Dialogue with Nestorius · §3 · Cyril of Alexandria

One Son, of One Substance with His Mother

…the Virgin too, worthy of God, bore in the flesh God the Word, who is from God.

Nestorius says: Every mother bears what is of one substance with herself. So she is not his mother unless he is of one substance with her. For how is she his mother when he is foreign to her substance?

Cyril says: We have been taught to confess one Son from the Virgin and from the Holy Spirit, of one substance with his mother as he is with the Father, as the Fathers have said.

Nestorius says: I divide the natures, but I unite the worship, since God is inseparable from the one who is seen; for this reason I do not separate the honor.

Cyril says: Whoever divides the natures speaks of two sons, and does not believe the Scripture that says, 'The Word became flesh' (John 1:14).

Nestorius says: Paul says that Jesus became the high priest and apostle of our confession, being faithful to the one who made him (Hebrews 3:1-2), and that he offered himself as a sacrifice for himself as for the people (Hebrews 5:3; 7:27); hence he is appointed high priest in the things that pertain to God (Hebrews 5:1).

Cyril says: Paul says, 'Christ…' (Hebrews 9:28)

Greek

καὶ ἡ θεοπρεπὴς Παρθένος ετεκεν ἐν σαρκὶ τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Θεὸν Λόγον. {ΝΕΣΤ.} Πᾶσα μήτηρ τὸ ὁμοούσιον αὐτῆς τίκτει· οὐκ εστιν ουν αὐτοῦ μήτηρ, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ὁμοούσιος αὐτῆς ὑπάρχει· πῶς γὰρ αὐτοῦ μήτηρ τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς ὑπάρχοντος [ξοδ. τὸ ἀλλότριον ὑπάρχον]; {ΚΥΡ.} ̔Ημᾶς ἐκ Παρθένου καὶ ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ενα Υἱὸν ἐδιδάχθημεν ὁμολογεῖν, ὁμοούσιον τῇ μητρὶ ὡς τῷ Πατρὶ, καθὼς οἱ Πατέρες εἰρήκασιν. {ΝΕΣΤ.} ∆ιαιρῶ τὰς φύσεις, ἑνῶ τὴν προσκύνησιν, ἐπειδὴ ἀχώριστος τοῦ φαινομένου Θεός· διὰ τοῦτο οὐ χωρίζω τὴν τιμήν. {ΚΥΡ.} ̔Ο διαιρῶν τὰς φύσεις, δύο υἱοὺς λέγει, μὴ πιστεύων τῇ Γραφῇ λεγούσῃ, οτι ̔Ο Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο. {ΝΕΣΤ.} Παῦλος λέγει ἀρχιερέα καὶ ἀπόστολον τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν γενέσθαι ̓Ιησοῦν, πιστὸν οντα τῷ ποιήσαντι ἑαυτὸν, θυσίαν ἑαυτὸν προσέφερεν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ ὡς ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ· οθεν ἀρχιερεὺς καθίσταται τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. {ΚΥΡ.} Παῦλος λέγει· Χριστὸς

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About this text

A short dialogue, printed among the works of Cyril of Alexandria, in which Cyril and Nestorius trade Scripture verses over whether the Virgin Mary may be called God-bearer, whether the natures of Christ may be divided, and what the believer receives in the Eucharist. A fresh English translation from the Greek.

Part only: The dialogue as printed in PG 76, cols. 249-253. The text here breaks off mid-sentence in Cyril's last reply, on the bread of life.

A fresh English translation made from the Greek text printed in PG 76 (Dialogus cum Nestorio). No published English version was used for its wording.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 76 (Greek)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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