But in opposition to all these, do you reckon up
for me the expressions which make for your ignorant arrogance, such as
“My God and your God,” John xx. 17, 28. or greater, or
created, or made, or sanctified; Prov. viii. 22; John x. 36; Acts ii.
36. Add, if you
like, Servant Phil. ii. 7. and
Obedient Phil. ii. 8. and Gave John i. 12. and Learnt, Heb. v. 8.
and was commanded, John x. 18; xiv. 31. was sent, Ib. iv.
34; v. 23, sq. can do nothing of Himself, either say, or
judge, or give, or will. Ib. v. 19,
30. And further
these,—His ignorance, Mark xiii. 32.
subjection, 1 Cor. xv. 28. prayer, Luke vi. 12. asking, John xiv. 16.
increase, Luke ii. 52. being made
perfect. Heb. v. 9, etc. And if you
like even more humble than these; such as speak of His
sleeping, Matt. viii. 24; Mark iv. 38. hungering, Matt. iv. 2; Luke iv. 2. being in an agony, Luke xxii. 44.
and fearing; Heb. v. 7. or perhaps you
would make even His Cross and Death a matter of reproach to Him.
His Resurrection and Ascension I fancy you will leave to me, for in
these is found something to support our position. A good
many other things too you might pick up, if you desire to put together
that equivocal and intruded god of yours, Who to us is True God, and
equal to the Father. For every one of these points, taken
separately, may very easily, if we go through them one by one, be
explained to you in the most reverent sense, and the stumbling-block of
the letter be cleaned away—that is, if your stumbling at it be
honest, and not wilfully malicious. To give you the explanation
in one sentence. What is lofty you are to apply to the Godhead,
and to that Nature in Him which is superior to sufferings and
incorporeal; but all that is lowly to the composite condition S. Gregory often
speaks of Human Nature as our composite being; and here he means
the Sacred Humanity exclusively; there is no shadow of suspicion of
Nestorianism or Eutychianism attaching to his name. of Him who for your sakes made Himself of no reputation and
was Incarnate—yes, for it is no worse thing to say, was made Man,
and afterwards was also exalted. The result will be that you will
abandon these carnal and grovelling doctrines, and learn to be more
sublime, and to ascend with His Godhead, and you will not remain
permanently among the things of sight, but will rise up with Him into
the world of thought, and come to know which passages refer to His
Nature, and which to His assumption of Human Nature. The word οἰκονομία
is used in four principal senses: (a) The ministry of the Gospel,
cf. Ephes. iii. 2; Col. i.
25; etc., and S. Cyril
Hieros., has the expression “Economy of the Mystery” (Cat.
xxv.). It is also used absolutely by S. Chrysostom and
others. (b) The Providence of God, as by Epiphanius, Greg. Nyss.,
and others. (c) The Incarnation, as in the text, without any
epithet—in which use it is opposed to ἡ θεότης. Sometimes
however epithets are added. (d) The whole Mystery of Redemption,
including the Passion.