It may indeed be undignified to give any answer at all to the statements that are foolish we seem to be pointed that way by Solomon’s wise advice, “n

 What then is the charge they bring against us? They accuse us of profanity for entertaining lofty conceptions about the Holy Spirit. All that we, in f

 What then, shall be our way of arguing? We shall answer nothing new, nothing of our own invention, though they challenge us to it we shall fall back

 We can confirm our argument by material instances. Fire naturally imparts the sense of heat to those who touch it, with all its component parts one

 If, then, the Holy Spirit is truly, and not in name only, called Divine both by Scripture and by our Fathers, what ground is left for those who oppose

 For the plea will not avail them in their self-defence, that He is delivered by our Lord to His disciples third in order, and that therefore He is est

 Since, then, it has been affirmed, and truly affirmed, that the Spirit is of the Divine Essence, and since in that one word “Divine” every idea of gre

 But if all must shrink from that, as going even beyond the most revolting blasphemy, then a devout mind must accept the nobler names and conceptions o

 If such is the doctrine concerning Him when followed out , let the same inquiry be made concerning the Son and the Father as well. Do you not confess

 If, then, they agree that the Holy Spirit is perfect absolutely, and it has been admitted in addition that true reverence requires perfection in every

 In what sort of manner, then, can you honour the Deity? How can you heighten the Highest? How can you give glory to that which is above all glory? How

 The heavens proclaim the glory of God , and yet they are counted poor heralds of His worth because His Majesty is exalted, not as far as the heavens,

 What means, then, this lowering and this expanding of their soul, on the part of these men who are enthusiastic for the Father’s honour, and grant to

 “Yes,” replies one of them, “but we have been taught by Scripture that the Father is the Creator, and in the same way that it was ‘through the Son ’ t

 What shall we answer to this? That the thoughts of their hearts are so much idle talk, when they imagine that the Spirit was not always with the Fathe

 The view which is consistent with all reverence is as follows. We are not to think of the Father as ever parted from the Son, nor to look for the Son

 If, on the contrary, this Spirit has the impulse to work, but some overwhelming control hinders His design, they must tell us the wherefore of this hi

 This is the view we take, after the unprofessional way usual with us and we reject all these elaborate sophistries of our adversaries, believing and

 But with regard to service and worship, and the other things which they so nicely calculate about, and bring into prominence, we say this that the Ho

 But if there is any of them who rejects this statement, and this idea involved in the very name of Divinity, and says that which, to the destruction o

 These destroyers of the Spirit’s glory, who relegate Him to a subject world, must tell us of what thing that unction is the symbol. It not a symbol of

 Again, let us look at it in this way. Kingship is most assuredly shown in the rule over subjects. Now what is “subject” to this Kingly Being? The Word

 For notice the amount of absurdity involved in the other alternative all things that we can think of in the actual creation have, by virtue of all ha

 Then let us look to this too. In Holy Baptism, what is it that we secure thereby? Is it not a participation in a life no longer subject to death? I th

 So that if these despisers and impugners of their very own life conceive of the gift as a little one, and decree accordingly to slight the Being who i

 If, then, every height of man’s ability falls below the grandeur of the Spirit (for that is what the Word means in the metaphor of “footstool”), what

 On the contrary the Holy Spirit is, to begin with, because of qualities that are essentially holy, that which the Father, essentially Holy, is and su

 If such, then, is the greatness of the Spirit, and whatever is beautiful, whatever is good, coming from God as it does through the Son, is completed b

 But you will say, “When I think of the Father it is the Son (alone) that I have included as well in that term.” But tell me when you have grasped the

 Do they too, then, mean this by their worship? Well, is it anything but absurdity to think that it is wrong to honour the Holy Spirit with that with w

 [Translation lacking]

But if all must shrink from that, as going even beyond the most revolting blasphemy, then a devout mind must accept the nobler names and conceptions of the Holy Spirit, and must pronounce concerning Him all that we have already named, that He has honour, power, glory, goodness, and everything else that inspires devotion. It must own, too, that these realities do not attach to Him in imperfection or with any limit to the quality of their brilliance, but that they correspond with their names to infinity. He is not to be regarded as possessing dignity up to a certain point, and then becoming different; but He is always such. If you begin to count behind the ages, or if you fix your gaze on the Hereafter15    Reading τὸ ἐφεξῆς., you will find no falling off whatever in dignity, or glory, or omnipotence, such as to constitute Him capable of increase by addition, or of diminution by subtraction. Being wholly and entirely perfect, He admits diminution in nothing. Whereinsoever, on such a supposition as theirs, He is lessened, therein He will be exposed to the inroad of ideas tending to dishonour Him. For that which is not absolutely perfect must be suspected on some one point of partaking of the opposite character. But if to entertain even the thought of this is a sign of extreme derangement of mind, it is well to confess our belief that His perfection in all that is good is altogether unlimited, uncircumscribed, in no particular diminished.

εἰ δὲ φρικτὸν τοῦτο καὶ πάσης ἀτοπίας καὶ βλασφημίας ἐπέκεινα, πρόδηλον ὅτι τοῖς εὐσημοτέροις ὀνόμασί τε καὶ νοήμασι περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος οἱ εὐσεβοῦντες συνθήσονται καὶ ἐροῦσιν εἶναι ταῦτα, ἃ δὴ πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, τίμιον, δυνατόν, ἔνδοξον, ἀγαθὸν καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῶν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν συντεινόντων λέγεται. ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἀτελῶς προσεῖναι τῷ πνεύματι οὐδὲ περιωρισμένην ἔχοντα τοῦ καλοῦ τὴν ποσότητα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ ἄπειρον ταῖς κλήσεσι συμβαίνοντα: οὐ γὰρ μέχρι τινὸς τίμιον, εἶτα ἄλλο τι νοεῖται παρὰ τὸ τίμιον, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τοιοῦτον. καὶ εἰ κατόπιν τῶν αἰώνων λογίζοιο καὶ εἰ πρὸς τὸ ἐφεξῆς ἀποβλέποις, ἐν οὐδενὶ τὸ λεῖπον εἰς τιμὴν ἢ δόξαν ἢ δύναμιν ἐξευρήσεις ὡς ἢ κατὰ προσθήκην αὔξεσθαι ἢ ἐλαττοῦσθαι δι' ὑφαιρέσεως. οὐκοῦν εἰ ὅλον δι' ὅλου τέλειον, ἐν οὐδενὶ δέχεται τὴν ἐλάττωσιν. καθ' ὃ γὰρ ἂν μειωθῇ περὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ὑπόνοιαν ἡ τελειότης, κατ' ἐκεῖνο δώσει χώραν ταῖς ἀτιμοτέραις τῶν ὑπολήψεων: τὸ γὰρ μὴ τελείως τίμιον, μέρει τινὶ τοῦ ἐναντίου μετέχειν ὑπονοεῖται. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ μέχρις ἐννοίας λαβεῖν τῆς ἐσχάτης παραπληξίας ἐστί, καλῶς ἔχει πάντως ἀόριστον αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπερίγραπτον καὶ κατ' οὐδὲν μέρος ἠλαττωμένην προσμαρτυρεῖν τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τελειότητα.