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from the seed of a man, was different from our bodies. For we have been born from him and are not different from his body, although we have been born from the seed of a man and from the womb of a woman. But some, often sophistically holding these things in their mind, have fallen away from the subject at hand, while others again, from among those who come to us, talking nonsense about countless other things beyond, were slandering the man who is famed with many praises. And in reality, I think more excessively than is necessary, either through ignorance or through inattentiveness *, or coming forth according to their own selves and speaking out, they have created the confusion. But now let my discourse on superfluous matters suffice thus far, with my readers understanding 3.433 that neither being wasted by envy nor by hatred toward the man *. For we pray that he not be divided from the church of Christ and from the sweetness of the entire brotherhood, but that he lay aside the objection of contentiousness of this argument and turn back according to what is said: "Return, return, O Shulammite; return, that we may look upon you." Nevertheless, concerning the subject at hand, I will again take up the sequence. 19. He does not wish to call the incarnate presence of Christ perfect, but even denies the salvation of some, inspiring fear and saying that one must not say that he assumed a perfect man, ostensibly from the saying which states, "The Lord lifts up the meek." And it is not at all surprising, nor can anyone show any difference in this, in saying the Lord "assumed" flesh or "took" a perfect human nature, or just as many words often happen to be homonymous among us. For it says, "The Lord lifts up the meek," and, "He took me from the flocks of sheep," and, "He was taken up," and, "two men said: 'Why do you stand here, men of Galilee? This is the one who was taken up from you.'" And in any case, to "assume" does not have one single meaning in saying He "assumed" or "took" or "re-formed" for Himself His own human nature, nor do those wishing to rise up against the simple terrify us with this word, saying that one must not speak thus. And let no one think that we are slandering or speaking mockingly about the words of this hypothesis. For I have often considered writing about this *, so that no one may think we are rising up against him out of enmity. For no one has harmed us in any way, as I speak in human terms, nor has he stolen our worldly goods. But while considering not to write, I was compelled by truth itself, so that I might not omit any of those who have thought something contrary to the faith, as later the God-fearing who read this will recognize that our discourse is not on account of worldly zeal. For rather the man would have benefited us in the greatest things * according to the world and according to love, 3.434 if he had agreed in all things with all people, in one mind with the holy church of God, and had not introduced some strange doctrine. Therefore, whether the teaching, being understood differently, is spoken of in passing by him or by those discipled by him through such a figure of speech and pretext, I cannot say. But we have often pondered and have been astonished that on account of this teaching the objection of contentiousness and of the struggle is vindicated by them even unto death. And from this we have realized that perhaps the teaching is spoken of among them with some more excessive suspicion. 20. For when you ask some of them, they all report differently, but some say that the Lord did not take on a perfect human nature nor did he become a perfect man. But since this became something to be avoided by many, they then later used irony, as we later learned accurately from their own mouths. For when we were in Antioch, we met with their leaders, among whom was also Vitalius the bishop, a most devout man in his life and his condition and his conduct. And we were speaking, counseling and exhorting

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ἀπὸ σπέρματος ἀνδρός, ἀλλοῖος ἦν παρὰ τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα. ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγεννήμεθα καὶ οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἀλλοῖοι παρὰ τὸ ἐκείνου σῶμα, καίτοι γε ἐκ σπέρματος ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἀπὸ μήτρας γυναικὸς γεγεννημένοι. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν τινες σοφιζόμενοι πολλάκις καὶ ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ ἔχοντες ἐκ τοῦ προκειμένου ἐξέπεσον, τινὲς δὲ πάλιν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐρχομένων ἄλλα μυρία καὶ ἐπέκεινα περιττολογοῦντες τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν ἐν πολλοῖς ἐπαίνοις φημιζόμενον διέβαλλον. καὶ τῷ μὲν ὄντι περιττότερον οἶμαι τοῦ δέοντος, ἢ κατὰ ἰδιωτείαν ἢ κατὰ ἀπαρακολουθησίαν *, ἢ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐξερχόμενοι καὶ ἀποφθεγγόμενοι τὴν ταραχὴν εἰργάσαντο. ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι περὶ τῶν περιττῶν ἕως ὧδε ἀρκείτω ὁ λόγος, συνιόντων 3.433 τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων, ὅτι οὔτε φθόνῳ τετηκότες οὔτε μίσει τῷ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα *. εὐχόμεθα γὰρ αὐτὸν μὴ μερισθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῆς γλυκύτητος τῆς πάσης ἀδελφότητος, ἀλλὰ ἀποθέσθαι αὐτὸν τῆς τοῦ λόγου τούτου φιλονεικίας τὴν ἔνστασιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψαι κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον «ἐπίστρεφε ἐπίστρεφε ἡ Σουμανῖτις, ἐπίστρεφε, καὶ ὀψόμεθα ἐν σοί». ὅμως περὶ τοῦ προκειμένου αὖθις ἐπιλήψομαι τῆς ἀκολουθίας. 19. Τελείαν οὐ βούλεται λέγειν τὴν ἔνσαρκον Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀποκρούεταί τινων, φόβον ἐμποιῶν καὶ λέγων ὅτι οὐ δεῖ τέλειον ἄνθρωπον τὸν αὐτὸν ἀνειληφέναι λέγειν, δῆθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥητοῦ τοῦ εἰρημένου «ἀναλαμβάνων πραεῖς ὁ κύριος». οὐδὲν δὲ θαυμαστὸν οὔτε διαφοράν τινα ἐν τούτῳ τις ἔχει δεῖξαι, τῷ εἰπεῖν ἀναλαβεῖν σάρκα τὸν κύριον ἢ λαβεῖν τελείαν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἢ ὥσπερ πολλάκις ἐν ἡμῖν ὁμωνύμως πολλαὶ λέξεις τυγχάνουσιν. «ἀναλαμβάνων» γάρ φησι «πραεῖς ὁ κύριος» καὶ «ἀνέλαβέ με ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων τῶν προβάτων», καὶ «ἀνελήφθη» καὶ «εἶπον δύο ἄνδρες· τί ἑστήκατε, ἄνδρες Γαλιλαῖοι; οὗτος ὁ ἀφ' ὑμῶν ἀναληφθείς». καὶ οὐ πάντως τὸ ἀναλαβεῖν μίαν ἔχει διαφορὰν ἐν τῷ λέγειν ἀνέλαβεν ἢ ἔλαβεν ἢ ἀνεπλάσατο εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὴν ἰδίαν ἐνανθρώπησιν, οὔτ' ἀπὸ τῆς λέξεως ἡμᾶς ταύτης πτύρουσιν οἱ βουλόμενοι κατὰ τῶν ἀκεραίων ἐπεγείρεσθαι καὶ λέγοντες ὅτι οὐχ οὕτως χρὴ λέγειν. καὶ μή τις νομίσῃ διαβάλλειν ἡμᾶς ἢ χλευαστικῶς λέγειν περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης τὰ ῥήματα. πολλάκις γὰρ ἐσκεψάμην περὶ τούτου γράφειν *, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ ἡμᾶς κατ' ἔχθραν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπεγείρεσθαι. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐδεὶς ἔβλαψεν, ὡς κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον λέγω, οὐδὲ τὰ ἡμῶν ἐν κόσμῳ ἀφήρπασεν. σκεπτόμενος δὲ τοῦ μὴ γράφειν ἠναγκάσθην ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας, ἵνα μή τινα παραλείψω τῶν παρὰ τὴν πίστιν τι πεφρονηκότων, ὡς καὶ ὕστερον οἱ θεοσεβεῖς ἐντυχόντες ἐπιγνώσονται ὅτι οὐχ ἕνεκα ζήλου κοσμικοῦ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος. μᾶλλον γὰρ ὠφέλει ἡμᾶς ὁ ἀνὴρ τὰ μέγιστα * τῶν κατὰ κόσμον καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀγάπην, 3.434 εἴπερ ὁμοφρόνως τῇ ἁγίᾳ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ κατὰ πάντα τοῖς πᾶσι συνετί3.434 θετο καὶ μὴ ξένον τι παρεισήγαγε ῥῆμα. ἤτοι οὖν παρ' αὐτῷ ἢ τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ μεμαθητευμένοις ὁ λόγος ἄλλως νοούμενος διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου σχήματος καὶ προφάσεως ἐν παρόδῳ ᾄδεται, οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν. πολλάκις δὲ διενοήθημεν καὶ ἔκπληκτοι γεγόναμεν, ὅτι ἕνεκεν τοῦ λόγου τούτου ἡ ἔνστασις τῆς φιλονεικίας καὶ τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἕως θανάτου παρ' αὐτῶν ἐκδικεῖται. καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἔγνωμεν ὅτι τάχα περιττοτέρᾳ τινὶ ὑπονοίᾳ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος ᾄδεται. 20. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐρωτήσῃς τινὰς ἐξ αὐτῶν, διαφόρως μὲν οἱ πάντες ἀναγγέλλουσι, τινὲς δὲ λέγουσι μὴ τελείαν εἰληφέναι τὸν κύριον ἐνανθρώπησιν μηδὲ τέλειον αὐτὸν γεγονέναι ἄνθρωπον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο φευκτὸν ἐγίνετο πολλοῖς, λοιπὸν ὕστερον εἰρωνείᾳ ἐκέχρηντο, ὡς ὕστερον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν ἀκριβῶς μεμαθήκαμεν. ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων γὰρ γενόμενοι τοῖς ἀκραίμοσιν αὐτῶν συντετυχήκαμεν, ἐν οἷς καὶ Βιτάλιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ὑπῆρχεν, εὐλαβέστατος ἀνὴρ τῷ βίῳ καὶ τῇ καταστάσει καὶ τῇ πολιτείᾳ. ἐλέγομεν δὲ συμβουλεύοντες καὶ παρακαλοῦντες