Theodoret of Cyrus, Eranistes

From the sermon on the Epiphany. He was bound, He was wounded, He was crucified, He was handled, He bore stripes, He received the scar 245 of a sword. The body born of Mary endured all these things. But that which was begotten of the Father before the ages, no one was able to harm. For the Word did not have such a nature. For how can one seize the Godhead? How can one wound it? How can one make the incorporeal nature bleed? How can one encompass it with the bonds of the tomb? Revere, therefore, what you cannot harm, and honor the Godhead, being constrained by the word of necessity. Of Saint John, Bishop of Constantinople. From the sermon on, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." "What sign do you show us for doing these things?" What then did He say? "Destroy this temple," He says, "and in three days I will raise it up," speaking of His own body; but they did not understand it. And after a little. How did the evangelist not pass over it, but added the correction, saying: "But He was speaking about the temple of His body?" For He did not say, destroy this body, but "The temple," in order to show the God dwelling within. Destroy this temple, much better than the Jewish one. For the one had the law, but the other the lawgiver; the one the letter that kills, the other the Spirit that gives life. Of the same, from the sermon that the things said and done humbly were not due to weakness of power, but for various economies. How then does He say here, "If it is possible?" He shows us the weakness of human nature, which does not simply choose to be rent from the present life, but shrinks back and hesitates because of the friendship for the present life implanted in it from the beginning by God. For if, when He had said so many and such great things, some dared to say that He did not take flesh, what would they not have said if none of these things had been said? 246 Of the same, from the same sermon. See how they also proclaimed his former age beforehand. Ask the heretic, therefore, does God fear and shrink back and hesitate and grieve? And if he should say yes, then depart, and place him down with the devil, or rather, even below him; for not even he will dare to say this. But if he should say that none of these things is worthy of God, say: Therefore, neither does God pray. For apart from these things there will be another absurdity, if these are the words of God. For the words show not only agony, but also two wills, one of the Son, one of the Father, contrary to one another. For to say, "Not as I will, but as You will," is indicative of this. Of the same, from the same sermon. For if this is said of the Godhead, a certain contradiction arises, and many absurdities are born from this. But if it is said of the flesh, the words are reasonable, and there would be no charge to make. For the flesh not wanting to die is not a matter for condemnation; for this is of its nature; and He demonstrates all things of nature without sin and with great abundance, so as to shut the mouths of the heretics. When therefore He says, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from me," and, "Not as I will, but as You will," He shows nothing else but that He is truly clothed in flesh that fears death. For to fear death and to shrink back and to be in agony belongs to it. Now therefore He leaves it destitute and bare of His own energy, so that by showing its weakness, He might confirm its nature. And now He conceals it, that you may learn that He was not a mere man. Of Severian, Bishop of Gabala. From the sermon on the seals. The Jews fight against what is seen, being ignorant of what is not seen, and they crucify the flesh, but they do not destroy the Godhead. For if with the letter, which is the clothing of a word, my word does not vanish, did God the Word, the fount of life, die together with the flesh? The suffering concerned the body, but the impassibility concerned the dignity. 247 {ΟΡΘ.} Behold for you both those of the east and those of the west, and indeed also those of the southern and northern parts of the world

Ἐκ τοῦ εἰς τὰ Ἐπιφάνια λόγου. Ἐδέθη, ἐτρώθη, ἐσταυρώθη, ἐψηλαφήθη, μώλωπας ἐφόρεσεν, οὐλὴν 245 σπάθης ἐδέξατο. Πάντα ταῦτα τὸ ἐκ Μαρίας τεχθὲν ὑπέμεινε σῶμα. Τὸ δὲ πρὸ αἰώνων ἐκ πατρὸς γεννηθὲν οὐδεὶς ἠδύνατο βλάψαι. Οὐ γὰρ εἶχε τοιαύτην φύσιν ὁ λόγος. Πῶς γάρ τις κατέχει θεότητα; πῶς τιτρώσκει; πῶς αἱμάσσει τὴν ἀσώματον φύσιν; πῶς δεσμοῖς ταφῆς περιβάλλει; Αἰδοῦ τοίνυν ἃ μὴ δύνασαι βλάψαι, καὶ τίμησον θεότητα, τῷ τῆς ἀνάγκης συνεχόμενος λόγῳ. Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰωάννου ἐπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ εἰς τό, "Ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι." "Τί σημεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς;" Τί οὖν αὐτός; "Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, φησί, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν," περὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ λέγων· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι αὐτὸ οὐ συνεῖδον. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα. Πῶς οὐ παρέδραμεν αὐτὸ ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγε τὴν διόρθω σιν λέγων· "Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὑτοῦ;" Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε, λύσατε τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ "Τὸν ναόν," ἵνα δείξῃ τὸν θεὸν τὸν ἐνοικοῦντα. Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον πολλῷ βελτίον τοῦ Ἰουδαϊκοῦ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἶχε τὸν νόμον, ὁ δὲ τὸν νομοθέτην· ὁ μὲν τὸ γράμμα τὸ ἀποκτέννον, ὁ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ζωοποιοῦν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι τὰ ταπεινῶς εἰρημένα καὶ γεγενη μένα, οὐ δι' ἀσθένειαν δυνάμεως, ἀλλὰ δι' οἰκονομίας διαφόρους. Πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθά φησιν, "Εἰ δυνατόν;" Τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἡμῖν ἐνδείκνυται, οὐχ αἱρουμένης ἁπλῶς ἀπορραγῆναι τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς, ἀλλ' ἀναδυομένης καὶ ὀκνούσης διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐντεθεῖσαν αὐτῇ φιλίαν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν παρόντα βίον. Εἰ γὰρ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ, ἐτόλμησαν εἰπεῖν τινες ὅτι σάρκα οὐκ ἔλαβεν, εἰ μηδὲν τούτων εἴρητο, τί οὐκ ἂν εἶπον; 246 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Ὅρα πῶς καὶ τὴν προτέραν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ προανεφώνησαν. Ἐρώτη-σον τοίνυν τὸν αἱρετικόν, θεὸς δειλιᾷ καὶ ἀναδύεται καὶ ὀκνεῖ καὶ λυπεῖται; Κἂν εἴπῃ ὅτι ναί, ἀπόστηθι λοιπόν, καὶ στῆσον αὐτὸν κάτω μετὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, μᾶλλον δὲ κἀκείνου κατώτερον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τολμήσει τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. Ἂν δὲ εἴπῃ ὅτι οὐδὲν τούτων ἄξιον θεοῦ, εἰπέ· Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ εὔχεται θεός. Χωρὶς γὰρ τούτων καὶ ἕτερον ἄτοπον ἔσται, ἂν τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα ᾖ. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀγωνίαν μόνον ἐμφαίνει τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύο θελήματα, ἓν μὲν υἱοῦ, ἓν δὲ πατρός, ἐναντία ἀλλήλοις. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, "Οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σύ," τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐμφαίνοντος. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Ἂν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς θεότητος εἰρημένον ᾖ τοῦτο, ἐναντιολογία τις γίνεται, καὶ πολλὰ ἄτοπα ἐκ τούτου τίκτεται. Ἐὰν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκός, ἔχει λόγον τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἂν γένοιτο ἔγκλημα. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ μὴ θέλειν ἀποθανεῖν τὴν σάρκα, κατάγνωσις· φύσεως γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο· αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἅπαντα χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας ἐπιδείκνυται καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας, ὥστε τὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἐμφράξαι στό ματα. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ· "Εἰ δυνατόν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο," καί· "Οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σύ," οὐδὲν ἕτερον δείκνυσιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι σάρκα ἀληθῶς περιβέβληται φοβουμένην θάνατον. Τὸ γὰρ φοβεῖσθαι θάνατον καὶ ἀναδύεσθαι καὶ ἀγωνιᾶν ἐκείνης ἐστί. Νῦν μὲν οὖν αὐτὴν ἐρήμην καὶ γυμνὴν ἀφίησι τῆς οἰκείας ἐνεργείας, ἵνα αὐτῆς δείξας τὴν ἀσθένειαν, πιστώσηται αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν φύσιν. Νῦν δὲ αὐτὴν ἀποκρύπτει, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ἦν. Σευηριανοῦ ἐπισκόπου Γαβάλων. Ἐκ τοῦ εἰς τὰς σφραγίδας λόγου. Ἰουδαῖοι μάχονται τῷ φαινομένῳ ἀγνοοῦντες τὸ μὴ φαινόμενον, καὶ σταυροῦσι μὲν τὴν σάρκα, οὐκ ἀναιροῦσι δὲ τὴν θεότητα. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ γράμματι, ὅ ἐστιν ἔνδυμα λόγου, ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος οὐ συναφανίζεται, ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς, τῇ σαρκὶ συναπέθνῃσκε; Τὸ πάθος περὶ τὸ σῶμα, ἡ δὲ ἀπάθεια περὶ τὴν ἀξίαν. 247 {ΟΡΘ.} Ἰδού σοι καὶ τοὺς τὰ ἑῷα καὶ τοὺς τὰ ἑσπέρια, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοὺς τὰ νότια καὶ βόρεια τῆς οἰκουμένης