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of the persons into one only, the fount of the Godhead? For all men are one nature, but all are not one man. And yet through each other, or rather through those before us, we might be traced back to one forefather, but at once the causes are many, and for this reason we are not from one, and are not one. Is he who thinks in the Latin way not manifestly innovating?

And if before you our gospel was not lacking, which "was preached among the nations, was believed in in the world," and "the saving grace of God" and the knowledge of God according to it, which appeared to all and taught all, if "the faith has not been made void," if the articles of the confession have not been corrupted, by which also struggled and practiced "the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us," the all-numerous catalogue of the saints, the God-taught company of teachers, all who by deed and word and by their own sufferings bore witness to the truth, for which they, doing well, resisted even unto death, and not only for it or for themselves, but also for our support—if only or all these things and the faith of those called after Christ is not lacking, you are truly inventing additions in vain and innovating against your own soul.

For if they knew the Spirit also from the Son, for what reason did they not continually proclaim it with boldness and confirm it through the many holy synods that were often held? But was it not known to them? Therefore it was not so in truth; for He who for our sake was known according to our nature made all things known to them. And according to the promise, the Spirit taught them (p. 166) all things and taught them for this reason, that they might teach us, as they were taught, as has also been said above. For if you dare to say this, that the theologians before us did not know the truth, we will dismiss this also as no less blasphemous.

For who are you who dares to mutter this? And what synod of equal number, or rather how many and where, have been witnessed to by the Spirit, which bore witness with them both while they were living and when they had departed from men, and always bears witness and will bear witness through the miracles that are and will be performed by these wise men? But I too, he says, have many of the fathers bearing witness with me to the addition. What then, did these men, when gathered together in common, hand down one set of things to the church, and dogmatize other things by themselves? Certainly not. But either you yourself are falsifying, or you are reasoning falsely and misinterpreting, not interpreting with the Spirit the things spoken through the Spirit.

Nevertheless, even if we were to grant this, which is not the case, are not the things handed down in common to be accepted more than the things spoken privately by each? For the former, besides being of all and unassailable by those who do evil and by falsification corrupt the word of truth, are known to all, both wise and simple, and are always on their lips. But the things not so commonly spoken are suspect, especially when brought forward by the Latins, who have also plotted against the most manifest symbol of the faith by means of an addition. For those who devised and dared an addition to that which is in the mouths of all true Christians and is proclaimed many times each day, what would they not have done in matters unknown to the majority? Therefore, things that are not common nor in general use are suspect, lest an evil man has sown (p. 168) tares among them. These things, therefore, if they agree with the common confession, are to be accepted; but if not, they are not.

Nevertheless, in a second discourse we shall look at and refute, God willing, the things that seem to bear witness to your innovation, not them, perish the thought, but you, the things well said

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τῶν προσώπων εἰς μίαν μόνην, τήν τῆς θεότητος πηγήν; Μία γάρ φύσις καί οἱ πάντες ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ εἷς οἱ πάντες ἄνθρωπος. Καίτοι δι᾿ ἀλλήλων, μᾶλλον δέ διά τῶν πρό ἡμῶν, ἀναχθείημεν ἄν εἰς ἕνα τόν προπάτορα, ἀλλ᾿ εὐθύς πολλά τά αἴτια, καί οὐκ ἐξ ἑνός ἡμεῖς διά τοῦτο καί οὐχ εἷς. Ἆρ᾿ οὐ φανερῶς καινοτομεῖς ὁ λατινικῶς φρονῶν;

Καί εἰ μή πρό ὑμῶν ἐλλιπές ἦν τό καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς εὐαγγέλιον, ὅ «ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύη ἐν κόσμῳ, καί «ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σωτήριος χάρις» καί ἡ κατ᾿ αὐτήν θεογνωσία, ἡ πᾶσιν ἐκφανεῖσα καί διδάξασα πάντας, εἰ μή «κεκένωται ἡ πίστις», εἰ μή διέφθαρται τά τῆς ὁμολογίας, αἷς καί ἐνήθλησαν καί ἐνήσκησαν «τό τῶν μαρτύρων ἡμῖν περικείμενον νέφος», ὁ τῶν ὁσίων παμπληθής κατάλογος, ὁ τῶν διδασκάλων θεοδίδακτος θίασος, πάντες οἱ ἔργῳ καί λόγῳ καί τοῖς καθ᾿ ἑαυτούς παθήμασι μαρτυρήσαντες τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, ὑπέρ ἧς καί μεχρι θανάτου καλῶς ποιοῦντες ἐνέστησαν, καί οὐχ ὑπέρ αὐτῆς μόνον ἤ καί ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλά καί ὑπέρ τοῦ ἡμετέρου στηριγμοῦ εἰ μή μόνον ἤ ταῦθ᾿ ἅπαντα καί ἡ τῶν ἀπό Χριστοῦ καλουμένων πίστις ἐλλιπής, διακενῆς ὄντως οὐ προσθήκας ἐξευρίσκεις καί κατά τῆς σεαυτοῦ καινοτομεῖς ψυχῆς.

Εἰ μέν γάρ ἐγίνωσκον καί ἐξ Υἱοῦ τό Πνεῦμα, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ παρρησίᾳ διατέλεσαν κηρύττοντες καί διά τῶν ἱερῶν συνόδων πολλῶν καί πολλάκις γενομένων βεβαιώσαντες; Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἐγνωσμένον ἦν αὐτοῖς; Οὐκοῦν οὐδ᾿ ἦν οὕτω τἀληθές˙ πάντα γάρ ἐγνώρισεν αὐτοῖς ὁ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐγνωσμένος καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς. Καί πάντα κατά τήν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐδίδαξεν (σελ. 166) αὐτούς τό Πνεῦμα καί διά τοῦτ᾿ ἐδίδαξεν, ἵν᾿ ἡμᾶς οὗτοι διδάξωσιν, ὡς ἐδιδάχθησαν, ὡς καί ἀνωτέρω εἴρηται. Εἰ γάρ τοῦτο λέγειν τολμήσεις, ὡς οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οἱ πρό ἡμῶν θεολόγοι τἀληθές, ὡς καί τοῦτο μηδέν ἧττον βλάσφημον ἀποπεμψόμεθα.

Τίς γάρ εἰ ὁ τοῦτο γρύξαι τολμῶν; Ποία δ᾿ ἰσάριθμος σύνοδος, μᾶλλον δέ πόσαι καί ποῦ μαρτυρηθεῖσαι παρά τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὅ καί ζῶσιν ἐκείνοις καί γεγονόσιν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων συνεμαρτύρησε, καί ἀεί συμμαρτυρεῖ τε καί συμμαρτυρήσει διά τῶν ἐπί τοῖς σοφοῖς τούτων τελουμένων τε καί τελεσθησομένων θαυμάτων; Ἀλλ᾿ ἔχω κἀγώ, φησί, πολλούς τῶν πατέρων συμμαρτυροῦντάς μοι τῇ προσθήκῃ. Τί οὖν, ἕτερα μέν οὗτοι κοινῇ συνειλεγμένοι παρεδίδουν ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἕτερα δέ καθ᾿ ἑαυτούς ἐδογμάτιζον; Οὔμενουν. Ἀλλ᾿ ἤ παραχαράττεις αὐτός ἤ παραλογίζῃ καί παρεξηγῇ, μή μετά τοῦ Πνεύματος ἑρμηνεύων τά εἰρημένα διά τοῦ Πνεύματος.

Οὐ μήν, ἀλλ᾿ εἰ καί τοῦτο θείημεν, ὅπερ οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐ προσδεκτέα μᾶλλον τά κοινῇ παραδεδομένα τῶν ἰδίως εἰρημένων ἑκάστῳ; Ἐκεῖνα μέν γάρ πρός τῷ πάντων εἶναι καί ἀνεπιχείρητα τοῖς κακουργοῦσι καί τῷ παραχαράττειν δολοῦσι τόν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον, πᾶσιν ἐγνωσμένα σοφοῖς τε καί ἰδιώταις καί διά στόματος ἀεί φερόμενα. Τά δέ μή ἐπί τοσοῦτο καθωμιλημένα ὕποπτά ἐστι καί μάλιστα προαγόμενα παρά Λατίνων, οἵ καί τῷ φανερωτάτῳ τῆς πίστεως συμβόλῳ διά προσθήκης ὑπεβούλευσαν. Οἱ γάρ τῷ ἐν τοῖς τῶν ὡς ἀληθῶς χριστιανῶν ἁπάντων στόμασι κειμένῳ καί τῆς ἡμέρας ἑκάστης πολλάκις ἀνακηρυττομένῳ προσθήκην ἐπινοήσαντές τε καί τολμήσαντες, τί οὐκ ἄν ἔδρασαν ἐν τοῖς ἀγνοουμένοις παρά τῶν πλειόνων; Τά γοῦν μή κοινά μηδέ καθωμιλημένα ὕποπτά ἐστι, μή πονηρός ἄνθρωπος ἐνέσπειρεν (σελ. 168) αὐτοῖς ζιζάνια. Ταῦτα ἄρα, κἄν μέν ὁμολογῶσι τῇ κοινῇ ὁμολογίᾳ, προσδεκτέα˙ ἄν δέ μή, οὐχί.

Ὅμως ἐν δευτέρῳ λόγῳ τά δοκοῦντα συμμαρτυρεῖν σου τῇ καινοτομίᾳ ὀψόμεθα καί ἀπελέγξομεν, Θεοῦ διδόντος, οὐκ ἐκεῖνα, ἄπαγε, ἀλλά σέ τά καλῶς λελεγμένα