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Whence we do not say it indefinitely, but add 'of man'. But the one according to the essence of soul and body destroys their very being, pushing it into complete non-existence. But if the 'one according to species' of man is not the same, then it is not necessary for us, when we say one energy according to species, either to call this hypostatic, or three energies, because we look to the nature for the energy.

PYRRHUS. But according to Nestorius, the persons are co-introduced with the energies; and it is necessary for those who speak of two energies to uphold his abominable dogmas.

MAXIMUS. And yet Nestorius, though he speaks of two persons, dogmatizes one energy. But if, according to you, persons are co-introduced with the energies, then consequently the energies will be brought together with the persons; and you will be forced, following your own rules, either because of the (337) one energy of the holy Godhead, to speak also of its one person; or because of His three hypostases, three energies as well; or to speak of a relative union, as Nestorius does; for the one energy of this is the union, as Nestorius himself and those of his faction have shown in their writings. And in our case too, since the energy according to species is one, but the hypostases are many: either because of the one energy according to species, to speak also of one person of all; or because of the many persons, many energies as well; and thus the saying has fallen away from the Fathers: "Those who are of the same essence are also of the same energy."

Furthermore, if according to them a person is co-introduced with the energy, and they have granted that many energies proceeded from one and the same incarnate God the Word, they will also grant the persons co-introduced with the proceeding energies, if indeed they have resolved to be consistent with themselves; and both the persons and the energies of the same one will be found to be infinite.

And again, if a person is co-introduced with the energy, according to their proposition, then when this [energy] is abolished, it [the person] is certainly abolished along with it. But if this is true, then with the abolition of the two energies and of the one energy, the two persons and the one person are also abolished; and Christ has passed, as far as it depends on them, from that which is, and is above being, into that which is not. What could be more impious than this?

And if anyone should wish, out of great abundance, to exercise this principle in the case of each one of us, he will find that we ourselves are at one and the same time both reasoning and walking; or even thinking one thing while saying other things to those present; which Moses also is recorded to have done, at the same time both entreating God on behalf of the people, and speaking to the people, and urging them to good hopes. And neither by acting dually in a way suited to his natures, is each one two; nor by being one who acts dually, does he confound the movements essentially belonging to his natures. And in the case of uttered speech likewise, we see both the thought inherent in the speech, and the speech underlying the thought, and their complete interpenetration of each other; and neither by their difference is a difference of persons co-introduced, nor by their extreme union is there confusion. And what might one say about the red-hot sword, which preserves no less the natures, that is, of the fire and the iron, and their natural energies, I mean the burning (340) and the cutting, and displays these through all things at the same time and in the same thing? For neither is its burning separate from the cutting after the union, nor the cutting from the burning; and neither through the duality of natural energy does it introduce two red-hot swords; nor through the singularity of the red-hot sword does it make a commingling or confusion of their essential difference.

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ὅθεν οὐδέ ἀπροσδιορίστως αὐτό φαμεν, ἀλλά προσεπάγοντες τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Τό δέ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ψυχῆς καί σώματος ἕν, αὐτό τό εἶναι αὐτῶν λυμαίνεται, εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν αὐτό παντελῆ ὠθοῦν. Εἰ δέ οὐ ταυτόν τό κατ᾿ εἶδος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἕν, οὐκ ἄρα ἀνάγκη ἡμῖν, τήν κατ᾿ εἶδος μίαν λέγοντας ἐνέργειαν, ἤ ὑποστατικήν ταύτην λέγειν, ἤ τρεῖς ἐνεργείας, διά τό πρός φύσιν ὁρᾷν τήν ἐνέργειαν.

ΠΥΡ. Ἀλλά ταῖς ἐνεργείαις τά πρόσωπα κατά Νεστόριον συνεισάγεται· καί ἀνάγκη, τούς δύο λέγοντας ἐνεργείας, τά ἐκείνου μιαρά διεκδικεῖν δόγματα.

ΜΑΞ. Καί μήν Νεστόριος, δύο πρόσωπα λέγων μίαν δογματίζει ἐνέργειαν. Εἰ δέ ταῖς ἐνεργείαις πρόσωπα καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς συνεισάγεται, καί τοῖς προσώποις ἀκολούθως αἱ ἐνέργειαι συναχθήσονται· καί βιασθήσεσθε, τοῖς ἰδίοις ἑπόμενοι κανόσιν, ἤ διά τήν (337) μίαν ἐνέργειαν τῆς ἁγίας Θεότητος, καί ἕν λέγειν αὐτῆς πρόσωπον· ἤ διά τάς τρεῖς αὐτοῦ ὑποστάσεις, τρεῖς καί ἐνεργείας· ἤ σχετικήν, ὡς Νεστόριος λέγειν ἕνωσιν· ταύτης γάρ ἡ μία ἐνέργεια ἡ ἕνωσις, ὡς αὐτός Νεστόριος καί οἱ τῆς αὐτοῦ φατρίας ἐν τοῖς αὐτῶν ἀπέδειξαν γράμμασι. Καί ἐφ᾿ ἡμῶν δέ, ἐπειδή μία μέν ἡ κατά τό εἶδος ἐνέργεια, πολλαί δέ αἱ ὑποστάσεις· ἤ διά τήν μίαν κατ' εἶδος ἐνέργειαν, καί ἕν τῶν πάντων λέγειν πρόσωπον· ἤ διά τά πολλά πρόσωπα, πολλάς καί ἐνεργείας· καί διαπέπτωκε τοῖς Πατράσιν οὕτω γε ὁ φάσκων λόγος· "Τά τῆς αὐτῆς ὄντα οὐσίας, καί τῆς αὐτῆς εἶναι ἐνεργείας."

Ἔτι τε , εἰ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ πρόσωπον συνεισάγεται κατ᾿ αὐτούς, πολλάς δέ δεδώκασιν ἐνεργείας ἐξ ἑνός καί τοῦ αὐτοῦ σεσαρκωμένου θεοῦ Λόγου προελθεῖν, καί τά συνεισαγόμενα ταῖς προελθούσαις ἐνεργείαις πρόσωπα δώσουσιν· εἴπερ ἑαυτοῖς στοιχεῖν διέγνωσαν· καί εὑρεθήσοντα ἄπειρα καί τά πρόσωπα, καί αἱ ἐνέργειαι τοῦ αὐτοῦ.

Καί αὖθις, εἰ συνεισάγεται πρόσωπον, κατά τήν αὐτῶν πρότασιν, τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ, καί ἀναιρουμένη ταύτῃ συναναιρεῖται πάντως. Εἰ δέ τοῦτο ἀληθές, ἄρα τῇ ἀναιρέσει τῶν δύο, καί τῆς μιᾶς ἐνεργειῶν, συναναιρεῖται καί τά δύο καί τό ἕν πρόσωπον· καί ἐχώρησεν, ὅσον τό ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς, ὁ Χριστός, ἐκ τοῦ ὄντος, καί ὑπερόντος, εἰς τό μή ὄν· οὗ τι γένοιτο ἄν ἀσεβέστερον;

Εἰ δέ καί ἐπί τοῦ καθ᾿ ἕκαστον ἡμῶν τοῦτό τις ἐκ πολλής περιουσίας γυμνάζειν βουληθείη, εὑρήσει καί ἡμᾶς καθ᾿ ἕνα καί τόν αὐτόν καιρόν καί λογιζομένους, καί περιπατοῦντας· ἤ καί ἕτερα μέν διανοουμένους, ἕτερα δέ τοῖς παρατυγχάνουσι διαλεγομένους· ὅπερ καί Μωϋσῆς ποιήσας ἱστορεῖται, κατά τόν αὐτόν καιρόν καί Θεῷ ἐντυγχάνων ὑπέρ τοῦ λαοῦ, καί τῷ λαῷ διαλεγόμενος, καί πρός χρηστάς παρορμῶν ἐλπίδας· καί οὔτε τῷ προσφυῶς ταῖς αὐτοῦ φύσεσι δυ«κῶς ἐνεργεῖν, δύο ὁ καθεῖς ἐστιν· οὔτε τῷ ἕνα εἶναι τόν δυϊκῶς ἐνεργοῦντα, τάς οὐσιωδῶς προσούσας ταῖς αὐτοῦ φύσεσι κινήσεις συγχεῖ. Καί ἐπί τοῦ κατά προφοράν δέ λόγου ὡσαύτως, καί τήν ἐγκειμένην τῷ λόγῳ ὁρῶμεν ἔννοιαν, καί τόν ὑποκείμενον τῇ ἐννοίᾳ λόγον, καί τήν αὐτῶν δι᾿ ὅλου εἰς ἄλληλα περιχώρησιν· καί οὔτε τῇ διαφορᾷ αὐτῶν τό διάφορον τῶν προσώπων συνεισάγεται, οὔτε τῇ ἄκρᾳ ἑνώσει τό συγκεχυμένον. Τί δ᾿ ἄν τις εἴποι καί περί τῆς πεπυρακτωμένης μαχαίρας, οὐχ ἦττον τῶν φύσεων, τουτέστι τοῦ πυρός καί τοῦ σιδήρου, καί τάς αὐτῶν φυσικάς ἐνεργείας, τήν καῦσίν φημι (340) καί τήν τομήν, σωζούσης, καί διά πάντων ἅμα, καί ἐν ταυτῷ, ταύτας ἐνδεικνυμένης; Οὔτε γάρ ἡ καῦσις αὐτῆς, τῆς τομῆς ἄφετός ἐστι μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, οὔτε ἡ τομή τῆς καύσεως· καί οὔτε διά τό διττόν τῆς φυσικῆς ἐνεργείας, δύο εἰσάγει τάς πεπυρακτωμένας μαχαίρας· οὔτε διά τό μοναδικόν τῆς πεπυρακτωμένης μαχαίρας, τῆς αὐτῶν οὐσιώδους διαφορᾶς φύρσιν ἤ σύγχυσιν ποιεῖται.