On the Incarnation of the Lord (Against Nestorius)

From the Epistle to the Galatians he brings forward a passage to show that the weakness of the flesh in Christ was absorbed by His Divinity.

The Apostle indeed declares this in the whole body of his writings, and admirably says in writing to the Galatians: “Paul an Apostle not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.” You see how thoroughly consistent he is with himself in the former and the present passage. For there he says: “Now we no longer know Christ according to the flesh.” Here he says: “Not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ.” It is clear that his doctrine is the same here as in the former passage. For where he says that he is not sent by man, he implies: “We have not known Christ according to the flesh:” and so I am “not sent by man” but “by Christ;” for if I am sent by Christ, I am not sent by man but by God. For there is no longer room for the name of man, in Him whom Divinity claims entirely for itself. And so when he had said that he was sent “not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ,” he rightly added: “And God the Father,” thus showing that he was sent by God the Father and God the Son; in whom owing to the mystery of the sacred and ineffable generation there are two Persons (He who begets, and He who is begotten), but there is but one single Power of God who is the sender. And so in saying that he was sent by God the Father and God the Son, he shows that the Persons are two in number, but he also teaches that their Power is One in sending.