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Against Beron and Helix

Hippolytus

Fragment 2

About this work

Author: Hippolytus

Fragment II.

The God of all things therefore became truly,

‹ Fragment 1 Fragment 3 ›

according

to

the

Scriptures

,

without

conversion

,

sinless

man

,

and

that

in

a

manner

known

to

Himself

alone

,

as

He

is

the

natural

Artificer

of

things

which

are

above

our

comprehension

.

And

by

that

same

saving

act

of

the

incarnation

He

introduced

into

the

flesh

the

activity

of

His

proper

divinity

,

yet

without

having

it

(

that

activity

)

either

circumscribed

by

the

flesh

through

the

exinanition

,

or

growing

naturally

out

of

the

flesh

as

it

grew

out

of

His

divinity

,

but

manifested

through

it

in

the

things

which

He

wrought

in

a

divine

manner

in

His

incarnate

state

.

For

the

flesh

did

not

become

divinity

in

nature

by

a

transmutation

of

nature

,

as

though

it

became

essentially

flesh

of

divinity

.

But

what

it

was

before

,

that

also

it

continued

to

be

in

nature

and

activity

when

united

with

divinity

,

even

as

the

Saviour

said

,

“

The

spirit

indeed

is

willing

,

but

the

flesh

is

weak

.

”

And

working

and

enduring

in

the

flesh

things

which

were

proper

to

sinless

flesh

,

He

proved

the

evacuation

of

divinity

(

to

be

)

for

our

sakes

,

confirmed

as

it

was

by

wonders

and

by

sufferings

of

the

flesh

naturally

.

For

with

this

purpose

did

the

God

of

all

things

become

man

,

viz

.

,

in

order

that

by

suffering

in

the

flesh

,

which

is

susceptible

of

suffering

,

He

might

redeem

our

whole

race

,

which

was

sold

to

death

;

and

that

by

working

wondrous

things

by

His

divinity

,

which

is

unsusceptible

of

suffering

,

through

the

medium

of

the

flesh

He

might

restore

it

to

that

incorruptible

and

blessed

life

from

which

it

fell

away

by

yielding

to

the

devil

;

and

that

He

might

establish

the

holy

orders

of

intelligent

existences

in

the

heavens

in

immutability

by

the

mystery

of

His

incarnation

,

the

doing

of

which

is

the

recapitulation

of

all

things

in

himself

.

He

remained

therefore

,

also

,

after

His

incarnation

,

according

to

nature

,

God

infinite

,

and

more

,

having

the

activity

proper

and

suitable

to

Himself

,

—

an

activity

growing

out

of

His

divinity

essentially

,

and

manifested

through

His

perfectly

holy

flesh

by

wondrous

acts

economically

,

to

the

intent

that

He

might

be

believed

in

as

God

,

while

working

out

of

Himself

by

the

flesh

,

which

by

nature

is

weak

,

the

salvation

of

the

universe

.

Notes

1
σωτήριον σάρκωσιν.
2
οὐδ᾽ ὥσπερ τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητος οὕτω καὶ αὐτῆς φυσικῶς ἐκφυομένην.
3
Matt. xxvi. 41.
4
σωματώσεως.
5
Referring probably to Eph. i. 10.
6
ὑπεράπειρος.
7
αὐτουργῶν.