sealing for us that we should understand the divine preeminence in a way proper to God and not according to human lowliness, since indeed every discourse about God is fashioned in such a human form and explains the incorporeal and unformed and impassible God by the names of our passions. 116 Jo 15, 16 From him is given to men the intimacy with him, and the good has not been seized by men, which the apostle also teaches, saying: “But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me;” for we were not chosen because we were pleasing, but so that we might be pleasing. Therefore, he says, having chosen them, he has appointed them for fruit-bearing, so that, even if we were not honorable to God on account of our former deeds, we might become so on account of the latter. And what is this incorruptible fruit of the apostles that abides forever? The church. It is not possible for one who does not hear God to be heard by God, nor for one who does not bear a gift to receive a blessing, so that if you hear the commandments, he says, and offer fruit, you will also obtain your requests. But your requests are accepted by God which are offered up through my name; for in me is your access through my name, and your confidence. 117 Jo 15, 17 As they are about to be hated by all, he commands them to love one another.

118 Jo 16, 8 He will convict the world as ones condemned under sin on account of

unbelief; for faith has loosed sin, but unbelief has bound it, and the Spirit appearing in the believers was a condemnation of the unbelievers; for, being deprived of the gift, they were convicted by its presence in those who had believed, and this showed them to be polluted

vessels and unfit for the Spirit. 119 Jo 16, 8-11 Or it also showed the righteousness in believers, and this for no other reason than the ascension of Christ; for this justified men: that flesh from us and a human form should ascend to a heavenly throne and be seated beside the Father. And this very thing also contained the condemnation of the world, since man, having been held by him and having fallen under his feet, had walked over his head. So he has rightly said that the presence of the Spirit among us holds proof of these three things: the sin of the world, the righteousness of faith, and the condemnation of the devil. 1 Jo 16, 14 The work and teaching of the Spirit will be to my glory, because the Spirit proceeds also from me. And in saying 'from me' it is also clear that it is 'from the Father'; for the Father's things are mine. Therefore, 'he will take from what is mine' is heard again in the same way, not as if some knowledge is added to the Spirit and this in the present time; for it would be dreadful even to suspect that the Spirit receives learning at the time when he is about to bring it to men. And it is dreadful if anyone should posit that he is taught at all; for no longer will he be believed as dwelling in men and introducing all wisdom into them, if indeed his wisdom is not a natural one, but he himself has need to be taught. So instead of saying that the whole Spirit proceeds from him, he has said 'he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you'; for the expressions are humbler for what is more knowable to men, but the glory of the Spirit is greater for what is more proper to the divinity. And it is said that God hears the words of man, and it is clear that nothing is added at a certain time to the knowledge of God, but even before our words he knows our prayers, and from the beginning of creation he created the whole according to a plan, knowing even the repentant movements of his own creatures, but nevertheless 'Hear, O Lord' and 'The Lord has heard' were said; and yet, according to what is fitting for God, one must not understand any such things chronologically, nor as some change occurring in God from human prayers, nor knowledge of the

17

σφραγιζομένην ἡμῖν τὴν θείαν ὑπεροχὴν οἰκείως θεῷ νοεῖν καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ταπεινότητα, ἐπεὶ καὶ πᾶς ὁ περὶ θεοῦ λόγος τοιοῦτος ἐσχημάτισται σχήματος ἀνθρωπίνου καὶ τῶν παθημάτων ὀνόμασι τῶν ἡμετέρων τὸν ἀσώματον καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον καὶ ἀπαθῆ θεὸν ἑρμηνεύων. 116 Jο 15, 16 Παρ' αὐτοῦ δέδοται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκείωσις καὶ οὐχ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων κατείληπται τὸ ἀγαθόν, ὅπερ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος διδάσκων λέγει· « διώκω δὲ εἰ καὶ καταλάβω, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ κατελήμφθην ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ « · οὐ γὰρ ἀρέσαντες ἐξελέχθημεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀρέσωμεν. διὸ καί, φησίν, ἐκλεξάμενος αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ καρπο φορίαν τέθεικεν, ἵνα, εἰ καὶ μὴ διὰ τὰ πρότερα τίμιοι θεῷ καθεστήκαμεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ τελευταῖα γενώμεθα. τίς δὲ ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων καρπὸς ἄφθαρτος οὗτος καὶ εἰς αἰῶνα μένων; ἡ ἐκκλησία. οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἀκουσθῆναι ὑπὸ θεοῦ τὸν μὴ ἀκούοντα θεὸν οὐδὲ εὐλογίας τυχεῖν τὸν μὴ φέροντα δῶρον, ὥστε εἰ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἀκούσαιτε, φησίν, καὶ καρπὸν προσενέγκαιτε, καὶ τῶν αἰτήσεων τεύ ξεσθε. αἰτήσεις δὲ ὑμῖν δεδεγμέναι εἰσὶ παρὰ θεῷ αἱ διὰ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὀνόματος ἀναφερόμεναι· ἐν ἐμοῖ γὰρ ὑμῶν ἡ προσαγωγὴ διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἡ παρρησία. 117 Jο 15, 17 Ὡς μελλόντων μισεῖσθαι παρὰ πάντων παραγγέλλει αὐτοῖς ἀγαπᾶν ἀλλήλους.

118 Jο 16, 8 Ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον ὡς ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν κατακεκριμμένους διὰ τὴν

ἀπιστίαν· ἡ γὰρ πίστις ἁμαρτίαν λέλυκεν, ἀπιστίαν δὲ δέδεκε καὶ φαινόμενον ἐν τοῖς πιστεύουσι τὸ πνεῦμα κατάκρισις ἦν τῶν ἀπιστούντων· ἐστερημένοι γὰρ τῆς δωρεᾶς ἐξηλέγχοντο τῆς παρούσης τοῖς πεπιστευκόσι καὶ τοῦτο ἐδείκνυεν αὐτοὺς ἐναγῆ

σκεύη καὶ ἀνεπιτήδεια τῷ πνεύματι. 119 Jο 16, 8-11 ἢ καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν δικαιοσύνην ἐδείκνυ καὶ ταύτην οὐχ ἑτέρου τινὸς ἕνεκεν, πλὴν τῆς ἀνόδου τοῦ Χριστοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐδι καίωσεν τὸ σάρκα ἐξ ἡμῶν καὶ εἶδος ἀνθρώπινον ἐπιβῆναι θρόνου οὐρανίου καὶ καθεσθῆναι παρὰ τῷ πατρί. τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ τοῦ κόσμου τὴν κατάκρισιν εἶχεν, ὁπότε κρατηθεὶς ἄνθρωπος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας τοὺς ἐκείνου περιπεπτωκὼς ὑπὲρ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ πεπατήκει. ὥστε εἰκότως εἴρηκεν τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος εἰς ἡμᾶς παρουσίαν τριῶν τούτων ἔχειν ἀπόδειξιν, ἁμαρτίας κόσμου καὶ δικαιοσύνης πίστεως καὶ κατακρίσεως διαβόλου. 1 Jο 16, 14 Εἰς ἐμὴν ἔσται δόξαν ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνέργεια καὶ διδασκαλία, ὅτι καὶ παρ' ἐμοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα ὁρμᾶται. τὸ δὲ παρ' ἐμοῦ λέγων δῆλον καὶ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ πατρός· ἐμὰ γάρ ἐστι τὰ πατρῷα. τὸ οὖν ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λήμψεται κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν αὖθις ἀκούει τρόπον, οὐχ ὡς γνώσεώς τινος ἐπιγινομένης τῷ πνεύματι καὶ ταύτης ἐν χρόνῳ τῷ παρόντι· δεινὸν γὰρ ἂν εἴη καὶ μέχρις ὑπονοίας, εἴ γε τότε πνεῦμα προσλαμβάνει τὴν μάθησιν ἡνίκα εἰς ἀνθρώπους μέλλει κομίζειν. δεινὸν δὲ καὶ εἰ διδασκόμενον αὐτὸ ὅλως τις θήσεται· οὐκέτι γὰρ ἐνοικοῦν ἀνθρώποις καὶ πᾶσαν εἰς αὐτοὺς σοφίαν εἰσάγον πιστευθήσεται, εἴπερ οὐ φυσική τίς ἐστι σοφία, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῷ χρεία διδάσκεσθαι. ὥστε ἀντὶ τοῦ λέγειν ὅλον παρ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα ὁρμᾶσθαι, εἴρηκε τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λήμψεται καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν· μικρότεραι γὰρ αἱ φωναὶ πρὸς τὸ γνωριμώτερον ἀνθρώ ποις, μείζων δὲ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος δόξα πρὸς τὸ οἰκειότερον τῇ θεότητι. λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἀκούειν θεὸς ἀνθρώπου ῥήματα καὶ δῆλον ὡς οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ τι προσγίνεται πρὸς γνῶσιν θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων ῥημάτων οἶδε τὰς ἡμετέρας εὐχὰς καὶ τὸ ὅλον κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀπὸ τῆς δημιουργίας ἐδημιούργησεν, ἐπιστάμενος καὶ τὰ μεταμέλοντα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ δημιουργημάτων κινήματα, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐλέγετο τὸ "εἰσάκουσον κύριε" καὶ τὸ "εἰσήκουσε κύριος" · καίτοι κατὰ τὸ πρέπον θεῷ μηδὲν τῶν τοιούτων δεῖ ἐκδέχεσθαι χρονικῶς μηδὲ ὡς μεταβολήν τινα περὶ θεὸν γινομένην ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων εὐχῶν, μηδὲ γνῶσις τῶν

17