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but that which He became for us, later. Not that what He was, He cast aside on account of what He became; for He is immutable. Nor what He became did He deny on account of what He was; for He is a lover of mankind. For to Him alone Who properly exists was it possible, through an abundance of (15B_330> power, to become without change and without confusion what He was not, and to remain in both respects properly what He was and what He became; this, in the extremity of His own single hypostatic monad, admitting no division, on account of the difference of the things from which He was composed being naturally preserved in Him after the union; since, having been united hypostatically to flesh intellectually ensouled, He was shown by His miracles to be what He was, remaining immutably so; and by His sufferings He was seen to preserve unalterably what He had become; and through both, I mean miracles and sufferings, He granted us both the abolition of sin and the grace of deification. And let us honor the call of grace by a way of life made radiant by the commandments, being shaken in no way by any pleasure or by any pain whatsoever; and let us show by what we do or suffer, that we are possessed only by God who gave Himself for us as a ransom and a substitute, having entrusted to Him our whole life, both the present and the future; as being from Him by the principle of our coming into being, and through Him by the manner of our upbringing, and ending in Him by the mystery according to grace of the hoped-for deification; and let us receive eternal well-being through that which now seems to be woe, showing through what we suffer our hidden disposition toward God, which is altered in no way by the painful things that befall us.

0580 Let us not, therefore, lose heart in our afflictions, honorable Father, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not put us to shame, since it holds fast to the eternal enjoyment of good things for which we suffer; but let us bear what happens nobly, looking to Jesus the pioneer of our salvation; Who, being true God, willingly accepted death for our sake; so that suffering we might rejoice, having been united with Him (15B_332> through death, being leavened toward the resurrection of indestructible life. Since it is the will of the divine law that we, while doing good, suffer unjustly, as disciples of Christ for the condemnation of sin; which the intelligible serpent introduced by deceit, persuading man to transgress the divine commandment and to prefer temporary things to eternal ones; on whom we have received authority to tread, by keeping the grace that keeps us, which is guarded by the observance of the commandments; which is accomplished for those who love the Lord only by the suffering of the flesh, both voluntary and involuntary, with a sound mind. To whom having nailed your every desire, you do not feel the afflictions, holy Father; having the joy of things hoped for conquering the present affliction; may we all attain these things, as Christ our great God and Savior distributes them to each one of us as He knows he is worthy; through the intercession of His immaculate and all-holy ever-virgin Mother, and of all the saints. Amen.

LETTER 17. ... TO JULIANUS SCHOLASTICUS OF ALEXANDRIA... 17. Of the same to Julianus Scholasticus of Alexandria, concerning the

ecclesiastical dogma of the incarnation of the Lord. (15B_334> With great joy and spiritual gladness has filled me, the

humble and sinful, and with me, so to speak, the whole holy catholic church of God, the venerable letter of my God-guarded master, which brought us the good news of the firm and unchangeable resolve, both of him and of my master with him, lord Christopemptus the most wise Scholasticus, concerning the correct and pious and salvific confession regarding Christ our true God

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τό δέ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς γενόμενον ὕστερον. Οὔθ᾿ ὅπερ ἦν, δι᾿ ὅπερ γέγονεν ἀποθέμενον· ἄτρεπτος γάρ. Οὔθ᾿ ὅπερ γέγονε δι᾿ ὅπερ ἦν ἀπαρνούμενον· φιλάνθρωπος γάρ. Αὐτῷ γάρ μόνῳ κυρίως ὄντι περιουσίᾳ (15Β_330> δυνάμεως γενέσθαι δυνατόν ἦν δίχα τροπῆς ἀσυγχύτως ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν, καί ἄμφω μεῖναι κυρίως ὅπερ ἦν τε καί γέγονε· τό κατ᾿ ἄκρον τῆς οἰκείας ὑποστατικῆς μονάδος ἑνικῷ μή δεχομένη διαίρεσιν, διά τήν φυσικῶς σωζομένην ἐν αὐτῷ μετά τήν ἕνωσιν τῶν ἐξ ὧν συνετέθη διαφοράν· εἴπερ σαρκί νοερῶς ἐψυχωμένῃ καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν ἑνωθείς, τοῖς μέν θαύμασιν ὅπερ ἦν ἀτρέπτως μένων ἐδείκνυτο· τοῖς δέ παθήμασιν ὅπερ γέγονεν ἀναλλοιώτως σώζων ἐφαίνετο· καί δι᾿ ἀμφοτέρων, θαυμάτων τε λέγω καί παθημάτων, τήν τε τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀναίρεσιν, καί τήν τῆς θεώσεως ἡμῖν ἐδωρήσατο χάριν. Καί τιμήσωμεν ἀναστροφῇ βίου κατηγλαϊσμένου ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τήν κλῆσιν τῆς χάριτος, ὑπ᾿ οὐδεμιᾶς ἡδονῆς, ἤ τῆς οἱασοῦν ὀδύνης καθ᾿ ὁτιοῦν δονούμενοι· καί δείξωμεν δι᾿ ὧν ποιοῦμεν ἤ πάσχομεν, ὅτι μόνου Θεοῦ τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτόν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν λύτρον τε καί ἀντάλλαγμα περιεχόμεθα, πᾶσαν αὐτῷ πιστεύσαντες ἠμῶν τήν ζωήν, τήν παροῦσάν τε καί τήν μέλλουσαν· ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τῷ τῆς παραγωγῆς ὄντες λόγῳ, καί δι᾿ αὐτοῦ τῷ τῆς ἀγωγῆς ὑπάρχοντες τρόπῳ· καί εἰς αὐτόν τῷ κατά τήν χάριν μυστηρίῳ τῆς ἐλπιζομένης θεώσεως λήξοντες· καί τό ἀεί εὖ εἶναι, διά τοῦ νῦν φεῦ εἶναι δοκοῦντος, ἀπολάβωμεν, δείξαντες ἡμῶν, δι᾿ ὧν πάσχομεν, τήν περί Θεόν κεκρυμμένην διάθεσιν, μηδενί τρόπῳ τῶν συμπιπτόντων ἡμῖν ἀλγεινῶν ἀλλοιουμένην.

0580 Μή τοίνυν ἐκκακήσωμεν ἐν τοῖς θλίψεσι, τίμιε Πάτερ, εἰδότες ὡς ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονήν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δέ ὑπομονή δοκιμήν, ἡ δέ δοκιμή ἐλπίδα, ἡ δέ ἐλπίς οὐ καταισχύνει, βεβαίαν ἔχουσα τήν ὑπέρ ὧν πάσχομεν αἰωνίων ἀπόλαυσιν ἀγαθῶν· ἀλλά γενναίως ἐνέγκωμεν τά συμβαίνοντα, πρός τόν ἀρχηγόν ἀφορῶντες τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν· ὅς Θεός ὤν ἀληθινός, τόν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν θέλων κατεδέξατο θάνατον· ἵνα πάσχοντες χαίρωμεν, σύμφυτοι (15Β_332> αὐτῷ γενόμενοι διά θανάτου πρός ἀνάστασιν ζυμούμενοι ζωῆς ἀκαταλύτου. Ἐπειδή θείου νόμου καθέστηκε βούλησις, καλοποιοῦντας ἡμᾶς πάσχειν ἀδίκως, ὡς Χριστοῦ μαθητάς εἰς τήν τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατάκρισιν· ἥν δι᾿ ἀπάτης ὁ νοητός ὄφις παραβῆναι τήν θείαν ἐντολήν, καί τῶν αἰωνίων προτιμῆσαι τά πρόσκαιρα παραπείσας τόν ἄνθρωπον, ἐπεισήγαγεν· ὅν πατεῖν ἐξουσίαν ἐλάβομεν, τήν φυλάττουσαν χάριν φυλάττοντες τῇ τηρήσει τῶν ἐντολῶν φρουρουμένην· ἥτις μόνῃ κακοπαθείᾳ σαρκός ἑκουσίῳ τε καί ἀκουσίῳ, συλλογισμῷ σώφρονι κατορθοῦται τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τόν Κύριον. Ὧ πᾶσαν προσηλώσας σου τήν ἐπιθυμίαν, οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ τῶν θλιβερῶν, ὅσιε Πάτερ· νικῶσαν ἔχων τήν παροῦσαν θλίψιν, τήν χαράν τῶν ἐλπιζομένων· ὧν τύχοιμεν ἅπαντες, Χριστοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ταῦτα, καθώς οἶδεν, ἡμῖν ὡς ἕκαστος ἄξιός ἐστι διανέμοντος· τῇ πρεσβείᾳ τῆς ἀχράντου καί παναγίας αὐτοῦ Μητρός ἀειπαρθένου, καί πάντων τῶν ἁγίων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΙΖ'. ... ΠΡΟΣ ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΝ ΣΧΟΛΑΣΤΙΚΟΝ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΑ... Ιζ΄. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Ἰουλιανόν Σχολαστικόν Ἀλεξανδρέα, περί τοῦ κατά τήν

σάρκωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ δόγματος. (15Β_334> Χαρᾶς μεγάλης καί εὐφροσύνης πνευματικῆς ἐνέπλησέ με τόν

ταπεινόν καί ἁμαρτωλόν, καί σύν ἐμοί πᾶσαν ὡς εἰπεῖν τήν ἁγίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καθολικήν ἐκκλησίαν, τό τίμιον τοῦ θεοφυλάκτου μου δεσπότου γράμμα, κομίσαν ἡμῖν εὐαγγέλια τῆς στεῤῥᾶς καί ἀμεταθέτου γνώμης, αὐτοῦ τε καί τοῦ σύν αὐτῷ δεσπότου μου κυρίου Χριστοπέμπτου τοῦ σοφωτάτου Σχολαστικοῦ, περί τήν ὀρθήν καί εὐσεβῆ καί σωτήριον ὁμολογία τῆς κατά Χριστόν τόν ἀληθινόν ἡμῶν Θεόν