Against the Nestorians (On the Incarnation)

In the dogmatic treatise of St. Mark of the Ascetic “Against the Nestorians” (“On the Incarnation”) (52 chapters) expounds the Christological teaching within the framework of the anti-Nestorian polemic. The terminology of the treatise retains some archaic features characteristic of Christological writings of the late 4th century. For example, the term “flesh” is used to refer to the human nature of Christ. The treatise uses elements of the doctrinal formula of the IV Ecumenical Council: “...unmerged, unchangeable, inseparable, inseparable” (chap. 48, 51). St. Mark speaks of the hypostatic union of two natures in Christ (chap. 15, 17, 25, 52). In his opinion, the hypostatic division in Christ calls into question the effectiveness of the atonement. Touching on the topic of the Sacrifice of Christ, the monk speaks of a ransom that was given not by authority, but by exchange and fairly (chapter 33). Spiritual reasons for the errors of heretics, St. Mark sees “the reception of praise and pleasure” and states that the truth is revealed to those who do works consistent with the truth (chapter 1). He points out that it is necessary to believe and fulfill the commandments, and not engage in useless research. Touching on the topic of the sin of our ancestors, the monk says that people (both righteous and sinful) are under the power of death not because of their own, but because of Adam’s crime (chapter 23). The essay quotes the Creed, which is close to the symbol of the Council of Antioch in 341. *The title of the work in Greek is ἁγίαν σάρκα μετὰ τοῦ Λόγου, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἱμάτιον μονομερῶς ?? ἄλλως δὲ περὶ τὸν φορούμενον. *The title of the works in Latin is De incarnatione. The dogmatic word of Blessed Mark the monk against those who say that the holy flesh of the Lord was not united with the Word, but like clothing, as a single whole, clothed Him, so that in Him there is the Bearer and the worn; in other words, against those who philosophize, in accordance with Nestorius. I. Since you have often [unsuccessfully] sought from us the answers about faith that should be given to [our] opponents, and also [wanted to know] their own objections; as well as examining the differences of opinion inherent in unconfirmed people; For this reason, we are forced to speak according to the power [given to us], expressing before everyone the reason for the division of many. Since the truth is revealed to its lovers as the actions characteristic of it are performed, just as error is revealed to its relatives in the actions corresponding to it; [and since] the work of truth is the endurance of labors and dishonor, [as well as] the work of error is the perception of praise and pleasures; then for many the first has become inconvenient due to the [associated] labors, while the second is easy to accomplish because of the [possibility of] pleasure. So the hardworking confess for us the Crucified and Dishonored One - Mentor, Commander and Lord, Son of God; lovers of pleasures and especially those who are vain are ashamed to confess Him. II. With such a struggle between these two directions, some unconfirmed people, seeing this opposition and unable to judge between the better and the worse, have become accustomed to the fact that true faith is something unclear. This is how they [and] disagree. The fact that [our] opponents are mistaken in their [doctrine] differences, the hardworking ones are convinced by all of Divine Scripture and, of course, by the chosen vessel, blessed Paul, who also encourages us, the ignorant, to [knowledge] the truth and fight against the “enemies of the Cross” (Phil. 3:18), not only the Jews, but also heretics like them. He called both these and these enemies: [for] if someone is an enemy, then he is called an enemy. Those who do not call the crucified Christ a simple man and do not participate in Jewish enmity should not be called enemies. But how can one who philosophizes in accordance with the above-mentioned [heretics] avoid such a name? For closeness in all matters necessarily entails closeness in names. III. How are those who divide the Lord of glory—the crucified Christ—in two not enemies? Those who attack this word in every possible way will tell us: “So the Lord of glory was crucified?” I confess my salvation and will not deny the truth. IV. But I will say: “Truly the Lord of glory was crucified!” I have here as a co-confessor and witness about these ineffable [subjects] – Paul. For he says: “We preach a secret wisdom, hidden from all ages [of man], which none of the authorities of this age has known; for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:7–8). I would like to ask those who divide the Divinity: Who is this - [at the same time] both the Crucified and the Lord of glory? (I will be surprised if they introduce division into this word too.) If those who avoid [confessing] union say that this is a simple man, then we will say: how is it possible for a simple man to be the Lord of glory? If they say that this is pure God the Word, then how was the pure Word crucified? “But,” they say, “the Word is the Lord of glory, but man was crucified.” However, Saint Paul did not speak about two and did not introduce any division, but spoke about one Lord of glory, and him crucified: “For if,” he says, “they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” Therefore, you, O heretic, say after Paul that we are talking about One. If, oppressed by the truth, they confess that the Word, who is Jesus Christ, was crucified, then we will say to them: you have spoken well. V. Just as the Apostle did not separate the Word from the flesh in the reign of glory, nor did he separate the flesh from the Word in the crucifixion, but in glory and on the cross he confessed [Him] as inseparably one, so we must believe and neither in thought nor in word bring division into the Son of God. For all Divine Scripture - both the Old and the New Testament - under all circumstances confesses God the Word with His Own flesh as the one Christ and Son of God. And angels, and prophets, and apostles, and martyrs - [all of them] speaking and teaching about Christ: whether about revelation, about His glory, or about signs and wonders, or about instructions and healings, or about suffering and dishonor, or about the Cross and death; in a word, speaking not only about the dispensation that had taken place for us, but also about His future coming and [immaculate], undefiled Kingdom, they confessed one undivided Son of God. VI. This is what Isaiah says: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb that is silent before its shearers, so He opened not His mouth. In humility His judgment will be accomplished, but who will explain His generation?” (Isa. 53:7–8). So, tell me, O heretic: Who is this, who was “led like a sheep to the slaughter” - and having an indescribable generation? Do not say that we are talking about two people, for the prophet in both cases speaks about the same [person]. If you tell me: “This is a simple man,” then why is His generation mysterious, when the genealogy of Christ according to the flesh is known? If you say: “This is God the Word,” then how is the pure Word led to the slaughter? It remains to be said that truly the prophet in both cases speaks of the indivisible Christ. VII. Listen to Jeremiah the prophet: “This is our God, and no one else can compare with Him. He found all the ways of wisdom and gave it to His servant Jacob and His beloved Israel. After this He appeared on earth and spoke among people” (Bar. 3:38). If you want to introduce division here too, [again] I’ll tell you the same thing. Who is this who appeared on earth and lived with people? If you say: “a simple man,” then how about “This is our God, and no one else can compare with Him”? If you say: “this is the pure Word,” then how – “appeared on earth and spoke among people”? There remains [the only possibility] - and here in both cases to confess the undivided Christ. VIII. What about Daniel, and Ezekiel, and the twelve [minor prophets]? To present their evidence separately would be difficult and, rather, unhelpful for the subject [of our reasoning]. After all, then either a multitude of thoughts will obscure what is sought and distract those who listen to them, so that what is written will be clear: “Jesus hid himself among the people that were in that place” (John 5:13). Or we will become guilty of the gravest condemnation of those who did not believe so much evidence, according to what was said: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin” (John 15:22). IX. Our only goal now is to show that none of the holy and spirit-bearing men dared, [knowing the true state of] things, to divide the God-decent United One according to the Father's good pleasure. Of course, there are some heretics who, having researched, know the truth in their conscience, but do not confess [it] and do not stop arguing; for their goal is not the right faith, but the victory of [their] vanity. Where does this come from? From the fact that they do not care about [their] houses, and are vainly engaged in research against the will of Christ. For if they had truly sought Him, they would have succeeded in His commandments to the best of their ability. X. We should not be vain, but [try] to benefit them in the Lord. And therefore, believing the truth of Christ, we considered it necessary to present not only those destructive opinions of theirs that they now express, but also those to which they will naturally come in the future, and discuss their interpretations; for in this way they will benefit. For, truly, if the intelligent among them see all the deceitfulness of their ideas, which we have expressed in advance and correctly explained, then those who love truth will completely turn to the truth, and those who, due to an old bias, do not change their thoughts, at least in the future will be put to shame [if they dare] to boldly teach. Those who, out of ignorance, were deceived by them, now, having learned the truth, will no longer persist in error. XI. If one of them is so mad that he hides our interpretations and cites only the sayings of Scripture to deceive the most foolish, and taking them not in their entirety, but in truncated versions, then it will not be we who cite and interpret these sayings who will be guilty, but only these thieves of words themselves, who will give an answer for this atrocity: “because they offended infants, they will be killed” (Proverbs 1:32), says the Divine Scripture. But they will not harm those who are firm in the faith, for it is said: “And if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them” (Mark 16:18). XII. So, what are the opinions befitting the evil-doers, which they themselves have not yet thought of expressing to us? First, the following. “What if,” they will say, “what if the Apostle, speaking about the Crucified One and the Lord of glory as one and the same, meant that the crucified man through the resurrection was awarded glory?” - [thus] stealing the indivisible unity that [existed] before the Cross. However, only in vanity, and not with true [examination], one may not notice that Saint Paul called [Christ] the Lord of glory even before the Cross: “for if,” he says, “they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” And he called Him not partaker [of glory], but Lord of glory; for the Lord has power over all glory, so that He can bestow it on people whom He wishes, according to what was said: “We have all received of His fullness,” and: “We have seen His glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:16,14). Having heard such [words] many times in Scripture, notice, O man, that there is one and the same Lord of life and death—Jesus Christ—at every time, in every place, in power and in deed. For if it is said that he is the Lord of glory, that means eternal life; and [the word] “crucified” represents His death for us. So, if life and death, these firstfruits of every creation, could not, according to Paul, divide Christ, then no principle, no power, no height, no depth, neither the present nor the future can divide Him. XIII. So, why do you stumble over the “stumbling block” and call the Lord’s Body mere flesh? If it is simple flesh, then how is it also “the life of the world” and “the bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:33,51)? If you again call [Him] only God the Word, learn from what the Lord says: “The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). The world died by Adam's crime. If the Lord’s flesh was simple, human, not participating in the hypostasis of God the Word, then, obviously, [it] came from Adam alone and fell into sin; How then [could she] be given for the life of the world, when she herself needed, in your [opinion], redemption? XIV. The Pure Word was not harmed. If, as you say, [Christ's] flesh was simple, in need of cleansing, then where does our salvation come from? If the Victim was a one-piece and simple person, then it is unlikely that he suffered for himself. Therefore believers are thus still in their sins; they still live for themselves, and not for the One who died and rose again for them (2 Cor. 5:15). If they fully believe that Christ, according to the Scriptures, died not for Himself, but for us, then they should neither call the Sufferer a simple man, nor care about the image of the union [of natures in Christ], but believe His commandments and take care of their fulfillment, according to St. Paul: “We hear,” he says, “that some among you act disorderly, do nothing, but are fussy. in silence, they ate their own bread” (2 Thess. 3:11–12). XV. It is clear that he is talking about [the fulfillment of] the commandments, which is truly obligatory for us; By bread he means the flesh of the Lord, as stated above. What do they say? “You must [first] believe, and then [already] work.” Oh, internecine enmity! Finally, both faith and baptism are denied. If they were not initiated into the sacraments of the Church, then they would have to talk and fuss like that. If they accepted the seal as faithful, confessing, as we said above, not a simple man and not an incorporeal God, but the Word Incarnate, and were baptized into Christ, confessing Him [at the same time] as the Incarnate Word; then, being obliged to work henceforth, they renounced vanity. XVI. We say this not because we consider the Orthodox faith to be unattested or not fully known - for the Divine Scriptures are full of its evidence; but [we say] that those who confessed with their whole soul in baptism the Word of God incarnate and made man, crucified in the flesh, died, buried for us, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven and would come to judge the living and the dead, [those who so confessed] now divide [Him] into parts, now separating the flesh from the Word, now the Word from the flesh, and in vain they reason humanly about in His ineffable unity, the inexpressible is explored and they say: “How?” And without knowing “how,” they can no longer maintain faith; so that while the Spouse is alive, with whom they are united through spiritual sacraments, they commit adultery (Rom. 7:3). For behold, He lives and remains undivided: incarnate He sits at the right hand of the Father; incarnate, comes to judge the living and the dead; incarnate, receives the worship of angels; embodied, protected by the Forces; incarnate, glorified by the archangels; incarnate, sung by all creation; incarnate, prophesied by the prophets; incarnate, preached by the apostles; incarnate, confessed by martyrs; John points to Him, incarnate; about Him, incarnate, the Father favors and the Holy Spirit testifies; incarnate, He is blessed by the Church; incarnate forever and ever, the Son of God, remaining incarnate! XVII. Or are you not afraid, O heretic, that which is so united by hypostasis and inseparable by grace, to be divided in deeds? And if you are not afraid, [tell me] why “all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in Him bodily” (Col. 1:19, 2:9)? Show me Him in the Divine Scripture shared at least some time, or somewhere, or in any power or deed - and I will tolerate your wickedness. Will you say that He was born? But not only God was born, and not just a simple man; and Scripture, when it says that Christ was begotten, speaks of both. So everywhere the Divine Scripture confesses Him: not as God and man separately, but as Christ Jesus, uniting both in Himself. And everywhere in the Divine Scripture you will find Jesus Christ, [precisely] so called and believed. XVIII. Now, O heretic, I want to ask you, and you, out of love for the truth, answer me; and do not spoil the matter with crafty subterfuges, but give an answer [exactly] to [my] question. Tell me: is Christ one or two? You will say, of course, that there is one, as the Scripture says: “one Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 8:6). And if He is alone, then tell me, who do you think He is - a simple man or a pure Divinity? If you tell me as you confessed at holy baptism - that He is one in two [natures] - you have spoken well. If you say that He is a simple man, then how then is He “God over all” (Rom. 9:5) and is born from the essence of the Father? If you say that He is the pure Word, then listen: how is the pure Word born from a woman? It is finally necessary to tell the truth: Christ is both together. I am surprised that they are not ashamed of the Divine Scripture, which clearly said about them: “they went out from us, but were not ours: for if they had been ours, they would have remained with us” (1 John 2:19). However, with a hardened heart, they mercilessly wound us with the inverted edges [of these words], saying: “You have gone out from us.” Oh, deplorable evil! Do [we] really oppose Scripture, or test Christ after baptism, or renounce what we have confessed? Listen to Paul, who says: “From now on we know no one according to the flesh; if we knew Christ in the flesh, now we no longer know him. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away” (2 Cor. 5:16–17). XIX. Unclean one, you were baptized and became a new creature; do not become a new Tertullus, who flaunts the truth, and do not be cunning with Paul, who was on equal terms with wisdom; Learn what [they] preached and be ashamed to contradict. He did not say: “we preach the crucified flesh” and did not [say] that God the Word is crucified (which words you attribute to us), but he calls the United One by name: “But we preach Christ crucified, which is a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks” (1 Cor 1:23). So, if you are tempted and say: “It is foolish to believe that the Son of God is crucified,” then, behold, Saint Paul calls you Jew and Greek, for he said: “For the Jews it is a temptation, and for the Greeks it is foolishness.” So, it is clear that those who are offended by this are Judaizers, and those who call the preaching of the Crucified One foolishness are obviously pagans; for, says [Paul], “to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness; but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” XX. Therefore, I ask you, apostate: Who is this Crucified One and how is He God’s Power and God’s Wisdom? For you have heard that [Paul] says: “Christ crucified” and: “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Of course, he is not talking about two Christs, but in both cases about the same thing. Who is He? Tell me: is the Word pure or a simple man? Confess with the Apostle that He is one, and say who you think He is. If you say that He is the pure Word, then listen: how was the pure Word crucified? If you say: “He is simple flesh,” tell me, how is simple flesh also the Power of God? But if you are perplexed about this and want to learn, then [I will tell you:] do not divide Christ - and the difficulties of both [of these answers] will be resolved. For the crucified Christ - God's Power and God's Wisdom - is God the Word united with human nature. XXI. Wherever in the Holy Scriptures you hear Christ, notice that everywhere He is God the Word with [His] own flesh; the name of this inseparable union is Jesus Christ. He who denies the unity of Christ in the work of economy also denies the name of this union. Or are you not afraid, O man? The One whom Paul confesses as God's Power and God's Wisdom and the Lord of Glory, you call a simple man and a lifeless body, by human conjectures dividing forever what is inseparable and united to God in hypostasis. XXII. If He was crucified for Himself, and not for us, then let your reasoning about the dead be acceptable. Listen [however], how Saint Paul anathematizes those who do not believe this, and not once, but twice. For he says, “even if we or an angel from heaven preached to you a gospel other than what we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8–9) What exactly did they preach? “For,” he says, “I have taught you what I myself initially received, that Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3), and also says that He “died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15). XXIII. If He who died for us and rose again is a simple man, then we live for a simple man, and not for the Son of God, for it is written: we do not live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again. So, having heard this in Scripture, will you not finally confess the Lordship of Him who died for us? If you still say that He is a simple man and a lifeless body, then how is a simple man the Lord of glory, and God’s Power, and Wisdom? For this is what the Apostle calls the crucified Christ. And if He were a simple man, then how did He die for everyone (2 Cor. 5:14–15), Himself still needing someone to die for Him? If you tell me that He did not commit [any] sin and therefore did not need anyone to die for Him, then learn that the righteous were under the power of death, like sinners; for it is said: “Death reigned even over those who had not sinned” (Rom. 5:14). For all who are descended from Adam are under this power, not because of their own, but because of Adam's crime. XXIV. When Christ the Lord Himself and the holy apostles command us to believe in Him crucified, are they really forcing us to believe in a common man? If, again being cunning, you say that they are not talking about the Crucified One, but about God dwelling in Him, then we will do so. Or you will prove what you said, so that we too may learn [it]; or you yourself, having learned [from us], will no longer contradict. XXV. This is what the chosen vessel, blessed Paul, says, making a confession not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of all the apostles, saying: “we preach Christ crucified.” And he confirms: “Whether I or they, this is how we preach, and this is how you believed” (1 Cor. 15:11); and again: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). If you do not accept [His] unity on the cross, you will not escape the denial of [the apostolic] preaching. For the holy apostles do not say that pure God or a simple man suffered, but both God and man together, that is, Jesus Christ - the Lord of glory; and they do not share [Him in the works of] the economy, but they confess One in two [natures] in the flesh of the suffering Jesus Christ the Son [of God], saying: “We preach Christ crucified.” This is how they preach, and this is how we believe. To this they immediately say: and [what], God crucifies, or God dies, or hungers, or is weary? Insane! Having heard so much about the incarnation of the Word, do you call Him the disembodied God in works of economy? It seems to me that you have forgotten not only the apostles, but also the holy Gospels. XXVI. Have you not heard: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14)? And having become such for our sake, it began to accept ulcers bodily, and, although inseparable [from the Divine] and existing before [centuries], dispassionately assimilated suffering. “But how,” says [the heretic], “one who is united by hypostasis could dispassionately partake of suffering?” We believe that asking about God “how?” - blasphemy. However, I will show you [something] in creation: a human thing, and not something implicit, but visible with the eyes and tangible with the hands; you tell me how this happens. How does fire unite with red-hot gold, how does it penetrate into it, how does it anoint it with itself, and how is it separated or transported together with it? And [all] this is indifferent. For it is clear that [fire] indifferently endures everything that happens to gold; but you cannot say how [exactly]. And if [and] in creation you can see that the uncontrollable, unharmed, unanointed itself is united in [one] object with the anointed and restrained and can indifferently endure [everything that happens to it], why don’t you believe [the same] about the omnipotent Divinity and investigate: in what [exactly] way? XXVII. So, do not ask with deceit and deceit, saying: “[Is] God dying? or does God suffer? ”- hiding with words [about the Divinity alone] the incarnation [of Him] and the inseparable union; but say: “How is it that Christ died, suffered, hungered?” - and you will hear that yes, truly Christ suffered for us, died and endured in the flesh everything that the Divine Scripture speaks of, and not out of natural necessity, but out of mercy. If He, having died, came to life, then how much more could He not die [at all]. And if He walked on the sea, then He could walk on land without getting tired. And if he entered with the doors closed, how much more could he have escaped from those who came to seize [Him]? But He was pleased to endure everything, since He suffered not for Himself, but for us. XXVIII. What do [the heretics] say to this? “Is He who suffered for us God or not?” Yes, truly God, but not devoid of humanity. I will also tell you that He is a man, but united with the Divine. So, when you hear about the majestic [deeds] that Christ created as befits God, then, seeing these marvelous [deeds], do not call Him God only, but [God] united with human nature. And if you hear about everything that He endured, do not think that He is therefore a simple man, but that He is united with the Divine. [And] the angels, seeing Him incarnate on earth, did not divide Him (which is what you are trying to do), but knowing Him united as befits God, they marvelously glorified: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Do you see how they united glory in the highest and favor [of God] among men? And they clearly preached the good news to the shepherds about the born Christ the Savior, speaking of One, and not of two, as you do. XXIX. “But we, say [the heretics], speak of Christ as One, and in [His] works we divide natures according to [the occasion].” Who, having heard this, would not be horrified by their fight against God? By correcting the inexpressible economy of the Lord, we share what He Himself did not divide and in which He did not allow our faith to limp. And what, as they think, the Divine Scripture, neither the prophets nor the apostles, did not find necessary to say, [about this] they, as new evangelists, explain, not realizing that this ends for them in great blasphemy. Where dividing the Indivisible, where [again] uniting; [as if] alternately dressing and undressing the Word, they renounce nothing other than their own life. XXX. For if He did not hypostatically assume our flesh, then how will He give us the Spirit? We believe in the Divine Scripture that by the good will of [the Father] God the Word became man, not being transformed [at the same time] into flesh, but adding to Himself human flesh; and thus made every person capable of receiving the Holy Spirit. He, as God, received flesh in union, but we, as humans, received the [Holy] Spirit by communion. So, is it really His Incarnation for our sake, and death for all men, and the deprivation by [his own] death of the power of him who has the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14), and the salvation of all [people] who believe in Him, and the granting of the Kingdom of Heaven to the faithful through His incarnation, is it really [all] these, as you say, [the works of] dead [flesh]? Or, on the contrary, as the apostle said, [works of] supernatural power and wisdom, pointing out that this is more amazing than all His wondrous works that were from the beginning? For he said: “in order to unite all things in heaven and on earth under the head of Christ” (Eph. 1:10). Namely, in the beginning God created heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them (Ps 146:6), for our sake, as it is written: “all things are yours, you are Christ’s, and Christ is God” (1 Cor. 3:22-23). XXXI. [His] gifts are amazing and supernatural, but even more amazing and incomparable is His coming in the flesh; so He showed them to us, and gave [even] more. When He, as stated above, blessed man, [giving him] everything created, and the first man was deceived by the devil and disobeyed God, and through disobedience fell into sin, and because of sin was put to death, then we all - both sinners and righteous ones - fell away from eternal life. For none of the people was exempted from this guilt, because the root of our nature, that is, the first man, was subject to it. In the end, the danger [of falling into temptation] became inevitable [for him] and, likewise, death became inevitable. After all, since there was a commandment, punishment was determined for [its] violation. The judge [at the same time] was infallible, His word is not false, the law is true, righteousness is unchangeable; repentance was impossible, since there was no unblemished priest, for everyone was subject to accusation. Oh, that sin would stop there! But in fact, he also added a lot of wickedness. Once having fallen away from the heavenly light, man imperceptibly fell in love with what was contrary [to God], and error became more characteristic of him than the truth. Depravity [was] voluntary, idolatry [was for him] acceptable, love of pleasure was consistent with the demands of reason, self-interest was an object of zealous pursuit; his sin multiplied, his anger became more and more terrible, the serpent had more and more insolence [before him]. The man himself was sometimes insensible, sometimes hesitant, not knowing the future and immersed [only] in the present. Also, according to what is written, “the creation was subjected to vanity involuntarily, but by [the will] of him who subdued [it], in hope” XXXII. Many such nasty [deeds] finally became [for man] insoluble fetters; for it was necessary that both the crime [that was] in the beginning and all these [sins] should receive a fair condemnation. And if death was determined for [merely] eating [the forbidden fruit], then what would be a worthy reward for the addition of such abominations if not the eternal existence of a person in torment? This is precisely what the devil condemned man to, delineating for himself and us the same place of residence (Matthew 25:41) and saying: “[people] who have become fellow members of defilement will also become [fellow associates] of torment. For God is just and true, and His law does not fail. And just as for the [first] crime He expelled the man [from paradise] and put him to death, so for the additional [later] evil [deeds] He will condemn him to remain with me forever in torment.” XXXIII. However, the unclean one knew [only] the justice of God, but did not know [God’s] omnipotence, just like now his own workers, asking about God “how?” and those who attempt to explore [the natural order] of Christ - God's Power and Wisdom. Therefore, the incarnate Power of God appeared against the power of the enemy and redeems a person not by power (so as not to violate justice), but [as if] by exchange and fairly. For [Christ] is born humanly in order to perceive man in full, and through one [man] - all; and suffers for us, in order to destroy [man’s] rejection and establish justice; and to fulfill His word, and to free man from death; He died for everyone and abolished the devil, not allowing him to arbitrarily do whatever he wanted, for He Himself delivered us not arbitrarily, but legally and omnipotently. XXXIV. And so, such wondrous [deeds] that happened for your sake and for the sake of all of us, do you, O blasphemous and unbelieving man, call [deeds] of dead [flesh], and not of God’s Power and Wisdom, like Saint Paul? We briefly mentioned all this in order to convince the infidels that for our sake, according to divine Scripture, “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), not transformed [at the same time] into man, but united [with him] in hypostasis. You say: “How?” And I tell you: in a way inaccessible to the mind; for about God “how?” they don't ask. He suffers humanly and endures dispassionately. Again you say: “How?” And I’ll tell you: like the Lord. He is crucified in the flesh, but does not change in spirit; for he was united from [the Mother’s] womb. [You] say: “How?” I'll tell you: in an incomprehensible way. Dies bodily, but is immortal in [Divine] action. Again you say: “How [is this]?” I'll tell you: like the Almighty. Buried as a mortal man and raised as a God. Again you say: “[But] how [so]?” I tell you: it is unsearchable. XXXV. And now I will ask again, and you answer me. Don’t beat around the bush, but tell me straight: is the Son of God omnipotent? Yes or no? [Suppose] you say: “I don’t know, for I do not comprehend the power of God.” But if you do not comprehend [His] power, how [then] do you separate His union, not knowing by what power He is united? If, on the contrary, you say that He is not omnipotent, then the Divine Scripture puts you to shame, saying: “I know that You can do everything, and nothing is impossible for You” (Job 42:2). And if you confess the truth and say: “Yes, truly God is omnipotent,” then about the economy of [God] that has taken place and [attested] in Scripture, no longer look for [this] “how,” for [by this] you show disbelief in the fact that He is omnipotent; and if He is omnipotent, then no longer seek this “how.” If [you] need to know this “how,” then He is no longer omnipotent for you. XXXVI. For tell me [at least] the lesser (since it is less, as we said above): how from nothing did He create the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them? If you don’t have anything to say about this, then don’t think about something more amazing: how He became man, or how He suffered dispassionately through the flesh, and don’t try to investigate [this] in the natural order, but believe that He, being omnipotent, did as He wanted and did. Or have you not heard in Scripture that whatever the Lord willed, He did (Ps 135:6)? XXXVII. We need only believe what the Divine Scripture says about Him, and not investigate “how” [He created this or that]. Scripture says that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that for our sake He was incarnate, for our sake He suffered, for our sake He was crucified, for our sake He died, for our sake He was buried, and rose again, and ascended, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, and comes to judge the living and the dead, and abides forever. Let us believe that the Word dispassionately endured and created everything that is said in the Divine Scripture. And since [Scripture] does not say in what [exactly] way, then [we] will not investigate. [But] it is written that it pleased [the Father] that in Him all the fullness of the Godhead should dwell bodily (Col. 1:19, 2:9). And if He Himself was so favorable, why should we seek out how [exactly], or try to separate Him in [His] affairs and attribute some of them to His Body, and others to the Indweller [in the Body]? As if He, according to our reasoning, sometimes dwelt [in His Body], and sometimes did not dwell. It is also written: “from them is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all” (Rom. 9:5). Do you see how [Scripture] everywhere confesses the incarnate and indivisible Son of God? XXXVIII. Let us imitate Peter, who, having heard the Son of Man, confessed the Son of God, and therefore heard: “Blessed are you” (Matthew 16:13–17). Let us imitate Mary, who, seeking the holy Body, said: “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:13). Let us imitate the blind man, who, having seen and heard the Son of God speaking to him, believed and worshiped His feet (John 9:37–38). After all, the Scripture did not say, [telling] about the [healing] of the bleeding woman, that someone touched the man [Jesus] (Luke 8:46)? It is not said that [one of the ministers] struck the man on the cheek (John 18:22)? Didn’t [He Himself] say to Pilate: “There is greater sin in him who delivered my body [to you]” (John 19:11)? Didn’t the Scripture say that the man [Christ] or the body of Christ was crucified? Didn’t it say that they clothed the person or the body in purple (Matthew 27:28)? Didn't it say that a man laid his hands on the eyes of a blind man (Mark 8:23)? Didn’t [the Lord] say: “My man goes to my father” (John 14:12)? Didn’t he say: “Reach out your hand and put it in the side of My man” (John 20:27)? But everywhere Divine Scripture speaks of the one Christ and Son of God - God the Word with His own flesh. And speaking of the Son of God, he speaks of Christ united [of two natures]; and in the same way speaks about Him, speaking about a person: [when] He is beaten, or betrayed, or persecuted, [when] they believe in Him or do not believe, [when] He is hungry or weary; in a word, in all [cases] about which Divine Scripture speaks, it speaks of one and the same God the Word, inseparably united with His own flesh, Who is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. XXXIX. Therefore, believe, in accordance with Scripture, in Him who came in the flesh, and not in the flesh that came; into the labored flesh, and not into the labored flesh; into the Afflicted flesh, and not into the aggrieved flesh; into the dead flesh, and not into the dead flesh; into Him crucified in the flesh, not into crucified flesh; into the Risen One in the flesh, and not into the resurrected flesh; into the Ascended flesh, and not into the ascended flesh; into Him who served in the flesh, and not into the flesh that served; into Him who is seated in the flesh [at the right hand of God], and not into the flesh that is seated [at the right hand of God]. In a word, wherever Divine Scripture speaks of Him [acting] bodily, you will not find that it speaks of the flesh alone, but [always only of] united [with Him], assimilating [to Himself] the actions of the flesh. For it says: Christ was born, Christ served, Christ tasted, Christ slept, the Body of Christ, the Blood of Christ, the feet of Christ, the wounds of Christ. [One of the ministers] struck Jesus in the face, Christ labored, Christ suffered, Christ died for us, Christ was crucified, Christ rose again, Christ ascended, Christ sat down [at the right hand of God], Christ comes to judge the living and the dead, the Son of God Christ, God Christ is above all. [Scripture] nowhere did it say that His man suffered anything, or that God the Word did anything, but everywhere [it says that] He took into account the works of [His] flesh: not only on earth during [His earthly life], but also in heaven forever. XL. So, having heard this from the Divine Scripture, you should believe and not research. But what does [the heretic] say: “How can I believe in what I do not know, or what is [true] faith?” Faith is the confession you made at baptism, saying: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, and in the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Word, God from God, Light from Light, Power from Power [born], in the last days for us, incarnate, born, made man, crucified, died, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, coming to judge the living and the dead.” Isn’t this what you confessed – either yourself or through someone else? Weren't you buried with Him in baptism and resurrected with Him in shining clothes and [then] in the holy Sacraments? XLI. Therefore, when examining divine [objects], first bring before me and judge what concerns you [yourself], so that through this I may believe that you can also know what concerns Christ. How, while living in the flesh, did you die with Christ and were buried [with Him]? Why do you eat [His] Body if It is only [the body]? And why do you drink His Blood if It is only [blood]? After all, then you do not accept [inside] either God the Word or Christ Himself; and you hear [at the same time] that [this is] the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ. So, if, as you say, they are not united [with the Divine nature], then how will they revive you? And if they are not holy by virtue of [this] connection, then how will they sanctify you and give you liberation from sins? XLII. If I [again] began to tell you about Christ, then you would again begin to be cunning and separate [the two natures]. But now I will tell you about [His] Body and Blood. Tell me, how do they themselves give us life? For you hear the priest say: “The holy body of Jesus Christ, unto eternal life.” If he had said to you, “Christ is holy unto eternal life,” you would again begin to say that [Christ] is holy because of God who dwells in Him. But now you hear how the Body and Blood themselves are called holy. Understand, O man, that They are holy by nature, being hypostatically united to the Divine [still] in the womb [of the Mother], and not after birth by communion [of the flesh with the Divine]. He who believes in this then fulfills Christ’s commandments, and does not explore His nature. Therefore, having learned this from Saint Paul, we know for sure that everyone who does not fulfill the commandment of Christ is fussing, exploring His nature. He who believes and fulfills [the commandments] receives the Holy Spirit and becomes taught of God; and, like a river, pours out the truth on others, according to the word of the Lord, who said: “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. This He said about the Spirit, which those who believed in Him were about to receive” (John 7:38–39). XLIII. Listen also to what Paul says about the One whom you fearlessly share: “[So] that before Him,” he says, “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10–11). So, will you not tremble on that day, when in simplicity the holy powers, about whom we speak here, will worship Him and glorify Him for the ineffable mystery of His [hypostatic] union? Are you really going to separate Him even then and say: “How [He is united]”? For there, I think, you, numb with fear, will in no way be able to say anything or [even] think; but expect that as you thought here, so you will be judged there. Therefore, repent, O man, of your evil faith, and, as Christ wants, believe in Him. XLIV. Listen to what the Lord says to the disciples: “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?” Pay special attention to the fact that He called Himself not the Son of God, but the Son of Man. And when he heard that some [revered Him] for John, and some for Elijah, he said to them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter, the founder of the apostles, answered Him and said: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The Lord [said] to this: “Blessed are you, Simon Peter, son of Jonah, for it was not flesh and blood” - that is, not human reflection - “that revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” For when [Peter] heard about the Son of Man, he confessed the Son of God. And what else did he say to him? - “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:13–18). So, if you, having surpassed natural understanding, confess the Son of Man born of Mary as the Son of God, then He will in every possible way please you, like St. Peter, and will build the entire collection of your reasoning on this stone of faith, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Just like these bonds, He, having descended, loosed [His] Holy Body in order to save those who so inseparably believe in Him. XLV. If you contradict this and still try to divide, then tell me: who is this Son of Man? If you say to me: “God is the Word,” how is He the Son of Man? If you say, “A simple man,” then why did Peter say that He is the Son of God? If you cannot avoid [the answer] and say that He is called both a simple man and the Son of God, then you introduce [the existence of] two Christs: one - God the Word, the other - a [simple] man, while [Peter] said: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” XLVI. Accept at least the testimony of the truth of Blessed Thomas, who, touching the ribs and hands of the Savior, confessed Him as Lord and God. And he called Him Lord and God, not [because of] His amazing works, nor [because of] His Divine words, so that you would not [could] say that he was saying this about the indwelling [God]; but, having touched His holy Body with his hands, he clearly confessed that He is Lord and God. What do you say to this? Who is the One Whom [Thomas] touched? A simple person? But how then was He confessed as Lord and God? Or [will you say that He is] pure Word? But how was He tangible then? Here too you need to confess the truth that this is the Lord Jesus Christ. Or have you not heard in the Gospels how He reproached the apostles about the same thing, saying: “Come and see that it is I Myself; For a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). Why didn’t He say: “Come and see that this is My man,” but, showing flesh and bones, He said: “See that it is I Myself.” And what other evidence do we need to look for about the Orthodox faith, when all Divine Scripture reveals one and the same Son of God in both His actions - Divine and human - in everything that our Lord Jesus Christ created and endured? XLVII. And although the Divine Scripture mentioned after the crucifixion only the Body of Christ, it did not thereby separate Him from His Divine dignity and sanctification inherent in Him by hypostasis, but [did this] wanting to show that the Lord Jesus Christ did not come in a ghostly way (as some believe), but truly in the flesh and died for us; which is why [Scripture] says: “If anyone does not confess Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh, he is the Antichrist” (1 John 4:2–3). Who came where? It is clear that into the world. Why? For our sake. For what? In order to teach the perfect truth, which no one else has taught, to believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and through doing the commandments, and not with simple knowledge. And in order to endure humiliation for [His] faithful, spitting, strangulation, chains, scourging, crucifixion, drink gall and vinegar, die, be pierced by a spear and rise three days from the dead. Also to perform divine [works] in the flesh, so that we may see angels ascending and descending to Him (Jn. 1:51); and to give the Holy Spirit to those who believe, [doing] His commandments, and to save them; and ascend into heaven, and sit at the right hand of Power, and come to judge the living and the dead, and abide with the Father forever. Hearing [all] this in the Divine Scripture, we believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. XLVIII. But you, of course, will tell me: I also believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, understanding the Son as the pure Word, and not with His holy and own flesh. But listen to the Lord who speaks about this: “This is eternal life, that they may believe in You, the only true God, and in Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Do you hear that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and not disembodied? If in this too you do not believe the Divine Scripture that speaks [to you], then say: how did the pure Word come? And how did the Father sanctify and send His Son into the world (John 10:36)? Do you really think [this happened] with a change in [the Son’s] residence, or with a change, or with the transformation of [Him], or ghostly and non-hypostatically? Let there be no such thoughts about the coming of the Lord! But [the] sending, and the descent, and the sanctification, and the anointing from the Father, [and] the union [of natures] took place in [His] holy flesh, all [the properties] of which God the Word appropriated to Himself, uniting it with Himself from the womb of [the Mother] in an unchangeable and inexpressible manner. For His coming [to the world] is nothing other than the amazing Incarnation, together with all that He said, created and endured in this [Incarnation], and [to this day] creates and will create [in the future]. XLIX. For just as He came and suffered for us, so He acts sacredly and intercedes for us, as the holy Apostle says (Rom. 8:34), not as a servant, but as a Steward. That is why He, having become incarnate by the Father’s good pleasure, took us in order to Himself do for us what we cannot do, although we must. Thus, He, doing what is due for us in Himself, shows us the measure of human nature. For this reason, He, having fasted for forty days, finally became hungry, in order to show us out of [His] love that while fasting, we should not lose heart and listen to the devil, who advises us to turn stones into bread. Thus, He thirsts, and tires, and sleeps, and eats with sinners, and prays; and says that the Son does not know the hour or the day of the end. He comes to the wedding, regrets the bitterness [of the Jews], grieves to death [in Gethsemane], eats with sinners, prays that the cup of death, if possible, may pass from [Him], weeps for the dead, orders [the disciples] to fish and does not encourage [them] to buy food. In a word, everything that can be in a person, except sin, He perceived and revealed [in Himself]. For He accepted not only our flesh, but also its natural works, except sin, so that we might know that nothing natural forces us to sin. So, if you hear that Jesus did or said something corporeal, do not think that He could not have done greater things. But be amazed at His love for mankind and condescension towards us. After all, if He became man for our sake, then it is clear that for our sake He speaks, creates, and endures [everything] human. And do not compare [these] human works that were done for us with all the power of Christ, lest in this way you divide Him through the division of [His] works, and attribute some of them to mere flesh, and others to pure Divinity. L. Since we [you and I] have learned not to believe His commandments, but to persist [in penetrating into His] secrets, then you have probably thought about something else and will say to me: “Answer: whom, according to the Scripture, did the Father beget before the star (Ps. 109:4): God the Word, or man?” I will tell you that by nature I am the Word of God, but by grace I have assimilated [Him] also to man. For God the Word, by the good pleasure of God the Father, united man with Himself, according to the Scripture, which says: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). For if He had not been united [with man], He would not have been called Jesus Christ, but [only] God the Word, as in the beginning. And if [He was not united], then tell me: why did the apostles preach the Son of God not as just the Word, but everywhere as Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2)? Is it not obvious that it is due to the combination [of natures]? So, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of Man, not as mere flesh, but through union with holy flesh. Likewise, [He is] the Son of God, not as pure Word, but through union with the Word. For belonging to the [Divine or human] nature is one thing, and the union of [natures] is another thing. LI. We speak of connection as mysterious and not fused. For the Word was not changed into flesh, and the flesh was not resolved into the Word. But God the Word deigned, according to the will of God the Father, to unite the flesh from the womb so that the Word remained as it was, and the flesh remained as it is. For in Christ, each of the natures, being unfused, has its own uniqueness, both in names and in actions, without any defect. After all, Christ, who is called the Son of Man, is also called, according to Scripture, the Son of God. For [the Archangel] said to Saint Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Do you see that He who was born of Mary is and is called the Son of God because of the union from the womb? He spoke, and taught, and did Divine [deeds], and endured [everything] human. For if the Word did Divine [deeds], then not as [the Word] alone, but in conjunction with human nature; and if Man endured humanity, then not separately, but in union with the Divine. LII. So, we do not say that the Word or the flesh have changed, but we confess their inseparable union. Thus, we recognize that the Word is impassive, and we believe that the Son of God suffered for us, since each nature, remaining itself, for our sake, in a Godly manner, appropriated to itself what is characteristic of the other nature, so that Christ, [consisting] of both of them, would become the Mediator between God and people. Let us, following the Divine Scripture, know and believe in the Son of God, one at all times, in [every] place, in [all] power and [all His] work. Glory to Christ forever and ever. END OF THE DOGMATIC WORD OF MARK MONK