Against two Christs on kenosis; the Full takes a slave’s form
…rather, voluntarily taking a slave’s form and becoming in the likeness of humans. And he adds that he humbled himself, becoming obedient as far as death — death on a cross. So if the one and only Christ and Lord is to be divided into two Christs and sons according to what some think — the Word of God honored the human from a woman with equality of his own dignities and joined him to himself by the mode of authority and by the shared name of sonship, as being another son particularly beside him — who then is the one who emptied himself? Or in what way has he been emptied? For if, as they say, the human thought of particularly from a woman is said to have suffered this, how or in what way has he been emptied? And how did the one who has come to be in equality with the God Word — according to the mode of worth or authority, having this conjunction with him — descend into humility? But if emptying is said of the God Word himself, again thought of particularly and as a son in part, how has he been emptied by honoring another, as those people say, and clothing him with his own dignities? And in what way has the one who gives the height of his own glory to the one joined been humbled? For if they should say that by glorifying another he himself undergoes the humility — that is, the emptying — they seem to think nothing absurd in saying that by insulting he is also exalted (Philippians 2:7–8).
A necessary and true account almost forces us to think that it is the Full that is emptied, and that what is not by nature a slave — but is beyond the measures of slavery — would come to be in a slave’s form; and that what does not have this according to nature before it comes to be also comes to be in the likeness of humans; and that the High is humbled…
Greek
μᾶλλον, ἐθελοντὴν μορφὴν δούλου λαβόντα καὶ ἐν ὁμοιώ- ματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενον. προσεπάγει δὲ ὅτι τεταπείνωκεν ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. εἴπερ οὖν διαιρετέον εἰς δύο χριστοὺς καὶ υἱοὺς τὸν ἕνα καὶ ὁ μόνον Χριστὸν καὶ Κύριον κατά γε τὸ τισὶ δοκοῦν, τὸν &j γυναικὸς ἄνθρωπον τετίμηκε μὲν ἰσότητι τῶν ἰδίων ἀξιω- μάτων ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, καὶ συνῆψεν ἑαυτῷ, κατὰ τὸν τῆς; αὐθεντίας τρόπον καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῆς υἱότητος ὁμωνυμίαν, ὡς ᾿ ἕτερος ὧν ἰδικῶς παρ᾽ αὐτὸν υἱός" τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν. ὃ κενώσας ἑαυτόν ; ἢ τίνα κεκένωται τρόπον ; εἰ μὲν γὰρ, ὡς αὐτοί το φασιν, ὁ ἐκ γυναικὸς ἰδικῶς νοούμενος ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο & λέγεται παθεῖν, πῶς 1) τίνα κεκένωται τρόπον ; κατέβη δὲ ὅπως εἰς ταπείνωσιν ὁ ἐν ἰσότητι γεγονὼς τῇ πρὸς Θεὺν Λόγον, κατά γε τὸν τῆς ἀξίας ἤγουν αὐθεντίας τρόπον καὶ
, ΕΣ : 4 » v 4 , » Ά » 9 » ^ e ταύτην ἔχων πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν συναφειαν ; εἰ δὲ ἐπ avrovi5
^ ^ , ΄ ^ Ν , τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου, νοουμένου πάλιν ἰδικῶς καὶ ava μέρος
υἱοῦ TO κεκενῶσθαι λέγοιτο, πῶς κεκένωται τιμήσας ἕτερον,
- καθά φασιν ἐκεῖνοι, kai τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐτὸν ἀξιώμασι περι-
b βαλών ; τεταπείνωται δὲ τίνα τρόπον ὃ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δόξης ro
ὕψος τῷ συναφθέντι διδούς ; εἰ γὰρ δὴ φαῖεν, ὅτι δοξαζῶν v Ὁ N Α A ’ ἕτερον αὐτὸς ὑπομένει τὴν ταπείνωσιν, ἤγουν τὴν κένωσιν,
οὐδὲν ὡς ἔοικε τῶν ἀτόπων ἐννοεῖν ὅτι καὶ ὑβρίζων ὑψοῦται.
Αναγκαίου τοιγαροῦν ἡμᾶς καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἀληθοὺς μονο-
Ἢ ^ , , 4 ^ e νουχὶ συνωθοῦντος λόγου πρὸς γε TO οἴεσθαι δεῖν, ὅτι
κενοῦται TO πλῆρες, καὶ ἐν δούλου μορφῇ γένοιτ᾽ ἂν, ov τὸ s
τῇ φύσει δοῦλον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν τῆς δουλείας ἐπέκεινα μέτρων
e γίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων TO μὴ οὕτως ἔχον
κατα φύσιν, πρὶν ἂν γένηται, καὶ ὅτι ταπεινοῦται TO ὑψηλον
I. ἐθελοντὶ w. ἐν om. w. 5. κατά C.w. Comm. xai κατά Edd. 6. μὲν] - ἐν w. 47. τῆς om. C. Comm. 9. ἰδικῶς post υἱός. trans- ponit v. παρ᾽ αὐτόν. υἱὸς δὲ τίς dpa w. 10-12. Α τρόπον ad τρόξον transilit w. I3. ὅπως] πῶς v. 14. τρόπον om. w. 15. συνα- airs σαφήνειαν (sic) C. 18. φησὶν C.w. αὐτὸ Αὐῦ. περιβάλλων
23. ἡμᾶς om. w, 25. γένοιτ᾽] γένοιτο ris w. 28. ἂν assumptum ex
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.