Глава XLIII. О лице

A person is that which, in its actions and properties, is revealed in a clear and definite way, different from the way in which homogeneous creatures are detected. For example, Gabriel, talking with the Most Holy Theotokos, was one of the angels, but he was the only one who directly talked with her, differing from the angels consubstantial with him by his presence in a certain place and the fact that he talked. And Paul, when he spoke on the stairs, was one of the number of people, but by his properties and actions he stood out from all other people. It should be noted that the holy fathers with the names: hypostasis, person and individual, meant the same thing: namely, that which, consisting of substance and accidents, exists in itself and independently, differs in number and expresses a certain individual, for example, Peter, Paul, a certain horse. The name hypostasis ὑποστασισ comes from ὑφεσταναι, to stand at the base of something. You might be interested in: