Eran.--Do not bring me men of obscure position or doubtful doctrine. I shall not receive the interpretation of such as these.
Orth.--Does the far famed Athanasius, brightest light of the church of Alexandria, seem to you to be worthy of credit?
Eran.--Certainly, for he ratified his teaching by the suffering he underwent for the Truth's sake.
Orth.--Hear then how he wrote to Epictetus. [1081] "The expression of John the Word was made flesh' has this interpretation, so far as can be discovered from the similar passage which we find in St. Paul Christ was made a curse for us.' [1082] It is not because He was made a curse but because He received the curse on our behalf that He is said to have been made a curse, and so it is not because He was turned into flesh, but because He took flesh on our behalf, that He is said to have been made flesh." So far the divine Athanasius. Gregory, too, whose glory among all men is great, who formerly ruled the Imperial city at the mouth of the Bosphorus and afterwards dwelt at Nazianzus, thus wrote to Cledonius against the specious fallacies of Apollinarius.
Eran.--He was an illustrious man and a foremost fighter in the cause of piety.
Orth.--Hear him then. He says [1083] "the expression He was made Flesh' seems to be parallel to His being said to have been made sin and a curse, [1084] not because the Lord was transmuted into these,--for how could He?--but because He accepted these when He took on Him our iniquities and bore our infirmities." [1085]
Eran.--The two interpretations agree.
Orth.--We have shown you the pastors of the south and north in harmony; now then let us introduce too the illustrious teachers of the west, who have written their interpretation, if with another tongue, yet with one and the same mind.
Eran.--I am told that Ambrosius, who adorned the episcopal throne at Milan, fought in the first ranks against all heresy, and wrote works of great beauty and in agreement with the teaching of the apostles.
Orth.--I will give you his interpretation. Ambrosius says in his work concerning the faith "It is written that the Word was made flesh. I do not deny that it is written, but look at the terms used; for there follows and dwelt among us,' that is to say dwelt in human flesh. You are therefore astonished at the terms in which it is written that the Word was made flesh, on the assumption of flesh, by the divine Word, when also concerning sin which He had not, it is said that He was made sin, that is to say not that He was made the nature and operation of sin, but that he might crucify our sin in the flesh; let them then give over asserting that the nature of the Word has undergone change and alteration, for He who took is one and that which was taken other."
It is now fitting that you should hear the teachers of the east, this being the only quarter of the east, this being the only quarter of the world which we have hitherto left unnoticed, though they indeed might well have first witnessed to the truth, for to them was first imparted the teaching of the apostles. But since you have sharpened your tongues against the first-born sons of piety by whetting them on the hone of falsehood, we have reserved for them the last place, that after first hearing the rest, you might lay witness by the side of witness, and so at once admire their harmony, and cease from your own interminable talk. Listen then to Flavianus who for a long time right wisely moved the tiller of the church of Antioch, and made the churches which he guided ride safe over the Arian storm, by expounding to them the word of the gospel. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; He is not turned into flesh, nor yet did he cease from being God, for this he was from all eternity and became flesh in the dispensation of the incarnation [1087] after himself building his own temple, and taking up his abode in the passible creature." And if you desire to hear the ancients of Palestine, lend your ears to the admirable Gelasius, who did diligent husbandry in the church of Cæsarea. Now these are his words in his homily on the festival of the Lord's epiphany. [1088] "Learn the truth from the words of John the Fisherman, And the word was made flesh,' not having himself undergone change, but having taken up his abode with us. The dwelling is one thing; the Word is another; the temple is one thing, and God who dwells in it, another."
Eran.--I am much struck by the agreement.
Orth.--Now do you not suppose that the rule of the apostolic faith was kept by John, who first nobly watered the field of the church of the Antiochenes, and then was a wise husbandman of that of the imperial city?
Eran.--I hold this teacher to be in all respects an admirable one.
Orth.--Well, this most excellent man has interpreted this passage of the Gospel. He writes, [1089] "When you hear that the Word was made flesh, be not startled or cast down, for the substance did not deteriorate into flesh--an idea of the uttermost impiety--but continuing to be just what it is, so took the form of a servant. For just as when the apostle says Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,' [1090] he does not say that the substance of Christ departed from His own glory, and took the substance of a curse, a position which not even devils would imagine, nor the utterly senseless, and the naturally idiotic--so remarkable being the connection between impiety and insanity. But what he does assert is that after receiving the curse due to us, He does not suffer us to be cursed for the future. It is in this sense that He is stated to have been made flesh, not because he had changed the substance into flesh, but because he had assumed the flesh, the substance remaining all the while unimpaired." [1091]
You may like to hear also Severianus, Bishop of Gabala. [1092] If so, I will adduce his testimony and do you lend your ears.
"The text the Word was made flesh' does not indicate a deterioration of nature but the assumption of our nature. Suppose you take the word was made' to indicate a change; then when you hear Paul saying Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,' do you understand him to mean a change into the nature of a curse? Just as being made a curse had no other meaning than that He took our curse upon Himself, so the words was made flesh and dwelt among us mean nothing other than the assumption of flesh."
Eran.--I admire the exact agreement [1093] of these men. For they are as unanimous in giving the same interpretations of evangelical writings as if they had met in the same place and written down their opinion together.
Orth.--Mountains and seas separate them very far from one another, yet distance does not damage their harmony, for they were all inspired by the same gift of the spirit. I would also have offered you the interpretations of the victorious champions of piety Diodorus and Theodorus, had I not seen that you were ill disposed towards them, and had inherited the hostility of Apollinarius; you would have seen that they have expressed similar experiences, drawing water from the divine Fount, and becoming themselves too, streams of the spirit. But I will pass them by, for you have declared a truceless war against them. I will, however, shew you the famous teacher of the Church, and his mind about the divine incarnation, that you may know what opinion he held concerning the assumed nature. You have no doubt heard of the illustrious Ignatius, who received episcopal grace by the hand of the great Peter, [1094] and after ruling the church of Antioch, wore the crown of martyrdom. You have heard too of Irenæus, who enjoyed the teaching of Polycarp, and became a light of the western Gauls;--of Hippolytus and Methodius, bishops and martyrs, and the rest, whose names I will append to their expressions of opinion.
Eran.--I am exceedingly desirous of hearing their testimony too.
Orth.--Hear them now bringing forward the apostolic teaching. Testimony of Saint Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, and martyr.
From the letter to the Smyrnæans (I.):--
"Having a full conviction with respect to our Lord as being truly descended from David according to the flesh, son of God according to Godhead [1095] and power, born really of a virgin, baptized by John that all righteousness might be fulfilled [1096] by Him, really in the time of Pontius Pilate and of Herod the tetrarch crucified for our sake in the flesh." [1097]
Of the same in the same epistle:--
"For what advantageth it me if a man praises me but blasphemes my Lord, in not confessing him to be a bearer of flesh? but he who does not make this confession really denies Him and is himself bearer of a corpse."
Of the same from the same epistle:--
"For if these things were done by our Lord in appearance only, then it is in appearance only that I am a prisoner in chains; and why have I delivered myself to death, to fire, to sword, to the beasts? But he who is near to the sword is near to God. [1099] Only in the name of Jesus Christ that I may share his sufferings I endure all things while He, Perfect Man whom some in their ignorance deny, gives me strength."
From the same in the letter to the Ephesians:--
"For our God Jesus Christ was born in Mary's womb by dispensation of God of the seed of David [1101] and of the Holy Ghost who was born and was baptized that our mortality might be purified." [1102]
From the same epistle:--
"If ye all individually come together by grace name by name in one faith, and in one Jesus Christ according to the flesh of David's race Son of God and Son of man. [1103]
Of the same from the same epistle:--
"There is one Physician of flesh and of spirit generate and ingenerate, God in man, true life in death, Son of Mary and of God, first passible and then impassible, Jesus Christ our Lord." [1104]
Lastly of the same in his epistle to the Trallians:--
"Be ye made deaf therefore when any man speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ, who was of David's race and of Mary, who was really born and really ate and drank and was persecuted in the time of Pontius Pilate, was crucified and died, while beings on earth and beings in heaven and beings under the earth were looking on." [1105]
Testimony of Irenæus bishop of Lyons, from his third book Against the heresies:--
"Why then did they add the words In the city of David,' [1106] save to proclaim the good news that the promise made by God to David, that of the fruit of his loins should come an everlasting king, was fulfilled; a promise which indeed the Creator of the world had made." [1107]
Of the same from the same book:--
"And when he says Hear ye now, Oh House of David' [1108] he means that the everlasting King whom God promised to David that he would raise up from his body is He who was born of David's Virgin."
Of the same from the same book:--
"If then the first Adam had had a human father and had been begotten of seed, it would have been reasonable to say that the second Adam had been begotten of Joseph. But if the former was taken from earth, and his creator was God, it was necessary also that He who renews in himself the man created by God should have the same likeness of generation with that former. Why then did not God again take dust? Why did he on the other hand ordain that the formation should be made of Mary? That there might be no other creation; that that which was being saved might be no other thing; but that the former might himself be renewed without loss of the likeness. For then do they too fall away who allege that He took nothing from the Virgin, that they may repudiate the inheritance of the flesh and cast off the likeness."
Of the same from the same book:--
"Since his going down into Mary is useless; for why went He down into her if He was designed to take nothing from her? And further, if He had taken nothing from Mary He would not have accepted the food taken from earth whereby is nourished the body taken from earth, nor would He like Moses and Elias, after fasting forty days, have hungered, on account of His body demanding its own food, nor yet would John his disciple when writing about him have said--Jesus being wearied from his journey sat,' [1110] nor would David have uttered the prediction about him And they added to the pain of my wounds,' [1111] nor would he have wept over Lazarus, [1112] nor would He have sweated drops of blood, [1113] nor would He have said, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful,' [1114] nor yet when He was pierced would blood and water have issued from His side. [1115] For all these things are proofs of the flesh taken from earth, which He had renewed in Himself in the salvation of his own creature."