Chapter I.
1. Your desire for information, my right well-beloved and most deeply respected brother Amphilochius, I highly commend, and not less your industrious
2. If “To the fool on his asking for wisdom, wisdom shall be reckoned,” at how high a price shall we value “the wise hearer” who is quoted by the Prop
3. Lately when praying with the people, and using the full doxology to God the Father in both forms, at one time “ with the Son together with thr
Chapter II.
4. The petty exactitude of these men about syllables and words is not, as might be supposed, simple and straightforward nor is the mischief to which
Chapter III.
5. They have, however, been led into this error by their close study of heathen writers, who have respectively applied the terms “ of whom” and “ t
Chapter IV.
6. We acknowledge that the word of truth has in many places made use of these expressions yet we absolutely deny that the freedom of the Spirit is in
Chapter V.
7. After thus describing the outcome of our adversaries’ arguments, we shall now proceed to shew, as we have proposed, that the Father does not first
8. But if our adversaries oppose this our interpretation, what argument will save them from being caught in their own trap?
9. In his Epistle to the Ephesians the apostle says, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Chri
10. It must now be pointed out that the phrase “through whom” is admitted by Scripture in the case of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost
11. In the same manner it may also be said of the word “in,” that Scripture admits its use in the case of God the Father. In the Old Testament it is s
12. And it is not only in the case of the theology that the use of the terms varies, but whenever one of the terms takes the meaning of the other we f
Chapter VI.
13. Our opponents, while they thus artfully and perversely encounter our argument, cannot even have recourse to the plea of ignorance. It is obvious t
14. Let us first ask them this question: In what sense do they say that the Son is “after the Father ” later in time, or in order, or in dignity? But
15. If they really conceive of a kind of degradation of the Son in relation to the Father, as though He were in a lower place, so that the Father sits
Chapter VII.
16. But their contention is that to use the phrase “with him” is altogether strange and unusual, while “through him” is at once most familiar in Holy
Chapter VIII.
17. When, then, the apostle “thanks God through Jesus Christ,” and again says that “through Him” we have “received grace and apostleship for obedience
18. For “through Him” comes every succour to our souls, and it is in accordance with each kind of care that an appropriate title has been devised. So
19. It will follow that we should next in order point out the character of the provision of blessings bestowed on us by the Father “through him.” Inas
20. When then He says, “I have not spoken of myself,” and again, “As the Father said unto me, so I speak,”
21. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father not the express image, nor yet the form, for the divine nature does not admit of combination but the
Chapter IX.
22. Let us now investigate what are our common conceptions concerning the Spirit, as well those which have been gathered by us from Holy Scripture con
23. Now the Spirit is not brought into intimate association with the soul by local approximation. How indeed could there be a corporeal approach to th
Chapter X.
24. But we must proceed to attack our opponents, in the endeavour to confute those “oppositions” advanced against us which are derived from “knowledge
25. But all the apparatus of war has been got ready against us every intellectual missile is aimed at us and now blasphemers’ tongues shoot and hit
26. Whence is it that we are Christians? Through our faith, would be the universal answer. And in what way are we saved? Plainly because we were regen
Chapter XI.
27. “Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow?” For whom is distress and darkness? For whom eternal doom? Is it not for the transgressors? For them that deny the
Chapter XII.
28. Let no one be misled by the fact of the apostle’s frequently omitting the name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit when making mention of baptism
Chapter XIII.
29. It is, however, objected that other beings which are enumerated with the Father and the Son are certainly not always glorified together with them.
30. And not only Paul, but generally all those to whom is committed any ministry of the word, never cease from testifying, but call heaven and earth t
Chapter XIV.
31. But even if some are baptized unto the Spirit, it is not, it is urged, on this account right for the Spirit to be ranked with God. Some “were bapt
32. What then? Because they were typically baptized unto Moses, is the grace of baptism therefore small? Were it so, and if we were in each case to pr
33. But belief in Moses not only does not show our belief in the Spirit to be worthless, but, if we adopt our opponents’ line of argument, it rather w
Chapter XV.
34. What more? Verily, our opponents are well equipped with arguments. We are baptized, they urge, into water, and of course we shall not honour the w
35. The dispensation of our God and Saviour concerning man is a recall from the fall and a return from the alienation caused by disobedience to close
36. Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our ascension into the kingdom of heaven, our return to the adoption of sons, our liber
Chapter XVI.
37. Let us then revert to the point raised from the outset, that in all things the Holy Spirit is inseparable and wholly incapable of being parted fro
38. Moreover, from the things created at the beginning may be learnt the fellowship of the Spirit with the Father and the Son. The pure, intelligent,
39. But when we speak of the dispensations made for man by our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who will gainsay their having been accomplished thr
40. Moreover by any one who carefully uses his reason it will be found that even at the moment of the expected appearance of the Lord from heaven the
Chapter XVII.
41. What, however, they call sub-numeration, and in what sense they use this word, cannot even be imagined without difficulty. It is well known that i
42. What is it that they maintain? Look at the terms of their imposture. “We assert that connumeration is appropriate to subjects of equal dignity, an
43. Do you maintain that the Son is numbered under the Father, and the Spirit under the Son, or do you confine your sub-numeration to the Spirit alone
Chapter XVIII.
44. In delivering the formula of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, our Lord did not connect the gift with number. He did not say “into First, S
45. For we do not count by way of addition, gradually making increase from unity to multitude, and saying one, two, and three,—nor yet first, second,
46. And it is not from this source alone that our proofs of the natural communion are derived, but from the fact that He is moreover said to be “of Go
47. And when, by means of the power that enlightens us, we fix our eyes on the beauty of the image of the invisible God, and through the image are led
Chapter XIX.
48. “Be it so,” it is rejoined, “but glory is by no means so absolutely due to the Spirit as to require His exaltation by us in doxologies.” Whence th
49. And His operations, what are they? For majesty ineffable, and for numbers innumerable. How shall we form a conception of what extends beyond the a
50. But, it is said that “He maketh intercession for us.” It follows then that, as the suppliant is inferior to the benefactor, so far is the Spirit i
Chapter XX.
51. He is not a slave, it is said not a master, but free. Oh the terrible insensibility, the pitiable audacity, of them that maintain this! Shall I r
Chapter XXI.
52. But why get an unfair victory for our argument by fighting over these undignified questions, when it is within our power to prove that the excelle
Chapter XXII.
53. Moreover the surpassing excellence of the nature of the Spirit is to be learned not only from His having the same title as the Father and the Son,
Chapter XXIII.
54. Now of the rest of the Powers each is believed to be in a circumscribed place. The angel who stood by Cornelius
Chapter XXIV.
55. Furthermore man is “crowned with glory and honour,” and “glory, honour and peace” are laid up by promise “to every man that worketh good.”
56. Let us then examine the points one by one. He is good by nature, in the same way as the Father is good, and the Son is good the creature on the o
57. Now it is urged that the Spirit is in us as a gift from God, and that the gift is not reverenced with the same honour as that which is attributed
Chapter XXV.
58. It is, however, asked by our opponents, how it is that Scripture nowhere describes the Spirit as glorified together with the Father and the Son, b
59. As we find both expressions in use among the faithful, we use both in the belief that full glory is equally given to the Spirit by both. The mout
60. As compared with “ in ,” there is this difference, that while “ with in with in and in in
Chapter XXVI.
61. Now, short and simple as this utterance is, it appears to me, as I consider it, that its meanings are many and various. For of the senses in which
62. It is an extraordinary statement, but it is none the less true, that the Spirit is frequently spoken of as the place of them that are being sanc
63. In relation to the originate, then, the Spirit is said to be in be in be with with in with in
64. Another sense may however be given to the phrase, that just as the Father is seen in the Son, so is the Son in the Spirit. The “worship in the Spi
Chapter XXVII.
65. The word “ in, ” say our opponents, “is exactly appropriate to the Spirit, and sufficient for every thought concerning Him. Why then, they ask,
66. Of the beliefs and practices whether generally accepted or publicly enjoined which are preserved in the Church first one
67. Time will fail me if I attempt to recount the unwritten mysteries of the Church. Of the rest I say nothing but of the very confession of our fait
68. The force of both expressions has now been explained. I will proceed to state once more wherein they agree and wherein they differ from one anothe
Chapter XXVIII.
69. But let us see if we can bethink us of any defence of this usage of our fathers for they who first originated the expression are more open to bla
70. I am ashamed to add the rest. You expect to be glorified together with Christ (“if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified to
Chapter XXIX.
71. In answer to the objection that the doxology in the form “with the Spirit” has no written authority, we maintain that if there is no other instanc
72. There is the famous Irenæus, and Clement of Rome in with carnal
73. Origen, too, in many of his expositions of the Psalms, we find using the form of doxology “ with the Holy Ghost.” The opinions which he held con
74. But where shall I rank the great Gregory, and the words uttered by him? Shall we not place among Apostles and Prophets a man who walked by the sam
75. How then can I be an innovator and creator of new terms, when I adduce as originators and champions of the word whole nations, cities, custom goin
Chapter XXX.
76. To what then shall I liken our present condition? It may be compared, I think, to some naval battle which has arisen out of time old quarrels, and
77. Turn now I beg you from this figurative description to the unhappy reality. Did it not at one time appear that the Arian schism, after its separat
78. So, since no human voice is strong enough to be heard in such a disturbance, I reckon silence more profitable than speech, for if there is any tru
79. For all these reasons I ought to have kept silence, but I was drawn in the other direction by love, which “seeketh not her own,” and desires to ov
70. I am ashamed to add the rest. You expect to be glorified together with Christ; (“if so be that we suffer with him that
we may be also glorified together;”
14
Rom. viii. 17.
) but you do not glorify the “Spirit of holiness”
15
Rom. i. 4.
together with Christ, as though He were not worthy to receive equal honour even with you. You hope to “reign with”
16
2 Tim. ii. 12.
Christ; but you “do despite unto the Spirit of grace”
17
Heb. x. 29.
by assigning Him the rank of a slave and a subordinate. And I say this not to demonstrate that so much is due to the Spirit
in the ascription of glory, but to prove the unfairness of those who will not ever give so much as this, and shrink from the
fellowship of the Spirit with Son and Father as from impiety. Who could touch on these things without a sigh?
18
cf. Verg., Æn. ii. Quis talia fando…temperet a lacrymis?
Is it not so plain as to be within the perception even of a child that this present state of things preludes the threatened
eclipse of the faith? The undeniable has become the uncertain. We profess belief in the Spirit, and then we quarrel with our
own confessions. We are baptized, and begin to fight again. We call upon Him as the Prince of Life, and then despise Him as
a slave like ourselves. We received Him with the Father and the Son, and we dishonour Him as a part of creation. Those who
“know not what they ought to pray for,”
19
Rom. viii. 26.
even though they be induced to utter a word of the Spirit with awe, as though coming near His dignity, yet prune down all
that exceeds the exact proportion of their speech. They ought rather to bewail their weakness, in that we are powerless to
express in words our gratitude for the benefits which we are actually receiving; for He “passes all understanding,”
20
Phil. iv. 7.
and convicts speech of its natural inability even to approach His dignity in the least degree; as it is written in the Book
of Wisdom,
21
i.e. of Jesus the Son of Sirach, or Ecclus. xliii. 30.
“Exalt Him as much as you can, for even yet will He far exceed; and when you exalt Him put forth all your strength, and be
not weary, for you can never go far enough.” Verily terrible is the account to be given for words of this kind by you who
have heard from God who cannot lie that for blasphemy against the Holy Ghost there is no forgiveness.
22
Luke xii. 10.
18 cf. Verg., Æn. ii. Quis talia fando…temperet a lacrymis?
21 i.e. of Jesus the Son of Sirach, or Ecclus. xliii. 30.
[70] Αἰσχύνομαι ἐπαγαγεῖν τὰ λειπόμενα, ὅτι σὺ μὲν συνδοξασθήσεσθαι Χριστῷ προσδοκᾷς_«εἴπερ γὰρ συμπάσχομεν ἵνα καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν»_,
τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἁγιωσύνης οὐ συνδοξάζεις Χριστῷ, ὡς οὐδὲ σοὶ τῶν ἴσων τυγχάνειν ἄξιον. Καὶ σὺ μὲν ἐλπίζεις συμβασιλεύειν,
τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος ἐνυβρίζεις, τὴν δούλου αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπηρέτου τάξιν ἀποκληρῶν. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα τοσοῦτον δείξω
ὀφειλόμενον εἶναι εἰς δοξολογίαν τῷ Πνεύματι: ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην ἐλέγξω τῶν μηδὲ τοσοῦτον διδόντων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀσέβειαν
φευγόντων τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος πρὸς Υἱὸν καὶ Πατέρα κοινωνίαν τῆς δόξης. Τίς δύναται ταῦτα ἀστενακτὶ παρελθεῖν; Ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ προδήλως,
ὥστε κἂν παιδὶ γενέσθαι γνώριμον, τὴν ἀπειληθεῖσαν τῆς πίστεως ἔκλειψιν προοιμιάζονται τὰ παρόντα; Ἀμφίβολα γέγονε τὰ ἀναντίρρητα.
Πιστεύομεν εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα: καὶ ταῖς ἡμετέραις αὐτῶν ὁμολογίαις ζυγομαχοῦμεν. Βαπτιζόμεθα: καὶ πάλιν μαχόμεθα. Ὡς ἀρχηγὸν τῆς
ζωῆς ἐπικαλούμεθα: καὶ ὡς ὁμοδούλου καταφρονοῦμεν. Μετὰ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ παρελάβομεν: καὶ ὡς μέρος τῆς κτίσεως ἀτιμάζομεν.
Οἱ δὲ τί προσεύξονται μὴ εἰδότες, ἐάν τι καὶ φθέγξασθαι σεμνὸν περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος προαχθῶσιν, ὡς ἐφικνούμενοι τῆς ἀξίας, κολάζουσι
τοῦ λόγου τὸ ὑπερπίπτον τὴν συμμετρίαν. Οὓς ἐχρῆν ὀδύρεσθαι τὴν ἀσθένειαν: ὅτι ὧν ἔργῳ πάσχομεν, λόγοις ἀντιπληροῦν τὴν χάριν
οὐκ ἐξαρκοῦμεν. Ὑπερέχει γὰρ πάντα νοῦν, καὶ λόγου φύσιν ἐλέγχει, οὐδὲ πολλοστῷ μέρει τῆς ἀξίας παρισουμένην, κατὰ τὸν λόγον
τῆς ἐπιγραφομένης Σοφίας: «Ὑψώσατε γάρ, φησί, καθόσον ἂν δύνησθε: ὑπερέχει γὰρ καὶ ἔτι: καὶ ὑψοῦντες αὐτὸν πληθύνατε. Μὴ κοπιᾶτε:
οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἐφίκησθε.» Ἦ που φοβεραὶ ὑμῖν αἱ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοιούτων λόγων εὔθυναι τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς ἀκηκοόσι Θεοῦ, ἀσυγχώρητον
εἶναι τὴν εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον βλασφημίαν.
