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And Paul also, who is greater than men, declared this manifestly, affirming to the Corinthians: “But you were washed, but you were justified, but you were sanctified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” See therefore, see, that if the name of the Son is divine, as indeed it is divine, so entirely is that of the Holy Spirit; for he indicated one name for both of them. And that, as the Holy Spirit ineffably co-created from the beginning, so now he re-creates. For “to be washed” signified “to be re-created.” And to Titus: “having regenerated us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” And no less does the sacred psalmist deem it right to know those already existing in generation as now being created spiritually in the divine font. For he says: “A people that shall be created will praise the Lord.” Therefore, did not the hypostases that have the same honor and energy inherit the same nature, and differ in no way from each other in divinity and power, and are they alone able to be connatural and co-arranged and everywhere co-conceived with the one; who himself, not as one whose are the hypostases of both, has from himself without beginning and equally and alike and ineffably the united and continuous hypostases. Still, in addition to what has been said: every argument of these heretics is of a similar manner, just as it is of similar language, to their now-agitated, stale sophistry, as we will learn before long by experience from the chapters themselves. For if perhaps some word, such as “eternal” or “good,” bearing a divine indication concerning the Trinity in unity, and belonging to it wholly and completely, happens to be said somewhere about a creature, along with the mention due to a creature, they say nothing—for what could they say?—about God the Father and his Son; but they immediately and most foolishly drag the Holy Spirit down to creation, they do not most fittingly raise up to God and the Only-begotten those who have been most suitably acclaimed by the theologians with language similar and equal to that used for the Holy Spirit. And so of those arguments alone on our side in the chapter which we are pursuing, which have been justified and cannot be surpassed, and which are sufficient for the whole struggle concerning the heretics; either let them show—a thing very grievous even to say—that a beginning or an end of the Holy Spirit has been oracularly declared somewhere; or, in general, that he had some path to corruption as angelic and human choice did; or let them have, as the saying goes, “an ox on the tongue.” So much for those matters; but I will move on to the original subject. 6.5ν That as he is unchangeable, he is unsusceptible of either virtue or vice. Rational creation is susceptible of both virtue and vice, as we find among incorporeal beings, as we have said before, the approved angels within virtue, and of vice those who were cast out; and among corporeal beings, such as we are ourselves. But the divine Spirit, being beyond virtue and glory, or rather himself being the source of the highest virtue, is susceptible of none of these, just as neither the Father nor the Son is. And if not susceptible, then not of a different will; and if this is so—for he does all that the Father wills—then not of a different substance. And from this, therefore, it is concluded both that he is not a creature but is unalterably related to God the Father and his Son, and that from him, from whom he naturally proceeded, we know God, and know that he is also in us, as it is written. 6.6ν That by nature he is holy and sanctifying and justifying. Creation is sanctified and justified by the by-nature holy God; for it is receptive of being sanctified and justified, not bestowing it. But the Holy Spirit, since he is distinct from creation, but is joined in nature to him, from whom he has proceeded, concerning whom we were also initiated into the mystery, thus: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” and since he cares for and provides for all, even the guilty; he sanctifies and justifies and makes wise and provides every form of heavenly virtue; but he himself is in no way found to have the capacity of being sanctified or
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καὶ Παῦλος δέ, ὁ κρείττων ἢ κατ' ἀνθρώπους, ἀπέφηνεν τοῦτο φανερῶς διαβεβαιωσάμενος Κορινθίοις μέν· «ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε, ἀλλὰ ἡγιάσθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν.» ἄθρει οὖν, ἄθρει, ὡς εἰ θεϊκὸν ὄνομα, ὥσπερ οὖν θεϊκόν, τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ, ἐξάπαντος καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος· ἓν γὰρ ἀμφοῖν αὐτῶν ἐδήλωσεν ὄνομα. καὶ ὅτι, ὡς συγκτίσαν ἀρρήτως τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ νῦν ἀνακτίζει. τὸ γὰρ ἀπολούσασθαι, τὸ ἀνακτισθῆναι ἐσήμανεν. Τίτῳ δέ· «ἀναγεννήσας ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως πνεύματος ἁγίου.» οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ ὁ ἱεροψάλτης τοὺς ἤδη ἐν γενέσει ὑπάρχοντας νῦν κτιζομένους ἐν τῇ θείᾳ κολυμβήθρᾳ πνευματικῶς ἀξιοῖ εἰδέναι. φησὶν γάρ· «λαὸς ὁ κτιζόμενος αἰνέσει τὸν κύριον.» οὔκουν αἱ τὴν αὐτὴν τιμὴν καὶ ἐνέργειαν ἔχουσαι ὑποστάσεις τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκληρώσαντο φύσιν, καὶ οὐδὲν θεότητι καὶ δυνάμει διαφέρουσιν ἀλλήλων, μόναι δὲ συμφύεσθαι καὶ συντάττεσθαι καὶ πανταχοῦ συνεπινοεῖσθαι δύνανται τῷ ἑνί· ὃς ἄμφω αὐτός, οὐχ ὧν αἱ ὑποστάσεις ἀμφοῖν, ἔχει ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ ἀνάρχως καὶ ἐξ ἴσου καὶ ὁμοίου καὶ ἀλέκτως ἡνωμένας καὶ συνεχεῖς τὰς ὑποστάσεις. ἔτι πρὸς τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν· πᾶν δικαίωμα τῶν αἱρετικῶν τούτων ὁμοιότροπον, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁμοιόλεκτόν ἐστι τῆς νῦν κινουμένης ἑώλου αὐτῶν σοφιστείας, ὡς μαθησόμεθα μετ' οὐ πολὺ τῇ πείρᾳ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν κεφαλαίων. εἰ γὰρ τυχὸν λέξιν τινά, ὡς τὴν «αἰώνιος» ἢ τὴν «ἀγαθός», θείαν ἔνδειξιν κομίζουσαν περὶ τῆς ἐν μονάδι τριάδος, καὶ αὐτῇ καθ' ὅλου καὶ τελείως προσήκουσαν, ἔτυχέν που εἰρῆσθαι περὶ κτίσματος, μετὰ τῆς ὀφειλομένης κτίσματι μνήμης, οὐδὲν μὲν λέγουσιν τί γὰρ καὶ εἰπεῖν ἔχουσιν; περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· κατάγουσι δὲ εὐθὺς ἀφρονέστατα τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα εἰς τὴν κτίσιν, οὐκ ἀνάγουσι πρεπωδέστατα εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ τοὺς ἐν ὁμοίῳ καὶ ἴσῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ἁρμοδιώτατα ὑπὸ τῶν θεολόγων ἀνευφημηθέντας. καὶ μόνων τοίνυν τῶν πρὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ κεφαλαίῳ ᾧ μέτειμεν, δικαιολογηθέντων ὑπερβαθῆναι μὴ δυναμένων, ἀρκούντων δὲ εἰς ὅλον τὸν περὶ αἱρετικῶν ἀγῶνα· ἢ δειξάτωσαν ὃ καὶ λέγειν βαρὺ λίαν, ὡς ἀρχὴ ἢ πέρας τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κεχρησμῴδηταί που· ἢ ὅλως, ὅτι ὁδόν τινα ἔσχεν ἐπὶ φθορὰν ὡς ἡ ἀγγελικὴ καὶ ἀνθρωπικὴ προαίρεσις· ἢ ἔστω αὐτοῖς, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, «βοῦς ἐπὶ γλῶσσαν». τοσαῦτα μὲν περὶ ἐκείνων ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπόθεσιν μεταβήσομαι. 6.5ν ὅτι ὡς ἄτρεπτον ἀρετῆς τε κακίας τε ἀνεπίδεκτόν ἐστιν. ἡ κτίσις ἡ λογικὴ ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας ἐστιν δεκτική, ὡς εὑρίσκομεν ἐν ἀσωμάτοις μέν, καθὰ προείπομεν, ἀρετῆς ἐντὸς τοὺς εὐδοκίμους ἀγγέλους, κακίας δὲ τοὺς ἐκριφέντας· ἐν δὲ σώμασιν, ὡς ἐσμὲν ἡμεῖς αὐτοί. τὸ δὲ θεϊκὸν πνεῦμα ὑπὲρ ἀρετὴν καὶ δόξαν τυγχάνον, μᾶλλον δ' αὐτὸ πηγάζον τὴν ἀκροτάτην ἀρετήν, οὐδενός ἐστι τούτων δεκτικόν, ὡς οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ οὐδ' ὁ υἱός. εἰ δὲ μὴ δεκτικόν, οὐδ' ἑτερόβουλον· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ γὰρ πανθ' ὅσα θέλει ὁ πατήρ, οὐδ' ἑτεροούσιον. κἀντεῦθεν οὖν συνάγεται καὶ τό τε μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸ κτίσμα, ἀπαραλλάκτως δὲ ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἡμᾶς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸν θεόν, ἐξ οὗ φυσικῶς ἐξεπορεύθη, γινώσκειν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὡς γέγραπται. 6.6ν ὅτι φύσει ἅγιον καὶ ἁγιάζον καὶ δικαιοῦν ἡ κτίσις ἁγιάζεται καὶ δικαιοῦται ὑπὸ τοῦ τὴν φύσιν ἁγίου θεοῦ· δεκτικὴ γὰρ τοῦ ἁγιασθῆναι καὶ δικαιωθῆναι τυγχάνει, οὐ παρεκτική. τὸ δ' ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ἐπείπερ διέστηκε· μὲν τῆς κτίσεως, συνῆπται δὲ τῇ φύσει ἐκείνῳ, ἐξ οὗ ἐκπεπόρευται περὶ οὗ καὶ ἐμυσταγωγήθημεν, ὡς· «πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον ἄνωθέν ἐστι, κατα βαῖνον ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν φώτων, παρ' ᾧ οὐκ ἔστι παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα». καὶ ἐπείπερ πάντων κήδεται καὶ προμηθεῖται καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ὑπαιτίων· ἁγιάζει μὲν καὶ δικαιοῖ καὶ σοφίζει καὶ πᾶν εἶδος ἐπουρανίου ἀρετῆς παρέχει· αὐτὸ δὲ οὐδαμῶς εὑρίσκεται ἔχον ἐπιτηδειότητα τοῦ ἁγιάζεσθαι ἢ