Basil of Caesarea, Homily on the Holy Spirit

Homilia de spiritu sancto

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS, BASIL, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, A HOMILY ON THE HOLY SPIRIT.

He who is baptized into the Trinity is baptized into the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; not into principalities, nor into powers, nor into anything else among created things. Let it be clear to him, then, that the Trinity is above creation; and let him not attempt to bring down anything of the Trinity into creation. And let him remember the Lord, who breathed the Holy Spirit, and showed by the breathing that the Spirit is of the divine substance, and not of created nature. And let him consider the apostolic exposition concerning the Trinity, in which we see one operation of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; as neither the Son nor the Spirit is by nature created or made. For God does not need His own creation in order to perform His own operation. And the Apostle says: "There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone." Therefore, what God works, the Spirit works. "All these are empowered," he says, "by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills." Let him not bring the Spirit down into servitude, hearing that as he wills he works all the things of God. And again: "Now the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." For if it does not say that divinity dwells in us through the indwelling Spirit, as John says, "By this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us," it will destroy all hope. For if God is not in us, we shall obtain neither life nor eternal goods. And again Paul says: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" and again: "Your 31.1432 bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God." And creation needs revelation to know the things of God; but the Spirit reveals. "To us," he says, "God has revealed them through his Spirit."

And as for us, he searches, because in him we make the search; "The Spirit," he says, "searches everything, even the depths of God;" but in himself he knows, just as our spirit does. "For who," he says, "among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man within him? So also no one comprehends the things of God except the Spirit of God." And God gives life; for Paul says: "I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things;" and Christ gives life, who says: "My sheep hear my voice, and I give them eternal life." But we are made alive through the Spirit, as Paul says: "He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." We are given life, therefore, by God through Christ in the Spirit. And for this reason, since every operation of the Son is made manifest through the Spirit, the Spirit is called Lord by the name of the Lord; and Christ by the name of Christ, as we just said: "Now the Lord is the Spirit." And it is also said, "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." Then he adds: "But if Christ is in you," instead of saying, what would have followed: But if the Spirit is in you. Nor is there any divine voice teaching that the Spirit is a creature. For, "All things were made through him," is about the multitude of created things. But the Spirit is not

Homilia de spiritu sancto

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΥ, Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Καισαρείας Καππαδοκίας, ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΠΝΕΥΜΑΤΟΣ.

Ὁ βαπτιζόμενος εἰς Τριάδα βαπτίζεται εἰς Πα τέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· οὔτε εἰς ἀρχὰς, οὔτε εἰς δυνάμεις, οὔτε εἰς τὰ ἑξῆς ἐν κτίσμασι. ∆ῆλον οὖν αὐτῷ ἔστω, ὅτι ἡ Τριὰς ὑπὲρ τὴν κτίσιν ἐστί· καὶ μηδὲν τῆς Τριάδος εἰς κτίσιν κατάγειν ἐπιχειρείτω. Μεμνήσθω δὲ καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐμφυσήσαντος, καὶ δείξαντος διὰ τῆς ἐμφυσή σεως, ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς θεϊκῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐ τῆς κτιστῆς φύσεως. Λογιζέσθω δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀποστο λικὴν ἐξήγησιν περὶ Τριάδος, ἐν ᾗ μίαν ἐνέργειαν ὁρῶμεν Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· ὡς οὐκ ὄντος κτιστοῦ καὶ ποιητοῦ τὴν φύσιν οὔτε τοῦ Υἱοῦ οὔτε τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ὅτι μὴ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κτίσεως ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιδεῖται πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐνέρ γειαν ἀποδιδόναι. Λέγει δὲ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «∆ιαιρέ σεις χαρισμάτων εἰσὶ, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα. Καὶ διαι ρέσεις διακονιῶν εἰσι, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς Κύριος. Καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσὶν, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεὸς, ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν.» Οὐκοῦν ἃ ἐνεργεῖ Θεὸς, ταῦτα τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐνεργεῖ. «Πάντα ἐνεργεῖ, φησὶ, τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται.» Μηδὲ εἰς δουλείαν καταγέτω τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἀκούων, ὅτι καθὼς βούλεται πάντα ἐνεργεῖ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Οὗ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐλευθερία.» Καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὴ θεότητα λέγει κατοικεῖν ἐν ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος κατοικοῦντος, λέγοντος τοῦ Ἰωάννου, «Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν, ὅτι ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὗ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν,» πᾶσαν ἀπολεῖ τὴν ἐλπίδα. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν, οὔτε ζωῆς οὔτε ἀγαθῶν αἰωνίων τευξόμεθα. Λέγει δὲ καὶ πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ναὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστε, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν;» καὶ πάλιν· «Τὰ 31.1432 σώματα ὑμῶν ναὸς τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἁγίου Πνεύματός ἐστιν, οὗ ἔχετε ἀπὸ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ κτίσις μὲν ἀποκα λύψεως δεῖται πρὸς τὸ εἰδέναι τὰ Θεοῦ· τὸ Πνεῦμα δὲ ἀποκαλύπτει. «Ἡμῖν, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς ἀπεκάλυψε διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ.»

Καὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς μὲν ἐρευνᾷ, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν ἔρευναν ποιούμεθα· «Τὸ Πνεῦμα, φησὶν, ἐρευνᾷ καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ·» καθ' ἑαυτὸ δὲ γινώσκει, ὥσπερ τὸ ἡμέτερον πνεῦμα. «Τίς γὰρ οἶδε, φησὶν, ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; Οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδεὶς ἔγνωκεν εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ ζωογονεῖ μὲν Θεός· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος· «Παρ αγγέλλω ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζωογονοῦντος τὰ πάν τα·» ζωὴν δὲ δίδωσι Χριστὸς, ὁ λέγων· «Τὰ πρό βατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούει, κἀγὼ ζωὴν αἰώνιον δίδωμι αὐτοῖς.» Ζωοποιούμεθα δὲ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὥς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζωοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν.» Ζωογονῇ τοίνυν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἐν Πνεύματι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἐνέργεια τοῦ Υἱοῦ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος φανεροῦται, Κύριος ὀνομάζεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τῷ τοῦ Κυρίου ὀνόματι· καὶ Χριστὸς τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἄρτι μὲν ἐλέγομεν· «Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν.» Εἴρηται δὲ καὶ τὸ, «Ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκὶ, ἀλλ' ἐν Πνεύματι, εἴπερ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν. Εἰ δέ τις Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔχει, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ.» Εἶτα ἐπάγει· «Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν,» ἀντὶ τοῦ λέγειν, ὅπερ ἀκόλουθον ἦν· Εἰ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐν ὑμῖν. Οὐδὲ ἔστι φωνὴ θεία ποιητὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα εἶναι διδάσκουσα. Τὸ γὰρ, «Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο,» περὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν κτισμάτων ἐστί. Τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα οὐκ