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Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
St. John Damascene
On God and the Divine Nature
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Book I #### That the Deity is incomprehensible, and that we ought not to pry into and meddle with the things which have not been delivered to us by the holy Prophets, and Apostles, and Evangelists.
§1 (¶1)
Chapter VIII .— Concerning the Holy Trinity. We believe, then, in One God, one beginning , having no beginning, uncreate, unbegotten, imperishable and immortal, everlasting, infinite, uncircumscribed, boundless, of…
§2 (¶2)
t through the first cause without time or distinction in glory or separation, that is to say, the subsistences of the Son and the Spirit, it seems to us a Trinity that we adore .
§3 (¶3)
Chapter XIII .— Concerning the place of God: and that the Deity alone is uncircumscribed. Bodily place is the limit of that which contains, by which that which is contained is contained : for example, the air contains…
§4 (¶4)
On Creation, Angels, and Man
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Book II #### Concerning æon or age. 18b Book II. Chapter I .— Concerning æon or age. He created the ages Who Himself was before the ages, Whom the divine David thus addresses, From age to age Thou art .
§1 (¶1)
Chapter VII .— Concerning light, fire, the luminaries, sun, moon and stars. Fire is one of the four elements, light and with a greater tendency to ascend than the others.
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Chapter IX .— Concerning the waters. Water also is one of the four elements, the most beautiful of God’s creations. It is both wet and cold, heavy, and with a tendency to descend, and flows with great readiness.
§3 (¶3)
Chapter XII .— Concerning Man. In this way, then, God brought into existence mental essence , by which I mean, angels and all the heavenly orders.
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Chapter XX .— Concerning Memory. The faculty of memory is the cause and storehouse of remembrance and recollection. For memory is a fantasy that is left behind of some sensation and thought manifesting itself in action;…
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Chapter XXV .— Concerning what is in our own power, that is, concerning Free-will . The first enquiry involved in the consideration of free-will, that is, of what is in our own power, is whether anything is in our power…
§6 (¶6)
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Book III #### Concerning the Divine Œconomy and God's care over us, and concerning our salvation. Book III. Chapter I .— Concerning the Divine Œconomy and God’s care over us, and concerning our salvation.
§1 (¶1)
Chapter V .— Concerning the number of the Natures. In the case, therefore, of the Godhead we confess that there is but one nature, but hold that there are three subsistences actually existing, and hold that all things…
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Chapter X .— Concerning the Trisagium (“the Thrice Holy”). This being so , we declare that the addition which the vain-minded Peter the Fuller made to the Trisagium or “Thrice Holy” Hymn is blasphemous ; for it…
§3 (¶3)
Chapter XIV .— Concerning the volitions and free-will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since, then, Christ has two natures, we hold that He has also two natural wills and two natural energies.
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Chapter XV .— Concerning the energies in our Lord Jesus Christ. We hold, further, that there are two energies in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Chapter XVI .— In reply to those who say “If man has two natures and two energies, Christ must be held to have three natures and as many energies.” Each individual man, since he is composed of two natures, soul and…
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Chapter XXI .— Concerning ignorance and servitude. He assumed, it is to be noted , the ignorant and servile nature . For it is man’s nature to be the servant of God, his Creator, and he does not possess knowledge of the…
§7 (¶7)
On the Sacraments, the Church, and Eschatology
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Book IV #### Concerning what followed the Resurrection. 74b Book IV. Chapter I .— Concerning what followed the Resurrection. After Christ was risen from the dead He laid aside all His passions, I mean His corruption or…
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Chapter IX .— Concerning Faith and Baptism. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins and for life eternal. For baptism declares the Lord’s death.
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Chapter XIII .— Concerning the holy and immaculate Mysteries of the Lord. God Who is good and altogether good and more than good, Who is goodness throughout, by reason of the exceeding riches of His goodness did not…
§3 (¶3)
Chapter XIV .— Concerning our Lord’s genealogy and concerning the holy Mother of God . Concerning the holy and much-lauded ever-virgin one, Mary, the Mother of God, we have said something in the preceding chapters,…
§4 (¶4)
89b Chapter XVII .— Concerning Scripture . It is one and the same God Whom both the Old and the New Testament proclaim, Who is praised and glorified in the Trinity: I am come , saith the Lord, not to destroy the law but…
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Chapter XX .— That there are not two Kingdoms. That there are not two kingdoms , one good and one bad, we shall see from this. For good and evil are opposed to one another and mutually destructive, and cannot exist in…
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Chapter XXV .— Concerning the Circumcision. The Circumcision was given to Abraham before the law, after the blessings, after the promise, as a sign separating him and his offspring and his household from the Gentiles…
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