On the True Faith, to the Princesses Arcadia and Marina · §74 · Cyril of Alexandria

Justifier is true God; Word’s own body at the right hand

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“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus who died — rather also was raised — who is at God’s right hand, who also intercedes for us.” (Romans 8:33–34) If Christ justifies by faith, and the one who justifies is God, then Christ is true God. And if he is at God’s right hand, although he has died and been raised, and sits with the Father, then the body is the Word’s own. For thus he sits with the Father with the assumed flesh, as Son by nature even if the Word has become flesh.

“But the righteousness from faith says thus: Do not say in your heart, Who will go up into heaven? — that is, to bring Christ down — or Who will go down into the abyss? — that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart — that is, the word of faith that we preach — that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…” (Romans 10:6–10) If according to what some think Christ is understood as a God-bearing human and has only the union in persons toward the Word from God, why, believing in him as Lord and also confessing his resurrection from the dead, are we justified by the faith toward him? And the faith is clearly done as toward God. Therefore the God-Word’s union according to hypostasis toward the human things is necessary.

Greek

“Τίς ἐγκαλέσει κατὰ ἐκλεκτῶν Θεοῦ ; Θεὸς ὁ δικαιῶν, p 199 F-

* τίς ὁ κατακρίνων ; Χριστὸς ᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ ἀποθανὼν, μᾶλλον HUE

δὲ καὶ ἐγερθεὶς, ὅς ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ ToU Θεοῦ, ὃς καὶ évrvy-

* χάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν." εἰ Owatot τῇ πίστει Χριστὸς, Θεὸς δέ

δέστιν ὃ δικαιῶν, Θεὸς ἄρα ἀληθὴς ὁ Χριστός. καὶ εἴπερ

ἐστὶν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ - Θεοῦ, καίτοι τεθνεὼς καὶ ἐγηγερμένος,

συγκάθηται δὲ τῷ Harpi tty ἄρα TOU Aoyov τὸ σῶμα

ἐστι. συνεδρεύει yap οὕτω τῷ Πατρὶ μετὰ τῆς ἀναλη-

φθείσης σαρκὸς, os Yios κατὰ φύσιν καὶ εἰ γέγονε σὰρξ 0c 10 Λόγος.

*'H δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτως λέγει Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν ΤΡ. x-

τῇ καρδίᾳ σου Τίς ἀναβήσεται eis TOv οὐρανόν ; τουτέστι

ριστον karayayeiv' ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον;

τουτέστι Χριστον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. ἀλλα τί λέγει ;

15 * Eyyvs σου τὸ ῥῆμα ἐστιν ἐν τῷ στόματί σου kal ἐν τῇ

* καρδίᾳ σου, τουτέστι TO ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως Ὁ κηρύσσομεν"

ὅτι ἐᾶν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν TQ στόματί cov κύριον 'Igcobv,

kai πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἤγειρεν αὑτὸν

ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθησῃ᾽ καρδίᾳ yap πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην,

0*5 grouart, δε ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν." εἰ κατὰ ye TO τισι

οκοῦν, ἄνθρωπος θεοῴφορος νοεῖται Ἄριστος καὶ μονην ἔχων

τὴν ἐν προσώποις ἕνωσιν πρὸς τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Λόγον, τίνος

ἕνεκα πιστεύοντες εἰς avrov ὡς εἰς Κύριον, ὁμολογοῦντες δὲ

καὶ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ, δικαιούμεθα τῇ πίστει

j τῇ εἰς αὑτόν ; πράττεται δὲ ἡ πίστις, ὡς εἰς Θεὸν δηλονότι. e

ἀναγκαία τοιγαροῦν ἡ καθ᾽ ὑπόστασιν ἔνωσις τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου

πρὸς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. ἕνα γὰρ οὕτω Χριστὸν ὡς κύριον κατὰ

φυσιν ομολογήσομεν, καὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ σαρκὸς τὴν ἀνάστασιν

ἐπιγενώσκοντες, ὡς eig Θεὸν πιστεύοντες, δικαιούμεθα.

11. μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σον om. Cod. — 15. ἐστιν om. C. Comm. 18. ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν hoc ordine C. Comm. I9. δικαιοσύνην--- σωτηρίαν] δικαιοσύνην στό" ματος, ὁμολογεῖται C. unde εἰς σωτηρίαν om. Comm.