8

we may keep, and glorify the one divinity and kingdom, to whom is fitting glory, might, honor and worship unto the ages. Amen.

2.t Second Discourse concerning the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father.

2.1 Since by the grace of the Spirit we have composed the first discourse as well as we could, in which we have presented with simple thoughts that it is no longer proper to say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son, following Christ the teacher and the Fathers, come, then, let us also confirm it with proofs as is fitting; for those who rejoice in the addition will not, I think, be satisfied with simple and unadorned arguments, but will also seek arguments from the wisdom that is from below and trodden underfoot and will demand propositions and the resulting conclusions, and inductions for confirmation and arguments ad absurdum concerning the things proposed and as many other things of the artful teachings and elegances, which our mystery has surpassed or cast aside. And I speak not of the first, that in divinity, but also of the second and lower, that in humanity. I have heard that even the theologians of the Greeks do not present all things concerning their gods with proofs, although, indeed, the things of the gods are fictions to them, whose substance is a suspension of thought and for whom forgetfulness is destruction, but they also bring forth immediate and unproven theses and decree that they be accepted as true. But what is it that has driven us to such foolishness—for I shrink from saying madness—that unless we should declare demonstratively even the very fact that God exists, we should no longer consider it acceptable, fearing, as it were, lest we might inadvertently destroy God along with our arguments or, by the lack of demonstration, suffer the loss of providence? It was necessary, then, O men of Rome, to keep the preaching thus simple and not variegated with antitheses. But since the one who long ago ostracized man from simplicity, having deceived him by his own duplicity and brought him down to the versatile and multiform nature of matter, has also cut up the doctrine of our faith into certain many-branched concepts, and from this there is need of many words, if somehow the false might be separated from the true, already we too, taking courage in the Holy Spirit, have entered this greatest contest, having hoped from thence for an impulse to speak the things of the Spirit with the Spirit, from whence every perfect gift comes down.

2.2 What then is new, if he who formerly opened the mouth of the ass, so that a prophecy might be spoken concerning Christ, should now also cast off the mist from our mind and scatter as far as possible the darkness that covers the sun of the soul, so that in light we may behold light, in the spirit the things of the spirit? Speak to me then first your own things; strike me with your volleys; for I have already put forth the shield of truth; and I will first receive your volleys, then I would strike you back with my own and test your strength.

2.3 Indeed, this one thing appears very strong to them, which Christ said in the gospels: “But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father.” This, indeed, they send forth like a two-pronged arrow against those who contradict, trying to prove from both the 'I will send' and from 'of truth' that the Holy Spirit also proceeds from the Son. “For if the Spirit,” they say, “is sent from the Father, and is also sent from the Son in the same way, for these reasons he also proceeds from the Son”; and this man, boasting much in his dialectical strength* that the same things always follow the same, just as the contrary follows the contrary and the contrary the contrary. And yet, neither has this been true in all cases, nor has that held unshaken. For if by sleep

8

φυλάξαιμεν, καὶ δοξάσαιμεν τὴν μίαν θεότητα καὶ βασιλείαν, ᾗ πρέπει δόξα κράτος τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν.

2.t Λόγος δεύτερος περὶ τῆς ἐκ πατρὸς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐκπορεύσεως.

2.1 Ἐπειδὴ τὸν πρῶτον λόγον χάριτι τοῦ πνεύματος ὡς δυνατόν γε συνεστησάμεθα, ἐν ᾧπερ οὐκέτι δέον εἶναι λέγειν ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐκπορεύεσθαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἁπλαῖς ἐν νοίαις παρεστησάμεθα διδασκάλου Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν πατέρων ἑπόμενοι, φέρε δὴ καὶ ἀποδείξεσιν αὐτὸ καθάπερ εἰκὸς πιστωσόμεθα· οὐ γὰρ τοῖς ἁπλοῖς τῶν λόγων καὶ ἀπεριέργοις ὡς οἶμαι οἱ τῇ προσθήκῃ χαίροντες ἀρκεσθήσονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγους ζητήσουσιν ἐκ τῆς κάτω σοφίας καὶ πατουμένης καὶ προτάσεις ἀπαιτήσουσι καὶ τὰ ἑπόμενα συμπεράσματα, ἐπαγωγάς τε εἰς πίστωσιν καὶ τὰ δι' ἀδυνάτου πρὸς τὰ προκείμενα καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τῶν ἐντέχνων παιδευμάτων καὶ κομψευμάτων, ἃ τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς μυστήριον ὑπερέβαλεν ἢ ἀπέβαλε. καὶ οὐ τὸ πρῶτον λέγω τὸ ἐν θεότητι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ δεύτερον καὶ κάτω τὸ ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι. ἤκουσα καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων τοὺς θεολόγους μὴ πάντα τὰ τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν παριστῶντας ταῖς ἀποδείξεσι, καίτοι γε πλάσματα ὄντα τού τοις τὰ τῶν θεῶν, ὧν τῆς διανοίας ἀναποχὴ ἡ οὐσία καὶ οἷς ἡ λήθη φθορά, ἀλλὰ καὶ θέσεις προάγουσιν ἀμέσους καὶ ἀναποδείκτους καὶ θεσπίζουσιν αὐτὰς ὡς ἀληθεῖς παραδέ χεσθαι. ἡμᾶς δὲ τί τὸ εἰς τοσαύτην ἐλάσαν ἀβελτηρίαν- ὀκνῶ γὰρ λέγειν μανίαν-, ὡς εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸ ὅτι ἔστι θεὸς ἀποδεικτικὸν ἀποφηναίμεθα, οὐκέτι στερκτὸν λογισαί μεθα, δεδοικότες οἷον μὴ λάθοιμεν θεὸν τοῖς λόγοις συνα πολέσαντες ἢ τῷ ἀναποδείκτῳ ζημιωθέντες τὴν πρόνοιαν; ἐχρῆν μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, ἁπλοῦν οὕτω φυλάττειν τὸ κήρυγμα καὶ μὴ ποικίλον ταῖς ἀντιθέσεσιν. ἐπεὶ δ' ὁ τῆς ἁπλότητος ἐξοστρακίσας πάλαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ διπλόης ἐξαπατήνας καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς ὕλης καταγαγὼν πολύτροπον καὶ πολύμορφον, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας πίστεως εἰς πολυσχιδεῖς τινας ἐννοίας διέτεμε κἀντεῦθεν χρεία λόγων πολλῶν, εἴ πως τὸ ψεῦδος ἀποκριθείη τοῦ ἀληθοῦς, ἤδη καὶ ἡμεῖς τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ θαρρήσαντες τὸν μέγιστον ἀγῶνα τοῦτον εἰσέδυμεν, ἐκεῖθεν ἐπηλπικότες ῥοπὴν εἰς τὸ λαλῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅθεν ἅπαν καταβαίνει δώρημα τέλειον.

2.2 Τί γοῦν καινόν, εἰ καὶ ὁ τῆς ὄνου πρότερον ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα, ἵνα προφητεία λεχθείη περὶ Χριστοῦ, καὶ νῦν τοῦ ἡμετέρου νοὸς ἀποβαλεῖ τὴν ἀχλὺν καὶ τὴν ἐπιπροσθοῦσαν τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡλίῳ σκοτόμαιναν διασκεδάσει ὡς ὅτι γε πορρωτάτω, ἵν' ἐν φωτὶ κατίδωμεν φῶς, ἐν πνεύματι τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος; λάλει μοι δὴ πρῶτον αὐτὸς τὰ σαυτοῦ, ταῖς σαῖς ἐπίπληξόν με βολαῖς· τὴν ἀσπίδα γὰρ ἤδη τῆς ἀληθείας προβέβλημαι· καὶ δέξομαί σου πρότερον τὰς βολάς, εἶτά σε ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἀντιπλήξαιμι καὶ ἀποπειράσομαι τῆς δυνάμεως.

2.3 Ἓν μὲν δὴ τοῦτο καὶ μάλα τούτοις ἰσχυρὸν ἀνα φαίνεται, ὅπερ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις εἶπε Χριστός· «ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος, ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπο ρεύεται». τοῦτο δὴ οἷάπερ διφυὲς βέλος κατὰ τῶν ἀντι λεγόντων ἐκπέμπουσιν, ἔκ τε τοῦ πέμψω καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐκπορευόμενον ἀπο δεικνύναι πειρώμενοι. «εἰ γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα», φασί, «πέμπεται παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, πέμπεται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ταυτο τρόπως, ἐκπορεύεται διὰ ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ»· κἂν γὰρ οὗτος τοῖς διαλεκτικοῖς πολλὴν αὐχῶν τὴν ἰσχύν* ὡς τοῖς αὐτοῖς πάντως ἕπεται τὰ αὐτὰ ὥσπερ τῷ ἐναντίῳ τὸ ἐναντίον καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ ἐναντίῳ. καὶ μὴν οὔτε τοῦτο ἐπὶ πάντων ἠλήθευκεν οὔτ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἀκλόνητον ἔσχηκεν. εἰ γὰρ ὕπνῳ