Life-giving Word wears death-bound nature; perfected humanly, perfects us divinely
So since it was unreachable for human nature to abolish death — for it had been held under him, as he was bringing it down into that ancient curse — of necessity the life-giving Word of God clothed himself with the death-held nature, that is, the one according to us, or the human, so that death, leaping upon his flesh like some untamed beast, might cease its tyranny against us, being abolished by God. So he himself is the one being perfected in flesh for us in a human way, yet perfecting us in a divine way by abolishing death’s power.
For incorruption was lacking to human nature, even as it somehow came to be at the beginnings. “For God did not make death, nor does he delight in the destruction of the living; for he created all things to be, and the generations of the world are saving, and there is in them no drug of ruin nor a kingdom of Hades on the earth; but by the devil’s envy death entered into the world.” (Wisdom 1:13–14; 2:24) (Wisdom 2:24) Having perfected us thus, he was saying to the Father and God in the heavens: “I glorified you on the earth, having perfected the work that you have given me to do.” (John 17:4) For it is truly glory to God and Father to abolish death through his own offspring. So the perfecting is his through sufferings, but for us what has happened is an addition of what was lacking; for the things in Christ are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). And that he does not say a bare human — with the Word excluded — has been perfected for us, but rather the Only-begotten appearing in human form, the inspired Paul will confirm again, adding: “For both the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified…” (Hebrews 2:11)
Greek
οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ ἀνέφικτον ἦν τῇ ἀνθρώπου φύσει τὸ καταργῆσαι θάνατον — κεκράτητο γὰρ ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ, κατακομίζοντος αὐτὴν εἰς τοῦτο τῆς ἀρχαίας ἐκείνης ἀρᾶς — ἀναγκαίως ὁ ζωοποιὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος τὴν θανατόκατοχον ἠμπέσχετο φύσιν, τουτέστι τὴν καθ’ ἡμᾶς, ἤτοι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἵνα καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ σαρκὶ καθάπερ τι τῶν ἀτιθάσων θηρίων ἐπιπηδήσας ὁ θάνατος, παύσηται τῆς καθ’ ἡμῶν τυραννίδος, ὡς παρὰ Θεοῦ καταργούμενος. αὐτὸς οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ σαρκὶ τελειούμενος δι’ ἡμᾶς ἀνθρωπίνως, τελειῶν δὲ ἡμᾶς θεϊκῶς διὰ τοῦ καταργῆσαι τοῦ θανάτου τὸ κράτος.
ἔλειπε γὰρ τῇ ἀνθρώπου φύσει τὸ ἄφθαρτον, οὕτω γενομένῃ πως καὶ ἐν ἀρχαῖς. «ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ’ ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων· ἔκτισε γὰρ εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ πάντα, καὶ σωτήριοι αἱ γενέσεις τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς φάρμακον ὀλέθρου οὐδέ ἐστιν ᾅδου βασίλειον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· φθόνῳ δὲ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον.» οὕτως ἡμᾶς τελειώσας, ἔφασκε πρὸς τὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς Πατέρα καὶ Θεόν· «Ἐγώ σε ἐδόξασα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὸ ἔργον τελειώσας ὃ δέδωκάς μοι ἵνα ποιήσω.» δόξα γὰρ ἀληθῶς τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ τὸ διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου γεννήματος καταργῆσαι θάνατον. οὐκοῦν ἡ μὲν τελείωσις αὐτῷ διὰ παθημάτων, ἡμῖν δὲ προσθήκη τοῦ λείποντος τὸ γεγενημένον· καινὴ γὰρ κτίσις τὰ ἐν Χριστῷ. ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἁπλῶς ἐξῃρημένου τοῦ Λόγου τετελειῶσθαί φησιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἐν ἀνθρωπείᾳ δὲ μᾶλλον μορφῇ πεφηνότα τὸν Μονογενῆ, πιστώσεται πάλιν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος προστιθείς· «ὅ τε γὰρ ἁγιάζων καὶ οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι…»
About this text
Cyril’s court treatise on right faith for Pulcheria and Eudocia (CPG 5220). One Son who suffers in flesh yet remains impassible as God. English from Pusey’s Greek.
English follows Pusey’s 1877 Greek of De recta fide ad Pulcheriam et Eudociam. 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 5220 §§1–48)
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.