47. The Only-begotten God, then, suffered in
His person the attacks of all the infirmities to which we are subject;
but He suffered them in the power of His own nature, just as He was
born in the power of His own nature, for at His birth He did not lose
His omnipotent nature by being born. Though born under human
conditions, He was not so conceived: His birth was surrounded by
human circumstances, but His origin went beyond them. He suffered
then in His body after the manner of our infirm body, yet bore the
sufferings of our body in the power of His own body. To this
article of our faith the prophet bears witness when he says, He
beareth our sins and grieveth for us: and we esteemed Him
stricken, smitten, and afflicted: He was wounded for our
transgressions and made weak for our sins Isai. liii. 4, 5. Hilary translates from the
Septuagint. The Hebrew and the Vulgate differ, cf. the English
Version, “Surely He hath borne our griefs” (instead of
“our sins”).. It is then a mistaken opinion of
human judgment, which thinks He felt pain because He suffered. He
bore our sins, that is, He assumed our body of sin, but was Himself
sinless. He was sent in the likeness of the flesh of sin, bearing
sin indeed in His flesh but our sin. So too He felt pain
for us, but not with our senses; He was found in fashion as a man, with
a body which could feel
pain, but His nature could not feel pain; for, though His fashion was
that of a man, His origin was not human, but He was born by conception
of the Holy Ghost.