[1394] Phil. ii. 7
[1395] Tract 78.
[1396] cf. p. 36. Here upostasis = person.
[1397] Severianus, like Antiochus of Ptolemais, was moved to leave his remote diocese (Gabala is now Gibili, not far south of Latakia) to try his fortunes as a popular preacher at Constantinople: There he met with success, and was kindly treated by Chrysostom, but he turned against his friend, and was a prime agent in the plots against him. The date of his death is unknown.
[1398] Cf. p. 154, note. Atticus was a determined opponent of heresy as well as of Chrysostom.
[1399] Ep. iv. Ed. Aub. V. ii. 23.
[1400] id. vi. 157.
[1401] The word in the text is the famous theotokos, the watchword of the Nestorian controversy. It may be doubtful whether either the English "Mother of God" or the Latin "Deipara" exactly represents the idea intended to be expressed by the subtler Greek. Even Nestorius did not object to the Theotokos when rightly understood. The explanation of the symbolum drawn up by Theodoret himself at Ephesus for presentation to the Emperor is "'Ena christon, hena hui& 232;n, hena kurion homologoumen. kata tauten tes asunchutou henoseos ennoian homologoumen ten hagian, parthenon theotokon, dia to ton theon logon sarkothenai kai enanthropesai kai ex autes tes sullepseos henosai heauto ton ex autes lephthenta naon." The great point sought to be asserted was, the union of the two Natures. Gregory of Nazianzus (li. 738) says Ei tis ou theotokon ten Marian hupolambanei choris esti tes Theotetos
[1402] Here Cyril adopts the terms of the document given in the preceding note.
[1403] asunchutos kai adiairetos. These adverbs recall the famous words of Hooker. Ecc. Pol. v. 54. 10. "There are but four things which concur to make complete the whole state of our Lord Jesus Christ: his Deity, his manhood, the conjunction of both, and the distinction of the one from the other being joined in one. Four principal heresies there are which have in those things withstood the truth: Arians, by bending themselves against the Deity of Christ; Apollinarians, by maiming and misinterpreting that which belongeth to his human nature; Nestorians, by rending Christ asunder, and dividing him into two persons; the followers of Eutyches, by confounding in his person those natures which they should distinguish. Against these there have been four most famous ancient general councils: the council of Nice to define against Arians; against Apollinarians the Council of Constantinople; the councilor Ephesus against Nestorians; against Eutychians the Chalcedon Council. In four words, alethos, teleos, adiairetos, asunchutos, truly, perfectly, indivisibly, distinctly; the first applied to his being God, and the second to his being Man, the third to his being of both One, and the fourth to his continuing in that one Both: we may fully by way of Abridgement comprise whatsoever antiquity hath at large handled either in declaration of Christian belief, or in refutation of the foresaid heresies. Within the compass of which four heads, I may truly affirm, that all heresies which touch but the person of Jesus Christ, whether they have risen in these later days, or in any age heretofore, may be with great facility brought to confine themselves."
[1404] Hebrews ii. 14
[1405] John i. 14
[1406] John v. 19
[1407] Ps. cx. 1
[1408] Acts ii. 34
[1409] Dan. vii. 10
[1410] Acts ii. 35
[1411] Phil. iii. 21
[1412] John xvii. 5
Dialogue III.--The Impassible.
Orthodoxus and Eranistes.
Orth.--In our former discussions we have proved that God the Word is immutable, and became incarnate not by being changed into flesh, but by taking perfect human nature. The divine Scripture, and the teachers of the churches and luminaries of the world have clearly taught us that, after the union, He remained as He was, unmixed, impassible, unchanged, uncircumscribed; and that He preserved unimpaired the nature which He had taken. For the future then the subject before us is that of His passion, and it will be a very profitable one, for thence have been brought to us the waters of salvation.
Eran.--I am also of opinion that this discourse will be beneficial. I shall not however consent to our former method, but I propose myself to ask questions.
Orth.--And I will answer, without making any objection to the change of method. He who has truth on his side, not only when he questions but also when he is questioned, is supported by the might of the truth. Ask then what you will.
Eran.--Who, according to your view, suffered the passion?
Orth.--Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eran.--Then a man gave us our salvation.
Orth.--No; for have we confessed that our Lord Jesus Christ was only man?
Eran.--Now define what you believe Christ to be.
Orth.--Incarnate Son of the living God.
Eran.--And is the Son of God God?
Orth.--God, having the same substance as the God Who begat Him.
Eran.--Then God underwent the passion.
Orth.--If He was nailed to the cross without a body, apply the passion to the Godhead; but if he was made man by taking flesh, why then do you exempt the passible from the passion and subject the impassible to it?
Eran.--But the reason why He took flesh was that the impassible might undergo the passion by means of the passible.
Orth.--You say impassible and apply passion to Him.
Eran.--I said that He took flesh to suffer.
Orth.--If He had had a nature capable of the Passion He would have suffered without flesh; so the flesh becomes superfluous.
Eran.--The divine nature is immortal, and the nature of the flesh mortal, so the immortal was united with the mortal, that through it He might taste of death.
Orth.--That which is by nature immortal does not undergo death, even when conjoined with the mortal; this is easy to see.
Eran.--Prove it; and remove the difficulty.
Orth.--Do you assert that the human soul was immortal, or mortal?
Eran.--Immortal.
Orth.--And is the body mortal or immortal?
Eran.--Indubitably mortal.
Orth.--And do we say that man consists of these natures?
Eran.--Yes.
Orth.--So the immortal is conjoined with the mortal?
Eran.--True.
Orth.--But when the connexion or union is at an end, the mortal submits to the law of death, while the soul remains immortal though sin has introduced death, or do you not hold death to be a penalty?
Eran.--So divine Scripture teaches. For we learn that when God forbade Adam to partake of the tree of knowledge He added "on the day that ye eat thereof ye shall surely die." [1413]
Orth.--Then death is the punishment of them that have sinned?
Eran.--Agreed.
Orth.--Why then, when soul and body have both sinned together, does the body alone undergo the punishment of death?
Eran.--It was the body that cast its evil eye upon the tree, and stretched forth its hands, and plucked the forbidden fruit. It was the mouth that bit it with the teeth, and ground it small, and then the gullet committed it to the belly, and the belly digested it, and delivered it to the liver; and the liver turned what it had received into blood and passed it on to the hollow vein [1414] and the vein to the adjacent parts and they through the rest, and so the theft of the forbidden food pervaded the whole body. Very properly then the body alone underwent the punishment of sin.
Orth.--You have given us a physiological disquisition on the nature of food, on all the parts that it goes through and on the modifications to which it is subject before it is assimilated with the body. But there is one point that you have refused to observe, and that is that the body goes through none of these processes which you have mentioned without the soul. When bereft of the soul which is its yoke mate the body lies breathless, voiceless, motionless; the eye sees neither wrong nor aright; no sound of voices reaches the ears, the hands cannot stir; the feet cannot walk; the body is like an instrument without music. How then can you say that only the body sinned when the body without the soul cannot even take a breath?
Eran.--The body does indeed receive life from the soul, and it furnishes the soul with the penal possession of sin.
Orth.--How, and in what manner?
Eran.--Through the eyes it makes it see amiss; through the ears it makes it hear unprofitable sounds; and through the tongue utter injurious words, and through all the other parts act ill.
Orth.--Then I suppose we may say Blessed are the deaf; blessed are they that have lost their sight and have been deprived of their other faculties, for the souls of men so incapacitated have neither part nor lot in the wickedness of the body. And why, O most sagacious sir, have you mentioned those functions of the body which are culpable, and said nothing about the laudable? It is possible to look with eyes of love and of kindliness; it is possible to wipe away a tear of compunction, to hear oracles of God, to bend the ear to the poor, to praise the Creator with the tongue, to give good lessons to our neighbour, to move the hand in mercy, and in a word to use the parts of the body for complete acquisition of goodness.
Eran.--This is all true.
Orth.--Therefore the observance and transgression of law is common to both soul and body.
Eran.--Yes.
Orth.--It seems to me that the soul takes the leading part in both, since it uses reasoning before the body acts.
Eran.--In what sense do you say this?
Orth.--First of all the mind makes, as it were, a sketch of virtue or of vice, and then gives to one or the other form with appropriate material and colour, using for its instruments the parts of the body.
Eran.--So it seems.
Orth.--If then the soul sins with the body; nay rather takes the lead in the sin, for to it is entrusted the bridling and direction of the animal part, why, as it shares the sin, does it not also share the punishment?
Eran.--But how were it possible for the immortal soul to share death?
Orth.--Yet it were just that after sharing the transgression, it should share the chastisement.
Eran.--Yes, just.
Orth.--But it did not do so.
Eran.--Certainly not.
Orth.--At least in the life to come it will be sent with the body to Gehenna.
Eran.--So He said "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." [1415]
Orth.--Therefore in this life it escapes death, as being immortal; in the life to come, it will be punished, not by undergoing death, but by suffering chastisement in life.
Eran.--That is what the divine Scripture says.
Orth.--It is then impossible for the immortal nature to undergo death.
Eran.--So it appears.
Orth.--How then do you say, God the Word tasted death? For if that which was created immortal is seen to be incapable of becoming mortal, how is it possible for him that is without creation and eternally immortal, Creator of mortal and immortal natures alike, to partake of death?
Eran.--We too know that His nature is immortal, but we say that He shared death in the flesh.
Orth.--But we have plainly shewn that it is in no wise possible for that which is by nature immortal to share death, for even the soul created together with, and conjoined with, the body and sharing in its sin, does not share death with it, on account of the immortality of its nature alone. But let us look at this same position from another point of view.
Eran.--There is every reason why we should leave no means untried to arrive at the truth.
Orth.--Let us then examine the matter thus. Do we assert that of virtue and vice some are teachers and some are followers?
Eran.--Yes.
Orth.--And do we say that the teacher of virtue deserves greater recompense?
Eran.--Certainly.
Orth.--And similarly the teacher of vice deserves twofold and threefold punishment?
Eran.--True.
Orth.--And what part shall we assign to the devil, that of teacher or disciple?
Eran.--Teacher of teachers, for he himself is father and teacher of all iniquity.
Orth.--And who of men became his first disciples?
Eran.--Adam and Eve.
Orth.--And who received the sentence of death?
Eran.--Adam and all his race.
Orth.--Then the disciples were punished for the bad lessons they had learnt, but the teacher, whom we have just declared to deserve two-fold and three-fold chastisement, got off the punishment?
Eran.--Apparently.
Orth.--And though this so came about we both acknowledge and declare that the Judge is just.
Eran.--Certainly.
Orth.--But, being just, why did He not exact an account from him of his evil teaching?
Eran.--He prepared for him the unquenchable flame of Gehenna, for, He says, "Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." [1416] And the reason why he did not here share death with his disciples is because he has an immortal nature.
Orth.--Then even the greatest transgressors cannot incur death if they have an immortal nature.
Eran.--Agreed.
Orth.--If then even the very inventor and teacher of iniquity did not incur death on account of the immortality of his nature, do you not shudder at the thought of saying that the fount of immortality and righteousness shared death?