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and to abide in the unfeigned faith of the many, but with certain artful and sophisticated arguments again to pervert the truth to his own opinion, he has sufficiently shown from what he has said. For dishonoring the opinion of the many, in which they glorify the Holy Spirit, he pretends to keep the teaching of the saints, and keeps silent about those who handed this down to him, and now, he has been shown to be doing the very things he did in his discourses concerning the Only-begotten. Then he says that he has learned from the saints that it is third in rank and in dignity, but that he has believed from himself that it is also third in nature. But who the saints are, and in what discourses they have made this teaching, he cannot say. Has the man become so bold, introducing innovations concerning the divine dogmas? For what necessity is there, if the Spirit is 29.656 third in dignity and in rank, for it to be third in nature as well? For the argument of piety perhaps hands down that it is second to the Son in dignity; but that it has a third nature, we have been taught neither from the Holy Scriptures, nor is it possible to deduce it as a consequence from what has been said before. For just as the Son is second in rank to the Father, because He is from Him; and in dignity, because He is the beginning and cause, by being His father, and because through Him is the access and approach to God the Father; but He is no longer second in nature, because the Godhead in each is one; so evidently also the Holy Spirit, even if it is subordinate to the Son in both rank and dignity (so that we may concede this entirely), would not reasonably follow, as being of an alien nature, is clear from that. All angels, just as they have one name, so also they certainly have the same nature as one another; but nevertheless some of them are set over nations, while others attend each one of the faithful. However, by as much as a whole nation is more honorable than one man, by so much must the dignity of the nation-ruling angel be greater than that of the one entrusted with the protection of each individual. But that an angel is with each of the faithful, like some tutor and shepherd directing his life, no one will deny, remembering the words of the Lord, who said: Do not despise one of these little ones, for their angels 29.657 always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. And the Psalmist says: The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him; and, The angel who has redeemed me from my youth; and all such things. But that again there are some angels presiding over whole nations, Moses teaches us through the song, saying: When the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of his angels. And the wise Daniel in the vision of the angel heard him saying that, The prince of the kingdom of the Persians stood opposite me; and behold, Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the king of the Persians. And after a little, the same one says: And the prince of the Greeks was coming. But a certain commander of the host of the Lord is also mentioned, the one who appeared to Joshua the son of Nun at the Jordan. And again, some are called legions of angels, as the Lord said to his disciples: Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? Therefore the commander is evidently the ruler of the angels arranged in legions. To what then does our argument lead? That not in every case, if something is second and third in rank and in dignity, does this also have a different nature. For as with the angels, one of them is a ruler, and another a subject, but nevertheless all are angels by nature; and the difference is according to dignity, but the communion is according to nature (for Star differs from star in glory; but the nature of all stars is one; and there are many mansions with the Father, that is, differences of dignities; but the nature of those who are glorified is similar); so evidently also the Holy Spirit, even if

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καὶ ἀνεπιτηδεύτῳ πίστει τῶν πολλῶν ἐμμένειν, ἀλλὰ τεχνικοῖς τισι καὶ σεσοφισμένοις λόγοις πάλιν πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἑαυτῷ παρακρούεσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἱκα νῶς ἐξ ὧν εἶπεν ἐδήλωσεν. Ἀτιμάζων γὰρ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν δόξαν, ᾗ δοξάζουσι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, προσ ποιεῖται τὴν τῶν ἁγίων φυλάσσειν διδασκαλίαν, καὶ τοὺς ταύτην αὐτῷ παραδεδωκότας ἀποσιωπᾷ, καὶ νῦν, ἅπερ κἀν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς λόγοις ποιῶν ἀπεδείχθη. Εἶτά φησι παρὰ μὲν τῶν ἁγίων μεμαθη κέναι τὸ τρίτον εἶναι τῇ τάξει καὶ τῷ ἀξιώματι, παρ' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ πεπιστευκέναι τὸ καὶ τρίτον εἶναι τῇ φύσει. Τίνες δὲ οἱ ἅγιοι, καὶ ἐν ποίοις λόγοις τὴν δι δασκαλίαν πεποίηνται, εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχει. Ἆρα γέγονεν οὕτω τολμηρὸς ἄνθρωπος, τὰς περὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων καινοτομίας εἰσηγούμενος; Τίς γὰρ ἀνάγκη, εἰ τῷ ἀξιώματι καὶ τῇ τάξει τρίτον ὑπάρ 29.656 χει τὸ Πνεῦμα, τρίτον εἶναι αὐτὸ καὶ τῇ φύσει; Ἀξιώματι μὲν γὰρ δευτερεύειν τοῦ Υἱοῦ παραδίδω σιν ἴσως ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας λόγος· φύσει δὲ τρίτῃ χρῆσθαι, οὔτε παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων Γραφῶν δεδιδάγμεθα, οὔτε ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον δυνατὸν συλλογίσασθαι. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ Υἱὸς τάξει μὲν, δεύτερος τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὅτι ἀπ' ἐκείνου· καὶ ἀξιώ ματι, ὅτι ἀρχὴ καὶ αἰτία, τῷ εἶναι αὐτοῦ πατέρα, καὶ ὅτι δι' αὐτοῦ ἡ πρόσοδος καὶ προσ αγωγὴ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα· φύσει δὲ οὐκέτι δεύτερος, διότι ἡ θεότης ἐν ἑκατέρῳ μία· οὕτω δη λονότι καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, εἰ καὶ ὑποβέβηκε τὸν Υἱὸν τῇ τε τάξει καὶ τῷ ἀξιώματι (ἵνα καὶ ὅλως συγ χωρήσωμεν, οὐκέτ' ἂν εἰκότως, ὡς ἀλλοτρίας ὑπάρχον φύσεως, ἀκολουθεῖν, ἐκεῖθεν δῆλον. Ἄγγε λοι πάντες ὥσπερ προσηγορίας μιᾶς, οὕτω καὶ φύ σεως πάντως τῆς αὐτῆς ἀλλήλοις τυγχάνουσιν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἐθνῶν προεστήκασιν, οἱ δὲ ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν πιστῶν εἰσι παρεπόμενοι. Ὅσῳ μέντοι προτιμότερον ἔθνος ὅλον ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς, τοσούτῳ δήπου μεῖζον ὑπάρχειν ἀνάγκη ἀξίωμα τοῦ ἐθνάρχου ἀγγέ λου παρὰ τὸ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τὴν προστασίαν πεπι στευμένου. Τὸ δὲ συνεῖναι ἑκάστῳ τῶν πιστῶν ἄγγελον, οἷον παιδαγωγόν τινα καὶ νομέα τὴν ζωὴν διευθύνοντα, οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ, μεμνημένος τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου λόγων, εἰπόντος· Μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν ἐλαχίστων τούτων, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ 29.657 παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ ὁ Ψαλμῳδός φησι· Παρ εμβαλεῖ ἄγγελος Κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν· καὶ, Ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ῥυσάμενός με ἐκ νεότητός μου· καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Ὅτι δὲ πάλιν εἰσί τινες ἄγγελοι καὶ ὅλων ἐθνῶν προεστῶτες, Μωσῆς ἡμᾶς διδάσκει διὰ τῆς ᾠδῆς λέγων· Ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδὰμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων αὐ τοῦ. Καὶ ὁ σοφὸς ∆ανιὴλ ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ὀπτασίᾳ ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ὅτι, Ἄρχων βασιλείας Περ σῶν εἱστήκει ἐξεναντίας μου· καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαὴλ εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν πρώτων ἦλθε βοηθῆσαί μοι, καὶ αὐτὸν κατέλιπον ἐκεῖ μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος βασιλέως Περσῶν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα φησὶν ὁ αὐτός· Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἤρχετο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρχιστράτηγός τις τῆς δυνάμεως Κυρίου λέ γεται, ὁ Ἰησοῦ τῷ τοῦ Ναυῆ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου φανεωθείς. Καὶ πάλιν τινὲς λέγονται λεγεῶνες τῶν ἀγγέ λων, τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος τοῖς μαθηταῖς· Ἢ δοκεῖ τε ὅτι οὐ δύναμαι παρακαλέσαι τὸν Πατέρα μου, καὶ παραστήσει μοι ὧδε πλείους ἢ δώδεκα λεγεῶνας ἀγγέλων; Ὁ τοίνυν ἀρχιστράτηγος τῶν ἐν ταῖς λεγεῶσι κατατεταγμένων ἀγγέλων ἄρχων ἐστὶ δηλονότι. Πρὸς τί οὖν ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν φέρει; Ὅτι οὐ πάν τως, εἴ τι τῇ τάξει καὶ τῷ ἀξιώματι δεύτερόν ἐστι καὶ τρίτον, τοῦτο καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἑτέραν ἔχει. Ὡς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων ὁ μέν τις αὐτῶν ἄρχων, ὁ δὲ ὑπ ήκοος, ἄγγελοι δὲ ὅμως τῇ φύσει πάντες· καὶ κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἀξίωμα ἡ διαφορὰ, κατὰ δὲ τὴν φύσιν ἡ κοι νωνία (καὶ γὰρ Ἀστὴρ ἀστέρος διαφέρει ἐν δόξῃ· φύσις δὲ πάντων ἀστέρων μία· καὶ πολλαὶ μοναὶ πα ρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ, τουτέστιν, ἀξιωμάτων διαφοραί· φύ σις δὲ ὁμοία τῶν δοξαζομένων)· οὕτω δηλονότι καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, εἰ καὶ