5

But you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God. Have you seen that the Holy Spirit wiped away all that wickedness?

4. Where now are those who blaspheme the dignity of the Spirit? For if not

He forgives sins, He is received in baptism in vain; but if He forgives sins, He is blasphemed in vain by the heretics. If the Spirit were not holy, we would not be able to say, “Lord Jesus”; for no one can say “Lord Jesus” except in the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit were not holy, we the faithful would not be able to call upon God; for we say, “Your Father who is in heaven.” Therefore, just as we would not be able to call him Lord, so too we would not be able to call God Father. How is this clear? From the same apostle who says, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” So when you call upon the Father, remember that you were deemed worthy of that address because the Spirit moved your soul. If the Spirit were not, there would be no word of wisdom and knowledge in the Church; for to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge. If the Holy Spirit were not, there would be no shepherds and teachers in the Church; for these also come to be through the Spirit, as Paul also says: “in which the Holy Spirit has made you shepherds and overseers.”

Do you see that this too is through the Spirit? If the Holy Spirit were not in this our common father and teacher, you would not, when a little while ago he ascended this sacred bema and gave peace to you all, have all cried out to him with one voice, "And with your spirit"; for this reason you utter this saying not only when he is ascending, nor when he is speaking to you, nor when he is praying for you, but when he stands by this sacred table, when he is about to offer that awesome sacrifice; for the initiated know what is being said; he does not touch the offerings set forth, until he has prayed for you for grace from the Lord, and you cry out to him, “And with your spirit,” by this very response 50.459 reminding them that the one present himself does nothing, nor are the gifts set forth the accomplishments of human nature, but it is the grace of the Spirit, being present and hovering over all things, that prepares that mystical sacrifice. For though it is a man who is present, it is God who is at work through him. Therefore, do not pay attention to the nature of what is seen, but consider the invisible grace. Nothing human takes place on this sacred bema. If the Spirit were not present, the Church would not be constituted; but if the Church is constituted, it is very clear that the Spirit is present. “For what reason, then,” he says, “do signs not happen now?” Pay close attention to me here; for I hear this from many people, and it is continually and always being asked: why did all who were baptized then speak in tongues, but now no longer do? Let us first learn what it is to speak in tongues, and then we will also state the reason. What then is it to speak in tongues? The one being baptized would immediately speak in the tongue of the Indians, of the Egyptians, of the Persians, of the Scythians, of the Thracians, and one man would receive many tongues, and if these who are here now had been baptized then, you would have immediately heard them speaking in different voices. For Paul, it says, found some who had been baptized with John's baptism, and he says to them: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They say to him, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And immediately he commanded them to be baptized. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they all spoke in tongues. For what reason, then, was this grace curtailed and taken away from men now? Not because God dishonors us, but because He greatly honors us. How? I will tell you. Men were more simple-minded then, than

5

Ἀλλ' ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλ' ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Εἶδες ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὴν κακίαν ἅπασαν ἐκείνην ἀπήλειψε;

δʹ. Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ βλασφημοῦντες τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν ἀξίαν; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μὴ

ἀφίησιν ἁμαρτήματα, εἰκῇ παραλαμβάνεται εἰς τὸ βάπτισμα· εἰ δὲ ἀφίησιν ἁμαρτήματα, εἰκῇ βλασφημεῖται ὑπὸ τῶν αἱρετικῶν. Εἰ μὴ Πνεῦμα ἦν ἅγιον, Κύριον Ἰησοῦν εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνάμεθα· Οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναται εἰπεῖν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ. Εἰ μὴ Πνεῦμα ἦν ἅγιον, τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλέσαι οὐκ ἠδυνάμεθα οἱ πιστοί· λέγομεν γὰρ, Πάτερ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ὥσπερ οὖν Κύριον καλέσαι οὐκ ἠδυνάμεθα, οὕτως οὐδὲ Πατέρα τὸν Θεὸν καλέσαι ἠδυνάμεθα. Πόθεν δῆλον; Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀποστόλου λέγοντος, Ὅτι δέ ἐστε υἱοὶ, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν κράζον, ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατήρ. Ὥστε ὅταν καλέσῃς τὸν Πατέρα, ἀναμνήσθητι, ὅτι τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν ψυχὴν κινοῦντος ἠξιώθης τῆς προσηγορίας ἐκείνης. Εἰ μὴ Πνεῦμα ἦν, λόγος σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ οὐκ ἦν· Ὧ μὲν γὰρ δίδοται διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως. Εἰ μὴ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἦν, ποιμένες καὶ διδάσκαλοι ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ οὐκ ἦσαν· καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος γίνονται, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Ἐν ᾧ ἔθετο ὑμᾶς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ποιμένας καὶ ἐπισκόπους.

Ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος; Εἰ μὴ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἦν ἐν τῷ κοινῷ τούτῳ πατρὶ καὶ διδασκάλῳ, οὐκ ἂν ὅτε πρὸ μικροῦ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βῆμα τοῦτο, καὶ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ἔδωκεν εἰρήνην, καὶ ἐπεφθέγξασθε αὐτῷ κοινῇ πάντες, Καὶ τῷ Πνεύματί σου· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναβαίνοντι μόνον, οὐδὲ διαλεγομένῳ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, οὐδὲ εὐχομένῳ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ταύτην ἐπιφθέγγεσθε τὴν ῥῆσιν, ἀλλ' ὅταν παρὰ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην ἑστήκῃ τράπεζαν, ὅταν τὴν φρικτὴν ἐκείνην θυσίαν ἀναφέρειν μέλλῃ· ἴσασι γὰρ οἱ μεμυημένοι τὸ λεγόμενον· οὐ πρότερον ἅπτεται τῶν προκειμένων, ἕως ἂν ὑμῖν αὐτὸς ἐπεύξηται τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου χάριν, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπιφθέγξησθε αὐτῷ, Καὶ τῷ Πνεύματί σου, διὰ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως αὐτῆς 50.459 ἀναμιμνήσκοντες αὐτοὺς ὅτι οὐδὲν αὐτὸς ὁ παρὼν πράττει, οὐδὲ ἀνθρωπίνης ἐστὶ φύσεως κατορθώματα τὰ προκείμενα δῶρα, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις παροῦσα καὶ πᾶσιν ἐφιπταμένη τὴν μυστικὴν ἐκείνην κατασκευάζει θυσίαν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ παρὼν, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν δι' αὐτοῦ. Μὴ τοίνυν πρόσεχε τῇ φύσει τοῦ ὁρωμένου, ἀλλ' ἐννόει τὴν χάριν τὴν ἀόρατον. Οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον τῶν γινομένων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τούτῳ βήματι. Εἰ μὴ Πνεῦμα παρῆν, οὐκ ἂν συνέστη ἡ Ἐκκλησία· εἰ δὲ συνίσταται ἡ Ἐκκλησία, εὔδηλον ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμα πάρεστι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, σημεῖα οὐ γίνεται νῦν; Ἐνταῦθά μοι μετὰ ἀκριβείας προσέχετε· παρὰ πολλῶν γὰρ ἀκούω τοῦτο, καὶ συνεχῶς καὶ ἀεὶ ζητούμενον· διὰ τί τότε γλώσσαις ἐλάλουν πάντες οἱ βαπτιζόμενοι, νῦν δὲ οὐκέτι; Μάθωμεν πρότερον τί τὸ λαλεῖν γλώσσαις, καὶ τότε ἐροῦμεν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν. Τί οὖν ἐστι γλώσσαις λαλεῖν; Ὁ βαπτιζόμενος εὐθέως ἐφθέγγετο τῇ τῶν Ἰνδῶν φωνῇ, τῇ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, τῇ τῶν Περσῶν, τῇ τῶν Σκυθῶν, τῇ τῶν Θρᾳκῶν, καὶ εἷς ἄνθρωπος πολλὰς ἐλάμβανε γλώσσας, καὶ οὗτοι οἱ νῦν εἰ ἦσαν τότε βαπτισθέντες, εὐθέως ἂν ἤκουσας αὐτῶν διαφόροις φθεγγομένων φωναῖς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος, φησὶν, εὗρέ τινας βαπτισθέντας ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι Ἰωάννου, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Εἰ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐλάβετε πιστεύσαντες; Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἰ ἔστι Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ἠκούσαμεν· καὶ εὐθέως ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς βαπτισθῆναι· Καὶ ἐπιθέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ Παύλου τὰς χεῖρας, ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ ἐλάλουν ἅπαντες γλώσσαις. Τίνος οὖν χάριν συνεστάλη, καὶ ἀνηρέθη ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἡ χάρις αὕτη νῦν; Οὐχὶ ἀτιμάζοντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα τιμῶντος. Πῶς; ἐγὼ λέγω. Ἀνοητότερον οἱ ἄνθρωποι διέκειντο τότε, τῶν