Letter to Theodosius
Letter to the Emperor Theodosius.
Accordingly, we confess that the only-begotten Son of God is perfect God, consubstantial with the Father in his Godhead and consubstantial with us, the same one, in his humanity.
For a union of two natures has come about, and so we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord.
And if you agree, let us offer our own constitution, the one by which we are human, as an illustration.
For we are compounded of soul and body, and we discern two natures, one belonging to the body and the other to the soul, yet from both arises a single human being by union.
Being compounded from two natures does not make the one count as two human beings; it makes him one human being.
For if we remove the truth that the one and only Christ exists from two distinct natures, our opponents will retort: if the whole is one nature, how did he become human, and what flesh did he make his own?
But those who claim that mixture, confusion, or blending befell the Word of God in relation to the flesh — these the catholic and apostolic church anathematizes.
Greek
Epistula ad Theodosium imperatorem Τοιγαροῦν ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸν μονογενῆ υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ θεὸν τέλειον, ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα καὶ ὁμοούσιον ἡμῖν τὸν αὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα. ∆ύο γὰρ φύσεων ἕνωσις γέγονεν, ὅθεν ἕνα Χριστόν, ἕνα υἱόν, ἕνα κύριον ὁμολογοῦμεν. Καὶ εἰ δοκεῖ, δειξώμεθα εἰς παράδειγμα τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς σύνθεσιν καθ' ἣν ἐσμὲν ἄνθρωποι. Συντεθείμεθα γὰρ ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος καὶ ὁρῶμεν φύσεις δύο, ἑτέραν μὲν τοῦ σώματος, ἑτέραν δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλ' εἷς ἐξ ἀμφοῖν καθ' ἕνωσιν ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐχὶ τὸ ἐκ δύο φύσεων συντεθεῖσθαι δύο ἀνθρώπους τὸν ἕνα νοεῖσθαι παρασκευάζει, ἀλλ' ἕνα ἄνθρωπον. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀνέλωμεν τὸ ὅτι ἐκ δύο καὶ διαφόρων φύσεων ὁ εἷς καὶ μόνος ἐστὶ Χριστός, ἐροῦσιν οἱ δι' ἐναντίας· εἰ μία φύσις τὸ ὅλον, πῶς ἐνηνθρώπησεν ἢ ποίαν δὲ ἀνεποιήσατο σάρκα; Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας ὅτι κρᾶσις ἢ σύγχυσις ἢ φυρμὸς ἐγένετο τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου πρὸς τὴν σάρκα, τούτους ἀναθεματίζει ἡ καθολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ ἐκκλησία.
About this text
Cyril explains Christ's dual nature in a letter to the emperor, blending theology and logic to clarify faith.
Original English Translation of Cyril’s Epistula ad Theodosium imperatorem — new OET from PG 76 Greek.
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 76 (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.