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Is it then because, having breathed on them, He said 'receive the Holy Spirit', that the Holy Spirit was the breath, so that the procession is the same as the breath through the flesh, or because it was given through a breath that they prove the Holy Spirit is the breath of Christ's divinity, and from this conclude that He proceeds from the Son? But whichever of these they say, let them be silenced immediately and briefly: for the Lord, having breathed on them, did not say, 'receive *the* Spirit', but without the article, 'receive Holy Spirit', that is, some small part of the Spirit. It is clear then that He gave a partial energy of the Spirit through the breath, not His nature or hypostasis; for the nature and hypostasis of the divine Spirit is altogether indivisible. But why did He give what He gave by breathing on them? In order to show that His own energy and that of the divine Spirit are one; and from this to demonstrate their mutual connection, connaturality, and equal honor, just as Chrysostom the theologian says in writing, 'some indeed say that He did not give the Spirit, but prepared them to be fit for its reception through the breath. But one would not be wrong in saying that they then also received a certain spiritual authority and grace, so as to forgive sins. For this reason He added, 'whose sins you forgive are forgiven,' showing what kind of energy He gives; for the grace of the Spirit is ineffable and the gift is manifold. And this happens so that you may learn that the gift and the authority of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit are one'.

(p. 194) But that we may also answer them more thoroughly, if the Lord's breath was the Holy Spirit, then the very respiration which He used, through which the breath occurred, was the Holy Spirit. Therefore He did not become man as we are, but either in appearance, according to the fantasy of the Acephali, or even before dwelling among men He had a carnal nature constituted in this way from the beginning, according to the madness of Apollinarius; and did not the Lord Himself also say this in every way: 'the words that I speak are Spirit and are life'? But if they are Spirit, they are also Holy Spirit; for how could they not be? Therefore, according to the Italians' interpretation concerning the breath, the Spirit is also Logos and the Logos of God. What could be heard that is more novel than this? Or rather, logoi, and logoi of God; for the words are a multitude.

But it is necessary to note here as well, that not even now did He say, 'the words that I speak are *the* Spirit', but without the article, showing that these are not the hypostasis of the Spirit, but are filled with the energy of the divine Spirit and that the life-giving energy of the Spirit is supplied through them. And so when, having breathed on them, He said, 'receive Holy Spirit', He was saying this plainly, that this breath is filled with the divine Spirit's authority to loose and to bind.

To which now the Word and the sayings of the Lord are also proclaimed by us: 'for with my lips', he says, 'I have declared all the judgments of your mouth'. Does the Holy Spirit, then, proceed from us as well? But they are also searched out and studied and kept and practiced and understood, into which things the Spirit leads the one interpreting the things of the Spirit not through the Spirit, and how great also is the variety of the Lord's words: commandments, laws, testimonies, ordinances, judgments. 'And the word of the Lord came upon John the son of Zacharias', according to the divine evangelist Luke, (p. 196) and 'as the Lord spoke through His holy prophets to show mercy', Zacharias says, and 'the Word of the Lord came upon Jonah the son of Amittai', and 'the Word which came to Isaiah' and at another time upon another, and 'the Lord said to Moses' and to this one or that one and to as many as it is not now easy even to count.

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Ἆρ᾿ οὖν ὅτι ἐμφυσήσας εἶπε «λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον», τό ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τό ἐμφύσημα ἦν, ὡς ταὐτόν εἶναι τῷ διά σαρκός ἐμφυσήματι τό ἐκπόρευμα ἤ τῷ δεδόσθαι δι᾿ ἐμφυσήματος τεκμηριοῦνται καί τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ θεότητος ἐμφύσημα εἶναι τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον, κἀντεῦθεν παρά τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐκπορεύεσθαι συμπεραίνουσιν; Ἀλλ᾿ ὁπότερον τούτων λέγουσιν, ἐπιστομιζέσθωσαν αὐτόθεν πρῶτον διά βραχέων˙ οὐ γάρ ἐμφυσήσας εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, "λάβετε τό Πνεῦμα", ἀλλά χωρίς τοῦ ἄρθρου, "λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον", δηλαδή βραχύ τι τοῦ Πνεύματος. Σαφές οὖν ὡς μερικήν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνέργειαν διά τοῦ ἐμφυσήματρος ἔδωκεν, οὐκ αὐτοῦ τήν φύσιν ἤ τήν ὑπόστασιν˙ ἀμερής γάρ παντάπασιν ἡ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος φύσις τε καί ὑπόστασις. ∆ιά τί δέ ἐμφυσήσας ἔδωκεν, ὅπερ ἔδωκεν; Ἵνα δείξῃ μίαν οὖσαν ἑαυτοῦ καί τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος τήν ἐνέργειαν˙ κἀντεῦθεν ἀλλήλων, ἑαυτοῦ κἀκείνου, παραστήσῃ τό συναφές καί συμφυές καί ὁμότιμον, καθάπερ καί ὁ Χρυσόστομός φησι θεολόγος γράφων, «τινές μέν φασιν ὅτι οὐ τό Πνεῦμα ἔδωκεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπιτηδείους αὐτούς πρός ὑποδοχήν δι᾿ ἐμφυσήματος κατεσκεύασεν. Οὐκ ἄν δέ τις ἁμάρτοι καί τότε εἰληφέναι αὐτούς λέγων ἐξουσίαν τινά πνευματικήν καί χάριν, ὥστε ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτήματα. ∆ιό ἐπήγαγεν, 'ὧν ἄν ἀφῆτε ἀφέωνται, δεικνύς ποῖον εἶδος ἐνεργείας δίδωσι˙ καί γάρ ἄφατος ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις καί πολυειδής ἡ δωρεά. Τοῦτο δέ γίνεται, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι μία ἡ δωρεά καί ἡ ἐξουσία Πατρός καί Υἱοῦ καί ἁγίου Πνεύματος».

(σελ. 194) Ὥς ἄν δέ καί διεξοδικώτερον πρός αὐτούς ἀπαντήσωμεν, εἰ τό ἐμφύσημα τοῦ Κυρίου τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον ἦν, καί ἡ ἀναπνοή λοιπόν ᾗ ἐχρῆτο, δι᾿ ἧς καί τό ἐμφύσημα γέγονε, τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον ἦν. Οὐκοῦν οὐ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ᾿ ἤ φαντασίᾳ, κατά τήν φαντασίαν τῶν Ἀκεφάλων, ἤ καί πρίν ἀνθρώποις συναναστραφῆναι τήν σαρκώδη φύσιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶχεν οὕτω πως συνισταμένην, κατά τήν Ἀπολιναρίου ἄνοιαν˙ καί μή αὐτός ὁ Κύριος καί τοῦτ᾿ εἶπε πάντως˙ «τά ρήματα, ἅ ἐγώ λαλῶ, Πνεῦμά εἰσι καί ζωή εἰσι». Εἰ δέ Πνεῦμα εἰσι, καί Πνεῦμα ἅγιόν εἰσι˙ πῶς γάρ οὔ; Οὐκοῦν, κατά τήν Ἰταλῶν περί τοῦ ἐμφυσήματος ἑρμηνείαν, καί τό Πνεῦμα Λόγος καί Θεοῦ Λόγος. Οὗ τί ἄν ἀκουσθείη καινότερον; Μᾶλλον δέ λόγοι, καί Θεοῦ λόγοι˙ τά γάρ ρήματα, πλῆθος.

Ἐπιστῆσαι δέ κἀνταῦθα δέον, ὡς οὐδέ νῦν εἶπεν, ὅτι «τά ρήματα ἅ ἐγώ λαλῶ τό Πνεῦμά εἰσιν», ἀλλά χωρίς τοῦ ἄρθρου, δηλῶν μή τοῦ Πνεύματος τήν ὑπόστασιν εἶναι ταῦτα, τῆς δέ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας εἶναι πεπληρωμένα καί τήν ζωοποιόν τοῦ Πνεύματος δι᾿ αὐτῶν χορηγεῖσθαι ἐνέργειαν. Καί ἡνίκα τοίνυν ἐμφυσήσας εἶπε, "λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον", τοῦτ᾿ ἄντικρυς ἔφη, ὅτι τό ἐμφύσημα τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ λύειν καί δεσμεῖν ἐξουσίας τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος πεπληρωμένον ἐστί.

Πρός ὅ δέ νῦν ὁ Λόγος καί παρ᾿ ἡμῶν τά τοῦ Κυρίου ρήματα ἐξαγγέλλεται˙ «ἐν γάρ τοῖς χείλεσί μου», φησίν, «ἐξήγγειλα πάντα τά κρίματα τοῦ στόματός σου». Ἄρ᾿ οὖν καί ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐκπορεύεται τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον; Ἀλλά καί ἐξερευνῶνται καί μελετῶνται καί τηροῦνται καί πράττονται καί κατανοοῦνται, εἰς ὅσα κατάγει τό Πνεῦμα ὁ τά τοῦ Πνεύματος ἑρμηνεύων οὐ διά τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὅση δέ καί ἡ διαφορά τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου λόγων˙ ἐντολαί, νόμοι, μαρτύρια, δικαιώματα, κρίματα. «Καί ἐγένετο ρῆμα Κυρίου ἐπί Ἰωάννην τόν Ζαχαρίου», κατά τόν θεῖον εὐγγελιστήν Λουκᾶν, (σελ. 196) καί «καθώς ἐλάλησε Κύριος διά τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ προφητῶν ποιῆσαι ἔλεος», ὁ Ζαχαρίας φησί, καί «ἐπί Ἰωνᾶν τόν τοῦ Ἀμαθῆ Λόγος Κυρίου ἐγένετο», καί «ὁ Λόγος ὁ γενόμενος πρός Ἡσαΐαν» καί ἄλλοτ᾿ ἐπί ἄλλον, καί «εἶπε Κύριος πρός Μωϋσῆν» καί τόν δεῖνα ἤ τόν δεῖνα καί ἐφ᾿ ὅσους ἀρτίως οὐδέ ἀριθμῆσαι ρᾴδιον.