Orth. -I will proceed to give you the yet further proof.
Eran. -What further?
Orth. -The fact that sometimes when giving blame the divine Scripture uses only the name of soul.
Eran. -And where will you find this in holy Scripture?
Orth. -Hear the Lord God speaking through the prophet Ezekiel "The sold that sinneth it shall die." Moreover through the great Moses He saith "If a soul sin-" And again "It shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that prophet shall be cut off." And many other passages of the same kind may be found.
Eran. -This is plainly proved.
Orth. -In cases, then, where there is a certain natural union, and a combination of created things, and of beings connected by service and by time, it is not the custom of holy Scripture to use a name for this being derived only from the nobler nature; it names it indiscriminately both by the meaner and by the nobler. If so, how can you find fault with us for calling Christ the Lord,man, after confessing Him to be God, when many things combine to compel us to do so?
Eran. -What is there to compel us to call the Saviour Christ, "man"?
Orth. -The diverse and mutually inconsistent opinions of the heretics.
Eran. -What opinions, and contrary to what?
Orth. -That of Arius to that of Sabellius. The one divides the substances: the other confounds the hypostases. Arius introduces three substances, and Sabellius makes one hypostasis instead of three. Tell me now, how ought we to heal both maladies? Must we apply the same drug for both ailments, or for each the proper one?
Eran. -For each the proper one.
Orth. -We shall therefore endeavour to persuade Arius to acknowledge the substance of the Holy Trinity, and we shall adduce proofs of this position from Holy Scripture.
Eran. -Yes: this ought to be done.
Orth. -But in arguing with Sabellius we shall adopt the opposite course. Concerning the substance we shall advance no argument, for even he acknowledges but one.
Eran. -Plainly.
Orth. -But we shall do our best to cure the unsound part of his doctrine.
Eran. -We say that where he halts is about the hypostases.
Orth. -Since then he asserts there to be one hypostasis of the Trinity, we shall point out to him that the divine Scripture proclaims three hypostases.
Eran. -This is the course to take. But we have wandered from the subject.
Orth. -Not at all. We are collecting proofs of it, as you will learn in a moment. But tell me, do you understand that all the heresies which derive their name from Christ, acknowledge both the Godhead of Christ and His manhood?
Eran. -By no means.
Orth. -Do not some acknowledge the godhead alone, and somethemanhood alone?
Eran. -Yes.
Orth. -And some but a part of the manhood?