13
wishing to bind up Christ. And again he calls himself naked when one of the brethren is naked. "For I was naked," he says, "and you clothed me." And when another was in prison, he said that he himself was the one imprisoned. For he himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases. And one of the infirmities is insubordination, and this he bore. Wherefore the Lord also makes his own the circumstances that befall us, taking on our sufferings out of his communion with us. 8.9 But the God-fighters also take the saying, "The Son can do nothing of himself," for the destruction of those who hear. But to me this saying especially proclaims that the Son is of the same nature as the Father. For if each of the rational creatures can do something of itself, having free will and an equal inclination toward the worse and the better, but the Son can do nothing of himself, the Son is not a creature. And if not a creature, he is of one substance with the Father. And again, no creature can do whatever it wishes. But the Son in heaven and on earth has done all that he willed. Therefore the Son is not a creature. And again, all creatures are either composed of contraries or are receptive of contraries. But the Son is righteousness itself and is immaterial; therefore the Son is not a creature. And if not this, he is of one substance with the Father. 8.10 And this examination of the proposed sayings is sufficient for us, according to our ability. Now let us proceed in our discourse against those who oppose the Holy Spirit, casting down every high thought raised up against the knowledge of God. You say the Holy Spirit is a creature. But every creature is a servant of the one who created it. "For all things," he says, "are your servants." But if it is a servant, it also has its holiness by acquisition; and everything that has its holiness by acquisition is not insusceptible to evil; but the Holy Spirit, being holy in essence, is called the fount of sanctification; therefore the Holy Spirit is not a creature. And if not a creature, he is of one substance with God. But how do you call him a servant, tell me, who through baptism frees you from slavery? "For the law," he says, "of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin." But you would never dare to say that his substance is mutable, looking to the nature of the opposing power, which, like lightning, fell from heaven and fell away from the true life, because it had its holiness by acquisition and alteration followed its evil counsel. Therefore, having fallen from the unity and cast off the angelic dignity, from his manner of life he was named devil, his former and blessed state having been extinguished, and this opposing power having been kindled. Then if he should say the Holy Spirit is a creature, he introduces a finite nature for him. How then will "The Spirit of the Lord has filled the world" and "Where shall I go from your Spirit?" stand? But he does not, it seems, even confess it to be simple in nature. For he names it one in number. But whatever is one in number is not simple, as I said. And if the Holy Spirit is not simple, he is composed of substance and sanctification; and such a thing is composite. And who is so foolish as to say the Holy Spirit is composite and not simple and, according to the principle of simplicity, of one substance with the Father and the Son? 8.11 But if we must advance in our argument and contemplate greater things, let us from this especially consider the divine power of the Holy Spirit. We have found three creations named in Scripture: one, and the first, the bringing forth from non-being into being, a second, the alteration from the worse to the better, and a third, the resurrection of the dead. In these you will find the Holy Spirit as a co-worker with the Father and the Son. For the creation of the heavens. And what does David say? "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made firm, and by the Spirit of his mouth all their power." Again, man is created through baptism. "For if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." And what does the Savior say to the disciples?
13
τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνδῆσαι βουλόμενος. Καὶ πάλιν ἑαυτὸν γυμνὸν ὀνομάζει ἑνός τινος τῶν ἀδελφῶν γυμνη τεύοντος. «Γυμνὸς γάρ, φησίν, ἤμην, καὶ περιεβάλετέ με. Καὶ ἄλλου ἐν φυλακῇ ὄντος ἑαυτὸν ἔφη εἶναι τὸν καθειργ μένον. Αὐτὸς γὰρ τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ἦρε καὶ τὰς νόσους ἐβάστασε. Μία δὲ τῶν ἀσθενειῶν ἐστι καὶ ἡ ἀνυποταξία, καὶ ταύτην ἐβάστασε. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὰ συμβαίνοντα ἡμῖν περισ τατικὰ ἰδιοποιεῖται ὁ Κύριος, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς κοινωνίας τὰ ἡμέτερα πάθη ἀναδεχόμενος. 8.9 Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ «Οὐ δύναται ὁ Υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲν» λαμβάνουσιν οἱ θεομάχοι ἐπὶ καταστροφῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων. Ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ῥητὸν μάλιστα καταγ γέλλει τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεως εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τῷ Πατρί. Εἰ γὰρ ἕκαστον τῶν λογικῶν κτισμάτων δύναταί τι ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ αὐτεξούσιον καὶ ἴσην ἔχον τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρόν τε καὶ κρεῖττον ῥοπήν, ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς οὐ δύναταί τι ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, οὐ κτίσμα ὁ Υἱός. Εἰ δὲ μὴ κτίσμα, ὁμοούσιος τῷ Πατρί. Καὶ πάλιν οὐδὲν τῶν κτισμάτων τὰ ὅσα βούλεται δύναται. Ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησεν. Οὐκ ἄρα κτίσμα ὁ Υἱός. Καὶ πάλιν πάντα τὰ κτίσματα ἢ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων συνέστηκεν ἢ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐστὶ δεκτικά. Ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς αὐτοδικαιοσύνη καὶ ἄϋλός ἐστιν· οὐκ ἄρα κτίσμα ὁ Υἱός. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο, ὁμοούσιος τῷ Πατρί. 8.10 Καὶ αὕτη μὲν αὐτάρκης ἡμῖν ἡ ἐξέτασις, κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, τῶν τεθέντων ῥητῶν. Ἤδη δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιπίπτοντας τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ Ἁγίῳ τῷ λόγῳ χωρήσωμεν καθαιροῦντες αὐτῶν πᾶν ὕψωμα διανοίας ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Κτίσμα λέγεις τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον. Πᾶν δὲ κτίσμα δοῦλόν ἐστι τοῦ κτίσαντος. «Τὰ γὰρ σύμπαντα, φησί, δοῦλα σά». Εἰ δὲ δοῦλον, καὶ ἐπίκτητον ἔχει τὴν ἁγιότητα· πᾶν δὲ ὃ ἐπίκ τητον ἔχει τὴν ἁγιότητα οὐκ ἀνεπίδεκτόν ἐστι κακίας· τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον κατ' οὐσίαν ὂν ἅγιον πηγὴ ἁγιασμοῦ προσαγορεύεται· οὐκ ἄρα κτίσμα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον. Εἰ δὲ μὴ κτίσμα, ὁμοούσιόν ἐστι τῷ Θεῷ. Πῶς δὲ δοῦλον ἀποκαλεῖς, εἰπέ μοι, τὸν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐλευθε ροῦντά σε τῆς δουλείας; «Ὁ γὰρ νόμος, φησί, τοῦ Πνεύ ματος τῆς ζωῆς ἠλευθέρωσέ σε ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρ τίας». Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τρεπτὴν αὐτοῦ ποτε τὴν οὐσίαν τολμήσεις εἰπεῖν, ἀφορῶν εἰς τὴν φύσιν τῆς ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως, ἥτις, ὡς ἀστραπή, πέπτωκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐξέ πεσε τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς, διὰ τὸ ἐπίκτητον ἐσχηκέναι τὴν ἁγιότητα καὶ ἐπηκολουθηκέναι τῇ κακῇ βουλῇ τὴν ἀλλοίω σιν. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἐκπεσὼν τῆς μονάδος καὶ τὸ ἀγγελικὸν ἀπορρίψας ἀξίωμα, ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου ὠνομάσθη διάβολος, ἀποσβεσθείσης μὲν αὐτοῦ τῆς προτέρας καὶ μακαρίας ἕξεως, τῆς δὲ ἀντικειμένης ταύτης δυνάμεως ἀναφθείσης. Ἔπειτα εἰ κτίσμα λέγοι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον, πεπερατωμένην αὐτοῦ τὴν φύσιν εἰσάγει. Πῶς οὖν σταθήσεται τὸ «Πνεῦμα Κυρίου πεπλήρωκε τὴν οἰκουμένην» καὶ τὸ «Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός σου»; Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἁπλοῦν αὐτὸ τῇ φύσει, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁμολογεῖ. Ἀριθμῷ γὰρ ἓν αὐτὸ ὀνομάζει. Πᾶν δὲ ὃ ἓν ἀριθμῷ τοῦτο οὐχ ἁπλοῦν, ὡς ἔφην, ἐστίν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἁπλοῦν ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον, ἐξ οὐσίας καὶ ἁγιασμοῦ συνέστηκε· τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον σύνθε τον. Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἀνόητος ὡς σύνθετον εἰπεῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον καὶ μὴ ἁπλοῦν καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἁπλότητος λόγον ὁμοούσιον Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ; 8.11 Εἰ δὲ δεῖ προσβῆναι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἐποπτεῦσαι τὰ μεί ζονα, ἐκ τούτου μάλιστα τὴν θεϊκὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος θεωρήσωμεν. Τρεῖς κτίσεις εὑρήκαμεν ὀνομα ζομένας ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ· μίαν μὲν καὶ πρώτην τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγωγήν, δευτέραν δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ χείρονος εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον ἀλλοίωσιν, τρίτην δὲ τὴν ἐξανάστασιν τῶν νεκρῶν. Ἐν ταύταις εὑρήσεις συνεργὸν Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα. Οὐρανῶν γὰρ οὐσίωσις. Καὶ τί φησιν ὁ ∆αβίδ; «Τῷ λόγῳ Κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστε ρεώθησαν καὶ τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν». Πάλιν ἄνθρωπος διὰ βαπτίσματος κτίζε ται. «Εἴ τις γὰρ ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις». Καὶ τί φησι τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ Σωτήρ;