Chapter VII.—Concerning the one compound subsistence of God the Word.

We hold then that the divine subsistence of God the Word existed before all else and is without time and eternal, simple and uncompound, uncreated, incorporeal, invisible, intangible, uncircumscribed, possessing all the Father possesses, since He is of the same essence with Him, differing from the Father’s subsistence in the manner of His generation and the relation of the Father’s subsistence, being perfect also and at no time separated from the Father’s subsistence: and in these last days, without leaving the Father’s bosom, took up His abode in an uncircumscribed manner in the womb of the holy Virgin, without the instrumentality of seed, and in an incomprehensible manner known only to Himself, and causing the flesh derived from the holy Virgin to subsist in the very subsistence that was before all the ages.

So then He was both in all things and above all things and also dwelt in the womb of the holy Mother of God, but in it by the energy of the incarnation. He therefore became flesh and He took upon Himself thereby the first-fruits of our compound nature610    ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ ἡμετέρου φυράματος., viz., the flesh animated with the intelligent and rational soul, so that the very subsistence of God the Word was changed into the subsistence of the flesh, and the subsistence of the Word, which was formerly simple, became compound611    σύνθετον γενέσθαι τὴν πρότερον ἁπλῆν οὖσαν τοῦ Λόγου ὑπόστασιν, σύνθετον δὲ ἐκ δύο τελείων φύσεων., yea compounded of two perfect natures, divinity and humanity, and bearing the characteristic and distinctive property of the divine Sonship of God the Word in virtue of which it is distinguished from the Father and the Spirit, and also the characteristic and distinctive properties of the flesh, in virtue of which it differs from the Mother and the rest of mankind, bearing further the properties of the divine nature in virtue of which it is united to the Father and the Spirit, and the marks of the human nature in virtue of which it is united to the Mother and to us. And further it differs from the Father and the Spirit and the Mother and us in being at once God and man. For this we know to be the most special property of the subsistence of Christ.

Wherefore we confess Him, even after the incarnation, the one Son of God, and likewise Son of Man, one Christ, one Lord, the only-begotten Son and Word of God, one Lord Jesus. We reverence His two generations, one from the Father before time and beyond cause and reason and time and nature, and one in the end for our sake, and like to us and above us; for our sake because it was for our salvation, like to us in that He was man born of woman612    Text, καὶ χρόνῳ κυήσεως. Various readings, καὶ τρόπῳ κυήσεως: καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ κυήσει: καὶ νόμῳ κυήσεως. at full time613    Cf. Ruf., Expos. Symb.; Epiph., in the epilogue to his De Hær.; Joan. Scyth., Epist. Dionys. 4., and above us because it was not by seed, but by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Virgin Mary614    Μαρίας is absent in most mss., transcending the laws of parturition. We proclaim Him not as God only, devoid of our humanity, nor yet as man only, stripping Him of His divinity, nor as two distinct persons, but as one and the same, at once God and man, perfect God and perfect man, wholly God and wholly man, the same being wholly God, even though He was also flesh and wholly man, even though He was also most high God. And by “perfect God” and “perfect man” we mean to emphasize the fulness and unfailingness of the natures: while by “wholly God” and “wholly man” we mean to lay stress on the singularity and individuality of the subsistence.

And we confess also that there is one incarnate nature of God the Word, expressing by the word “incarnate615    Expositio fidei a Patribus Nicænis contra Paul. Samos.III. p. conc. Ephes.” the essence of the flesh, according to the blessed Cyril616    Commonit. ad Eulog. et Epist. 2 ad Success.; cf. supr. ch. vi. et infr. ch. xi.. And so the Word was made flesh and yet did not abandon His own proper immateriality: He became wholly flesh and yet remained wholly uncircumscribed. So far as He is body He is diminished and contracted into narrow limits, but inasmuch as He is God He is uncircumscribed, His flesh not being coextensive with His uncircumscribed divinity.

He is then wholly perfect God, but yet is not simply617    ὅλος μὲν οὖν ἐστι Θεὸς τέλειος, οὐχ ὅλον δὲ Οεός. God: for He is not only God but also man. And He is also wholly618    ὅλος perfect man but not simply619    ὅλον man, for He is not only man but also God. For “simply620    ὅλον” here has reference to His nature, and “wholly621    ὅλος” to His subsistence, just as “another thing” would refer to nature, while “another622    Greg. Naz., Orat. 51.” would refer to subsistence623    The following is added in R. 2927: ἐν πᾶσι μὲν ἦν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἐν τῇ γάστρι τῆς Θεομήτορος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ταύτῃ τε, ἐνεργεί& 139· τῆς σαρκώσεως. This is assuredly an interpolation..

But observe624    v. supr. ch. iii. that although we hold that the natures of the Lord permeate one another, yet we know that the permeation springs from the divine nature. For it is that that penetrates and permeates all things, as it wills, while nothing penetrates it: and it is it, too, that imparts to the flesh its own peculiar glories, while abiding itself impossible and without participation in the affections of the flesh. For if the sun imparts to us his energies and yet does not participate in ours, how much the rather must this be true of the Creator and Lord of the Sun625    Leontius de sectis, Act. 3..

Περὶ τῆς μιᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου συνθέτου ὑποστάσεως

Προεῖναι μὲν οὖν ἀχρόνως καὶ ἀιδίως φαμὲν τὴν θείαν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ὑπόστασιν ἁπλῆν καὶ ἀσύνθετον, ἄκτιστον, ἀσώματον, ἀόρατον, ἀναφῆ, ἀπερίγραπτον, πάντα ἔχουσαν ὅσα ἔχει ὁ πατὴρ ὡς αὐτῷ ὁμοούσιον, τῷ τῆς γεννήσεως τρόπῳ καὶ σχέσει τῆς πατρικῆς ὑποστάσεως διαφέρουσαν, τελείως ἔχουσαν, οὐδέποτε τῆς πατρικῆς ἐκφοιτῶσαν ὑποστάσεως, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν τῶν πατρικῶν κόλπων οὐκ ἀποστάντα τὸν λόγον (ἀπεριγράπτως γάρ) ἐνῳκηκέναι τῇ γαστρὶ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου ἀσπόρως καὶ ἀπεριλήπτως, ὡς οἶδεν αὐτός, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ προαιωνίῳ αὐτοῦ ὑποστάσει ὑποστήσασθαι ἑαυτῷ σάρκα ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου.

Ἐν πᾶσι μὲν οὖν καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ πάντα ἦν καὶ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ ὑπάρχων τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ ἐνεργείᾳ σαρκώσεως. Σεσάρκωται τοίνυν ἐξ αὐτῆς προσλαβόμενος τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ ἡμετέρου φυράματος, σάρκα ἐψυχωμένην ψυχῇ λογικῇ τε καὶ νοερᾷ, ὥστε αὐτὴν χρηματίσαι τῇ σαρκὶ ὑπόστασιν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ὑπόστασιν καὶ σύνθετον γενέσθαι τὴν πρότερον ἁπλῆν οὖσαν τοῦ λόγου ὑπόστασιν, σύνθετον δὲ ἐκ δύο τελείων φύσεων θεότητός τε καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος, καὶ φέρειν αὐτὴν τῆς θείας τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου υἱότητος τὸ χαρακτηριστικὸν καὶ ἀφοριστικὸν ἰδίωμα, καθ' ὃ διακέκριται τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος, τά τε τῆς σαρκὸς χαρακτηριστικὰ καὶ ἀφοριστικὰ ἰδιώματα, καθ' ἃ διαφέρει τῆς τε μητρὸς καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων, φέρειν δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἰδιώματα, καθ' ἃ ἥνωται τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως γνωρίσματα, καθ' ἃ ἥνωται τῇ τε μητρὶ καὶ ἡμῖν. Ἔτι δὲ διαφέρει τοῦ τε πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς τε μητρὸς καὶ ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸ ὑπάρχειν θεόν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωπον τὸν αὐτόν: τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑποστάσεως ἰδιαίτατον ἰδίωμα γινώσκομεν.

Τοιγαροῦν ὁμολογοῦμεν αὐτὸν ἕνα υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν καὶ υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου τὸν αὐτόν, ἕνα Χριστόν, ἕνα κύριον, τὸν μόνον μονογενῆ υἱὸν καὶ λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ, Ἰησοῦν, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν. Δύο αὐτοῦ τὰς γεννήσεις σέβοντες, μίαν τὴν ἐκ πατρὸς προαιώνιον ὑπὲρ αἰτίαν καὶ λόγον καὶ χρόνον καὶ φύσιν καὶ μίαν τὴν ἐπ' ἐσχάτων δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς_«δι' ἡμᾶς» ὅτι διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν, «καθ' ἡμᾶς» ὅτι γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος ἐκ γυναικὸς καὶ χρόνῳ κυήσεως, «ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς» ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ σπορᾶς, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου ὑπὲρ νόμον κυήσεως_, οὐ θεὸν αὐτὸν μόνον κηρύττοντες γυμνὸν τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀνθρωπότητος οὐδὲ μὴν ἄνθρωπον μόνον ψιλοῦντες αὐτὸν τῆς θεότητος, οὐκ ἄλλον καὶ ἄλλον, ἀλλ' ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὁμοῦ θεόν τε καὶ ἄνθρωπον, θεὸν τέλειον καὶ ἄνθρωπον τέλειον, ὅλον θεὸν καὶ ὅλον ἄνθρωπον, τὸν αὐτὸν ὅλον θεὸν καὶ μετὰ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅλον ἄνθρωπον καὶ μετὰ τῆς ὑπερθέου αὐτοῦ θεότητος, διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν «τέλειον θεὸν καὶ τέλειον ἄνθρωπον» τὸ πλῆρες καὶ ἀνελλιπὲς δηλοῦντες τῶν φύσεων, διὰ δὲ τοῦ εἰπεῖν «ὅλον θεὸν καὶ ὅλον ἄνθρωπον» τὸ μοναδικὸν καὶ ἄτμητον δεικνύντες τῆς ὑποστάσεως.

Καὶ «μίαν φύσιν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου σεσαρκωμένην» ὁμολογοῦμεν διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν «σεσαρκωμένην» τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς οὐσίαν σημαίνοντες κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Κύριλλον. Καὶ σεσάρκωται τοίνυν ὁ λόγος καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀυλότητος οὐκ ἐξέστηκε καὶ ὅλος σεσάρκωται καὶ ὅλος ἐστὶν ἀπερίγραπτος. Σμικρύνεται σωματικῶς καὶ συστέλλεται καὶ θεϊκῶς ἐστιν ἀπερίγραπτος οὐ συμπαρεκτεινομένης τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ τῇ ἀπεριγράπτῳ αὐτοῦ θεότητι.

Ὅλος μὲν οὖν ἐστι θεὸς τέλειος, οὐχ ὅλον δὲ θεός (οὐ γὰρ μόνον θεός, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος), καὶ ὅλος ἄνθρωπος τέλειος, οὐχ ὅλον δὲ ἄνθρωπος (οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεός). Τὸ μὲν «ὅλον» φύσεως ἐστι παραστατικόν, τὸ «ὅλος» δὲ ὑποστάσεως, ὥσπερ τὸ μὲν «ἄλλο» φύσεως, τὸ «ἄλλος» δὲ ὑποστάσεως.

Ἰστέον δέ, ὡς, εἰ καὶ περιχωρεῖν ἐν ἀλλήλαις τὰς τοῦ κυρίου φύσεις φαμέν, ἀλλ' οἴδαμεν, ὡς ἐκ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἡ περιχώρησις γέγονεν: αὕτη μὲν γὰρ διὰ πάντων διήκει, καθὼς βούλεται, καὶ περιχωρεῖ, δι' αὐτῆς δὲ οὐδέν. Καὶ αὐτὴ μὲν τῶν οἰκείων αὐχημάτων τῇ σαρκὶ μεταδίδωσι μένουσα αὐτὴ ἀπαθὴς καὶ τῶν τῆς σαρκὸς παθῶν ἀμέτοχος: εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος ἡμῖν τῶν οἰκείων ἐνεργειῶν μεταδιδοὺς μένει τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀμέτοχος, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ τοῦ ἡλίου ποιητής τε καὶ κύριος.

Οὐ γὰρ πέπονθεν σαρκωθείς_πῶς γὰρ ἂν πάθοι τὸ φύσει ἀπαθές; _οὐδὲ ἐτράπη ὁ ἁπλοῦς σύνθετος γενόμενος: ἡ γὰρ τροπὴ πάθος ἐστί, τὸ δὲ ἀπαθὲς πάντως καὶ ἄτρεπτον. Ἐνήργησε τοιγαροῦν σαρκωθείς, οὐκ ἔπαθεν: οὔτε γὰρ ἡ φύσις αὐτοῦ ἡ θεία ἐτράπη ἢ προσθήκην ἐδέξατο, οὐδὲ τὸ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ ἰδίωμα, τουτέστιν ἡ υἱότης, ἐτράπη: ἔμεινε γὰρ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου γενόμενος. Οὐκ ἔπαθεν οὖν, ἀλλ' ἐνήργησε δημιουργήσας ἑαυτῷ σάρκα ἐψυχωμένην ψυχῇ λογικῇ τε καὶ νοερᾷ καὶ δοὺς αὐτῇ ἑαυτὸν ὑπόστασιν καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ αὐτὴν ὑποστήσας. _Ἰστέον γάρ, ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς πυρώσεως δύο χρὴ ἐννοεῖν. Πεπυρῶσθαι γὰρ λέγεται τὸ πυρούμενον καθ' ἕνα μὲν τρόπον, ὅτι ὁ σίδηρος τυχὸν ἢ τὸ ξύλον εἰς πῦρ προϋφεστὼς εἰσερχόμενον λαμβάνει ἐξ αὐτοῦ πῦρ μήπω καθ' αὑτὸ προϋποστὰν καὶ γίνεται αὐτῷ ὑπόστασις (ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ τῷ ξύλῳ προϋπάρχοντι καὶ προϋφεστῶτι ὑφίσταται τὸ πῦρ, ὃ λαμβάνει ἐκ τοῦ προϋφεστῶτος πυρός) καὶ γίνεται ἡ τοῦ σιδήρου ὑπόστασις καὶ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ θεωρουμένου πυρὸς ὑπόστασις μία ὑπόστασις τοῦ τε ξύλου καὶ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ πυρός (οὐ γὰρ ὑπέστη καθ' αὑτὸ τὸ ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ πῦρ, ἀλλ' αἰτίαν τῆς ὑποστάσεως καὶ τῆς ἀναμέρος κεχωρισμένης ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν πυρῶν ὑπάρξεως καὶ συμπήξεως τὸ ξύλον ἔσχε) καὶ ἔστι μία ὑπόστασις τοῦ τε ξύλου καὶ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ὑποστάντος πυρός, προηγουμένως μὲν τοῦ ξύλου, ἑπομένως δὲ τοῦ πυρός: προϋπάρχουσα γὰρ τοῦ ξύλου μετὰ ταῦτα ἐγένετο καὶ τοῦ πυρός. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ καθ' ἕτερον τρόπον πύρωσις ὡς τοῦ πυρουμένου ξύλου δεχομένου τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἐνέργειαν: τὸ γὰρ λεπτότερον μεταδίδωσι τῷ παχυτέρῳ τῆς οἰκείας ἐνεργείας. Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς πυρώσεως τὸ ξύλον ἐστὶ τὸ πυρούμενον, καὶ λέγεται πύρωσις τοῦ ξύλου καὶ οὐ ξύλωσις τοῦ πυρός: τὸ γὰρ ξύλον προϋπάρχει τε καὶ ὑπόστασις τῷ πυρὶ γίνεται καὶ τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἐνέργειαν δέχεται. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ σάρκωσις μὲν τοῦ λόγου λέγεται ὡς τοῦ λόγου γενομένου τῇ σαρκὶ ὑποστάσεως (προϋπῆρχε γὰρ ἡ ὑπόστασις τοῦ λόγου, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ὑπέστη ἡ σάρξ), θέωσις δὲ τῆς σαρκός: αὕτη γὰρ μετέσχε τῶν τῆς θεότητος, καὶ οὐχ ἡ θεότης τῶν αὐτῆς παθῶν: διὰ γὰρ τῆς σαρκὸς ἡ θεότης ἐνήργει ὡς τὸ πῦρ διὰ τοῦ ξύλου, οὐχ ἡ σὰρξ διὰ τοῦ λόγου. Οὐκ ἔπαθε τοίνυν σαρκωθεὶς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ἐνήργησε τὴν σάρκωσιν μεταδοὺς τῇ σαρκὶ τῆς τε ὑποστάσεως καὶ τῆς θεώσεως. Θεώσεως δὲ λέγω οὐχὶ τραπείσης εἰς θεότητος φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς μεθέξεως τῆς ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς θεότητος αὐχημάτων: ἐζωοποίει γὰρ οὐ κατ' οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑνώσει τῇ πρὸς τὴν θεότητα. Καὶ ἐν Θαβὼρ ἤστραψε καὶ ἀπαστράπτει οὐ διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῆς καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἡνωμένης αὐτῇ θεότητος ἐνέργειαν, ὡς τὸ ξύλον λάμπει καὶ καίει οὐ κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φυσικὴν ἐνέργειαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἡνωμένου αὐτῷ πυρὸς τῆς ἐνεργείας μέθεξιν.