Grain dies into glory; Word’s flesh-suffering; hypostatic union needed
…and again: “Jesus answers them saying: The hour has come so that the Son of Man may be glorified; amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the earth dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:23–24) And it is not doubtful that the whole world has been saved, Emmanuel having died for it. Yet we say this: how was he glorified by dying? And yet the matter rather has a stigma of weakness — which is why it is also called a despising of shame, having become obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8). But perhaps you will say that he has been glorified through the resurrection. The word holds rightly and is true. Did he then return to life divinely rather than humanly? But I think divinely. So when the Word from God himself is said to suffer in flesh, let us not be ashamed of the suffering; for the end has glory, and this is God-befitting.
That there is one Son of God and Lord, Jesus Christ. From Romans. “I myself with the mind serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. So there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus; for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed me from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to flesh but according to Spirit.” (Romans 8:3–4) For flesh and Spirit confessedly fight each other… But now in Christ what stands against has been loosed… For God has sent his own Son in the likeness of flesh of sin so that he might condemn sin in the flesh — then how is the Word’s becoming-flesh not exceedingly necessary? For thus sin has also been condemned in our flesh. But if the Word has not become flesh, the things concerning us have remained uncorrected… So we say the Word’s union with the flesh according to hypostasis is necessary — and not only the one in persons and according to will, or a bare conjunction, as some say (Romans 8:1–4).
Greek
…γεγραμμένα, καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀποκρίνεται αὐτοῖς λέγων· Ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου πεσὼν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀποθάνῃ, αὐτὸς μόνος μένει· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ, καρπὸν πολὺν φέρει.» ἔστι δὲ οὐκ ἀμφίβολον ὅτι σέσωσται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος, ἀποθανόντος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. πλὴν ἐκεῖνο λέγομεν· πῶς ἀποθανὼν ἐδοξάσθη; καίτοι μᾶλλον μῶμον ἀσθενείας ἔχει τὸ χρῆμα· ὅθεν καὶ αἰσχύνης καταφρόνησις λέγεται, γεγονὼς ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου. ἀλλ’ ἴσως ἐρεῖς δεδοξάσθαι διὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτόν. ὀρθῶς ἔχει καὶ ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος. ἆρ’ οὖν ἀνεβίω θεϊκῶς μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρωπίνως; ἀλλ’ οἶμαι θεϊκῶς. ὅταν οὖν αὐτὸς ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Λόγος σαρκὶ λέγηται παθεῖν, μὴ αἰσχυνώμεθα τὸ πάθος· δόξαν γὰρ ἔχει τὸ τέλος, καὶ τοῦτο θεοπρεπές.
Ὅτι εἷς υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους. «Αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῷ μὲν νοῒ δουλεύω νόμῳ Θεοῦ, τῇ δὲ σαρκὶ νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας. οὐδὲν ἄρα κατάκριμα τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὁ γὰρ νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου. τὸ γὰρ ἀδύνατον τοῦ νόμου, ἐν ᾧ ἠσθένει διὰ τῆς σαρκός, ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν πέμψας ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας κατέκρινε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ σαρκί, ἵνα τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ νόμου πληρωθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα.» μάχονται μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογουμένως ἀλλήλοις ἡ σὰρξ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα… λέλυται δὲ νῦν ἐν Χριστῷ τὸ ἀντιστατοῦν… πέπομφε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας ἵνα κατακρίνῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ σαρκί· εἶτα πῶς οὐ χρειωδεστάτη λίαν ἡ τοῦ Λόγου σάρκωσις; κατακέκριται γὰρ οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ ἡμῶν ἡ ἁμαρτία. εἰ δὲ οὐ γέγονε σὰρξ ὁ Λόγος, ἀπομεμένηκεν ἀδιόρθωτα τὰ καθ’ ἡμᾶς… οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναί φαμεν τὴν καθ’ ὑπόστασιν ἕνωσιν τοῦ Λόγου πρὸς τὴν σάρκα, καὶ οὐχὶ δὴ μόνην τὴν ἐν προσώποις καὶ κατὰ θέλησιν ἤτοι συνάφειαν ἁπλῆν, καθώς φασί τινες.
About this text
Cyril’s court treatise on right faith for Arcadia and Marina (CPG 5219). One Son, Word made flesh — not two Christs. English from Pusey’s Greek.
English follows Pusey’s 1877 Greek of De recta fide ad Arcadiam et Marinam. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Pusey, De recta fide ad reginas (Oxford, 1877) (Greek · CPG 5219 §§1–100)
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.