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The Spirit now has His citizenship among us, providing us with a clearer manifestation of Himself. For it was not safe, when the Godhead of the Father was not yet confessed, for the Son to be proclaimed openly; nor, when that of the Son was not yet accepted, for the Holy Spirit to be, if I may say something rather bold, further imposed upon us; lest, as if weighed down by food beyond our strength, and directing our still weak sight to the light of the sun, we should risk even that which was within our power; but that by gradual additions, and, as David said, by ascents, and by advances and progresses from glory to glory, the light of the Trinity might shine upon the more illumined. For this reason, I think, He also visited the disciples by degrees, measured out according to the capacity of those who received Him, at the beginning of the Gospel, after the Passion, after the Ascension, performing mighty works, being breathed forth, appearing in tongues of fire. And by Jesus He is revealed little by little, as you yourself will perceive if you read more carefully. "I will ask," He says, "the Father, and He will send you another Comforter, the Spirit of Truth"; so that He might not seem to be a rival God, and as if speaking from some other authority. Then, "He will send," but "in my name." He has left aside the "I will ask," He has kept the "He will send." Then, "I will send," His own dignity; then, "He will come," the authority of the Spirit.

27 You see illuminations shining upon us by degrees, and an order of theology, which it is better for us also to observe, neither revealing it all at once, nor concealing it to the end. For the one is unskillful, the other is ungodly; and the one is able to strike strangers, the other to alienate our own people. And something which perhaps has already occurred to some of the others, but which I take to be the fruit of my own thought, I will add to what has been said. There were certain things for the Savior, even if they were filled with many teachings, which were said to be unable to be borne then by the disciples, for the reasons I have perhaps mentioned, and for this reason were veiled; and again, that we would be taught all things by the Spirit when He came. One of these I think to be the very Godhead of the Spirit, being made clear later, when the knowledge was at that time ripe and receivable, after the restoration of the Savior, the miracle no longer being disbelieved. For what greater thing could He have promised, or the Spirit have taught? If indeed we should think anything great, and worthy of the magnificence of God, either what is promised, or what is taught.

28 I hold this view concerning these things, and may I hold it, and whoever is a friend to me, - to worship God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, three properties, one Godhead, not divided in glory, and honor, and essence, and kingdom, as one of the God-bearers a little before us philosophized; or may he not see the morning star rising, as the scripture says, nor the glory of the brightness from thence, whoever does not hold this, or who conforms to the times, becoming different at different times, and deliberating unsoundly concerning the greatest things. For if He is not to be worshipped, how does He deify me through baptism? And if He is to be worshipped, how is He not to be revered? And if He is to be revered, how is He not God? One hangs from the other, a truly golden and saving chain. And from the Spirit is our regeneration; and from regeneration, our re-creation; and from re-creation, the full knowledge of the dignity of the one who re-created us.

29 These things, then, one might say assuming it is unwritten; but already the swarm of testimonies will come to you, from which it will be shown that the Godhead of the Spirit is very much written, to those who are not too dull, nor strangers to the Spirit. Consider it thus: Christ is born, He runs before; He is baptized, He testifies; He is tempted, He leads up; He performs mighty works, He is present with them; He ascends, He succeeds Him. For what of the great things, and of what God does, can He not do? And what of what God is called is He not called, except unbegottenness and begottenness? For it was necessary for the properties to remain with the Father and the Son, so that there would be no confusion in the Godhead, which also brings other things into order and good arrangement. I for my part shudder at the wealth

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ἐμπολι τεύεται νῦν τὸ πνεῦμα, σαφεστέραν ἡμῖν παρέχον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δήλωσιν. οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἀσφαλές, μήπω τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς θεότητος ὁμολο γηθείσης, τὸν υἱὸν ἐκδήλως κηρύττεσθαι· μηδὲ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ παρα δεχθείσης, τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἵν' εἴπω τι καὶ τολμηρότερον, ἐπιφορτίζεσθαι· μὴ καθάπερ τροφῇ τῇ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν βαρηθέντες, καὶ ἡλιακῷ φωτὶ σαθροτέραν ἔτι προσβαλόντες τὴν ὄψιν, καὶ εἰς τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν κινδυνεύσωσι· ταῖς δὲ κατὰ μέρος προσθήκαις, καί, ὡς εἶπε ∆αβίδ, ἀναβάσεσι, καὶ ἐκ δόξης εἰς δόξαν προόδοις καὶ προκοπαῖς, τὸ τῆς τριάδος φῶς ἐκλάμψῃ τοῖς λαμπροτέροις. διὰ ταύτην, οἶμαι, τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς κατὰ μέρος ἐπι δημεῖ, τῇ τῶν δεχομένων δυνάμει παραμετρούμενον, ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, μετὰ τὸ πάθος, μετὰ τὴν ἄνοδον, τὰς δυνάμεις ἐπι τελοῦν, ἐκφυσώμενον, ἐν γλώσσαις πυρίναις φαινόμενον. καὶ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ κατ' ὀλίγον ἐκφαίνεται, ὡς ἐπιστήσεις καὶ αὐτὸς ἐντυγχά νων ἐπιμελέστερον· Ἐρωτήσω, φησί, τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἄλλον παρά κλητον πέμψει ὑμῖν, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας· ἵνα μὴ ἀντίθεος εἶναι δόξῃ τις, καὶ ὡς ἀπ' ἄλλης τινὸς ἐξουσίας ποεῖσθαι τοὺς λόγους. εἶτα, Πέμψει μέν, ἐν δὲ τῷ ὀνόματί μου. τὸ Ἐρωτήσω παρείς, τὸ Πέμψει τετήρηκεν. εἶτα, Πέμψω, τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀξίωμα· εἶτα, Ἥξει, ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐξουσία.

27 Ὁρᾷς φωτισμοὺς κατὰ μέρος ἡμῖν ἐλλάμποντας, καὶ τάξιν θεολογίας, ἣν καὶ ἡμᾶς τηρεῖν ἄμεινον, μήτε ἀθρόως ἐκφαίνοντας, μήτε εἰς τέλος κρύπτοντας. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄτεχνον, τὸ δὲ ἄθεον· καὶ τὸ μὲν τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους πλῆξαι δυνάμενον, τὸ δὲ ἀλλοτριῶσαι τοὺς ἡμετέρους. ὃ δὲ ἴσως μὲν ἦλθεν ἤδη τισὶν ἐπὶ νοῦν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ διανοίας ὑπολαμβάνω καρπόν, προσθήσω τοῖς εἰρημένοις. ἦν τινὰ τῷ, σωτῆρι, καὶ εἰ πολλῶν ἐνεπίμπλαντο μαθη μάτων, ἃ μὴ δύνασθαι τότε βασταχθῆναι τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐλέγετο, δι' ἃς εἶπον ἴσως αἰτίας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παρεκαλύπτετο· καὶ πάλιν πάντα διδαχθήσεσθαι ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνδημήσαντος. τούτων ἓν εἶναι νομίζω καὶ αὐτὴν τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν θεότητα, τρανουμένην εἰς ὕστερον, ὡς τηνικαῦτα ὡρίμου καὶ χωρητῆς ἤδη τυγχανούσης τῆς γνώσεως, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀποκατάστασιν, οὐκέτι ἀπιστουμένου τῷ θαύματι. τί γὰρ ἂν τούτου μεῖζον ἢ ἐκεῖνος ὑπέσχετο, ἢ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐδίδαξεν; εἴπερ τι μέγα οἴεσθαι χρή, καὶ θεοῦ μεγαλοπρεπείας ἄξιον, τὸ ὑπισχνούμενον, ἢ τὸ διδασκόμενον.

28 Ἔχω μὲν οὕτω περὶ τούτων, καὶ ἔχοιμι, καὶ ὅς τις ἐμοὶ φίλος, - σέβειν θεὸν τὸν πατέρα, θεὸν τὸν υἱόν, θεὸν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τρεῖς ἰδιότητας, θεότητα μίαν, δόξῃ, καὶ τιμῇ, καὶ οὐσίᾳ, καὶ βασι λείᾳ μὴ μεριζομένην, ὥς τις τῶν μικρῷ πρόσθεν θεοφόρων ἐφιλο σόφησεν· ἢ μὴ ἴδοι ἑωσφόρον ἀνατέλλοντα, ὥς φησιν ἡ γραφή, μηδὲ δόξαν τῆς ἐκεῖθεν λαμπρότητος, ὅς τις οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, ἢ συμφέρεται τοῖς καιροῖς, ἄλλοτε ἄλλος γινόμενος, καὶ περὶ τῶν μεγίστων σαθρῶς βουλευόμενος. εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ προσκυνητόν, πῶς ἐμὲ θεοῖ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος; εἰ δὲ προσκυνητόν, πῶς οὐ σεπτόν; εἰ δὲ σεπτόν, πῶς οὐ θεός; ἓν ἤρτηται τοῦ ἑνός, ἡ χρυσῆ τις ὄντως σειρὰ καὶ σωτήριος. καὶ παρὰ μὲν τοῦ πνεύματος ἡμῖν ἡ ἀναγέν νησις· παρὰ δὲ τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως ἡ ἀνάπλασις· παρὰ δὲ τῆς ἀναπλά σεως ἡ ἐπίγνωσις τῆς ἀξίας τοῦ ἀναπλάσαντος.

29 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἴποι τις ἂν τὸ ἄγραφον ὑποθέμενος· ἤδη δὲ ἥξει σοι καὶ ὁ τῶν μαρτυριῶν ἐσμός, ἐξ ὧν, ὅτι καὶ λίαν ἔγγραφος, ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος θεότης ἐπιδειχθήσεται τοῖς μὴ λίαν σκαιοῖς, μηδὲ ἀλλοτρίοις τοῦ πνεύματος. σκόπει δὲ οὕτως· γεννᾶται Χριστός, προτρέχει· βαπτίζεται, μαρτυρεῖ· πειράζεται, ἀνάγει· δυνάμεις ἐπιτελεῖ, συμπαρομαρτεῖ· ἀνέρχεται, διαδέχεται. τί γὰρ οὐ δύναται τῶν μεγάλων, καὶ ὧν θεός; τί δὲ οὐ προσαγορεύεται ὧν θεός, πλὴν ἀγεννησίας καὶ γεννήσεως; ἔδει γὰρ τὰς ἰδιότητας μεῖναι πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ, ἵνα μὴ σύγχυσις ᾖ παρὰ τῇ θεότητι, τῇ καὶ τἄλλα εἰς τάξιν ἀγούσῃ καὶ εὐκοσμίαν. ἐγὼ μὲν φρίττω τὸν πλοῦτον