Commonitorium given Posidonius (CPG 5311/8637)
| Reference: | CPG 5311/8637 |
| Incipit: | Ἠ Νεστορίου πίστις, μᾶλλον δὲ |
| Date: | Easter 430 |
| Greek Text: | ACO 1.1.7:171-172 |
| English translation1: | FCC (below); CE #13 |
The English translation below was produced for FCC by R. Read. For information about the historical context of this letter and its connection to the escalating Christological controversy of the time, click here.
| Ὑπομνηστικὸν τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου ἐπισκόπου Κυρίλλου γενόμενον πρὸς Ποσειδώνιον ἀποσταλέντα παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ τῶν κατᾶ Νεστόριον ἕνεκεν | Memorandum of the holy Bishop Cyril to Posidonius, whom he sent to Rome, concerning Nestorius |
| Ἡ Νεστορίου πίστις, μᾶλλον δὲ κακοδοξία ταύτην ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν. φησὶν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς λόγος προεγνωκὼς ὅτι ὁ ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου γεννώμενος ἅγιος ἔσται καὶ μέγας, εἰς τοῦτο ἐξελέξατο αὐτὸν καὶ παρεσκεύασε μὲν γεννηθῆναι δίχα ἀνδρὸς ἐκ τῆς παρθένου, ἐχαρίσατο δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ καλεῖσθαι τοῖς αὐτοῦ ὀνόμασιν, ὥστε καὶ υἱὸν λέγεσθαι καὶ κύριον καὶ Χριστόν, καὶ παρεσκεύασεν αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανεῖν καὶ πάλιν ἤγειρεν αὐτόν, ὥστε κἂν ἐνανθρωπῆσαι λέγηται ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, ὅτι συνῆν ἀεὶ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ ἁγίῳ τῷ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου, διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται ἐνανθρωπῆσαι. ὥσπερ δὲ συνῆν τοῖς προφήταις, οὕτω φησὶ καὶ τούτῳ κατὰ μείζονα συνάφειαν. διὰ τοῦτο φεύγει πανταχοῦ τὸ λέγειν τὴν ἕνωσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ὀνομάζει συνάφειαν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὡς ἔξωθεν καὶ ὡς ἂν λέγῃ πρὸς Ἰησοῦν ὅτι καθὼς ἤμην μετὰ Μωυσῆ, οὕτως ἔσομαι καὶ μετὰ σοῦ. κρύπτων δὲ τὴν ἀσέβειαν λέγει ὅτι ἐκ μήτρας συνῆν αὐτῷ. διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ θεὸν ἀληθινὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγει, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἐν εὐδοκίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ κεκλημένον οὕτως, κἂν κύριος ὀνομασθῇ, οὕτως πάλιν αὐτὸν βούλεται κύριον ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου χαρισαμένου αὐτῷ τὸ καλεῖσθαι καὶ οὕτω. καί φησιν ὅτι ὅταν λέγωμεν ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀναστῆναι, ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀπέθανε καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀνέστη καὶ οὐδὲν τοῦτο πρὸς τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον. καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν ὁμολογοῦμεν ὅτι καὶ ἀθάνατός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος καὶ ζωή ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πιστεύομεν ὅτι γέγονε σάρξ, τουτέστιν ἑνώσας ἑαυτῷ τὴν σάρκα μετὰ ψυχῆς λογικῆς ἔπαθε σαρκὶ κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ πέπονθεν, αὐτὸς λέγεται παθεῖν, καίτοι τὴν φύσιν ἀπαθὴς ὦν, καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἀνέστη (οὐ γὰρ εἶδε διαφθορὰν ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ), λέγομεν ὅτι αὐτὸς ἀνέστη ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· ἐκείνῳ δὲ οὐ ταῦτα δοκεῖ, ἀλλά φησιν ὅτι ἀνθρώπου γέγονε τὸ πάθος καὶ ἀνθρώπου ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἐν τοῖς μυστηρίοις σῶμά ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου τὸ προκείμενον, ἡμεῖς δὲ πιστεύομεν ὅτι τοῦ λόγου ἐστὶ σὰρξ ζωοποιεῖν ἰσχύουσα διὰ τοῦτο, ὅτι τοῦ τὰ πάντα ζωογονοῦντος λόγου γέγονε σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα. | The faith of Nestorius, or rather his heretical opinion, is as follows. He says that the divine Word chose him who would be born of the holy virgin because he foreknew that he would be holy and great and brought it about that he was born of the virgin apart from the cooperation of a man. He granted to him the favor to be called by his names. Consequently, he is called “Son,” “Lord,” and “Christ.” He brought it about that he died on our behalf, and he raised him again. Consequently, even if the only-begotten Word of God is said to have become man, this is said only insofar as he was always with the holy man born of the virgin. Just as he was with the prophets (so he says), he was with this man, albeit to a greater degree of conjunction. For this reason Nestorius altogether avoids speaking of the union and instead calls it a conjunction, which is as from outside and as if he would say to Jesus, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you also” [Joshua 3:7]. To conceal his impiety, Nestorius says that he was with him from the womb. Therefore, Nestorius says, he is not true God, but is called such as if by God’s good will. And if he is named Lord, Nestorius likewise wants him to be Lord as if the divine Word granted it to him to be so called. Nestorius says that whenever we say that the Son of God died on our behalf and rose, the human died and the human rose, but it does not at all pertain to the Word of God. But while we confess that the Word of God is imperishable and is life, we moreover believe that he became flesh: Having united the flesh, with rational soul, to himself, he suffered in the flesh according to the Scriptures, and because his body suffered, he himself is said to have suffered although impassable by nature. And because his body rose (for his flesh did not see decay), we say that he himself rose on our behalf. But this displeases Nestorius. He instead says that the suffering was of a human and the resurrection of a human, and the body which is exhibited in the mysteries is of a human. But we believe that it is flesh of the Word, able to make alive because it has become the flesh and blood of the Word who makes all things alive. |
| Ταῦτα οὐκ ἀνέχεται λέγειν ἐκεῖνος. Κελέστιον παρεσκεύασεν ἐπιδοῦναι λιβέλλους κατὰ Φιλίππου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἐλέγχοντος αὐτὸν καὶ μηκέτι θελήσαντος συναχθῆναι μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν αἵρεσιν. ἐν δὲ τοῖς λιβέλλοις αἰτίασις ἦν ὅτι Μανιχαῖός ἐστιν. εἶτα κέκληκε τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἰς συνέδριον κἀκεῖνος ἦλθε, πρᾶγμα ποιῶν κανονικόν, ἑτοίμως ἔχων ἀπολογήσασθαι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδὲν εἶχε δεῖξαι, ὁ Κελέστιος ἀφανῆ ἑαυτὸν κατέστησε καὶ οὐκ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον. | Nestorius is unwilling to say this. He had Caelestius deliver petitions against Philip the priest, who has accused him and refuses to commune with him on account of his heresy. In the petitions was the accusation that Philip is a Manichaean. Then he summoned him to a council, and Philip came in accord with the canons, ready to make his defense. But because Caelestius had no evidence to show for his case, he kept himself out of sight and did not show up to the council. |
| Οὐχ εὑρὼν ταύτην τὴν ἀφορμήν, ἐφ᾽ ἑτέραν ἐχώρησεν. ἔφη γὰρ ὅτι τίνος ἕνεκεν παρασύναξιν ἐποίησας καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ προσφορὰν ἐτέλεσας; παντὸς σχεδὸν τοῦ κλήρου λέγοντος ὅτι καὶ ἡμῶν ἕκαστος ἐν καιρῷ καὶ χρείαις τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἐξήνεγκεν ἀπόφασιν καθαιρέσεως κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. | Now that this attempt had failed, he resorted to another plan. He said, “Why did you hold an unofficial assembly and perform the offering in your house?” Although nearly all the clergy said that each of them does the same when circumstances require it, he issued a sentence of deposition against the man. |
| Ἰδοὺ ἔχεις τόμους ἔχοντας κεφάλαια τῶν βλασφημιῶν Νεστορίου. | Here you have the papyri containing summaries of the blasphemies of Nestorius. |
Last updated 9/25/24 by JSW
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