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was diminished, although having true flesh, the Word having come, nor has he considered in his mind things not fitting for his divinity, but whatever was reasonable for flesh and soul and human mind, these things the Lord, having come, accomplished, so that he might not disturb the order of the true incarnate presence. For hunger and thirst and weariness and sleep, and journeying and grief, weeping and indignation were reasonable. And these things, having been reasonably accomplished in him, showed forth the truth of the true incarnate presence. 27. For it is not written that he desired an evil desire. But he desired a good desire, saying, "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you." But desire does not come from the divinity, nor from flesh alone, nor from a mindless soul, but from the complete incarnation of body and soul and mind and of everything that happens to be in a man. For the Word, having come, had these things, body and soul and mind and everything that a man is, without sin, without defect, according to what was said, "tempted in all points as a man, without sin." But if he was tempted in all points, the Word, having come, had all things. And having all things, he was unconquered in himself, and kept them undefiled, being perfect God, born of flesh and perfectly fulfilling all things, 3.440 as the fulfiller of the whole vessel, not divided by the unbecoming practice of the flesh, not drawn aside by the different mind-set of the mind in us. For our mind was not made for us to sin, but for considering the perfect things of the matters reviewed in us concerning both, and the work of righteousness and of opposition. "For the mind discerns words, but the throat tastes food" and "the eye perceives and the mind sees." Therefore the mind is in us sight and taste and discernment, granted to us by God, but not yet assenting to the things that always happen, unless the man wills. But the flesh is always denounced in every scripture because of the desire that arises in it, but it does not in every case denounce the flesh itself, but the Word denounced the things that come from it, as the apostle said, "For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing," because of the things that spring from the flesh. And in order to refute the thought of the heresies, lest they should think the flesh has been despaired of from the resurrection of the dead, he says, "this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality," so that by casting out the works of the flesh, which Scripture is accustomed to call "flesh," he might not be thought to be casting out the hope of the resurrection of the flesh. For he clearly denounced the evil works that happen in it, but he showed the flesh itself to be a holy temple in the one who sanctified his flesh, according to what is written that "Pure religion to God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unspotted from the world," and in another place, "blessed are they who have kept the flesh pure." And Scripture, often speaking against it, has taught us that desires and pleasures spring from it, but Scripture explains nothing against the mind, but "I will sing with the mind, I will sing with the spirit" and "if I sing again with the spirit, but my mind is unfruitful." and you see that in it there is fruit in the mind; and if there is no fruit, he has not at all counted the mind among sins, but rather through it he has shown forth the fruit. 28. How then will this assail the divine power of our Lord? and what obscured his power? The womb of the holy woman? A virgin's womb? The passages of childbirth? The arms of Simeon? The reception of Anna? 3.441 The carrying by Mary? The touches of the prostitute? The hair of a woman touching his feet? But the tears? But the placement in the tomb? For a linen cloth having wrapped his body did not overcome that pure one and his greatest power. For even while being in the womb John leaped, rejoicing at his master's to him

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ἠλαττώθη, καίπερ ἀληθινὴν σάρκα ἔχων, ἐλθὼν ὁ λόγος, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ νῷ τὰ μὴ πρέποντα τῇ αὐτοῦ θεότητι διανενόηται, ἀλλ' ὅσα ἦν εὔλογα σαρκὶ καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ νῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ, ταῦτα ἐπετέλει ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος, ἵνα μὴ ταράξῃ τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας τὴν ἀκολουθίαν. εὔλογον γὰρ ἦν πεῖνα καὶ δίψα καὶ κάματος καὶ ὕπνος, ὁδοιπορία τε καὶ λύπη, κλαυθμὸς καὶ ἐμβρίμησις. ταῦτα δὲ ἀκολούθως ἐν αὐτῷ τελεσθέντα εὔλογα τῆς ἐνσάρκου ἀληθινῆς παρουσίας τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑπέφηνεν. 27. Οὐ γὰρ γέγραπται ὅτι ἐπεθύμησεν ἐπιθυμίαν φαύλην. ἀγαθὴν δὲ ἐπιθυμίαν ἐπεθύμησε φήσας «ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα τοῦτο τὸ πάσχα φαγεῖν μεθ' ὑμῶν». ἐπιθυμία δὲ ἐκ θεότητος οὐ γίνεται, οὐδὲ ἐκ σαρκὸς μονωτάτης οὐδὲ ἐκ ψυχῆς ἀνοήτου, ἀλλὰ ἐκ τελείας ἐνανθρωπήσεως σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ παντὸς οὗτινος τοῦ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ τυγχάνοντος. ἔσχε γὰρ ταῦτα ἐλθὼν ὁ λόγος, σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ νοῦν καὶ πάντα εἴ τι ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, χωρὶς ἐλαττώματος, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον «πεπειραμένος κατὰ πάντα ὡς ἄνθρωπος, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας». εἰ δὲ κατὰ πάντα πεπείραται, τὰ πάντα ἔσχεν ἐλθὼν ὁ λόγος. πάντα δὲ ἔχων ἀήττητος ἐν αὑτῷ ἦν, ἄχραντά τε διετήρησε, τέλειος ὢν θεός, ἐκ σαρκὸς γεγεννημένος καὶ τελείως τὰ πάντα πληρώσας, 3.440 ὡς πληρωτὴς ὢν ὅλου τοῦ σκεύους, μὴ μερισθεὶς τῇ τῆς σαρκὸς ἀναρμόστῳ ἐπιτηδεύσει, μὴ παρελκυσθεὶς τῷ τοῦ νοῦ ἀλλοίῳ ἐν ἡμῖν φρονήματι. οὐ γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἡμῶν εἰς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἡμῖν γεγένηται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ σκοπεῖν τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀναθεωρουμένων κατ' ἀμφοῖν πραγμάτων τὰ τέλεια καὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐναντιότητος. «νοῦς μὲν γὰρ ῥήματα διακρίνει, λάρυγξ δὲ σῖτα γεύεται» καὶ «ὀφθαλμὸς κατανοεῖ καὶ νοῦς ὁρᾷ». ὅρασις τοίνυν καὶ γεῦσις καὶ διάκρισις ὁ νοῦς ἐν ἡμῖν ὑπάρχει, ἐκ θεοῦ ἡμῖν κεχαρισμένος, οὔπω δὲ συγκαταθετικὸς τῶν ἀεὶ γινομένων, ἐὰν μὴ θέλῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀεὶ ἐν πάσῃ γραφῇ ἀποκηρύττεται διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ γινομένην ἐπιθυμίαν, οὐ πάντως δὲ αὐτὴν τὴν σάρκα ἀποκηρύττει, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐξ αὐτῆς γινόμενα ἀπεκήρυξεν ὁ λόγος, ὡς ἔφη ὁ ἀπόστολος «οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἐμοί, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, ἀγαθόν», διὰ τὰ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπιφυόμενα. ἵνα δὲ ἀποκρούσηται τῶν αἱρέσεων τὴν διάνοιαν, μή πως νομίσωσι τὴν σάρκα ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως ἀπηλπίσθαι, λέγει «δεῖ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν», ἵνα μὴ παρεκβάλλων τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἃ σάρκα εἴωθεν ἡ γραφὴ καλεῖν, νομισθείη τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῆς σαρκὸς παρεκβάλλειν. τὰ γὰρ ἔργα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γινόμενα φαῦλα σαφῶς ἀπεκήρυξεν, αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν σάρκα ἅγιον ναὸν ἐπέδειξεν ἐν τῷ ἁγιάσαντι αὐτοῦ τὴν σάρκα, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ὅτι «θρησκεία δὲ καθαρὰ τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ αὕτη ἐστίν, ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας ἐν τῇ θλίψει αὐτῶν, ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου», καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ «μακάριοι οἱ ἁγνὴν τὴν σάρκα τηρήσαντες». πολλάκις δὲ κατ' αὐτῆς λέγουσα ἡ γραφὴ ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς τὰς ἐπιθυμίας καὶ ἡδονὰς ἐξ αὐτῆς βλαστάνειν, κατὰ δὲ τοῦ νοῦ οὐδὲν ἐξηγεῖται ἡ γραφή, ἀλλὰ «ψαλῶ τῷ νοΐ, ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι» καὶ «ἐὰν ψαλῶ πάλιν τῷ πνεύματι, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστι». καὶ ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ καρπὸς ἐν τῷ νῷ· κἄν τε μὴ ᾖ καρπός, οὐ πάντως τὸν νοῦν κατέλεξεν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον τὸν καρπὸν ἀπεφήνατο. 28. Τί δὲ τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν δύναμιν τῆς θεότητος ἐνσκήψει; τί δὲ ἠμαύρωσε τὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν; τῆς ἁγίας γυναικὸς γαστήρ; μήτρα παρθένου; τοκετῶν πόροι; ἀγκάλαι Συμεῶνος; Ἄννης ὑποδοχή; 3.441 Μαρίας βασταγμός; τῆς πόρνης ἁφαί; τρίχες γυναικὸς ποδῶν ἁπτόμεναι; ἀλλὰ τὰ δάκρυα; ἀλλὰ μνήματος αἱ θέσεις; σινδὼν γὰρ εἰλήσας τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ οὐ περιεγένετο ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀκραιφνοῦς καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ μεγίστης δυνάμεως. καὶ γὰρ ἔτι ἐν κοιλίᾳ τυγχάνων Ἰωάννης ἐσκίρτα, χαίρων ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ δεσπότου αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν