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we offer the thrice-holy hymn. For the seraphim, ever standing by God, unceasingly offer the thrice-holy doxology, but we, since we send up the ordered hymn to God at fixed hours, appropriately and fittingly ascribe the thrice-holy three times in common to the Trinity. And in all things for this reason we prefer the number three to the others, as being indicative of the Holy Trinity and as having from it its fullness and perfection. For a monad is without quantity, a dyad is the beginning of number, and a triad is a perfect number. But divinity is not in a triad because of the number, but the number three is perfect because divinity is in a triad. For a monad, having been moved from the beginning to a dyad, has stood at a triad; for God is the beginning and cause of beings. Therefore, from the beginning and the cause of beings the number has received this power, that just as the Father is the begetter of the Son and the producer of the Spirit, so also the number, coming to a dyad and arriving at a triad, stops. For this reason also the singular number signifies one, and the dual two, and the plural three, and there is no other character. For we say "the man" for one man and "the two men" for two and "the men" for three, and concerning God "one hypostasis" of the Father, "two hypostases" of the Father and the Son, "three hypostases" of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, since the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit differ in hypostasis, likewise also three hypostatic properties. But in those things in which hypostasis does not differ from hypostasis, that is in the natural things, it is not possible to number plurally in God, but for each hypostasis to state the natural things singularly, and joining them together again to state singularly in common the natural things for the three hypostases, both God and God and God, but one God and not three Gods, because God and his hypostatic powers are one God; because each has its own hypostasis, each is called a perfect God in itself, but because they are numbered together, not three Gods, but one God, because the Word and the Spirit are powers of the Father. The Father is Father and not Son, for He is not from anyone. The Son is Son; for He is from the Father and not Father, so that the Father may be one. The Holy Spirit is Holy Spirit; for He proceeds from the Father through the Son and Word, but not in the manner of a son. For if the Son is Son of the Father and the Spirit is a son, He will also have other sons, and this to infinity. But if the Spirit is son of the Son, this one will also have a son and that one another, and this to infinity, and there will be many gods and many lords and a multitude of gods and not one God; but for us there is one God, the Father and his Word and his Spirit. But the Word is a hypostatic offspring, for which reason He is also Son; and the Spirit is a hypostatic procession and projection from the Father, but of the Son and not from the Son, as the spirit of the mouth of God proclaiming the Word. And certainly the mouth is not a bodily member nor is the spirit a breath that is dissolved and dispersed. But these things require another treatise. But for now, having clarified as much as we are able, let us bring the discourse to a close. But I know that you yourselves, being filled with the divine Spirit, will supply what is lacking according to the law of friendship, unceasingly praying for us.

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τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον προσφέρομεν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ σεραφὶμ ἀεὶ τῷ θεῷ παριστάμενα ἀκαταπαύστως τὴν τρισάγιον προσάγει δοξολογίαν, ἡμεῖς δέ, ἐπειδὴ ἐν ὡρισμέναις ὥραις τεταγμένον τὸν ὕμνον τῷ θεῷ ἀναπέμπομεν, οἰκείως καὶ προσφόρως τὸ τρισάγιον ἐκ τρίτου κοινῶς τῇ τριάδι προσνέμομεν. Καὶ ἐν πᾶσι δὲ τούτου χάριν τὸν τρισάριθμον τῶν λοιπῶν προτιμῶμεν, ὡς τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος ὄντα δηλωτικὸν καὶ ὡς ἐξ αὐτῆς τὴν πληρότητα καὶ τελειότητα κεκτημένον. Μονὰς γὰρ ἄποσος, δυὰς δὲ ἀρχὴ ἀριθμοῦ, τριὰς δὲ ἀριθμὸς τέλειος. Ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἡ θεότης ἐν τριάδι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὴν θεότητα ἐν τριάδι ὁ τρεῖς ἀριθμὸς τέλειος. Μονὰς γὰρ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰς δυάδα κινηθεῖσα μέχρι τριάδος ἔστη· ἀρχὴ γὰρ τῶν ὄντων καὶ αἰτία ὁ θεός. Ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς οὖν καὶ τῆς τῶν ὄντων αἰτίας ἔλαβεν ὁ ἀριθμὸς ταύτην τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ πατὴρ γεννήτωρ υἱοῦ καὶ προβολεὺς πνεύματος, οὕτως καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς εἰς δυάδα ἐρχόμενος καὶ καταντῶν μέχρι τριάδος ἵσταται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ ἑνικὸς ἀριθμὸς ὁ ἕνα σημαίνων, καὶ δυϊκὸς ὁ δύο σημαίνων, καὶ πληθυντικὸς ὁ τρεῖς σημαίνων, καὶ οὐκέτι ἕτερος χαρακτήρ. «Ὁ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος» λέγομεν ἐπὶ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου καὶ «τὼ ἀνθρώπω» ἐπὶ δύο καὶ «οἱ ἄνθρωποι» ἐπὶ τριῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ θεοῦ «μία ὑπόστασις» πατρός, «δύο ὑποστάσεις» πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ, «τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις» πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἐπειδὴ ὑποστάσει διαφέρει ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὁμοίως καὶ τρεῖς ὑποστατικαὶ ἰδιότητες. Ἐν οἷς δὲ οὐ διαφέρει ὑπόστασις ὑποστάσεως, τουτέστιν ἐν τοῖς φυσικοῖς, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπὶ θεοῦ πληθυντικῶς ἀριθμῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἑκάστης ὑποστάσεως μοναδικῶς τὰ φυσικὰ εἰπεῖν, καὶ συνάπτοντας δὲ μοναδικῶς πάλιν εἰπεῖν κοινῶς ἐπὶ τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων τὰ φυσικά, καὶ θεὸς καὶ θεὸς καὶ θεός, ἀλλ' εἷς θεὸς καὶ οὐ τρεῖς θεοί, διότι ὁ θεὸς καὶ αἱ αὐτοῦ ἐνυπόστατοι δυνάμεις εἷς θεός· διὰ μὲν τὸ ἰδίαν ἔχειν ἕκαστον ὑπόστασιν ἕκαστον τέλειον θεὸν καθ' αὑτὸ λεγόμενον, ὅτι δὲ συναριθμοῦνται, οὐ τρεῖς θεοί, ἀλλ' εἷς θεός, διὰ τὸ δυνάμεις εἶναι τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν λόγον καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα. Πατὴρ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ οὐχ υἱός, οὐ γὰρ ἔκ τινος. Υἱὸς ὁ υἱός· ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γὰρ καὶ οὐ πατήρ, ἵνα εἷς ᾖ ὁ πατήρ. Πνεῦμα ἅγιον τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γὰρ διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ λόγου προϊόν, οὐχ υἱϊκῶς δέ. Εἰ γὰρ πατρὸς υἱὸς ὁ υἱὸς καὶ υἱὸς τὸ πνεῦμα, ἕξει καὶ ἄλλους υἱοὺς καὶ τοῦτο ἐπ' ἄπειρον. Εἰ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα, ἕξει καὶ τοῦτο υἱὸν κἀκεῖνο ἕτερον καὶ τοῦτο ἐπ' ἄπειρον, καὶ ἔσονται θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοὶ καὶ δῆμος θεῶν καὶ οὐχ εἷς θεός· ἡμῖν δὲ εἷς θεὸς ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ. Λόγος δὲ ἐνυπόστατον γέννημα, διὸ καὶ υἱός· καὶ πνεῦμα ἐνυπόστατον ἐκπόρευμα καὶ πρόβλημα ἐκ πατρὸς μέν, υἱοῦ δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἐξ υἱοῦ, ὡς πνεῦμα στόματος θεοῦ λόγου ἐξαγγελτικόν. Πάντως δὲ καὶ τὸ στόμα οὐ μέλος σωματικὸν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα οὐ πνοὴ λυομένη καὶ διαχεομένη. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἄλλης πραγματείας χρῄζει. Τὸ δὲ νῦν ἔχον διευκρινήσαντες ὅση δύναμις καταπαύσωμεν τὸν λόγον. Οἶδα δέ, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ θείου πεπληρωμένοι πνεύματος τὰ λείποντα νόμῳ φιλίας ἀναπληρώσετε ἀδιαλείπτως ἡμῶν ὑπερευχόμενοι.