No one whatever. Let them therefore, speaking out of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord, as it is written, be ashamed. For WE, whose care is orthodoxy and who makest a special aim zealously to follow the right words of the holy Fathers, not the unbridled mouth and empty-speakings void of understanding of some, will not be minded otherwise than we ought to be minded, but ever going the straight way of the truth and having our mind filled with the holy Scriptures we both say that the Flesh of our LORD was ensouled with reasonable soul and believe that it is Divine and Spotless and glorified and moreover both life-giving and sanctifying, inasmuch as it became the own Flesh of the Word out of God the Father and affirm that it is not (as some have thought fit to think) of a son other than He, nor yet that it is changed into the Nature of Godhead.
17.
S. Cyril against Diodore and Theodore in his Book against the Synousiasts wrote thus ,
But perchance to these things some one will say, 'What then, if when contending with some of the heretics or withstanding them who confuse the Natures , they made a discourse grosser than should be?'
I suppose that one would say that if the fault were in a single word, the hearers would forgive what was not far |377 off from what is right. For that in some slight degree they sometimes err even against their will, who apply themselves to subtilty and exactitude of idea, they have some just reason for apology. But if in works thus extensive and in their whole writings so to say, they have attacked the Truth blow upon blow, every where confessing Two sons, what excuse will be sufficient for them?
18.
these things too taught S. Cyril in his discourse against those who confuse the Natures, after this sort,
Receiving as a rule of right and undistorted Faith the Holy and God-inspired Scripture we say that when the Only-Begotten Word of God became First-born for us, He ceased not from being what He was and He is called, along with the title of Very God, also Son of Man: and He is not seen to have changed the Nature of the Godhead into flesh, which without change and without confusion was united to Him that He might adorn it with His own Glory: rather we must know that He filled it with God-befitting authority. Thus for a season was He seen of those in all the earth when He came from Heaven.
[Running headers for the pages]
Liberatus. S. Athanasius. S. Gregory of Nazianzum. 363
364 Strive for the Truth, sorrow for the strayed.
Word not changed into body, nor forms body out of Himself. 365
366 If Son can change, Father and Holy Ghost can.
Nought generate can become GOD . 367
368 His Body Divine, His own, in its proper nature.
If It were changed, It would not profit us. 369
370 Christ not a Mediator unless both God and Man,
nor the Son of Man, nor we sons of God. 371
372 He will come again as He ascended.
The Flesh and the Word not commingled. 373
374 By 'after the flesh' S. Paul means
' in the weakness of the Flesh, ' in which He suffered. 375
376 The Flesh of the Word Divine, yet not confounded.
Christ both Very God and Very Man. 377
[Selected footnotes]