and the body, even at our Lord's death, and that His subsistence continued one. Since our Lord Jesus Christ was without sin (for He committed no sin, He Who took away the sin of the world, nor was there any deceit found in His mouth) He was not subject to death, since death came into the world through sin 7. He dies, therefore, because He took on Himself death on our behalf, and He makes Himself an offering to the Father for our sakes. For we had sinned against Him, and it was meet that He should receive the ransom for us, and that we should thus be delivered from the condemnation. God forbid that the blood of the Lord should have been offered to the tyrant. Wherefore death approaches, and swallowing up the body as a bait is transfixed on the hook of divinity, and after tasting of a sinless and life-giving body, perishes, and brings up again all whom of old he swallowed up. For just as darkness disappears on the introduction of light, so is death repulsed before the assault of life, and brings life to all, but death to the de strover. Wherefore, although 9 He died as man and His Holy Spirit was severed from His immaculate body, yet His divinity remained inseparable from both, I mean, from His soul and His body, and so even thus His one hypostasis was not divided into two hypostases. For body and soul received simultaneously in the beginning their being in the subsistence 9a of the Word, and although they were severed from one another by death, yet they continued, cach of them, having the one subsistence of the Word. So that the one subsistence of the Word is alike the subsist ence of the Word, and of soul and body. For at no time had either soul or body a separate subsistence of their own, different from that of the Word, and the subsistence of the Word is for ever one, and at no time So that the subsistence of Christ is always one. For, although the soul was separated from the body topically, yet hypostatically they were united through the Word. two. as hunger, thirst, weariness, the piercing with nails, death, that is, the separation of soul and body, and so forth. In this sense we say that our Lord's body was subject to corruption. For He voluntarily accepted all these things. But corruption means also the complete resolution of the body into its constituent elements, and its utter disappearance, which is spoken of by many preferably as destruction. The body of our Lord did not experience this form of corruption, as the prophet David says, For Thou will not leave y soul in hell, neither wiit Thou suffer Thine holy one to see corruption 3. But Wherefore to say, with that foolish Julianus and Gaïanus, that our Lord's body was incorruptible, in the first sense of the word, before His resurrection is impious. For if it were incorruptible it was not really, but only apparently, of the same essence as ours, and what the Gospel tells us happened, viz. the hunger, the thirst, the nails, the wound in His side, the death, did not actually occur. if they only apparently happened, then the mystery of the dispensation is an imposture and a sham, and He became man only in appearance, and not in actual fact, and we are saved only in appearance, and not in actual fact. But God forbid, and may those who so say have no part in the salvation. But we have obtained and shall obtain the true salvation. But in the second meaning of the word "corruption," we confess that our Lord's body is incorruptible, that is, indestructible, for such is the tradition of the inspired Fathers. Indeed, after the resurrection of our Saviour from the dead, we say that our Lord's body is incorruptible even in the first sense of the word. For our Lord by His own body bestowed the gifts both of resurrection and of subsequent incorruption even on our own body, He Himself having become to us the firstfruits both of resurrec tion and incorruption, and of passionlessness 5. For as the divine Apostle says, This corruptible must put on incorruption 6. CHAPTER I. BOOK IV. understand the right hand of the Father to be the glory and honour of the Godhead Concerning what followed the Resurrection. in which the Son of God, who existed as God After Christ was risen from the dead He before the ages, and is of like essence to the laid aside all His passions, I mean His cor- Father, amd in the end became flesh, has ruption or hunger or thirst or sleep or weari- a seat in the body, His flesh sharing in the ness or such like. For, although He did glory. For He along with His flesh is adored taste food after the resurrection', yet He did with one adoration by all creation 4. not do so because it was a law of His nature (for He felt no hunger), but in the way of œconomy, in order that He might convince us of the reality of the resurrection, and that In reply to those who says, "If Christ has two CHAPTER III. natures, either ye do service to the creature in worshipping created nature, or ye say that there is one nature to be worshipped, and another not to be worshipped." it was one and the same flesh which suffered and rose again 2. But He laid aside none of the divisions of His nature, neither body nor spirit, but possesses both the body and the soul intelligent and reasonable, volitional Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit and energetic, and in this wise He sits at we worship the Son of God, Who was incorthe right hand of the Father, using His will poreal before He took on humanity, and now both as God and as man in behalf of our in His own person is incarnate and has besalvation, energising in His divine capacity come man though still being also God. His to provide for and maintain and govern flesh, then, in its own nature 6, if one were to all things, and remembering in His human make subtle mental distinctions between what capacity the time He spent on earth, while is seen and what is thought, is not deserving all the time He both sees and knows that of worship since it is created. But as it is He is adored by all rational creation. For united with God the Word, it is worshipped His Holy Spirit knows that He is one in on account of Him and in Him. For just substance with God the Word, and shares as the king deserves homage alike when unas Spirit of God and not simply as Spirit the robed and when robed, and just as the purple worship accorded to Him. Moreover, His robe, considered simply as a purple robe, ascent from earth to heaven, and again, His is trampled upon and tossed about, but after descent from heaven to earth, are manifestations of the energies of His circumscribed body. For He shall so come again to you, saith he, in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven 3. becoming the royal dress receives all honour and glory, and whoever dishonours it is generally condemned to death: and again, just as wood in itself 7 is not of such a nature that it cannot be touched, but becomes so when fire is applied to it, and it becomes charcoal, and yet this is not because of its own nature, but because of the fire united to it, and the nature of the wood is not such as cannot be touched, but rather the charcoal or burning wood: so also the flesh, in its own nature, is not to be worshipped, but is worshipped in the incarnate God Word, not because of itself, but because of its union in subsistence with God the Word. And we do not say that 4 Athan. Jun., p. 45, ad Ant.; Basil, De Spiritu Sancto, ch. 6. 5 Against the Apollinarians, &c. Cf. Greg. Nas, Ep. ad Cled., 11. 6 Athan., bk. i., Cont. Apoll. Epist. ad Adelph. Epiphan. Ancor.. 51. 7 A simile much used by the Fathers: cf. supr., bk. iii., ch. 8. we worship mere flesh, but God's flesh, that Himself the firstfruits of our resurrection, is, God incarnate. CHAPTER IV. Why it was the Son of God, and not the Father or the Spirit, that became man: and what having become man He achieved. The Father is Father and not Son 9: the Son is Son and not Father: the Holy Spirit is Spirit and not Father or Son. For the individuality 9 is unchangeable. How, indeed, could individuality continue to exist at all if it were ever changing and altering? Wherefore the Son of God became Son of Man in order that His individuality might endure. For since He was the Son of God, He became Son of Man, being made flesh of the holy Virgin and not losing the individuality of Sonship 1. and might renovate the useless and worn vessel calling us to the knowledge of God that He might redeem us from the tyranny of the devil, and might strengthen and teach us how to overthrow the tyrant through patience and humility 4. The worship of demons then has ceased: creation has been sanctified by the divine blood: altars and temples of idols have been overthrown, the knowledge of God has been implanted in men's minds, the co-essential Trinity, the uncreate divinity, one true God, Creator and Lord of all receives men's service: virtues are cultivated, the hope of resurrection has been granted through the resurrection of Christ, the demons shudder at those men who of old were under their subjection. And the marvel, indeed, is that all this has been successfully brought about through His Further, the Son of God became man, in cross and passion and death. Throughout order that He might again bestow on man all the earth the Gospel of the knowledge that favour for the sake of which He created of God has been preached, no wars or him. For He created him after His own weapons or armies being used to rout the image, endowed with intellect and free-will, enemy, but only a few, naked, poor, illiterate, and after His own likeness, that is to say, persecuted and tormented men, who with perfect in all virtue so far as it is possible for their lives in their hands, preached Him Who man's nature to attain perfection. For the was crucified in the flesh and died, and who following properties are, so to speak, marks became victors over the wise and powerful. of the divine nature: viz. absence of care and For the omnipotent power of the Cross acdistraction and guile, goodness, wisdom, jus- companied them. Death itself, which once tice, freedom from all vice. So then, after was man's chiefest terror, has been overthrown, He had placed man in communion with Him- and now that which was once the object of self (for having made him for incorruption 2, hate and loathing is preferred to life. These He led him up through communion with are the achievements of Christ's presence: Himself to incorruption), and when more- these are the tokens of His power. For it over, through the transgression of the com- was not one people that He saved, as when mand we had confused and obliterated the through Moses He divided the sea and demarks of the divine image, and had become livered Israel out of Egypt and the bondage evil, we were stripped of our communion with God (for what communion hath light with darkness 3?): and having been shut out from life we became subject to the corruption of death: yea, since He gave us to share in the better part, and we did not keep it secure, He shares in the inferior part, I mean our own nature, in order that through Himself and in Himself He might renew that which was made after His image and likeness, and might teach us, too, the conduct of a virtuous life, making through Himself the way thither easy for us, and might by the communication of life deliver us from corruption, becoming of Pharaoh 5; nay, rather He rescued all mankind from the corruption of death and the bitter tyranny of sin: not leading them by force to virtue, not overwhelming them with earth or burning them with fire, or ordering the sinners to be stoned, but persuading men by gentleness and long-suffering to choose virtue and vie with one another, and find pleasure in the struggle to attain it. For, formerly, it was sinners who were persecuted, and yet they clung all the closer to sin, and sin was looked upon by them as their God: but now for the sake of piety and virtue men choose persecutions and crucifixions and all these good gifts? For all are Thine, and Thou askest naught from us save our salvation, Thou Who Thyself art the Giver of this, and yet art grateful to those who receive it, through Thy unspeakable goodness. Thanks be to Thee Who gave us life, and granted us the grace of a happy life, and restored us to that, when we had gone astray, through Thy unspeakable condescension. CHAPTER V. ineffable manner in the union of the economy 2." And again, he writes to the Empresses thus 3: "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, In reply to those who ask if Christ's subsistence by Him Who is God and Father, He is for is create or uncreate. The subsistence of God the Word before the Incarnation was simple and uncompound, and incorporeal and uncreate: but after it became flesh, it became also the subsistence of the flesh, and became compounded of divinity which it always possessed, and of flesh which it had assumed: and it bears the properties of the two natures, being made known in two natures: so that the one same subsistence is both uncreate in divinity and create in humanity, visible and invisible. For otherwise we are compelled either to divide the one Christ and speak of two subsistences, or to deny the distinction between the natures and thus introduce change and confusion. CHAPTER VI. Concerning the question, when Christ was called. The mind was not united with God the Word, as some falsely assert 7, before the Incarnation by the Virgin and from that time called Christ. That is the absurd nonsense of Origen, 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 evervirgin 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 says 9. And here are the words of the most holy Cyril of Alexandria which he wrote to the Emperor Theodosius: "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 this reason 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 Scripture says, Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness 5, 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 men. 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 we wept 7. For as yet these things had not come to pass. CHAPTER VII. In answer to those who enquire whether the holy Mother of God bore two natures, and whether two natures hung upon the Cross. ἀγένητον and γενητόν, written with one ‘, δ and meaning uncreated and created, refer to nature: but ayévvŋtov and yevŋtóv, that is to say, unbegotten and begotten, as the double indicates, refer not to nature but to subsistence. The divine nature then is ἀγένητος, that is to say, uncreate, but all things that come after the divine nature are yén a, that is, created. In the divine and uncreated nature, therefore, the property of being ȧyévvnτov or unbegotten is contemplated in the Father (for He was not begotten), that of being yévvnrov or begotten in the Son (for He has been eternally begotten of the Father), |