Athanasius of Alexandria, Letters to Serapion concerning the Holy Spirit

1. I have read the letter which your Piety has now written; and the shamelessness of the heretics filled me with such amazement that I came to the conclusion nothing can so appropriately be said of them as what the Apostle enjoined: ‘A man that is heretical after a first and second admonition refuse; knowing that such a one is perverted and sins self-condemned.’ For, having a warped mind, he does not inquire that he may hear and be persuaded, or that he may learn and repent, but just because of those whom he has deceived; lest, keeping silent, he should be condemned by them also. What we have already said would have sufficed. It would have sufficed had they, after receiving such proofs, desisted from their evil speech against the Holy Spirit. But they were not satisfied. Once more they indulge their shamelessness, to show that, having trained themselves to fight with the Word, they are now fighting with the Spirit, and will soon be dead in unreason. For if we should answer their present questions, none the less will they be ‘inventors of evil things’; only that seeking they may not find, and hearing they may not understand. Their wise questions run like this. If the Holy Spirit is not a creature, then, say they, he is a son, and the Word and he are two brothers. Then, as you write, they add, If the Spirit ‘shall take of’ the Son and is given from him, (for so it is written)—they go on directly, Then the Father is a grandfather and the Spirit is His grandson.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ ΣΕΡΑΠΙΩΝΑ ΟΜΟΙΩΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΠΝΕΥΜΑΤΟΣ.
Ἐνέτυχον καὶ τῇ νῦν γραφείσῃ παρὰ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας ἐπιστολῇ, καὶ πάνυ θαυμάσας τὴν ἀναίδειαν τῶν αἱρετικῶν, συνεῖδον, ὡς οὐδὲν οὕτως ἁρμόζει περὶ αὐ τῶν εἰπεῖν ἢ τὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου παράγγελμα· «Αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς, ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος, καὶ ἁμαρτάνει ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος.» ∆ιεστραμμένην γὰρ ἔχων τὴν διάνοιαν, οὐχ ἵν' ἀκούσας πεισθῇ, οὐδ' ἵνα μαθὼν μεταγνῷ, πυνθάνεται, ἀλλ' ἕνεκά γε τῶν ἀπα τηθέντων παρ' αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἄρα σιωπήσας καταγνωσθῇ καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν. Ἤρκει οὖν τὰ προειρημένα· ἤρκει, τοσαύτας ἀποδείξεις λαβόντας αὐτοὺς, παύσασθαι τῆς κατὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος δυσφημίας. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠρκέσθησαν· πάλιν δὲ ἀναιδεύονται, ἵνα δείξωσιν, ὅτι λογομαχεῖν μελετήσαντες, καὶ λοιπὸν Πνευματομαχοῦντες, ἔσονται μετ' ὀλίγον νεκροὶ τῇ ἀλογίᾳ. Ἀμέλει κἂν ἀποκρίνηταί τις καὶ πρὸς τὰς νῦν αὐτῶν ἐρω τήσεις, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐφευρεταὶ κακῶν ἔσονται· μόνον ἵνα ζητοῦντες μὴ εὕρωσιν, ἢ ἀκούσαντες μὴ νοή σωσιν. Οἷαι δὲ αὐτῶν αἱ σοφαὶ ἐρωτήσεις; Εἰ οὐκ ἔστι κτίσμα τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, οὐκοῦν, φασὶν, Υἱός ἐστι, καὶ ἀδελφοὶ δύο ὁ Λόγος καὶ αὐτός. Εἶτα ἐπιλέγουσιν, ὡς γράφεις· Εἰ ἐκ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λήψεται τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ δίδοται (οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται), εὐθὺς ἐπάγουσιν· Οὐκοῦν πάππος ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ ἔκγονόν ἐστιν αὐτοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα.