γέγονε. Γεγόναμεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ υἱοὶ θεοῦ υἱοθετηθέντες διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος· αὐτὸς ὁ φύσει υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ πρωτότοκος ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς θέσει καὶ χάριτι υἱοῖς θεοῦ γενομένοις καὶ ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ χρηματίσασι γέγονεν. Ὅθεν ἔλεγεν· «Ἀναβαίνω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα ὑμῶν.» Οὐκ εἶπε· πατέρα ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ «πατέρα μου», φύσει δῆλον, καὶ «πατέρα ὑμῶν» χάριτι, καὶ «θεόν μου καὶ θεὸν ὑμῶν». Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε θεὸν ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ «θεόν μου», ἂν διέλῃς λεπταῖς ἐπινοίαις τὸ ὁρώμενον ἐκ τοῦ νοουμένου, καὶ «θεὸν ὑμῶν» ὡς δημιουργὸν καὶ κύριον. εχποσιτιο ιν μν, σεδ αδδ. Ἡελιονίκης (Ἡέλιον νίκης ν) ἐτεὸς (ἐτέος ν) νόος (νοὸς ν) ἡδὺ φαεινὸν αἰὲν ἀπαστράπτων βροτοφεγγέα (φ/εγμ; φαγν) πάνσοφον αἴγλην ἡδυφαῆ χαρίεσσαν ἀπαστράπτουσαν ἀδύτως μν; ξοντινυατ Ἀρξάμενος πόθῳ καὶ πίστει