127

ways; through which, having willed to gather nature to himself from the error of those outside, it was not willing.

And again he says: As the Father raises the dead, and gives them life; so also the Son gives life to whom he wills. If 'as' is a comparative adverb; and comparisons are of those of the same essence; therefore this cannot be said of Christ according to his humanity. Therefore the Savior taught us that, just as the Father, being God, (328) by his will gives life to the dead, so also he himself, being of one essence and one will with the Father, gives life to whom he wills. These are the dogmas of the evangelists, and apostles, and prophets. What greater proof is there than these that he is by nature willing both in that he is God, and in that he is man?

PYRRHUS. None of these is clearer for the proof that the wills are natural. How then did Vigilius, the then-president of the Romans, accept the libellus submitted by Menas, the former bishop of the imperial city, which held one will, and this when it was presented in the imperial secretum of the then-reigning emperor of the Romans, and of the senate?

MAXIMUS. I marvel how, being patriarchs, you dare to lie. Your predecessor, writing to Honorius, said that, "It was indeed dictated, but it was not submitted, nor was it presented;" but you yourself, in your writings to the sainted Pope John, said that, "It was submitted and it was presented," having been read out by Constantine the Quaestor. Whom then do we believe? You, or your predecessor? For it is not possible for both to be speaking the truth.

PYRRHUS. And was it so written by my predecessor? MAXIMUS. It was so written. PYRRHUS. Let this be concerning Vigilius. What do you have to say openly concerning Honorius to the

one before me who dogmatized one will of our Lord Jesus Christ? MAXIMUS. Who has become a trustworthy interpreter of such a letter, the one who from

the person of Honorius composed it, and is still living, and with his (329) other good qualities, and with the dogmas of piety illuminates the whole West, or those in Constantinople who speak from their hearts?

PYRRHUS. The one who composed it. MAXIMUS. The same one, therefore, to the holy Constantine, who became emperor, from

the person again of John, the sainted pope, writing about it, said that, "We spoke of one will in the Lord, not of his divinity and his humanity but of his humanity alone. For since Sergius wrote that some speak of two contrary wills in Christ, we wrote in reply that Christ did not have two contrary wills; of the flesh, I mean, and of the spirit, as we have after the transgression; but only one, which naturally characterizes his humanity." And a clear proof of this is the mention of both members and flesh; things which it is not permitted to be taken as applying to his divinity. Then, also making a prolepsis by way of refutation, he says: "But if someone should say: And for what reason, having spoken about the humanity of Christ, did you make no mention of his divinity? we say that, first, the answer was given in response to the question; and second, following the custom of scripture, as in all things, so also in this; sometimes it speaks from his divinity; as when the Apostle says: Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God; and sometimes from his humanity, and only, as when the same one says: The foolishness of God is stronger than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

127

τρόπους· δι᾿ ὧν θελήσας ἀπό τῆς τῶν ἐκτός πλάνης τήν φύσιν πρός ἑαυτόν ἐπισυνάξαι, αὕτη οὐκ ἠθέλησε.

Καί πάλιν φησίν· Ὥσπερ ὁ Πατήρ ἐγείρει τούς νεκρούς, καί ζωοποιεῖ· οὕτω καί ὁ Υἱός, οὕς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ. Εἰ τό, ὡς ἐπίῤῥημα συγκριτικόν ἐστιν· αἱ δέ συγκρίσεις τῶν ὁμοουσίων· οὐκ ἄρα τοῦτο δυνατόν κατά τόν ἀνθρώπινον ἐπί Χριστόν λέγεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Σωτήρ ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ Πατήρ, Θεός ὤν, (328) θελήματι τούς νεκρούς ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καί αὐτός, ὁμοούσιος ὤν τῷ Πατρί καί ὁμοθελής, οὕς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ. Ταῦτα τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν, καί ἀποστόλων, καί προφητῶν τά δόγματα. Τίς οὖν ὑπέρ ταῦτα μείζων ἀπόδειξις περί τοῦ φύσει θελητικόν εἶναι τόν αὐτόν καί καθ᾿ ὅ Θεός ἐστι, καί καθ᾿ ὅ ἄνθρωπος;

ΠΥΡ. Οὐδέν τούτων πρός ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ φυσικά εἶναι τά θελήματα σαφέστερον. Πῶς οὖν τόν ἐπιδοθέντα λίβελλον ὑπό Μηνᾶ τοῦ γενομένου ἐπισκόπου τῆς βασιλίδος, ἕν θέλημα ἔχοντα, ἐδέξατο Βιγίλιος ὁ τῆςῬωμαίων τηνικαῦτα πρόεδρος, καί ταῦτα ἐμφανισθέντος αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ βασιλικῷ σεκρέτῳ τοῦ τηνικαῦτα τῶνῬωμαίων βασιλεύοντος, καί τῆς συγκλήτου;

ΜΑΞ. Θαυμάζω πῶς πατριάρχαι ὄντες κατατολμᾶτε τοῦ ψεύδους. Ὁ προηγησάμενός σου πρός Ὀνώριον γράφων, εἶπεν, ὅτι " Ὑπηγορεύθη μέν, οὐκ ἐπεδόθη δέ, οὔτε ἐνεφανίσθη·" αὐτός δέ ἐν τοῖς πρός τόν ἐν ἁγίοις Ἰωάννην τόν πάπαν, ἔφης ὅτι " Ἐπεδόθη καί ἐνεφανίσθη," ἀναγνωσθείς διά Κωνσταντίνου Κουαίστωρος. Τίνι οὖν πιστεύομεν; σοί, ἤ τῷ πρό σοῦ; Οὐ γάρ δυνατόν ἀμφοτέρους ἀληθεύειν.

ΠΥΡ. Καί οὕτω γέγραπται τῷ πρό ἐμοῦ; ΜΑΞ. Οὕτω γέγραπται. ΠΥΡ. Ἔστω περί Βιγιλίου ταῦτα. Τί ἔχεις περί Ὀνωρίου εἰπεῖν φανερῶς πρός τόν

πρό ἐμοῦ ἕν δογματίσαντος θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ; ΜΑΞ. Τίς ἀξιόπιστος ἐξηγητής τῆς τοιαύτης καθέστηκεν ἐπιστολῆς, ὁ ταύτην ἐκ

προσώπου Ὀνωρίου συντάξας, ἔτι καί περιών, καί μετά τῶν (329) ἄλλων αὐτοῦ καλῶν, καί τοῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας δόγμασι πᾶσαν τήν ∆ύσιν καταφαιδρύνων, ἤ οἱ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει τά ἀπό καρδίας λαλοῦντες;

ΠΥΡ. Ὁ ταύτην συντάξας. ΜΑΞ. Ὁ αὐτός οὖν πρός τόν ἅγιον Κωνσταντῖνον, τόν γενόμενον βασιλέα, ἐκ

προσώπου πάλιν Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πάπα περί αὐτῆς γράφων, ἔφη, ὅτι " Ἕν θέλημα ἔφημεν ἐπί τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ καί τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ἀλλά μόνης τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Σεργίου γάρ γράψαντος, ὥς τινες δύο θελήματα λέγουσι ἐπί Χριστοῦ ἐναντία, ἀντεγράψαμεν, ὅτι Ὁ Χριστός δύο θελήματα ἐναντία οὐκ εἶχε· σαρκός φημι, καί πνεύματος, ὡς ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν μετά τήν παράβασιν· ἀλλ᾿ ἕν μόνον, τό φυσικῶς χαρακτηρίζον τήν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωπότητα." Καί τούτου ἀπόδειξις ἐναργής, τό καί μελῶν καί σαρκός μνησθῆναι· ἅπερ καί ἐπί τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖνα ληφθῆναι οὐ συγχωρεῖ. Εἶτα καί προκατάληψιν ἀνθυποφορᾶς ποιούμενος, φησίν· " Εἰ δέ τις λέγοι· Καί τίνος χάριν περί τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος τοῦ Χριστοῦ διαλαβόντες, περί τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ μνήμην οὐκ ἐποιήσασθε; φαμέν, ὅτι πρῶτον μέν πρός τήν ἐρώτησιν ἡ ἀπόκρισις γέγονεν· ἔπειτα δέ, καί τῷ τῆς γραφῆς ἔθει, ὡς ἐν πᾶσι, καί ἐν τούτῳ ἑπόμενοι· ποτέ μέν ἀπό τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ διαλεγομένης· · ὡς ὅταν λέιγη ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Χριστός Θεοῦ δύναμις, καί Θεοῦ σοφία· ποτέ δέ ἀπό τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος αὐτοῦ, καί μόνον, ὡς ὅταν ὁ αὐτός λέγῃ· Τό μωρόν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἰσχυρότερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν· καί τό ἀσθενές τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἰσχυρότερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν."