Gregory of Nyssa, On the Holy Spirit

they were, having been left in the upper room; for it is not possible for anyone otherwise to become a partaker of the Holy Spirit, without dwelling in the upper room of this life. For all who set their minds on things above, having transferred their citizenship from earth to heaven, being inhabitants of the upper room of the high commonwealth, they come into communion with the Holy Spirit. For so says the history of the Acts, that when they were gathered in the upper room, that pure and immaterial fire was divided into the forms of tongues, according to the number of the disciples. They, then, spoke to Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the other nations, adapting their own voices with power to every national language; But I, as the Apostle says, would rather speak five words in the Church with my mind, that I might also profit others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Then indeed it was useful to speak the same language to those of other tongues, so that the preaching might not be ineffective to those who were ignorant, being hindered by the voice of the preachers; but now, since there is unanimity 46.700 in language, one must seek the fiery tongue of the Spirit for the enlightenment of those who are darkened by deceit.

Therefore, let David also guide us to this, taking the Apostle to dance with him. For in this psalmody, whose beginning grants us exultation in the Lord, saying: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, we are not led through this to the doxology of the Holy Spirit; but much rather in the remaining parts we are taught the things concerning his divinity. I will tell you the very words of the Prophet, with which the great Apostle also agrees; the saying is thus: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me. Remembering these things, the divine Apostle says thus: Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says; and having said this, he brought forward these sayings of the Prophet, applying them to the person of the Spirit. Who then is it, whom their fathers tested in the wilderness? who, whom they provoked? Learn from the Prophet himself, who says that: They tested God Most High. And yet the Apostle, having put forth the person of the Holy Spirit, assigns these voices to him, saying: Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, that on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me. Therefore, the one whom the Prophet named God most high, this one the divine Apostle says is the Holy Spirit. But if you disbelieve, consider again what was said: Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me. If therefore the Holy Spirit says that: Your fathers tested me in the wilderness; and the Prophet testifies that the one tested in the wilderness is God most high; the mouths of the Pneumatomachians were stopped, those that speak injustice against God, as both the Apostle and the Prophet clearly proclaimed through what was said the divinity of the Spirit; the one having said that, They tested God Most High, and as from God bringing forth that saying to the Israelites, that, In the wilderness your fathers tested me; and the great Paul having applied these voices to the Holy Spirit, so that through these it might be clearly shown that the Holy Spirit is God most high. Do the enemies of the glory of the Spirit see the fiery tongue of the divine oracles that illuminates the hidden 46.701 things, or will they mock as though filled with new wine? But I, even if they say these things against us, advise you, brethren, not to fear the reproach of such men, nor to be overcome by their contempt.

ὑπερῴῳ καταλειφθέντες ἐγένοντο· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν ἄλλως μέτοχον Πνεύματος ἁγίου γενέσθαι τινὰ, μὴ τῷ ὑπερῴῳ τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης ἐνδιαιτώμενον. Ὅσοι γὰρ τὰ ἄνω φρονοῦσι, μεταθέντες ἑαυτῶν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν τὸ πολίτευμα, τοῦ ὑπερῴου τῆς ὑψηλῆς πολιτείας ὄντες οἰκήτορες, ἐν μετουσίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος γίνονται. Οὕτω γάρ φησιν ἡ ἱστορία τῶν Πράξεων, ὅτι συνηγμένων αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ, τὸ καθαρὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἄϋλον πῦρ εἰς εἴδη γλωσσῶν, κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν μαθητῶν, διασχίζεται. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν Πάρθοις, καὶ Μήδοις, καὶ Ἐλαμίταις, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσι διελέγοντο, κατ' ἐξουσίαν πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐθνικὴν γλῶσσαν τὰς ἑαυτῶν φωνὰς μεθαρμόζοντες· Ἐγὼ δὲ, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, θέλω πέντε λόγους ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ τῷ νοΐ μου λαλῆσαι, ἵνα καὶ ἄλλους ὠφελήσω, ἢ μυρίους λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ. Τότε μὲν χρήσιμον τὸ ὁμόφωνον γίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀλλογλώσσοις, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἀνενέργητον εἴη τὸ κήρυγμα τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι, τῇ φωνῇ τῶν κηρυσσόντων ἐμποδιζόμενον· νῦν μέντοι τῆς κατὰ τὴν γλῶσσαν ὁμοφωνίας 46.700 οὔσης, ἐπιζητῆσαι χρὴ τὴν πυρίνην γλῶσσαν τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς φωτισμὸν τῶν δι' ἀπάτης ἐσκοτισμένων.

Οὐκοῦν καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὁδηγησάτω ∆αβὶδ, συγχορεύοντα λαβὼν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Ἀπόστολον. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ψαλμῳδίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἧς ἡ ἀρχὴ τὸ ἀγαλλίαμα ἡμῖν τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ χαρίζεται, λέγουσα· ∆εῦτε, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ, οὐ διὰ τούτου πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ὁδηγούμεθα δοξολογίαν· ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς ὑπολοίποις τὰ περὶ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ διδασκόμεθα. Λέξω δὲ ὑμῖν αὐτὰ τοῦ Προφήτου τὰ ῥήματα, οἷς συντίθεται καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος· ἔχει δὲ ἡ ῥῆσις οὕτως· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. Τούτων μεμνημένος ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, οὕτω φησί· ∆ιὸ καθὼς λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, ταύτας τοῦ Προφήτου τὰς ῥήσεις ἐπήγαγεν, ἐφαρμόζων αὐτὰς τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν, ὃν ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; τίς, ὃν παρώργισαν; Μάθε παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Προφήτου, ὅς φησιν, ὅτι· Ἐπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν τὸν Ὕψιστον. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ὁ Ἀπόστολος προτάξας τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἐκείνῳ ταύτας τὰς φωνὰς ἀνατίθησι, λέγων· ∆ιὸ, καθὼς λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. Οὐκοῦν ὃν ὕψιστον Θεὸν ὁ Προφήτης κατωνόμασε, τοῦτον ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἶναι λέγει. Εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς, πάλιν τὸ εἰρημένον ἐπίσκεψαι· ∆ιὸ, καθὼς λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. Εἰ οὖν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον λέγει, ὅτι· Ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ὁ δὲ Προφήτης διαμαρτύρεται, ὅτι ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πειρασθεὶς, ὕψιστός ἐστι Θεός· ἐνεφράγη τὰ στόματα τῶν Πνευματομάχων, τὰ λαλοῦντα κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίαν, σαφῶς τοῦ τε Ἀποστόλου καὶ τοῦ Προφήτου διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν θεότητα κηρυσσόντων τοῦ Πνεύματος· τοῦ μὲν εἰπόντος, ὅτι, Ἐπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν τὸν Ὕψιστον, καὶ ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις προφέροντος τὴν ῥῆσιν ἐκείνην, ὅτι, Ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν· τοῦ δὲ μεγάλου Παύλου τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ταύτας τὰς φωνὰς ἐφαρμόσαντος, ὡς διὰ τούτων ἐναργῶς ἀποδειχθῆναι, ὅτι Θεὸς ὕψιστος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστι τὸ ἅγιον. Ἆρα βλέπουσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν πυρίνην γλῶσσαν τῶν θείων λογίων τὴν τὰ κεκρυμ 46.701 μένα φωτίζουσαν, ἢ ὡς πεπληρωμένων τοῦ γλεύκους καταγελάσουσιν; Ἐγὼ δὲ κἂν ταῦτα λέγωσι καθ' ἡμῶν, συμβουλεύω ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, μὴ φοβηθῆναι τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τῶν τοιούτων, μηδὲ τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν ἡττηθῆναι.