5

For such is this divine definition of divine things; it not only surrounds those who abide by it and establishes them in security, but it also fights for them and irresistibly opposes those who rise up against it; and how, listen.

“I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,” “and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages.” Is it not therefore understood or implied that “from the Father alone” he was begotten, even if “alone” is not added? And it is most certainly implied, and you would say no less than if it were added, (p. 84) if you wish to be pious at all. From this, therefore, be taught also concerning the Spirit. And whenever you hear in the same Symbol, “the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father,” immediately consider “alone” to be necessarily implied and do not think it is an addition of ours, when you hear us add it for the sake of truth because of your violation in our discussions with you. If not, neither in the case of the Son's generation from the Father will you permit “alone” to be implied; and thus you will multiply your impiety.

And take this to mind, that in the Symbol of the Faith, hearing that the Son was begotten of the Father before all ages and having “alone” both understood and implied in “from the Father,” as you yourself would agree with us, yet no one ever added “alone” there, so that even your doctrine, that the Spirit proceeds also from the Son, even if it had been confessed, and agreed upon by us and simply by the whole Church of Christ, not even so should it have been added by you to the Symbol of the Faith.

It was therefore most just not even to deem you worthy of discussion, unless you would cease from adding to the holy Symbol; and with the addition on our part having first been cast out by you, then to inquire, whether the Holy Spirit is also from the Son or not also from the Son, and to ratify what has appeared to be the common opinion of the God-bearers; but not even so to add to the Symbol of the Faith, just as concerning the two natures and wills and energies of the one Christ, and the hypostatic union, and the title of the Virgin Mother, our predecessors acted well and piously, as ones who were zealous for piety and the common peace, although they were often gathered together afterwards, (p. 86) with those from time to time who presided hierarchically over Old Rome either assembling with them or consenting. Therefore one should not take into account the high standing of the present pope; for it is not on account of him or those after them that one must reject so many and so great men who concluded their hallowed life, testified to by God in many ways, with a blessed end.

But not only the Symbol of the orthodox faith, for it is necessary to speak for the sake of those who will listen with good judgment; not only, therefore, the Symbol of the Faith, but also almost every theological tongue, proclaiming the Son begotten of the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the same Father, does not add “alone”; as even if it is not added, it is necessarily implied, and you will know this by unrolling and going through the theological books themselves. For your sake, however, let us also bring forward a few things and written briefly. For indeed the great Athanasius, “What,” he says, “is God? The principle of all things according to the Apostle, who says, 'one God the Father, from whom are all things,' for the Word is from Him by generation and the Spirit is from Him by procession.” Do you see that “from Him” is used similarly for both and “alone” is nowhere added to the word? And you, therefore, similarly for both will either accept your addition or understand that “alone” is necessarily implied.

5

Τοιοῦτος γάρ ὁ τῶν θείων θεῖος ὅρος οὗτος˙ οὐ περιβάλλει μόνον τούς ἐμμένοντας καί καθίστησιν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ, ἀλλά καί προπολεμεῖ καί ἀνυποστάτως ἀντιτάττεται τοῖς ἐπανισταμένοις˙ τό δ᾿ ὅπως, ἄκουε.

«Πιστεύω εἰς ἕνα Θεόν, πατέρα, παντοκράτορα», «καί εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τόν Υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τόν μονογενῆ, τόν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός γεννηθέντα πρό πάντων τῶν αἰώνων». Ἆρ᾿ οὖν οὐ συννοεῖται οὐδέ συνυπακούεται τό μόνου, οὐδ᾿ ἐκ μόνου τοῦ Πατρός γεγέννηται, εἰ καί μή προστέθειται τό μόνου; Καί πάνυ μέν οὖν συνυπακούεται, καί οὐχ ἦττον προσκείμενον, (σελ. 84) εἰ ὅλως εὐσεβεῖν ἐθέλεις, εἴποις ἄν. Ἐντεῦθεν τοίνυν καί περί τοῦ Πνεύματος διδάσκου. Καί ἡνίκ᾿ ἄν ἀκούοις ἐπί τοῦ αὐτοῦ συμβόλου, «τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον τό ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός ἐκπορευόμενον», εὐθύς ἐξ ἀνάγκης συνυπακουόμενον νόμιζε τό «μόνου» καί μή προσθήκην ἄλλως νόμιζε ἡμῶν, ὑπέρ ἀληθείας διά τήν σήν ἀθέτησιν ἐν ταῖς πρός ὑμᾶς διαλέξεσι προστιθέντων ἀκροώμενος. Εἰ δέ μή, οὐδ᾿ ἐπί τῆς ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός τοῦ Υἱοῦ γεννήσεως ἐάσεις συνυπακούεσθαι τό «μόνου»˙ καί οὕτω σου πολυπλασιάσεις τό δυσσέβημα.

Καί τοῦτο δέ μοι λάβε κατά νοῦν, ὡς ἐπί τοῦ τῆς πίστεως συμβόλου τόν Υἱόν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός ἀκούοντες γεννηθέντα πρό πάντων τῶν αἰώνων καί τῷ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός συννοούμενόν τε καί συνυπακουόμενον ἔχοντες τό «μόνου», καθάπερ ἄν καί αὐτός ἡμῖν συμφήσαις, ὅμως οὐδείς οὐδέποτε τό «μόνου» προσέθηκεν ἐκεῖ, ὥστε καί τήν σήν δόξαν ὅτι καί ἐκ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τό Πνεῦμα ἐκπορεύεται, εἰ καί ἀνωμολογημένον ἦν, καί ἡμῖν καί ἁπλῶς πάσῃ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ συνδοκοῦν, οὐδ᾿ οὕτως ἐχρῆν ἐν τῷ τῆς πίστεως συμβόλῳ προστεθῆναι παρ᾿ ὑμῶν.

Ἦν οὖν ἄρα τῶν δικαιοτάτων μηδέ λόγου ἀξιοῦν ὑμᾶς, εἰ μή τοῦ προστιθέναι τῷ ἱερῷ συμβόλῳ παύσησθε˙ τῆς δέ παρ᾿ ἡμῶν προσθήκης παρ᾿ ὑμῶν ἐκβεβλημένης πρότερον, ἔπειτα ζητεῖν, εἰ καί ἐκ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἤ οὐχί καί ἐκ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον, καί τό ἀναφανέν τοῖς θεοφόροις συνδοκοῦν κυροῦν˙ ἀλλ᾿ οὐδ᾿ οὕτω προστιθέναι τῷ συμβόλῳ τῆς πίστεως, καθάπερ ἐπί τῶν δύο τοῦ ἑνός Χριστοῦ φύσεων καί θελημάτων καί ἐνεργειῶν, τῆς τε καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν ἑνώσεως καί τοῦ ἐπωνύμου τῆς παρθενομήτορος, οἱ πρό ἡμῶν πεπράχασι καλῶς τε καί φιλευσεβῶς, ὡς μετά τῆς εὐσεβείας καί τῆς κοινῆς εἰρήνης ἀντιποιούμενοι, καίτοι πολλάκις ἔπειτα κοινῇ συνειλεγμένοι, (σελ.86) συνεκκλησιαζόντων ἤ συνευδοκούντων καί τῶν κατά καιρούς τῆς παλαιᾶς Ρώμης ἀρχιερατικῶς προϊσταμένων. Οὔκουν ἔχει τις ὑπολογίζεσθαι τήν τοῦ περιόντος πάπα περιωπήν˙ οὐ γάρ διά τοῦτον ἤ τούτους τούς μετ᾿ ἐκείνους ἀποστερκτέον τούς τοσούτους καί τηλικούτους καί μακαρίῳ τέλει τήν ἡγιασμένην καί πολυειδῶς παρά Θεοῦ μεμαρτυρημένην κατακλείσαντας ζωήν.

Ἀλλά γάρ οὐ μόνον τό τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως σύμβολον, δεῖ γάρ τῶν εὐγνωμόνως ἀκουσομένων ἕνεκα λέγειν˙ μή μόνον οὖν τό τῆς πίστεως σύμβολον, ἀλλά καί πᾶσα σχεδόν γλῶσσα θεολόγος ἐκ Πατρός γεννηθέντα τόν Υἱόν κηρύττουσα καί παρά τοῦ αὐτοῦ Πατρός τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον ἐκπορευόμενον, οὐ προστίθησι τό «μόνου»˙ ὡς κἄν μή προσκέηται, ἐξ ἀνάγκης συνυπακουόμενον, καί τοῦτ᾿ εἴσῃ ἀνελίττων καί διεξιών αὐτάς τάς θεολόγους βίβλους. Σήν δ᾿ ὅμως χάριν, καί ἡμεῖς ὀλίγ᾿ ἄττα προενέγκωμεν καί διά βραχέων γεγραμμένα. Ὁ γοῦν μέγας Ἀθανάσιος, «τί ἐστι», φησί, «Θεός; Ἡ πάντων ἀρχή κατά τόν Ἀπόστολον, λέγοντα, "εἷς Θεός ὁ Πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τά πάντα", καί γάρ ὁ λόγος ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννητῶς καί τό Πνεῦμα ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐκπορευτῶς». Ὁρᾷς ὁμοίως ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοῖν τό ἐξ αὐτοῦ καί οὐδαμοῦ ρήματι προσκείμενον τό «μόνου»; Καί σύ τοίνυν ὁμοίως ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοῖν ἤ τήν σήν προσθήκην λήψῃ ἤ τό μόνου ἐξ ἀνάγκης συνυπακουόμενον νοήσεις.