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to be acted upon belongs to quality; of which number is neither. For if it were a substance, it would also be self-subsistent, not needing another for its constitution; but if it were an accident, that is, a quality, it would either effect the most specific difference, and being combined with the genus, it would constitute the definition of the subject, and would provide a signification of species, but not of quantity; or, joining itself to the species, it would introduce the common difference; and it would effect a distinction of one individual from another among those referred to the same species; or it would effect what is called the particular difference, in the collection of all the properties in the individual; and it would signify not only that what was indicated by it was shown to be other than another, but also different in kind. But if no one at all includes number in the definitions of things, number is neither substance nor quality. And if number is none of these, it is clear that it is not its nature either to act or to be acted upon; and if number does not have the capacity to act and to be acted upon, it is reasonable that it neither unifies at all, nor divides, as an agent; nor indeed, as a patient, is it divided at all; but making a signification of the quantity of things only, it does not touch their relation.

But if number is indicative of quantity alone, and not of any relation conceived in it, number is rather a certain sound, so to speak, and a designation appropriate to quantity. Therefore, he who speaks of a difference in Christ after the union, has certainly also conceived a quantity of the differing things along with the difference. For that which is entirely simple is also incapable of difference; because it is also in every way identical with itself and monadic, and whole and wholly unrelated, as not having the genus "in quantity" predicated of it; and for this reason it is not numbered at all. But he who has conceived quantity (565) along with difference—for it is impossible for a difference to be known that is entirely deprived of quantity—employing number for the sole purpose of signifying, but not of dividing, the quantity conceived along with the difference, does not depart from the truth, signifying by means of number the quantity necessarily conceived with the difference; since, as I said, with every difference spoken of in any way whatsoever, a quantity is certainly conceived along with it; of which we have been taught that number is by nature indicative, but not divisive.

But if he cares more for the truth, who signifies through number the quantity necessarily conceived along with the difference for the constitution of the mystery, lest he should advocate a confusion of the things united; how is it not right to think that for this reason, according to some, the quantity in essence of the things preserved unconfusedly in Christ after the union is confessed, whenever number is naturally suited to make a signification of difference, as the argument has shown at length, but not of division? If, then, the essential definition of one of the united things remained unaltered after the union, not changing into the definition of the other's substance, clearly the divinity of Christ has remained divinity in essence, not having passed over into the substance of the flesh; and again, the humanity of the same has remained humanity in essence, not having undergone a change into the nature of the divinity. But if neither the divinity of Christ nor the humanity have passed into one another through the hypostatic union, but the natures have remained unconfused, according to the great Cyril, clearly the difference of the natures preserved in Christ exists after the union, and no argument will contradict this. But if the difference after the union belongs to the things unconfusedly preserved in Christ, and it is impossible for a difference to be known completely separated from quantity; let the quantity of the differing things be spoken of for the signification of the difference, lest we should be suspected of advocating a somehow bare and untrue difference. For reason knows every difference to be bare which does not have underlying it in reality the truth of the things of which it is the difference.

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ποιότητος τό πάσχειν· ὧν οὐθέτερόν ἐστιν ὁ ἀριθμός. Εἰ γάρ ἦν οὐσία, καί αὐθυπόστατον ἦν, μή δεόμενον ἑτέρου πρός σύστασιν· εἰ δέ συμβεβηκός ἦν, ἤγουν ποιότης, ἤ τήν ἰδιαίτατα διαφοράν ἐποίει, καί τόν ὁρισμόν τοῦ ὑποκειμένου συνῆγε τῷ γένει συμπλεκόμενος, καί δήλωσιν εἴδους, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ ποσοῦ παρεῖχεν· ἤ τήν κοινῶς διαφοράν τῷ εἴδει συναπτόμενος, εἰσῆγε· καί τήν ἄλλου πρός ἄλλον τῶν ὑπό τό αὐτό εἶδος ἀναγομένων ἀτόμων ἐποίει διάκρισιν· ἤ τήν ἰδίως λεγομένην διαφοράν, ἐν τῷ ἀθροισμῷ τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀτόμῳ πάντων ἰδιωμάτων ἐποίει· καί οὐκ ἄλλον ἀπ᾿ ἄλλου μόνον, ἀλλά καί ἀλλοῖον ἐδήλου δεικνύμενον τόν δι᾿ αὐτοῦ σημαινόμενον. Εἰ δέ τοῖς ὁρισμοῖς τῶν πραγμάτων παντελῶς, οὐδείς συμπαραλαμβάνει τόν ἀριθμόν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀριθμός, οὔτε οὐσία, οὔτε ποιότης. Εἰ δέ τούτων μηδέν ἐστιν ὁ ἀριθμός, δῆλον ὡς οὔτε ποιεῖν πέφυκεν, οὔτε πάσχειν· εἰ δέ τό ποιεῖν οὐκ ἔχει καί τό πάσχειν ὁ ἀριθμός, εἰκότως οὔτε ἑνοῖ τό παράπαν, οὔτε διαιρεῖ ὡς ποιῶν· οὔτε μήν ὡς πάσχων διαιρεῖται παντάπασιν· ἀλλά μόνης τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ποσότητος ποιούμενος δήλωσιν, τῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφάπτεται σχέσεως.

Εἰ δέ μόνης ποσότητος, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ οἱασοῦν κατ᾿ αὐτήν νοουμένης σχέσεως ὁ ἀριθμός ὑπάρχει δηλωτικός, φωνή τίς ἐστιν μᾶλλον, ἵν᾿ οὕτως εἴπω, καί προσηγορία ποσῷ προσφυής ὁ ἀριθμός. Οὐκοῦν ὁ διαφοράν ἐπί Χριστοῦ λέγων μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, καί ποσόν πάντως τῇ διαφορᾷ συνεπενόησε τῶν διαφερόντων. Τό γάρ παντελῶς ἁπλοῦ, καί διαφορᾶς ἀνεπίδεκτον· ὅτι καί πάντη ταυτόν ἑαυτῷ καί μοναδικόν, καί ὅλον καί ὅλως ἄσχετον, ὡς τό ἐν ποσῷ γένος οὐκ ἔχον κατηγορούμενον· καί διά τοῦτο παντελῶς οὐκ ἀριθμούμενον· ὁ δέ τῇ διαφορᾷ ποσόν (565) συνεπινοήσας· ἀμήχανον γάρ γνωσθῆναι διαφοράν ποσοῦ παντελῶς ἀνοιροῦσαν· πρός μόνην δήλωσιν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ διαίρεσιν τοῦ τῇ διαφορᾷ συνεπινοηθέντος ποσοῦ παραλαμβάνων τόν ἀριθμόν, οὐκ ἐξίσαται τῆς ἀληθείας, τό ἐπινοούμενον ἐξ ἀνάγκης τῇ διαφορᾷ διά τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ σημαίνων ποσόν· ἐπειδή, καθώς ἔφην, πάσῃ καθ᾿ ὅντινα τρόπον λεγομένῃ διαφορᾷ πάντως συνεπινοεῖται ποσόν· οὗ φύσει δηλωτικόν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ διαιρετικόν εἶναι τόν ἀριθμόν ἐδιδάχθημεν.

Εἰ δέ μᾶλλον φροντίζει τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁ τό συνεπινοούμενον ἐξ ἀνάγκης τῇ διαφορᾷ διά τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ σημαίνων ποσόν εἰς τήν τοῦ μυστηρίου σύστασιν, ἵνα μή τῶν ἑνωθέντων πρεσβεύσῃ σύγχυσιν· πῶς οὐ δίκαιον κατά τινας οἴεσθαι χρή διά ταύτην ὁμολογεῖσθαι τήν αἰτίαν τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ σωζομένων ἀσυγχύτως μετά τήν ἕνωσιν τό κατ' οὐσίαν ποσόν, ὁπότ᾿ ἄν ὁ ἀριθμός διαφορᾶς, ὡς ἔδειξε διά πλάτους ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ διαιρέσεως ποιεῖσθαι δήλωσιν πέφυκεν; Εἰ μέν οὖν ἀναλλοίωτος ὁ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν θατέρου τῶν ἑνωθέντων διέμεινε λόγος μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, πρός τόν θατέρου τῆς οὐσίας ὅρον μή μεταπίπτων, προδήλως ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θεότης μεμένηκε κατ᾿ οὐσίαν θεότης, πρός τήν σαρκός οὐσίαν οὐ μεταφοιτήσασα· καί ἡ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πάλιν ἀνθρωπότης μεμένηκε κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ἀνθρωπότης , πρός τήν τῆς θεότητος φύσιν μή παθοῦσα μεταβολήν. Εἰ δέ οὐδέ ἡ θεότης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὔτε ἡ ἀνθρωπότης εἰς ἀλλήλας διαπεφοιτήκασιν διά τήν καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀσύγχυτοι κατά τόν μέγαν Κύριλλον μεμενήκασι αἱ φύσεις, σαφῶς ἡ μετά τήν ἕνωσιν διαφοράν τῶν σωζομένων ἐν Χριστῷ καθέστηκε φύσεων, καί οὐδείς ἀντερεῖ λόγος. Εἰ δέ τῶν ἀσυγχύτως ἐν Χριστῷ σωζομένων ἐστίν, ἡ διαφορά μετά τήν ἕνωσιν· διαφοράν δέ γνωσθῆναι ποσοῦ παντελῶς κεχωρισμένην ἀμήχανον· λεγέσθω πρός δήλωσιν τῆς διαφορᾶς τό ποσόν τῶν διαφερόντων, ἵνα μή ψιλήν πως καί οὐκ ἀληθῆ τήν διαφοράν ὑποπτευθῶμεν πρεσβεύοντες. Ψιλήν γάρ πᾶσαν διαφοράν οἶδεν ὁ λόγος, τήν οὐκ ἔχουσαν ὑπαρκτικῶς ὑποκειμένην τήν, ὧν ἐστι διαφορά, πραγμάτων ἀλήθειαν.