Chapter IV.—Why it was the Son of God, and not the Father or the Spirit, that became man: and what having became man He achieved.

The Father is Father854    Greg. Naz., Orat. 37; Fulg., De fid. ad Petrum; Thomas Aquinas, III., quæst. 3, Art. 6. and not Son855    Greg. Naz., Orat. 39.: the Son is Son and not Father: the Holy Spirit is Spirit and not Father or Son. For the individuality856    ἡ ἰδιότης, Latin, proprietas, the propriety, that which is distinctive of each. is unchangeable. How, indeed, could individuality continue to exist at all if it were ever changing and altering? Wherefore the Son of God became Son of Man in order that His individuality might endure. For since He was the Son of God, He became Son of Man, being made flesh of the holy Virgin and not losing the individuality of Sonship857    Text, καὶ οὐκ ἐκστὰς τῆς ὑ& 187·κῆς ἰδιότητος. R. 1 has, καὶ οὐκ ἐξέστη τῆς οἰκείας ἰδιότητος, and the old trans. is “et non secessit a propria proprietate.”.

Further, the Son of God became man, in order that He might again bestow on man that favour for the sake of which He created him. For He created him after His own image, endowed with intellect and free-will, and after His own likeness, that is to say, perfect in all virtue so far as it is possible for man’s nature to attain perfection. For the following properties are, so to speak, marks of the divine nature: viz. absence of care and distraction and guile, goodness, wisdom, justice, freedom from all vice. So then, after He had placed man in communion with Himself (for having made him for incorruption858    Wisd. ii. 23., He led him up through communion with Himself to incorruption), and when moreover, through the transgression of the command we had confused and obliterated the marks of the divine image, and had become evil, we were stripped of our communion with God (for what communion hath light with darkness859    2 Cor. vi. 14.?): and having been shut out from life we became subject to the corruption of death: yea, since He gave us to share in the better part, and we did not keep it secure, He shares in the inferior part, I mean our own nature, in order that through Himself and in Himself He might renew that which was made after His image and likeness, and might teach us, too, the conduct of a virtuous life, making through Himself the way thither easy for us, and might by the communication of life deliver us from corruption, becoming Himself the firstfruits of our resurrection, and might renovate the useless and worn vessel calling us to the knowledge of God that He might redeem us from the tyranny of the devil, and might strengthen and teach us how to overthrow the tyrant through patience and humility860    Athan., De Incarn.; Cyril, In Joan., bk. i..

The worship of demons then has ceased: creation has been sanctified by the divine blood: altars and temples of idols have been overthrown, the knowledge of God has been implanted in men’s minds, the co-essential Trinity, the uncreate divinity, one true God, Creator and Lord of all receives men’s service: virtues are cultivated, the hope of resurrection has been granted through the resurrection of Christ, the demons shudder at those men who of old were under their subjection. And the marvel, indeed, is that all this has been successfully brought about through His cross and passion and death. Throughout all the earth the Gospel of the knowledge of God has been preached; no wars or weapons or armies being used to rout the enemy, but only a few, naked, poor, illiterate, persecuted and tormented men, who with their lives in their hands, preached Him Who was crucified in the flesh and died, and who became victors over the wise and powerful. For the omnipotent power of the Cross accompanied them. Death itself, which once was man’s chiefest terror, has been overthrown, and now that which was once the object of hate and loathing is preferred to life. These are the achievements of Christ’s presence: these are the tokens of His power. For it was not one people that He saved, as when through Moses He divided the sea and delivered Israel out of Egypt and the bondage of Pharaoh861    Ex. xiv. 16.; nay, rather He rescued all mankind from the corruption of death and the bitter tyranny of sin: not leading them by force to virtue, not overwhelming them with earth or burning them with fire, or ordering the sinners to be stoned, but persuading men by gentleness and long-suffering to choose virtue and vie with one another, and find pleasure in the struggle to attain it. For, formerly, it was sinners who were persecuted, and yet they clung all the closer to sin, and sin was looked upon by them as their God: but now for the sake of piety and virtue men choose persecutions and crucifixions and death.

Hail! O Christ, the Word and Wisdom and Power of God, and God omnipotent! What can we helpless ones give Thee in return for all these good gifts? For all are Thine, and Thou askest naught from us save our salvation, Thou Who Thyself art the Giver of this, and yet art grateful to those who receive it, through Thy unspeakable goodness. Thanks be to Thee Who gave us life, and granted us the grace of a happy life, and restored us to that, when we had gone astray, through Thy unspeakable condescension.

Διὰ τί ὁ υἱὸς ἐνηνθρώπησε καὶ οὐχ ὁ πατὴρ οὐδὲ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τί ἐνανθρωπήσας κατώρθωσεν

Πατὴρ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ οὐχ υἱός, υἱὸς ὁ υἱὸς καὶ οὐ πατήρ, πνεῦμα ἅγιον τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ οὐ πατὴρ οὐδὲ υἱός: ἡ γὰρ ἰδιότης ἀκίνητος. Ἢ πῶς ἂν ἰδιότης εἴη κινουμένη καὶ μεταπίπτουσα; Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου γίνεται, ἵνα μείνῃ ἡ ἰδιότης ἀκίνητος: υἱὸς γὰρ ὢν τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου γέγονεν σαρκωθεὶς ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου, καὶ οὐκ ἐξέστη τῆς οἰκείας ἰδιότητος.

Ἐνηνθρώπησε δὲ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα, ἐφ' ὅπερ ἐποίησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον, πάλιν αὐτῷ χαρίσηται: ἐποίησε γὰρ αὐτὸν κατ' εἰκόνα ἑαυτοῦ νοερὸν καὶ αὐτεξούσιον καὶ καθ' ὁμοιότητα ἤτοι ἐν ἀρεταῖς τέλειον ὡς ἐφικτὸν ἀνθρώπου φύσει: αὗται γὰρ οἱονεὶ χαρακτῆρες τῆς θείας ὑπάρχουσι φύσεως: τὸ ἀμέριμνον καὶ ἀπερίσπαστον καὶ ἀκέραιον, τὸ ἀγαθόν, τὸ σοφόν, τὸ δίκαιον, τὸ πάσης κακίας ἐλεύθερον. Ἐν κοινωνίᾳ μὲν οὖν ἑαυτοῦ καταστήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον («ἐπ' ἀφθαρσίᾳ γὰρ τοῦτον ἐποίησε»), διὰ δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κοινωνίας ἀνήγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸ ἄφθαρτον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τῆς ἐντολῆς τοὺς τῆς θείας εἰκόνος χαρακτῆρας ἐζοφώσαμέν τε καὶ συνεχέαμεν καὶ ἐν κακίᾳ γενόμενοι τῆς θείας κοινωνίας ἐγυμνώθημεν («τίς γὰρ μετουσία πρὸς σκότος φωτί;») καὶ ἔξω τῆς ζωῆς γενόμενοι τῇ τοῦ θανάτου φθορᾷ ὑπεπέσαμεν, ἐπειδὴ μετέδωκε τοῦ κρείττονος καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξαμεν, μεταλαμβάνει τοῦ χείρονος, τῆς ἡμετέρας λέγω φύσεως, ἵνα δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀνακαινίσῃ μὲν τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν, διδάξῃ δὲ ἡμᾶς τὴν ἐνάρετον πολιτείαν καὶ ταύτην δι' ἑαυτοῦ ποιήσῃ ἡμῖν εὐεπίβατον καὶ τῇ τῆς ζωῆς κοινωνίᾳ ἐλευθερώσῃ τῆς φθορᾶς ἀπαρχὴ γενόμενος τῆς ἡμῶν ἀναστάσεως καὶ τὸ ἀχρειωθὲν καὶ συντριβὲν σκεῦος ἀνακαινίσῃ, ἵνα τῆς τυραννίδος τοῦ διαβόλου λυτρώσηται πρὸς θεογνωσίαν ἡμᾶς καλέσας καὶ νευρώσῃ καὶ παιδεύσῃ δι' ὑπομονῆς καὶ ταπεινώσεως καταπαλαίειν τὸν τύραννον.

Πέπαυται γοῦν ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων θρησκεία, ἡ κτίσις τῷ θείῳ ἡγίασται αἵματι, βωμοὶ καὶ ναοὶ εἰδώλων καθῄρηνται, θεογνωσία πεφύτευται, τριὰς ἡ ὁμοούσιος, ἡ ἄκτιστος θεότης λατρεύεται, εἷς θεὸς ἀληθής, δημιουργὸς τῶν ἁπάντων καὶ κύριος: ἀρεταὶ πολιτεύονται, ἀναστάσεως ἐλπὶς διὰ τῆς Χριστοῦ δεδώρηται ἀναστάσεως, φρίττουσι τοὺς πάλαι ὑποχειρίους ἀνθρώπους οἱ δαίμονες, καὶ τό γε θαυμαστόν, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα διὰ σταυροῦ καὶ παθῶν καὶ θανάτου κατώρθωται: εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς θεογνωσίας κεκήρυκται οὐ πολέμῳ καὶ ὅπλοις καὶ στρατοπέδοις τοὺς ἐναντίους τροπούμενον, ἀλλ' ὀλίγοι πτωχοί, ἀγράμματοι, διωκόμενοι, αἰκιζόμενοι, θανατούμενοι σταυρωθέντα σαρκὶ καὶ θανόντα κηρύττοντες τῶν σοφῶν καὶ δυνατῶν κατεκράτησαν: εἵπετο γὰρ αὐτοῖς τοῦ σταυρωθέντος ἡ παντοδύναμος δύναμις. Ὁ θάνατος ὁ πάλαι φοβερώτατος 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.