Dialogues (Eranistes) · Part 12

Eran.--What must we call Jesus the Christ? Man?

Orth.--By neither name alone, but by both. For the Divine Man after being made man was named Jesus Christ. "For," it is written, "Thou shalt call His name Jesus for he shall save His people from their sins," and unto you is born this day in the city of David Christ the Lord. Now these are angels' voices. But before the Incarnation he was named God, son of God, only begotten, Lord, Divine Word, and Creator. For it is written "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God," and "all things were made by Him," and "He was life," and "He was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." There are also other similar passages, declaring the divine nature. But after the Incarnation He was named Jesus and Christ.

Eran.--Therefore the Lord Jesus is God only.

Orth.--You hear that the divine Word was made man, and do you call him God only?

Eran.--Since He became man without being changed, but remained just what He was before, we must call Him just what He was.

Orth.--The divine Word was and is and will be immutable. But when He had taken man's nature He became man. It behoves us therefore to confess both natures, both that which took, and that which was taken.

Eran.--We must name Him by the nobler.

Orth--Man,--I mean man the animal,--is he a simple or a composite being?

Eran.--Composite.

Orth.--Composed of what component parts?

Eran.--Of a body and a soul.

Orth.--And of these natures whether is nobler?

Eran.--Clearly the soul, for it is reasonable and immortal, and has been entrusted with the sovereignty of the animal. But the body is mortal and perishable, and without the soul is unreasonable, and a corpse.

Orth.--Then the divine Scripture ought to have called the animal after its more excellent part.

Eran.--It does so call it, for it calls them that came out of Egypt souls. For with seventy-five souls, it says, Israel came down into Egypt.

Orth.--But does the divine Scripture never call any one after the body?

Eran.--It calls them that are the slaves of flesh, flesh. For "God," it is written, "said my spirit shall not always remain in these men, for they are flesh."

Orth.--But without blame no one is called flesh?

Eran.--I do not remember.

Orth.--Then I will remind you, and point out to you that even the very saints are called "flesh." Answer now. What would you call the apostles? Spiritual, or fleshly?

Eran.--Spiritual;--and leaders and teachers of the spiritual.

Orth.--Hear now the holy Paul when he says "But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood neither went I up to them that were apostles before me." Does he so style the apostles because he blames them?

Eran.--Certainly not.

Orth.--Is it not that he names them after their visible nature, and comparing the calling which is of men with that which is of heaven?

Eran.--True.

Orth.--Then hear too the psalmist David--"Unto thee shall all flesh come." Hear too, the prophet Isaiah foretelling "All flesh shall see the salvation of our God."

Eran.--It is made perfectly plain that Holy Scripture names human nature from the flesh without the least blame.

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 soul 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.