On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius, Book VII

Book VII

• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.1 — As he is going to reply to the slanders of his opponents he implores the aid of Divine grace to teach a prayer to be used by those who undertake to dispute with heretics. As it happens to those who having escaped the…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.2 — He meets the objection taken from these words: No one gave birth to one who had existed before her. He meets the objection taken from these words: No one gave birth to one who had existed before her. And before I…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.3 — He replies to the cavil that the one who is born must be of one substance with the one who bears. He replies to the cavil that the one who is born must be of one substance with the one who bears. The second…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.4 — How God has shown His Omnipotence in His birth in time as well as in everything else. Confess then the same truth in respect of the actual nativity of the Lord, as in respect of everything else. Believe that God was…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.5 — He shows by proofs drawn from nature itself, that the law which his opponents lay down; viz., that the one born ought to be of one substance with the one who bears, fails to hold good in many cases. It would be…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.6 — He refutes another argument of Nestorius, in which he tried to make out that Christ was like Adam in every point. He refutes another argument of Nestorius, in which he tried to make out that Christ was like Adam in…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.7 — Heretics usually cover their doctrines with a cloak of holy Scripture. “For as,” you say, “by man came death, so by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” Do you actually try to prove your wrong and impious…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.8 — The heretics attribute to Christ only the shadow of Divinity, and so assert that he is to be worshipped together with God but not as God. The heretics attribute to Christ only the shadow of Divinity, and so assert…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.9 — How those are wrong who say that the birth of Christ was a secret, since it was clearly shown even to the patriarch Jacob. How those are wrong who say that the birth of Christ was a secret, since it was clearly shown…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.10 — He collects more witnesses of the same fact. But why am I lingering so long over one instance, as if many were wanting? For even then how could the fact that God was to come in the flesh escape the knowledge of men,…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.11 — How the devil was forced by many reasons to the view that Christ was God. Finally as for the devil himself, when he was tempting Him with every show of allurements, and every art of his wickedness, what was it that…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.12 — He compares this notion and reasonable suspicion of the devil with the obstinate and inflexible idea of his opponents, and shows that this last is worse and more blasphemous than the former. But he certainly knew…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.13 — How the devil always retained this notion of Christ’s Divinity (because of His secret working which he experienced) even up to His Cross and Death. But perhaps he afterwards ceased and rested, and when his…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.14 — He shows how heretics pervert holy Scripture, by replying to the argument drawn from the Apostle’s words, “Without father, without mother,” etc.: Heb. vii. You then make use of the holy Scriptures against God, and…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.15 — How Christ could be said by the Apostle to be without genealogy. How does he say that the Lord was “without genealogy,” when the Gospel of the Evangelist Matthew begins with the Saviour’s genealogy, saying: “The book…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.16 — He shows that like the devil when tempting Christ, the heretics garble and pervert holy Scripture. He shows that like the devil when tempting Christ, the heretics garble and pervert holy Scripture. Why then, you…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.17 — That the glory and honour of Christ is not to be ascribed to the Holy Ghost in such a way as to deny that it proceeds from Christ Himself, as if all that excellency, which was in Him, was another’s and proceeded from…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.18 — How we are to understand the Apostle's words: “He appeared in the flesh, was justified in the Spirit,” etc. How we are to understand the Apostle’s words: “He appeared in the flesh, was justified in the Spirit,” etc.…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.19 — That it was not only the Spirit, but Christ Himself also who made Him to be feared. You say too that the Spirit made Him to be feared by the devils. To reject and refute which, even though the horrible character of…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.20 — He tries by stronger and weightier arguments to destroy that notion. But why are we so long dealing with your wild blasphemy, with arguments that are plain indeed but still slight? Let us hear God Himself speaking to…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.21 — That it must be ascribed equally to Christ and the Holy Ghost that His flesh and Humanity became the temple of God. That it must be ascribed equally to Christ and the Holy Ghost that His flesh and Humanity became the…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.22 — That the raising up of Christ into heaven is not to be ascribed to the Spirit alone. But you add this also to those impieties of yours mentioned above; viz., that the Spirit granted to the Lord His ascension into…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.23 — He continues the same argument to show that Christ had no need of another's glory as He had a glory of His own. He continues the same argument to show that Christ had no need of another’s glory as He had a glory of…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.24 — He supports this doctrine by the authority of the blessed Hilary. But it is quite time to finish the book, aye and the whole work, if I may however add the sayings of a few saintly men and illustrious priests, to…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.25 — He shows that Ambrose agrees with S. Hilary. Ambrose, that illustrious priest of God, who never leaving the Lord’s hand, ever shone like a jewel upon the finger of God, thus speaks in his book to the Virgins: “My…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.26 — He adds to the foregoing the testimony of S. Jerome. Jerome, the Teacher of the Catholics, whose writings shine like divine lamps throughout the whole world, says in his book to Eustochium: “The Son of God for our…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.27 — To the foregoing he adds Rufinus and the blessed Augustine. Rufinus also, a Christian philosopher, with no mean place among Ecclesiastical Doctors testifies as follows of the Lord’s Nativity in his Exposition of the…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.28 — As he is going to produce the testimony of Greek or Eastern Bishops, he brings forward in the first place S. Gregory Nazianzen. As he is going to produce the testimony of Greek or Eastern Bishops, he brings forward…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.29 — In the next place he puts the authority of S. Athanasius. Athanasius also, priest of the city of Alexandria, a splendid instance of constancy and virtue, whom the storm of heretical persecution tested without…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.30 — He adds also S. John Chrysostom. As for John the glory of the Episcopate of Constantinople, whose holy life obtained the reward of martyrdom without any show of Gentile persecution, hear what he thought and taught on…vatican.va
• On the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius VII.31 — He bemoans the unhappy lot of Constantinople, owing to the misfortune which has overtaken it from that heretic; and at the same time he urges the citizens to stand fast in the ancient Catholic and ancestral faith.…vatican.va