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hearing concerning the Father "from everlasting and to everlasting, you are" and "his truth is even to the clouds" we do not set limits for him, but we believe in his eternity; for the age is not of the same age as he, in the same way we ought to think concerning both the Son and the Holy Spirit, for on the one nature that prevails over all things, in which are these all-honorable hypostases. 15.58 it sings the same things also concerning the Son; "you are the same, and your years will not fail." And if it is no small thing to have been written concerning the Father "he who is before the ages," no small thing either is the oracle declared concerning his Son, that he is "pre-eternal God." and it is clear that he is incomprehensible, as will be shown not much later. And just as the Father "has immortality," or rather he is immortality itself, so the Son is "eternal life," and it is the same thing. 15.59 And just as the Father is called "one God," so the son is called only-begotten, God, Word and "one Lord Jesus Christ." 15.60 and as James writes concerning him 15.60 "there is one lawgiver and judge, who alone is able to save," so the Spirit is hymned by Paul, writing to the Corinthians and Ephesians, as "one" and "the same" and only, and only, so that even by this, as it were, number, so to speak, these blessed hypostases are shown to bear the unitive or monadic quality of the paternal deity. 15.61 and if "the God and Lord" is true of the Father, it is also not false of his Son and of the Spirit. 15.62 For as we have mentioned in many places, the older testament, preserving the equality of honor, proclaimed: "The Lord said to my Lord," and "the Lord rained from the Lord," and "God made man in the image of God," and "who is God besides the Lord, and who is God except our God?" 15.63 And in the New Testament, John said what has already been said. and Thomas "my Lord and my God," and Paul "now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom," and again. "just as from the Lord, the Spirit" and "may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord for the house of Onesiphorus." And Job: "the divine Spirit that made me," and "the divine Spirit which is in my nostrils." 15.64 But it is the same thing for Scripture to say "divine" or "God," as Paul teaches, writing to the Romans: "both his eternal power and deity," and Acts: "we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man," and Peter in his second epistle: "that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature." 15.65 And in what way the Father is incomprehensible, so also the riches of Christ happen to be unsearchable according to Paul. For he says: "to me, the very least of all men, this grace was given, to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." But also "of his greatness there is no end" nor "of his understanding is there any number" according to David, nor "of his peace is there a limit" according to Isaiah, 15.66 and "your incorruptible," he says, "Spirit is in all things," and "the Spirit of the Lord has filled the world." 15.67 For no one would be found so dull and sluggish, who would not from these unfeigned and pure testimonies perceive the infinity of the Only-begotten and of the All-holy Spirit. 15.68 And of equal weight and similar wording are the things written concerning both hypostases by the apostle, I say, both those speaking of the Father: "God who is over all and through all and in all," and "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows, who is blessed forever, that I am not lying"; and those written to the Romans concerning the Son: "who is over all, God blessed forever, amen." in addition to this also "the fullness of him who fills all in all." 15.69 Furthermore, similar are the oracles concerning the Father: "that God may be all in all," and concerning his Son: "where there is not Greek and Jew, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all in all." 15.70 and elsewhere: "that in the name of Jesus every
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ἀκούοντες περὶ τοῦ πατρός «ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος σὺ εἶ» καί «ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτοῦ» οὐχ ὅρους τιθέαμεν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀΐδιον πιστεύομεν· οὐ γὰρ ὁμῆλιξ αὐτῷ ὁ αἰών, ὡσαύτως περί τε τοῦ υἱοῦ καῖ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος φρονεῖν ὀφείλομεν, ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς πάντων ἐπικρατούσης μιᾶς φύσεως, εἰς ἣν αὗται αἱ πάντιμοι ὑποστάσεις. 15.58 τὰ ἴσα μελῳδεῖ καὶ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ· «σὺ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ, καὶ τὰ ἔτη σοῦ οὐκ ἐκ λείψουσιν». καὶ εἰ μὴ μικρὸν τὸ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς γεγράφθαι «ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων», οὐ μικρὸν οὐδὲ τὸ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ χρησμῳδηθέν, ὅτι «προαιώνιος θεός». δῆλον δ' ὡς ἀπερινόητος, καθὰ δειχθήσεται οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον. καὶ καθὰ ὁ πατήρ «ἔχει ἀθανασίαν», μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ ἀθανασία, οὕτως ὁ υἱός ἐστιν «ζωὴ αἰώνιος», ἔστιν δὲ τὸ αὐτό. 15.59 Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ πατήρ «εἷς θεός» εἴρηται, οὕτω ὁ υἱὸς κέκληται μονογενής, θεός, λόγος καί «εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός». 15.60 καὶ ὡς Ἰάκωβος περὶ αὐτοῦ γράφει 15.60 «εἷς ἐστιν ὁ νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής, ὁ μόνος σώζειν δυνάμενος», οὕτω τὸ πνεῦμα παρὰ Παύλου Κορινθίοις καὶ Ἐφεσίοις γράψαντος ὕμνηται «ἕν» καί «τὸ αὐτό» καὶ μόνον, καὶ μόνον, ἵνα καὶ αὐτῷ τούτῳ τῷ ὡσανεὶ ἀριθμῷ, ἵν' οὕτω λεχθῇ, δείκνυνται φέρουσαι αἱ μακάριαι ὑποστάσεις αὗται τὸ ἑναδικὸν ἤτοι μοναδικὸν τῆς πατρικῆς θεότητος. 15.61 καὶ εἰ ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀληθὲς τό «ὁ θεὸς καὶ κύριος», ἀψευδὲς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος. 15.62 Ὡς γὰρ ἐπεμνήσθημεν πολλαχοῦ, ἥ τε πρεσβυτέρα διαθήκη τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν φυλάξασα διελάλησεν· «εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου», καί «ἔβρεξεν κύριος παρὰ κυρίου», καί «ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον», καί «τίς θεὸς πάρεξ τοῦ κυρίου καί τίς θεὸς πλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν;» 15.63 Καὶ ἐν τῇ νέᾳ δὲ διαθήκῃ ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννης ἔφη, ἅπερ ἤδη ἐλέχθη. ὁ δὲ Θωμᾶς «ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου», καὶ ὁ Παῦλος «ὁ δὲ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν, οὗ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐλευθερία», καὶ πάλιν. «καθάπερ ἀπὸ κυρίου πνεύματος» καὶ «δῴη κύριος εὑρεῖν ἔλεος παρὰ κυρίου τῷ Ὀνησιφόρου οἴκῳ». ὁ δὲ Ἰώβ· «πνεῦμα θεῖον τὸ ποιῆσάν με», καὶ «πνεῦμα θεῖον τὸ περιόν μοι ἐν ῥισίν». 15.64 Ταὐτὸν δέ ἐστιν τῇ γραφῇ λέξαι «θεῖον» ἤ «θεόν», ὡς διδάσκουσιν Παῦλος μὲν Ῥωμαίοις γράφων· «ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεότης», αἱ δὲ Πράξεις· «οὐκ ὀφείλομεν νομίζειν χρυσῷ ἢ ἀργύρῳ ἢ λίθῳ, χαράγματι τέχνης ἢ ἐν θυμήσεως ἀνθρωπίνης, τὸ θεῖον εἶναι ὅμοιον», ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἐπιστολῇ· «ἵνα διὰ τούτων γένησθε θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως». 15.65 Καὶ ὃν τρόπον ὁ πατὴρ ἀκατάληπτος, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ πλοῦτος ἀνεξιχνίαστος κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον τυγχάνει ὤν. φησὶν γάρ· «ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις, εὐαγγελίζε σθαι ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ». ἀλλὰ καὶ «τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν πέρας» οὔτε «τῆς συνέσεως ἀριθμός» κατὰ τὸν ∆αυΐδ, οὔτε «τῆς εἰρήνης ὅριον» κατὰ Ἠσαΐαν, 15.66 καί «τὸ ἄφθαρτον δέ σου», φησίν, «πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσιν», καί «πνεῦμα κυρίου πεπλήρωκεν τὴν οἰκουμένην». 15.67 οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἂν οὕτω παχύνους καὶ νωθὴς εὑρεθείη, ὅστις μὴ ἐκ τούτων τῶν ἀπλάστων καὶ καθαρῶν μαρτυριῶν τὸ ἀπέραντον τοῦ μονογενοῦς καὶ τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος συνίδοι. 15.68 Καὶ ἰσόσταθμα καὶ ὁμοιόλεκτα τὰ περὶ ἀμφοῖν τῶν ὑποστάσεων γραφέντα παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου φημί, τά τε περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς διαλεγόμενα· «ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν θεός», καί «ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οἶδεν, ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι»· τά τε περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ῥωμαίοις γραφέντα· «ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν». πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ «τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν πληρουμένου». 15.69 Ἔτι ὅμοια τὰ χρησθέντα περὶ μὲν τοῦ πατρός· «ἵνα ᾖ ὁ θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν», περὶ δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· «ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι Ἕλλην καὶ Ἰουδαῖος, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος, ἀλλὰ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν Χριστός». 15.70 καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν