SOLUTION. Such subtle and not easily handled questions do not require a dogmatic ruling, but rather further inquiry and conjectural examination, with the understanding that one should not permit the argument to stray into what is not fitting, that is, to be carried beyond what is probable. For it is written, "Seeking, seek, and dwell with me." But what the holy scripture has not clearly stated, how could one explain clearly? I mean something like what is written in the book of the creation of the world, that in the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. And that He has made them, the holy scripture has stated, and this we accept as true in faith. But to be overly curious about how or from where, or in what manner 552 heaven and earth and the other created things were brought into existence is not without penalty; for one must not let the mind descend into the deeper things. Therefore, whatever the divine scripture does not say very clearly, these things one must let be, and pass over in silence. But if it is necessary to conjecture with reasoning that looks to correctness, we say that the creator of all things formed man from the earth, that is, the body; and having animated it with a living and rational soul, in a manner He knows, He implanted in it naturally the desire for and knowledge of every good thing. For this I think is what is meant by that which was said through the blessed evangelist John: "That was the "true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into "the world." For the living being is born having a natural aptitude for the good. And the all-wise Paul will teach this, writing that "we are his workmanship, created unto "good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." For man is governed by his own choice and has been entrusted with the reins of his own mind, so that he may run toward whatever he wishes, whether toward the good, or toward its opposite. But nature has implanted in itself both the desire and readiness for anything good whatsoever, and the will to care for goodness and righteousness. For thus we say that man came to be in the image and likeness 553, inasmuch as the living being is by nature good and righteous. But since it was necessary for him not only to be rational, and well-disposed to good works and righteousness, but also a partaker of the Holy Spirit, so that he might have in himself the more brilliant characters of the divine nature, He also breathed into him the breath of life. This is the Spirit supplied through the Son to the rational creation, and fashioning it into the highest form, that is, the divine. For that the spirit breathed into man did not become a soul for him, nor yet a mind, as some think, can be seen from this. For first, God is understood as the one who breathes, and what is breathed from him is certainly understood as his own, that is, of his substance. Then how could the Spirit from God have changed into the nature of a soul, or even become a mind? For it is impossible for the Spirit to change. But if one should grant that it could also by a change become a soul or a mind; which is among the impossible things; yet that, at least, is immediately evident. For if the divine Spirit had become a soul for man, the soul and the mind would have remained incapable of sin. But if the Spirit from God, having been changed into a soul, has fallen under sins, a twofold charge is brought against it by us. First, that it underwent a change into that which it was not, and then in addition to this we say that it became susceptible to sin. Therefore, the living being was animated by the ineffable power of God, and came to be in likeness to him, inasmuch as it is by nature good and just and receptive of all virtue; but it was sanctified 554, having been shown to be a partaker of the divine Spirit, which it also cast off on account of sin. For God said somewhere, "My "Spirit shall not always strive with these men, for that "they also are flesh," that is, to mind only the things of the flesh.

But since it pleased God the Father to sum up all things in

Christ, that is, to bring them back to their original state, restoring to us again our Holy Spirit which had flown away and departed, this he breathed into the holy apostles,

ΕΠΙΛΥΣΙΣ. Τὰ οὕτως ἰσχνὰ καὶ οὐκ εὐτριβῆ τῶν ζητημάτων, οὐκ ἀποφάσεως δεῖται δογματικῆς, ἐπαπορήσεως δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ βασάνου στοχαστικοῦ, μετὰ τοῦ μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι διαπίπτειν τὸν λόγον ἐᾶν ἐφ' ἃ μὴ προσῆκεν, ἤγουν ἔξω φέρεσθαι τοῦ εἰκότος. γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι "ζητῶν ζήτει, καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ οἴκει." ὃ δὲ σαφῶς οὐκ ἔφη τὸ γράμμα τὸ ἱερὸν, πῶς ἄν τις ἐξηγοῖτο σαφῶς; οἷόν τι φημὶ ἐν τῷ τῆς κοσμοποιΐας βιβλίῳ γέγραπται, ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. καὶ ὅτι μὲν πεποίηκεν, ἔφη τὸ γράμμα τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἀληθὲς ἐν πίστει τοῦτο δεχόμεθα. τὸ δὲ ὅπως ἢ πόθεν, ἢ τίνα τρόπον 552 παρήχθη πρὸς ὕπαρξιν οὐρανός τε καὶ γῆ καὶ τὰ ἕτερα τῶν κτισμάτων πολυπραγμονεῖν οὐκ ἀζήμιον· οὐ γὰρ δεῖ τοῖς βαθυτέροις ἐγκαθιέναι τὸν νοῦν. ὅσα τοίνυν μὴ σφόδρα σαφῶς ἡ θεία λέγει γραφὴ, ταῦτα χρὴ λανθάνειν, καὶ ἐν σιωπῇ παρατρέχειν. εἰ δὲ χρὴ κατατεκμαίρεσθαι μετὰ λογισμοῦ βλέποντος εἰς ὀρθότητα, φαμὲν, ὅτι ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸς ἔπλασε μὲν ἀπὸ γῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἤτοι τὸ σῶμα· ψυχώσας δὲ αὐτὸ ψυχῇ ζώσῃ τε καὶ νοερᾷ, καθ' ὃν οἶδε τρόπον, παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ πράγματος ἔφεσίν τε καὶ γνῶσιν ἐγκατεβάλετο φυσικῶς αὐτῷ. τοῦτο γὰρ οἶμαι δηλοῦν τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τοῦ μακαρίου εὐαγγελιστοῦ Ἰωάννου "Ἦν τὸ "φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς "τὸν κόσμον." τίκτεται γὰρ τὸ ζῷον φυσικὴν ἔχον ἐπιτηδειότητα πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθόν. καὶ τοῦτο διδάξει γράφων ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλος, ὅτι "αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐπὶ "ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς "περιπατήσωμεν." διοικεῖται μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος προαιρετικῶς καὶ τὰς ἡνίας πεπίστευται τῆς αὐτοῦ διανοίας, ὥστε ἐφ' ὅπερ ἂν βούλοιτο τρέχειν, εἴτε πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν, εἴτ' οὖν πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον. ἔχει δὲ ἡ φύσις ἐγκαταβεβλημένην ἑαυτῇ καὶ τὴν εἰς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔφεσίν τε καὶ προθυμίαν, καὶ τὸ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι θέλειν ἀγαθότητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης. οὕτω γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν γενέσθαι 553 φαμὲν, καθὸ καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ δίκαιον πέφυκεν εἶναι τὸ ζῷον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐχρῆν οὐ λογικὸν εἶναι μόνον, καὶ ἐπιτηδείως ἔχον εἰς ἀγαθουργίαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος μέτοχον, ἵνα λαμπροτέρους ἔχῃ τῆς θείας φύσεως τοὺς χαρακτῆρας ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ ἐνεφύσησεν αὐτῷ πνοὴν ζωῆς. τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ δι' Υἱοῦ τῇ λογικῇ κτίσει χορηγούμενον Πνεῦμα, καὶ διαμορφοῦν αὐτὴν εἰς εἶδος τὸ ἀνωτάτω, τουτέστι, τὸ θεῖον. ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ εἰς ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ ἐμφυσηθὲν αὐτῷ γέγονε πνεῦμα, οὔτε μὴν εἰς νοῦν, ὡς οἴονταί τινες, ἐντεῦθεν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἐμφυσήσας νοεῖται ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ δὲ ἐμφυσηθὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντως που νοεῖται καὶ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ, ἤτοι τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ. εἶτα πῶς ἂν τὸ ἐκ Θεοῦ Πνεῦμα μετέβαλεν εἰς φύσιν ψυχῆς, ἢ καὶ νοῦς ἐγένετο; ἀμήχανον γὰρ τοῦ τρέπεσθαι τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν. εἰ δὲ δοίη τις εἶναι καὶ κατὰ τροπὴν γενέσθαι ψυχὴν ἢ νοῦν· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τῶν ἀμηχάνων· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνό γε εὐθὺς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. εἰ γὰρ εἰς ψυχὴν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ θεῖον Πνεῦμα γέγονεν, ἔμεινεν ἂν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ὁ νοῦς ἀνεπίδεκτος ἁμαρτίας. εἰ δὲ ὑποπέπτωκεν ἁμαρτίαις εἰς ψυχὴν μεταβεβλημένον τὸ ἐκ Θεοῦ Πνεῦμα, διττὸν αὐτῷ τὸ ἔγκλημα παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπάγεται. πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι τροπὴν ὑπέμεινε τὴν εἰς ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν, εἶτα πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ ἁμαρτίας αὐτό φαμεν γενέσθαι δεκτικόν. οὐκοῦν ἐψυχώθη μὲν τὸ ζῷον ἀῤῥήτῳ δυνάμει Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐν ὁμοιώσει τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν γέγονε, καθ' ὃ πέφυκεν εἶναι καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ δίκαιον καὶ ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης δεκτικόν· ἡγιάσθη 554 δὲ μέτοχον ἀποδεδειγμένον τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ὃ καὶ ἀποβέβληκεν διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. ἔφη γάρ που ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι "Οὐ "μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ Πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις "διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας," τουτέστι, μόνα φρονεῖν τὰ σαρκός.

ἐπειδὴ δὲ ηὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ

Χριστῷ, τουτέστιν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀναγαγεῖν, τὸ ἀποπτὰν καὶ ἀποφοιτῆσαν ἡμῶν Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα πάλιν ἡμῖν ἀποκαθιστῶν, τοῦτο ἐνεφύσησε τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις,