Chapter VI.—Concerning the question, when Christ was called.

The mind was not united with God the Word, as some falsely assert863    See Sophr., Ep. ad Serg.; Origen, Περὶ ἀρχῶν, II. 6; Ruf., Expos. Symb., &c., before the Incarnation by the Virgin and from that time called Christ. That is the absurd nonsense of Origen864    Origen, Περὶ ἀρχῶν, bk. ii., ch. 6. who lays down the doctrine of the priority of the existence of souls. But we hold that the Son and Word of God became Christ after He had dwelt in the womb of His holy ever-virgin Mother, and became flesh without change, and that the flesh was anointed with divinity. For this is the anointing of humanity, as Gregory the Theologian says865    Orat. 36, near the end.. And here are the words of the most holy Cyril of Alexandria which he wrote to the Emperor Theodosius866    Edit. Paris, p. 25.: “For I indeed hold that one ought to give the name Jesus Christ neither to the Word that is of God if He is without humanity, nor yet to the temple born of woman if it is not united with the Word. For the Word that is of God is understood to be Christ when united with humanity in ineffable manner in the union of the œconomy867    καθ᾽ ἕνωσιν οἰκονομικήν, in the union of the Incarnation..” And again, he writes to the Empresses thus868    Edit. Paris, p. 54.: “Some hold that the name ‘Christ’ is rightly given to the Word that is begotten of God the Father, to Him alone, and regarded separately by Himself. But we have not been taught so to think and speak. For when the Word became flesh, then it was, we say, that He was called Christ Jesus. For since He was anointed with the oil of gladness, that is the Spirit, by Him Who is God and Father, He is for this reason869    Ps. xlv. 7. called Christ. But that the anointing was an act that concerned Him as man could be doubted by no one who is accustomed to think rightly.” Moreover, the celebrated Athanasius says this in his discourse “Concerning the Saving Manifestation:” “The God Who was before the sojourn in the flesh was not man, but God in God, being invisible and without passion, but when He became man, He received in addition the name of Christ because of the flesh, since, indeed, passion and death follow in the train of this name.”

And although the holy Scripture870    Ps. xlv. 7. says, Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness871    Some copies omit the last five words., it is to be observed that the holy Scripture often uses the past tense instead of the future, as for example here: Thereafter He was seen upon the earth and dwelt among men872    Bar. iii. 38.. For as yet God was not seen nor did He dwell among men when this was said. And here again: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea wept873    Ps. cxxxvii. 1.. For as yet these things had not come to pass.

Περὶ τοῦ πότε ἐκλήθη Χριστός

Οὐχ, ὥς τινες ψευδηγοροῦσι, πρὸ τῆς ἐκ παρθένου σαρκώσεως ὁ νοῦς ἡνώθη τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἐκ τότε ἐκλήθη Χριστός: τοῦτο τῶν Ὠριγένους ληρημάτων τὸ ἀπότημα προΰπαρξιν τῶν ψυχῶν δογματίσαντος. Ἡμεῖς δὲ Χριστὸν γεγενῆσθαί τε καὶ κεκλῆσθαί φαμεν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀφ' οὗ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τῆς ἁγίας ἀειπαρθένου ἐσκήνωσε καὶ σὰρξ ἀτρέπτως ἐγένετο καὶ ἐχρίσθη ἡ σὰρξ τῇ θεότητι: «χρίσις γὰρ αὕτη τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος», ὥς φησιν ὁ θεολόγος Γρηγόριος. Καὶ ὁ ἱερώτατος δὲ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων Κύριλλος πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Θεοδόσιον γράφων τάδε φησίν: «Χρῆναι γὰρ ἔγωγέ φημι μήτε τὸν ἐκ θεοῦ λόγον ἀνθρωπότητος δίχα μήτε μὴν τὸν ἐκ γυναικὸς ἀποτεχθέντα ναὸν οὐχ ἑνωθέντα τῷ λόγῳ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ὀνομάζεσθαι: ἀνθρωπότητι γὰρ καθ' ἕνωσιν οἰκονομικὴν ἀπορρήτως συνενηνεγμένος ὁ ἐκ θεοῦ λόγος νοεῖται Χριστός». Καὶ πρὸς τὰς βασιλίδας οὕτως: «Τινές φασιν, ὅτι τὸ Χριστὸς ὄνομα πρέπει καὶ μόνῳ καὶ ἰδίᾳ καθ' αὑτὸν νοουμένῳ καὶ ὑπάρχοντι, τῷ ἐκ θεοῦ πατρὸς γεννηθέντι λόγῳ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως δεδιδάγμεθα φρονεῖν ἢ λέγειν: ὅτε γὰρ γέγονε σὰρξ ὁ λόγος, τότε καὶ ὠνομάσθαι λέγομεν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κέχρισται τῷ ἐλαίῳ τῆς ἀγαλλιάσεως ἤτοι τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρός, ταύτῃ τοι Χριστὸς ὀνομάζεται. Ὅτι δὲ περὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἡ χρίσις, οὐκ ἂν ἐνδυάσειέ τις τῶν ὀρθὰ φρονεῖν εἰωθότων». Καὶ Ἀθανάσιος δὲ ὁ παναοίδιμος ἐν τῷ περὶ τῆς σωτηριώδους ἐπιφανείας ὧδέ πῃ λέγει: «Ὁ προϋπάρχων θεὸς πρὸ τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ ἐπιδημίας οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ θεὸς ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀπαθὴς ὤν: οὔτε οὖν τὸ Χριστὸς ὄνομα δίχα τῆς σαρκὸς προσάγεται, ἐπειδὴ ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ ὀνόματι τὸ πάθος καὶ ὁ θάνατος».

Εἰ δὲ ἡ θεία γραφή φησι: «Διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου», ἰστέον ὡς πολλάκις ἡ θεία γραφὴ κέχρηται τῷ παρῳχηκότι χρόνῳ ἀντὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος, ὡς τὸ «μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη» (οὔπω γὰρ ὤφθη οὐδὲ συνανεστράφη θεὸς ἀνθρώποις, ὅτε ταῦτα ἐλέγετο) καὶ τὸ «ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν» (οὔπω δὲ ταῦτα ἐγεγόνει).