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| Regarding the things said concerning Christ.
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Chapter
XVIII.—Regarding the things said concerning
Christ.
The things said concerning Christ fall into four
generic modes. For some fit Him even before the incarnation,
others in the union, others after the union, and others after the
resurrection. Also of those that refer to the period before the
incarnation there are six modes: for some of them declare the
union of nature and the identity in essence with the Father, as this,
I and My Father are one2535
: also
this, He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father2536
: and this, Who being in the
form of God2537
, and so
forth. Others declare the perfection of subsistence, as these,
Son of God, and the Express Image of His person2538
, and Messenger of great counsel,
Wonderful Counsellor2539
, and the
like.
Again, others declare the indwelling2540
of the subsistences in one another, as,
I am in the Father and the Father in Me2541
; and the inseparable foundation2542
| 2542 τὴν
ἀνεκφοίτητον
ἵδρυσιν. | , as, for instance, the Word, Wisdom,
Power, Effulgence. For the word is inseparably established in the
mind (and it is the essential mind that I mean), and so also is wisdom,
and power in him that is powerful, and effulgence in the light, all
springing forth from these2543
| 2543 Cyril,
Thes., bk. xxxiv., p. 341. | .
And others make known the fact of His origin from
the Father as cause, for instance My Father is greater than
I2544
. For from Him He derives both His
being and all that He has2545
| 2545 Greg.
Naz., Orat. 36, and other Greeks. | : His being
was by generative and not by creative means, as, I came forth from
the Father and am come2546
, and I live
by the Father2547
. But
all that He hath is not His by free gift or by teaching, but in a
causal sense, as, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He
seeth the Father do2548
. For if
the Father is not, neither is the Son. For the Son is of the
Father and in the Father and with the Father, and not after2549
| 2549 Text, μετά. Various reading,
κατά. | the Father. In like manner also what
He doeth is of Him and with Him. For there is one and the same,
not similar but the same, will and energy and power in the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
Moreover, other things are said as though the
Father’s good-will was fulfilled2550
| 2550 Text, πληρούμενα.
Variant, πληρουμένης. |
through His energy, and not as through an instrument or a servant, but
as through His essential and hypostatic Word and Wisdom and Power,
because but one action2551
is observed in
Father and Son, as for example, All things were made by
Him2552
, and He sent
His Word and healed them2553
, and That they
may believe that Thou hast sent Me2554
.
Some, again, have a prophetic sense, and of these
some are in the future tense: for instance, He shall come
openly2555
, and this from
Zechariah, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee2556
, and this from Micah, Behold, the Lord
cometh out of His place and will come down and tread upon the high
places of the earth2557
. But
others, though future, are put in the past tense, as, for instance,
This is our God: Therefore He was seen upon the earth and
dwelt among men2558
, and The Lord
created me in the beginning of His ways for His works2559
, and Wherefore God, thy God, anointed
thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows2560
, and such like.
The things said, then, that refer to the period before
the union will be applicable to Him even after the union: but
those that refer to the period after the union will not be applicable
at all before the union, unless indeed in a prophetic sense, as we
said. Those that refer to the time of the union have three
modes. For when our discourse deals with the higher aspect, we
speak of the deification of the flesh, and His assumption of the Word
and exceeding exaltation, and so forth, making manifest the riches that
are added to the flesh from the union and natural conjunction with the
most high God the Word. And when our discourse deals with the
lower aspect, we speak of the incarnation of God the Word, His becoming
man, His emptying of Himself, His poverty, His humility. For
these and such like are imposed upon the Word and God through His admixture with
humanity. When again we keep both sides in view at the same time,
we speak of union, community, anointing, natural conjunction,
conformation and the like. The former two modes, then, have their
reason in this third mode. For through the union it is made clear
what either has obtained from the intimate junction with and permeation
through the other. For through the union2561
| 2561 Greg. Naz.,
Orat. 39. |
in subsistence the flesh is said to be deified and to become God and to
be equally God with the Word; and God the Word is said to be made
flesh, and to become man, and is called creature and last2562
: not in the sense that the two
natures are converted into one compound nature (for it is not possible
for the opposite natural qualities to exist at the same time in one
nature)2563
| 2563 Supr. bk.
iii., ch. 2. | , but in the
sense that the two natures are united in subsistence and permeate one
another without confusion or transmutation. The
permeation2564
| 2564 Or,
inhabitation, mutual indwelling. | moreover did not
come of the flesh but of the divinity: for it is impossible that
the flesh should permeate through the divinity: but the divine
nature once permeating through the flesh gave also to the flesh the
same ineffable power of permeation2565
; and this
indeed is what we call union.
Note, too, that in the case of the first and second
modes of those that belong to the period of the union, reciprocation is
observed. For when we speak about the flesh, we use the terms
deification and assumption of the Word and exceeding exaltation and
anointing. For these are derived from divinity, but are observed
in connection with the flesh. And when we speak about the Word,
we use the terms emptying, incarnation, becoming man, humility and the
like: and these, as we said, are imposed on the Word and God
through the flesh. For He endured these things in person of His
own free-will.
Of the things that refer to the period after the
union there are three modes. The first declares His divine
nature, as, I am in the Father and the Father in Me2566
, and I and the Father are
one2567
: and all
those things which are affirmed of Him before His assumption of
humanity, these will be affirmed of Him even after His assumption of
humanity, with this exception, that He did not assume the flesh and its
natural properties.
The second declares His human nature, as, Now
ye seek to kill Me, a man that hath told you the truth2568
| 2568 Ibid. vii. 19; viii. 40. | , and Even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up2569
, and the
like.
Further, of the statements made and written about
Christ the Saviour after the manner of men, whether they deal with
sayings or actions, there are six modes. For some of them were
done or said naturally in accordance with the incarnation; for
instance, His birth from a virgin, His growth and progress with age,
His hunger, thirst, weariness, fear, sleep, piercing with nails, death
and all such like natural and innocent passions2570
| 2570 Vide
supr., bk. iii., ch. 21, 22, 23. | . For in all these there is a
mixture of the divine and human, although they are held to belong in
reality to the body, the divine suffering none of these, but procuring
through them our salvation.
Others are of the nature of ascription2571
| 2571 προσποίησις, feigning. | , as Christ’s question, Where
have ye laid Lazarus2572
?
His running to the fig-tree, His shrinking, that is, His drawing back,
His praying, and His making as though He would have gone
further2573
For neither as God nor as man was He in need of these or similar
things, but only because His form was that of a man as necessity and
expediency demanded2574
| 2574 Greg. Naz.,
Orat. 36. | . For
example, the praying was to shew that He is not opposed to God, for He
gives honour to the Father as the cause of Himself2575
: and the question was not put in
ignorance but to shew that He is in truth man as well as God2576
| 2576 Text, μετὰ τοῦ
εἶναι Θεός.
Variant, μεῖναι. | ; and the drawing back is to teach us
not to be impetuous nor to give ourselves up.
Others again are said in the manner of association
and relation2577
| 2577 οἰκείωσις
καὶ
ἀναφορά. | , as, My
God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me2578
? and He hath made Him to be
sin for us, Who knew no sin2579
, and
being made a curse for us2580
; also, Then
shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things
under Him2581
For neither as God nor as man2582
| 2582 Greg. Naz.,
Orat. 36. | was He ever
forsaken by the Father, nor did He become sin or a curse, nor did He
require to be made subject to the Father. For as God He is equal
to the Father and not opposed to Him nor subjected to Him; and as God,
He was never at any time disobedient to His Begetter to make it
necessary for Him to make Him subject2583
. Appropriating, then, our person
and ranking Himself with us, He used these words. For we are
bound in the fetters of sin and the curse as faithless and disobedient,
and therefore forsaken.
Others are said by reason of distinction in
thought. For if you divide in thought things that are inseparable
in actual truth, to cut the flesh from the Word, the terms ‘servant’ and
‘ignorant’ are used of Him, for indeed He was of a subject
and ignorant nature, and except that it was united with God the Word,
His flesh was servile and ignorant2584
| 2584 Supr., bk.
iii. ch. 21. | . But
because of the union in subsistence with God the Word it was neither
servile nor ignorant. In this way, too, He called the Father His
God.
Others again are for the purpose of revealing Him
to us and strengthening our faith, as, And now, O Father, glorify
Thou Me with the glory which I had with Thee, before the world
was2585
. For He
Himself was glorified and is glorified, but His glory was not
manifested nor confirmed to us. Also that which the apostle said,
Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead2586
. For by the miracles and the
resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit it was manifested and
confirmed to the world that He is the Son of God2587
| 2587 Chrysost.,
Hom. 1 in Epist. ad Rom., and others. | . And this too2588
, The Child grew in wisdom and
grace2589
| 2589 Text, χάριτι. Reg 1,
συνέθει. | .
Others again have reference to His appropriation
of the personal life of the Jews, in numbering Himself among the Jews,
as He saith to the Samaritan woman, Ye worship ye know not
what: we know what we worship, far salvation is of the
Jews2590
.
The third mode is one which declares the one
subsistence and brings out the dual nature: for instance, And
I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by
Me2591
. And
this: I go to My Father and ye see Me no more2592
. And this: They would not
have crucified the Lord of Glory2593
. And
this: And no man hath ascended up to heaven but He that came
down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven2594
, and such like.
Again of the affirmations that refer to the period
after the resurrection some are suitable to God, as, Baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost2595
, for here
‘Son’ is clearly used as God; also this, And lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world2596
, and other similar ones. For He is
with us as God. Others are suitable to man, as, They held Him
by the feet2597
, and There
they will see Me2598
, and so
forth.
Further, of those referring to the period after
the Resurrection that are suitable to man there are different
modes. For some did actually take place, yet not according to
nature2599
, but according to
dispensation, in order to confirm the fact that the very body, which
suffered, rose again; such are the weals, the eating and the drinking
after the resurrection. Others took place actually and naturally,
as changing from place to place without trouble and passing in through
closed gates. Others have the character of simulation2600
, as, He made as though He would have
gone further2601
. Others are
appropriate to the double nature, as, I ascend unto My Father and
your Father, and My God and your God2602
, and The King of Glory shall come
in2603
, and He sat
down on the right hand of the majesty on High2604
. Finally others are to be understood
as though He were ranking Himself with us, in the manner of separation
in pure thought, as, My God and your God2605
.
Those then that are sublime must be assigned to
the divine nature, which is superior to passion and body: and
those that are humble must be ascribed to the human nature; and those
that are common must be attributed to the compound, that is, the one
Christ, Who is God and man. And it should be understood that both
belong to one and the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. For if we know
what is proper to each, and perceive that both are performed by one and
the same, we shall have the true faith and shall not go astray.
And from all these the difference between the united natures is
recognised, and the fact2606
| 2606 Epist.
apologetica ad Acacium Melitinæ Episcopum. | that, as the
most godly Cyril says, they are not identical in the natural quality of
their divinity and humanity. But yet there is but one Son and
Christ and Lord: and as He is one, He has also but one person,
the unity in subsistence being in nowise broken up into parts by the
recognition of the difference of the natures.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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