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Against Beron and Helix

Hippolytus

Fragment 4

About this work

Author: Hippolytus

Fragment IV.

For, in the view of apostles and prophets

‹ Fragment 3 Fragment 5 ›

and

teachers

,

the

mystery

of

the

divine

incarnation

has

been

distinguished

as

having

two

points

of

contemplation

natural

to

it

,

distinct

in

all

things

,

inasmuch

as

on

the

one

hand

it

is

the

subsistence

of

perfect

deity

,

and

on

the

other

is

demonstrative

of

full

humanity

.

As

long

,

therefore

,

as

the

Word

is

acknowledged

to

be

in

substance

one

,

of

one

energy

,

there

shall

never

in

any

way

be

known

a

movement

in

the

two

.

For

while

God

,

who

is

essentially

ever

-

existent

,

became

by

His

infinite

power

,

according

to

His

will

,

sinless

man

,

He

is

what

He

was

,

in

all

wherein

God

is

known

;

and

what

He

became

,

He

is

in

all

wherein

man

is

known

and

can

be

recognised

.

In

both

aspects

of

Himself

He

never

falls

out

of

Himself

,

in

His

divine

activities

and

in

His

human

alike

,

preserving

in

both

relations

His

own

essentially

unchangeable

perfection

.

Notes

1
διττὴν καὶ διαφορὰν ἔχον διέγνωσται τὴν ἐν πᾶσι φυσικὴν θεωρίαν.
2
The text goes, ἕως ἂν οὐχ, which is adopted by Combefisius. But Capperonnier and Migne read οὖν for οὐχ, as we have rendered it.
3
Change, κίνησις.
4
μένει ἀνέκπτωτος.