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"Behold, I go bound in the Spirit;" which is similar to 39.628 "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ;" and again: "Thus says the Holy Spirit: Separate me Paul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them;" similar to, "But the Lord said: Enter into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do." And again the Spirit said to Peter: "Arise, go to the house of Cornelius." And indeed in his Epistles Paul writes to Timothy: "Now the Spirit speaks expressly." See therefore, not only that through such a saying Paul again declared the Spirit to be a lawgiver—for the word "expressly" was also used by secular lawmakers—but also that other testimonies show the equality of nature and authority of the Holy Spirit with the Father. For in like manner it is written in many places concerning God the Father: "Thus says the Lord Almighty." But heretics, for whom all true things are contradicted, understanding nothing worthy of the divine energy, but dwelling on empty fantasies, and whatever they seize tenaciously, these things, like certain copies, they bring forward as firm and set against it. He said, he says, also concerning an angel, Zechariah, when he saw the vision concerning the lampstand: "The angel that talked with me." Therefore, the Holy Spirit can supposedly be understood as an angel. But their meager argument is refuted on the spot. For the angel spoke not of himself, nor his own words, but in service he spoke what was commanded by God and his Spirit. And it contains thus: "And I inquired, and said to the angel that talked with me, saying: What are these? And the angel that talked with me answered and said to me: This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by great power, nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." Then the Son was called an angel, and the Spirit, at the oak of Mamre, when the glorious Trinity appeared to Abraham, for having announced unknown things. In addition to these things, from the angelic multitude no one 39.629 authoritatively from his own impulse has sent saints, or declared oracles, or ordained a law, or altogether did he say what he himself willed to say. But neither do angels know the ineffable and benevolent Trinity's concordant counsels, nor do they comprehend the power of its divine help; but they minister to its serene nod, and appease it with prayers, with unsilent mouths, and an unceasing voice.
4. That with God the Father his Holy Spirit sends and guides
with his own authority; for truly the mission into the path of a pious life, and the guidance, and the goodness toward all, is a philanthropic work of the all-wise and most good Trinity. Of whom the guidance and serenity are the same, the substance is also the same. And this receives the most manifest proof through its works. For when God had said to Moses, "I will send my angel before thy face, and he shall cast out the Canaanite," this great Moses, knowing well that angels are creatures, but the Holy Spirit is God, besought him saying: "If thou thyself go not with us, bring me not up from hence." And when the Almighty answered him with these words, "This word of thine, which thou hast spoken, I will do: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee above all," Isaiah, declaring the sameness of the harmonious Trinity in one godhead, said that the divine Spirit went before them in these very words: "He that brought up from the earth the shepherd of the sheep. Where is he that put the Holy Spirit in them, that brought up Moses by his right hand?" And not long after he adds: "A Spirit came down from the Lord, and guided them: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a name of glory." See therefore this also here, that he did not say the Holy Spirit was sent, but that it descended authoritatively and royally. Again, of both
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"Ἰδοὺ νῦν ἐγὼ δεδεμένος τῷ Πνεύματι πορεύομαι·" ὅπερ παραπλήσιον τυγχάνει 39.628 τοῦ, "Παῦλος δέσμιος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ·" καὶ πάλιν· "Τάδε λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Ἀφορίσατέ μοι τὸν Παῦλον καὶ τὸν Βαρνάβαν εἰς τὸ ἔργον, ὃ προσκέκλημαι αὐτούς·" ὅμοιον τῷ, "Ὁ δὲ Κύριος εἶπεν· Εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν πόλιν, κἀκεῖ λαληθήσεταί σοι, τί σε δεῖ ποιεῖν." Καὶ πάλιν τῷ Πέτρῳ εἶπεν τὸ Πνεῦμα· "Ἀναστὰς πορεύθητι εἰς τὸν οἶκον Κορνηλίου." Καὶ δὴ ἐν Ἐπιστολαῖς Παῦλος Τιμοθέῳ γράφει· "Τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα ῥητῶς λέγει." Ὅρα οὖν, μὴ μόνον ὅτι διὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ῥήματος ὁ Παῦλος νομοθέτην αὖθις ἀπέφηνεν τὸ Πνεῦμα τῇ γὰρ λέξει τοῦ "ῥητῶς" καὶ οἱ κοσμικῶς θεσμοθετήσαντες ἐχρήσαντο, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἄλλαι μαρτυρίαι τὸ ἴσον τῆς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα φύσεως, καὶ αὐθεντίας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος δεικνύουσιν. Ὁμοιοτρόπως γὰρ περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐν πολλοῖς γέγραπται· "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ." Αἱρετικοὶ δὲ, οἷς τἀληθῆ πάντα ἀντιλεγόμενα ὑπάρχει, οὐδὲν ἄξιον τῆς θείας ἐνεργείας ἐννοοῦντες, περὶ φαντασίας δὲ διακένους διατρίβοντες, καὶ ὧν ἂν ἀπρὶξ ἐπιλάβωνται, ταῦτα, ὥς τινες ἀντίτυποι, ὡς βέβαια προφέροντες ἀντιτιθέασιν. Εἶπεν, φησὶν, καὶ περὶ ἀγγέλου Ζαχαρίας, ὅτε τὴν ὀπτασίαν τὴν περὶ τῆς λυχνίας τεθέαται· "Ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοί." ∆ύνασθαι οὖν δῆθεν ἄγγελον νοεῖσθαι τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα. Ἀλλ' αὐτόθεν τὸ γλίσχρον αὐτῶν ἀποικονομεῖται. Ὁ γὰρ ἄγγελος οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, οὔτε ἴδια ῥήματα, ἅπερ δὲ προσετάττετο παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, διακονῶν ἔλεγεν. Περιέχει δὲ οὕτως· "Καὶ ἐπηρώτησα, καὶ εἶπα πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν λαλοῦντα ἐν ἐμοὶ, λέγων· Τί ἐστι ταῦτα; Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· Οὗτος ὁ λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ζοροβάβελ, λέγων· Οὐκ ἐν δυνάμει μεγάλῃ, οὐδὲ ἐν ἰσχύϊ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν Πνεύματί μου, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ." Ἔπειτα ἄγγελος ἐκλήθη ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἐν τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρὴ, ὅτε ἡ ἔνδοξος Τριὰς ὤφθη τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, διὰ τὸ ἀγγεῖλαι τὰ ἄγνωστα. Πρὸς οἷς, ἐκ τῆς ἀγγελικῆς πληθύος οὐδεὶς αὐ 39.629 θεντικῶς ἐξ οἰκείας κινήσεως ἁγίους ἀπέστειλεν, οὐδὲ ἀγορεῦσαι λόγια, ἢ νόμον διατάξασθαι, ἢ ὅλως ἅπερ ἐβούλετο αὐτὸς, λέξαι ἐποίησεν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἴσασιν ἄγγελοι τῆς ἀῤῥήτου καὶ εὐμενοῦς Τριάδος τὰ ὁμόφρονα βουλεύματα, οὐδὲ καταλαμβάνουσι τῆς θείας αὐτῆς ἀρωγῆς τὴν δύναμιν· τῷ δὲ αὐτῆς γαληνῷ νεύματι ὑπηρετοῦνται, καὶ μειλίσσονται αὐτὴν λιταῖς, ἀσιγήτοις στόμασι, καὶ φωνῇ ἀκαταλήκτῳ.
∆ʹ. Ὅτι μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ Πνεῦμα ἀποστέλλει καὶ ὁδηγεῖ
αὐτεξουσίως· καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ἔργον φιλάνθρωπον τῆς πανσόφου καὶ ἀγαθωτάτης Τριάδος, ἡ εἰς εὐσεβῆ βίου τρίβον ἀποστολὴ, καὶ ὁδηγία, καὶ ἡ περὶ πάντας χρηστότης. Ὦν δὲ ἡ αὐτὴ ὁδηγία καὶ γαληνότης, ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ οὐσία. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀριδηλοτάτην λαμβάνει πίστιν. Τοῦ γὰρ Θεοῦ εἰρηκότος τῷ Μωϋσεῖ, "Συναποστέλλω πρὸ προσώπου σου τὸν ἀγγελόν μου, καὶ ἐκβάλλει τὸν Χαναναῖον," ὁ μέγας οὗτος Μωϋσῆς εὖ μάλα εἰδὼς, τοὺς μὲν ἀγγέλους κτίσματα, τὸ δὲ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα Θεὸν, παρεκάλει λέγων· "Εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς συμπορεύῃ μεθ' ἡμῶν, μὴ ἀναγάγῃς με ἐντεῦθεν." Ἀμειψαμένου δὲ αὐτὸν τοῦ Παντοκράτορος τοῖσδε τοῖς ῥητοῖς, "Καὶ τοῦτόν σου τὸν λόγον, ὃν εἴρηκας, ποιήσω· εὕρηκας γὰρ χάριν ἐνώπιόν μου, καὶ οἶδά σε παρὰ πάντας," ὁ Ἡσαΐας δηλῶν τὸ ταυτὸν τῆς ἐν μιᾷ θεότητι συμφώνου Τριάδος, προηγήσασθαι αὐτῶν τὸ θεϊκὸν Πνεῦμα ἔφατο λέξεσιν αὐταῖς· "Ὁ ἀναβιβάσας ἐκ γῆς τὸν ποιμένα τῶν προβάτων. Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ θεὶς ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὁ ἀναγαγὼν τῇ δεξιᾷ Μωϋσῆν;" Μετ' οὐ πολύ τε ἐπάγει· "Κατέβη Πνεῦμα παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτούς· οὕτως ἤγαγες τὸν λαόν σου, ποιῆσαι σεαυτῷ ὄνομα δόξης." Θέα οὖν καὶ τοῦτο ἐνταυθοῖ, ὅτι οὐ πεπέμφθαι εἶπεν τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, ἀλλ' αὐθεντικῶς καὶ βασιλικῶς καταβεβηκέναι. Αὖθίς τε, ἀμφοῖν