11

And do you not wish to take into consideration the things spoken by the Savior to his disciples? Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Did you see the equality of honor? Did you see the perfect harmony? Did you see the indivisibility of the Trinity? Is there anywhere a difference, or an alteration, or a subtraction?

Why do you dare to add your own ordinances to the words of the Master? Or do you not know that even in human affairs, if ever anyone should attempt, or come to such a point of boldness, as to add anything to the letters from the king, or to take anything away, from one of our own kind and partaking of the same nature. he suffers the ultimate penalty, and nothing will be able to rescue him from the punishment? If, therefore, the danger is so great in the case of a human, what forgiveness could there ever be for those who display such madness, and attempt to corrupt the things spoken by our common Savior, and who do not even wish to hear Paul, who had Christ speaking in him, crying out with a clear voice and saying: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him? If, therefore, neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor was the heart 50.466 able to receive the knowledge of the things prepared for those who love him, from where, O blessed Paul, can we have knowledge of these things? Wait a little, and you will hear him declaring this also; for he added, saying: But to us God has revealed them through his Spirit. And he did not stop there; but to show also the magnitude of the power, and that it is of the same substance as the Father and the Son, he says: For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. Then, wishing to instill in us a more precise teaching from human examples, he added: For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one knows the things of God, except the Spirit of God. Did you see the perfected teaching? Just as, he says, it is not possible for anyone else to know the things in a man's mind, but he alone knows his own things; so also no one knows the things of God, except the Spirit of God; which is a very great and exceedingly sufficient proof of the dignity of the Spirit.

For he introduced an example, all but saying, that it is not possible for any man ever to be ignorant of the things in his own mind. As, therefore, this is not possible, so also the Holy Spirit knows the things of God with such precision, he says. But I do not know how even saying these things this blessed man does not reach those who, on account of their own preconception, display so great a war against their own salvation, against the dignity of the Spirit, and alienating that which has come to them from its lordly dignity, and bringing it down to the lowliness of created things. But even if they are contentiously disposed, setting themselves against the things spoken by the divine Scripture, let us, receiving the divine teachings as oracles brought down from above, send up the fitting doxology, displaying precision with right faith and truth. Therefore, against those who attempt to teach things contrary to what was spoken by the Spirit, what has been said is sufficient; but it is necessary to say to your love, for what reason the cause of so many good things was not immediately bestowed on us by the Lord after his ascension; but he allowed a few days to pass first, and for the disciples to be by themselves, and then he sent down the grace of the Spirit. Not simply, nor randomly has this happened either. For since he knew that the human race does not admire the good things at hand in the same way, nor honor according to their worth those things which appear pleasant and great, unless an entrance of their opposites also comes in; what sort of thing I mean; for it is necessary to say it more clearly; he who is healthy and well in body does not perceive, nor precisely

11

καὶ οὐδὲ εἰς ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν βούλεσθε τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος τοῖς μαθηταῖς εἰρημένα; Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Εἶδες ὁμότιμον τὴν ἀξίαν; εἶδες συμφωνίαν ἀπηκριβωμένην; εἶδες τῆς Τριάδος τὸ ἀδιαίρετον; μή που διαφορὰ, ἢ ἐναλλαγὴ, ἢ ὑφαίρεσις;

Τί τοῖς τοῦ ∆εσπότου ῥήμασιν ὑμεῖς ἐπιδιατάσσεσθαι τολμᾶτε; ἢ οὐκ ἴστε, ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων, εἰ καί τίς ποτε ἐπιχειρήσειεν, ἢ εἰς τοσαύτην ἐξέλθοι τόλμαν, ὥστε προσθεῖναί τι τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως γράμμασιν, ἢ ἀφελεῖν, τοῦ ὁμογενοῦς ἡμῖν καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεως κοινωνοῦντος. τὴν ἐσχάτην ὑφίσταται δίκην, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν τῆς τιμωρίας ἐξελέσθαι δυνήσεται; Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπ' ἀνθρώπου τοσοῦτος ὁ κίνδυνος, ποία γένοιτο ἄν ποτε συγγνώμη τοῖς τοσαύτην ἀπόνοιαν ἐπιδεικνυμένοις, καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ κοινοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰρημένα παραφθείρειν ἐπιχειροῦσι, καὶ οὐδὲ Παύλου τοῦ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχοντος ἐν ἑαυτῷ λαλοῦντα ἀκούειν βουλομένοις, λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ βοῶντος καὶ λέγοντος· Ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν; Εἰ τοίνυν οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν, οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὔτε καρδία 50.466 δέξασθαι ἠδυνήθη τὴν γνῶσιν τῶν ἡτοιμασμένων τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, πόθεν ἡμεῖς, ὦ μακάριε Παῦλε, τούτων τὴν γνῶσιν σχεῖν δυνάμεθα; Μικρὸν ἀνάμεινον, καὶ ἀκούσῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῦντος· ἐπήγαγε γοῦν λέγων· Ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπεκάλυψε διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου ἔστη· ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς ἐστιν οὐσίας τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ, φησί· Τὸ γὰρ Πνεῦμα πάντα ἐρευνᾷ, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶτα βουλόμενος ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων παραδειγμάτων ἀκριβεστέραν ἡμῖν ἐνθεῖναι τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἐπήγαγε· Τίς γὰρ οἶδεν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; Οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶδες διδασκαλίαν ἀπηρτισμένην; Ὥσπερ, φησὶ, τὰ ἐν διανοίᾳ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐχ οἷόν τε ἕτερόν τινα εἰδέναι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς μόνος οἶδε τὰ ἑαυτοῦ· οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὃ μέγιστον καὶ σφόδρα ἱκανὸν δεῖξαι τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν ἀξίαν.

Παράδειγμα γὰρ παρήγαγε μονονουχὶ λέγων, μὴ οἷόν τέ τινα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ἐν διανοίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀγνοῆσαί ποτε. Ὥσπερ οὖν τοῦτο οὐ δυνατὸν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀκριβείας, φησὶν, ἐπίσταται Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδα πῶς οὐδὲ ταῦτα λέγων ὁ μακάριος οὗτος καθικνεῖται τῶν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν πρόληψιν κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας τοσοῦτον ἐπιδεικνυμένων πόλεμον κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀξίας, καὶ τὸ ἧκον εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀλλοτριούντων αὐτὸ τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἀξίας, καὶ καταγόντων εἰς τὴν τῶν δημιουργημάτων εὐτέλειαν. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι φιλονείκως διάκεινται, ἀπεναντίας ἱστάμενοι τοῖς παρὰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς εἰρημένοις, ἡμεῖς τὰ θεῖα διδάγματα ὡς χρησμοὺς ἄνωθεν κατενεχθέντας δεχόμενοι, τὴν προσήκουσαν δοξολογίαν ἀναπέμψωμεν, μετὰ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι. Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἐπιχειροῦντας ἐναντία τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰρημένοις διδάσκειν, ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα· ἀναγκαῖον δὲ εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡμῖν τὸ αἴτιον τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν οὐκ εὐθέως μετὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἄνοδον κεχάρισται ὁ Κύριος· ἀλλ' ἀφῆκεν ὀλίγας πρότερον ἐνδιατρίψαι ἡμέρας, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς γενέσθαι τοὺς μαθητὰς, καὶ τότε τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν κατέπεμψεν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ εἰκῇ οὐδὲ τοῦτο γεγένηται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ᾔδει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος οὐχ ὁμοίως τὰ ἐν χερσὶ θαυμάζοντας ἀγαθὰ, οὐδὲ κατ' ἀξίαν τιμῶντας ἐκεῖνα, ἅπερ ἂν ἡδέα καὶ μεγάλα καταφανῇ, ἂν μὴ καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων ἡ εἴσοδος παρεισέλθῃ· οἷόν τι λέγω· δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸ σαφέστερον εἰπεῖν· ὁ ὑγιαίνων καὶ εὐεκτῶν τὸ σῶμα οὐκ αἰσθάνεται, οὐδὲ ἀκριβῶς