26. The Apostles’ belief prepares us for the understanding of this mystery; when it testifies that Jesus Christ was found in fashion as a man and was sent in the likeness of the flesh of sin. For being fashioned as a man, He is in the form of a servant, but not in the imperfections of a servant’s nature; and being in the likeness of the flesh of sin, the Word is indeed flesh, but is in the likeness of the flesh of sin and not the flesh of sin itself. In like manner Jesus Christ being man is indeed human, but even thus cannot be aught else but Christ, born as man by the birth of His body, but not human in defects, as He was not human in origin. The Word made flesh could not but be the flesh that He was made; yet He remained always the Word, though He was made flesh. As the Word made flesh could not vacate the nature of His Source, so by virtue of the origin of His nature He could not but remain the Word: but at the same time we must believe that the Word is that flesh which He was made; always, however, with the reserve, that when He dwelt among us, the flesh was not the Word, but was the flesh of the Word dwelling in the flesh.

Though we have proved this, still we will see whether in the whole range of suffering, which He endured, we can anywhere detect in our Lord the weakness of bodily pain. We will put off for a time the discussion of the passages on the strength of which heresy has attributed fear to our Lord; now let us turn to the facts themselves: for His words cannot signify fear if His actions display confidence.

26. Christus verus homo sine hominis vitiis Deus verus permansit. Passionis gesta expenduntur.---Quamquam igitur nos ad hujus sacramenti intelligentiam apostolica fides instruat, quae et habitu ut hominem repertum, et in similitudine carnis peccati missum hominem Christum Jesum esse testata sit: ut cum habitu ut homo est, sit in forma servi, et non sit in vitiis naturae; et cum in similitudine carnis 0366B peccati est, sit quidem Verbum caro, sed in similitudine carnis peccati sit potius, quam caro ipsa peccati sit: et cum homo 341 Christus Jesus est, sit quidem homo, sed in homine non possit aliud esse quam Christus est: atque ita et ex corporis nativitate homo natus sit, nec sit in hominis vitiis, qui non sit in origine; quia Verbum caro factum non potuit non caro esse quod factum est, et Verbum licet caro factum sit, non tamen amisit esse quod Verbum est; et dum Verbum caro factum originis suae non potest carere natura, non potuit nisi in naturae suae origine permanere quod Verbum est, neque non vere intelligi Verbum caro esse quod factum est; ita tamen, ut quia habitavit in nobis, non caro illa Verbum sit, sed Verbi caro sit habitantis in carne: quae cum ita sint, tamen videamus an peractus 0366C universus ille passionis ordo infirmitatem in Domino corporalis doloris permittat intelligi. Dilatis enim ad modicum eorum dictorum causis, ex quibus 0367A metum Domino haeresis adscribit; res ipsas ut gestae sunt conferamus. Neque enim fieri potest, ut timor ejus significetur in verbis, cujus fiducia contineatur in factis.