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it is written, Do not seek what is deeper than you, and do not examine what is stronger than you; consider what has been commanded you; for there is no need of secret things. If it is alien according to your argument, how did it dare to search the depths of God? Concerning the Father it is written: I am God, who tests the kidneys, and searches the chambers of the belly. Will you say then, because the word 'I comprehend' is not added, that the Father is ignorant? If He searches and tests in ignorance, that you might dare to say this also concerning the adorable Spirit? How did it say, 'Set apart for me Paul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them'? You see the authority; understand the divinity. And Agabus: Thus says the Holy Spirit: The man to whom this belt belongs, thus will they bind him in Jerusalem. And the apostles: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit to observe nothing more; and again: And having gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, and the Holy Spirit did not permit them. And again, that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city, saying, and so forth; and the prophet: My Spirit, he says, stands in your midst; but the Lord, 'Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of 48.1095 them'; and, 'The Lord has sent me, and his Spirit'; Pay attention to yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you bishops and deacons. See the power of the Holy Spirit, and the authority and the dominion. The Spirit, therefore, is not alien to God. I saw, says Isaiah, God on a throne, high and lifted up, and the Seraphim around him, and so forth; and I said: Woe is me, for I am pierced to the heart, because having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips, and I have seen the King, the Lord of Sabaoth, with my eyes; and he said, Who will go to this people? And I said: Behold, I am here; send me. And he said to me—clearly the one sitting on the throne—Go to this people, and say: Hearing you will hear, and will not understand, and seeing you will see, and will not perceive. Who is the one sitting on the throne? The Father, he says. But if you learn from Paul that it is the Spirit, do you confess it to be God? Show me, he says, and I will believe.

Hear then what he says: Well did the Holy Spirit speak through Isaiah the prophet: Go to this people, and say: Hearing you will hear, and so forth. Paul says, The Holy Spirit said; Isaiah says, The Lord of Sabaoth said, because it is indifferent to Scripture to speak concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, no longer speak of a great and a small God, falling into Hellenism. For if the Son is a small God, Paul lies when he says: 'Awaiting the blessed hope of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.' Therefore, whom Paul calls a great God, you do not call small; for in God all things are perfect. And again: 'From whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever.' Never name a created God; for he who worships a creature is impious. What then? Do you not say the body of the Lord is created? See then, you too worship a creature, you fool. No one says to a king, 'Take off your purple robe,' or, 'Arise from your throne, that I may worship you alone,' but he worships the king sitting on the throne, and wearing the purple. For God the Word was pleased to unite to himself without stain the created flesh which is from us; therefore it is adorable together with God the Word, just as he 48.1096 also deified it. And signifying this, the divine David cries out: 'Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool, for he is holy.' *** In another saying, saying: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.' Do you command us to worship the earth, O blessed David? and how does Moses legislate that we are not to worship heaven, nor earth, nor the things in them? See the mystery. Since he was about to unite our flesh to himself without sin for a single worship, and the

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γέγραπται, Βαθύτερά σου μὴ ζήτει, καὶ ἰσχυρότερά σου μὴ ἐξέταζε· ἃ προσετάγη σοι, ταῦτα διανοοῦ· οὐ γάρ ἐστι χρεία τῶν κρυπτῶν. Εἰ ἀλλότριόν ἐστι κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον, πῶς ἐτόλμα τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐρευνᾷν; Περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς γέγραπται· Ἐγὼ Θεὸς δοκιμάζων νεφροὺς, καὶ ἐρευνῶν ταμιεῖα κοιλίας. Ἆρα διὰ τὸ μὴ προσκεῖσθαι τὸ, Καταλαμβάνω, ἀγνοεῖν τὸν Πατέρα φήσεις; Εἰ ἀγνοῶν ἐρευνᾷ καὶ δοκιμάζει, ἵνα καὶ περὶ τοῦ προσκυνητοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦτο τολμήσῃς λέγειν; Πῶς εἶπεν, Ἀφορίσατε δή μοι τὸν Παῦλον καὶ τὸν Βαρνάβαν εἰς τὸ ἔργον, ὃ προσκέκλημαι αὐτούς; Ὁρᾷς τὴν ἐξουσίαν· νόει τὴν θεότητα. Καὶ ὁ Ἄγαβος· Τάδε λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Τὸν ἄνδρα. οὗ ἐστιν ἡ ζώνη αὕτη, οὕτω δήσουσιν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι· Ἔδοξε τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι μηδὲν πλέον τηρεῖν· καὶ πάλιν· ∆ιελθόντες δὲ τὴν Φρυγίαν καὶ τὴν Γαλατικὴν χώραν, κωλυθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος λαλῆσαι τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ. Ἐλθόντες δὲ εἰς Μυσίαν, ἐπειρῶντο εἰς τὴν Βιθυνίαν πορεύεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ εἴασεν αὐτοὺς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ πάλιν, ὅτι Τὸ Πνεῦμά μοι τὸ ἅγιον κατὰ πόλιν διαμαρτύρεται, λέγον, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ ὁ προφήτης· Τὸ Πνεῦμά μου, φησὶν, ἐφέστηκεν ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν· ὁ δὲ Κύριος, Ὅπου ἐάν εἰσι δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ 48.1095 αὐτῶν· καὶ, Κύριος ἀπέσταλκέ με, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ· Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιμνίῳ ἐν ᾧ ὑμᾶς ἔθετο τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπισκόπους καὶ διακόνους. Ὅρα τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ τὴν αὐθεντίαν καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Οὐκ ἄρα ἀλλότριον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Εἶδον, φησὶν Ἡσαΐας, τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου, καὶ τὰ Σεραφὶμ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ εἶπον· Ὢ τάλας ἐγὼ, ὅτι κατανένυγμαι, ὅτι ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχων, ἐν μέσῳ λαοῦ ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχοντος ἐγὼ οἰκῶ, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Κύριον σαββαὼθ εἶδον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου· καὶ εἶπε, Τίς πορεύσεται πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον; Καὶ εἶπον· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ, ἀπόστειλόν με. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με δηλονότι ὁ καθήμενος ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ, Πορεύθητι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ εἰπέ· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ θρόνου; Ὁ Πατὴρ, φησίν. Ἐὰν δὲ μάθῃς παρὰ τοῦ Παύλου, ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν, ὁμολογεῖς αὐτὸ Θεόν; ∆εῖξον, φησὶ, καὶ πιστεύω.

Ἄκουε λοιπὸν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Καλῶς εἶπε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου· Πορεύθητι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ εἰπέ· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Παῦλος λέγει, Εἶπε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Ἡσαΐας λέγει, Εἶπε Κύριος σαββαὼθ, ὅτι ἀδιάφορόν ἐστι τῇ Γραφῇ, περὶ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος λέγειν. Μηκέτι οὖν λέγε μέγαν καὶ μικρὸν Θεὸν, ἐμπίπτων εἰς Ἑλληνισμόν. Εἰ γὰρ μικρὸς Θεὸς ὁ Υἱὸς, ψεύδεται Παῦλος λέγων· Προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὃν οὖν Παῦλος καλεῖ μέγαν Θεὸν, σὺ μὴ κάλει μικρόν· ἐν γὰρ Θεῷ πάντα τέλεια. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Μήτε κτιστὸν Θεὸν ὀνομάσῃς ποτέ· ἀσεβὴς γὰρ ὁ κτίσμα προσκυνῶν. Τί οὖν; οὐ λέγεις τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Κυρίου κτιστόν; Ἴδε οὖν, καὶ σὺ κτίσμα προσκυνεῖς, ἀνόητε. Οὐδεὶς λέγει βασιλεῖ, Ἔκδυσαι τὴν πορφυρίδα σου, ἢ, ἔγειραι ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου σου, ἵνα σοι ψιλῷ προσκυνήσω, ἀλλὰ προσκυνεῖ βασιλεῖ ἐπὶ θρόνου καθημένῳ, καὶ ἐν πορφυρίδι ὄντι. Ηὐδόκησε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος τὴν κτιστὴν σάρκα τὴν ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀκηλιδώτως ἑνῶσαι ἑαυτῷ· προσκυνητὴ οὖν ἐστι σὺν τῷ Θεῷ Λόγω, καθὼς καὶ ἀπ48.1096 εθέωσεν αὐτήν. Καὶ τοῦτο σημαίνων ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆αυῒδ βοᾷ· Ὑψοῦτε Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, καὶ προσκυνεῖτε τῷ ὑποποδίῳ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἅγιός ἐστιν. *** Ἐν ἄλλῳ ῥητῷ λέγων· Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος, ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου. Τῇ γῇ ἡμᾶς κελεύεις προσκυνεῖν, ὦ μακάριε ∆αυΐδ; καὶ πῶς Μωϋσῆς νομοθετεῖ, μήτε τῷ οὐρανῷ, μήτε τῇ γῇ, μήτε τοῖς ἐν αὐτοῖς προσκυνεῖν; Ὁρᾶτε μυστήριον. Ἐπειδὴ ἤμελλε χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ἡμετέραν σάρκα ἑνοῦν ἑαυτῷ εἰς μίαν προσκύνησιν, ἡ δὲ