Chapter XXII.—Concerning His growth.

He is, moreover, said to grow in wisdom and age and grace807    St. Luke ii. 52., increasing in age indeed and through the increase in age manifesting the wisdom that is in Him808    Athanas., Contr. Arian., bk. iv.; Greg. Naz., Ep. I. ad Cled., and Orat. 20; Cyril, Contr. Nest., bk. iii.; Greg. Nyss., Contr. Apoll., II. 28, &c.; yea, further, making men’s progress in wisdom and grace, and the fulfilment of the Father’s goodwill, that is to say, men’s knowledge of God and men’s salvation, His own increase, and everywhere taking as His own that which is ours. But those who hold that He progressed in wisdom and grace in the sense of receiving some addition to these attributes, do not say that the union took place at the first origin of the flesh, nor yet do they give precedence to the union in subsistence, but giving heed809    Text has πείθομαι: surely it should be πειθόμενοι. to the foolish Nestorius they imagine some strange relative union and mere indwelling, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm810    1 Tim. i. 1.. For if in truth the flesh was united with God the Word from its first origin, or rather if it existed in Him and was identical in subsistence with Him, how was it that it was not endowed completely with all wisdom and grace? not that it might itself participate in the grace, nor share by grace in what belonged to the Word, but rather by reason of the union in subsistence, since both what is human and what is divine belong to the one Christ, and that He Who was Himself at once God and man should pour forth like a fountain over the universe His grace and wisdom and plenitude of every blessing.

Περὶ προκοπῆς

Προκόπτειν δὲ λέγεται «σοφίᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ καὶ χάριτι», τῇ μὲν ἡλικίᾳ αὔξων, διὰ δὲ τῆς αὐξήσεως τῆς ἡλικίας τὴν ἐνυπάρχουσαν αὐτῷ σοφίαν εἰς φανέρωσιν ἄγων, ἔτι δὲ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ χάριτι προκοπὴν καὶ τὴν τελείωσιν τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς εὐδοκίας ἤγουν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων θεογνωσίαν τε καὶ σωτηρίαν οἰκείαν προκοπὴν ποιούμενος καὶ οἰκειούμενος πανταχοῦ τὸ ἡμέτερον. Οἱ δὲ προκόπτειν αὐτὸν λέγοντες σοφίᾳ καὶ χάριτι ὡς προσθήκην τούτων δεχόμενον οὐκ ἐξ ἄκρας ὑπάρξεως τῆς σαρκὸς γεγενῆσθαι τὴν ἕνωσιν λέγουσιν οὐδὲ τὴν καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν πρεσβεύουσι, Νεστορίῳ δὲ τῷ ματαιόφρονι πειθόμενοι σχετικὴν ἕνωσιν καὶ ψιλὴν ἐνοίκησιν τερατεύονται, «μὴ γινώσκοντες, μήτε ἃ λέγουσι μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται». Εἰ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἡνώθη τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ ἡ σὰρξ ἐξ ἄκρας ὑπάρξεως, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ὑπῆρξε καὶ τὴν ὑποστατικὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔσχε ταυτότητα, πῶς οὐ τελείως κατεπλούτησε πᾶσαν σοφίαν καὶ χάριν, οὐκ αὐτὴ τῆς χάριτος μεταλαμβάνουσα οὐδὲ κατὰ χάριν τῶν τοῦ λόγου μετέχουσα, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον διὰ τὴν καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν τῶν τε ἀνθρωπίνων τῶν τε θείων τοῦ ἑνὸς Χριστοῦ γεγονότων, ἐπειδὴ ὁ αὐτὸς ἦν θεός τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωπος τὴν χάριν καὶ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν πληρότητα κόσμῳ πηγάζουσα;