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number is not somehow indicative of quantity. But if number is naturally a declaration of quantity, and not of relation, it does not completely divide the union, for one who piously uses number after the union for the sole declaration of the difference of the natures from which He is, which is preserved in Christ, but only to know that the natures remained unconfused after the union; from which the one Christ and Lord, and Son and God, exists, that is to say, incarnate, and perfectly made man. Wherefore also he proclaims after the union one incarnate nature of the Word Himself, in flesh possessing an intelligent and rational soul, not ignoring the difference, but removing and as it were setting aside the division; so that by means of these phrases he might drive out from the divine court both the confusion of Apollinarius (537) and the division of Nestorius, evils diametrically opposed; and become a pure worshipper of the mystery; confessing the same one begotten from above from the Father before all ages; and the same one from below, that is by the assumption of flesh animated with a rational and intelligent soul from His mother for our sake in the last of times. And for this reason believing the holy Virgin to be properly and truly Theotokos, because having conceived the Word Himself without seed, she was pregnant and gave birth to Him who was incarnate from her; the same one working the miracles; the same one willingly enduring the trial of human passions; the same one crucified, buried, risen on the third day according to the Scriptures; ascended incarnate into the heavens, from whence He had come down to us without flesh, as He Himself knows; He who as God by nature has no transition from place to place. For by nature He is infinite, and for this reason is in no way contained by existing things, being free of all circumscription, and by nature a lover of mankind, and for this reason enduring our fleshly birth by His will, and becoming contained by our limitations; the same one who will come with the prepared distribution to give to each according to their worth.

When the aforementioned most God-loving lord Cosmas gladly accepted this confession, I too received him with joy, and having recognized his simple disposition in Christ, I esteemed it more than my own soul; and concerning the dogmatic chapters about which he asked, I have given him a brief written answer; which it is fitting that you, the divinely-guarded, should also receive and exercise yourselves in. For you will benefit him through your good exegesis of the text, supplying the meaning of those things omitted for the sake of brevity; and so much for that. But I remind you, the divinely-guarded, to be vigilant, and to pray according to the Lord's command, so that we may not be caught in the snares of the temptations that surround us from all sides. For if we are vigilant and sober, I know that we are protected from the deceits of the demons; and if we pray, we draw down divine grace to our aid, which fights alongside us, and shows us to be victors (540) over every opposing power, and delivers us from all error and ignorance; and we ought especially to do this now; because even without the commandment, nature becomes a teacher of taking refuge in God, taking circumstance as its counselor. For what is more fraught with circumstance than the evils now encompassing the world? What is more terrible to those who perceive what is happening? What is more pitiful or more fearful to those who are suffering? To see a desert and barbarian nation running through the land of others as if it were its own; and the civilized state being consumed by wild and untamed beasts, who have only the bare outward form of men; and a Judaic people, who have from of old rejoiced in the blood of men, and have known as their only divine pleasure the murder of the creature; and for this reason more

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οὐ τῆς πως ποσότητος ὁ ἀριθμός ὑπάρχει δηλωτικός. Εἰ δέ ποσότητος, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχί σχέσεως ὁ ἀριθμός ποιεῖσθαι πέφυκε δήλωσιν, οὐ διαιρεῖ παντελῶς τήν ἕνωσιν, ὁ πρός μόνην εὐσεβῶς τήν δήλωσιν τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ σωζομένης τῶν ἐξ ὧν ἐστι φύσεων διαφορᾶς τῷ ἀριθμῷ χρώμενος μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, ἀλλά γινώσκειν μόνον ἀσυγχύτως μεμενηκέναι τάς φύσεις μετά τήν ἕνωσιν· ἐξ ὧν ὁ εἷς ὑπάρχει Χριστός καί Κύριος, καί Υἱός καί Θεός, δηλονότι σεσαρκωμένος, καί τελείως ἐνανθρωπήσας. ∆ιό καί μίαν φύσιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λόγου σεσαρκωμένην, σαρκί ψυχήν ἐχούσῃ τήν νοεράν τε καί λογικήν πρεσβεύει μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τήν διαφοράν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐξιστῶν καί οἷον ἔξω τιθείς τήν διαίρεσιν· ἵν᾿ ὁμοῦ τε διά τουτωνί τῶν φωνῶν, Ἀπολιναρίου (537) τήν σύγχυσιν καί Νεστορίου τήν διαίρεσιν, τά ἐκ διαμέτρου κακά, τῆς θείας αὐλῆς ἀπελάσειε· καί γένηται καθαρός τοῦ μυστηρίου προσκυνητής· ὁμολογῶν τόν αὐτόν ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός γεννηθέντα πρό πάντων τῶν αἰώνων· καί τόν αὐτόν κάτωθεν, προσλήψει δηλονότι σαρκός, λογικῶς τε καί νοερῶς ἐψυχωμένης ἐκ τῆς μητρός δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐπ' ἐσχάτων γεννηθέντα τῶν χρόνων. Καί διά τοῦτο κυρίως καί κατ᾿ ἀλήθειαν εἶναι Θεοτόκον τήν ἁγίαν Παρθένον πιστεύων, ὅτι περ αὐτόν ἀντί σπορᾶς συλλαβοῦσα τόν Λόγον, κεκύεκέ τε καί τέτοκεν ἐξ αὐτῆς σαρκωθέντα· τό αὐτόν ἐνεργοῦντα τά θαύματα· τόν αὐτόν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παθημάτων κατά θέλησιν ἀνεχόμενον πείρας τόν αὐτόν σταυρωθέντα, ταφέντα, ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατά τάς Γραφάς· ἀναληφθέντα σεσαρκωμένον εἰς οὐρανούς, ἐξ ὧν ἄσαρκος πρός ἡμᾶς κατελήλυθεν, ὡς οἶδεν αὐτός· ὁ μηδεμίαν ἔχων ὡς Θεός κατά φύσιν τήν ἐκ τόπων εἰς τόπους μετάβασιν. Φύσει γάρ ἄπειρος, καί διά τοῦτο μηδενί τρόπῳ τοῖς οὖσι χωρούμενος, ὡς πάσης περιγραφῆς ὑπάρχων ἐλεύθερος, καί φύσει φιλάνθρωπος, καί διά τοῦτο τῆς ἡμῶν κατά θέλησιν σαρκικῆς γεννήσεως ἀνασχόμενος, καί χωρητός τοῖς ἡμετέροις γενόμενος· τόν αὐτόν ἤξοντα μετά τῆς ἑκάστω δοῦναι τήν κατ' ἀξίαν ἡτοιμασμένων διανομήν.

Ταύτην ἀσπασίως προσηκάμενον τήν ὁμολογίαν τόν εἰρημένον θεοφιλέστατον κύριον Κοσμᾶν, κἀγώ προσηλάμην χαίρων, καί τῆς ψυχῆς προὐτίμησα τῆς ἐμῆς τήν ἁπλῆν αὐτοῦ κατά Χριστόν διάθεσιν γνούς· καί περί ὧν ἠρώτησε δογματικῶν κεφαλαίων, ἔγγραφον δέδωκα αὐτῷ σύντομον τήν ἀπόκρισιν· ἥν καί τούς θεοφυλάκτους ὑμᾶς λαβεῖν καί γυμνάσαι, τῶν εἰκότων ἐστίν. Ὠφελεῖτε γάρ αὐτόν διά τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐπί τῷ κειμένῳ καλῆς ἐξηγήσεως, ἀναπληροῦντες τῶν διά τήν συντομίαν ἐλλειφθέντων τόν νοῦν· καί ταῦτα μέν περί τούτου. Ὑπομιμνήσκω δέ τούς θεοφυλάκτους ὑμᾶς γρηγορεῖν, καί προσεύχεσθαι κατά τήν τοῦ Κυρίου διαταγήν, ἵνα μή ταῖς παγίσι τῶν πανταχόθεν ἡμᾶς περιεστηκότων ἁλῶμεν πειρασμῶν. Ἐάν γάρ γρηγορῶμεν καί νήφωμεν, τούς τῶν διαμόνων οἶδ᾿ ὅτι φυλαττόμεθα δόλους· καί ἐάν προσευχώμεθα, πρός τήν ἡμετέραν βοήθειαν τήν θείαν ἐπισπώμεθα χάριν, συμμαχοῦσαν ἡμῖν, καί πάσης ἡμᾶς ἀποφαίνουσαν νικητάς (540) ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως, καί ῥυομένην ἡμᾶς πάσης πλάνης καί ἀγνωσίας· καί μάλιστα νῦν τοῦτο πράττειν ὀφείλομεν· ὅτι καί δίχα τῆς ἐντολῆς, γίνεται τῆς ἐπί τόν Θεόν καταφυγῆς διδάσκαλος ἡ φύσις, λαμβάνουσα σύμβουλον τήν περίστασιν. Τί γάρ τῶν νῦν περιεχόντων τήν οἰκουμένην κακῶν περιστατικώτερον; τί δέ τοῖς ᾐσθημένοις τῶν γινομένων δεινότερον; τί δέ τοῖς πάσχουσιν ἐλειονότερον ἤ φοβερώτερον; Ἔθνος ὁρᾷν ἐρημικόν τε καί βάρβαρον, ὡς ἰδίαν γῆν διατρέχον τήν ἀλλοτρίαν· καί θηρσίν ἀγρίοις καί ἀτιθάσσοις, μόνης ἀνθρώπων ἔχουσι ψιλόν σχῆμα μορφῆς, τήν ἥμερον πολιτείαν δαπανωμένην· καί λαόν Ἰουδαϊκόν, καί ἀνέκαθεν ἄνθρώπων αἵμασι χαίροντα, καί μόνην θείαν εὐαρέστησιν εἰδότα τόν φόνον τοῦ πλάσματος· καί διά τοῦτο πλέον