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foundations, having nowhere said that this one is deeper before the other foundation, so that no one might think that this hypostasis precedes that one, but that we all may believe that the three extend into one Godhead. 18.21 For this reason also the God-breathed scripture forbade making steps on the altar, on which the Trinity is glorified, so that people would not define the divine hypostases as being in degrees, in some sort of subordination. 18.22 And simply, the Old Testament, bearing a type of the New, discourses mystically and with the greatest forethought, hinting in many things rather than speaking plainly at the same time; and speaking more plainly than hinting at the mystery later revealed, so that it might neither strike with a sudden assault the uninitiated who were not yet stable and receptive of the vision of God, nor on the other hand deprive them completely; 18.23 for the one would be a sign of inexperience, the other of inhumanity. 18.24 And often, what it perhaps expressed obscurely to us here, it provided the solution for through another scripture. 18.25 But the New no longer speaks as in a shadow and a veil, but clearly and explicitly, as these testify: 18.26 Paul writing to the Romans: “since God is one,” and to the Galatians and Corinthians: “God is one.” 18.27 And again to the Corinthians in his second letter: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 18.28 Here, because of the sameness of the Godhead, he mentioned the Son first, and then the Father, then his Holy Spirit. 18.29 And he spoke of the communion of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son of the one Godhead and glory and kingdom. For what other communion is there with respect to God? 18.30 And to the Ephesians: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Then to the same: “For this reason I bow my knees to the God and Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” 18.31 Here again, likewise because of the equal honor of the hypostases, after the Father he mentioned the Spirit first and then the Son. 18.32 And again to the Corinthians: “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” 18.33 And to the Hebrews: “For if the word spoken through angels proved to be binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” 18.34 Therefore, by “the Lord” the Son is indicated, and by “God” the Father, and then also the sovereignty and omnipotence of the Holy Spirit. 18.35 And the Son also showed the one Godhead by saying: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one, God,” but the three hypostases, equal in honor and equal in power, through the teaching concerning baptism. 18.36 By not saying to the lawyer who was testing him, “Do not call me good,” but “Why do you call me good?,” he showed that he himself is also good, on an equality with the Father, and that his own goodness shines forth from the Father's goodness, and he is shown to have been begotten, good from good. 18.37 “For if,” he says, “you know that I am good, and you do not connect the word with 'teacher' as in: 'Well done, good servant,' and as 'The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good,' and as 'Samuel was good with God and men,' and: 'Saul was good, son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin, taller than all Israel from the shoulder and upward,' and: 'A good living dog is better than a dead lion.' "Do not detract at all from the primary Good, but recognize me as God, not another in the Godhead

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πυθμέσι, τοῦτον τοῦ ἄλλου πυθμένος οὐδαμοῦ προβαθέστερον εἰρηκώς, ἵνα μή τις τὴν ὑπόστασιν ταύτην ἐκείνης προτερεύειν νομίσῃ, ἀλλὰ τὰς τρεῖς ἐν μιᾷ συντείνειν θεότητι πάντες πιστεύωμεν. 18.21 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ θεόπνευστος γραφὴ ἐκώλυσεν ἐν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἡ τριὰς δοξάζεται, ἀναβαθμοὺς ποιεῖν, ὥστε μὴ ὡς ἐν βαθμοῖς διορίζεσθαι ἀνθρώπους καθ' ὕφεσίν τινα εἶναι τὰς θείας ὑποστάσεις. 18.22 Καὶ ἁπλῶς ἡ παλαιὰ διαθήκη τύπον φέρουσα τῆς νέας μυστικῶς καὶ προμηθεστάτως διαλέγεται, αἰνιττομένη μᾶλλον ἐν πολλοῖς ἢ φράζουσα ἐν ταὐτῷ· καὶ φράζουσα πλέον ἤπερ αἰνισσομένη τὸ ὕστερον ἐκφανθὲν μυστήριον, ὅπως μήτε πλήξῃ τῇ ἀθρόᾳ προσβολῇ τοὺς ἀμυήτους καὶ οὔπω ὄντας σταθερούς τε καὶ δεκτικοὺς τῆς θεοπτίας, μήτε μὴν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς ζημιώσῃ· 18.23 τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἀπειρίας, τὸ δὲ ἀπανθρωπίας. 18.24 πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἅπερ τυχὸν ἐνταῦθα ἡμῖν δυσεφίκτως ἔφρασεν, δι' ἑτέρας γραφῆς τὴν λύσιν παρέσχετο. 18.25 Ἡ δὲ νέα οὔκετι ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ καὶ παραπετάσματι, ἀλλὰ σαφῶς καὶ διαρρήδην φράζει, ὡς μαρτυροῦσιν οὗτοι· 18.26 Παῦλος γράφων Ῥωμαίοις μέν· «εἴπερ εἷς ὁ θεός», Γαλάταις δὲ καὶ Κορινθίοις· «ὁ θεὸς εἷς ἐστιν». 18.27 Καὶ πάλιν δὲ Κορινθίοις τὸ δεύτερον· «ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ κοι νωνία τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν». 18.28 ἐνταῦθα διὰ τὸ ταὐτὸν τῆς θεότητος πρώτου ἐμνημόνευσεν τοῦ υἱοῦ, καὶ οὕτω τοῦ πατρός, εἶτα τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος αὐτοῦ. 18.29 κοινωνίαν δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος μετὰ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ εἶπεν τῆς μιᾶς θεότητος καὶ δόξης καὶ βασιλείας. ποία γὰρ ἄλλη ἐπὶ θεοῦ κοινωνία; 18.30 Ἐφεσίοις δέ· «εἷς κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα, εἷς θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ πάντων, ὁ ἐπὶ πάν των καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν». εἶτα τοῖς αὐτοῖς· «τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πατέρα, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται, ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις». 18.31 Ὧδε πάλιν ὁμοίως διὰ τὸ ἰσότιμον τῶν ὑποστάσεων μετὰ τὸν πατέρα πρώτου τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ οὕτω τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐμνημόνευσεν. 18.32 Καὶ πάλιν Κορινθίοις· «παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ πνεύματος, συναγωνίσασθαί μοι ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεόν». 18.33 Ἑβραίοις δέ· «εἰ γὰρ ὁ δι' ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος, καὶ πᾶσα παράβασις καὶ παρακοὴ ἔλαβεν ἔνδικον μισθαποδοσίαν, πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκφευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας; ἥτις ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα λαλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη, συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ σημείοις τε καὶ τέρασιν καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσιν καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν». 18.34 ∆ιὰ οὖν τοῦ κυρίου δεδήλωται ὁ υἱός, διὰ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ πατήρ, εἶτα καὶ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον καὶ παντοδύναμον τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. 18.35 Καὶ ὁ υἱὸς δὲ ἔδειξεν τὴν μὲν μίαν θεότητα διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν· «τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός», τὰς δὲ ἰσοτίμους καὶ ἰσοδυνάμους τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις διὰ τῆς περὶ τὸ βάπτισμα διδαχῆς. 18.36 μὴ εἰπὼν δὲ πειραστικῶς ἐξετάσαντι τῷ νομικῷ· μή με λέγε ἀγαθόν, ἀλλά· «τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν;», ἔδειξεν ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἀγαθός ἐστιν ἐν ἴσῳ τῷ πατρί, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πατρικῆς ἀγαθότητος ἐκφαίνεται ἡ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δείκνυται ἀπὸ ἀγαθοῦ ἀγαθὸς γεγεννημένος. 18.37 «εἰ γάρ», φησίν, «οἶδάς με ἀγαθόν, καὶ μὴ συμπλέκεις τῷ διδασκάλῳ τὴν λέξιν» ὡς τό· «εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθέ», καὶ ὡς «ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας προφέρει τὸ ἀγαθόν», καὶ ὡς «ἀγαθὸς ἦν Σαμουὴλ μετὰ θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων», καί· «ἀγαθὸς ἦν Σαούλ, υἱὸς Κὶς ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμίν, ὑψηλότερος παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὲρ ὠμίαν καὶ ἐπάνω», καί· «ἀγαθὸς κύων ὁ ζῶν ὑπὲρ τὸν λέοντα τὸν τεθνηκότα». «Μηδὲν παραιροῦ τοῦ πρωτουργοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ἀλλ' ὡς θεόν με ἐπίγνωθι, μὴ ἄλλον τῇ θεότητι