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Since he immediately joined the words, "He tabernacled among us," in vain then do those who fight in pairs quibble. For what follows is an interpretation of what was written before. 7. Otherwise. The all-wise evangelist openly proclaimed the unchangeable nature of the Word of God. For having said, "The Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us," he immediately added, "And we have seen his glory, the glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." But if he had undergone a change into flesh, as the foolish say, he would not have remained what he was. But if, veiled in flesh, he sent forth the rays of his paternal nobility, then he surely has an unchangeable nature, and shines even in a body, and sends out the flashes of his invisible nature. For nothing can dim that light; "For the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it," as the most divine John says. 8. Otherwise. The all-praised evangelist, wishing to interpret the glory of the only-begotten, and then not being able to fulfill the undertaking, shows this from his communion with the Father. For, he says, he is of that nature; doing something similar to how one, seeing Joseph serving contrary to his dignity, might say to some who are ignorant of the distinction of his lineage, that Jacob is his father, and Abraham his forefather. For so also this one said, that even by tabernacling among us he did not dull the glory of his nature. "For we have seen his glory, the glory as of an only-begotten from the Father." But if even 256 while incarnate it was clear who he was, then he remained what he was, and did not undergo a change into flesh. 9. Otherwise. We have confessed that the Word of God assumed not only flesh, but also a soul. Why then did the divine evangelist here omit the soul, and mention only the flesh? Or is it clear that he pointed out the visible nature, and through it indicated that which was naturally joined to it? For with the mention of the flesh, surely the mention of the soul also enters. For when we hear the prophet saying, "Let all flesh bless his holy name," we do not think that the prophet is exhorting soulless flesh, but we believe that from the part the whole is called to hymnody. 10. Otherwise. The phrase, "The Word became flesh," is not indicative of a change, but of his ineffable love for humanity. For the all-praised evangelist, having said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," and having shown him to be the creator of things visible and invisible, and having named him life and true light, and having set forth other such similar things, and having theologized as much as a human mind was able to comprehend, and a tongue was sufficient to serve its utterances, added: "And the Word became flesh," as if astonished and marveling at the insatiability of his love for humanity. Thus being ever, and being God, and being ever with God, and having made all things, and being a source of eternal life and true light, for the sake of the salvation of men he put on for himself the tabernacle of the flesh. And he was thought to be only that which appeared. For this reason indeed he did not mention the soul, but only the perilous and mortal flesh; but he left out the soul as immortal, in order to show the immeasurability of his goodness. 11. Otherwise. The divine apostle names the master Christ the seed of Abraham. But if this is true, and it is true, then the Word of God was not changed into flesh, but he took on the seed of Abraham according to the teaching of the apostle himself. 257 12. Otherwise. God swore to David, that from the fruit of his loins he would raise up the Christ according to the flesh, as both the prophet has said, and the great Peter has interpreted. But if the Word of God, having been changed into flesh, was named Christ, we shall nowhere find the truth of the oaths. But indeed we have been taught that God is without falsehood, or rather, truth itself. Therefore the Word of God did not undergo a change into flesh, but that from the seed

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Ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνῆψεν εὐθὺς τό, "Ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν," μάτην ἄρα οἱ ζυγομαχοῦντες ἐρεσχελοῦσι. Τοῦ γὰρ προγεγραμμένου τὸ ἑπόμενον ἑρμηνεία. ζʹ. Ἄλλως. Τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου τὸ ἄτρεπτον ἀναφανδὸν ἐκήρυξεν ὁ πάνσοφος εὐαγγελιστής. Εἰπὼν γάρ, "Ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν," εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγε, "Καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας." Εἰ δὲ τὴν εἰς σάρκα κατά γε τοὺς ἀνοήτους ὑπομεμενήκει μεταβολήν, οὐκ ἂν ἔμεινεν ὅπερ ἦν. Εἰ δὲ σαρκὶ κεκαλυμμένος τῆς πατρῴας εὐγενείας τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἠφίει, ἄτρεπτον μὲν δήπουθεν ἔχει τὴν φύσιν, λάμπει δὲ καὶ ἐν σώματι, καὶ τὰς τῆς ἀοράτου φύσεως ἐκπέμπει μαρμαρυγάς. Ἐκεῖνο γάρ τοι τὸ φῶς οὐδὲν ἀμαυρῶσαι δύναται· "Τὸ γὰρ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν," ὥς φησιν ὁ θειότατος Ἰωάννης. ηʹ. Ἄλλως. Τοῦ μονογενοῦς τὴν δόξαν ὁ πανεύφημος εὐαγγελιστὴς ἑρμηνεῦσαι βουληθείς, εἶτα τὸ ἐγχείρημα πληρῶσαι μὴ δυνηθείς, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα κοινωνίας ἐπιδείκνυσι ταύτην. Ἐξ ἐκείνης γάρ, φησίν, ὑπάρχει τῆς φύσεως· ὅμοιον ποιῶν ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις τὸν Ἰωσὴφ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν δουλεύοντα θεώμενός τισιν ἀγνοοῦσιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ γένους τὴν περιφάνειαν, εἴποι τὸν Ἰακὼβ εἶναι τούτου πατέρα, πρό γονον δὲ τὸν Ἀβραάμ. Οὕτω γὰρ δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἔφη, ὅτι καὶ σκηνώσας ἐν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἤμβλυνε τὴν τῆς φύσεως δόξαν. "Ἐθεασάμεθα γὰρ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός." Εἰ δὲ καὶ 256 σεσαρκωμένος δῆλος ἦν ὅστις ἦν, μεμένηκεν ἄρα ὅπερ ἦν, καὶ τὴν εἰς σάρκα τροπὴν οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν. θʹ. Ἄλλως. Οὐ σάρκα μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχὴν ἀνειληφέναι τὸν θεὸν λόγον ὡμολογήσαμεν. Τί δήποτε τοίνυν ὁ θεῖος εὐαγγελιστὴς τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν ἐνταῦθα παρέλιπε, μόνης δὲ σαρκὸς ἐμνημόνευσεν; Ἢ δῆλον ὅτι τὴν ὁρωμένην ἐπέδειξε φύσιν, τὴν δὲ φυσικῶς αὐτῇ συνεζευγμένην δι' αὐτῆς παρεδήλωσε; Τῇ γάρ τοι μνήμῃ τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς δήπουθεν συνεισέρχεται. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀκούσωμεν τοῦ προφήτου λέγον τος, "Εὐλογείτω πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ," οὐκ ἀψύχοις σαρξὶ παρακελεύεσθαι τὸν προφήτην νομίζομεν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ μέρους τὸ πᾶν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν καλεῖσθαι πιστεύομεν. ιʹ. Ἄλλως. Τό, "Ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο," οὐ τροπῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀφάτου φιλανθρωπίας ὑπάρχει δηλωτικόν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ πανεύφημος εὐαγγελιστής, "Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος," καὶ δείξας αὐτὸν τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ ἀοράτων δημιουργόν, καὶ ζωὴν ὀνομάσας καὶ ἀληθινὸν φῶς, καὶ ἕτερα ἅττα παραπλήσια τεθεικώς, καὶ θεολογήσας ὅσον καὶ νοῦς ἀνθρώπινος χωρεῖν οἷός τε ἦν, καὶ γλῶττα τοῖς τούτου κρούμασιν ὑπουργεῖν ἱκανή, ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο," ὥσπερ ἐκπληττόμενος καὶ θαυμάζων τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὴν ἀπληστίαν. Οὕτω ὢν ἀεί, καὶ θεὸς ὤν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὢν ἀεί, καὶ τὰ πάντα πεποιηκώς, καὶ ζωῆς αἰωνίου καὶ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς ὑπάρχων πηγή, τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκα σωτηρίας τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς ἑαυτῷ σκηνὴν περιέθηκεν. Ἐνο μίσθη δὲ τοῦτο μόνον εἶναι ὅπερ ἐφαίνετο. Τούτου δὴ χάριν οὐδὲ ψυχῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ μόνης σαρκὸς τῆς ἐπικήρου τε καὶ θνητῆς· τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν ὡς ἀθάνατον παραλέλοιπεν, ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν τῆς ἀγαθότη τος ἀμετρίαν. ιαʹ. Ἄλλως. Σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος τὸν δεσπότην ὀνομάζει Χριστόν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές, ἀληθὲς δέ, οὐκ ἄρα εἰς σάρκα ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐτράπη, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπελάβετο κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀποστόλου διδασκαλίαν. 257 ιβʹ. Ἄλλως. Ὤμοσεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ, ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα ἀναστήσειν τὸν Χριστόν, ὡς καὶ ὁ προφήτης εἴρηκε, καὶ ὁ μέγας ἡρμήνευσε Πέτρος. Εἰ δὲ ὁ θεὸς λόγος εἰς σάρκα τραπεὶς ὠνομάσθη Χριστός, οὐδαμοῦ τῶν ὅρκων εὑρήσομεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀψευδῆ, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτοαλήθειαν εἶναι τὸν θεὸν ἐδιδάχθημεν. Οὐκοῦν οὐ τὴν εἰς σάρκα μεταβολὴν ὁ θεὸς λόγος ὑπέμεινεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐκ σπέρματος