“'Being by the right hand of God exalted.' Who then was exalted? The lowly or the most high? And what is the lowly if it be not the human? And what is the most high save the divine? But God being most high needs no exaltation, and so the Apostle says that the human is exalted, exalted that is in being 'made both Lord and Christ.' Therefore the Apostle does not mean by this term 'He made' the everlasting existence of the Lord, but the change of the lowly to the exalted which took place on the right hand of God. By this word he declares the mystery of piety, for when he says 'by the right hand of God exalted' he plainly reveals the ineffable œconomy of the mystery that the right hand of God which created all things, which is the Lord by whom all things were made and without whom nothing consists of things that were made, through the union lifted up to Its own exaltation the manhood united to It.”
Testimony of St. Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
From his discourse on “My Father is greater than I”: —
“Henceforth distinguish the natures; that of God and that of man. For He was not made man by falling away from God, nor God by increase and advance from man.”
Of the same from his discourse on “the Son can do nothing of Himself”: —
“For after the resurrection the Lord shows both— both that the body is not of this nature, and that the body rises, for remember the history. After the passion and the resurrection the disciples were gathered together, and when the doors were shut the Lord stood in the midst of them. Never at any time before the passion did He do this. Could not then the Christ have done this even long before? For all things are possible to God. But before the passion He did not do so lest you should suppose the incarnation an unreality or appearance, and think of the flesh of the Christ as spiritual, or that it came down from heaven and is of another substance than our flesh. Some have invented all these theories with the idea that thereby they reverence the Lord, forgetful that through their thanksgiving they blaspheme themselves, and accuse the truth of a lie: for I say nothing of the lie being altogether absurd. For if He took another body how does that affect mine, which stands in need of salvation? If He brought down flesh from heaven, how does this affect my flesh which was derived from earth?”
Of the same from the same work:—
“Wherefore not before the passion, but after the passion, the Lord stood in the midst of the disciples when the doors were shut, that you may know that your natural body after being sown is 'raised a spiritual body,' and that you may not suppose the body that is raised to be a different body. When Thomas after the resurrection doubted, He shows him the prints of the nails, He shows him the marks of the spears. But had He not power to heal Himself after the resurrection too, when even before the resurrection He had healed all men? But by showing the prints of the nails He shows that it is this very body; by coming in when the doors were shut He shows that it has not the same qualities; the same body to fulfil the work of the incarnation by raising that which had become a corpse, but a changed body that it fall not again under corruption nor be subject again to death.”
Testimony of the blessed Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria.
From his work against Origen:—
“Our likeness which He assumed is not changed into the nature of Godhead nor is His Godhead turned into our likeness. For He remains what He was from the beginning God, and He so remains preserving our subsistence in Himself.”
Of the same from the same treatise:—
“But you persist continually in your blasphemies attacking the Son of God, and using these words 'as the Son and the Father are one, so also are the soul which the Son took and the Son Himself one.' You are ignorant that the Son and the Father are one on account of their one substance and the same Godhead; but the soul and the Son are each of a different substance and different nature. For if the soul of the Son and the Son Himself are one in the same sense in which the Father and the Son are one, then the Father and the Soul will be one and the soul of the Son shall one day say 'He that has seen Me has seen the Father.' but this is not so; God forbid. For the Son and the Father are one because there is no distinction between their qualities, but the soul and the Son are distinguished alike in nature and substance, in that the soul which is naturally of one substance with us was made by Him. For if the soul and the Son are one in the same manner in which the Father and the Son are one, as Origen would have it, then the soul equally with the Son will be 'the brightness of God's glory and express image of His person.' But this is impossible; impossible that the Son and the soul should be one as He and the Father are one. And what will Origen do when again he attacks himself? For he writes, never could the soul distressed and 'exceeding sorrowful' be the 'firstborn of every creature.' For God the Word, as being stronger than the soul, the Son Himself, says 'I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again.' If then the Son is stronger than His own soul, as is agreed, how can His soul be equal to God and in the form of God? For we say that 'He emptied Himself and took upon Him the form of a servant.' In the extravagance of his impieties Origen surpasses all other heretics, as we have shown, for if the Word exists in the form of God and is equal to God and if he supposes thus daring to write the soul of the Saviour to be in the form of God and equal with God, how can the equal be greater, when the inferior in nature testifies to the superiority of what is beyond it?”
Testimony of the Holy John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople.
From the Discourse held in the Great Church:—
“Your Lord exalted man to heaven, and you will not even give him a share of the agora. But why do I say 'to heaven'? He seated man on a kingly throne. Thou expellest him from the city.”
Of the same, on the beginning of Ps. xlii.:—
“Up to this day Paul does not cease to say 'We are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.' Nor did He stand here, but taking the first fruits of your nature He sat down 'above all principality and power and might, and every name that is named not only in this world but in the world to come.' What could be equal to this honour? The first fruits of our race which has so much offended and is so dishonoured sits so high and enjoys honour so vast.”
Of the same about the division of tongues:—
“For bethink you what it is to see our nature riding on the Cherubim and all the power of heaven mustered round about it. Consider too Paul's wisdom and how many terms he searches for that he may set forth the love of Christ to men, for he does not say simply the grace, nor yet simply the riches, but the 'exceeding great riches of His grace in His kindness.'”
Of the same from his Dogmatic Oration, on the theme that the word spoken and deeds done in humility by Christ were not so spoken and done on account of infirmity, but on account of differences of dispensation:—
“And after His resurrection, when He saw His disciple disbelieving, He did not shrink from showing him both wound and print of nails, and letting him lay his hand upon the scars, and said 'Examine and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones.' The reason of His not assuming the manhood of full age from the beginning, and of His deigning to be conceived, to be born, to be suckled, and to live so long upon the earth, was that by the long period of the time and all the other circumstances, He might give a warranty for this very thing.”
Of the same against those who assert that demons rule human affairs:—
Source: Dialogues ("Eranistes" or "Polymorphus") (New Advent)