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added by learning, nor uttered by a voice, nor poured into the air and dissipated we have considered, but as subsisting in His own essence, with will, and active, and all-powerful, so also, having learned of the Spirit of God which accompanies the Word and reveals His energy, we do not think of an unsubstantial breath—for thus the majesty of the divine nature would be reduced to lowliness, if the Spirit in Him were supposed to be like our spirit—, but an essential power, contemplated in its own proper hypostasis, proceeding from the Father and resting in the Word and being the manifestor of Him, unable to be separated either from God, in whom He is, or from the Word, whom He accompanies, nor poured out into non-existence, but existing in hypostasis like the Word, living, with will, self-moving, active, always willing what is good and having the power to accompany the will in every purpose, having neither beginning nor end; for the Father was never without the Word, nor the Word without the Spirit. Thus through the unity of nature the polytheistic error of the Greeks is abolished, and through the acceptance of the Word and the Spirit the dogma of the Jews is overthrown, and the useful part of each heresy remains, from the Jewish conception, the unity of nature, and from Hellenism, only the distinction in hypostases. But if the Jew should argue against the acceptance of the Word and the Spirit, let him be refuted and silenced by the divine Scripture. For concerning the Word, David says: “For ever, O Lord, thy word endureth in heaven,” and again: “He sent his word, and healed them.” But a spoken word is not sent, nor does it endure for ever. And concerning the Spirit, the same David: “Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created,” and again: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made firm, and all the host of them by the spirit of his mouth,” and Job: “The divine Spirit is that which made me, and the breath of the Almighty that which sustaineth me.” But a spirit that is sent forth and creates and makes firm and sustains is not a dissipating breath, just as the mouth of God is not a bodily member; for both must be understood in a manner worthy of God. 8 On the Holy Trinity We believe therefore in one God, one principle, without beginning, uncreated, unbegotten, indestructible and immortal, eternal, infinite, uncircumscribed, unlimited, of infinite power, simple, uncompounded, incorporeal, without flux, impassible, unchanging, unalterable, invisible, a fount of goodness and justice, light intellectual, unapproachable, a power known by no measure, but measured only by His own will—for all things that He wills, He can do—, maker of all creatures, both visible and invisible, sustainer and preserver of all things, provider for all things, ruling and governing and reigning over all things with a kingdom that is unending and immortal, having no adversary, filling all things, contained by nothing, but rather itself containing, sustaining, and preceding all things, pervading all substances without stain and beyond all things and removed from all substance as being super-essential and above all beings, super-divine, super-good, super-full, determining all principles and orders and established above all principle and order, above substance and life and word and thought, light itself, goodness itself, life itself, essence itself, as not having from another its being or any of the things that are, but itself being the fount of being for things that are, of life for the living, of reason for those who partake of reason, for all the cause of all good things, knowing all things before their coming into being, one essence, one divinity, one power, one will, one energy, one principle, one authority, one lordship, one kingdom, known and worshipped in three perfect hypostases, believed in and served with one worship by all rational creation, united without confusion and without separation
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μαθήσεως προσγινόμενον οὐδὲ διὰ φωνῆς προφερόμενον οὐδὲ εἰς ἀέρα χεόμενον καὶ λυόμενον ᾠήθημεν, ἀλλ' οὐσιωδῶς ὑφεστῶτα προαιρετικόν τε καὶ ἐνεργὸν καὶ παντοδύναμον, οὕτω καὶ πνεῦμα μεμαθηκότες θεοῦ τὸ συμπαρομαρτοῦν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ φανεροῦν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐνέργειαν οὐ πνοὴν ἀνυπόστατον ἐννοοῦμεν-οὕτω γὰρ ἂν καθαιρεῖται πρὸς ταπεινότητα τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς θείας φύσεως, εἰ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τοῦ ἡμετέρου πνεύματος καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ πνεῦμα ὑπονοοῖτο-, ἀλλὰ δύναμιν οὐσιώδη, αὐτὴν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ἐν ἰδιαζούσῃ ὑποστάσει θεωρουμένην, ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς προερχομένην καὶ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ ἀναπαυομένην καὶ αὐτοῦ οὖσαν ἐκφαν τικήν, οὔτε χωρισθῆναι τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστι, καὶ τοῦ λόγου, ᾧ συμπαρομαρτεῖ, δυναμένην οὔτε πρὸς τὸ ἀνύπαρκτον ἀναχεομένην, ἀλλὰ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τοῦ λόγου καθ' ὑπόστασιν οὖσαν, ζῶσαν, προαιρετικήν, αὐτοκίνητον, ἐνεργόν, πάντοτε τὸ ἀγαθὸν θέλουσαν καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν πρόθεσιν σύνδρομον ἔχουσαν τῇ βουλήσει τὴν δύναμιν, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἔχουσαν μήτε τέλος· οὔτε γὰρ ἐνέλειψέ ποτε τῷ πατρὶ λόγος οὔτε τῷ λόγῳ πνεῦμα. Οὕτως διὰ μὲν τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ἑνότητος ἡ πολύθεος τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐξαφανίζεται πλάνη, διὰ δὲ τῆς τοῦ λόγου παραδοχῆς καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τῶν Ἰουδαίων καθαιρεῖται τὸ δόγμα, ἑκατέρας τε αἱρέσεως παραμένει τὸ χρήσιμον, ἐκ μὲν τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ὑπολήψεως ἡ τῆς φύσεως ἑνότης, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Ἑλληνισμοῦ ἡ κατὰ τὰς ὑποστάσεις διάκρισις μόνη. Εἰ δὲ ἀντιλέγοι ὁ Ἰουδαῖος πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λόγου παραδοχὴν καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος, ὑπὸ τῆς θείας γραφῆς ἐλεγχέσθω τε καὶ ἐπιστομιζέσθω. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ λόγου φησὶν ὁ ∆αυίδ· «Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, κύριε, ὁ λόγος σου διαμένει ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἀπέστειλε τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτούς». Λόγος δὲ προφορικὸς οὐκ ἀποστέλλεται οὐδὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαμένει. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος ὁ αὐτὸς ∆αυίδ· «Ἐξαποστελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμά σου, καὶ κτισθήσονται», καὶ πάλιν· «Τῷ λόγῳ κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν», καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ· «Πνεῦμα θεῖον τὸ ποιῆσάν με, πνοὴ δὲ παντοκράτορος ἡ συνέχουσά με.» Πνεῦμα δὲ ἀποστελλόμενον καὶ ποιοῦν καὶ στερεοῦν καὶ συνέχον οὐκ ἄσθμα ἐστὶ λυόμενον, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ σωματικὸν μέλος τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ στόμα· ἀμφότερα γὰρ θεοπρεπῶς νοητέον. 8 Περὶ τῆς ἁγίας τριάδοσ Πιστεύομεν τοιγαροῦν εἰς ἕνα θεόν, μίαν ἀρχὴν ἄναρχον, ἄκτιστον, ἀγέννητον ἀνόλεθρόν τε καὶ ἀθάνατον, αἰώνιον, ἄπειρον, ἀπερίγραπτον, ἀπεριόριστον, ἀπειροδύναμον, ἁπλῆν, ἀσύνθετον, ἀσώματον, ἄρρευστον, ἀπαθῆ, ἄτρεπτον, ἀναλλοίωτον, ἀόρατον, πηγὴν ἀγαθότητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης, φῶς νοερόν, ἀπρόσιτον, δύναμιν οὐδενὶ μέτρῳ γνωριζομένην, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ οἰκείῳ βουλήματι μετρουμένην-πάντα γάρ, ὅσα θέλει, δύναται-, πάντων κτισμάτων ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων ποιητικήν, πάντων συνεκτικὴν καὶ συντηρητικήν, πάντων προνοητικήν, πάντων κρατοῦσαν καὶ ἄρχουσαν καὶ βασιλεύουσαν ἀτελευτήτῳ καὶ ἀθανάτῳ βασιλείᾳ, μηδὲν ἐναντίον ἔχουσαν, πάντα πληροῦσαν, ὑπ' οὐδενὸς περιεχομένην, αὐτὴν δὲ μᾶλλον περιέχουσαν τὰ σύμπαντα καὶ συνέχουσαν καὶ προέχουσαν, ἀχράντως ταῖς ὅλαις οὐσίαις ἐπιβατεύουσαν καὶ πάντων ἐπέκεινα καὶ πάσης οὐσίας ἐξῃρημένην ὡς ὑπερούσιον καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ ὄντα οὖσαν, ὑπέρθεον, ὑπεράγαθον, ὑπερπλήρη, τὰς ὅλας ἀρχὰς καὶ τάξεις ἀφορίζουσαν καὶ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ τάξεως ὑπεριδρυμένην ὑπὲρ οὐσίαν καὶ ζωὴν καὶ λόγον καὶ ἔννοιαν, αὐτοφῶς, αὐτοαγαθότητα, αὐτοζωήν, αὐτοουσίαν ὡς μὴ παρ' ἑτέρου τὸ εἶναι ἔχουσαν ἤ τι τῶν ὅσα ἐστίν, αὐτὴν δὲ πηγὴν οὖσαν τοῦ εἶναι τοῖς οὖσι, τοῖς ζῶσι τῆς ζωῆς, τοῖς λόγου μετέχουσι τοῦ λόγου, τοῖς πᾶσι πάντων ἀγαθῶν αἰτίαν, πάντα εἰδυῖαν πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, μίαν οὐσίαν, μίαν θεότητα, μίαν δύναμιν, μίαν θέλησιν, μίαν ἐνέργειαν, μίαν ἀρχήν, μίαν ἐξουσίαν, μίαν κυριότητα, μίαν βασιλείαν, ἐν τρισὶ τελείαις ὑποστάσεσι γνωριζομένην τε καὶ προσκυνουμένην μιᾷ προσκυνήσει πιστευομένην τε καὶ λατρευομένην ὑπὸ πάσης λογικῆς κτίσεως ἀσυγχύτως ἡνωμέναις καὶ ἀδιαστάτως