tic contrast. But even to him we cannot
ascribe any doctrine of two natures: for this requires as its
presupposition, the perception that the divinity and humanity are
equally essential and important for the personality of the Redeemer
Christ. Such insight, however, presupposes a measure and a direction of
reflection which the earliest period did not possess. The expression
"[Greek: duo ousiai Christou]" first appears in a fragment of Melito,
whose genuineness is not, however, generally recognised (see my Texte u.
Unters. I. 1. 2. p. 257). Even the definite expression for Christ
[Greek: theos on homou te kai anthropos] was fixed only in consequence
of the Gnostic controversy.]

[Footnote 261: Hermas (Sim. V. 6. 7) describes the exaltation of Jesus,
thus: [Greek: hina kai he sarx haute, douleusasa toi pneumati amemptos,
schaei topon tina kataskenoseos, kai me doxei ton misthon tes douleias
autes apololekenai]. The point in question is a reward of grace which
consists in a position of rank (see Sim. V. 6. 1). The same thing is
manifest from the statements of the later Adoptians. (Cf. the teaching
of Paul Samosata).]

[Footnote 262: Barnabas, e. g., conceives it as a veil (5. 10: [Greek:
ei gar me elthen en sarki, oud' an pos hoi anthropoi esothesan blepontes
auton, hote ton mellonta me einai helion emblepontes ouk ischusousin eis
tas aktinas autou antophthalmesai]). The formulation of the Christian
idea in Celsus is instructive (c. Cels VI. 69): "Since God is great and
not easily accessible to the view, he put his spirit in a body which is
like our own, and sent it down in order that we might be instructed by
it." To this conception corresponds the formula: [Greek: erchesthai
(phanerousthai) en sarki] (Barnabas, frequently; Polyc. Ep. 7. 1). But
some kind of transformation must also have been thought of (See 2 Clem.
9. 5. and Celsus IV. 18: "Either God, as these suppose, is really
transformed into a mortal body...." Apoc. Sophon. ed. Stern. 4 fragm. p.
10; "He has transformed himself into a man who comes to us to redeem
us"). This conception might grow out of the formula [Greek: sarx
egeneto] (Ignat. ad. Eph. 7, 2 is of special importance here). One is
almost throughout here satisfied with the [Greek: sarx] of Christ, that
is the [Greek: aletheia tes sarkos], against the Heretics (so Ignatius,
who was already anti-gnostic in his attitude). There is very seldom any
mention of the humanity of Jesus. Barnabas (12). the auth