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If, then, as the argument proceeding with truth has shown, it is altogether impious to decree one nature lies in Christ according to the principle of nature, just as, conversely, two according to the principle of hypostasis; for the one is characteristic of the stench of Apollinarius, who both anoints and confuses the natures into one nature, and makes the economy altogether unknowable, positing that no nature properly exists after (524) the union. For each of them flees from being what it is, transposing and changing into one another. But the other is of the Judaic madness of Nestorius, who divides the one hypostasis into two hypostases, and denies the whole economy, refusing to say that God the Word was essentially united to the flesh according to hypostasis; let us use the argument correctly and appropriately, turning the utterances of the perverse towards what is straight; and the two, according to the principle of natural otherness, that is, difference; but the one, according to the principle of hypostasis; so that both the difference of the natures of which Christ consists may be maintained in Christ after the union, and likewise the identity and singularity of the hypostasis of the incarnate God the Word may be preserved without multiplication. For the reciprocal indication and confession of the realities works the annihilation of the subjects according to the heretics; since truth does not permit the proper names of the realities to be exchanged entirely for one another. For this reason we confess Christ to be two natures, as I said, according to the principle of the difference of the natures of which he consists and which are preserved in him after the union; as being the same one God and man after the union.

That he who says Christ is God and man after the union, necessarily confesses along with the names the natures after the union, having chosen to believe correctly.

For if Christ is God and man after the union, according to the common confession, it is clear that having the realities with the names, He verifies them after the union. For the realities are pre-conceived of their own names; and a name could never exist without the reality, which through itself gives a position to the name, and receives signification in return. But if Christ does not have, at the union, the realities of which these are the names, He will be shown to have, according to them, mere appellations, lying with nothing, and destitute of realities; and Christ will be God and man only in name according to them, and not in reality; than which what could be more godless? But if, refusing to be so mad, they should say that the appellations in Christ after the union are not destitute of realities; just as they do not refuse to speak of the two appellations of Christ after the union, so also let them speak of the two natures of Christ, of which and in which he consists after the union, of which they are also the appellations; if indeed they faithfully confess in truth that the things united are really preserved by nature after the union.

Concerning the expression 'In two'; and concerning the one incarnate nature of the Word, a pious confession according to the Fathers; and a denial of the one composite nature.

And again we believe the same one to be undividedly in two natures, as in divinity and humanity. For just as when we say Christ is from two natures, we understand him to be from divinity and humanity, as a whole from parts; so also when we say he is in two natures (525) after the union, we believe him to be in divinity and humanity, as a whole in its parts.

196

Εἰ τοίνυν, καθώς ἔδειξεν σύν ἀληθείᾳ τρέχων ὁ λόγος, ἀσεβές πάντη καθέστηκεν ἐπί Χριστοῦ τῷ κατά φύσιν λόγῳ θεσπίζειν κεῖσθαι τό ἕν, ὥσπερ καί τό ἔμπαλιν τῷ καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν λόγῳ τά δύο· τό μέν γάρ τῆς Ἀπολιναρίου δυσωδίας ἐστίν ἴδιον, συναλείφοντός τε καί συγχέοντος εἰς μίαν φύσιν τάς φύσεις, καί ἀδιάγνωστον πάντη ποιοῦντος τήν οἰκονομίαν· μηδεμίαν κυρίως εἶναι τιθεμένου φύσιν μετά (524) ἕνωσιν. Φεύγει γάρ εἶναι ὅπερ ἐστί, τούτων ἑκάτερον εἰς ἄλληλα μεταχωροῦντα καί μεταπίπτοντα. Τό δέ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς Νεστορίου φρενοβλαβείας, τήν μίαν ὑπόστασιν εἰς ὑποστάσεις δύο μερίζοντος, καί τήν ὅλην οἰκονομίαν ἀρνουμένου, τό σαρκί καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν οὐσιωδῶς τόν Θεόν Λόγον ἑνωθῆναι λέγειν παραιτουμένου· ἡμεῖς ὀρθῶς τε καί προσφυῶς χρησώμεθα τῷ λόγῳ, πρός τό εὐθές μεβάλλοντες τῶν διεστραμμένων τάς φωνάς· καί τό μέν δύο, κατά τόν τῆς φυσικῆς ἑτερότητος ἤγουν διαφορᾶς λόγον· τό δέ ἕν, κατά τόν τῆς ὑποστάσεως λόγον· ἵνα καί τό διάφορον τῶν ἐξ ὧν ὀ Χριστός ἐστι φύσεων, ἐν Χριστῷ μετά τήν ἕνωσιν διατηρῆται· καί τό ταυτόν καί μοναδικόν τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ σαρκωθέντος Θεοῦ Λόγου ὡσαύτως ἀπλήθυντον διασώζηται. Ἡ γάρ ἀντάλληλος τῶν πραγμάτων δεῖξίς τε καί ὁμολογία, τῶν ὑποκειμένων κατά τούς αἱρετικούς ἀφανισμόν ἀπεργάζεται· οὐκ ἀνεχομένης τῆς ἀληθείας τάς κυρίας παντάπασι τῶν πραγμάτων συγχωρεῖν εἰς ἀλλήλας ἀμείβεσθαι προσηγορίας. ∆ιά τοῦτο δύο φύσεις ὁμολογοῦμεν τόν Χριστόν, ὡς ἔφην, κατά τόν τῆς διαφορᾶς λόγον τῶν ἐξ ὧν ἐστι φύσεων καί μετά τήν ἕνωσιν ἐν αὐτῷ σωζομένων· ὡς Θεόν τόν αὐτόν ὄντα καί ἄνθρωπον μετά τήν ἕνωσιν.

Ὅτι ὁ λέγων Θεόν καί ἄνθρωπον τόν Χριστόν μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, συνομολογεῖ τοῖς ὀνόμασι τάς φύσεις ἐξ ἀνάγκης μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, ὀρθῶς πιστεύειν προῃρημένος.

Εἰ γάρ Θεός καί ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, κατά τήν κοινήν ὁμολογίαν, δηλονότι τά πράγματα τοῖς ὀνόμασιν ἔχων, ἐπαληθεύει μετά τήν ἕνωσιν. Τά γάρ πράγματα προεπινοοῦνται τῶν οἰκείων ὀνομάτων· καί οὐδ᾿ ἄν εἶναι δυνηθείη πώποτε χωρίς τοῦ πράγματος ὄνομα, τοῦ παρέχοντος δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ τῷ ὀνόματι θέσιν, καί ἀντιλαμβάνοντος δήλωσιν. Εἰ δέ τά πράγματα, ὧν εἰσι τά ὀνόματα, οὐκ ἔχει κατά τήν ἕνωσιν ὁ Χριστός, ψιλάς κατ᾿ αὐτούς, ὡς μετά μηδενός κειμένας ἔχων δειχθήσεται τάς προσηγορίας, καί πραγμάτων ἐρήμους· καί ἔσται Θεός καί ἄνθρωπος μόνον ὀνόματι κατ᾿ αὐτούς ὁ Χριστός, καί οὐ πράγματι· οὗ τί γένοιτ᾿ ἄν ἀθεώτερον; Εἰ δέ τοσοῦτον μανῆναι παραιτούμενοι, φαῖεν μή ἐρήμους εἶναι πραγμάτων ἐπί Χριστοῦ τάς προσηγορίας μετά τήν ἕνωσιν· ὥσπερ οὐ παραιτοῦνται λέγειν τάς δύο τοῦ Χριστοῦ μετά τήν ἕνωσιν προσηγορίας, οὕτω καί τάς δύο φύσεις τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐξ ὧν καί ἐν αἷς συνέστηκε λεγέτωσαν μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, ὧν καί προσηγορίαι· εἴπερ κατ᾿ ἀλήθειαν πιστῶς ὁμολογοῦσι σώζεσθαι πραγματιωδῶς κατά φύσιν τά ἑνωθέντα μετά τήν ἕνωσιν.

Περί τῆς Ἐν δύο φωνῆς· καί περί τῆς μιᾶς τοῦ Λόγου φύσεως σεσαρκωμένης εὐσεβής ὁμολογία κατά τούς Πατέρας· καί ἄρνησις τῆς μιᾶς συνθέτου φύσεως.

Καί πάλιν ἐν δύο φύσεσιν ἀδιαιρέτως τόν αὐτόν ὄντα πιστεύομεν, ὡς ἐν θεότητι καί ἀνθρωπότητι. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐκ δύο φύσεων λέγοντες τόν Χριστόν, ἐκ θεότητος καί ἀνθρωπότητος ὄντα νοοῦμεν, ὡς ἐκ μερῶν ὅλον· οὕτω καί ἐν δύο φύσεσι λέγοντες (525) μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, ἐν θεότητι καί ἀνθρωπότητι ὄντα πιστεύομεν, ὡς ὅλον ἐν μέρεσι.