Chapter II.
That the doctrine of Nestorius is closely connected with
the error of the Pelagians.
You
say then that Christ was
born a mere man. But certainly this was asserted by that wicked heresy
of Pelagius, as we clearly showed in the first book; viz., that Christ
was born a mere man. You add besides, that Jesus Christ the Lord of all
should be termed a form that received God (
Θεοδόχος)
, i.e.,
not God, but the receiver of God, so that your view is that He is to be
honoured not for His own sake because He is God, but because He
receives God into Himself. But clearly this also was asserted by that
heresy of which I spoke before; viz., that Christ was not to be
worshipped for His own sake because He was God, but because owing to
His good and pious actions He won this; viz., to have God dwelling in
Him. You see then that you are belching out the poison of Pelagianism,
and hissing with the very spirit of Pelagianism. Whence it comes that
you seem rather to have been already judged, than to have now to
undergo judgment, for since your error is one and the same, you must be
believed to fall under the same condemnation: not to mention for the
present that you compare the Lord to a statue of the Emperor, and break
out into such wicked and blasphemous impieties that you seem in this
madness of yours to surpass even Pelagius himself, who surpassed almost
every one else in impiety.