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the brightness of these feasts. And looking to it, the Melodist, in the all-harmonious ten-stringed instrument cried out to God: "You will bless the crown of the year of your goodness." For the crown, being circular, revolves back upon itself from every side, having neither a beginning nor an end.

CHAP. 17. And that such opinions as we maintain concerning God the Father, such also

we may have also concerning his all-seeing Spirit, not saying that he is more royal, or pre 39.724 existent than he; but knowing, that nothing is certain for men, if the Trinity does not fight alongside them, being near to all, and the helper of all. For "a horse is a vain thing for safety," it says; "but the Lord is near to them that fear him, and a giant shall not be saved by the greatness of his strength"; the Scripture declares how he is always present and works together with the Father, and in each thing he helps us, and puts strength in us, and his manifestation is of equal honour with the presence and teaching of the Son, and his teaching happens to be in accord. Accordingly God the Father, promising to Zerubbabel the undivided, and only sure, and invincible help of himself, and of the Word, and of his Spirit, and showing most clearly that the divine hypostases do not differ, nor are distant from each other, said through Haggai the prophet: "And now be strong, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord, and be strong, O Jesus son of Josedech the high priest, and let all the people of the land be strong; for I am with you, says the Lord almighty, and my Spirit stands in the midst of you." But through Isaiah he gently reproaches those who do not walk in his name and in the name of his Spirit, saying thus: "Woe, children! You have made a counsel, not by me; and covenants, not by my Spirit." And again Isaiah says concerning those who sinned against the divine power of the Spirit: "They rebelled, and provoked the Holy Spirit, and he was turned to be their enemy." For the Holy Spirit has departed from wrath and enmity, and from all such things; and is not shaken, nor stirred up, being a Spirit of meekness, and good, and of the first, and impassible, and all-powerful nature; and it rather heals those who are angry and wrathful, and removes from all creation that which is inflamed, and brings in peace instead, as is clear to those who understand, that everyone who obeyed his words, lived gently. But in the manner that it is written in many places: "They provoked God the Father, and he was wroth with them;" and as it says in the 105th psalm: "But they provoked him with their counsel;" so now in like manner he prophesies concerning his Spirit, on account of the unchangeableness of his divinity, and authority, and power. And Micah likewise laments Israel, as having offended God, saying: "The 39.725 house of Jacob has provoked the Spirit of the Lord." And David, the Spirit-bearer, confessing that his Spirit is of equal honour and equal power with the Father, and that without the Holy Spirit none of the good things exist for creation, prayed: "Your good Spirit shall lead me in the land of uprightness;" and, "Uphold me with your princely Spirit;" that is, with your Spirit that is sovereign and has authority, make me firm, that so I may be able to be cleansed from sin, and not to fall away from prophecy. And in the Gospel the Master, teaching the apostles, that the presence of the Holy Spirit will be no less than his own manifestation, and the salvation thereby accruing to creation; but equal and the same, because of the one divinity and operation, says: "It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, he will not come, the Holy Spirit." And presenting the teaching of the Holy Spirit as being in accord with his own, he said: "When the Holy Spirit comes, he will teach you and remind you of all things that I have said to you;" and, "Not

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φαιδρότης τῶν ἑορτῶν τούτων. Καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀφορῶν ὁ Μελῳδὸς, ἐν τῷ παναρμονίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐκελάδει· "Εὐλογήσεις τὸν στέφανον τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τῆς χρηστότητός σου." Ὁ γὰρ στέφανος περιφερὴς ὢν, πανταχόθεν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακυκλοῦται, οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν ἔχων, οὐδὲ πέρας.

ΚΕΦ. ΙΖʹ. Καὶ ἵνα οἵας δόξας φυλάττομεν περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς, τοιαύτας

ἔχωμεν καὶ περὶ τοῦ παντεφόρου Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, μὴ λέγοντες βασιλεύτερον, ἢ προ 39.724 γενέστερον αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' εἰδότες, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀνθρώποις βέβαιον, ἂν ἡ Τριὰς μὴ συμμαχῇ οὖσα πάντων πλησίον, καὶ πάντων ἐπίκουρος "Ψευδὴς" γὰρ "ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν," φησίν· "ἐγγὺς δὲ Κύριος τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτὸν, καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ"· ἡ Γραφὴ δηλοῖ, ὡς συμπάρεστιν ἀεὶ καὶ συνεργεῖ τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ βοηθεῖ ἡμῖν, καὶ ἰσχὺν ἐντίθησιν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ παρουσίας καὶ διδαχῆς ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐπιφάνεια ὁμότιμός ἐστιν, καὶ ἡ διδασκαλία σύμφωνος τυγχάνει οὖσα. Ἀμέλει τοι ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τὴν ἀδιαίρετον, καὶ μόνην βεβαίαν, καὶ ἀήττητον βοήθειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Λόγου, καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ ὑπισχνούμενος τῷ Ζοροβάβελ, καὶ ἀποφαίνων τρανέστατα, ὡς οὐ διαφέροιεν, οὔτ' ἀφεστᾶσιν ἀλλήλων αἱ θεῖαι ὑποστάσεις, εἶπεν δι' Ἀγγαίου τοῦ προφήτου· "Καὶ νῦν κατίσχυε, Ζοροβάβελ, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ κατίσχυε, Ἰησοῦ ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ μέγας, καὶ κατισχυέτω πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τῆς γῆς· διότι μεθ' ὑμῶν ἐγώ εἰμι, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμά μου ἐφέστηκεν ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν." ∆ιὰ δὲ Ἡσαΐου πραϋπαθῶς καταμέμφεται τοῖς ἐπ' ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ μὴ πορευομένοις, οὑτωσεὶ λέγων· "Οὐαὶ, τέκνα! Βουλὴν ἐποιήσατε, οὐ δι' ἐμοῦ· καὶ συνθήκας, οὐ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου." Καὶ πάλιν Ἡσαΐας περὶ τῶν πλημμελησάντων εἰς τὸ θεῖον κράτος τοῦ Πνεύματος λέγει· "Αὐτοὶ ἠπείθησαν, καὶ παρώξυναν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ ἐστράφη αὐτοῖς εἰς ἔχθραν." Ὀργῆς μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἔχθρας, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων πάντων ἐκβέβηκεν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· καὶ οὐ παρασαλεύεται, οὐδ' ὑποκινεῖται, Πνεῦμα πραότητος ὂν, καὶ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ τῆς πρωτίστης, καὶ ἀπαθοῦς, καὶ παντοκρατορικῆς φύσεως· καὶ αὐτὸ μᾶλλον τοὺς ὀργιζομένους καὶ θυμοῦντας ἰώμενον, καὶ ὅλης ἀφαιρούμενον τῆς κτίσεως τὸ φλεγμαῖνον, καὶ ἀντεισφέρον εἰρήνην, ὡς ἔστι δῆλον τοῖς νοοῦσιν, ὅτι πᾶς ὁ πεισθεὶς τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, ἔζησεν ἡμέρως. Ὃν τρόπον δὲ πολλαχοῦ ἐγράφη· "Παρεπίκραναν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα, καὶ ὠργίσθη αὐτοῖς·" καὶ ὡς ἐν ρεʹ ψαλμῷ φάσκει· "Αὐτοὶ δὲ παρεπίκραναν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ αὐτῶν·" οὕτω νῦν ὁμοιοτρόπως περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ προφητεύει, διὰ τὸ τῆς θεότητος, καὶ ἐξουσίας, καὶ δυνάμεως ἀπαράλλακτον. Καὶ Μιχαίας δὲ ὁμοίως ἀποκλαίεται τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς Θεῷ προσκρούσαντα, λέγων· "Ὁ 39.725 οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακὼβ παρώργισε τὸ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου." Καὶ ὁ πνευματοφόρος δὲ ∆αυῒδ, τὸ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἰσότιμον καὶ ἰσοδύναμον τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ συνομολογῶν, καὶ τὸ δίχα τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μηδοτιοῦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑπάρχειν τῇ κτίσει, ηὔχετο· "Τὸ Πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὁδηγήσει με ἐν γῇ εὐθείᾳ·" καὶ, "Πνεύματι ἡγεμονικῷ στήριξόν με·" τοῦτ' ἔστιν, τῷ Πνεύματί σου τῷ ἀρχικῷ καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντι στερέωσον, ἵν' οὕτω δυνηθῶ τῆς τε ἁμαρτίας καθαρισθῆναι, καὶ τῆς προφητείας μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν. Καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ τοὺς ἀποστόλους διδάσκων ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὅτι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιφανείας οὐχ ἥσσων ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ ἡ ἐκεῖθεν περιγινομένη σωτηρία τῇ κτίσει· ἀλλ' ἴση καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ, διὰ τὴν μίαν θεότητα καὶ ἐνέργειαν, λέγει· "Συμφέρει ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἐγὼ ἀπέλθω. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἐγὼ ἀπέλθω, ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔρχεται, τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον." Καὶ σύμφωνον δὲ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος διδασκαλίαν παριστῶν, ἔφη· "Ὅταν ἔλθῃ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐκεῖνο ὑμᾶς διδάξει καὶ ἀναμνήσει πάντα, ἃ εἶπον ὑμῖν·" καὶ, "Οὐκ