A word against those who do not want to confess the Holy Virgin as Theotokos

The essay “A Word Against Those Who Do Not Want to Confess the Holy Virgin as Theotokos” (30 chapters) was written by St. Cyril of Alexandria no earlier than 429. In this treatise, the saint seeks to show that the denial of the name Theotokos contradicts the Holy Scripture, which teaches only one Son. The One who was born of the Holy Virgin is the true God, and not a man united with the Divine like the prophets, therefore She is the Mother of God. The work also explains controversial passages of Scripture (John 8:40; Acts 2:22; 1 Tim. 2:5). St. Cyril writes that although the Gospel does not contain the name Mother of God, there is a name equal in meaning to it, Mother of the Lord (Luke 1:43). He cites a number of biblical passages confirming that God the Word actually became a man and was born of the Holy Virgin. *The title of the work in Greek is Παρθένον. *The title of the work in Latin is Contra eos qui Theotocon nolunt confiteri / Quod Virgo sit Deipara. 1. Physicians know preventative remedies against diseases, preventing (with their) art the harm that may occur, and by preparing various medicines, defeating the severity of diseases. Often, pilots, guided by habit, foresee changes in the winds and, taking precautions appropriate to the occasion, with the help of God, save the ship (from shipwreck). Showing the same care for our souls, God also foretells us about the danger of temptations, so that, having studied the harm before the test, we would carefully avoid the danger from the latter. For He knows all things before their existence, not by conjecture, like those, concluding what is useful, but by Divine foreknowledge, knowing the future. Thus, He revealed to us about punishments before the time of judgment, so that, having been brought up in the fear of torment, we could easily avoid the latter. No less than He predicted, among other things, that there would be false Christs and false teachers who would bring heresies of destruction, denying the very Master and our only Lord Jesus Christ; and many will follow their insolence, through which the teaching of the truth will be slandered (Jude 1:4; 2 Pet. 2:1-2). (Predicted so that) when the latter appear, we would in no way be deceived by submitting to their destructive teachings. 2. The subject of the prediction was fulfilled. For over time, striving in various ways to shake the right faith, many heresies arose in the Church of God, one of which dared to assert that the Word of God is completely alien to the Father’s essence, another did not recognize the dignity of the Spirit, the third denied the truth of the manifestation of the Word. The last of all, like the scum of evil, was the current blasphemy, which claims that the Word did not become a man, but dwelt in a man born of a woman; so that through this the one Christ is divided into two - into God, I mean, and man. But this is alien to the apostolic teaching; rather, it is an invention of demonic thought, since Divine Scripture proclaims to us that the Word of God at the end of the ages became man, not changing into the nature of man, but taking the latter into Himself; for It is immutable and unchangeable. If, as they say, the Divine descent took place on a man born of a wife, then this happened in all the prophets. If so, then it is necessary, therefore, that in the Divine Scripture there should be a (special) confession about each individual and that one in particular should be sung in himself, as the Word of God, while the other, as a man and one of us, should be glorified in words befitting a man. 3. But this is not how the Apostles proclaimed the right teaching to us; they preached one Christ, the same God and man together. So, John the Theologian in the Gospel clearly teaches about this, saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word” (John 1:1) then adds “and the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us” (John 1:14). Blessed Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, says: “For now the children have partaken of blood and flesh, and He has sincerely partaken of the same” (Heb. 2:14). Do you hear how one said that the Word became flesh, the other again, that It partook of the same? If Jesus was born of a man by a woman, and after that the Word descended on him, then, as has already been said, there would have to be two confessions, completely separate for each. Now, since the divinely inspired Scripture jointly sets forth both what is inherent in the nature of the Divine and befitting human nature, the true meaning of the union is revealed. So, when you hear the Apostle saying: “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13), do you not blush (with shame), separating Jesus from the Word? For he did not say, “the great God who is in Jesus Christ,” but he preached the same thing by God and Jesus. That's why he spoke about one phenomenon. 4. Sometimes Divine Scripture also designates the properties of human nature with the name of God. Since the saving passion cannot in any way be conceived in the Divine nature, and suffering occurred, of course, only in the body, then due to the fact that the Divinity, by union, remains inseparable from it, the Apostle says: “If they had understood, they had not crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). Do you see how the word of the apostolic teaching jointly sets forth the grace of unity - the confession of Christ? For Jesus, before God communicated and united with Him, was never a simple man, but the Word Himself, being in the blessed Virgin herself, received His church from the essence of the Virgin and came from Her, being externally a man, but internally (essentially) being true God. Therefore, It preserved the Virgin who gave birth even after birth, which did not happen to any of the other saints. For they, since they were human by nature, all without exception received an existence consistent with human nature and the same. This one, since he was God by nature, having recently accepted human nature, showed an alien existence from the Virgin to everyone. So the blessed (Virgin) can quite rightly be called the Mother of God and the Virgin Matter; for Jesus, born of Her, was no ordinary man. 5. How (is this so)? - Due to the fact that Divine Scripture relates what happened before His coming to His own action and power. Therefore, the blessed disciple Judas loudly betrayed such faith to us; for, remembering what happened many generations before his descent from the Virgin, he says this: “I want you to remember, leading all, how Jesus saved people from the land of Egypt, and destroyed those who believed not; But the angels did not keep their rulership, but left their habitation, and were kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:5-6). If the blessed Virgin gave birth to Jesus as a simple man, and the disciple says about Him that He freed Israel from the hand of Egypt and led people through the wilderness, so that He did the most wondrous of all the wondrous things so many generations before His birth from the Virgin, then let them answer: where was He in those days? when did it begin to exist? For common sense will not allow them to assert that He received the beginning of being from virgin origin. So, let the inventors of evil teachings teach when this Man had the beginning of existence, where and in what places he stayed for so many years. But none of the sane will say that the man was the One who sinned from ancient times and left his home from that time, determined the punishment, and gloriously delivered Israel from the hand of Egypt. So, if, in their opinion, neither God the Word can be thought of as Jesus, due to the fact that Jesus is born of a Virgin, nor the One who created such a wondrous thing again as a man (for what was said above seems alien to human nature and power), then what, finally, can they attribute to Him the essence and rank? 6. But we, seeing that their words are full of such madness and insanity and are uttered by them as if in a dream and in a state of intoxication, will say to them according to the saying of the Savior: “You are deceived, you who do not know the scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29); Therefore, in justice, be sober and do not sin, suffering to such an extent from ignorance of God. In the same way, again, as shown above, thinking about the doctrine of union (in the sense) that He was always God, but in recent times he became man, preserving His Divinity, immutable and unchangeable, recognizing that He was also (his) Savior when Israel left Egypt, let us believe that the Word is always inherent in the Father and has the light, and radiance, and power of the glory due to God; therefore, it was It that said to blessed Moses: “I am He” (Exodus 3:14), and “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6); It received the name of son when it became man, as a result of the union, and due to the fact that it became man, and did not dwell in man at that time, and is now, according to the inspired Scripture, glorified by the name of Jesus and Christ. 7. And indeed, in many (cases) one can see that such a thought is proclaimed by holy men: Jeremiah, clearly crying: “This is our God, it will not be imputed to Him. You will invent every way of cunning, and give it to Jacob his servant and to his beloved Israel from Him. Therefore, he appeared on earth and lived with men” (Bar.3:36–38); the songwriter David, singing: “Mother Zion says: man and man are born in her, and He is the foundation and the Most High” (Ps. 86:5). For what else can this mean but that He is God and man? For he confessed the same man, the Most High and the Founder. No less in another psalm, holding inseparably a speech about union, he relates the properties of human nature to Him, again as to God the Word, caring not about the merging of essences, but comprehending the meaning of the union of essences. Therefore, in the 44th Psalm he says this: “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and thou hast hated iniquity: therefore, for the sake of Thy anointing, O God, Thy God is more than Thy partaker with the oil of joy” (Ps. 45:7-8). Do you see how, while theologically speaking about the Word, confessing (Him) as God and King, neither dividing Him nor introducing another person into Him, he also spoke about anointing? So, let them consider what (this) saying means: how was the Word, being God, anointed, besides, of course, that He was clothed in the form of a servant, for whom it was most fitting to receive the anointing? And if they say that because of the indwelling in man, as they are mistaken, the anointing is spoken of about the Person of the Word, then let them know that the indwelling is not spoken of about Christ, but about the prophets and other saints, and (this) saying far exceeds the boundaries of habitation. And therefore, although God dwelt in all the saints when they were sanctified and anointed, He is not called Himself the Sanctified or the Anointed. Thus, if in relation to Him they speak of living in the likeness of the saints, then their wickedness will be very obvious to everyone and completely alien to the apostolic teaching. 8. For Paul, speaking about the prophets and about Christ, taught us the incomparable difference between Him and those, I mean, of course, when speaking about the anointing: since He called Him the Son and the radiance of the Father, and the image of His Hypostasis, the same - prophets; and it is worthy of surprise that, along with these sublime (names), he also mentioned anointing: “For in many parts, he says, and in many ways, God spoke of old as a prophet, in these last days he spoke to us in the Son, whom he set as an heir to all, in whom also created the worlds. Who is the radiance of glory and the image of His Person, bearing all the words of His power, having made purification for our sins, sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:1-3). And a little later he says: “And to the angels he says: Make angels your spirits and burn your servants with fire. To the Son: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the rod of righteousness is the rod of Your kingdom. You loved righteousness and you hated lawlessness; Because of this anointing of You, O God, Your God is more than Your partaker with the oil of joy” (Heb. 1:7-9). Do you see how alien the concept of habitation is to Christ? If they speak here of dwelling not like the saints, but that the Word became (man) by union with man born of the Virgin, then (we answer them that) it is impossible to speak of a true union after birth, except (of the union) by grace and the communion of God, as was again in the saints. 9 . If they say here that the dwelling was a union, but not in the Virgin, but after birth from Her, then perhaps we will examine what is understood in this way. If, therefore, they say that anointing is said about the Person of the Word, due to the fact that the Word, as they affirm, abides and is united with man, then of course they will of necessity be forced to admit that It is anointed after the union: for the prophet, as well as the Apostle, having expounded the doctrine of God the Word, clearly attributed the anointing to Him. So, if the saints attribute what is characteristic of man to the Word as a result of His union and communication with man, then they will agree, of course, that the anointing itself occurred after the union. If, however, It was anointed after the union, and they do not want to recognize the union before the birth of the Virgin, then the Virgin will not confess to them as the Mother of Christ; for if the Mother of Christ, then of course the Mother of God; if not the Mother of God, then not the Mother of Christ. For if the anointing (was) after the union, and therefore it refers to the Person of the Word, the union, they say, occurred after the birth of the Virgin, then she will not turn out to be the Mother of Christ; (otherwise) if the Mother of Christ, then the Mother of God; since if anointing cannot be conceived before the union, if the Virgin is the Mother of Christ, and if the union took place in Her, then she who gave birth not to a man, as they claim, but to a man united with the Word, is rightly called the Mother of God. And if so, as stated above, then they are talking about a true union, and not (about such) as in the saints. We also affirm this, since it is impossible to talk about true union after birth; but we recognize that Christ is not a man united with God, but God who accepted humanity, I mean, of course, that body, soul and mind were perfectly united, except for sin, in the holy Virgin. Therefore, although you will hear that Christ is called a man, do not forget that He is also God. Understanding this, blessed Paul once preached (Him) by God: “Remember, he says, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, from the seed of David” (2 Tim. 2:8). And again: “God raised up the Lord, and raises us up by His power” (paraphrase - 2 Cor. 4:14). You hear that He is preached to those raised from the seed of David and from dead?.. 10. So, when it is clearly proven that He who came from the Virgin is not a man, as they think, but the eternal Word of God made man, then let those who are lost repent and leave their Jewish madness. “For if they do not turn, the Lord will sharpen His sword against them” (paraphrase of Ps. 7:13). And that He will not endure to the end because of blasphemy and now tolerates those who blaspheme only out of His long-suffering, listen to what He says through the blessed prophet, announcing the vengeance that will follow patience on those who are in evil: “I am silent,” he says, food and will I always remain silent and endure? I will dry up the hills and all their grass, and I will make the rivers into islands, and I will dry up the meadows” (Is. 42:14-15). About the imminent destruction of the wicked, even if they were strengthened for a while through the longsuffering of God, the most divine Songster teaches no less: “I have seen the wicked exalting themselves and standing tall like the cedars of Lebanon; I died, and behold, I was not, and I sought him out, and his place was not found” (Ps. 37:35-36). 11. For this and other things of this kind are common to all who strive to scatter the flock of piety, as in fact the end of the above-mentioned heresies showed. For what success did the wickedness of Arius have? What is the madness of Eunomius, and those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and Paul of Samosata, and the so-called Apollinaris? Yet in this (life) they all had a shameful end and were expelled from the bosom of the Church, and will be cast out from the Church of the first-born in heaven: “for they are blotted out from the book of the living, and are not written with the righteous” (paraphrase - Ps. 68:29). The same fate awaits the latter if they, noticing (their) madness, do not hasten to quickly return (to where they fell away), and especially the former leaders of evil; because each of them will hear from the Savior: “As a robe dipped in blood is not clean, neither will you be clean, for you have destroyed My land and killed My people; you will not endure forever” (Is. 14:20). We, who have built our faith on an indestructibly strong rock, will preserve piety to the end, in no way being embarrassed by our opponents, but having love for the Lord as an invincible weapon, we will always boast about Him, repeating the words of the prophet and ridiculing the insignificance of our opponents: “God is with us! Understand, O pagans, and repent, O mighty ones, repent; Even if you are able again, you will be defeated, and even if you take counsel, the Lord will ruin you; and the word which ye speak shall not abide in you, for God is with us” (Is. 8:8-10). 12. But, they say, the Apostle clearly confessed Him as a man. For in his letter to Timothy he says this: “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). By saying this, they think to confuse the minds of the undamaged; for if anyone with prudence dwells on the apostolic saying, then (on the basis of) this saying he will especially condemn their wickedness. However, we will not distort the speech (of the Apostle) in this way, but, remembering what was stated above somewhat, we will be able to understand from here the right confession of the economy. So, what does Blessed Paul say? “There is one God,” speaks of the Father, and so be it; about the Son: “One is the Mediator of God and men” (1 Tim. 2:5). Although, he says, He became man, we should not, as a result of this, assume two in Him: for the Word, just as before the appearance was God, so having become man and becoming a Mediator in human nature, is again one. Therefore, he called Him the Mediator of God and people, as the One Existing of both essences; for whatever mediates between any two (objects) certainly has in itself (their properties). Thus He is the Mediator of God, in consequence of the belonging of the same essence to the Father; He is the Mediator of people also, due to the perfect communion of human nature, except for sin. Therefore, when he calls Christ Jesus a man, let them not be tempted by this, but understand that the same One is called both Lord and God, together with the name again Christ and Jesus. Let them listen to the Apostle himself, who clearly preaches about this like this: “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself food for us” (Titus 2:13-14). 13. Do you see how there he calls Christ Jesus, who gave himself for all, a man, but here he calls Christ Jesus, who again gave himself for us, the great God? Here, against them, but more for them, if they wished to repent, there is double evidence, due to the fact that (the Apostle) calls Jesus God and Lord, whom he called there man, and due to the fact that in both (cases) he designates Him who gave Himself for us. “Man,” he says, “Christ Jesus, who gave Himself redemption for all” (1 Tim. 2:5–6). And again: “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself food for us, that He might deliver us from all iniquity, and purify Himself a chosen people, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:13–14). If, according to (in the opinion of) those Christ and Jesus, who gave Himself for us and made us His chosen people, are only man, therefore we, like the pagans, serve man and give sovereign dignity to creatures in general. However, this is not the case - let it not be! - but we recognize Christ as Lord and God; for the Word of God became man for our sake, and having partaken of human nature, and with it, out of ineffable love for mankind, was born from the holy and unartificial Virgin. For this very reason, It is called both man and God, being one and the same Christ in both names. 14. And that Paul preached Christ not as a man, as they say, listen to him, who says in his letter to the Corinthians: “For we preach not to ourselves, but to Christ Jesus the Lord; Jesus is your own servant for your own sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). Do you see the definition of apostolic thought? “Jesus Christ,” he says, “the Lord, we preach to ourselves as slaves.” In the Epistle to the Romans he again says this: “from them is Christ according to the flesh, who is God blessed above all forever. Amen” (Rom. 9:5). If he had considered Christ a man, he should have said: “from them Christ according to the flesh, in whom God is above all.” God and man, he would not say “according to the flesh”; since this obviously speaks not only of man, but also of Him who exists in some other essence, which is why he actually added: “He is God above all,” for here he conveyed a double confession about our Savior, showing both his dignity in the flesh and declaring Him as God. For, as an earthly king, if he ever wanted to appear in the form of a consul, through this he would not cease to be a king, nor would he lose his former dignity, but would remain the same, having in addition to royal power and consular dignity; and if anyone called him king, he would know that he was also invested with the dignity of consul; in turn, if anyone wanted to call him consul, he would know that he was a king. Thus, our Lord Jesus Christ was always the Son of God, being the true God; Having accepted humanity in the last times, He is One and the Same, even if He was called God, or even a man, or even Jesus. 15. Given this state of affairs, we will perhaps cite, among other things, the well-known saying of the Lord, about which they especially and more boldly attack us, claiming that He Himself in the Gospel conversations confessed Himself as a man, saying: “Why are you seeking to kill Me, a man who told you the truth?” (John 8:40). If someone with love for the truth dwells on the Gospel passages where the Savior spoke about this, he, of course, will notice their insidious intention will rightly call them slanderers and false witnesses; since before this speech, showing Himself to be God and the Son of God, He said such (words) that the Jews themselves of that time, because they were blind with their intelligent eyes, for this they most wanted to kill Him. And consigning all this to silence, they snatch this saying, doing something similar to the Pharisees of that time: for they also approached the teaching Savior, not wanting to believe and learn, but intending to catch something from His mouth (for accusation), as the Evangelist narrates; Consequently, both these and these now read, or rather mock, the Divine Scriptures in order to find something to accuse Him who laid down his life for them. 16. Let us consider what He said before this saying. “My Father,” he says, “does hitherto, and I do” (John 5:17). He called God His Father, making Himself equal to God, doing the same things like the Father. “Whatever He does, the Son also does likewise” (John 5:19). And: “For all judgment has been given to Him by the Father (paraphrase of verse 22): that all may honor the Son, even as honor the Father" (John 5:23). And: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of man (God), and having heard it, they will live” (John 5:25). Then, so that those who hear these godly (words) would not be offended because of His flesh, since this was said by a visible man, He adds a little later and says that He is the Son of man. And after the last saying is said, that those who heard will live, do not be surprised at the following: “The hour is coming, when all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God, and they will come out, having done good to the resurrection of life, and having done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29); for what was said before, that “the hour is coming, and now it is” - and: “having heard they will live,” was said about the dead who were resurrected at that time; the following: “all who are in the tombs” designates the day of resurrection during His glorious coming. And a little later he says again: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). However, they omit all this, as if they did not hear, or rather, pretending to be deaf; the subsequent saying, saying: “Now you seek to kill Me, the man who told you the truth” (John 8:40), they pronounce everywhere in order to confuse the minds of the undamaged. If they were impartial, they would have to judge that it was He who said the above and Himself who uttered the last saying, and not be tempted by this, as if forgetting about it. For even those (Jews), seeing the man and unable to bear hearing the godly speeches, said: “Is not this the son of Joseph, whose father we know?” (John 6:42). And again they approached Him, saying: “Whom have You created for Yourself?” (John 8:53). And again: “Fifty years away from Imasha, and have you seen Abraham?” (John 8:57). One must be content with what has already been said and not explore anything further; since those who strive to have an impartial judgment on the subject of the Divine Scriptures will prudently say that there can be nothing absurd in the fact that He is God and at the same time a man, when he spoke in such a way that he was sometimes called God, sometimes man, since neither of the two names destroys the other. 17. Further, that He must therefore not be thought of as a man, as they assume, can be explored from the other side. After the Jews did what the Lord condemned them for here, I mean precisely the saving passion, if they were condemned as murderers of a person, then what they affirmed could make sense; if they are condemned as having dared against the Master and Lord, then it is obvious that they fell into an insane assumption, deciding that He was a man, even though they said that the Word dwelt in Him. Therefore, blessed Paul, speaking about those who were crucified, clearly represents them as the murderers of the Lord, saying in the following expressions: “If they had understood, they had not crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). And the Lord Himself, in the parable of the vineyard, says that the Master of the House sent his servants to the laborers: “And he killed him, and he beat him with a stone” (Matthew 21:35) - laborers, of course; afterwards he sent, he says, His Son, and when they saw Him, the workers said to one another: “This is the heir: come, let us kill Him, and take His inheritance. And when he did eat him, he brought him out of the vineyard, and killed him” (Matthew 21:38–39). So, if the Apostle confesses the Crucified as the Lord of glory, the Savior Himself presents the prophets as sent slaves, and Himself as the Son of the Master of slaves, then who else would dare to assert that the Speaker - “now you seek to kill Me” - was a man, and not God incarnate? And especially when he hears that godly deeds that are about to happen relate to the name of man: “for the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of man, and having heard it, they will live” (John 5:25). And: “When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him; then He will sit on the throne of His glory, doing righteous judgment to all" (the last words are not in the current text - (Matthew 25:31). And: "no one ascends into heaven except the Son of man who came down from heaven" (John 3:13). 18. Do you hear that God the Word, due to his union with flesh, is clearly called by the name of man? For who else can be the one who came down from heaven? Therefore, do not be tempted in the future when He says: “Now you seek to kill Me, a man who spoke the truth to you”; but, having in mind the economy, piously accept what is said; since from these (words) the economy of the union is most revealed, and since, even if he was called a man, he should not be named separately from the deity in Himself. For whoever decides to affirm that He is a man, and what will he create? the last thing said above? I mean, of course, His coming from heaven and righteous judgment on everyone; especially when the sacred psalmist David sings: “A song is fitting for You, O God, in Zion, and prayer will be given to You in Jerusalem” (Ps. 65:2). that is, what will the Son of Man do? “Then He will sit on the throne of His glory,” he says. And all the nations will be gathered before Him" ​​(Matthew 25:31–32). Do you see that when David said as to God: “All flesh will come to You,” then (by this) it was shown that this would be fulfilled on the Son of man? So, He who was born of Mary is precisely God incarnate, since the Divine Scriptures clearly show this with many testimonies. And this glorious Virgin is, of course, the Mother of God, even if they did not want it. For if Jesus Christ, who came from Her, was a man, then how would Paul write in the Epistle to the Galatians: “Paul was an apostle, neither of man nor of man, but Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:1)? It is obvious that He is not only a man, but also God made man. So, let the ignorant not be tempted by these speeches, but let them learn the economy of the Divine mystery and, together with the angels, finally worship Christ. “Whenever,” he says, he brings the Firstborn into the universe, he says: “And let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6). And: “In the name of Jesus Christ, every knee will bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10–11). Let them remember that Jesus Christ is confessed to be Lord, and not be embarrassed when they hear that according to His economy He is (called) man. 19. So let them understand what is said about Him on some occasion or according to the economy, such as, for example, what was said by the Apostle Peter. “Jesus is a Nazarite, a man known among you from God” (Acts 2:22), says Peter, talking with the Jews. For the reader of the Divine Scriptures needs to consider both the persons and the time, and examine the reason for which each was said; since only in this case, with the help of the grace of the Spirit, will everyone be able to attach the appropriate meaning to each saying. And since they cite the last saying to confirm their wickedness, let us consider what exactly Peter wanted to express, saying this; We especially ask you to indicate to us the reason why he was forced to speak so. What are you saying, O blessed one? Do you preach Christ as a man and convince us to believe in Him in order to teach us to serve the creature? But another Apostle condemns those who want to serve the creature (Rom. 1:25; Acts 14:15). Then, asked by Him: Who do you think the Son of Man is, how did you answer? – “You are the Christ, the Son of the highest God” (Matthew 16:16); although even then the question to those who did not fully understand the mystery of the economy could, perhaps, inspire some such thought, namely, the recognition of Him as a man. “Who, he says, do men say was the Son of Man?” (Matthew 16:13). And then, hearing from Himself that He is the Son of man, you said that He is the Son of God; now, after you have seen the power of many other signs, after you have seen with your own eyes both the blessed resurrection and the ascension into heaven, do you say that He is a man? 20. Let no one think that even then he could say, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” as about a man, as (it is said) about the saints who take the name of the sons of God; since he didn’t just say – Σύ Yἱὸς Θεοῦ ε ἶ – but – Σύ ε ἶ ὁ Yἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ (i.e. with a member); the addition of the member shows that Peter confessed the One and Only true Son. Blessed Peter himself would have objected to this in approximately these words: Do not think what I said, that Christ is one man like us; This is not what I say: I am expressing some wondrous and extraordinary event. What is it? The Jewish people, struck by the descent of the Spirit, gathered to us (Acts 2:6 et seq.); Finding that then there was a convenient moment for catching people, but not being able to openly preach Christ by God, since not long before this they crucified Him, and this matter was therefore unpleasant for them, I hide the fishing rod of the word, like bait for fish, with more modest these words, and call Jesus a Nazarene and the Crucified, and (I say) that God raised Him from the dead, and thus, I secretly introduce theology about Him, and the latter with some art; for I remind them of the words of David, since they rather accepted his words without suspicion, and through them I again place everything on the power of God, so that little by little I can make them come to a state of tenderness; finally, I show Him somewhat more clearly as God through His command to be baptized in His name, teaching that He can grant them remission of sins. 21. And note the apostolic wisdom: “Jesus,” he says, “a man of Nazareth, a man of God, was known in you with miracles and signs and wonders, even as God did in the midst of you” (Acts 2:22). He says that He is testified of God, and that God did this through Him, in order to convince them in the name of the Father that they would accept Jesus Himself and His works, because He, I mean, the Father did this through Him: “What God did,” He says, “Then, remembering the cross, he introduces the resurrection; “I will more powerfully hold Him back from her” (Acts 2:24). The latter no longer speaks of a man; But having said this, he immediately resorts to prophetic testimony, so that, hearing not as from him, but more as from a prophet, they would more willingly accept what is stated, and says: “David says about Him: I have seen the Lord before me” (Acts 2:25) and so on in order. Look at the skill with which he expounded before them the teaching about the Lord. Then, having finished the prophecy, again, as if calming their thoughts, since he more openly theologized about Him, he resorts to the name of the Father and says: “Let all the house of Israel firmly understand that God created both the Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36); and when they finally began to ask about what they should do, he commanded them to be baptized in His name, and to receive remission of sins through Him, by the remission of sins helping them to understand the dignity of the Lord, and with the words - “God created it” - eliminating their controversy. 22. And that the Father did not create the Lord who was sacrificed for us, I think that none of the sane will argue. For not (in the sense) that some unreasonably attribute what was said to the Divinity of the Son, he said this: since the apostle had the goal of discussing not about His existence, but about glory after the resurrection. So, the saying - “He created His Lord” - (used) instead of the saying - “gave Him the dignity of the Lord and the glory of Christ”; not because the Son received a glory alien to Him, but before the above dispensation, speaking to those (Jews) in the sense that this is how you should believe in Him, as followers of Christ and the Lord. And that Jesus the Nazarene, who deigned to shed His blood for us, is not a man, like us, born outside of union with the Word, listen to the Apostle Paul, who clearly stated the following before the Ephesian teachers: “Take heed, therefore, he says, to yourself and to the whole flock, in whom the Holy Spirit has appointed bishops to shepherd the Church of God, which he has acquired with His blood” (Acts 20:28). Do you hear that the Crucified One is clearly preached by God from the Apostle? For he says, “to shepherd the Church of God, which he has acquired with His blood,” not because He suffered by the nature of the Divinity, but because the sufferings of His flesh relate to Him, due to the fact that the latter does not belong to any man, but (is) the own flesh of the Word Himself. So, if the blood is called the blood of God, then it is obvious that the one clothed with flesh was God. 23. If they continued to say where in Scripture the Virgin is called the Mother of God, then let them listen to the angel clearly preaching this to the shepherds and saying: “For today a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). He does not say: “Whoever is the Lord,” or “in Him the Lord will dwell,” but “Who is the Lord.” So, behold, an angel clearly proclaims Him who is born of the Lord. Then, as if giving them a visible sign of the Lord, he says: “You will find a baby nursed and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). Peter also said something similar to the angel, preaching when he entered Cornelius: “The word of the messenger of the sons of Israel, preaching the gospel of peace by Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). Do you see how he says that the “Word” was sent, instead of the saving sermon through Jesus Christ? And showing them who Jesus Christ is, he said: “This is Lord of all.” Do you see that the baby (is called) Lord from both the angel and Peter? So, the one who gave birth to the Lord is undoubtedly the Mother of God. This is how the mother of the blessed Baptist, moved by the Holy Spirit, greeted her: “Be filled, she says, with the Holy Spirit Elizabeth, and cry out: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And whence comes this to me, that the Mother of my Lord may come to me” (Luke 1:41-43). Who is so maddened that he does not want to name the Holy One along with the Gospel? The Virgin Mary? So, let them not confuse the ears of the undamaged by calling Him a child and a child, so as not to little by little reject His entire coming; for from the angel He is called a child, but also the Lord. 24. While warning speech about suffering and resurrection, let them not make noise about the fact that God raised Him up; for in the preceding (words) the meaning of house-building is already shown. Moreover, if they wish to learn better who the Crucified One is, then let them listen to the ecumenical teacher who writes to the Corinthians the following: “I am,” he says, “received from the Lord and delivered to you, as the Lord Jesus in the night was delivered to you in the night, receiving bread,” etc. (1 Cor. 11:23). Do you see that He who suffered for us is openly proclaimed as the Lord? If the saying is “God raised Him from the dead” - seduces people, as what is said about a person, then let them again listen to the Apostle himself, who eliminates this suspicion: for this is said in the sacred Scriptures on the economy. And that the One who suffered in the flesh and rose again was the Lord, and not a man having the dwelling of the Word, as they claim, let them listen to the Apostle, who boldly wrote to the Romans about Abraham like this: “It was not written for that one, but also for us, to whom He wants to be imputed, who believe in Jesus Christ who raised our Lord from the dead” ( Rom.4:23–24). Have you heard that He who was resurrected is called Lord? Do not be tempted in the future by what has been said regarding the economy. 25. Lest anyone think that He, like us, by grace is called God, Lord and Son, the following must be added to what has been said. Although we are called gods, we again hear about the extent of our weakness: “Az rekh,” he says, “you are gods in nature, and sons of the Most High,” but immediately adds: “you are dying like men” (Ps. 82:6-7). It is clear that we received the name by grace. He is not like that, but along with God-worthy glory he also has a name. For He is called not just God, but God above all and Blessed forever; He is called again, not only by name, as we are, but by the Lord of glory and Lord of all, as Peter taught; He is also called the Son, (He is called) not as we are, simply the Son, but the One and True Son, as John says: “And we are in the true God (paraphrase), and in His true Son is the true God, and eternal life" ( 1 John 5:20). The Apostle Paul more clearly distinguishes Him from many as the Only and True Son. For he says this: “Even if there are many verbs, either in heaven or on earth, just as there are many gods and many lords (verbals)” - again, so that you understand, (adds): “but to us there is one God the Father, from Him are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom are all things” (1 Cor. 8:5-6). Do you see that He is not called Lord or God together with everyone, but He alone is glorified with the Father, as being from Him by nature? 26. It is time, finally, to bring forward another well-known testimony of the Apostle, showing that this True Son is a man born of a glorious Virgin. It is as follows: “And when the end of the year had come, God sent forth His Son, begotten of a woman” (Gal.4:4). Let no one be ashamed to say this; since this does not bring any dishonor to the Word, on the contrary (reveals) His love for mankind, and as a result of this glory - endless and immeasurable. And that the Word did not suffer any damage from this, being intangible by nature, impassive and indescribable, but out of ineffable love for mankind accomplished this work, listen again to Paul himself, who teaches about this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, the same and forever” (Heb. 13:8). By saying “yesterday,” he denotes His eternal glory, while the expression “today” is a designation of the present time; and that He did not change, but remained the same, and having appeared in the flesh, and will be forever, he added: “The same and forever.” When this is so, then, out of great love for mankind, He showed love for us and shared our nature in order to restore it and free it from the slavery of the devil. Therefore, let no one be ashamed when they hear about the boy and the child and what is written about Him more according to humanity. For He endured everything not for His own sake, but for our sake, preserving in every possible way what is inherent in human nature, so that the economy would not be considered a ghost. 27. So, when you hear that blessed Joseph takes Him and flees to Egypt, do not consider this dishonor, but keep in mind the economy. And not only then was it written about Him, but also at the time when, having reached the age of 30, He began to preach and teach and performed miracles, we again find it written about Him like this: “When He heard, He said, John was delivered up and went to Galilee” (Matthew 4:12). saving passion; for it was necessary, firstly, to spread the teaching and accomplish everything that He desired, and then go to the saving passion, which actually happened. And that this was not done out of fear and fear, it is obvious from what He did when he did not want to be betrayed. Thus, when the Jews wanted to cast Him out of the mountain at that time, “He, says (the evangelist), passed through the midst of them” (Luke 4:30). And another time, when they wanted to seize Him, “no one says, lay hands on Nan, because His hour has not come” (John 7:30). But, however, being, like God, invincible, in humanity He declined to show Himself a true man. If anyone began to say why, even at the time when he was a youth, he did not evade the evil intent by Himself, but with the assistance of an angel, then let him know that even then the matter belonged to Him; but so that this would not destroy the meaning (τὸν λόγον) of the economy through age, He therefore accomplished the work through an angel. 28. That He, wanting to observe what was proper, created everything according to the economy and allowed the flesh to reveal what was characteristic of it, (of this) Himself will fully convince you again; for when the blessed Baptist said to Him: “I demand that I be baptized by You,” He answered him: “Leave it now: for this is fitting to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:14-15). Do you see that He received baptism and everything appropriate while fulfilling the economy? So, when you hear about the youth and the child and what is more humanly written about Him, as said above, never imagine Him to exist separately from the Divinity; since, being called man, He is the real God, as has been shown many times. Moreover, the blessed Baptist will testify to what has been said, speaking about Him like this: “A Man is coming for me, who was before me, as if he were before me. And I did not know Him” (John 1:30–31). How, then, does calling Him husband claim that He existed before himself?.. After all, according to the time of the economy, the blessed Baptist himself is found first born; for when Gabriel preached the gospel to the Mother of God Mary about the most pure conception, he said that Elizabeth had already conceived the Baptist for the sixth month. So, how, by calling him a man, does he claim that He existed before him, if he did not clearly know that He was God incarnate? “For me,” he says, “a man is coming, who was before me, as if he were first before me.” How then did he appear later, if he was first before? – Appearance and fame among the people; since before going out to preach, He was not known to very many. The Baptist had already preached and baptized Him before. When, finally, the Lord began to preach and work miracles, then (became) – “before,” that is, he discovered advantages more than the Baptist. And what does the expression “before” mean, listen to what his disciples said to John: “Rabbi, he who was with you about half the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he baptizes, and all will come to him” (John 3:26). 29. If those who are lost, being burdened by previous intoxication, are still slow to believe the truth, then perhaps we will cite that well-known evidence, against which even the like-minded Jews themselves could not object, believing that He was a simple man. What kind of evidence is this? The Lord Himself once asked the Pharisees, saying: “What do you think about Christ? Whose Son is it?” When they answered: “David,” He said to them: “How then does David reproach Him with the Spirit of the Lord, saying: The Lord said to My Lord: Sit on My right hand, until I will make Your enemies Your footstool? If David calls Him Lord, what kind of Son shall he have?” (Matthew 22:42–45). Do you not see clearly how He showed Himself to be the Lord of David? So, how could He who is of the seed of David be his Lord and co-throne with the Father, if not because He was God clothed in human nature? For He declared Himself born of a Virgin, that is, Himself, to be the Son of David and Lord. And those, having heard this testimony, walked away and stopped objecting, as the Evangelist narrates: “No one, he says, can answer His words; From that day on, anyone dared to ask Him who” (Matthew 22:46). 30. Oh, if only they, at least someday later, having abandoned their madness, would have learned the teaching of piety! We, beloved, will constantly hold to this faith: we will support it in our thoughts, and we will preach it openly and boldly with our tongues, always willingly enduring everything for its sake. For she is the prediction of the prophets, the teaching of the Apostles and the cause of the kingdom of heaven; she is the leader to eternal life, she is the wealth of the Fathers, she is our true treasure, for which it is fair to sell everything and sacrifice everything. If anyone wants to take this (treasure) from us, then we will turn away (from him) as a fighter against Christ and an enemy of our salvation, obeying the instruction of the Apostle: “And if we, or an angel from heaven, bring you more good news than the good news brought to you, let him be anathema” (Gal. 1:8). His Conversation with Nestorius about the fact that the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God, and not the Mother of Christ 1 Nestorius: Whenever divine Scripture speaks of the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary, or of (His) death, nowhere does it use (the name of) God, but (the name of) Christ or the Lord or Jesus, since these three (names) designate two natures, sometimes one, sometimes the other. For example, I will say this: when the Apostle tells us about the birth of Christ from the Virgin, he says: “God sent His Son, who was born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4); he did not say: “he sent God the Word,” but uses the name (Son), showing two beings, namely God and man, since Christ is twofold; for the Virgin gave birth to the Son of God (in the sense) in which it is said: “You are naturally gods, and you are all sons of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6); Therefore, we learned from Scripture to call the Holy Virgin - Christ Mother, Mother of God, Mother of Man; Nowhere were they ever taught to call her the Mother of God. Cyril: Isaiah cries out in the Spirit, saying: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel: as it is said, God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). So, the born (is) God, whether you like it or not. Nestorius: The angel said to Joseph: “Arise, drink the Child and His Mother, and flee to Egypt, and be there until the river reaches the river” (Matthew 2:13); but did not say: “drink God and His Mother.” Cyril: But the Archangel Gabriel says to the Virgin: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You: in the same way, the holy thing to be born will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:35). Nestorius: The Apostle said: “I have humbled myself, and have taken on the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7), which means that I have taken on our body, therefore, “he has increased in wisdom and stature and grace with God and man” (Luke 2:52), as the Lord’s man. Kirill: Everything born of the flesh is flesh; but this does not destroy the miraculousness of birth; for just as God gives birth divinely, so the divine Virgin gave birth in the flesh of God to the Word of God. Nestorius: Every mother gives birth to what is consubstantial with herself; therefore, She is not His mother if He is not consubstantial with Her: for how can He be His mother when He is alien to Her essence? Kirill: We were taught to confess the One Son from the Virgin and from the Holy Spirit, consubstantial with the Mother, as well as with the Father, as the Fathers said. Nestorius: I separate natures, I unite worship, since God is inseparable from Him Whom we see; therefore I do not separate veneration. Cyril: He who divides natures speaks of two Sons, not believing the Scripture, which says: “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). Nestorius: Paul says: “The Apostle and Holy One of the confession of our being Jesus, is faithful to Him who made Him” (Heb. 3:1-2); He offered Himself as a sacrifice for Himself, as well as for the people; why he appears as a High Priest before God. Cyril: Paul says: “Christ being brought alone to bear the sins of many, the second will appear without sin” (Heb. 9:28). And again (Apostle Peter says): “Thou shalt not commit sin, lest flattery be found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). And so He offers Himself for us. So, look, He did not offer Himself for Himself, but for people. Nestorius: He Himself said: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood will live through Me, just as I live for the sake of the Father who sent Me” (paraphrase - John 6:56–57). So, what are you eating, heretic? Deity or humanity? For Christ did not say “he who eats My deity,” but “flesh.” Kirill: With faith I partake of the life-giving flesh of the life-giving Word; therefore the Savior said: “Those who eat of this bread will never taste death” (paraphrase - John 6:58). Those who partake unworthily will be condemned for unbelief. Nestorius: “The Lord sent Me, and His Spirit” (Is.48:16); “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for the sake of My anointing” (Isaiah 61:1). Therefore (David) says: “Anointed You, O God, Your God is more than Your partaker with the oil of joy” (Ps. 44:8). So, understand the Anointed One, confess the Anointed One and worship the church for the sake of Him who dwells in it. Kirill: I confess the One Son from two - from the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary: I do not divide the One into two. Nestorius: How do you say that He does not know the hour, which the Son does not know, except the Father alone? Or how, knowing, denies? Or not knowing how you are called the Wisdom and Power of God, being partaker of ignorance? Cyril: The Son of God does not know the hour, knowing everything and having the Father in Himself, as He Himself said: “No one knows the Father but the Son” (Matthew 11:27). Knowing only the nature of the Father, which exists first of all, does not the Son of God know the end of the age? Yes it will not; But the Son does not know by grace, and not by nature; (just as) we, (being sons) by grace, do not know everything and know nothing about the things that pertain to the end of the age. Nestorius: Naturally we hunger and thirst and sleep, not experiencing this at will, but obeying natural necessity. So what? Will it turn out that God will follow the laws of necessity? It won't happen. Kirill: By nature we hunger and thirst and sleep - not by desire, but as slaves of natural necessity. He, not out of necessity, but voluntarily (experienced this). For with five loaves he fed five thousand, and a family again with four thousand. He Himself said: “No one will take My soul from Me, but whenever I am willing, I will it” (paraphrase - John 10:18). No man can do this except Christ alone. Nestorius: Are you saying that the Son suffered? Consequently, the Father also suffered. If you say that the Father did not suffer, then you make the Son of another substance to Him. Kirill: I do not call either the Father suffering, or the Son not suffering; but dispassionately - Divinity, since it is incorporeal; the Lord suffers according to the flesh. Nestorius: I do not say that the Word, having become flesh, did not suffer; for the Divinity is impassive. And the Passionless One is above suffering; the flesh is passionate and human nature is mortal. Kirill: And we confess the Divinity dispassionate; in the flesh It accepted suffering; hence - “Christ who suffered in the flesh for us” (1 Pet. 4:1). The name - Christ - is not alien to God; for the Apostle says: “From them is Christ, who is God above all, blessed forever. Amen” (Rom. 9:5). You might be interested in: