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from the treatise On the Incarnation
of the Word, * §§
42.6 - 43.1, 43.7,
translated by A. Robertson
Greek Fonts,
St
Athanasius Resources, St Athanasius Home Page
And as Mind, pervading man all through, is interpreted by a part of the body, I mean the tongue, without any one saying, I suppose, that the essence of the mind is on that account lowered, so if the Word, pervading all things, has used a human instrument, this cannot appear unseemly. For, as I have said previously, if it be unseemly to have used a body as an instrument, it is unseemly also for Him to be in the Whole. Now, if they ask, Why then did He not appear by means of other and nobler parts of creation, and use some nobler instrument, as the sun, or moon, or stars, or fire, or air, instead of man merely? let them know that the Lord came not to make a display, but to heal and teach those who were suffering. ... |
Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ νοῦς δι΄ ὅλου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὤν͵ ἀπὸ μέρους τοῦ σώματος͵ τῆς γλώττης λέγω͵ σημαίνεται͵ καὶ οὐ δήπου τις ἐλαττοῦσθαι τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ νοῦ διὰ τοῦτο λέγει, οὕτως ὁ Λόγος͵ διὰ πάντων ὤν͵ εἰ ἀνθρωπίνῳ κέχρηται ὀργάνῳ͵ οὐκ ἀπρεπὲς ἂν φαίνοιτο τοῦτο. Εἰ γάρ͵ ὡς προεῖπον͵ ἀπρεπὲς ὀργάνῳ χρήσασθαι σώματι͵ ἀπρεπὲς καὶ ἐν τῷ ὅλῳ αὐτὸν εἶναι. Διατί οὖν͵ ἐὰν λέγωσιν͵ οὐχὶ δι΄ ἄλλων μερῶν καλλιόνων τῆς κτίσεως ἐφάνη͵ καὶ καλλίονι ὀργάνῳ οἷον ἡλίῳ ἢ σελήνῃ ἢ ἄστροις ἢ πυρὶ ἢ αἰθέρι οὐ κέχρηται͵ ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώπῳ μόνῳ͵ γινωσκέτωσαν ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιδείξασθαι ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος͵ ἀλλὰ θεραπεῦσαι καὶ διδάξαι τοὺς πάσχοντας. ... |
More Texts by St Athanasius the Great
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Reference address : https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/athanasius-incarnation.asp?pg=2