Dogmatic Fragments

having compacted [all things] in the Spirit. This is He with whom I took counsel to make man. This is He who took dust from the earth and fashioned man. This is He who miraculously translated Enoch ^A from among men. This is He who is perceived both by sight and by intellect. This is He who is with Me, and who stood upon the mountain. This is He who converses with you, and is not separated from the Begetter. This is the timeless, the beginningless, the successorless, the eternal, the unchangeable, the incomprehensible, the ineffable, the inconceivable [One]. This is He; He was not made, He was not created. He is [God] by nature, not by grace. He is; He did not begin to exist in time. He is; for He was even before, and existed. For neither was I made Father in time, but I am always Father. But if I am always Father, always also is this Son, always also the Holy Spirit, who with Me, and with the Son, is worshipped together and glorified together, both now and always, and unto the unending ages of ages. Amen.

DOGMATIC FRAGMENTS OF TIMOTHEUS III OF ALEXANDRIA

NOTICE.

I shall insert here the homily of Timotheus III of Alexandria, the heretical patriarch, taken from the Vatican Syriac codex 105 (see Script. vet. vol. V part II, p. 39), which, although it treats the same subject of Christ as God and man—a subject often corrupted by the Monophysites—it seems to contain nothing worthy of reprehension. This Timotheus came to Alexandria in the year of Christ 519, and exchanged life for death in the year 535. However, Cosmas Indicopleustes preserved a mediocre fragment of the homily, the title of which we shall cite below, in Greek—that is, in its original language—in book X, p. 552, among the authorities of the Fathers compiled by him. But the aforementioned Syriac codex exhibits the complete version; wherefore it pleases me to exhibit in Latin the first and last parts that exist only among the Syrians, while joining the middle part, which survives in Cosmas, in Greek; so that the whole of this sermon may be represented to the readers in both languages.

Homily of Timotheus, Archbishop of Alexandria, delivered from the ambo of the church of Dionysius, when the evangelical words of John had been read, "And Jesus, being wearied with his journey, sat thus." Delivered on the Lord's Day, May 22, in the fourth indiction. The Greek title is slightly different:

OF TIMOTHEUS, ON A SUNDAY IN THE CHURCH OF CYRUS, THE 22ND OF PACHON, 5TH INDICTION, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN HAVING BEEN READ: "AND JESUS, BEING WEARIED WITH HIS JOURNEY, SAT."

THE HOMILY BEGINS.

Our Lord and God Jesus is the very truth, confidence, and light. There is no difficulty in this, nothing abstruse, nothing exposed to question; but He wished Himself to be believed perfectly as such, as He truly is.

^B Since, therefore, He is at once God and man himself, He proves both through His works, and does not allow Himself to be hidden from those who see Him. For that He is God by nature is demonstrated through His works and signs, while He cleanses lepers, illuminates the blind, strengthens the paralyzed, and gives life to the dead; and, which is the greatest thing—for perhaps the prophets also set forth these things previously mentioned,

and he speaks clearly and with confidence, saying: "I and the Father are one." But in these things, as I said, the magnitude of the divinity is proved. That he is also truly man, he does not wish for this to be hidden and unknown, so that he might overturn and shatter those who think he came only in appearance. For he clearly and openly makes himself subject to passions: but to what passions? To those, surely, which are familiar to the flesh on account of infirmity, not on account of sin; I mean hunger, thirst, sleep, and fatigue. For these things, which occur by nature and not by intent, do not smear with sin those who endure them. Therefore, with these sinless passions, the Lord declared his flesh to be compliant, showing clearly that he became man by nature and in truth, and not merely in appearance. ^A

Therefore, he hungered who satisfied five thousand men with five loaves; he thirsted who drew forth drink for Israel in the desert from the rock; he grew weary who said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you." Likewise he said, "My soul is sorrowful even unto death," he who wipes away tears from every face. Lastly, we hear that he slept, who says that he who keeps Israel shall neither sleep nor slumber. Therefore, when you hear, O friend, these humble passions, take care not to depart from the exalted divinity of the only-begotten Son of God. Moreover, the divine evangelist says that Jesus withdrew from Judea; something he did to signify many things: first, to show his divinity; second, to show that he avoided his murderers at the opportune time, lest they audaciously tempt God; finally, lest he provide an opening for the perfidious Jews before the appointed time to fulfill their sin: wherefore, when sought by them for death, he hid himself by mixing with the crowd. For this reason, he also warned the disciples not to go into the way of the gentiles, nor to enter into the city of the Samaritans. Therefore, all these things were done opportunely and in the best manner; for when he stayed, he was beneficial; and when traveling, he brought help; and when he was subject to others, he still taught; and when he moved confidently among the assembly, he prayed; and in all things he worked for the salvation of souls. To whom be honor forever! Amen.

The five fragments that follow are excerpted from Galland’s *Bibliotheca Veterum Patrum*, Vol. XI, pp. 565, 566.

Timotheus on the text: “Father, if it be possible, let it pass.”

Of the same, on the holy Theophany, on the nativity of Christ, the thirtieth day of Choiak, tenth indiction. The Virgin gave birth to a man perfect and sinless. And after a few words: "Let us be circumcised with Christ, that we may be purified together with him."

And again in the church of Saint Theodore, the eighth day of Tubi, tenth indiction. For by that which appeared, he showed the power of that which was hidden. ^C

Of the same, in the temple, on the feast of Pachon. It is proper to God to work miracles, to command the elements, and to announce the prediction of future events; but it is the part of a gentle man, and of one living a common life,

^A to honor parents, to associate with brothers, and to address disciples and acquaintances. Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ, being God from God, and having become man for our sake, both demonstrates the power of his divinity and preserves the laws of humanity: proving by signs what he always is and was, and manifesting through his works that which he deigned to become.

Of the same, on the fortieth day of the Lord’s Assumption, Pachon the twenty-fifth, in the ninth indiction, on the saying of the Gospel according to John, which says, "It is expedient for you that I go away."

But let us consider those things which were just now said to the illustrious disciples, "It is expedient for you that I go away." For the sake of your salvation I have come upon the earth; for the sake of your benefit it is necessary that I ascend into heaven. I descended incorporeal for your sake; it is fitting that I return there with a body, for I have determined to draw your race into heaven. It behooves me to receive the throne at the right hand of the Father with my flesh. I must inaugurate this strange journey and show that heaven is passable for men. I travel first through the air, so that you too may eventually be caught up in the clouds into the air to meet us. And I thought the reader would hear this, in what way he clearly addresses the man who is held by such great horror of death; this man, indeed, who through the passion and the resurrection receives incorruption and the renewal and vivification of his nature; who was previously subject to passions and fatigue on account of the surrounding infirmity; who was drawn up into heaven and ^C deigned to sit at the right hand of the Father; who first ran this strange and unusual path, and first of men showed that heaven could be entered.

O harmony of things discordant! O involuntary concord of /schismatics! O non-spontaneous utterance of praise or consent from those who heap insults! How are we not proven in all things to be children of the Church? They say, obviously, "We have not trodden this path." How are those who do not obey all these things, or who contradict them, not utterly to be condemned? By what reasoning are these writings of ours, confirmed by so many testimonies, not held to be a genuine offspring of ecclesiastical tradition? God is witness, then the apostles, the prophets, and the most celebrated chorus of holy Fathers. ^D

NOTICE

(ANG. MAI, Script. vet. Biblioth., V, 541.)

A certain sermon of Timotheus, Patriarch of Alexandria, exists in the Arabic codex Vat. CLXXII, undoubtedly translated from the Greek; for Timotheus never spoke in Arabic. You have the description of the codex taken from Assemani’s papers in our volume IV of *Script. vet.*, p. 312; not without error, however, is Timotheus there

called the twenty-second patriarch of Alexandria; the sort of person he was—or rather, the orthodox Timotheus the Elder, who was succeeded by Theophilus, the uncle of the great Cyril. But since in this sermon Timotheus mentions Cyril as patriarch—indeed, he explicitly affirms that he is the successor of Dioscorus—it follows that this is undoubtedly Timotheus Aelurus, that impious and turbulent man, the hater of the Council of Chalcedon, as his writing discovered by the English also demonstrates, who occupied the Alexandrian see time and again. Seeing that this sermon might be commended for some historical merit, I did not wish to neglect it, especially since I have elsewhere (Spicil. Rom. vol. III, p. 708) edited a short oration of the same Timotheus, which even Cosmas Indicopleustes thought not unworthy of excerpting. However, because some things in this sermon seemed almost fabulous, or trivial, which were certainly unpleasant to me in my haste, I have omitted some of its parts, I believe to little loss.

THE SERMON OF TIMOTHEUS OF ALEXANDRIA

A brief sermon which Timotheus, patriarch of Alexandria, spoke at the time when the great holy council was called, and concerning the dedication of the great monastery of our holy Father Pachomius at Fau, which was built by the will of God and at the command of the emperor Theodosius by the reverend Poctor, leader of the hermits; which dedication was completed on the fifth day of the month of Athyr.

Be present with us today, O most vocal of prophets, and spectator of the seraphim, who once cried out saying: "In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and an altar to the Lord by the border thereof" [Isa. XIX, 19]. Rightly indeed, O holy prophet, did you proclaim to the entire world this altar of the Lord, upon which souls not yet created at that time were to be lifted up and offered. Why did you not mention the other altars that existed in the first ages of the world? By no means, says the prophet, because on those, brute animals were sacrificed; however, on this one of ours, the true Lamb of God is offered, who takes away the sins of the world. Now, the "plant" is this monastery built for the Lord, for the sake of his servant Pachomius, who is present there and brings together a crowd of countless souls dedicated to God in that place. For he was the first, according to the doctrine of the apostles, to institute a type of common life, or fraternity; he himself was the first plant, the way, the ruler, and the legislator of as many monasteries as there are in the world. For the word that God spoke to the prophet concerning this monastery, the same was said to our holy father Pachomius, namely, that it would be a foundation for you, and a name glorious without end.

^B Now hear, beloved, the matters which I saw with my eyes and touched with my hands. At the time when my father Cyril was patriarch of Alexandria, and the holy Poctor governed the hermits at Taphnaia, and the illustrious prophet Scianuthes was in charge of the hermits likewise on Mount Athribis, the emperor Theodosius called them to the council which he was taking care to hold for the sake of the insane Nestorius. Now Poctor, having read the letters which he had received from St. Cyril and from the emperor, was greatly grieved because before that time he had never been present at a council. So, having summoned all the brothers, he said: “Listen, my brothers, ^A of the blessed: the emperor calls me to the council; do you in the meantime keep the rule, walk in the law and commandments of the Lord, just as our Fathers commanded; and pour out prayers for us, that God may restore us to you unharmed,” etc.

When, however, the holy Poctor had come to the monastery of our father Scianuthes, having been welcomed by those monks, and they accompanying him, they boarded a ship and descended to Alexandria; having entered there, they announced their arrival to the holy patriarch Cyril, who greatly rejoiced at seeing them, and they greeted each other with mutual kisses. Furthermore, he himself, having expedited his business, boarded the ship at the same time, which, by God’s favor, they brought into Constantinople within a few days; and having entered the city, they halted outside the palace gate, like men of abject condition, finding no one who would make the emperor aware of their arrival. Meanwhile, Nestorius, trusting in his wealth, frequently approached the emperor with lifted eyebrow: until Poctor, seeing a lowly man who was approaching the emperor, asked that he procure admission for him from the sovereign: this man indeed signifying the matter, the emperor ordered the men to be brought to him; having seen them, he rose from his seat and gave a kiss, and ordered them to sit with him; and they in turn blessed the emperor and his kingdom.

Then the emperor, having introduced the holy patriarch Cyril and holy Scianuthes to him, spoke reverently with them concerning the faith, and said that he had called them to this council so that they might examine the business and words of Nestorius. “Meanwhile, venerable Fathers, allow the reverend Poctor to be with me; but you, bishops, assemble at Ephesus with Nestorius, from which city you will send your synodal actions and disputes to me, of which the reverend Poctor will be my interpreter.” Then the emperor assigned a part of the palace to Poctor as though it were his own and his monastery's. But St. Cyril, with Scianuthes, went to the council as the emperor had ordered; and there, having endured many labors, they excommunicated the impious Nestorius, God willing, favored by the holy

^A Poctor's prayers, and finally by the special aid of Christ. Then the holy Poctor exerted himself so that the emperor might relegate the exile Nestorius to Egypt, to a place called Sansalge; which he inhabited until, by the ulcers of his blasphemy against Christ the Lord—the avengers—he perished by a horrible death.

After this, the holy Poctor requested of the emperor that he provide him aid for building a spacious church at his monastery, which would be a monument to his reign: "Since," he said, "the hall in which the brothers gather to pray is narrow." He also requested that a fortress be built as a defense against the barbarians; and that a field be given to him for sowing vegetables, because the brothers lived solely on these; and finally that a ditch be dug around it, and a training ground be made in the square. The emperor agreeing to this, etc. There follows a description of the construction, after which the narrative proceeds thus: The building having been begun, and the upper lintels and columns having been placed, the religious emperor Theodosius died; to whom Marcianus succeeded; and at that time there was a great famine, and disturbance in the Church. Then, the patriarch (Dioscorus) having been driven into exile, an angel of the Lord appeared to the holy Poctor, and warned him that, taking bread, he should visit the patriarch, and comfort the grieving man with his sons. Without delay, therefore, he approached the station of the exiled patriarch; and having greeted him, he afterwards came to the metropolis by custom: to which place, after his death, Mardarius was given as his successor in the monastery. Then the most reverend father departed from this life ^B in exile; whose successor they created in the Alexandrian see, though his merits were contrary. Thereafter Emperor Marcianus died, and Leo reigned after him; and soon, within a few days, the storm of the Church grew quiet.

But the holy old man Mardarius completed the church building on the twentieth day of the month of Thoth; and he not only came to Alexandria and signified the matter to us, but also traveled to Constantinople to the emperor, whom he thus addressed: "Behold, by the favor of God and your majesty, we have placed the finishing touch on the temple, which had been begun by the order of the Emperor Theodosius and the care of the holy Poctor. Let our lord the emperor therefore order the temple to be consecrated in the name of our father and prophet Pachomius." To whom the emperor said: "Return," he said, "to your monastery, and prepare the things necessary for the dedication; for I myself will send patriarchs to perform it, etc." A minute narrative of the event follows. The bishops are said to have been present to the number of DCCCXXIV, among whom was Timotheus himself; six thousand monks, besides two thousand three hundred other monks, whom Mardarius had summoned from his XXIV monasteries; and all of these are said to have received the holy communion of the body of Christ for two days. Finally, the dedication was celebrated with the solemnities of the mass on the day of the month Athyr. These things, told more diffusely in the sermon and in part even unbelievable (especially because the heretical Monophysite Timotheus boasts that he was honored by the discourses of angels and Christ), were omitted by us ^C.

*Ex Anastasio presbytero apud nos Script. vet. t. VII, p. 33.*

α'. Timotheus Aelurus, that enemy of the truth, in the letter written by him to the Emperor Leo through the silentiary Diomedes, said: "For I know a Trinity, perfect, consubstantial, having nothing more or less than itself in glory and eternity; for this the blessed 318 Fathers gathered at Nicaea also taught; even as, indeed, they also taught concerning the incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ himself."

1. Timotheus Aelurus, that enemy, in the epistle to the Emperor Leo written through the silentiary Diomedes, says: "For I acknowledge a Trinity, perfect, consubstantial, altogether equal among themselves in glory and eternity. For so also the blessed 318 Fathers gathered at Nicaea taught; and likewise concerning the incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ himself."

*Tum in epistola Justiniani imp. tom. cit. p. 304 et 305, sic impie Timotheus loquitur:*

β'. Timotheus in the eighth chapter of the third book, which he wrote in Cherson: "But the nature of Christ is only deity, even if he has been incarnated." Again, Timotheus the blasphemer, in the second of his *Antirrhetici*, speaks thus: "For the incarnation of the Word of God does not hold the logic of nature, but of an economy performed by God above nature from our common and human nature, that is, essence. Wherefore he is called connatural and homogeneous and consubstantial with us according to the logic of the economy, that is, his birth from a woman; nor has the immaculate and homogeneous body of the Word of God been called a nature or essence of any common man at any time."

2. Timotheus in the eighth chapter of the third book, which he wrote in Cherson: "Christ's nature, however, is only deity, although he is incarnate." Again, Timotheus the blasphemer in the second of his *Antirrhetici* says: "For the incarnation of the Word of God does not follow the logic of nature, but the supernatural economy performed by God from our common human nature or substance. For which reason Christ is called connatural and homogeneous and consubstantial with us according to the logic of the economy, or the birth from a woman. Nor, however, has the immaculate body of the Word of God, homogeneous to us, ever been called the nature or substance of any common man."

γ'. Again, ^D Timotheus, and in his fourth chapter of the aforementioned third book, says these things: "Let the Diphysites demonstrate to us the difference of the two natures of Christ, as they say, if they certainly can."

3. Further, Timotheus in the fourth chapter of the said third book says this: "Let the Diphysites demonstrate to us the difference of the two natures of Christ, which they assert, if they surely can."

^A 4. Furthermore, the heretic Timothy recites this prophetic saying: "Announcing to men his Christ, and Lord God Almighty is his name." Then, explaining this wickedly, he adds: "He himself, therefore, announced it to men by himself. Seeing this, the sun set at midday. But this would not have happened for the sake of man, or on account of human nature. Besides which, human nature would have entirely violated virginity. For if the man who was to be formed in the womb of the virgin had been a man according to nature and law, he would surely not have been born from her unless her virginity had been dissolved beforehand."

*From Leontius, in our Scripta vetera, vol. VII, p. 138.*

^B 5. Of the Monophysite heretic Timothy Aelurus, from the dialogue with the Alexandrian Calonymus. — Cyril is the bishop of the Alexandrians. This man, while explaining in many ways the doctrine of orthodoxy, proves himself inconstant, and is convicted of teaching contrary dogmas; for having once pronounced that the "incarnate nature of God the Word" ought to be stated, he soon dissolves his own dogma and is caught professing two natures in Christ. And he who had declared that God the Word suffered in the flesh, later says the contrary, that he in no way accepted the passion for us. Thus, therefore, contradicting his own words, he sowed this conflict, which is currently raging in the Churches and is scarcely appeasable; and, kindling it like a most violent flame, he incinerated the doctrine of the sound faith. ^C Were it not that the patriarch Severus, appearing by divine providence, healed the inconstancy and vacillation of Cyril with his own sacred writings, like some loving son covering the disgrace of his parent with his own garment.

ANNO DOMINI DXXXV. THEODOSIUS THE ALEXANDRIAN. NOTITIA. (Ang. Mai, Spicileg. Rom. t. III, p. 710.)

Timothy succeeded to the Alexandrian cathedra, already stained by the worst errors, followed by Theodosius, who became the author of the new sect of the Theodosians or Corrupticolae. And indeed, Saint Sophronius (Mirac. XII, p. 170) mentions that the heretical Theodosians were still prevalent at Alexandria in the following century, that is, the seventh. Cosmas also recites some fragments of this Theodosius in Greek (lib. x, p. 331), but they are not at all consistent with our copious Arabic codex 101, to which we return anew.

THEOLOGICAL FRAGMENTS

EPISTLE

I confess that the Word of God is consubstantial with his Father God, and that he never ceased to be what he was in existing with Him, Light from Light, Truth from Truth, the living image of the Father from whence He possesses existence; and finally, having taken on flesh, He was made man. We affirm to those who wisely and lovingly heed this great mystery, that the Word, being God by nature, was furthermore made man, without however ceasing to be his true divinity; that He voluntarily took on poverty, and omitted nothing that pertains to humanity; that He was made one with the flesh, without the change of His own properties; I speak of the flesh with its passions, and with a rational and intelligent soul; that He assumed our likeness in all things without sin. For the Scriptures say that He committed no iniquity, nor was any guile found in his mouth. For it was fair that in the nature which Adam had, He should also obtain the victory and destroy death. Wherefore Paul, as if to teach us the cause for which our Savior was made man, says: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. II, 14, 15). If we, over whom the demon triumphed, were of one nature, and God the Word were of another, ^A outside our own, and if He had not assumed the nature with which He was made one essentially, and had rendered it impassible and immortal while He was taking on flesh, as certain heresiarchs have boldly asserted, then our faith would be empty, nor would it appear as a great thing that the Lord had triumphed over the devil. Again, unless Christ had brought back victory over him, and had not had in his own flesh those qualities which can exist without sin—namely, unless His flesh were on a par with ours, both as regards essence and as regards capacity for suffering—finally, unless He had destroyed death by His own flesh, the sting of death, which is sin, would never have been destroyed, and consequently the power of death itself would not have been extinguished. But since He in reality drew his origin from the seed of David, and assumed the likeness of us, his own brethren, in all things, sin alone excepted, as wise Paul says, He triumphed by his own death, which He voluntarily received into his nature, which is passable; and He had truly taken upon himself our passions, as many as are devoid of sin: He triumphed, I say, over him who holds the power of death. ^B Although as God He is truly impassible. Why then should we not glory in such a victory, having been vindicated from servitude into liberty? Who would not marvel at the mystery of the Scriptures, which expel Eutyches, and declare him and his followers to be strangers to the Church?