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"Go to this people, and say to it," whatever he was commanded to say. We, therefore, openly marvel if they themselves do not already perceive the absurdity and weakness of their own opinions, and how ridiculous they are, thinking such things about God and twisting what is clear as if it were obscure. And we think we are not mistaken in holding this, that the long-suffering God, showing to those like them that there is left to them neither a basis for contradiction nor an occasion for defense, said through Ezekiel: "If I am a Father, where is my fear? And if I am Lord, where is my glory?" But let this be so; we must proceed to that for which our discourse was set in motion. But let us see what Paul says again, writing to the Philippians: "Beware of the concision; for we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus." The Holy Spirit, therefore, is God, receiving every sacrifice that is offered up, together with the Father and the Son; for it is clear that worship is owed to God alone. But see how the heretical crows have attempted to corrupt the divine sayings by the alteration of a single letter; for some of them have made it, "who worship God in spirit," so that worship might not be shown to the Spirit of God, but to be offered in spirit to God the Father alone. Just as also in the letter to the Corinthians, where Paul wrote: "But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through his Spirit who dwells in you;" they, having changed it, made it: Because of his Spirit who dwells in you; so that it might not be shown to be life-giving and creative. And when he wrote to the Romans: "both his eternal power and divinity;" they made it, godhead; but it is the same; yet nevertheless, because the proofs concerning the great-named Spirit are constrained, 39.665 those which, through its being called the divine Spirit, declare it to be God. And when the prophet Amos spoke from the person of the Holy Spirit: "Behold, I am he who makes the thunder firm;" they removed the "I;" so that the voice might not be shown to be of the Holy Spirit, but rather of the Father, or of the prophet. Yet it is not of God the Father, because it has immediately after: "Declaring to men his Christ;" and does not say: My Christ, as it says in the psalm: "I have prepared a lamp for my Christ." And in many places they appear to have deliberately corrupted things here too, destroying, as far as it was in their power, the accurate discernment of the corrupted passages. And this was not yet terrible, although being very terrible, if books so falsified by them had not also come to those who believe rightly, who had no inkling of such villainy. 39.668.10 CHAPTER XII. Concerning the Holy Spirit renewing us in baptism; and how as Lord it sets free; and makes us partakers of divine glory, and sons and heirs of the Father; and the rest. And concerning baptism being profitless to those who do not believe that the Spirit is God; and that there is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another of the stars. But these things are sufficient for now, so that the discourse does not go on a long digression. Let us return again to the great-gifting divinity of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, therefore, renews us in baptism, as God, together with the Father and the Son, and leads us up from what is uncomely to the more ancient beauty, and fills us with His own grace, so that nothing unlovely can any longer have place; and sets us free from sin and from death; and from being earthy, that is from earth and dust, it makes us spiritual, and partakers of divine glory, and sons and heirs of God the Father, conformed to the image of the Son, and his co-heirs, and brothers to be glorified with him and to reign with him; and instead of earth it again bestows heaven, and lavishly grants paradise; and already makes us more honored than angels; 39.669 and by the divine streams of the font the

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"Πορεύθητι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ εἰπὲ αὐτῷ," ἅπερ προσετάχθη εἰπεῖν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ἄντικρυς θαυμάζομεν, εἰ μὴ ἤδη καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς ἀτοπίας καὶ ἀσθενείας τῶν οἰκείων δοξασμάτων αἰσθάνονται, καὶ ὡς γελοῖοί εἰσι, τοιαῦτα περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ διανοούμενοι, καὶ τὰ σαφῆ ὡς δυσδιαίτητα διαστρέφοντες. Καὶ οἰόμεθα μὴ σφάλλεσθαι οὕτως ἔχοντες, ὅτι τοῖς κατ' αὐτοὺς ὁ μακρόθυμος Θεὸς παριστῶν, ὡς οὐχ ὑπολείπεται αὐτοῖς οὔτ' ἀντιλογίας ὑπόθεσις, οὔτ' ἀπολογίας ἀφορμὴ, διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἔφη· "Εἰ Πατὴρ ἐγώ εἰμι, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ φόβος μου; Καὶ εἰ Κύριος ἐγώ εἰμι, ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα μου;" Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως· ἐφ' ὃ δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ὥρμηται, μετιτέον. Ἴδωμεν δὲ, τί λέγει καὶ αὖθις ὁ Παῦλος, Φιλιππησίοις γράφων· "Βλέπετε τὴν κατατομήν· ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν ἡ περιτομὴ, οἱ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ λατρεύοντες, καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ." Θεὸς οὖν τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, πᾶσαν ἀναπεμπομένην θυσίαν σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ δεχόμενον· εὔδηλον γὰρ, ὡς ἡ λατρεία τῷ Θεῷ μόνῳ ὀφείλεται. Ἀλλ' οἱ αἱρετικοὶ κόρακες βλέπετε πῶς τοῖς θείοις λυμήνασθαι ἐπεχείρησαν ῥητοῖς, δι' ἑνὸς στοιχείου ὑπαλλαγῆς· τινὲς γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐποίησαν, "Οἱ Πνεύματι Θεῷ λατρεύοντες," ἵνα μὴ δείκνυται ἡ λατρεία τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν πνεύματι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ μόνῳ προσαγομένη. Ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους τοῦ Παύλου γεγραφότος· "Εἰ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐγείραντος Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν· ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζωοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ ὑμῶν σώματα, διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν·" ἐκεῖνοι ἐναλλάξαντες ἐποίησαν· ∆ιὰ τὸ ἐνοικοῦν αὐτοῦ Πνεῦμα ἐν ὑμῖν· ἵνα μὴ ζωοποιὸν καὶ δημιουργὸν δείκνυται. Καὶ Ῥωμαίοις γράψαντος αὐτοῦ· "Ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης·" ἐκεῖνοι ἐποίησαν, θεότης· ἔστιν δὲ τὸ αὐτό· ἀλλ' ὅμως διὰ τὸ στενοῦσθαι τὰς περὶ τοῦ μεγαλωνύμου Πνεύματος 39.665 ἀποδείξεις, τὰς διὰ τοῦ εἰρῆσθαι αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα θεῖον, δηλούσας αὐτὸ Θεόν. Καὶ τοῦ προφήτου Ἀμὼς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος εἰρηκότος· "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ στερεῶν βροντήν·" περιεῖλον τὸ "ἐγώ·" ἵνα μὴ δείκνυται τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἡ φωνὴ, ἀλλὰ γὰρ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἢ τοῦ προφήτου. Οὐκ ἔστιν δὲ τέως τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Θεοῦ, διὰ τὸ ἔχειν εὐθέως· "Ἀπαγγέλλων εἰς ἀνθρώπους τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ·" καὶ μὴ εἰπεῖν· Τὸν Χριστόν μου, ὡς ἐν ψαλμῷ λέγει· "Ἡτοίμασα λύχνον τῷ Χριστῷ μου." Καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς δὲ φαίνονται παρατρώσαντες ἐξεπίτηδες κἀντεῦθεν, τὴν ἀκριβῆ διάγνωσιν τῶν νοθευθέντων τόπων, τό γε ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, ἀφανίσαντες. Καὶ τοῦτο οὔπω ἦν δεινὸν, καίπερ ὂν σφόδρα δεινὸν, εἰ μὴ οὕτω παρ' ἐκείνων παραποιηθεῖσαι βίβλοι ἦλθον καὶ εἰς ὀρθῶς πιστεύοντας, ἀμαντεύτως ἔχοντας τῆς τοιαύτης ῥᾳδιουργίας. 39.668.10 ΚΕΦ. ΙΒʹ. Περὶ τοῦ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἀνακαινίζειν ἡμᾶς τῷ βαπτίσματι· καὶ ὡς ∆εσπότην ἐλευθεροῦν· καὶ ποιεῖν μετόχους θείας δόξης, καὶ υἱοὺς καὶ κληρονόμους τοῦ Πατρός· καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀνόνητον εἶναι τὸ βάπτισμα τοῖς μὴ πιστεύουσιν ὅτι Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα· καὶ ὅτι ἄλλη ἡλίου δόξα. καὶ ἄλλη σελήνης, καὶ ἄλλη ἀστέρων. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπόχρη, ἵνα μὴ πολὺ ὁ λόγος ἐν ἐκτροπῇ γένηται. Ἐπανίωμεν δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν μεγαλόδωρον τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος θεότητα. Ἀνακαινίζει τοίνυν ἡμᾶς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, ὡς Θεὸς, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀκαλλοῦς εἰς τὸ πρεσβύτερον ἀνάγει κάλλος, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πίμπλησιν χάριτος, ὡς μηδὲν ἔτι τῶν ἀνεράστων δύνασθαι χωρεῖν· καὶ ἐλευθεροῖ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου· καὶ ἀπὸ χοϊκῶν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀπὸ γῆς καὶ σποδοῦ, ποιεῖ πνευματικοὺς, καὶ μετόχους θείας δόξης, καὶ υἱοὺς καὶ κληρονόμους τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, συμμόρφους τε τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ συγκληρονόμους αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀδελφοὺς συνδοξασθησομένους καὶ συμβασιλεύσοντας αὐτῷ· καὶ ἀντὶ γῆς πάλιν δωρεῖται τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸν παράδεισον ἀφθόνως χαρίζεται· καὶ ἀγγέλων ἤδη ποιεῖ τιμιωτέρους· 39.669 καὶ τοῖς θείοις τῆς κολυμβήθρας ῥείθροις τὴν