Putting on the Name

Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ μὲν ὄνομά τις τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑποδύσιτο, ὅσα δὲ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ συνθεωρεῖται μὴ δεικνύοι τῷ βιῳ καταψεύδεται τοῦ ὀνόματος ὁ τοιτοῦτος, κατὰ τὸ προτεθὲν ἡμῖν ὑπόδειγμα, προσωπεῖον ἄψυχον, ἀνθρωπίνῳ χαρακτρῆρι μεμορφωμένον, περιθεὶς τῷ πιθήκῳ. Οὐτε γὰρ τὸν χριστὸν ἔστι μὴ δικαιοσύνην εἴναι, καὶ καθαρότητα, καὶ ἀλὴθειαν, καὶ κακοῦ παντὸς ἀλλοτρίωσιν, οὔτε Χριστιανὸν ἔστιν εἴναι, τόν γε ἀληθῶς Χριστιανὸν, μὴ κὰκείνων τῶν ὀνομάτων τὴν κοινωνίαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνύοντα. Οὐκοῦν, ὡς ἄν τις ὄρῳ τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐρμηνεὺσειεν, οὔτως ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι Χριστιανισμός ἐστι τῆς θείας φύσεως μίμησις. Καὶ μηδεὶς ὡς ὑπέρογκον καὶ ὑπερβαινοντα τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ταπεινόητα διαβαλέτω τὸν ὅρον· οὐ γὰρ ἐξέβη τὴν φύσιν ὁ ὅρος. Εἰ γὰρ τις τὴν πρὼτην κατάστασιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου λογίσαιτο, εὐρήσει διὰ τῶν Γραφικῶν διδαγμάτων, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξῆλθε τὰ μέτρα τῆς φύσεως ἡμων ὁ ὅρος. Ἣ τε γὰρ πρώτη τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευὴ κατὰ μίμησιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁμοιότητος ἧν.    Τι Τὸ Χριστιανων Ὄνομα Ἥ Ἔπάγγελμα,Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης

If then someone puts on the name of Christ but does not show in his life what is indicated by the name, such a person lies by the name and, according to the model put forth by us, is a lifeless mask, transforming himself into a performing monkey who pretends to be a man. For it is impossible for Christ not to be righteousness and purity and truth and estrangement from all evil, nor is it possible to be a Christian, that is, truly a Christian, without displaying in oneself a participation in these virtues. If then one would have a definition of Christianity, we define it thus: Christianity is an imitation of the Divine Nature. And let no one object to the definition as exceeding the humble limit of our nature; for it does not go beyond the bounds of our nature. Indeed if one thinks on the first condition of man, one will discover through the lessons of Scripture that the definition does not exceed the measure of our nature, for the first man was constituted as an imitation of the likeness of God. What it is to Call Oneself a Christian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa