Translated by Gerhard F. Bente and W. H. T. Dau
Printed in: Gerhard F. Bente et al., ed.,
Concordia Triglotta
(St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 1921), 1105-49
19] First, that the Holy Scriptures, as also the fathers, when they speak of the majesty which the human nature of Christ has received through the personal union, employ the words, communicatio, communio, participatio, donatio, traditio, subiectio, exaltatio, dari, etc., that is, of the words "communication," "communion," "sharing," "bestowed and given," etc.
20] Dan. 7,13: Behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him; and there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
21] John 13,3: Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hand.
22] Matt. 11,27: All things are delivered unto Me of My Father.
23] Matt. 28:18: All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
24] Phil. 2,9: God hath given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.
25] [Phil. 2,9: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him.]
26] Eph. 1,22: And hath put all things under His feet [Ps. 8,6]; I Cor. 15,27; Heb. 2,8.
27] EUSEBIUS (Demonstr. Evang., 1. 4, c. 13, p. 169, ed. Paris, 1628): The Word, however, communicates what is of His own to man, but does not receive, in turn, that which is from the mortal; and He imparts the divine power to the mortal, but is not led, in turn, into a participation of the mortal [the Word of the Father has of Himself communicated what was His to the assumed man; for He has communicated the divine power to the assumed mortal nature, but has not, in turn, assumed for Himself anything out of the mortal nature].
28] Again: He there makes this very One (man) worthy of the eternal life which is with Him, and of the communion in Deity and blessedness [that is, the Word has made the assumed man (concrete for the abstract) worthy of communion in the Deity, of eternal life and blessedness].
29] ATHANASIUS, in a letter to Epictetus (tom. 1, op. p. 589, ed. Colon.), quoted also by Epiphanius against the Dimoeritae (Haeres., 77; Contra Dimoeritas, t. 2, op. p. 1005, ed. Colon.): "Not in order to add to divinity did the Word become flesh, but in order that the flesh might rise up; not that the Word might be made better, He came forth from Mary; for rather was there a great addition to the human (body) from the communion and union with it of the Word." [That is: For the Word did not become flesh in order that thereby something might be added to the divinity, nor that the Word should be brought into a better state, but from the communion and union of the Word with the human nature there has rather been added something greater to the human nature.]
30] EPIPHANIUS, in Haeresi, 69, (against the Ariomanites), p. 344 (p. 805, ed. Colon.): "It is manifest that the flesh which was of Mary and came of our race was also transformed into glory (in the transfiguration), having acquired, in addition, the glory of the God-head, heavenly honor and perfection and glory, which the flesh did not have from the beginning, but received there in the union with God the Word."
31] CYRIL, in lib. 5, Dialog. (t. 5, p. 562, ed. Paris, 1638): "How, then, does the flesh of Christ quicken?" And he replies: "According to [On account of] the union with the living Word, which is accustomed to communicate the endowments of His nature to His own body."
32] THEODORET, Eph. 1 (t. 3, p. 297, ed. Paris, 1642): "However, that the nature assumed from us is participant of the same honor with Him who assumed it, so that no difference in worship appears, but the divinity which is not seen is worshiped through the nature which is seen, -- this surpasses every miracle."
33] DAMASCENUS, in Book 3, Of the Orthodox Faith, chaps. 7,15: "And this [the divine nature] [communicates or] imparts of its own excellences to the flesh, itself remaining impassible, and not sharing in the passions [sufferings] of the flesh.
34] Also, chap. 19: The Flesh has communion with the operating divinity of the Word, because the divine operations are executed as through the organ of the body, and because He that works both in a divine and human fashion is one. For it is necessary to know that just as His holy mind performs also His natural operations, etc., it participates in the divinity of the Word, that works and arranges and governs, perceiving and knowing and determining everything [the entire universe], not as the mere mind of man, but as being made one in person with God, and as being constituted the mind of God.
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