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is naturally to become a lack of participation. For according to being and always being, God, being present, holds all together; but according to always being well, only the saints, both angels and men, in a particular way, leaving the 'always being well' to be mixed for those who are not such, as a fruit of their will.
56. The mystery of the divine incarnation does not imply a difference in hypostasis along with the natural otherness of the things from which it is composed; the one, so that the mystery of the Trinity might not receive an addition; the other, so that nothing may be by nature of the same kind and consubstantial with the divinity. For a coming together of two natures occurred towards one hypostasis, but not towards one nature; so that both the one according to hypostasis may be shown to be accomplished out of the natures that ran together in the union, and the difference of the things that came together into the indivisible union according to their natural property may be believed, remaining outside of all change and confusion.
57. We do not speak of a difference of hypostases in Christ, because the Trinity has remained the Trinity, even when the Word was incarnate, no addition of a person having been made to the Holy Trinity through the incarnation; but we do speak of a difference of natures, so that we may not hold that the flesh is consubstantial with the Word by nature.
58. He who does not speak of a difference of nature has no way to confirm the confession that the Word became flesh without change; not knowing that what pre-existed and what was assumed are preserved according to nature in the one hypostasis of the one Christ and God the Savior after the union.
59. (1332) If in Christ, after the union, there is a difference of flesh and divinity according to nature; for divinity and flesh are never the same in essence; the union of the things that came together was in no way for the generation of one nature, but for one hypostasis, in which we find no difference in Christ in any way. For the Word is the same as His own flesh according to the hypostasis. For in whatever way Christ has a difference, He cannot be one in every way; but in whatever way He admits no difference at all, in every way the one is always piously held concerning Him, both in being and in word.
60. Faith, through hope, establishes perfect love for God; a good conscience establishes love for neighbor through the keeping of the commandments. For a good conscience does not have a transgressed commandment as an accuser. But only the heart of those who long for true salvation is naturally disposed to believe these things.
61. Nothing is swifter than believing, and nothing is easier than confessing with the mouth the grace of what is believed; for the one shows the animate love of the believer for the one who made him; the other, a God-loving disposition towards one's neighbor. But love and a genuine disposition, that is, faith and a good conscience, are manifestly the work of the unseen movement of the heart, which is not at all in need of external matter for its generation.
62. He who suffers from complete immobility towards the good is by all means mobile towards evil. For it is impossible to be immobile in both. Whence Scripture knows to call the soul's indifference towards good things 'stones', as it is insensible to virtues; and 'wood', its readiness for evil things. But motion according to sense, when joined to the activity according to the mind, produces virtue with knowledge.
63. Scripture has called the natural law of the body, as I think, the 'middle wall'; and the 'fence', the relation in the law of the flesh to the passions, that is, sin. For only the relation to the passions of dishonor, of the law of nature, that is, of the passible part of nature, becomes a fence, walling off the body from the soul, and not allowing the passage of the principle of the virtues to the flesh through the middle of the soul in practice; but the Word, having come, and the of the
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ἀμαθεξία γίνεσθαι πέφυκε. Κατά γάρ τό εἶναι καί ἀεί εἶναι, πάντες συνέξει παρών ὁ Θεός· κατά δέ τό ἀεί εἶναι, μόνους ἰδιοτρόπως τούς ἁγίους, ἀγγέλους τε καί ἀνθρώπους, τό ἀεί φεῦ εἶναι, τοῖς μή τοιούτοις ὡς γνώμης καρπόν ἀφείς ἐπικιρνώμενον.
νστ΄. Οὐ συνεπάγεται τῇ κατά φύσιν τῶν ἐξ ὧν συνέστηκεν ἑτερότητι, καί τήν καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν διαφοράν τό μυστήριον τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως· τό μέν, ἵνα μή προσθήκην λάβῃ τό τῆς Τριάδος μυστήριον· τό δέ, ἵνα μηδέν ᾗ τῇ θεότητι κατά φύσιν ὁμογενές καί ὁμοούσιον. ∆ύο γάρ φύσεων πρός ὑπόστασιν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ πρός φύσιν μίαν γέγονε σύνοδος· ἵνα καί τό καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν ἕν ἐκ τῶν ἀλλήλαις συνδραμουσῶν φύσεων δειχθῇ κατά τήν ἕνωσιν ἀποτελούμενον, καί τό διάφορον τῶν συνελθόντων πρός τήν ἀδιάσπαστον ἕνωσιν κατά τήν φυσικήν ἰδιότητα πιστευθῇ, πάσης ἐκτός μένον τροπῆς καί συγχύσεως.
νζ΄. Οὐ λέγομεν ἐπί Χριστοῦ διαφοράν ὑποστάσεων, ὅτι Τριάς μεμένηκεν ἡ Τριάς, καί σαρκωθέντος τοῦ Λόγου, προσθήκης προσώπου οὐ προσγενομένης τῇ ἁγίᾳ Τριάδι διά τήν σάρκωσιν· λέγομεν δέ φύσεων διαφοράν, ἵνα μή τῷ Λόγῳ κατά τήν φύσιν ὁμοούσιον τήν σάρκα πρεσβεύωμεν.
νη΄. Ὁ μή λέγων φύσεως διαφοράν, οὐκ ἔχει πόθεν πιστώσασθαι τήν ὅτι γέγονε σάρξ ὁ λόγος δίχα τροπῆς ὁμολογίαν· μή γινώσκων σωζόμενον κατά τήν φύσιν ἐν τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ ἑνός Χριστοῦ καί Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος ὑποστάσει μετά τήν ἕνωσιν, τό προλαβόν καί τό προσειλημμένον.
νθ΄. (1332) Εἰ σαρκός ἐν Χριστῷ καί θεότητος μετά τήν ἕνωσιν ὑπάρχει διαφορά κατά φύσιν· οὐ γάρ ταὐτόν κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ποτέ θεότης καί σάρξ· πρός φύσεως μιᾶς γένεσιν, ἡ τῶν συνελθόντων οὐδαμῶς γέγονεν ἕνωσις, ἀλλά πρός μίαν ὑπόστασιν, καθ᾿ ἥν οὐδεμίαν ἐν Χριστῷ καθ᾿ οἱονδήποτε τρόπον εὑρίσκομεν διαφοράν. Ταὐτόν γάρ τῇ οἰκείᾳ σαρκί κατά τήν ὑπόστασιν ὁ Λόγος. Καθ᾿ ὅ γάρ ἄν ὁ Χριστός ἔχῃ διαφοράν, ἕν εἶναι κατά πάντα τρόπον οὐ δύναται· καθ᾿ ὅ δέ τήν οἱανοῦν παντελῶς οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται διαφοράν, κατά πάντα τρόπον τό ἕν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ διαπαντός εὐσεβῶς ἔχει καί ὄν καί λεγόμενον.
ξ΄. Ἡ πίστις διά τῆς ἐλπίδος τήν εἰς Θεόν ἀγάπην τελείαν συνίστησιν· ἡ ἀγαθή συνείδησις, τήν εἰς τόν πλησίον διά τῆς φυλακῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀγάπην ὑφίστησιν. Ἡ γάρ ἀγαθή συνείδησις παραβαθεῖσαν ἐντολήν οὐκ ἔχει κατήγορον. Ταύτας δέ μόνη καρδία πιστεύεσθαι πέφυκε, τῶν ἐφιεμένων τῆς ἀληθοῦς σωτηρίας.
ξα΄. Οὐδέν τοῦ πιστεύειν ταχύτερον, καί τοῦ διά στόματος ὁμολογεῖν τοῦ πιστευθέντος τήν χάριν ἐστίν εὐκολώτερον· τό μέν γάρ, δηλοῖ τήν ἔμψυχον πρός τόν πεποιηκότα τοῦ πεπιστευκότος ἀγάπην· τό δέ, τήν θεοφιλῆ πρός τόν πλησίον διάθεσιν. Ἀγάπη δέ καί γνησία διάθεσις, ἤγουν πίστις καί ἀγαθή συνείδησις, ἔργον προδήλως τοῦ κατά καρδίαν ἀφανοῦς ὑπάρχει κινήματος, τῆς ἐκτός ὕλης πρός γένεσιν παντελῶς οὐ δεόμενον.
ξβ΄. Ὁ τήν παντελῆ περί τό καλόν ἀκινησίαν νοσῶν, περί τό κακόν ὑπάρχει πάντως εὐκίνητος. Κατ᾿ ἄμφω γάρ ἀκίνητον ὑπάρχειν, ἀδύνατον. Ὅθεν καί λίθους καλεῖν οἶδεν ἡ Γραφή, τήν περί τά καλά τῆς ψυχῆς ῥαθυμίαν, ὡς ἀρετῶν ἀναισθητούσης· ξύλα δέ, τήν περί τά κακά προθυμίαν.Ἡ δέ κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν κίνησις συναπτομένη τῇ κατά νοῦν ἐνεργείᾳ, ποιεῖ τήν μετά γνώσεως ἀρετήν.
ξγ΄. Μεσότοιχον ἡ Γραφή, τόν κατά φύσιν, ὡς οἶμαι, νόμον τοῦ σώματος κέκληκε· φραγμόν δέ, τήν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τῆς σαρκός πρός τά πάθη σχέσιν, ἤγουν τήν ἁμαρτίαν. Μόνη γάρ ἡ πρός τά πάθη τῆς ἀτιμίαν σχέσις, τοῦ νόμου τῆς φύσεως, τουτέστι, τοῦ παθητοῦ τῆς φύσεως μέρους, φραγμός γίνεται, τῆς ψυχῆς τό σῶμα διατειχίζων, καί τοῦ λόγου τῶν ἀρετῶν τήν πρός σάρκα διά μέσης ψυχῆς κατά τήν πρᾶξιν, μή συγχωρῶν γενέσθαι διάβασιν· ὁ δέ λόγος παραγενόμενος, καί τόν τῆς