De sancta trinitate DE SACROSANCTA TRINITATE LIBER

 All beings are either created or uncreated. If, then, they are created, they are also by all means changeable. For those things whose being began from

 is the Divine. And how is that which moves not also circumscribed by place? 77.1125 The Divine alone, therefore, is motionless, moving all things thro

 CHAPTER 5.

 the doctrines and of each heresy the useful part remains, from the Jewish conception, the unity of nature and from Hellenism, only the distinction i

 Whom saying to be before all ages, we show that His generation is without time and without beginning. For the Son of God was not brought from non-bein

 Man, it is clear, begets in a contrary way, being subject to generation and corruption and flux and multiplication, and being clothed in a body, and h

 And this too must be known, that the name of fatherhood and sonship and procession was not transferred from us to the blessed Godhead but on the cont

 but the mode of difference, not at all. At the same time are both the begetting of the Son from the Father, and the procession of the Holy Spirit. The

 likeness, but identity), and the one impulse of the motion. For there is one essence, one goodness, one power, one will, one energy, 77.1144 one autho

 the illumination of the ray is imparted to us, and this is what illuminates us, and is participated in by us. But the Son we call neither of the Spiri

 we accomplish most honorable things by our own hands. By right hand, His aid in favorable circumstances, from the fact that we too use the right han

 This Son and Word of God the Father, through whom the Father created all creation, as through his own wisdom and power (for he is the wisdom and power

 sinning is of the will, or it also comes upon us against our will from inattention. Rather, even inattention itself is a sin, or at least the beginnin

 He slept, He conversed, just as we do, but was in every way without sin. This is beyond us. For who among us could be found entirely blameless in thin

 wills in Christ and willing according to both wills, and working according to both energies, is one and the same God-man not divided into God specif

 Principal will, the willing, which is natural will, as has been shown. Will is also said of the thing willed which in humans is hypostatic, not the s

 CHAPTER 22.

 he was conversant with and, The Lord created me the beginning of his ways for his works and, Therefore your God has anointed you with the oil of gla

 Of these things said of Christ in a human manner, whether in words or in deeds, there are six modes. For some of them were done and said according to

 of the consummation of the age and such like things. For as God, He is with us. But the things befitting His humanity, as, They took hold of His feet

 identity, and their mutual indwelling. In this sense we can say of Christ: This our God was seen upon the earth, and dwelt among men and, This man is

is the Divine. And how is that which moves not also circumscribed by place? 77.1125 The Divine alone, therefore, is motionless, moving all things through its motionlessness. The Divine, then, must be considered incorporeal. But not even this is descriptive of its essence, just as neither is 'unbegotten,' nor 'without beginning,' nor 'unchangeable,' nor 'incorruptible,' and all such things as we say are of God, or about God. For these do not signify what He is, but what He is not. But one who wishes to state the essence of anything must declare what it is, not what it is not. Nevertheless, in the case of God, it is impossible to say what He is in His essence. It is more fitting, rather, to speak of Him by the removal of all things. For He is none of the things that are, not as though He is not, but as being above all things that are, and even being above being itself. For if knowledge is of things that are, that which is above knowledge will certainly also be above essence; and conversely, that which is above essence will also be above knowledge. The Divine, therefore, is infinite and incomprehensible; and this alone is comprehensible of it, its infinity and incomprehensibility; but whatever we say of God affirmatively, reveals not His nature, but the things about His nature; whether you say He is good, or just, or wise, or whatever else, you do not state the nature of God, but the things about His nature. And there are also some things said affirmatively of God which have the force of a super-eminent negation; for instance, when we speak of darkness in God, we do not mean darkness, but that He is not light, but above light; and of light, that He is not darkness.

CHAPTER 4.

That God exists, then, has been sufficiently demonstrated, and that His essence is incomprehensible. But that there is one God and not many, is not doubted by those who are persuaded by the divine Scripture. For the Lord says at the beginning of the lawgiving: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; you shall have no other gods besides Me.' And again: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.' And through Isaiah the prophet, 'For I,' he says, 'am the first God, and I am after these things, and besides me there is no God; before me there was no other God, and after me there will be none, and besides me there is none.' And the Lord in the holy Gospels thus says to the Father: 'This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.' But with those who are not persuaded by the divine Scripture, we will reason thus. The Divine is perfect, and without deficiency, in goodness, in wisdom, and in power; without beginning, without end, eternal, uncircumscribed; and, to speak simply, perfect in all things. If, therefore, we speak of many gods, it is necessary 77.1128 that a difference be observed among the many. For if there is no difference among them, it is one rather, and not many. But if there is a difference among them, where is the perfection? For whether in goodness, or in power, or in wisdom, or in time, or in place, it will fall short of the perfect; it would not be God. But identity in all things shows one rather, and not many. And how, if there are many, will the uncircumscribed be preserved? For where the one might be, another could not be. And how will the world be governed by many, and not be dissolved and perish, with strife being seen among the governors? For difference introduces opposition. And if someone should say that each rules a part, what is it that ordered and made the distribution to them? For that would rather be God. There is, therefore, one God, perfect, uncircumscribed, the maker of the universe, both sustainer and governor, and over-perfect and pre-perfect. And in addition, it is a natural necessity that the monad be the beginning of the dyad.

ἐστὶ τὸ Θεῖον. Πῶς δὲ οὐ καὶ τόπῳ περίγραπτον, τὸ 77.1125 κινούμενον; μόνον οὗν τὸ Θεῖον ἀκίνητον δι' ἀκινησίας τὰ πάντα κινοῦν. Ἀσώματον τοίνυν ὑποληπτέον τὸ Θεῖον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο τῆς οὐσίας παραστατικόν ἐστιν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τὸ ἀγέννητον, καὶ τὸ ἄναρχον, καὶ τὸ ἀναλλοίωτον, καὶ τὸ ἄφθαρτον, καὶ ὅσα περὶ Θεοῦ, ἢ περὶ Θεὸν εἶναι λέγομεν. Ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ οὐ τὸ τί ἐστι σημαίνει, ἀλλὰ τί οὐκ ἔστι. Χρὴ δὲ τὸν βουλόμενον τήν τινος οὐσίαν εἰπεῖν τί ἐστι φράσαι, οὐ τὸ τί οὐκ ἐστιν. Ὅμως ἐπὶ Θεοῦ τί ἐστιν εἰπεῖν ἀδύνατον κατ' οὐσίαν. Οἰκειότερον δὲ μᾶλλον ἐκ τῆς πάντων ἀφαιρέσεως ποιεῖσθαι τὸν λόγον. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν ὄντων ἐστὶν, οὐχ ὡς μὴ ὢν, ἀλλ' ὡς ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ὄντα, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ εἶναι ὤν. Εἰ γὰρ τῶν ὅντων ἡ γνῶσις, τὸ ὑπὲρ γνῶσιν, πάντως καὶ ὑπὲρ οὐσίαν ἔσται· καὶ τὸ ἀνάπαλιν, τὸ ὑπὲρ οὐσίαν, καὶ ὑπὲρ γνῶσιν ἔσται. Ἄπειρον οὖν τὸ Θεῖον, καὶ ἀκατάληπτον· καὶ τοῦτο μόνον αὐτοῦ καταληπτὸν, ἡ ἀπειρία, καὶ ἡ ἀκαταληψία· ὅσα δὲ λέγομεν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ καταφατικῶς, οὐ τὴν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ περὶ τὴν φύσιν δηλοῖ· κἂν ἀγαθὸν, κἂν δίκαιον, κἂν σοφὸν, κἂν ὅ τι ἂν ἄλλο εἴπῃς, οὐ φύσιν λέγεις Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ περὶ τὴν φύσιν. Εἰσὶ δὲ καί τινα καταφατικῶς ἐπὶ Θεοῦ λεγόμενα, δύναμιν ὑπεροχικῆς ἀποφάσεως ἔχοντα· οἷον σκότος λέγοντες ἐπὶ Θεοῦ, οὐ σκότος νοοῦμεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι φῶς, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τὸ φῶς· καὶ φῶς, ὅτι οὐ σκότος ἐστίν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ∆ʹ.

Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἔστι Θεὸς, ἱκανῶς ἀποδέδεικται, καὶ ὅτι ἀκατάληπτός ἐστιν ἡ αὐτοῦ οὐσία. Ὅτι δὲ εἷς ἐστι Θεὸς καὶ οὐ πολλοὶ, τοῖς μὲν τῇ θείᾳ πειθομένοις Γραφῇ, οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλεται. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τῇ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἀρχῇ· Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου· οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἄκουε, Ἰσραὴλ, Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, Κύριος εἷς ἐστι. Καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου, Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶ, Θεὸς πρῶτος, ἐγὼ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἐστι Θεός· ἔμπροσθέ μου οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄλλος Θεὸς, καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται, καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστι. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις οὕτω φησὶ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ, ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὂν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Τοῖς δὲ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ μὴ πειθομένοις, οὕτω διαλεξόμεθα. Τὸ Θεῖον τέλειόν ἐστι, καὶ ἀνελλιπὲς, κατά τε ἀγαθότητα, κατά τε σοφίαν, κατά τε δύναμιν· ἄναρχον, ἀτελεύτητον, ἀΐδιον, ἀπερίγραπτον· καὶ, ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, κατὰ πάντα τέλειον. Εἰ οὖν πολλοὺς ἐροῦμεν θεοὺς, ἀνάγκη 77.1128 διαφορὰν ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς θεωρεῖσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ οὐδεμία διαφορὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἷς μᾶλλόν ἐστι, καὶ οὐ πολλοί. Εἰ δὲ διαφορὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ποῦ ἡ τελειότης; Εἴτε γὰρ κατὰ ἀγαθότητα, εἴτε κατὰ δύναμιν, εἴτε κατὰ σοφίαν, εἴτε κατὰ χρόνον, εἴτε κατὰ τόπον ὑστερήσει τοῦ τελείου· οὐκ ἂν εἴη Θεός. Ἡ δὲ διὰ πάντων ταυτότης ἕνα μᾶλλον δείκνυσι, καὶ οὐ πολλούς. Πῶς δὲ καὶ πολλοῖς οὖσι τὸ ἀπερίγραπτον φυλαχθήσεται; Ἔνθα γὰρ ἂν εἴη ὁ εἷς, οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἕτερος. Πῶς δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν κυβερνηθήσεται ὁ κόσμος, καὶ οὐ διαλυθήσεται, καὶ φθαρήσεται, μάχης ἐν τοῖς κυβερνῶσι θεωρουμένης; Ἡ γὰρ διαφορὰ ἐναντίωσιν εἰσάγει. Εἰ δὲ εἴποι τις, ὅτι ἕκαστος μέρους ἄρχει, τί τὸ τάξαν καὶ τὴν διανομὴν αὐτοῖς ποιησάμενον; Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἂν εἴη μᾶλλον Θεός. Εἷς τοίνυν ἐστὶ Θεὸς, τέλειος, ἀπερίγραπτος, τοῦ παντὸς ποιητὴς, συνοχεύς τε καὶ κυβερνήτης, καὶ ὑπερτελὴς, καὶ προτέλειος. Πρὸς δὲ καὶ φυσικὴ ἀνάγκη, μονάδα εἶναι δυάδος ἀρχήν.