of God”? for if he were a mere man, and was called the form of God by reason of His works,
why do we not do the same of Peter, for he wrought greater deeds than Christ Himself?
Why say you not of Paul, that he had the form of God? Why did not Paul give an example
of himself, for he wrought a thousand servile works, and did not even refuse to say, “For we
preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’
sake.” (2 Cor. iv. 5.)
These are absurdities and trifles! Scripture says, He “emptied Himself.” How did He
empty Himself? tell me. What was His emptying? what His humiliation? was it because He
wrought wonders? This both Paul and Peter did, so that this was not peculiar to the Son.
What then means, “Being made in the likeness of men”? He had many things belonging to
us, and many He had not; for instance, He was not born of wedlock. He did no sin. These
things had He which no man has. He was not what he seemed only, but He was God also;
He seemed to be a man, but He was not like the mass of men. For He was like them in flesh.
He means then, that He was not a mere man. Wherefore he says, “in the likeness of men.”
For we indeed are soul and body, but He was God, and soul and body, wherefore he says,
“in the likeness.” For lest when you hear that He emptied Himself, you should think that
some change, and degeneracy, and loss is here; he says, whilst He remained what He was,
He took that which He was not, and being made flesh He remained God, in that He was the
Word. (John i. 14.)
In this then He was like man, and for this cause Paul says, “and in fashion.” Not that
His nature degenerated, nor that any confusion arose, but He became man in fashion. For
when He had said that “He took the form of a servant,” he made bold625 to say this also,
seeing that the first would silence all objectors; since when he says, “In the likeness of sinful
flesh,” he says not that He had not flesh, but that that flesh sinned not, but was like to sinful
flesh. Like in what? in nature, not in sin, therefore was His like a sinful soul. As then in the
former case the term similarity was used, because He was not equal in everything, so here
also there is similarity, because He is not equal in everything, as His not being born of
wedlock, His being without sin, His being not a mere man. And he well said “as a man,” for
He was not one of the many, but “as” one of the many. The Word who was God did not
degenerate into man, nor was His substance changed, but he appeared as a man; not to delude
us with a phantom, but to instruct us in humility. When therefore he says, “as a man,” this
is what He means; since he calls Him a man elsewhere also, when he says, “there is one God,
one Mediator also between God and men, Himself man, Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. ii. 5.)
Thus much against these heretics. I must now speak against such as deny that He took
a soul.626 If “the form of God” is “perfect God,” then the “form of a servant” is “a perfect
625 i.e. without fear of giving countenance to the Docetæ or Marcionites, as he had used so strong an expression
of reality; or as on the next page.
626 The Apollinarian heresy.
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Philippians 2:5-11