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but that they are two in themselves, in a unit and a unit, subsisting individually, the reason of piety does not at all admit; lest we divide the one man or living being into two men or living beings; and the one Christ into two Christs, or two Sons. For if the blessed Cyril had not known well to think and to be minded and to teach this everywhere, he would not have said that the difference of the natures was not destroyed by the union; he would not have taught "one and another," "this and that," and both the one Christ, and that the natures remained unconfused. He would not have held that the Word did not pass over into the nature of the flesh, or that the flesh was not changed into the nature of the Word Himself. He would not have known that the God-inspired men understood the evangelical and apostolic sayings about the Lord, some as communicating properties, as of one person, but others as dividing them, as of two natures. He would not have refused to say that the whole, that is Christ, is one nature, if indeed he had known this to be pious. He would not have defined human nature to be nothing other than flesh animated with a rational soul; thereby affirming that the nature of humanity in Christ is also perfect. He would not have said that by adding the word "Incarnate," the signification of the substance that is ours is introduced. He would not have defined that saying "two natures united indivisibly" is indicative of right opinion, whenever the expression is not maliciously brought forward in the manner that seemed right to Nestorius. He would not have appeared saying such things, and countless others, as is clear to the diligent from his writings.
From where, then, and from which teachers, will they demonstrate that the two natures in Christ, from which He also is, which are preserved after the union, and according to them, as they say, ought not to be piously confessed by the faithful? For none of the approved teachers is found to have decreed this at all; on the contrary, indeed, all both said it, and taught the faithful to say it through their own words; unless perhaps, having fashioned as usual from their heart what seems right to them, they should put forward the fabrication as from one of the Fathers for the sake of deceiving the more simple. But these men, as it seems, considering it a shame to be persuaded, and preferring their affection for the men who led them astray from the beginning over divine love (497), and esteeming contentiousness more than piety, and being honored as priests by the men to whom they bring deceit by lying against us about things that are not; and receiving evil for evil, I mean perishable things as the wages of deceit, making the acceptance and honor from God for concord in the faith of lower account, they do not cease warring against the truth and attempting to turn away from it as many as they can. Therefore I, the least, exhort you, being genuine children of the holy apostolic Church, in which having been enlightened through the regeneration of the divine font, you were deemed worthy to be adopted by God in the Spirit, to withdraw from such men, remembering the holy Apostle Paul writing to the Romans in this manner: I urge you, brethren, to watch out for those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. And again concerning these same men, accustomed to stir up troubles for the Church of God, he writes these things to the Corinthians: For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. But of these very men the deceitfulness of mind, and of the
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δέ καθ᾿ αὐτά ἐν μονάδι καί μονάδι ἰδιοσυστάτως εἶναι δύο, παντελῶς ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐ παραδέχεται λόγος· ἵνα μή τόν ἕνα ἄνθρωπον ἤτοι ζῶον, εἰς ἀνθρώπου ἤ ζῶα δύο μερίζωμεν· καί τόν ἕνα Χριστόν εἰς δύο Χριστούς, ἤ δύο Υἱούς. Εἰ γάρ μή τοῦτο πανταχοῦ καί νοεῖν καί φρονεῖν καί διδάσκειν καλῶς ἔγνω ὁ μακάριος Κύριλλος, οὐκ ἄν τήν τῶν φύσεων διαφοράν μή ἀνῃρῆσθαι διά τήν ἕνωσιν ἔφασκεν· οὐκ ἄν ἄλλο καί ἄλλο, ἕτερον καί ἕτερον, καί τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο, καί ἄμφω τόν ἕνα Χριστόν, καί ἀσυγχύτους μεμενηκέναι τάς φύσεις ἐδίδασκεν. Οὐκ ἄν μή μεταπεφοιτηκέναι εἰς τήν τῆς σαρκός φύσιν τόν Λόγον, ἤ τήν σάρκα εἰς τήν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λόγου φύσιν μή μεταβληθῆναι ἐδόξαζεν. Οὐκ ἄν τάς εὐαγγελικάς καί ἀποστολικάς περί τοῦ Κυρίου φωνάς τούς θεηγόρους ἄνδρας ἐγίνωσκε, τάς μέν κοινοποιοῦντας, ὡς ἐφ' ἑνός προσώπου· τάς δέ διαιροῦντας, ὡς ἐπί δύο φύσεων. Οὐκ ἄν τό ὅλον, τουτέστι τόν Χριστόν, μίαν εἶναι φύσιν λέγειν παρῃτεῖτο, εἴπερ εὐσεβές τοῦτο ἠπίστατο. Οὐκ ἄν ὡρίζετο μηδέν ἄλλο τήν ἀνθρωπίαν εἶναι φύσιν, πλήν σαρκός νοερῶς ἐψυχωμένης· διά τούτου τελείαν εἶναι διαβεβαιούμενος ἐν Χριστῷ καί τήν φύσιιν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. Οὐκ ἄν διά τοῦ ἐπάγειν τό Σεσαρκωμένην, τῆς καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς οὐσίας τήν δήλωσιν εἰσκομίζεσθαι ἔφασκεν. Οὐκ ἄν ὀρθῆς δόξης εἶναι σημαντικόν, τό λέγειν δύο φύσεις ἡνωμένας ἀδιαιρέτως, ὅτ᾿ ἄν μή κατά τόν Νεστορίῳ δοκοῦντα τρόπον κακούργως προφέρηται ἡ φωνή, διωρίζετο. Οὐκ ἄν τοιαῦτα, ἀλλά μυρία λέγων, ὡς τοῖς φιλοπόνοις δῆλον ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ συγγραμμάτων, ἐφαίνετο.
Πόθεν οὖν, κἀκ τίνων τῶν διδασκάλων, τάς ἐπί Χριστοῦ, ἐξ ὧν καί ἔστι, σωζομένας μετά τήν ἕνωσιν καί κατ' αὐτούς, ὥς φασι, δύο φύσεις, μή δεῖν εὐσεβῶς ὁμολογεῖσθαι παρά τῶν πιστῶν παραστήσουσιν; Οὐδείς γάρ οὐδαμῶς τῶν ἐγκρίτων διδασκάλων τοῦτο θεσπίσας εὐρίσκεται· τοὐναντίον μέν οὖν πάντες καί εἶπον, καί λέγειν τούς πιστούς διά τῶν ἰδίων ἐδίδαξαν φωνῶν· εἰ μή ἄρα συνήθως ἐκ καρδίας πλασάμενοι τό δοκοῦντα, ὡς ἑνός τῶν Πατέρων ἀπάτης ἕνεκεν τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων, τό πλάσμα προβάλλοιντο. Ἀλλ᾿ οὗτοι, ὡς ἔοικεν, αἰσχύνην ἡγούμενον τό πείθεσθαι, καί τήν εἰς πλανήσαντας αὐτούς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνθρώπους προσπάθειαν τῆς θείας ἀγάπης (497) προκρίνοντες, καί τοῦ εὐσεβεῖν τό φιλόνεικον προτιμῶντες, καί τοῦ τιμᾶσθαι ὡς ἱερεῖς παρά τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἷς τήν ἀπάτην διά τοῦ καθ᾿ ἡμῶν ψεύδεσθαι τά μή ὄντα προσάγουσι· καί τῶν κακόν κακοῦ ἀντιλαβεῖν, τῆς ἀπάτης λέγω μισθόν τά φθειρόμενα, τήν παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπί τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ τῆς πίστεως ἀποδοχήν τε καί τιμήν κατωτέραν ποιούμενοι, τοῦ πολεμεῖν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, καί ἀφιστᾷν αὐτῆς ἐπιχειρεῖν, οὐ παύονται ὅσους ἄν δύνανται. ∆ιό παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς ἐγώ ὁ ἐλάχιστος, τέκνα ὄντας γνήσια τῆς ἁγίας ἀποστολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐν ᾗ φωτισθέντες διά τῆς τοῦ θείου λουτροῦ ἀναγεννήσεως, υἱοθετηθῆναι Θεῷ ἐν Πνεύματι ἠξιώθητε στέλλεσθαι ἀπό τῶν τοιούτων, μνημονεύοντας τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀποστόλου Παύλου γράφοντοςῬωμαίοις τόν τρόπον τοῦτον· Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, σκοπεῖν τούς τάς διχοστασίας καί τά σκάνδαλα παρά τήν διδαχήν, ἥν ὑμεῖς ἐμάθετε, ποιοῦντας, καί ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν. Οἱ γάρ τοιοῦτοι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Χριστῷ οὐ δουλεύουσιν, ἀλλά τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ· καί διά τῆς χρηστολογίας καί εὐλογίας ἐξαπατῶσι τάς καρδίας τῶν ἀκάκων. Καί πάλιν περί τούτων αὐτῶν, ταραχάς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ κινεῖν εἰθισμένων Κορινθίοις ἐπιστέλλοντος τάδε· Οἱ γάρ τοιοῦτοι ψευδαπόστολοι ἐργάται δόλιοι, μετασχηματιζόμενοι εἰς Ἀποστόλους Χριστοῦ. Καί οὐ θαῦμα· αὐτός γάρ ὁ Σατανᾶς μετασχηματίζεται εἰς ἄγγελον φωτός. Οὐ μέγα οὖν, εἰ καί οἱ διάκονοι αὐτοῦ μετασχηματίζονται ὡς διάκονοι δικαιοσύνης· ὧν τό τέλος ἔσται κατά τά ἔργα αὐτῶν. Τούτων δέ αὐτῶν τό τῆς γνώμης δολερόν, καί τοῦ