Word 3

Essay by Rev. Anastasia Sinaita's "Word 3" is an important theological and ascetic treatise. The central theme is the denunciation of heretical teachings, primarily monothelitism and monoenergism. St. Anastasius emphasizes the importance of preserving the Orthodox dogma of two natures in Christ and, therefore, of two wills and two energies. In his argumentation, he relies on the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Church Fathers. The work also contains a call to avoid sin, fulfill the commandments of God and constant spiritual improvement. Piety is seen as a necessary condition for knowing the truth and remaining in the true faith. From the translator's preface. Rev. Anastasius Sinai (VII century) wrote several words about the image of God. The first of them, under the name of Gregory of Nyssa, is placed among his creations. See MPG. t. 44, col. 1327. The first passage printed here obviously represents part of the second word. Further, the third word is offered here in translation almost completely (without end only). Following it is placed another passage, it is unknown from which word. The present passage, representing a translation from the Greek (MPG. t. 89, coll. 1144–1150), is inscribed with the name of Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch. But from the latter no words have been preserved about the image of God. The content of this passage comes very close to the further 3rd word, in which Anastasius Sinaite, referring to his previous words about the image (see ibid. col. 1160 CD), not only expresses similar thoughts and pursues the same main subject of content (trying to prove the reflection in man, as the image of God, of the two natures of Christ, two wills and two actions), but also literally quotes an excerpt from the present first passage (ibid. coll. 1161 C – 1164 AB; cf. coll. 1148 D – 1149 ABC). From here it is clear that the author of this passage is also Anastasius the Presbyter - Sinaite. In this word, the compiler explains the reason why he composed two words about the image. He also clarifies the reason where the movement about actions and wills (in Christ) began. Then, in order, he shows who is teaching godly and who is teaching unrighteously about them in Christ. Prudent doctors and experienced experts, striving to (acquire) therapeutic knowledge, do not first use their antidotes until, through research, they have studied the immediate and root causes (of diseases). In the same way, of course, those who want to thoroughly and easily destroy and eradicate the destructive and pernicious ailments of heresies must first shake the root and, as it were, fundamental foundations of them, and having exposed and thoroughly refuted them, then, having studied (them) very well, they can easily and very well cure them. “Their words are not words, their voices are not heard, but their words went out into the whole earth, and their words went out to the ends of the world” (Ps. 18:4-5) - I’m talking about those military detachments, the Persian and Roman troops, when the victorious sign of the cross, with the help of God, was returned with King Heraclius to Jerusalem. This particular scepter-bearer of the Roman kingdom at that time, Heraclius, making a campaign into the internal countries of the Chaldeans and Persians, towards the city of Antioch, met a certain Athanasius, the said patriarch of the hated Jacobite hierarchy, a man skillful in speeches and cunning by the natural cunning of the Syrians. The king, turning to him with a speech about faith in two natures in Christ, promised that if he agreed with him and accepted the Holy Council of Chalcedon, he would install him as patriarch of the holy Catholic Church there. So, out of pretense or for some other reason, Athanasius accepted the council, confessing in Christ two united natures. Having agreed to this, he asked the king about actions and wills, how should they be confessed, in Christ - dual or united? Therefore, the king, alarmed by the news of the question, since, indeed, it has not yet been raised in our days, writes about. this (letter) to Martin, Pope of Rome, as well as to Sergius, Bishop of Constantinople. And the pope answered him according to the tradition of the Holy Fathers, saying that where two natures are known, created and uncreated together, it is absolutely necessary that they have their two natural characteristics: namely, two wills and two actions, because whoever has one will and action, of course, has one nature, and not two. This is precisely the thought contained in Martin’s letter. Sergius of Constantinople, since, according to the generally accepted opinion, he was a Syrian and a descendant of the Jacobites, gave an answer to Heraclius in the opposite sense to Martin, confessing one natural desire (will) and one action in Christ. So, the king, having received letters from both, leaned more towards the opinion of Sergius, which Athanasius, as a well-known insidious man, joyfully accepted with open arms, because where it is said about one action, one nature is naturally assumed. Then Pope (patriarch) Cyrus is sent to Alexandria, and he himself also arranges there, through Theodore the Faranite, that “water union” (ὑδροβαφῆ, ... ἕνωσιν) or, better yet, one empty matter (κένωσιν), [for which] both of them wrote there about the natural action in Christ. And since after this they completely followed (this error) to the detriment of the Antiochians and Alexandrians, the Council of Chalcedon and the universal Church suffered great reproach. For the like-minded people of James in Syria and the disciples of Theodosius in Alexandria boasted, saying that it was not we who entered into communion with the Council of Chalcedon, but rather the Council of Chalcedon with us, having confessed through one action one nature in Christ. Hearing about this, Heraclius was ashamed, but did not want to give up his own opinion, and, on the other hand, he could not stand the reproach. Then, having decided to do something important, he issues a so-called edict, containing (a command) not to confess one or two actions in Christ. Having read this edict, like-minded people of the North began to revile the universal Church in taverns and baths, saying: the followers of Nestorius, the Chalcedonians, at first came to their senses, turning to the truth and uniting with us in faith in the one nature of Christ through (confession) of one action (in Him), and now, having rejected what was correctly established, they destroyed both, not confessing in Christ has not one or two actions. Hearing and seeing this, Martin, the primate of the Roman Church, and not bearing such shame and reproach of the Church, formed a council in Rome of the majority of holy bishops, openly confessing there, on the basis of the testimony of the Holy Fathers, two inseparable properties in Christ, that is, His divine and human will and action. After this, Heraclius died, Martin was expelled by the grandson of Heraclius, and soon the desert Amalek rose up, striking us, the Christian people. This was the first terrible and incorrigible defeat of the Roman army: I am talking about the bloodshed under Gabythus, Hiermuch and Dathemon, which was followed by the captivity and burning of Palestine, Caesarea and Jerusalem, then the death of Egypt and, one after another, the captivity and irreparable devastation of the regions of Middle-earth, the islands and the entire Roman land. But even then the Roman leaders and rulers did not come to their senses, but having sent for the main figures at the Roman Council, they used cutting off their tongues and cutting off their hands against them. So what? For this we received retribution from God: the almost complete destruction of the Roman army and campaign in Phenicia and, during the invasion (of the enemy), again the devastation of all Christian countries and peoples, which did not stop until Martin’s persecutor died by the sword in Sicily. His pious son Constantine, through the Ecumenical Council, united the holy Churches, according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, having confessed in Christ our Lord divine and at the same time human will (will) and action. This sacred council, accepted by God as an auspicious sacrifice and as the incense of Aaron, delayed the destruction of our people for twenty years, turned the sword of the enemies against themselves, calmed the countries, made the sea convenient for navigation, prevented captivity and granted peace, rest and long peace to the entire Roman (empire). But the frivolous ones did not comprehend and did not understand all this, walking in the darkness, and in taverns and baths, reviling us in front of girls and mistresses and saying that those who teach about two desires (wills) in Christ recognize, of course, one is good, and the other is evil, one is divine, and the other is devilish. In fact, how is it possible to speak at all, according to them, about human volition in Christ, when the Apostle says that “the desire of the flesh (carnal wisdom) is not subject to the law of God” and: “the desire of the flesh is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7), and: “we are sometimes disobedient, doing the desires of the flesh” (Periphr. Tit. 3:3); “For the will of the flesh (for the wisdom of the flesh) is death” (Rom. 8:6)? These and similar speeches are spewed against us by the enemies of the truth, like dogs, horses or mules, who have no reason, slandering us, as if we recognize in Christ two persons and two hypostases, and two separate and two opposite freedoms (ἐξουσίας) and deny the name Mother of God, and teach that everything in Him is dual and separate, preaching two actions in Him - good and evil. With these empty speeches and slander they harmed nations, divided churches, disturbed countries, insulted the faith, separated priests, misled monks, sullied rulers, and shook everything: every city, every village, every diocese, raising persecutions, insults, searches, oppression, expulsions, fines, such as even the Arians did not erect against the Church. They have such hatred for us that they do not have for the Jews, nor for the Samaritans, nor for the Manachaeans, nor for the Greeks, nor for the apostates. They prefer to live and deal with idolaters than with us, who recognize inseparably two properties in Christ. They consider it better to pray together with the Jews than with us, who profess in Christ inseparably divine and human desire (will) and action, not wanting, or rather being unable to discern what is the divine and uncreated will and what is the God-created and God-given will of our rational soul, through which will a good and godly will is formed, and, conversely, what is carnal, that is, the devilish and material will, which the divine Apostle and all (Holy) Scriptures condemn and reject. What Paul often calls sin flesh, listen to him (himself) when he says that “flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God (they cannot inherit)” (1 Cor. 15:50), and: “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8), and: “Whoever sows to the flesh will from the flesh reap corruption” (Gal. 6:8), and: “If you live in the flesh, you will die" (Rom. 8:13). He calls sin flesh, not the nature of our flesh. For otherwise it will turn out that he insults Christ, who says: “Handle Me and see that a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see Me has” (Luke 24:39). So, the carnal will (desire) is alien and uncharacteristic of Christ, as the Holy Fathers defined, and carnal, passionate, sinful action, but not that which is characteristic of nature, not God-created, not that which is in the image and likeness of God - immaculate and irreproachable natural desire and action. But those who are truly under the influence of the devil's action, frantic to kindle and scatter the flesh, enslaved by carnal desire, defiled and defiled, not being able to discern what is the introduced and evil will and unnatural action, and what is the God-implanted and God-given, natural will of the soul, capable of thinking and desiring, and what again is its vital and connected action with the body, like the true disciples of Manent, they condemn the will of the God-created human nature, they denigrate, like the Manichaeans, our God-created flesh, they insult our life-giving, God-given action, they revile our rational God-given desire, through which, striving for the divine, we achieve salvation - with all our teaching (thus) reproaching the Creator. If the innate will of the soul were evil, then how could David say: “Let me confess my will to God” (Ps. 27:7). Indeed, how could the soul even desire anything divine if it did not have a rational desire? Or how could she think (νοήσει) about something better and spiritual (τι ... νοερῶν) or manifest (that) in activity, without having mental action (ἐνέργειαν νοεράν), through which two properties the image and likeness of God is clearly reflected in her? It is for this reason that we wrote the preceding words about the image, to show that in man, as if in some likeness and image, there is not only a pre-image of the two essences in Christ, but also a predestination, as if in some unclear image, of two blameless wills and actions. Indeed, to honor father and mother, and to love brothers and relatives is characteristic of human nature and is (a manifestation of) the natural and irreproachable will of the soul. To leave and renounce father and mother and brothers for the sake of God is truly a praiseworthy (manifestation) of the divine and supernatural will. Here are two irreproachable wills: one is in agreement with nature, human, the other is supernatural, divine. So, when you see Jesus submitting and serving, as Luke says (Luke 2:51), to Joseph and His Mother, running up and embracing, like a child, the arms and holy womb of Her, do not hesitate to say that He does this according to the will and disposition (innate) of our nature, showing through this that He is perfect (man) and consubstantial with us in humanity in all respects, except sin alone, as He says Pavel. When, on the contrary, He says to the Mother: “What is it for me and for you, woman?” (John 2:4) and: “Who is My Father or My Mother, if you do not do the will of Him who sent Me?” (Periphr. Matthew 12:46–49), then here He teaches us the divine and supernatural will. For for our sake He did and accomplished everything, Himself being perfect and all-perfect in everything, always being in fullness; the other most accurate position says that through the thinking, conferring and reflecting will of the rational soul in the form of a servant, Christ fulfilled the obedience and will of the Father, the commandment, the prescription and the law. On the other hand, through its living and life-giving, God-given, spiritual energy (action), i.e. souls, God the Word contained, gave life and nurtured his own body according to the norm and law given by Him to the rational soul, so that it would give life, support, nurture and move the bodily nature. Hence, for no other reason, it is called soul (ψυχή), as from the word “to blow” (ψύχειν), that is, to give life to the body. Therefore, “to expire” (ἀποψύχειν) means “to die,” just as, on the contrary, “to sigh” (ἀναψύχειν) means “to live.” Just as we have already shown the image of the dual nature of Christ and the (double) will in the man who came from Him, composed (of two natures) in His image and likeness; so again, as if in a certain image and symbol, in a person - I say - one can see some double reflection of the action in the image and symbol (of the actions) of Christ. Indeed, as His Divinity, being active, acted both divinely (θεανδρικῶς) and (only) divinely (θεϊκῶς) in heaven, before the perception of the body, as limitless and unlimited by the body; Likewise, the soul, being in the image and likeness of the invisible God - the Word, acts, on the one hand, soulfully (ψυχανδρικῶς), that is, spiritually and physically, in the image of the God-manly Christ. On the other hand, in very many cases she acts only mentally, without assistance from her abode - the body, in the image of the invisible God the Word, who has invisibly accomplished and is doing much in heaven and on earth, through His unlimited and all-round divine action. Thus, love for God is realized through mental action alone, without requiring the assistance of the body for this; in a similar way, faith is an indicator of psychic energy alone; in the same way, hope is achieved only by psychic energy; just as humility operates and is maintained through the energy of the soul. And generally speaking, all the spiritual virtues necessary [for salvation], the root, mother and foundation of which is purity of the heart, are accomplished with the help of the spiritual energy of our rational soul alone, without needing the body for their fulfillment. Therefore, those who are crippled, sick, or immobile in body can please God through these virtues through spiritual action. The duality of our energy is especially evident in our dreams. For while the bodily feelings seem to freeze and are almost inactive, the spiritual and rational energy of the soul goes around everything vigilantly and incessantly. Otherwise, how else, having separated from the body at the time of death, does the rational soul continue to exist, if not through its spiritual, vital and ever-living energy? In particular, how do the souls of the righteous now praise God? What energy do they perceive from Him? How do you pray for peace? After all, each [part of a person] has properties according to its nature. Thus, a body created from inert, dead, motionless, insensitive earth, at the time of death becomes dead and soulless, insensitive and motionless, and completely inactive, according to the divine saying spoken to Adam regarding the body: “If the earth, and into the earth, like the earth, you came forth, you were created from nothing” (Periphr. Gen. 13:19). The soul did not come from earth, nor from air, nor from water, not from fire, not from light, not from the sun, not from a cloud, and not from any other substance or created essence, visible or intelligible, but from the most pure, eternal, incomprehensible, inexplicable, invisible, ugly, immortal, incorruptible, intangible, imperishable and incorporeal nature of God, it received creation and origin, through this divine inspiration, our God-like, God-given, God-like and God-created soul, having emerged, as it were, from some source of living and life-giving life, being created by light, as if from a treasury of light, coming out through the mouth of God and being born, as it were, from some ocean of eternal aroma, like a breath of fragrance, and dwelt in Adam. I dare to say that our rational-verbal soul was transmitted to us from the Creator of all God the Word, being breathed into us from (His) most pure lips, introduced into our heart from God’s heart, animated into us from God’s soul, endowed in us with a mind from the mind of God. Therefore, as having originated and been born from the motionless God Himself through (His) mouth and divine inspiration, it remains ever-moving and alone of all creation appears in the image and likeness of God, and (so) is called as reflecting in itself by grace the properties of the divine nature, I mean - incomprehensibility, invisibility, incorporeality, ugliness, purity, immortality, eternity, incorruptibility, autocracy, sinlessness, life-giving, wisdom, spirituality, creativity. Indeed, just as God created man from earth, so man from woman by grace creates man; and just as at the initial creation man had a body from the earth, but a soul born from God Himself, so now the body is formed from female flesh (γῆς) and blood, while the soul is ineffably transmitted through the seed, as if through some kind of inspiration. Therefore, about the creation of angels, Cherubim and Seraphim it is said: “He, that is, God, spoke, and He commanded, and was created” (Ps. 33:9), but about the creation of man, who appears in the image and likeness of God, it is not so, but God formed his body with His own and divine hands, but He created the soul, as invisible, from His completely invisible soul through inspiration and, as Gregory thinks, he created it from Himself, and did not put it into us from what is outside of Him. So, if the soul came from the mouth of the breath of God, then did not all the essential properties of the soul, that is, thinking, mind, will, action and the ability to give life, with the destruction of which the rational soul cannot exist and be known? For just as the body is composed and composed of elements, so the soul, through its own properties and characteristics, is composed and known and, as rational-verbal, differs from non-verbal ones. In fact, it is only in intelligence, thinking, or deliberation and will that a person differs from the dumb; in almost everything else, and especially in bodily properties, he is a participatory, similar and consubstantial dumb. For they too have their being from this same earth, from where our body came, they have anger, movement and an irrational (wordless) and weak-willed soul, they have life, voice, breath, flesh, blood, moisture and bones and everything that is in our body; they have memory, as God told Job, they have appetite, voice and thirst, fatigue and sweat, and all our bodily properties; They only lack the abilities of our immortal soul that came from God: rational, thinking and deliberative. Now look with me at the blindness and error of the heretics. They recognize everything that is innately dumb in Christ, namely, body, matter, corruption, moisture, blood, tears, saliva, bones, feces, urine, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sweat, death, mortification, which by nature is actually alien and unworthy of God, as characteristic of cattle, beasts and reptiles. The properties of the rational and immortal soul, which is in the image and likeness of God, which came from His most pure lips and has, so to speak, some affinity by grace and likeness with God - all this, through which our entire human nature is revived and saved, the wicked refuse to confess in Christ as evil. Indeed, with the deprivation of the vital and life-giving energy (action) of our soul, when the body is separated from the spiritual energy that contains and revitalizes it, a person is immediately subject to death. When, on the contrary, our rational soul is deprived of its desired and desired strength, then it is no different from the dumb and unreasonable soul of a horse. Indeed, how could the soul please God if not through its willing and active power and movement? How could she fulfill the will of God if not through her innate and natural will? We often find this latter in Scripture under different names; it is this one that is called good will (ἀγαθὸν θέλημα), strong desire (ἐπιθυμία), love (ἀγάπη), strong attraction (ἒρως). If necessary, we will not hesitate to provide brief evidence. So, it is said that “the Lord will do the will of those who fear Him” (Ps. 145:19); “The will of the blessed man is in the law of the Lord.” ( Ps. 1:2 ); “In the same way that the trees of the springs of water desire, so my soul desires (ἐπιποθεῖ) unto Thee, O God” (Ps. 41:2); “My soul longs and ends for the courts of the Lord”; “I desire Your salvation, O Lord” (Ps. 17:2). Regarding love (περὶ δὲ ἀγάπης): “I will love (ἀγαπήσω) Thee, O Lord, my strength.” ( Ps. 17:2 ); “I love that the Lord will hear” (Ps. 114:1); “If I have loved Your law, O Lord” (Deut. 6:5); “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Matthew 22:37). So, how can a soul love the Lord without having within itself, in its being, a natural and good force that wills, desires, loves, and attracts? (ἐρωτικήν)? Having her, Ignatius said that “my love (ἔρως) is crucified.” Not having such a strong attraction (ἔρωτα) and love (ἀγάπην) for God, desire (πόθον) and lust (ἐπιθυμίαν) and volitional desire for God (θελητικὴν ὄρεξιν), those, having a devilish will and fulfilling the desires of their flesh, refuse to confess in the Chryst as the evil, God-given, God-created, God-like will of our rational and God-like soul, and its life-giving and connecting, God-inspired action, without which the rational and God-given, which came from the mouth of God through the divine Our soul can neither desire nor fulfill any of the divine commandments. If our rational soul is deprived of a good and God-imitating will and action, then how does God say to people: “If you want and listen to Me, you will destroy the good earth” (Is. 1:19)? How will the soul do the will of God if it does not have the desired and active power? How did Adam, as soon as he came into being, be assigned to do and keep the Master's command? But man has perverted (his) nature and all, of course, human properties, the heretics will say despite us, and in view of this, it is unworthy and alien [to the truth] to recognize human will or human action in Christ. No way. For Adam was not completely perverted by nature, that is, he changed from incorruptibility to corruption; only the body, as having originated and formed from earth and perverted nature, suffered this transformation from incorruptibility and immortality, becoming corruptible and mortal through crime. Thus, it was precisely “who fell among the robbers,” being, as the Gospel says, half dead from their blows, but was not, however, completely dead. For the soul, as created from the immortal and immutable being of God, through inspiration, although it transgressed the commandment of the tree, nevertheless remained in its incorruptibility and immortality in the image and likeness of God, having no need for significant transformation, like the body, but only in mental correction and coordination, not in the taking away of will, so that it would not become dumb, and not in the destruction of energy (action), so that it would not become dead and inactive, like inanimate beings. So, having come to renew Adam, God the Word created for Himself such a soul as originally from Himself through inspiration He gave to Adam, that is, existing in the image of His God the Word and in the likeness, as Scripture says, completely appearing in His image: in His likeness having being, in His image having will, in His image imprinting (in itself) energy (action), pure, immaculate, ineffable, sinless, not in need of significant transformation, like the body and everything inherent in the body, not in need of changing and recreating its own parts and members, not having such a will that would require complete removal, and such energy that would require abolition. In fact, why would a soul that has come from God and is in the image and likeness of God, especially the soul of the most immaculate God the Word, require a significant transformation? For the soul of Adam received existence from God through inspiration; Emmanuel’s soul received existence in God, with God and for one with God (ὁμόθεον), having been formed hypostatically (καθ’ ὑπόστασιν) together with the body in a most immaculate and God-receiving womb from Him, through Him, with Him and in Him, so that, if it were not for the impudence to say, I I would say that just as in ancient times God the Word ineffably produced and created the essence of the rational soul from Himself, so He infused it into Himself from virgin wombs. And, finally, what reproach can there be for an entity that originally came to creation from God, and now indwells in God Himself, and abides with God, having a more honest nature and energy than when its powers and properties were separated from God, but now, by virtue of the hypostatic union, united with God, and as if God-like and co-divine? If this is so, then truly - I will say again - the recklessness of the heretics is worthy of great laughter, since the passions inherent in the bestial nature of the corrupted flesh, they recognize in Christ, but the properties of the soul, existing in His image, are essentially unchanged - they refuse to recognize in Him. And so that it does not seem that we are reasoning on the basis of our own considerations and inventions, we, with God’s help, will present evidence from Scripture. The divine John the Baptist, imprisoned in prison, seeing with his spiritual eyes that, having been killed by Herod, he would go to hell, having sent two of his disciples, he asked Christ with the words: “Are you the one who is coming,” that is, descending into hell, “or some other tea” (Matthew 11:3). Therefore, Peter in the conciliar epistle says about Christ that He “came down to preach to those who are in spiritual prison, sometimes reluctant” (1 Pet. 3:19), which descent the Lord Himself foretells to Job, saying: “Have you come to the sources of the sea? Did you walk in the footprints of the abyss? Do the gates of death open to you through fear? But the gatekeepers of hell, when they saw you, were afraid?” ( Job 38:16–17 ). So, how did this descent of Christ into hell, stay (in it) and preaching happen? No one has ever seen God, and no one can see; again, the all-holy body of Christ after His death lay in a tomb on the surface of the earth. How was hell plundered? What image did the gatekeepers of hell see when they saw it? Who visited the bound souls of the dead from time immemorial? It is quite obvious that the immaculate soul of the Lord Jesus Christ God visited rational souls of the same essence as it. She came down to them with the Deity. She plundered the prison. She bound the tyrant and loosed the prisoners, calling out to those in chains: “Come out,” as if taking the place of a perfect man, consisting of soul and body, preaching in hell, commanding and plundering intelligently, like an intelligent one, with the participation of will and action, contemplating how intelligent - intelligent, like a soul - souls, like intelligent - intelligent, like living - living, like immortal - immortal, like the active - active, like the willing - willing. Indeed, how could they accept the preaching of a holy soul if not through their rationally thinking will? For they did not believe and were saved under compulsion or involuntarily, and not without choice, but voluntarily, by decision of the will and by the act of approval. What I said is confirmed by the God-bearing Gregory the Theologian, speaking approximately about the descent of Christ into hell in his word on Holy Pascha: “If Christ ascends to the cross, you also ascend with Him; if He descends into hell, and you descend. Experience the mysteries there, the double descent; Having appeared (in hell), does He save everyone without exception, or only believers there?” Precisely, not all souls, says Gregory, are saved in hell, but only those who believed in Christ by their own choice and will. For how could they believe, apart from rational will and action? Just as Christ visited and saved those living above, on earth, in flesh and soul, through the medium of flesh and soul, renewing like with like, as Gregory says, appearing to people and speaking to them as visible, through visible nature, so he visited souls free from bodies with a most pure soul, free from the body. If the most pure soul of the Lord is weak-willed, then it is clear that it submitted to God the Word involuntarily, like a dumb (creature), as Apollinaris babbles; if she was weak-willed, then it is very clear that she descended into hell like some unreasonable and meaningless star or cloud, and through the Divine, like a soulless and wordless organ, spoke and preached, having, in accordance with the nature of the soul, no inner word (λόγον ἐνδιάθετον), no thinking, no reflection, no definite or outgoing energy, no local movement. And through what energy, finally, did it separate from the body, leaving it dead, soulless, motionless and inactive in the movement of its members, while itself retaining the active manifestations of energy? Through what energy did she use to leave the prison of hell and return to her own body? For divine energy, being unlimited and all-filling, does not move from place to place, nor moves from country to country, nor is it removed and then returned to the same place. If the soul of the Lord were weak-willed and inactive in hell, then, without a doubt, it would be characterized by dumbness and ignorance, and in this case, the soul of Samuel, which emerged from hell according to some arrangement, spoke with Saul and predicted his death the next day - himself and his children, which the evil spirit did not know and could not predict, would be more honest than it, although some admit this. At this moment, it is appropriate to quote the following saying of Blessed Athanasius about the most pure soul of the Lord, which reads thus: “Even now, reflections neither on the divine Word nor on the rational soul hypostatically united with Him are still not in vain and not useless; because to say that it is devoid of will and desire is tantamount to admitting its non-existence.” Have you, truly thoughtless and inactive, heard that not to recognize the will and desires of the Lord in the rational soul means to deny the existence of its essence? So, when you hear this very Holy Father or any other of the Fathers saying that Christ eliminated the carnal will and abolished human desires, that He stood outside of human thoughts and carnal desires, turned away from carnal actions, then know for sure that it was not that will and action of the rational soul that was in His image and likeness, and came from His most pure and incorporeal lips, that He eliminated or destroyed, or abolished; otherwise it will turn out that He Himself destroys, destroys and destroys what was born from Hero and came from Him, as evil, discordant and contradictory to Him. Finally, then the guilt and reproach (for this) falls on Him, as having created evil will and energy together with the soul. But not like that; no! So, Christ exterminated and destroyed the devilish will and satanic action (energy), which the divine Scripture, and the divine Apostle, and the blessed Fathers often call carnal, from the mouth of the serpent infused into man - will and energy, which is in the image and likeness of God and breathed into us from the mouth of God, because it alone - our God-given will and energy is the cause and creator of everything our salvation. For by the free will of the soul we have believed in God, by our free will we observe virginity, by our free will we indulge ourselves in exploits, love and love, by our will we love our neighbors and, to put it briefly, all spiritual and divine contemplations, insights, revelations and successes that act in us from God are accomplished and occur in us through our rational will and the energy of the soul. What we said briefly in the previous words, we will now talk about it in more detail. So, there are two commandments, says the Lord and the Apostle, which contain and are connected with every commandment and virtue, i.e.: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and thou shalt love thy sincere one as thyself” (Matthew 22:37:39). These two commandments apply and operate in the soul. For love, as Dionysius says, is a unifying and binding (disposition) of the soul towards what is desired. In the same way, the beatitudes of the Lord are fulfilled through the rational will and energy (action) of the soul, for the saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) refers to spiritual virtue. In the same way, the saying: “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4) is fulfilled through the universal human spiritual quality and will, just like: “Blessed are the meek, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:5, 8-9). Not only this, but also faith, hope, love are spiritual virtues, and not physical, just like those that the same Apostle counts, saying: “The fruits of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy,” etc. They occur in the soul through rational will and energy. And since those who deny the component properties of our nature in the Lord - I mean the natural will of the soul and energy - when they hear (about them), they are afraid like foolish horses and mules, we will explain this more clearly by, as it were, interpreting and clarifying their strength. The will of the rational soul, as the great Dionysius briefly said before, is the power of thought and desire (striving) to unite the soul with God, essentially granted to it by God, through which the first man did and kept divine commands, ascending from spiritual desire to the active fulfillment of God’s commandments.” But this is about Adam. About Christ the Son (of God) it is said that He voluntarily took on the image of a servant (μορφὴν δούλον), that is, the being (οὐσίαν) of a slave. So, this image in Christ and the essence of a servant in what respect is the image of a slave, according to what slavery, service and subordination? Is it according to the Master's will and action (energy), and the image of God - the Word, according to the madness of Arius? But since through the disobedience of the first man we - people - became sinners, when Adam disobeyed the commandments of God, then for this sake Christ, through His own obedience, made us righteous, in the form of a servant, fulfilling those commandments that the servant did not keep from the beginning. For like the death to which the slave became guilty, the Master tasted (ἐπλήρωσεν) through the mortal image of the slave, being obedient until death on the cross; so the disobedience of the law and the will of God, before which the slave became guilty, in the form of a slave the Master blotted out and made up for it. That’s why He said: “I came down from heaven, not that I should do My will, but the will of the Father (who sent Me), and that I might do His work and keep His commandments” (John 6:38; 4:34; 12:49–50). This is observance of the commandments of God and this will of the Father who sent Him in relation to what will, or better yet, through what will did Christ do it, if in the form of a servant He did not have the will of a rational soul at all? For in relation to the Divinity there is one sovereign and commanding will of the Father and the Son. So, what was the will of Christ that fulfilled the divine will? It is clear that one is a commanding will, and another is a subordinate and obedient one. Consequently, if He performed the service according to the Divine will, then, of course, by the Divine nature He was a slave and servant, according to the fabrications of the Arians. Now I will try to understand this... (caetera desiderantur).