8

of powers can provide heavenly gifts, but the Spirit of God bestows according to His authority, things which it is of the divine nature alone to give; therefore He is all-sufficient God, and ruler, even of things in heaven, and is of one substance with the Father and the Son. 47. If nothing invisible or visible is called divine and truth in sacred scripture, except the Father, and his Holy Spirit, and the Only-Begotten; it is indisputable that He is of the one divine and super-essential substance. 48. If the powers of the heavens, the most immense and most luminous of all created things, are in the Spirit of God, it is not possible for Him to be a creature, but a co-worker and equal-worker with the Creator. 49. If He fills the inhabited world, and contains all things, according to the Wisdom that says this; He is the Creator of the one most high, venerable, and incomprehensible, unapproachable and intangible, and formless substance; and He is not circumscribed by place, but He Himself has encompassed this whole universe. 50. If Scripture does not distinguish the Trinity by nature, nor is a first, and second, and third nature defined by it; what reason is there for them against those who believe that it is united in substance, but distinguished in the properties of the hypostases? 51. If the devil was shown in Job to be the first creature, the Spirit is not a creature, but of the substance of the Monad. For they would not say that the devil was created first, and that he once obtained the preeminent rank, while the divine Spirit obtained the subordinate one. 52. If, just as the Passover was celebrated from the beginning and by the Jews for the glory and worship of God, 39.805 so also is the Pentecost of the Holy Spirit; how is He not co-unoriginate with Him, the ever-memorable God? 53. If the oracles remind us of that which is signified by the Holy Spirit, just as of the sign from the Father and the Son; He is not among created things, but is also in equal honor and thanksgiving. For we do not receive the seal of a creature along with that of God, nor does God take with His own the seal of a creature, as if He were not sufficient to save alone. 54. If every blasphemy is forgiven men, but that against the Spirit of God is unforgivable; then He is not a lesser God. And it is blasphemy not to call Him God. For the blasphemy is also referred back to the Almighty, whose breath He is. 55. If heretics keep inviolate both the command of the Father saying, "This is my beloved Son; hear him," and the tradition concerning the baptism of the Son; why do they not confess the Trinity to be inseparable in nature, and of equal honor, and of equal power, and glorify it with equal honor? For He taught one name, that is of the one Godhead, but three hypostases, having preserved for each equal honor.

CHAP. 3. And let these things lie established. But the first of the heretics'

most impious and abrupt problem, is that which is written in the Proverbs of Solomon: "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works; before the age he founded me; in the beginning, before he made the earth, and before he made the depths, before the springs of the waters came forth, before the mountains were settled, and before all the hills he begets me." For by means of this problem they force the creator and benefactor to be declared a creature. But better and more persuasive than their own will is the understanding of this Scripture. For if all the preceding chapters and those set down in the first discourse are true and prevailing, as indeed they are, having received most clear testimony from the divine oracles; how is it not of the most unholy and most impossible things to interpret in this way the divine matters signified through concealment? Is it not then evident, 39.808 that I am not speaking of the all-causing and creative wisdom of the great One who is over all

8

δυνάμεων οὐράνια χαρίσματα δύναται παρέχειν, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Πνεῦμα κατ' ἐξουσίαν δωρεῖται, ἃ δοῦναι μόνης τῆς θείας φύσεώς ἐστιν· ἄρα παναρκὴς Θεὸς, καὶ ἐξουσιαστής ἐστι, καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὁμοούσιος τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ τυγχάνει. ΜΖʹ. Εἰ μηδὲν τῶν ἀοράτων ἢ ὁρατῶν ἱερῷ γράμματι προσηγόρευται θεῖον καὶ ἀλήθεια, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ Μονογενής· ἀναμφήριστον, ὡς τῆς ἑνάδος θείας καὶ ὑπερουσίου ἐστὶν οὐσίας. ΜΗʹ. Εἰ τῶν παμμεγεθεστάτων καὶ φωτοειδεστέρων πάντων ἐν ποιήμασιν οὐρανῶν αἱ δυνάμεις ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν, οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ αὐτὸ ποίημα καθεστάναι, ἀλλὰ συνεργὸν καὶ ἰσουργὸν τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ. ΜΘʹ. Εἰ τὴν οἰκουμένην πληροῖ, καὶ πάντα ἐμπεριέχει, κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν τοῦτο Σοφίαν· τῆς ἀνωτάτω σεπτῆς, καὶ ἀπερινοήτου, ἀπροσίτου τε καὶ ἀνεπάφου, καὶ ἀμόρφου μιᾶς οὐσίας ἐστὶν ∆ημιουργόν· καὶ τόπῳ οὐ περιγράφεται, αὐτὸ δὲ περιείληφεν τόδε τὸ πᾶν. Νʹ. Εἰ Γραφὴ οὐ διορίζει τῇ φύσει τὴν Τριάδα, οὐδ' ὁρίζεται ἐπ' αὐτῆς πρώτην, καὶ δευτέραν, καὶ τρίτην φύσιν· ποῖος αὐτοῖς ὕπεστι λόγος πρὸς τοὺς πιστεύοντας, ἡνῶσθαι μὲν αὐτὴν οὐσιωδῶς, διακεκρίσθαι δὲ ἐν ἰδιότησιν ὑποστάσεων; ΝΑʹ. Εἰ τὸ πρῶτον κτίσμα ὁ διάβολος ἐδείχθη ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ, οὐ κτίσμα, ἀλλὰ τῆς Μονάδος οὐσίας τὸ Πνεῦμα. Οὐ γὰρ φαῖεν ἂν τὸν διάβολον προδεδημιουργῆσθαι, καὶ αὐτὸν μέν ποτε τὴν ὑπερέχουσαν τάξιν εἰληχέναι, τὸ δὲ θεῖον Πνεῦμα τὴν ὑφειμένην. ΝΒʹ. Εἰ, καθάπερ εἰς δόξαν καὶ προσκύνησιν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ Πάσχα ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ παρ' Ἰουδαίων ἐπετε 39.805 λέσθη, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἡ Πεντηκοστή· πῶς οὐ συνάναρχος αὐτῷ ὑπάρχει ἀείμνητος Θεός; ΝΓʹ. Εἰ, ὡς τοῦ σημάντρου τοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος σημαινομένου ἡμῖν μνημονεύει τὰ λόγια· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς ποιήμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἴση τιμῇ καὶ εὐχαριστίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ ποιήματος ἅμα καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ σφραγῖδα ἀναλαμβάνομεν, οὐδὲ συμπαραλαμβάνει ὁ Θεὸς κτίσματος σφραγῖδα, τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ὡς μόνος σώζειν οὐχ ἱκανός. Ν∆ʹ. Εἰ πᾶσα βλασφημία ἀφίεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἡ δὲ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀσυγχώρητος· ἄρα οὐκ ἐλάττων τυγχάνει Θεός. Βλασφημία δέ ἐστιν τὸ μὴ λέγειν αὐτὸ Θεόν. Ἀνάγεται γὰρ ἡ βλασφημία καὶ εἰς τὸν Παντοκράτορα, οὗ πνοὴ τυγχάνει. ΝΕʹ. Εἰ ἀπαράβατον αἱρετικοὶ φυλάττουσιν τό τε πρόσταγμα τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγοντος, «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός· αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε,» τήν τε περὶ τὸ βάπτισμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ παράδοσιν· διὰ τί μὴ ἀχώριστον τῇ φύσει, καὶ ἰσότιμον, καὶ ἰσοδύναμον ὁμολογοῦσι τὴν Τριάδα, καὶ ἰσοτίμως δοξάζουσιν; Ἓν γὰρ ὄνομα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸ τῆς μιᾶς θεότητος, τρεῖς δὲ ὑποστάσεις ἐδίδαξεν, ἑκάστῃ τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν τηρήσας.

ΚΕΦ. Γʹ. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἀποδεδειγμένα κείσθω. Αἱρετικῶν δὲ πρῶτόν ἐστιν

ἀσεβέστατον καὶ ἀποτομώτατον πρόβλημα, τὸ ἐν Παροιμίᾳ Σολομῶνος γεγραμμένον· «Κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ· πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με· ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι, πρὸ τοῦ ἐλθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με.» ∆ιὰ τούτου γὰρ τοῦ προβλήματος βιάζονται κτίσμα τὸν κτίστην καὶ εὐεργέτην ἀποφαίνειν. Κρείττων δὲ καὶ πειθανωτέρα τῆς αὐτῶν βουλήσεως καὶ ἡ τῆς Γραφῆς ταύτης ὑπάρχει νόησις. Εἰ γὰρ ἀληθῆ καὶ κατακρατοῦντα τὰ προκείμενα πάντα κεφάλαια καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ λόγῳ καταταγέντα ἐστὶν, ὥσπερ οὖν ἐστιν, ἀρηδηλοτάτην ἀπὸ τῶν θείων λογίων δεξαμένη μαρτυρίαν· πῶς οὐ τῶν ἀνοσιωτάτων καὶ ἀδυνατωτάτων ἐστὶν οὕτως ἐκδέχεσθαι τὰ δι' ἐπικρύψεως δηλούμενα θεῖα πράγματα; Οὔκουν εὔδηλον, 39.808 ὅτι οὐ περὶ τῆς παναιτίου καὶ δημιουργοῦ σοφίας φημὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων μεγάλου