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to proceed." Since the accursed Porphyry, being inwardly disturbed and damaged in his power of insight, 39.761 and being incapable of the most perfect theology, inasmuch as he did not make the present exposition according to his own desirous and wandering impulse, faintly called the one and saving Holy Spirit of God "soul"; not, however, that of man, but that which has pervaded the whole world. You have, therefore, even the wise men from without testifying that the three blessed hypostases are in one Godhead, and did not appear at different times; but when the first was, then with it and from it the other and the other co-eternally, as the radiance to the fire. Let something also be set down from our own writers according to natural reason, testifying to the unoriginate procession and to the consubstantiality of the one divine Spirit with the only-begotten God the Word. And it is this: a Word is not begotten, or does not appear, without the Spirit rushing forth and proceeding together with it. There are many such sayings from Greek books, and they are not to be rejected; but others more congenial and more particular than those transcribed here will be brought forward by us hereafter, if God so wills. For I and mine, as those know who have shared with me in these daily gatherings in memory of the unoriginate and ever-same and self-consistent blessed Trinity, who ever gives good things, but does not take away, nor reproach, 39.764 there is no time when I have ceased, or rather, in its most holy name let all things be said, and done, and deliberated in silence, providing everything for myself and for my own—for she, being the cause of all things, needs nothing, except for our benefit—worshipping and glorifying, and, according to the power that is in me, praising her; or did I not say that those who do not endeavor to learn or to teach something wise about her are much wronged by themselves? And now, believing as is my custom that those things alone are firm and sure which she precedes, raising the eyes of my mind along with my body, I beseech for myself and for those from me, and for those who are and shall be from them, and yet also for all, obeying the Savior Christ who exhorted us to pray for one another, saying what he who prays in the 70th psalm says: "In you, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me, and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me. Be to me a defending God, and a strong place to save me; for you are my firm foundation and my refuge. My God, deliver me from the hand of the sinner, from the hand of the lawless and the unjust; for you are my patience, O Lord, Lord, my hope from my youth. On you I have been supported from the womb, from my mother’s belly you are my protector. In you is my praise continually. I have become as a wonder to many, and you, O Lord, are my mighty helper. Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may hymn your glory, all the day long your magnificence. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me." For thus, for your sake, O most good and all-powerful Trinity, who have nothing opposing you in your will to have mercy even on us sinners, from whom and by whom is every good thing, and in whom is always the entire hope of all, and after whom is utterly nothing, may we be delivered from our sins both 39.765 of soul and body, in knowledge and in ignorance, in word and in deed, here and "when you prevail in your judging" the secret things of men, and from the burdensome things in the world, and from the demon who always envies the good and stands against them, and from every wicked and unclean spirit, and from the good-hating Antichrist, whose time, full of dreadful agony, as events prove, has already drawn near; so that no one, neither of those now, nor of those found then, may perish. Thus may every evil be removed, and both public and private affairs be administered well and peacefully, according to your ungrudging and soul-loving will; and henceforth desirable and

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προελθεῖν." Ὡς τὸ ἔνδον τεθολωμένος καὶ βεβλαμμένος διορατι 39.761 κὸν ὁ ἐπάρατος Πορφύριος, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τελεωτάτην ἀδυνατῶν θεολογίαν, ἅτε μήτε κατ' ἐπιθυμητικὴν καὶ φοιτικὴν αὐτοῦ ὁρμὴν, τὴν παροῦσαν ποιούμενος ἐξήγησιν, ἀμυδρῶς τὸ ἓν καὶ σωστικὸν ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ψυχὴν προσηγόρευσεν· οὐ τὴν ἀνθρώπου δὲ ὅμως, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῷ παντὶ διαπεφοιτηκυῖαν κόσμῳ. Ἔχεις οὖν καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἔξω σοφοὺς μαρτυροῦντας, ὡς αἱ τρεῖς μακάριαι ὑποστάσεις ἐν μιᾷ θεότητι, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλοτε καὶ ἄλλοτε ἐξεφάνησαν· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἡ πρώτη, τότε σὺν αὐτῇ ἅμα καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς καὶ ἡ ἄλλη καὶ ἡ ἑτέρα συναϊδίως, ὡς τὸ ἀπαύγασμα τῷ πυρί. Κείσθω δέ τι κατὰ φυσικὸν λόγον καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων μαρτυροῦν τῇ ἀνάρχῳ ἐκπορεύσει, καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν μονογενῆ Θεὸν Λόγον ὁμοουσιότητι τοῦ θεϊκοῦ ἑνὸς Πνεύματος. Ἔστιν δὲ τοῦτο· Λόγος οὐ γεννᾶται, ἢ ἐκφαίνεται, μὴ συνορμῶντος καὶ συμπροερχομένου ἅμα αὐτῷ Πνεύματος. Πολλοὶ δὲ τοιοῦτοι ἐξ Ἑλληνικῶν βίβλων λόγοι, καὶ οὐκ ἀπόβλητοι· ἀλλ' ἔτι τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐνταῦθα συμφυέστεροι καὶ ἰδιώτεροι ἐπὶ πλέον εἰσαῦθις, ἐὰν τῷ Θεῷ δοκῇ, εἰς μέσον προενεχθήσονται πρὸς ἡμῶν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἐμοὶ, ὡς ἴσασιν οἱ μνήμης μοι τῆς περὶ τὴν ἄναρχον καὶ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως καὶ κατὰ ταυτὰ ἔχουσαν μακαρίαν Τριάδα, τῆς διδούσης ἀεὶ καλὰ, οὐκ ἀφαιρουμένης δὲ, οὐδ' ὀνειδιζούσης, ἐν ταῖς παρ' ἡμέραν ταύταις συνουσίαις κοινωνήσαν 39.764 τες, οὐκ ἔστιν ὅτε, ἢ ἐπαυσάμην, ἢ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι δὲ αὐτῆς τῷ παναγίῳ πάντα λεγέσθω, καὶ πραττέσθω, καὶ σιγῇ βουλευέσθω ἐμαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ παρέχων τὸ πᾶν χρῄζει γὰρ αὕτη, πάντων αἰτία οὖσα, οὐδενὸς, εἰ μὴ τῆς ἡμῶν ὠφελείας, προσκυνῶν τε καὶ δοξάζων, καὶ πρὸς δύναμιν τὴν οὖσάν μοι ἐγκωμιάζων αὐτήν· ἢ οὐ πολλὰ ἔφην ἀδικεῖσθαι πρὸς ἑαυτῶν τοὺς μὴ σπουδάζοντας σοφόν τι περὶ αὐτῆς, ἢ μαθεῖν, ἢ διδάξαι. Καὶ νῦν δὲ συνήθως πιστεύων, ὡς σταθερὰ καὶ βέβαια ἐκεῖνά ἐστιν μόνα, ὧν προηγεῖται αὔτη, ἀνατείνων σὺν τῷ σώματι τῆς διανοίας τὰ ὄμματα, λίσσομαι ὑπέρ τε ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἐμοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὄντων τε καὶ ἐσομένων, ἔτι μὴν καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων, πειθόμενος τῷ παρακελευσαμένῳ Σωτῆρι Χριστῷ εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, λέγων, ἃπερ ὁ ἐν οʹ ψαλμῷ προσευχόμενος· "Ἐπὶ σοὶ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα· μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ῥῦσαί με, καὶ ἐξελοῦ με· κλῖνον πρὸς μὲ τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ σῶσόν με. Γενοῦ μοι εἰς Θεὸν ὑπερασπιστὴν, καὶ εἰς τόπον ὀχυρὸν, τοῦ σῶσαί με· ὅτι στερέωμά μου καὶ καταφυγή μου εἶ σύ. Ὁ Θεός μου, ῥῦσαί με ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐκ χειρὸς παρανομοῦντος καὶ ἀδικοῦντος· ὅτι σὺ εἶ ἡ ὑπομονή μου, Κύριε, Κύριε, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐκ νεότητός μου. Ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπεστηρίχθην ἀπὸ γαστρὸς, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου σύ μου εἶ σκεπαστής. Ἐν σοὶ ἡ ὕμνησίς μου διαπαντός. Ὡσεὶ τέρας ἐγενήθην τοῖς πολλοῖς, καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, βοηθός μου κραταιός. Πληρωθήτω τὸ στόμα μου αἰνέσεως, ὅπως ἀνυμνήσω τὴν δόξαν σου, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειάν σου. Μὴ ἀποῤῥίψῃς με εἰς καιρὸν γήρους· ἐν τῷ ἐκλείπειν τὴν ἰσχύν μου μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς με." Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν, σοῦ ἕνεκα, τῆς οὐκ ἐχούσης τὸ ἀντιτασσόμενόν σοι, ἐν τῷ βουλεύεσθαι ἐλεεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἡμᾶς, ἀγαθωτάτη καὶ παναλκεστάτη Τριὰς, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ παρ' ἧς πᾶν ἀγαθὸν, καὶ εἰς ἣν πάντων πᾶσα πάντοτε ἐλπὶς, καὶ μεθ' ἣν παντελῶς οὐδὲν, ῥυσθείημεν τῶν τε 39.765 ἡμαρτημένων ἡμῖν ψυχικῶν καὶ σωματικῶν ἐν γνώσει καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ, ἐν λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ, ὧδε καὶ "ὅτε νικᾷς ἐν τῷ κρίνειν" τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τῶν τε ἐν κόσμῳ ἐπαχθῶν, καὶ τοῦ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀεὶ φθονοῦντος καὶ ἐναντίου ἱσταμένου δαίμονος, καὶ παντὸς πνεύματος πονηροῦ καὶ ἀκαθάρτου, καὶ τοῦ μισοκάλου Ἀντιχρίστου, οὗτινος, ὡς τεκμηριοῖ τὰ πράγματα, ὁ ἀγωνίας δεινῆς γέμων χρόνος ἤγγικεν ἤδη· ὥστε μηδένα, μὴ τῶν νῦν, μὴ τῶν τότε εὑρισκομένων ἀπολέσθαι. Οὕτως ἂν πᾶν κακὸν ἐκποδὼν γένηται, διοικηθείη τε καλῶς καὶ ἡσύχως, κατὰ τὸ σὸν ἄφθονον καὶ φιλόψυχον θέλημα, τά τε κοινὰ, τά τε ἰδιωτικὰ πράγματα· καὶ αἱρετὴ λοιπὸν καὶ