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“and the angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, he has kept in eternal bonds under deep darkness for the judgment of the great day.” But the corporeal, rational creation admits of alteration; in respect of state, as Judas, having lost his sanctification; and as Paul writes: “But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead while she lives;” although still living her life among men; but in respect of substance, as first ceasing to be, and then changing into immortality. “For,” he says, “this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” But the non-rational creation undergoes change and ceases to be; as when it was prophesied of the light changing into darkness and of water into blood; “This is the change of the right hand of the Most High;” and elsewhere: “Heaven,” he says, “and earth will pass away.” For it was prophesied that there will be new heavens and a new earth. For it is true that everything that has received a beginning also has an end. But the Holy Spirit, being of the ineffable and all-ruling eternal and incorruptible nature, and always being in the same state and according to the same things; and alone knowing and doing the things of God; and being the guardian of all, both of rational beings and those perfect in faith, and of non-rational beings, until the limit given to the non-rational for their continuance in sameness; by nature and by choice has been rendered unsusceptible of turning and change, that is, incorruptible. But that which is unchangeable, that is, incorruptible, is at once without beginning, without end, and super-eternal. And that which is without beginning: creator and not creature. Wherefore Wisdom properly says: “For your incorruptible spirit is in all things;” and Peter: “in the incorruptible quality of a gentle and quiet spirit.” For so also the Father, being always equal and like to Himself, admitting neither decline to the worse nor increase to the better, heard from James: “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning;” and from Paul: “to the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God;” in which manner the Son also was testified to in the 101st Psalm: “But you, O Lord, endure forever,” and again: “In the beginning, you, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; and like a robe you will roll them up, and they will be changed; but you are always the same, and your years will not fail.” 6.4ν that the creation does not possess the eternal absolutely and of itself, first, because it does not have this of itself, but obtained it for the future, from when it came to be, by the impartation of the only and super-eternally existing, self-originate God; for being good, he creates and also has an end in view; presiding over his own creation, he bestows eternity upon it; second, because of the reasons explained in the chapter before this one. But the Holy Spirit, as having the eternal by nature, as was fitting for the creator and good Spirit of God to have, working all things eternally and never itself being terminated, but able to be the terminator of the things made by it, was acclaimed with this title. And you may learn, if you would follow me, here: Paul writes to the Hebrews thus: “who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God.” He speaks of the Lord Christ, who in his revered incarnation offered himself through the Holy Spirit on our behalf to his own Father. And Peter speaks consistently, as has already been mentioned: “but the word of the Lord remains forever.” For here he calls the Spirit of God the word of God. Indeed Paul, mentioning the identity of the Father and the Son through the Godhead, uses the same acclaim of the word: “The God,” he says, “and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows, who is blessed forever;” and again: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” But it is not, it is not possible to hear by hearing what those who are opposed to the theology of the Holy Spirit have determined even on this head. For they lead themselves to the ends of the earth by prejudice; but unjudged

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«ἀγγέλους τὲ τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν, ἀλλ' ἀπολι πόντας τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον, δεσμοῖς ἀιδίοις εἰς κρίσιν μεγάλας ἡμέρας ὑπὸ ζόφον τετήρηκεν.» ἡ δὲ σωματικὴ λογικὴ κτίσις ἀλλοίωσιν δέχεται· κατὰ ἕξιν μὲν ὡς ὁ Ἰούδας τὸν ἁγιασμὸν ἀπολέσας· καὶ ὡς Παῦλος γράφει· «ἡ δὲ σπαταλῶσα χήρα, ζῶσα τέθνηκεν·» καίτοι βίον ἀνύουσα τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἔτι· κατ' οὐσίαν δέ, ὡς ἀπολήγουσα μὲν πρῶτον, ἔπειτα δὲ μεταπίπτουσα εἰς ἀθανασίαν. «δεῖ γάρ «φησίν,» τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν, καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν.» ἡ δὲ μὴ λογικὴ κτίσις τροπὴν ὑπομένει καὶ ἀπογίνεται· ὡς ἡνίκα τοῦ φωτὸς εἰς σκότος καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος εἰς αἷμα μεταπίπτοντος, προεφητεύετο· «αὕτη ἡ ἀλλοίωσις τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ ὑψίστου·» καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «ὁ οὐρανός,» φησίν, «καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται.» προεφητεύθη γάρ, ὡς ἔσονται καινοὶ οὐρανοὶ καὶ καινὴ γῆ. καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῆ πᾶν τὸ δεξάμενον ἀρχήν, ἔχει καὶ τέλος. τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ἅτε τῆς ἀρρήτου καὶ πάντων ἐπικρατούσης αἰωνίου καὶ ἀφθάρτου φύσεως ὑπάρχον, καὶ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως καὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἔχον· μόνον τε εἰδὸς καὶ ποιοῦν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ· καὶ φρουρητικὸν πάντων ὂν τῶν τε λογικῶν καὶ τὴν πίστιν τελείων, τῶν τε μὴ λογικῶν, ἕως τοῦ δοθέντος τοῖς μὴ λογικοῖς ὅρου τῆς ἐν ταυτότητι διαμονῆς· φύσει καὶ προαιρέσει τροπῆς καὶ μεταβολῆς ἀνεπίδεκτον καθέστηκεν, ὅ ἐστιν ἄφθαρτον. τὸ δὲ ἄτρεπτον ἤγουν ἄφθαρτον, εὐθὺς ἄναρχον, ἀτελεύτητον καὶ ὑπεραιώνιόν ἐστιν. τὸ δὲ ἄναρχον· δημιουργὸς καὶ οὐ δημιούργημα. διὸ κυρίως λέγει ἡ μὲν Σοφία· «τὸ ἄφθαρτόν σου πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσιν·» ὁ δὲ Πέτρος· «ἐν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ τοῦ πραέως καὶ ἡσυχίου πνεύματος.» οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἴσος αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ καὶ ὅμοιος ἀεὶ ὑπάρχων, μήτ' ἔνδοσιν πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον, μήτ' ἐπίτασιν πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον δεχόμενος, ἤκουσεν ὑπὸ Ἰακώβου· «παρ' ᾧ οὐκ ἔνι παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα·» καὶ παρὰ Παύλου· «ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ σοφῷ θεῷ·» ὃν τρόπον καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἐν ραʹ Ψαλμῷ ἐμαρτυρήθη· «σὺ δέ, κύριε, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένεις,» καὶ πάλιν· «κατ' ἀρχὰς τὴν γῆν σύ, κύριε, ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί. αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαμένεις· καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται· καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον εἱλίξεις αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται· σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς ἀεὶ καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν.» 6.4ν ὅτι αἰώνιον ἡ κτίσις οὐ καθάπαξ καὶ αὐτοτελῶς τὸ αἰώνιον κέκτηται, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπειδὴ οἴκοθεν τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχει, ἀλλ' ἔτυχεν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς, ἀφ' οὗ ἐγένετο, μεταδόσει τοῦ μόνως καὶ ὑπεραιωνίως ὄντος αὐτομάτου θεοῦ· ἀγαθὸς γὰρ ὢν οὗτος δημιουργεῖ καὶ τέλος· προιστάμενος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ποιήσεως, φιλοτιμεῖται αὐτῇ αἰωνιότητα· δεύτερον δὲ διὰ τὰς ἐξηγηθείσας αἰτίας ἐν τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τῷ πρὸ τοῦδε. τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ὡς φύσει τὸ αἰώνιον ἔχον, καθὰ προσῆκεν ἔχειν δημιουργὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ πάντα ἐνεργοῦν αἰωνίως καὶ οὔποτε μὲν αὐτὸ περατούμενον, τῶν δ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενομένων δυνάμενον εἶναι περατωτικόν, ταύτῃ ἀνευφημήθη τῇ προσρήσει. μάθοιτε δὲ ἄν, εἴ μοι ἐπίσποισθε, τῇδε· Παῦλος Ἑβραίοις ἐπιστέλλει οὕτως· «ὃς διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου ἑαυτὸν ἄμωμον προσήνεγκεν τῷ θεῷ.» λέγει δὲ τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν, τὸν ἐν τῇ σεπτῇ ἐνανθρωπήσει αὐτοῦ ἑαυτὸν διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀνθ' ἡμῶν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ πατρὶ προσενηνοχότα. καὶ Πέτρος δὲ προσηχεῖ ἀκόλουθα, ὡς ἤδη ἐμνημονεύθη· «τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα τοῦ θεοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» ῥῆμα γὰρ θεοῦ ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ. διὰ γοῦν τῆς θεότητος τὴν ταυτότητα μνημονεύων τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ ὁ Παῦλος, τῇ αὐτῇ κέχρηται τοῦ ῥήματος εὐφημίᾳ· «ὁ θεός,» φησίν, «καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οἶδεν, ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς χθὲς καὶ σήμερον· ὁ αὐτὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.» οὐκ ἔστιν δέ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκοῇ ἀκοῦσαι, ἅπερ καὶ εἰς τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο ὡρίσαντο οἱ περὶ τὰς θεολογίας τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀποδιακείμενοι. ἀπάγουσι γὰρ εἰς ἔσχατα γῆς ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ προλήψεως· ἄκριτος δὲ