—a third category, no longer a mere body alongside a mere spirit, such that one could say, “He does this with his body and that with his soul.” Instead, in all his actions the spirit shares with the body. Thus, when he eats and drinks, it is the spirit that enjoys the food and drink, and by virtue of the spirit he becomes an eater and drinker—for a dead body neither eats nor drinks. Likewise, when he reflects, deduces, hears, sees, or learns, it is the soul that performs those acts through the body; they appear in the body, yet the spirit by itself does not bring them about.

According to the Christians, however, the activity of the divinity after the union is identical to its activity before it, and the same applies to the humanity—an assertion that overturns the very notion of union. To maintain this alongside the claim of union is utter contradiction and corruption. No parallel to it can be conceived among existing things, and even the Christian who utters it cannot envisage what he is saying, nor can he illustrate it with any intelligible example.