Stephen Carlson wrote:The relevant passage from Theophanes is:
Theophanes, Chronographia (ed. de Boor 1883), p.330 wrote: Γεωργίου δὲ τοῦ Ἀλεξανδρείας τελευτήσαντος, ἀποστέλλεται Κῦρος ἐπίσκοπος Ἀλεξανδρείας, καὶ ἑνωθεὶς Θεοδώρῳ, τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ τῆς Φαράν, ἐποίησε τὴν ὑδροβαφῆ ἐκείνην ἕνωσιν, μίαν καὶ αὐτοὶ γράψαντες ἐν Χριστῷ φυσικὴν ἐνέργειαν.
Hmmm….. An English translation is offered by Harry Turtledove in his translation of the Chronicle of Theophanes (pub. 1982, Univ of Pennsylvania). If this translation is literal, it appears that Bury’s comment was misleading, as this phrase that I was asking about isn’t a metaphor, but simply a statement of durability:
After George the bishop of Alexandria died, Cyrus was dispatched as bishop of Alexandria. He joined with Theodore the bishop of Pharas to celebrate this union, though it was not durable. They both wrote that Christ had one natural energy.
I was hoping for something a bit more literal, so that I could see the force of the language/metaphor.
The translation I was referring to is here, the reference on page 32:
http://books.google.com/books?id=lK5wIPb4Vi4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=theophanes&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9nexULXoDof1iQLum4C4Cw&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Cyrus&f=falseOK I see from your edit, that it was metaphorical, meaning that the proposed union of theological views was "dipped in water," as opposed to "in bronze." So this is the force of the metaphor.
OK learn something new every day.
Thanks a lot for the Greek references.