Why they fear Theotokos; Athanasius cited
order again, and having come to be in humanity.
So if they say that the one born from the holy virgin is true God — that is, the Word from God the Father united by nature to flesh — why do they fear to confess that the holy virgin is God-bearer?
Their aim is to pretend and say, “Yes, he is also God and Lord and sits with the Father,” while they do not think so in truth. They say the glory of sonship and lordship was given, as a share of grace and by advancement, to a common human like us born from the holy virgin.
But the word God-bearer was already customary even with the holy fathers before us, who are admired for right faith, and still with all under heaven, so to speak. I thought I had to declare that as true.
So that I may not seem to say whatever comes to mind without testing it, I have gathered from the books they wrote in the churches what serves this point, set it beside my case as proof, and will seal my own words into the truth.
So the truly thrice-blessed Athanasius, famous for piety, who was in his time bishop of the church of the Alexandrians, said this about Christ in the treatise on the incarnation: “For we confess,” he says, “that he is Son of God and God according to spirit, son of man according to flesh — not two natures as the one Son, one to be worshiped and one not, but one nature of the God Word enfleshed—
Greek
πάλιν ὁρᾶται τάξει kai ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι γεγονώς. οὐκοῦν εἰ o
Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν εἶναι λέγουσι τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου
γεγεννημένον, τουτέστι, τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς Λογον κατὰ ’ σι [. 4 L4 φυσιν ἑνωθέντα σαρκὶ, διατί δεδίασιν ὁμολογεῖν ὅτι Ücorokog "51 R.
βέστιν ἡ αγία παρθένος ; ἀλλα σκοπὸς αὑτοῖς ὑποπλαττεσθαι
μέν καὶ λέγειν, ὁτι ναὶ καὶ Θεὸς ἐστι καὶ Kvpios καὶ avve-
ópevet τῷ Πατρί" φρονοῦσι γεμὴν οὐχ οὕτω κατὰ ἀλήθειαν,
aÀÀ ὡς ἐν χάριτος μέρει καὶ ὡς ἐκ προκοπῆς δεδοσθαι
φασὶ τῷ ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου κοινῷ καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς ἀνθρώπῳ d
to γεγεννημένῳ, τὴν re τῆς υἱότητος καὶ κυριότητος δόξαν.
Ori. δὲ ἡ Ücorokos φωνὴ kai αὐτοῖς γέγονε συνήθης τοῖς
πρὸ ἡμῶν ἁγίοις πατρᾶσιν, oi kai ἐπ᾽ ὀρθῇ θαυμάζονται
πίστει, καὶ εἰς δεῦρο πᾶσι τοῖς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν,
Tj» vr οὐρανὸν, δεῖν φηθην ἀληθὲς ἀποφῆναι. ἵνα yap μὴ Bs δοκ , bj 4 ^ € ^ 3 ) , 3 ^ 15 δοκοίην τὸ εἰς νοῦν ἧκον ἁπλῶς ἀβασανίστως λέγειν, ἐκ τῶν e
ἐκείνοις πεποιημένων βιβλίων ἐν ἐκκλησίαις, τὰ εἰς τοῦτο
χρήσιμα cuveweveykov καὶ παραθεὶς εἰς ἀπόδειξιν, kara.- e^ » 3 [4 Α 3 ^ , ΕΣ ’ὔ ε σφραγιῶν εἰς ἀληθειαν τοὺς ἐμαυτοῦ λόγους. ἔφη τοίνυν 0
τρισμακάριος ἀληθῶς καὶ διαβοητος eis εὐσέβειαν ' AÓavaatos,
o0 γενόμενος κατὰ καιροὺς τῆς Αλεξανδρέων ἐκκλησίας ἐπί-
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3. γεγενημένον C. ἡ. yep» | reu» C. Comm. IO. γεγενημένῳ C. καὶ C. Comm. καὶ τῆς Edd. II. δὲ] - kai Edd. I2. θαυμάζοντες (sic) C. 13. πᾶσι rois ἀνὰ] παρὰ C. Comm. 14. ἀληθὲς C. Comm. ἀληθῶς Edd. 16. ἐκκλησίαις C. Comm. ἐκκλησίᾳ Edd. I7. κατασφραγιῶν C. kara- σφραγιῶ Comm. Edd. I8. ὁ τρισμακάριος ἀληθῶς C. Comm. ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ
dentibus titulum ᾿Αθανασίον ἐπισκόπου ᾿Αλεξανδρείας ἐκ τοῦ περὶ σαρκώσεως λόγον.
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.