A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

550 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[502]P. 177. Whenever the Holy Scriptures make mention of theworks of salvation prepared by the Lord, they speak of the birthand suffering, not of the divinity but of the humanity of Christ;therefore, according to a more exact expression the holy Virginis named the bearer of Christ [Christotokos].P. 167. If any one will bring forward the designation,“Theotokos,” because the humanity that was born was conjoinedwith the Word, not because of her who bore, so we saythat, although the name is not appropriate to her who bore, forthe actual mother must be of the same substance as her child,yet it can be endured in consideration of the fact that the temple,which is inseparably united with God the Word, comes of her.P. 196. Each nature must retain its peculiar attributes, andso we must, in regard to the union, wonderful and exalted farabove all understanding, think of one honor and confess oneSon.… With the one name Christ we designate at the same timetwo natures.… The essential characteristics in the nature of thedivinity and in the humanity are from all eternity distinguished.P. 275. God the Word is also named Christ because Hehas always conjunction with Christ. And it is impossible forGod the Word to do anything without the humanity, for all isplanned upon an intimate conjunction, not on the deification ofthe humanity.(h) Gregory of Nyssa, Contra Eunomium, V, 5. (MSG, 45:705.)The Christology of the Cappadocians.The Cappadocians use language which was afterward condemnedwhen given its extreme Alexandrian interpretation.Hefele, § 127, may be consulted with profit.The flesh is not identical with the godhead before this is transformedinto the godhead, so that necessarily some things are