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proclaiming the impassibility of the Godhead, and destroying the phalanx of those who dare to apply suffering to it. 253 {ERAN.} I have seen, and I admired the contests, and I am amazed at the man for his arguments and thoughts. {ORTH.} Therefore, my good man, imitate the bees, and flying about in your mind over the meadows of the divine scripture, and having gathered the lovely flowers of the all-praised fathers, weave for us within yourself the honeycombs of the faith. But if somewhere you should find a plant that is neither edible nor sweet, such as this Apollinarius and Eusebius, but which has something useful for making honey, it is not at all unfitting to take what is useful, and to leave behind what is harmful. For bees, often settling on poisonous shrubs, leave behind whatever is deadly, but collect what is proper to them. These things we suggest to you, o friend, according to the law of brotherly love. And you will do well to accept the advice. But if you disobey, we will say that apostolic word: "We are pure." For we have given warning according to the prophet, as we were commanded.

THAT THE GOD-LOGOS IS UNCHANGEABLE

1. We have confessed one essence of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and we have unanimously said that this is unchangeable. If, therefore, the essence of the Trinity is one, and this is unchangeable, then the only-begotten Son is unchangeable, being one person of the Trinity. And if he is unchangeable, he surely did not become flesh by being changed, but he is said to have become flesh by taking flesh. 2. Otherwise. If the God-Logos became flesh by undergoing a change into flesh, then he is not unchangeable. For no one in their right mind would call that which is altered unchangeable. And if he is not unchangeable, then neither is he of one essence with the one who begot him. For how is it possible for one part of a simple essence to be changeable, and the other unchangeable? And if we were to grant this, we would completely fall into the blasphemy of Arius and Eunomius. For they say that the Son is of a different essence. 3. Otherwise. If the Son is of one essence with the Father, and the Son became flesh by undergoing a change into flesh, then the essence is changeable and not unchangeable. And if anyone should dare this blasphemy, he will surely augment it with blasphemy against the Father. For he will surely also name him changeable, since he partakes of the same essence. 4. Otherwise. The divine scriptures say that the God-Logos took flesh and indeed a soul; but the most divine evangelist said: "The Word became flesh." It is necessary, therefore, to do one of two things: either, accepting the change of the Logos into flesh, to turn away from all the divine scripture, both old and new, as teaching falsehood, or, obeying the divine scripture, to confess the assumption of the flesh, and to drive out from one's thoughts the change, piously understanding the evangelic saying; and this is what must be done, since we confess that the nature of the God-Logos is unchangeable, and we have countless testimonies of the assumption of the flesh. 5. Otherwise. That which dwells in a tent is different from that in which it is tented; and the evangelist called the flesh a tent, and said that the God-Logos 255 tented in it; "For the Word," he says, "became flesh, and dwelt among us." But if he became flesh by being changed, he did not dwell in flesh. But indeed we have learned that he dwelt in flesh. For the same evangelist in another place also called his body a temple. Therefore, one must believe the evangelist who has unfolded the saying, and interpreted what seems to some ambiguous. 6. Otherwise. If the evangelist, having written, "The Word became flesh," had added nothing able to resolve the ambiguity, perhaps the dispute about the saying would have had some reasonable pretext, due to the obscurity of the letter.

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θεότητος τὴν ἀπά θειαν κηρύττουσαν, καὶ τῶν ταύτῃ τὸ πάθος προσαρμόττειν τολμών των τὴν φάλαγγα καταλύουσαν. 253 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Εἶδον, καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐθαύμασα, καὶ ἄγαμαί γε τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων καὶ νοημάτων τὸν ἄνδρα. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐκοῦν, ὦ ἀγαθέ, ζήλωσον τὰς μελίττας, καὶ τῷ νῷ περι πετόμενος τούς τε λειμῶνας τοὺς τῆς θείας γραφῆς, καὶ τῶν πανευφή μων πατέρων τὰ ἄνθη τὰ ἀξιέραστα ἐρανισάμενος, ὕφηνον ἡμῖν ἐν σαυτῷ τὰ κηρία τῆς πίστεως. Εἰ δέ που καὶ πόαν εὕροις οὐκ ἐδώδιμον οὔτε γλυκεῖαν, ὁποῖος οὗτος Ἀπολινάριος καὶ Εὐσέβιος, ἔχουσαν δέ τι πρόσφορον εἰς μελιττουργίαν, οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς τὸ μὲν χρειῶδες λαβεῖν, καταλιπεῖν δὲ τὸ βλαβερόν. Καὶ γὰρ αἱ μέλιτται δηλητηρίοις πολλάκις ἐφιζάνουσαι θάμνοις, ὅσον μὲν ὀλέθριον καταλείπουσι, τὸ δὲ οἰκεῖον συλλέγουσι. Ταῦτά σοι, ὦ φιλότης, κατὰ τὸν φιλαδελφίας εἰσηγούμεθα νόμον. Σὺ δὲ εὖ μὲν ποιήσεις δεξάμενος τὴν παραίνεσιν. Εἰ δὲ ἀπειθή σεις, ἡμεῖς τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐροῦμεν λόγον· "Καθαροὶ ἡμεῖς." ∆ιεστειλάμεθα γὰρ κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, ὡς προσετάχθημεν.

ΟΤΙ ΑΤΡΕΠΤΟΣ Ο ΘΕΟΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ

αʹ. Μίαν τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος οὐσίαν ὡμολογήσαμεν, καὶ ταύτην ἄτρεπτον εἶναι συμφώνως εἰρήκαμεν. Εἰ τοίνυν μία τῆς τριάδος οὐσία, ἄτρεπτος δὲ αὕτη, ἄτρεπτος ἄρα ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός, ἓν τῆς τριάδος πρόσωπον ὤν. Εἰ δὲ ἄτρεπτος, οὐ τραπεὶς δήπου γέγονε σάρξ, ἀλλὰ σάρκα λαβὼν εἴρηται γεγονέναι σάρξ. βʹ. Ἄλλως. Εἰ τὴν εἰς σάρκα τροπὴν ὑπομείνας ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐγένετο σάρξ, οὐκ ἄρα ἄτρεπτος. Τὸ γὰρ ἀλλοιούμενον οὐκ ἄν τις ἄτρεπτον σωφρονῶν γε καλέσοι. Εἰ δέ γε οὐκ ἄτρεπτος, οὐδὲ ὁμο ούσιος ἄρα τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ἐστί. Πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε τῆς ἁπλῆς οὐσίας τὸ μὲν εἶναι τρεπτόν, τὸ δὲ ἄτρεπτον; Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο δοίημεν, τῇ Ἀρείου καὶ Εὐνομίου πάντως περιπεσούμεθα βλασφημίᾳ. Ἑτεροούσιον γὰρ ἐκεῖνοί γέ φασι τὸν υἱόν. γʹ. Ἄλλως. Εἰ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοούσιος, ἐγένετο δὲ σὰρξ ὁ υἱὸς τὴν εἰς σάρκα μεταβολὴν ὑπομείνας, τρεπτὴ ἄρα καὶ οὐκ ἄτρεπτος ἡ οὐσία. Εἰ δὲ ταύτην τις τολμήσοι τὴν βλασφημίαν, αὐξήσει πάντως αὐτὴν τῇ κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς βλασφημίᾳ. Τρεπτὸν γὰρ δήπουθεν καὶ αὐτὸν ὀνομάσει τῆς αὐτῆς γε οὐσίας μετέχοντα. δʹ. Ἄλλως. Σάρκα τὸν θεὸν λόγον καὶ μέντοι καὶ ψυχὴν εἰληφέναι φασὶν αἱ θεῖαι γραφαί· ὁ δὲ θειότατος εὐαγγελιστὴς εἶπεν· "Ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο." Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν δυοῖν θάτερον δρᾶσαι, ἢ τὴν εἰς σάρκα τοῦ λόγου δεχομένους τροπήν, ὡς ψευδῆ παιδεύουσαν ἀποστραφῆναι πᾶσαν τὴν θείαν γραφήν, παλαιάν τε καὶ νέαν, ἢ τῇ θείᾳ πειθομένους γραφῇ, τῆς μὲν σαρκὸς ὁμολογῆσαι τὴν πρόσληψιν, ἐξελάσαι δὲ τῶν λογισμῶν τὴν τροπήν, εὐσεβῶς τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν νοοῦντας ῥητόν· τοῦτο δὲ ἄρα ποιητέον, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἄτρεπτον ὁμολογοῦμεν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου τὴν φύσιν, καὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως τῆς σαρκὸς μυρίας ἔχομεν μαρτυρίας. εʹ. Ἄλλως. Τὸ σκηνοῦν ἕτερόν ἐστι παρὰ τὸ σκηνούμενον· τὴν δὲ σάρκα σκηνὴν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς προσηγόρευσεν, ἐν δὲ ταύτῃ σκηνῶσαι 255 τὸν θεὸν ἔφησε λόγον· "Ὁ γὰρ λόγος, φησί, σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκή νωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν." Εἰ δὲ τραπεὶς ἐγένετο σάρξ, οὐκ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν σαρκί. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἐσκηνωκέναι αὐτὸν ἐν σαρκὶ μεμαθήκαμεν. Ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς εὐαγγελιστὴς καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ γε χωρίῳ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ναὸν προση γόρευσε. Πιστευτέον ἄρα τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ τὸ ῥητὸν ἀναπτύξαντι, καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν τισιν ἀμφίβολον ἑρμηνεύσαντι. ʹ. Ἄλλως. Εἰ γράψας ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, "Ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο," μηδὲν ἐπήγαγε λῦσαι τὴν ἀμφιβολίαν δυνάμενον, ἴσως ἔσχεν ἄν τινα πρόφασιν εὔλογον ἡ περὶ τοῦ ῥητοῦ διαμάχη, τὸ συνεσκιασμένον τοῦ γράμματος.