Folia Theologica et Canonica 4. 26/18 (2015)

SACRA THEOLOGIA - László Perendy, God’s impassibility and His compassio in Chrisin the patristic tradition

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LÁSZLÓ PERENDY

Cyril relies also on the doctrine of àvaKetpaXaicooiç, which was one of Ire- naeus’ favourite ideas.64 Already the bishop of Lyons had declared: the Divine Verb became man so that he may recreate (ávaazoí/eiv) in himself all the aspects of human existence from birth to death, except sin. Cyril accentuates also the fact that during his service on the earth the Incarnate Verb did nothing independently from his body or without it. He performed his miracles and healings resorting to the actions of his own body, e.g., touching the sick or pronouncing words of cure.65 Christ’s life-giving power, which was demonstrated in his healings, gives eternal life through the sacraments founded by him, i.e. in baptism and the Eucharist.66 Their effectiveness would be inconceivable without the deliberate undertaking of the death on the cross. So the Verb, who according to his own nature stands above all kinds of suffering, making human nature his own, triumphed over all kinds of human suffering and even death.67

The suffering of the Verb, which he undertook freely for us, is a central message of the gospel. Demonstrating the development of the doctrine about the Trinity and Christ we have been able to see that the Church has preserved faithfully and explained creatively the most important message of the Gospel in the Hellene religious and philosophical environment.

64 Quod unus sit Christus, 724c.

65 In Lucani, passim.

66 About the Eucharist see Contra Nestorium, 4, 4-5; about the sacrament of baptism: In Ioannem, 3,6.

67 Gavrilyuk, P. L., The Suffering of the Impassible God, 135-171.