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Institutio elementaris

An elementary introduction to dogmas from the voice of John, the humble monk, to John, the most holy bishop of Laodicea.

Preface. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, of the one, three-hypostased and worshipful Godhead, of the consubstantial and life-creating Trinity, of the one God, from whom every good gift and every perfect gift comes down to us from above, I, the sinner and wretched one, open my stammering and slow-of-speech lips, trusting in Him, that for the humility of those who requested the discourse and for the benefit of those who hear, the Lord of grace and steward of all good things, who is God over all, blessed for ever, will give a spirit of wisdom and speech in the opening of my mouth. Amen. 1 Concerning substance (ousia) and nature and form. Substance and nature and form, according to the holy fathers, are the same thing. And again, hypostasis and person and individual are the same thing. And difference and quality and property are the same thing. Our purpose, then, is to speak about these and similar matters, about which your holiness has condescendingly asked. Beginning, therefore, we speak thus concerning substance and nature and form. There is a super-essential substance and nature and form, the incomprehensible Godhead, and its hypostases and persons are the Father, the Son, and the All-holy Spirit; for each of them is a perfect hypostasis and a perfect person. Moreover, every creature of God is a substance. But the creatures are many and have much difference among themselves; for an angel is one creature and a man another, and an ox is different and a dog another, heaven is different and earth another, and fire is different and air another and water another; and, simply to say, there are many species among the creatures. Each species, therefore, is one nature, for example, all men are one nature, and all angels are one nature, and all oxen are one nature; similarly also the rest of the creatures. And the nature of angels is one thing, and that of men another, and that of oxen another; similarly also in the case of the rest. 2 Concerning hypostasis and person and individual. And since there are many men, each man is a hypostasis, for example, Adam is a hypostasis, and Eve is another hypostasis, and Seth is a different hypostasis. Similarly also in the case of the rest. Each man is a different hypostasis from the other men, and each ox is a hypostasis, and each angel is a hypostasis. So nature and form and substance is that which is common and contains the consubstantial hypostases, while hypostasis and individual and person is the particular, that is, each of those contained under the same species. 3 Concerning difference and quality and property. We have said that there are many species and different substances, and similarly in each substance and species there are different hypostases. Therefore, each substance differs from another substance, and each hypostasis from another hypostasis. That thing, therefore, in which substance differs from substance and species from species or hypostasis from hypostasis, is called difference and

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Institutio elementaris

Εἰσαγωγὴ δογμάτων στοιχειώδης ἀπὸ φωνῆς Ἰωάννου ταπεινοῦ μοναχοῦ πρὸς Ἰωάννην τὸν ὁσιώτατον ἐπίσκοπον Λαοδικείας.

Προοίμιον Ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, τῆς μιᾶς τρισυποστάτου καὶ προσκυνητῆς θεότητος, τῆς ὁμοουσίου καὶ ζωαρχικῆς τριάδος, τοῦ ἑνὸς θεοῦ, παρ' οὗ πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον ἄνωθεν εἰς ἡμᾶς κάτεισιν, ἀνοίγω τὰ μογγίλαλα καὶ βραδύγλωσσα χείλη ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ τάλας ἐγώ, πεποιθὼς ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ὡς διὰ τὴν τῶν αἰτησάντων τὸν λόγον ταπείνωσιν καὶ τῶν ἀκουόντων ὠφέλειαν δώσει πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ λόγον ἐν ἀνοίξει στόματός μου ὁ τῆς χάριτος κύριος καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ταμιείας ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. 1 Περὶ οὐσίας καὶ φύσεως καὶ μορφῆς. Οὐσία καὶ φύσις καὶ μορφὴ κατὰ τοὺς ἁγίους πατέρας ταὐτόν ἐστιν. Καὶ πάλιν ὑπόστασις καὶ πρόσωπον καὶ ἄτομον ταὐτόν ἐστιν. Καὶ διαφορὰ καὶ ποιότης καὶ ἰδίωμα ταὐτόν ἐστιν. Περὶ τούτων οὖν καὶ τῶν τοιούτων σκοπὸς ἡμῖν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν, περὶ ὧν καὶ ἡ ὑμετέρα συγκαταβατικῶς ἠρώτησεν ὁσιότης. Ἀρχόμενοι τοίνυν λέγομεν οὕτως περὶ οὐσίας καὶ φύσεως καὶ μορφῆς. Ἔστι μὲν ὑπερούσιος οὐσία καὶ φύσις καὶ μορφὴ ἡ ἀκατάληπτος θεότης, ὑποστάσεις δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ πρόσωπα πατήρ, υἱὸς καὶ τὸ πανάγιον πνεῦμα· ἕκαστον γὰρ αὐτῶν τελεία ὑπόστασις καὶ τέλειόν ἐστι πρόσωπον. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ πᾶν κτίσμα θεοῦ οὐσία ἐστί. Πολλὰ δέ εἰσι τὰ κτίσματα καὶ πολλὴν ἔχουσι πρὸς ἄλληλα τὴν διαφοράν· ἄλλο γὰρ κτίσμα ὁ ἄγγελος καὶ ἄλλο ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἕτερον βοῦς καὶ ἄλλο κύων, ἕτερον οὐρανὸς καὶ ἄλλο γῆ, καὶ ἕτερον πῦρ καὶ ἄλλο ἀὴρ καὶ ἕτερον ὕδωρ· καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν πολλὰ εἴδη εἰσὶν ἐν τοῖς κτίσμασιν. Ἕκαστον οὖν εἶδος μία φύσις ἐστίν, οἷον πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι μία φύσις εἰσί, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι μία φύσις εἰσί, καὶ πάντες οἱ βόες μία φύσις εἰσίν· ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ κτίσματα. Καὶ ἄλλη φύσις ἡ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἑτέρα ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἑτέρα ἡ τῶν βοῶν· ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν. 2 Περὶ ὑποστάσεως καὶ προσώπου καὶ ἀτόμου. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοί εἰσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὁ καθένα ἄνθρωπος ὑπόστασίς ἐστιν, οἷον ὁ Ἀδὰμ ὑπόστασίς ἐστι, καὶ ἡ Εὔα ἄλλη ὑπόστασις, καὶ ὁ Σὴθ ἑτέρα ὑπόστασις. Ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν. Ἕκαστοςἄνθρωπος ὑπόστασις ἑτέρα παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐστί, καὶ ἕκαστος βοῦς ὑπόστασίς ἐστι, καὶ ἕκαστος ἄγγελος ὑπόστασίς ἐστιν. Ὥστε φύσις καὶ μορφὴ καὶ οὐσία ἐστὶ τὸ κοινὸν καὶ περιέχον τὰς ὁμοουσίους ὑποστάσεις, ὑπόστασις δὲ καὶ ἄτομον καὶ πρόσωπον τὸ μερικὸν ἤγουν ἕκαστον τῶν ὑπὸ τὸ αὐτὸ εἶδος περιεχομένων. 3 Περὶ διαφορᾶς καὶ ποιότητος καὶ ἰδιώματος. Εἴπομεν, ὅτι πολλά εἰσιν εἴδη καὶ διάφοροι οὐσίαι, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην οὐσίαν καὶ εἶδος διάφοροι ὑποστάσεις. ∆ιαφέρουσιν οὖν καὶ ἑκάστη οὐσία τῆς ἑτέρας οὐσίας καὶ ἑκάστη ὑπόστασις τῆς ἑτέρας ὑποστάσεως. Ἐκεῖνο τοίνυν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἐν ᾧ διαφέρει οὐσία οὐσίας καὶ εἶδος εἴδους ἢ ὑπόστασις ὑποστάσεως, λέγεται διαφορὰ καὶ