Word sent in human form; own body life-giving; one Son receives life
When therefore we all live because of the Father (Acts 17:28), how is only one human’s body life-giving for that reason, and why do the bodies of others not have the same energy, if indeed all, as I said, both are and live because of the Father? What then do we say to this? The Word of God, having appeared in human form, has been named apostle; for he was sent to proclaim release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind (Luke 4:18) (Isaiah 61:1). And he lives because of the Father (John 6:57), for he has been begotten from the living Father. For the Son sprung from God and Father who is living and life had to be life by nature in every way. And since he made his own the body taken from the holy virgin, he showed it life-giving, and very reasonably; for it is the body of the life that generates life in all things. Therefore the one Son and Christ and Lord must not be divided into two sons; if indeed he is the same—life as from life and from the living Father, and life-giving also in his own body.
And together with judging he also receives the life, although he is judge as God. And what the manner of the receiving would be, he himself will teach, saying: “Because he is Son of Man.” (John 5:26–27) For it is not proper to a human to be able to have the life from himself; but since the body united to him has become own to the living Word, for this reason also, very reasonably, as having its life-giving energy, he is said to receive the life; and he himself again appropriates the matter, whose own the receiving body has also become.
Greek
Ὅτε τοίνυν ζῶμεν ἅπαντες διὰ τὸν Πατέρα, πῶς δὴ μόνον τὸ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου σῶμα ζωοποιόν ἐστι διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ οὐχὶ δὴ μᾶλλον τὴν αὐτὴν ἐνέργειαν ἔχει καὶ τὰ ἑτέρων, εἴπερ ἅπαντες, ὡς ἔφην, ἐσμέν τε καὶ ζῶμεν διὰ τὸν Πατέρα; τί οὖν ἄρα πρὸς ταῦτα φαμέν; ἀπόστολος κεχρημάτικεν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐν ἀνθρωπείᾳ μορφῇ πεφηνώς· ἀπεστάλη γὰρ κηρύξων αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν. ζῇ δὲ διὰ τὸν Πατέρα, γεγέννηται γὰρ ἐκ ζῶντος Πατρός. ἔδει γὰρ πάντη τε καὶ πάντως κατὰ φύσιν εἶναι ζωὴν τὸν ἐκ ζῶντός τε καὶ ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐκπεφυκότα Υἱόν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἴδιον ἐποιήσατο σῶμα τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου ληφθέν, ζωοποιὸν ἀπέφηνεν αὐτό, καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· σῶμα γάρ ἐστι τῆς τὰ πάντα ζωογονούσης ζωῆς. οὐκοῦν οὐ διαιρετέον εἰς δύο υἱοὺς τὸν ἕνα Υἱὸν καὶ Χριστὸν καὶ Κύριον· εἴπερ ἐστὶν ὁ αὐτὸς, ζωὴ μὲν ὡς ἐκ ζωῆς καὶ ζῶντος Πατρός, ζωοποιὸς δὲ καὶ τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα.
Δέχεται δὲ μετὰ τοῦ κρίνειν καὶ τὴν ζωήν, καίτοι κριτὴς ὑπάρχων ὡς Θεός. καὶ τίς ἂν εἴη τοῦ λαβεῖν ὁ τρόπος, διδάξει λέγων αὐτός· «Ὅτι υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν.» οὐ γὰρ ἴδιον ἀνθρώπου τὸ οἴκοθεν ἔχειν δύνασθαι τὴν ζωήν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἴδιον γέγονε τοῦ ζῶντος Λόγου τὸ ἑνωθὲν αὐτῷ σῶμα, ταύτῃ τοι καὶ μάλα εἰκότως, ὡς ἔχων αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωοποιὸν ἐνέργειαν, λαβεῖν λέγεται τὴν ζωήν· οἰκειοῦται δὲ πάλιν τὸ χρῆμα αὐτός, οὗ καὶ ἴδιον γέγονε σῶμα τὸ εἰληφός.
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.