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He came down from heaven, what the power has, is reckoned to the flesh. Therefore, invert it: what the flesh suffers, is reckoned to the power. How did Christ suffer for us? He was spat upon, he was struck on the cheek, they placed a crown around his forehead, his hands and feet were pierced. All these sufferings are about the body, but are referred to the one who dwells within. Throw a stone at an image of a king, what is said? You have insulted the king. Tear the cloak of a king, what is said? You have rebelled against the king. Crucify the body of Christ, what is said? Christ died for us. What need is there for me and you? Let us go to the evangelists. How did you receive from the Lord, how did the Lord die? They read that, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." The spirit is above, and the body on the cross for us. For he offered the sheep. Whatever is reckoned to the body for him .... From the same, from the same discourse. He came to save our nature, not to destroy his own. If I wish to say that a camel flies, you are immediately astonished, because it is not fitting to its nature; and you do well. If I wish to say that men inhabit the sea, you do not endure it, doing well; for nature does not allow it. Just as, then, if I say strange things about these natures, you are astonished, so if I say that that power, the one before the ages, the one incorporeal in nature, the one impassible in dignity, the one who is with the Father, the one beside the Father, the one at the right hand, the one in glory, if I say that that incorporeal nature suffers, do you not cover your ears? If you do not cover your ears, hearing these things, I will cover my heart. Can we do anything to an angel, such as strike it with a sword, or cut it at all? What am I saying, to an angel? Can we to a soul? A soul does not receive a nail, a soul is not cut, it is not burned. And if you say to me: Why? I say to you: For so it was created. Are his works impassible and he himself passible? I do not set aside the economy, but I embrace the sufferings. Christ died for us, 252 and was crucified. Thus it is written, thus nature allowed, I neither erase the words, nor do I blaspheme nature. But these things are not true. Let the truer things be said, to do good, not to be harsh. The teacher is not an enemy, unless the one being taught is ungrateful. You have something good to say, my ears are open with grace. Someone contentious is at leisure to follow contentiousness. Were the Jews strong enough to crucify the Son of God, to put that very power to death? Can a living being die? The death of such a power is its extinction. Our body, when we die, remains. If we put that power to death, we bring it into non-existence. I do not know if you were not able to hear. If the body dies, the soul is separated and remains. But if a soul dies, since it is incorporeal, it does not exist at all. A soul that dies does not exist at all; for the death of immortals is non-existence. Consider the alternative; for I do not dare even to speak it. We say these things as we understand them. But we do not legislate, if anyone is contentious. But one thing I know, that each one, from what he thinks, from these things he must receive his due; and each one goes to God, and puts forward what he said and thought about him. For do not suppose that God reads books, or is troubled by memories, what did you say, and what did you hear? All things are manifest. The judge is seated. Paul is brought forward here: you said I was a man, you do not have life with me; since you did not know me, I do not know you. Another comes forward: you said I was one of the created things; you did not know my dignity, I do not know you. Another comes forward: you said that I did not take a body; you have set aside my grace, you will not partake of my immortality. Another came forward: you said that I was not born of a virgin, so that I might save the body of the virgin; you will not be saved. Each one carries away his opinions concerning the faith. {ORTH.} Have you also seen the other company of your teachers, from whom you were thought to have learned that the divinity of the only-begotten suffered, abominating this blasphemy, and of the
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ἀπ' οὐρανῶν κατῆλθεν, ὃ ἔχει ἡ δύναμις, ἀναλογίζεται τῇ σαρκί. Οὐκοῦν ἀντίστρεψον, ἃ πάσχει ἡ σάρξ, ἀναλογίζεται τῇ δυνάμει. Πῶς ἔπαθε Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν; Ἐνεπτύσθη, ἐτυπτήθη ἐπὶ κόρρης, περιέθηκαν στέφανον περὶ μέτω πον, ὠρύχθησαν αὐτοῦ χεῖρες καὶ πόδες. Ταῦτα πάντα παθήματα περὶ σῶμα ἀναφέρεται δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐνοικοῦντα. Ῥίψον λίθον εἰς εἰκόνα βασιλέως, τί τὸ λεγόμενον; βασιλέα ὕβρισας. Περίσχισον ἱμάτιον βασιλέως, τί τὸ λεγόμενον; βασιλεῖ ἐπανέστης. Σταύρωσον σῶμα Χριστοῦ, τί τὸ λεγόμενον; Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Τίς δὲ χρεία ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ; προσέλθωμεν τοῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς. Πῶς παρελά βετε παρὰ κυρίου, πῶς ἀπέθανεν ὁ κύριος; Ἀναγινώσκουσιν, ὅτι "Πάτερ, εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθημι τὸ πνεῦμά μου." Τὸ πνεῦμα ἄνω, καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Προσήνεγκε γὰρ τὸ πρό βατον. Ὅσα εἰς τὸ σῶμα αὐτῷ λογίζεται .... Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν ἦλθε σῶσαι, οὐ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀπολέσαι. Ἐὰν θελήσω εἰπεῖν ὅτι κάμηλος πέταται, εὐθὺς ξενίζεσθε, ὅτι οὐχ ἁρμόττει τῇ φύσει· καὶ καλῶς ποιεῖτε. Ἐὰν θελήσω εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἄνθρωποι θάλατταν οἰκοῦσιν, οὐκ ἀνέχεσθε, καλῶς γε ποιοῦντες· οὐ γὰρ δέχεται ἡ φύσις. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐὰν εἴπω ξένα περὶ τούτων τῶν φύσεων, ξενίζεσθε, οὕτως ἐὰν εἴπω ὅτι ἐκείνη ἡ δύναμις, ἡ πρὸ αἰώνων, ἡ ἀσώματος τὴν φύσιν, ἡ ἀπαθὴς τὴν ἀξίαν, ἡ οὖσα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἡ παρὰ τῷ πατρί, ἡ ἐκ δεξιῶν, ἡ ἐν δόξῃ, ἐὰν εἴπω ὅτι ἐκείνη ἡ φύσις ἡ ἀσώματος πάσχει, οὐχὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν κρατεῖτε; Ἐὰν μὴ κρατήσητε ὑμῶν τὰ ὦτα, ταῦτα ἀκούοντες, κρατήσω μου τὴν καρδίαν. Ἆρα ἀγγέλῳ δυνάμεθά τι ποιῆσαι, οἷον ξίφει κροῦσαι, ἢ ὅλως σχίσαι; Τί λέγω ἀγγέλῳ; ψυχῇ δυνάμεθα; Οὐ δέχεται ἧλον ψυχή, οὐ τέμνεται ψυχή, οὐ καίεται. Κἂν εἴπῃς μοι· ∆ιατί; λέγω σοι· Οὕτως γὰρ ἐκ τίσθη. Τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἀπαθῆ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐμπαθής; Οὐκ ἀθετῶ τὴν οἰκο νομίαν, ἀσπάζομαι δὲ τὰς κακουργίας. Ἀπέθανε Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, 252 καὶ ἐσταυρώθη. Οὕτως γέγραπται, οὕτως ἐδέχετο ἡ φύσις, οὔτε τὰ ῥήματα ἀπαλείφω, οὔτε φύσιν βλασφημῶ. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀληθῆ ταῦτα. Λεγέσθω τ' ἀληθέστερα, εὐεργετήσων, οὐ χαλεπαίνων. Ὁ διδάσκων οὐκ ἐχθρός, ἐὰν μὴ ἀγνώμων ᾖ ὁ διδασκόμενος. Ἔχεις τι καλὸν εἰπεῖν, ἤνοικται τὰ ὦτα μετὰ χάριτος. Φιλονεικεῖ τις σχολάζων ἀκολουθεῖν φιλονεικίᾳ. Ἴσχυσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ σταυρῶσαι, αὐτὴν τὴν δύναμιν νεκρῶσαι; ∆ύναται ζῶν ἀποθανεῖν; Ὁ θάνατος τῆς τοιαύτης δυνάμεως ἔκλειψις αὐτῆς ἐστι. Τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν, ὅταν ἀποθάνωμεν, μένει. Ἐὰν ἐκείνην τὴν δύναμιν νεκρώσωμεν, εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν αὐτὴν καταφέρομεν. Οὐκ οἶδα εἰ οὐκ ἠδυνήθητε ἀκοῦσαι. Τὸ σῶμα ἐὰν ἀποθάνῃ, ἡ ψυχὴ χωρίζεται καὶ μένει. Ἐὰν δὲ ψυχὴ ἀποθάνῃ, ἐπειδὴ ἀσώματός ἐστιν, ὅλως οὐκ ἔστιν. Ψυχὴ ἀποθνῄ σκουσα ὅλως οὐκ ἔστιν· εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν γάρ ἐστι τῶν ἀθανάτων ὁ θάνατος. Νόησον τὸ ἕτερον· οὐ γὰρ τολμῶ οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν. Ταῦτα λέγομεν ὡς νοοῦμεν. Οὐ νομοθετοῦμεν δέ, εἴ τις φιλονεικεῖ. Ἓν δὲ οἶδα, ὅτι ἕκαστος, ἀφ' ὧν φρονεῖ, ἀπὸ τούτων ἔχει ἀπολαῦσαι· καὶ ἀπέρχεται ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ προβάλλεται ὃ εἶπε περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐφρόνησε. Μὴ γὰρ νομίζετε, ὅτι βίβλους ἀναγινώσκει ὁ θεός, ἢ μνήμαις ὀχλεῖται, Τί εἶπες, καὶ τί ἤκουσας; Φανερὰ πάντα. Κάθηται ὁ κριτής. Φέρεται Παῦλος ὁ ἐνταῦθα· ἄνθρωπόν με εἶπες, οὐκ ἔχεις ζωὴν μετ' ἐμοῦ· ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔγνως με, οὐ γινώσκω σε. Προσέρχεται ἄλλος· εἶπες μὲ ἓν τῶν ὄντων· οὐκ ἔγνως μου τὴν ἀξίαν, οὐ γινώσκω σε. Προσέρχεται ἄλλος· εἶπες ὅτι οὐκ ἀνέλαβον σῶμα· ἠθέτησάς μου τὴν χάριν, οὐ μεταλήψῃ μου τῆς ἀθανασίας. Προσῆλθεν ἄλλος· εἶπες ὅτι οὐκ ἐγεννήθην ἐκ παρθένου, ἵνα σώσω τὸ σῶμα τῆς παρθένου· οὐ σωθήσῃ. Ἕκαστος ἀποφέρεται τὰ φρονήματα τὰ περὶ τῆς πίστεως. {ΟΡΘ.} Εἶδες καὶ τὴν ἄλλην τῶν ὑμετέρων διδασκάλων συμμορίαν, παρ' ἧς τὸ τὴν θεότητα τοῦ μονογενοῦς πεπονθέναι μαθεῖν ἐνομίσθητε, τήνδε τὴν βλασφημίαν βδελυττομένην, καὶ τῆς