Letter to Maximus the Philosopher · §1 · Athanasius of Alexandria

Silence before shamelessness, then the crucified Word

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Athanasius opens his letter to Maximus the philosopher, explaining why he nearly kept silent before shameless opponents and then confessing the crucified Christ as God the Word made flesh.

Having read what you have now written, I welcomed your reverence, but I marveled greatly at the rashness of those who understand neither what they say nor what they confidently assert, and I truly resolved to remain silent. For to answer things so obvious and shining more than light is nothing other than to provide excuses for shamelessness to those who break the law in this way. And this we have learned from the Savior. For when Pilate had washed his hands and grasped the slander of the Jews of that time, the Lord no longer answered him, but rather sent a divine warning to his wife, so that the one being judged might be believed to be God, not in word but in power. And by not answering Caiaphas in his foolish talk, he himself by his promise brought all to knowledge. So after long delay and seeing the word-battling of those who act shamelessly, I at last gave way out of respect for your zeal for the truth, and I dictated nothing more than what you wrote, so that you, by the very things the opponent has contradicted, may finally stop his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit (Psalm 33:13-14 LXX; 34:12-13 Hebrew). And may such people no longer taunt, with the Jews who passed by then, the one hanging on the tree, saying, “If he is the Son of God, he will save himself” (Matthew 27:40). But if they do not sink down even so, then you, remembering the apostolic command, reject a heretical man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a person is warped and sins, being self-condemned (Titus 3:10-11). For if those who dare such things are Greeks or Judaizers, let them as Jews consider the cross of Christ a scandal, and as Greeks foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23); but if they pretend to be Christians, let them learn that the crucified Christ is Lord of glory, the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). And if they doubt that he is also God, let them reverence Thomas, who touched the crucified one and said that he is Lord and God. And let them fear the Lord himself, the one saying after washing the disciples’ feet, “You call me the Lord and the teacher, and you speak well, for I am” (John 13:13). And in the body in which he was present when he washed their feet, in that same body he bore our sins upon the tree. And he was witnessed as master of creation, when the sun drew in its rays, and the earth trembled, and the rocks were split, and the executioners recognized that truly the crucified one is the Son of God. For the body that was seen was not some man’s, but God’s, in which he was present even when he was crucified, and he raised the dead. Therefore their bold saying is not good, which says that the Word of God came into some holy man—for this happened in each of the prophets and the other saints—so that he might not appear to be born and dying again in each one. But it is not so; may it never be! But once, at the consummation of the ages, for the nullification of sin, the Word himself became flesh, and from Mary the Virgin he came forth as man in our likeness, as he also said to the Jews, “Why do you seek to kill me, a man who has spoken the truth to you?” (John 8:40). And it is not by partaking of some man’s body, but by receiving the body of the Word himself, that we are made divine.

Greek

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΜΑΞΙΜΟΝ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟΝ. Τῷ ἀγαπητῷ καὶ ἀληθῶς ποθεινοτάτῳ υἱῷ Μαξίμῳ φιλοσόφῳ, Ἀθανάσιος ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Ἐντυχὼν τοῖς νῦν γραφεῖσι παρὰ σοῦ, τὴν μὲν σὴν εὐλάβειαν ἀπεδεξάμην, τὴν δὲ προπέτειαν τῶν μὴ νοούντων μήτε ἃ λέγουσι, μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται, ἐπὶ πολὺ θαυμάσας, ἐβουλευσάμην ἀληθῶς σιωπῆσαι. Τὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς οὕτω φανεροῖς καὶ πλέον φωτὸς λάμπουσιν ἀποκρίνασθαι, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ προφάσεις ἀναισχυντίας τοῖς οὕτω παρανομοῦσι παρέχειν. Καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος μεμαθήκαμεν. Νιψαμένῳ γὰρ τῷ Πιλάτῳ καὶ καταλαβομένῳ τὴν συκοφαντίαν τῶν τότε Ἰουδαίων, οὐκ ἔτι ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐχρημάτιζε τῇ τούτου γυναικὶ, ἵνα μὴ ἐν λόγῳ, ἀλλὰ ἐν δυνάμει πιστεύηται ὁ κρινόμενος εἶναι Θεός. Τῷ δὲ Καϊάφᾳ μὴ ἀποκρινόμενος πρὸς τὴν φλυαρίαν, αὐτὸς τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ τοὺς πάντας εἰς γνῶσιν μετήγαγεν. Ἐπὶ πολὺ γοῦν ὑπερτιθέμενος καὶ ὁρῶν τὴν τῶν ἀναιδευομένων λογομαχίαν, μόλις ᾐδέσθην τὸν σὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ζῆλον, καὶ ὑπηγόρευσα οὐδὲν πλέον τῶν παρὰ σοῦ γραφέντων, ἵν' οἷς ἀντείρηκεν ὁ ἐναντίος, τούτοις λοιπὸν πεισθεὶς, παύσῃ τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ χείλη αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον. Καὶ γένοιτο μὲν τοὺς τοιούτους μηκέτι ὀνειδίσαι μετὰ τῶν παροδευόντων τότε Ἰουδαίων τὸν κρεμάμενον ἐπὶ ξύλου, Εἰ Υἱός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, σώσει αὐτόν· ἐὰν δὲ ἄρα μηδὲ οὕτως καταδύωνται, ἀλλὰ σὺ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς μνημονεύων παραγγελίας, αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς, ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος, καὶ ἁμαρτάνει ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ Ἕλληνες ἢ τῶν Ἰουδαϊζόντων εἰσὶν οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμῶντες, ὡς μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι σκάνδαλον, ὡς δὲ Ἕλληνες μωρίαν νομιζέτωσαν τὸν σταυρὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· εἰ δὲ ὑποκρίνονται ὡς Χριστιανοὶ, μαθέτωσαν τὸν σταυρωθέντα Χριστὸν, Κύριον μὲν τῆς δόξης, δύναμιν δὲ Θεοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ σοφίαν αὐτὸν εἶναι. Εἰ δὲ ἀμφιβάλλουσιν, ὅτι καὶ Θεός ἐστιν, αἰδείσθωσαν τὸν Θωμᾶν τὸν ψηλαφήσαντα τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, καὶ λέγοντα Κύριον αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ Θεόν. Καὶ φοβείσθωσαν αὐτὸν τὸν Κύριον, τὸν μετὰ τὸ νίψαι τοὺς πόδας τῶν μαθητῶν λέγοντα· Ὑμεῖς φωνεῖτέ με ὁ Κύριος καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ καλῶς λέγετε· εἰμὶ γάρ. Ἐν ᾧ δὲ σώματι τυγχάνων ἔνιψε τοὺς πόδας, ἐν τούτῳ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἀνήνεγκεν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον. Ἐμαρτυρεῖτό τε δεσπότης τῆς κτίσεως, συστείλαντος μὲν τοῦ ἡλίου τὰς ἀκτῖνας, καὶ τῆς γῆς τρεμούσης, καὶ τῶν πετρῶν σχιζομένων, καὶ τῶν δημίων ἐπιγνόντων, ὅτι ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ Υἱός ἐστιν ὁ σταυρωθείς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώπου τινὸς ἦν τὸ βλεπόμενον σῶμα, ἀλλὰ Θεοῦ, ἐν ᾧ τυγχάνων καὶ ὅτε ἐσταυροῦτο, ἤγειρε νεκρούς. Διὸ οὐδὲ καλὸν ἐκεῖνο αὐτῶν τόλμημα τὸ λέγον, ὅτι εἰς ἄνθρωπόν τινα ἅγιον ἐγένετο ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος (τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν ἑκάστῳ ἐγένετο τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁγίων), ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον γεννώμενος καὶ πάλιν ἀποθνήσκων φαίνηται. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ οὕτως· μὴ γένοιτο! Ἀλλ' ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτὸς ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς Παρθένου προῆλθεν ἄνθρωπος καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν, ὡς καὶ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἔφη· Τί ζητεῖτέ με ἀποκτεῖναι ἄνθρωπον, ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λελάληκα; Οὐκ ἀνθρώπου τέ τινος μετέχοντες σώματος, ἀλλὰ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λόγου σῶμα λαμβάνοντες, θεοποιούμεθα.

About this text

Athanasius responds to writings Maximus has sent.

Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 293/298–373), Archbishop of Alexandria, wrote this letter to Maximus the Philosopher in answer to writings Maximus had sent. He dictates a concise reply based on what Maximus wrote so that the opponent may be persuaded to cease his evil speaking.

Athanasius explains his reluctance to answer shameless opponents by recalling the silence of Jesus before Pilate and Caiaphas, then argues that the crucified Christ is God the Word himself made flesh once for all from the Virgin Mary for our salvation, not a holy man entered by the Word. The reader meets Maximus, Thomas who touched Jesus and confessed him as Lord and God, Lazarus whom Jesus asked after and then raised, Mary, and Adam in whom death was spoken to all, while quoted words from Jesus, Thomas, the opponents and Scripture from Genesis are set out and answered, against both those who make the body a mere appearance and Paul of Samosata who made Christ a mere man, ending with the confession of Nicaea against every heresy and especially the Arian.

In this rendering the divine Son is called the Word of God, his full human bodily nature is called flesh, and other key words appear as cross, man, God, virgin, nature, salvation, heresy and Nicaea. Bible books are cited in modern form where the author used Septuagint names, with Psalms as in standard English Bibles and differences of numbering noted. Paul of Samosata is the teacher who said Christ was a mere man distinct from God the Word, and by sequence of nature the letter means ordinary human birth, which Athanasius denies of Christ.

No published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from Migne PG text (Aegean University Digital Patrology, via (Greek)
Also checked Migne PG 26, archive.org scan patrologiae_cursus_completus_gr_vol_026 (Greek machine-read text) (Greek · check (same print; machine-read text compared word by word))

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