Letter 70: Theodore Studite, Letter 70; Greek heading: Θεοδώρῳ διακόνῳ.

I have come, at the commission of your charity, to the answering of the heretical problems. And if I should answer well, set your seal upon the argument; but if not, may you yourself make it clearer with greater precision. But since it is not possible to resolve the heretical opinion thoroughly unless the proposition itself be set forth, let this first be laid down, and then, in this way, the orthodox solution. [A problem of the heretic.] Confessing one nature of God the Word made flesh, you call the whole Christ a certain whole, that is, one totality out of parts, namely of divinity and of humanity. We ask, then: which do you number together with the Holy Trinity, the whole or the part? And if the whole, the Holy Trinity will not be consubstantial [homoousios, of one and the same essence]; but if the part, then either, numbering the divinity together [with the Trinity], you plainly leave out the humanity from the Holy Trinity, or, numbering the humanity together, you will be caught saying that the divinity is outside the Trinity. [Solution to this.] Confessing one nature of the Word made flesh, we confess not simply the whole Christ as a certain whole, but [as] brought together out of two totalities, of divinity and of humanity. According to these totalities, which are taken as parts toward the composition, he is whole as God, naturally conjoined to the Father and the Spirit, and whole as man, essentially ranked together with the Mother and with us; binding the extremes to himself by the single [personal] character, and preserving the limits of the extremes unmaimed and unconfused in the union. Wherefore the Trinity remains a Trinity, not admitting anything alien-in-nature as an addition, and the humanity remains humanity, in no way divided from the divinity that has been united to it. So that your problem is irrational, severed from the confusing heresy of the Acephali [the "Headless ones," extreme anti-Chalcedonian Monophysites]. [Another problem of the same heretic.] This Christ confessed by you, is he numbered together with the Holy Trinity or not? And if he is numbered together with the Holy Trinity, how then will the Trinity be consubstantial? But if he is not numbered together, neither will he be God, but only a mere man. With whatever arguments, then, you should resolve this difficulty, keeping the doctrine concerning one Christ unharmed, these same [arguments] will suffice for us as well toward this [problem]. [Solution to this.] This Christ confessed by us, with whatever arguments of truth he repelled the former proposition, with these same may he also help to repel the present one, since it holds impiety in equal measure. But the Christ whom you advocate, that is, one natural totality out of parts, of divinity and of humanity, would be neither consubstantial with the Father, since the Father is God only and not also man, nor consubstantial with the Mother, since the Mother is man only and not also God. And it is time for you to seek out other Christs, with whom this one might be consubstantial; since it is not possible for a single-person nature to be recognized. But if you do not find [such], having been caught by your own problems, by your empty fabrication you would be holding the opinion that he is not Christ at all.

Ἥκω τῇ ἐπιτροπῇ τῆς ἀγάπης σου ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπαντήσει τῶν αἱρετικῶν προβλημάτων. καὶ εἰ μὲν εὖ ἀπαντήσοιμι, ἐπίθες τὴν σφραγῖδα τῷ λόγῳ, εἰ δὲ μή γε, σαφηνίσειας αὐτὸς εὐκρινέστερον. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν εὖ μάλα διαλῦσαι τὸ αἱρετικὸν φρόνημα, εἰ μὴ αὐτὴ ἡ πρότασις ὑποδείκνυτο, πρῶτον κείσθω αὕτη, καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως ἡ ὀρθόδοξος λύσις. {1Πρόβλημα αἱρετικοῦ.}1 Μίαν φύσιν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου σεσαρκωμένην ὁμολογοῦντες ὅλον τι τὸν Χριστόν, ἤγουν μίαν ὁλότητα ἐκ μερῶν, θεότητός τε καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος δῆλον ὅτι, λέγετε. πυνθανόμεθα οὖν, τί συναριθμεῖτε τῇ Ἁγίᾳ Τριάδι, τὸ ὅλον ἢ τὸ μέρος; καὶ εἰ μὲν τὸ ὅλον, οὐκ ἔσται ὁμοούσιος ἡ Ἁγία Τριάς· εἰ δὲ τὸ μέρος, ἢ τὴν θεότητα συναριθμοῦντες ἐκτὸς τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα προδήλως καταλιμπάνετε ἢ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα συναριθμοῦντες ἁλώσεσθε τῆς Τριάδος ἐκτὸς τὴν θεότητα λέγοντες. {1Λύσις πρὸς τοῦτο.}1 Μίαν φύσιν τοῦ λόγου σεσαρκωμένην ὁμολογοῦντες οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὅλον τι τὸν Χριστόν, ἀλλ' ἐκ δυοῖν ὁλοτήτων συνενηνεγμένων, θεότητός τε καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος, ὁμολογοῦμεν· καθ' ἃς ὁλότητας, τὰς ὡς μέρη πρὸς τὴν σύνθεσιν εἰλημμένας, ὅλος ἐστὶν ὡς θεὸς τῷ πατρί τε καὶ πνεύματι φυσικῶς συνημμένος καὶ ὅλος ὡς ἄνθρωπος τῇ μητρὶ καὶ ἡμῖν οὐσιωδῶς συντεταγμένος, τῳ μοναδικῷ χαρακτῆρι τὰ ἄκρα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συνδέων καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἄκρων ὅρους ἀλωβήτους καὶ ἀσυγχύτους ἐν τῇ ἑνώσει διαφυλάττων. ἐφ' ᾧ ἡ Τριὰς μένει Τριάς, ἀσυμφυές τι εἰς προσθήκην μὴ προσιεμένη, καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπότης μένει ἀνθρωπότης, τῆς ἑνωθείσης αὐτῇ θεότητος μήπω διαιρουμένη. ὥστε σου ἀλογῶδες τὸ πρόβλημα, ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ἀκεφάλων συγχυτικῆς αἱρέσεως ἀποζευγνύμενον. {1Τοῦ αὐτοῦ αἱρετικοῦ ἕτερον πρόβλημα.}1 Οὗτος ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ παρ' ὑμῶν ὁμολογούμενος συναριθμεῖται τῇ Ἁγίᾳ Τριάδι ἢ οὔ; καὶ εἰ μὲν συναριθμεῖται τῇ Ἁγίᾳ Τριάδι, πῶς ἔσται λοιπὸν ἡ Τριὰς ὁμοούσιος; εἰ δὲ οὐ συναριθμεῖται, οὐδὲ θεὸς ἔσται, ἀλλὰ μόνον ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος. οἷς τοίνυν ὑμεῖς τὴν ἀπορίαν ἐπιλύσοισθε λόγοις, τὴν περὶ ἑνὸς Χριστοῦ φυλάττοντες δόξαν ἀπήμαντον, οὗτοι καὶ ἡμῖν πρὸς ταύτην ἀρκέσουσιν. {1Λύσις πρὸς τοῦτο.}1 Οὗτος ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ παρ' ἡμῖν ὁμολογούμενος, οἷς λόγοις ἀληθότητος ἐξεκρούσατο τὴν προτέραν πρότασιν, τούτοις καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν συνεκκρούσειεν, ὡς ἰσορρόπως τὸ ἀσεβὲς ἔχουσαν. ὃν δὲ ὑμεῖς Χριστόν, ἤγουν μίαν ὁλότητα φυσικὴν ἐκ μερῶν, θεότητός τε καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος, πρεσβεύετε, οὔτε ὁμοούσιος ἂν εἴη τῷ πατρί, εἴπερ ὁ πατὴρ θεὸς μόνον, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ ἄνθρωπος, οὔτε ὁμοούσιος τῇ μητρί, εἴπερ ἡ μήτηρ ἄνθρωπος μόνον, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ θεός. καὶ ὥρα ὑμῖν ζητεῖν ἑτέρους Χριστούς, οἷς οὗτος ἂν εἴη ὁμοούσιος· ἐπεὶ μὴ οἷόν τε μονοπρόσωπον φύσιν γνωρίζεσθαι. εἰ δὲ οὐχ εὑρίσκοιτε, τοῖς ἰδίοις προβλήμασιν ἑαλωκότες, τῷ κενῷ ἀναπλασμῷ οὐ Χριστὸν εἶναι ὅλως δοξάζοιτε.