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bound the Churches more toward harmony, considering as nothing the innovation concerning the faith which seemed to the many to have happened in the city of Alexandria.

For the given vote completely preserved this concept, according to which our God-bearing Fathers handed down to the holy Churches to believe: saying that God the Word is one and the same both before the flesh and with the flesh; which He Himself united to Himself hypostatically for our sake, ensouled with a rational soul, assumed from the holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary; that is, deigning to become Himself the seed of his own incarnation; so that He might also become truly man; and might show, by the seedless conception and the incorruptible birth, nature being innovated and suffering no diminution by the innovation. For the mystery was the voluntary emptying of God towards men on account of goodness, but not a falling away of divinity, this willing condescension through the flesh; for He remained what He was, even becoming what He was not; for He is immutable. And what He became He preserved, remaining what He was; for He is a lover of mankind. Through the things He did in a God-befitting manner, showing that which He became to be unalterable; 0593 and through the things He suffered in a human-befitting manner, confirming that which He was to be unchanging. For He performed divine acts in a fleshly manner, because it was through flesh not deprived of its natural energy; and human acts in a divine manner, because He received the experience of human passions by an authoritative will, and not by circumstance (15Β_356>. For neither [did He perform] divine acts in a divine manner, because He was not a bare God; nor human acts in a fleshly manner, because He was not a mere man. For this reason the miracles were not without suffering; and the sufferings were not without miracle; but the one, if I may dare say so, were not impassible; and the other manifestly miraculous; and both were paradoxical, because they were both divine [and human] as proceeding from one and the same incarnate God the Word, who confirmed through both, in reality, the truth of those things from which and which He was. For that which is composed of certain things without confusion by a union according to a natural coming-together, both maintains the natures from which it is constituted unchangeably, and preserves their constituent powers undiminished, for the completion of one work; whether what was done was a passion or a miracle, according to the image of your wondrous example, Father, which is also fitting to the mystery of the divine incarnation: that of the fiery sword, whose cutting we know to be caustic, and whose burning we know to be cutting. For there has been a hypostatic union of fire and iron, neither having departed from its natural power because of the union with the other; nor indeed possessing this [power] independently after the union, and separated from that which is composite and co-existent.

This, then, is the precision of the divine dogmas which I found wisely woven into your letters, and applying my mind to it according to the moderate power of understanding that is in me, I prayed to be made capable of preserving it, and of holding it in my mind, so that it might not be circumscribed by any forgetfulness. But you, God-honored Father, have compassion on me your servant, and as a lover of mankind grant the necessary pardon, since I am unable to undertake what was commanded. And do not condemn me for disobedience; but rather accept me as one striving to be conscious of his own ignorance. For rashness is hateful, and the first offspring of the uttermost (15Β_358> ignorance; according to which the disease of pride is wont to appear, creating in those possessed by it a state opposed to God; and accept my refusal in this matter, which is pure of all passion; and do not reject me for putting forward to you the same words which Moses before and Jeremiah after put forward to God on such occasions; the one saying, I pray, Lord, 0596 I am not eloquent, neither before yesterday, nor before the third day, nor since you have begun to speak to me; for I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. The other saying, O sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth. For in truth I am slow of speech and

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πρός ὁμόνοιαν πλέον ἐπέδησε τάς Ἐκκλησίας, εἰς οὐδέν θεμένας τήν δόξασαν τοῖς πολλοῖς γεγενῆσθαι κατά τήν Ἀλεξάνδρου πόλιν περί τήν πίστιν καινοτομίαν.

Ταύτην γάρ ὁλοσχερῶς ἡ δοθεῖσα διεσώσατο ψῆφος τήν ἔννοιαν, καθ᾿ ἥν πιστεύειν οἱ θεοφόροι Πατέρες ἡμῶν ταῖς ἁγίαις Ἐκκλησίαις παρέδοσαν· ἕνα καί τόν αὐτόν φάμενοι Θεόν Λόγον καί πρό σαρκός, καί μετά σαρκός· ἥν αὐτός ἑαυτῷ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐψυχωμένην νοερῶς καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν ἥνωσεν, ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου καί Ἀειπαρθένου προσληφθεῖσαν Μαρίας· σπορά δηλαδή τῆς οἰκείας αὐτός γενέσθαι καταξιώσας σαρκώσεως· ἵνα καί ἄνθρωπος ἀληθῶς γένηται· καί δείξῃ κατά τήν ἄσπορον σύλληψιν, καί τήν ἄφθορον γέννησιν τήν φύσιν καινοτομουμένην καί μηδεμίαν τῇ καινοτομίᾳ πάσχουσαν μείωσιν. Θεοῦ γάρ δι᾿ ἀγαθότητα πρός ἀνθρώπους ὑπῆρχεν αὐθαίρετος κένωσις τό μυστήριον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ θεότητος ἔκπτωσις, ἡ διά σαρκός ἑκούσιος συγκατάβασις· μεμένηκε γάρ ὅπερ ἦν, καί γενόμενος ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν· ἄτρεπτος γάρ. Καί ὅπερ γέγονε διετήρησε, διαμείνας ὅπερ ὑπῆρχε φιλάνθρωπος γάρ. ∆ι᾿ ὧν ἐνήργει θεοπρεπῶς, δεικνύς ὅπερ γέγονεν ἀναλλοίωτον· 0593 καί δι᾿ ὧν ἔπασχεν ἀνθρωποπρεπῶς, πιστούμενος ὅπερ ἦν μή τρεπόμενον. Ἐνήργει γάρ, τά μέν θεῖα σαρκικῶς, ὅτι δά σαρκός φυσικῆς ἐνεργείας οὐκ ἀμοιρούσης· τά δ᾿ ἀνθρώπινα θεϊκῶς, ὅτι κατά θέλησιν ἐξουσιαστικῶς, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ κατά περίστασιν (15Β_356> τήν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παθημάτων προσίετο πεῖραν. Οὔτε γάρ τά θεῖα θεϊκῶς, ὅτι μή γυμνός ὑπῆρχε Θεός· οὔτε τά ἀνθρώπινα σαρκικῶς, ὅτι μή ψιλός ἄνθρωπος ἦν. ∆ιά τοῦτο τά θαύματα δίχα πάθους οὐκ ἦν· καί τά παθήματα χωρίς οὐχ ὑπῆρχε θαύματος· ἀλλά τά μέν, ἵν᾿ εἴπω τολμήσας, οὐκ ἀπαθῆ· τά δέ προδήλως θαυμάσια· καί ἄμφω παράδοξα, ὅτι καί θεῖα [καί ἀνθρώπινα] ὡς ἐξ ἑνός καί τοῦ αὐτοῦ προερχόμενα Θεοῦ Λόγου σεσαρκωμένου, δι᾿ ἀμφοτέρων πιστουμένου πραγματικῶς, τήν τῶν ἐξ ὧν, καί ἅπερ ὑπῆρχεν ἀλήθειαν. Τό γάρ ἔκ τινων ἀσυγχύτως ἑνώσει τῇ κατά σύνοδον φυσικήν ἀποτελούμενον, καί τάς φύσεις ἐξ ὧν συνέστηκεν ἀτρέπτους διατηρεῖ, καί τάς αὐτῶν συστατικάς ἀμειώτως διασώζει δυνάμεις, εἰς ἑνός ἔργου συμπλήρωσιν· εἴτε πάθος, εἴτε θαῦμα τό γινόμενον ἦν, κατά τήν εἰκόνα τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ σου, Πάτερ, καί τῷ μυστηρίῳ τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως προσφυοῦς παραδείγματος, τῆς ἐκπυρωθείσης μαχαίρας, ἧς τήν τομήν ἐπιστάμεθα καυστικήν, καί τήν καῦσιν οἴδαμεν τμητικήν. Πυρός γάρ καί σιδήρου καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν γέγονε σύνοδος, μηδετέρου τῆς κατά φύσιν διά τήν πρός θάτερον ἕνωσιν ἐκστάντος δυνάμεως· μήτε μήν ἄφετον ταύτην κεκτημένον μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, καί τῆς τοῦ συγκειμένου καί συνυφεστῶτος κεχωρισμένην.

Ταύτην μέν οὖν εὗρον ἐγώ τοῖς ὑμετέροις γράμμασι σοφῶς ἐνυφανθεῖσαν τήν τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἀκρίβειαν, ἧς κατά τήν ἑνοῦσάν μοι περί τό νοεῖν μετρίαν δύναμιν ἐπιστήσας τόν νοῦν, ηὐξάμην ἱκανωθεῖναι ταύτην φυλάξαι, καί τῇ διανοίᾳ κατασχεῖν, ὑπό λήθης τινός μή δεχομένην περιγραφήν. Σύ δέ, θεοτίμητε Πάτερ, συμπάθησόν μοι τῷ σῷ δούλῳ, καί τήν δέουσαν ὡς φιλάνθρωπος παράσχου συγγνώμην, ἀδυνατοῦντι πρός τήν τῶν κεκελευσμένων ἐγχείρησιν. Καί μή μου καταγνῶς ἀπείθειαν· ἀλλά μᾶλλον ἀπόδεξαί με τῆς οἰκείας ἀμαθίας ἐπιγνώμονα γενέσθαι σπουδάζοντα. Μισητόν γάρ τό προπετές, καί πρῶτον τῆς ἐσχάτης (15Β_358> ἀγνοίας γέννημα· καθ᾿ ὅ πέφυκεν ἡ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας διαφαίνεσθαι νόσος, ἕξιν δημιουργοῦσα τοῖς αὐτῇ κατειλημμένοις ἀντίθεον· καί δέξαι μου παντός πάθους καθαράν τήν ἐπί τοῦτο παραίτησιν· καί μή ἀπώσῃ με τούς αὐτούς σοι προβαλλόμενον λόγους, οὕς ἐπί τοῖς τοιούτοις πρός τόν Θεόν Μωϋσῆς πρότερον καί Ἱερεμίας ὕστερον προὐβάλλοντο· ὁ μέν, ∆έομαι, Κύριε, 0596 λέγων, οὐχ ἱκανός εἰμι πρό τῆς χθές οὐδέ πρό τῆς τρίτης ἡμέρας, οὐδέ ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἤρξω λαλεῖν πρός με· ἰσχνόφωνος καί βραδύγλωσσος ἐγώ εἰμι. Ὁ δέ, Ὁ ὤν, ∆έσποτα Κύριε, φάσκων, οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι λαλεῖν, ὅτι νεώτερός εἰμι. Ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας γάρ ἰσχνόφωνος εἰμι καί