7. After thus describing the outcome of our adversaries’ arguments, we shall now proceed to shew, as we have proposed, that the Father does not first take “of whom” and then abandon “through whom” to the Son; and that there is no truth in these men’s ruling that the Son refuses to admit the Holy Spirit to a share in “of whom” or in “through whom,” according to the limitation of their new-fangled allotment of phrases. “There is one God and Father of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things.”  1  1 Cor. viii. 6.

Yes; but these are the words of a writer not laying down a rule, but carefully distinguishing the hypostases.  2  If Catholic Theology does not owe to St. Basil the distinction between the connotations of οὐσία and ὑπόστασις which soon prevailed over the identification obtaining at the time of the Nicene Council, at all events his is the first and most famous assertion and defence of it. At Nicæa, in 325, to have spoken of St. Paul as “distinguishing the hypostases” would have been held impious. Some forty-five years later St. Basil writes to his brother, Gregory of Nyssa (Ep. xxxviii.), in fear lest Gregory should fall into the error of failing to distinguish between hypostasis and ousia, between person and essence. cf. Theodoret Dial. i. 7, and my note on his Ecc. Hist. i. 3.

The object of the apostle in thus writing was not to introduce the diversity of nature, but to exhibit the notion of Father and of Son as unconfounded. That the phrases are not opposed to one another and do not, like squadrons in war marshalled one against another, bring the natures to which they are applied into mutual conflict, is perfectly plain from the passage in question. The blessed Paul brings both phrases to bear upon one and the same subject, in the words “of him and through him and to him are all things.”  3  Rom. xi. 36. That this plainly refers to the Lord will be admitted even by a reader paying but small attention to the meaning of the words. The apostle has just quoted from the prophecy of Isaiah, “Who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor,”  4  Rom. xi. 34, and Is. xl. 13. and then goes on, “For of him and from him and to him are all things.” That the prophet is speaking about God the Word, the Maker of all creation, may be learnt from what immediately precedes: “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?”  5  Is. xl. 12, 13. Now the word “who” in this passage does not mean absolute impossibility, but rarity, as in the passage “Who will rise up for me against the evil doers?”  6  Ps. xciv. 16. and “What man is he that desireth life?”  7  Ps. xxxiv. 12. and “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?”  8  Ps. xxiv. 3. So is it in the passage in question, “Who hath directed [lxx., known] the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath known him?” “For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things.”  9  John v. 20. This is He who holds the earth, and hath grasped it with His hand, who brought all things to order and adornment, who poised  10  ἰσοῤ& 191·οπία. cf. Plat. Phæd. 109, A. the hills in their places, and measured the waters, and gave to all things in the universe their proper rank, who encompasseth the whole of heaven with but a small portion of His power, which, in a figure, the prophet calls a span. Well then did the apostle add “Of him and through him and to him are all things.”  11  Rom. xi. 38. For of Him, to all things that are, comes the cause of their being, according to the will of God the Father. Through Him all things have their continuance  12  διαμονή. cf. Arist. de Sp. i. 1. and constitution,  13  cf. Col. i. 16, 17. for He created all things, and metes out to each severally what is necessary for its health and preservation. Wherefore to Him all things are turned, looking with irresistible longing and unspeakable affection to “the author”  14  Acts iii. 15. and maintainer “of” their “life,” as it is written “The eyes of all wait upon thee,”  15  Ps. cxlv. 15. and again, “These wait all upon thee,”  16  Ps. civ. 27. and “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”  17  Ps. cxlv. 16.

[7] Τὰ μὲν δὴ ἐκείνων, τοιαῦτα: ἡμεῖς δὲ δείξομεν ὃ προεθέμεθα, ὅτι οὔτε ὁ Πατὴρ τὸ ἐξ οὗ λαβὼν τῷ Υἱῷ προσέρριψε τὸ δι' οὗ, οὔτε ὁ Υἱὸς πάλιν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, κατὰ τὴν τούτων νομοθεσίαν, εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἐξ οὗ, ἢ τὴν δι' οὗ κοινωνίαν οὐ παραδέχεται: ὅπερ ἡ καινὴ τούτων κληροδοσία διώρισεν. «Εἷς Θεὸς καὶ Πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα: καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα.» Αὗται οὐκ εἰσὶ νομοθετοῦντος φωναί, ἀλλὰ διευκρινουμένου τὰς ὑποστάσεις. Οὐ γὰρ ἵνα τὸ ἀλλότριον τῆς φύσεως εἰσαγάγῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀσύγχυτον Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ τὴν ἔννοιαν παραστήσῃ, οὕτω προήνεγκεν ὁ ἀπόστολος. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε αἱ φωναὶ ἀλλήλαις οὐκ ἀντιτάσσονται, οὐδ' ὥσπερ ἐν πολέμῳ πρὸς ἀντίπαλον τάξιν ἀποκριθεῖσαι συνεκπολεμοῦσι τὰς φύσεις αἷς προσεχώρησαν, ἐκεῖθεν δῆλον. Συνήγαγεν ἀμφοτέρας ἐπὶ ἑνὸς καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὑποκειμένου ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος εἰπών: «Ὅτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα.» Τοῦτο δὲ προδήλως εἰς τὸν Κύριον φέρειν πᾶς τις ἂν εἴποι ὁ καὶ μικρὸν τῷ βουλήματι τῆς λέξεως ἐπιστήσας. Προτάξας γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐκ τῆς προφητείας τοῦ Ἠσαΐου τό: «Τίς ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου; καὶ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο;» ἐπήγαγεν: «Ὅτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα». Ἅπερ ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου τοῦ δημιουργοῦ πάσης κτίσεως εἴρηται τῷ προφήτῃ, ἐκ τῶν κατόπιν ἂν μάθοις. «Τίς ἐμέτρησε τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν δρακί; Τίς ἔστησε τὰ ὄρη ἐν σταθμῷ καὶ τὰς νάπας ἐν ζυγῷ; Τίς ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, καὶ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο;» Τὸ γὰρ τίς ἐνταῦθα οὐχὶ τὸ ἄπορον παντελῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸ σπάνιον δηλοῖ, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ: «Τίς ἀναστήσεταί μοι ἐπὶ πονηρευομένους;» Καί: «Τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ θέλων ζωήν;» Καί: «Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου;» Οὕτω δὴ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθά ἐστι: «Τίς ὁ εἰδὼς τὸν νοῦν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ κοινωνός;» «Ὁ γὰρ Πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ.» Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ συνέχων τὴν γῆν καὶ περιδεδραγμένος αὐτῆς: ὁ εἰς τάξιν πάντα καὶ διακόσμησιν ἀγαγών: ὁ καὶ ὄρεσιν ἰσορροπίαν, καὶ ὕδασι μέτρα, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν οἰκείαν τάξιν ἀποπληρώσας: ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὅλον μικρῷ μέρει τῆς ὅλης ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως περιέχων, ἣν σπιθαμὴν τροπικῶς ὁ προφητικὸς ὠνόμασε λόγος. Ὅθεν οἰκείως ἐπήγαγεν ὁ ἀπόστολος τό: «Ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα.» Ἐξ αὐτοῦ γὰρ τοῖς οὖσιν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ εἶναι κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς γίνεται. Δι' αὐτοῦ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἡ διαμονὴ καὶ ἡ σύστασις: τοῦ κτίσαντος τὰ πάντα καὶ τὰ πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἑκάστῳ τῶν γενομένων ἐπιμετροῦντος. Διὸ δὴ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐπέστραπται τὰ σύμπαντα, ἀσχέτῳ τινὶ πόθῳ καὶ ἀρρήτῳ στοργῇ πρὸς τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς καὶ χορηγὸν ἀποβλέποντα, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον: «Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ πάντων εἰς σὲ ἐλπίζουσι.» Καὶ πάλιν: «Πάντα πρὸς σὲ προσδοκῶσι.» Καί: «Ἀνοίγεις σὺ τὴν χεῖρά σου, καὶ ἐμπιπλᾷς πᾶν ζῷον εὐδοκίας.»