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But all these things are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes to each one individually as he wills. One might say that all these things and whatever other gifts are of the Spirit, happen to be like some body of his, and each one of the gifts a finger. And do not overlook this useful aspect of the word. For, having said, “All these things the Spirit works as he wills,” he also said concerning God, “And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” If God works all things as He wills, and all these things the one and the same Spirit works, distributing to each one individually as He wills, how can there be a difference of substance, in which an identity of working is recognized? For if the substances were different, the workings would also have to be different, according to the most impious Eunomius. And the Savior, testifying to the same authority and power of the Spirit, said, “The Spirit blows where it wishes.” Concerning the forgiveness of sins. It is proper to God to forgive sins, as He Himself says: “I am he who blots out your transgressions;” and, “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, I will make them like wool.” And since Jesus, God the Son of God, forgives the sins of the paralytic, saying, “Son, your sins are forgiven,” for which he was thought to be blaspheming by the Jews who did not know he was God, saying that, “This man is blaspheming; no one can forgive sins but God alone.” But the Lord, breathing on the holy apostles, said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” If, therefore, it is for no one to forgive sins, as it is not, except God alone, and the Holy Spirit 29.720 forgives through the apostles; then the Holy Spirit is God, and of the same working as the Father and the Son. “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” He says that the nations that have believed and been made disciples are to be baptized in the name of the Trinity. But Peter, to the Jews who had conspired to the death of Christ and were repenting, said, “Let each one repent, brothers, from your wickedness, and from the evil way, and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and he will be saved;” as the Son is able to work the same things in the regeneration of the bath, which the Father and the Spirit work. And the Lord said to the apostles to wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard: “for John baptized with water for repentance, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If, therefore, the Holy Spirit is able to work the same things in the apostles as the name of the Father and of the Son does for believers from the nations, and the name of the Lord Jesus for repentant Jews (for one would not say that the apostles had partaken less of the grace through the bath than those from the nations, because they had received the grace in the Holy Spirit); how is the Spirit not of the same substance as the Father and the Son, being of the same working? That the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have the same authority. “Go into Damascus, and there it will be told to you,” that “you are a chosen instrument of mine,” the Lord said, appearing to Paul from heaven, because he had appointed him as a preacher of the Gospel to the world. And as he was entering Damascus, Ananias said, “Brother Saul, receive your sight. The God of our fathers has chosen you.” And lest the saying be thought to be about Christ, he adds, “to do His will, and to know His Just One, Jesus.” He, indeed, making his call and appointment a matter of record, said, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle.” Then he also says something else in addition to the call: “set apart for the Gospel of God.” But the Acts of the Apostles taught that the one who sets apart happens to be the Spirit. For, it says, as the apostles were fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” And if the Lord the God of our fathers, who chose him, selects him, the
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Ταῦ τα δὲ πάντα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται. Εἴποι τις ἂν, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα χαρίσματά εἰσι τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὥσπερ τι σῶμα αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει, τὸ δὲ καθ' ἓν τῶν χαρισμάτων δάκτυλος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ χρήσιμον τῆς λέξεως μὴ παρίδοις. Πάντα γὰρ, φήσας, ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα καθὼς βού λεται· καὶ περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αὐτὸς ἔφη· Καὶ διαιρέ σεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσὶν, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεὸς, ὁ ἐνερ γῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι. Εἰ δὲ πάντα ἐνεργεῖ Θεὸς καθὼς βούλεται, πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται, πῶς ἑτερότης οὐσίας, ἐν ᾗ ταυτότης ἐνερ γείας γνωρίζεται; Παρηλλαγμένων γὰρ τῶν οὐσιῶν, παρηλλαγμένας εἶναι ἔδει καὶ τὰς ἐνεργείας, κατὰ τὸν ἀσεβέστατον Εὐνόμιον. Τὴν δὲ αὐτὴν αὐθεντίαν καὶ ἐξουσίαν μαρτυρῶν τῷ Πνεύματι ὁ Σω τήρ, Τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἔφη, οὗ θέλει πνεῖ. Περὶ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἴδιον Θεοῦ ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας, αὐτοῦ τοῦτο λέγον τος· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐξαλείφων τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου· καὶ, Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς ἔριον λευκανῶ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Θεὸς Θεοῦ παῖς Ἰησοῦς ἀφίησιν ἁμαρτίας τῷ παραλυτικῷ, λέγων· Τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἐφ' ᾧ δυσφημεῖν ἐνο μίζετο παρὰ τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσιν αὐτὸν Θεὸν Ἰουδαίοις, λέ γουσιν ὅτι, Οὗτος βλασφημεῖ· οὐδενός ἐστιν ἁμαρ τίας ἀφιέναι εἰ μὴ μόνου Θεοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος, ἐμφυσῶν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις, ἔφη· Λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον· ἄν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφέωνται αὐτοῖς. Εἰ τοίνυν οὐδενός ἐστιν ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστιν, εἰ μὴ μόνου Θεοῦ, ἀφίησι δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα 29.720 τὸ ἅγιον διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων· Θεὸς ἄρα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐνεργείας τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ. Μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Τὰ ἔθνη φησὶ πιστεύσαντα καὶ μαθητευθέντα βαπτίζεσθαι ἐν τῷ τῆς Τριάδος ὀνόματι. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος τοῖς συμφωνήσασιν Ἰουδαίοις εἰς τὸν κατὰ Χριστοῦ θάνατον, καὶ μεταγνοῦσι, Με τανοησάτω, ἔφη, ἕκαστος, ἀδελφοὶ, ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ βαπτι σθήτω εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, καὶ σωθήσε ται· ὡς δυναμένου τὰ αὐτὰ ἐνεργεῖν τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίᾳ, ἅπερ Πατὴρ καὶ Πνεῦμα ἐνεργεῖ. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἔφη, Περιμένειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἣν ἠκού σατε· ὅτι Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν, ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. Εἰ τοίνυν τὰ αὐτὰ δύναται ἐνεργεῖν ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἅπερ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν πιστευόντων ἐξ ἐθνῶν, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν μετανοησάν των Ἰουδαίων (οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποι τις ἧττον τοὺς ἀποστό λους μετεσχηκέναι τῆς διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ χάριτος, ἤπερ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν, διὰ τὸ ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἐσχηκέ ναι αὐτοὺς τὴν χάριν)· πῶς οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας τὸ Πνεῦμα τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ, τὸ καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐνεργείας; Ὅτι ἡ αὐτὴ ἐξουσία Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Πορεύου εἰς ∆αμασκὸν, κἀκεῖ σοι λαληθήσεται, ὅτι σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς μοι εἶ, οὐρανόθεν ἐπιφανεὶς τῷ Παύλῳ ὁ Κύριος ἔφη, ὅτι περ αὐτὸν κήρυκα τοῦ Εὐ αγγελίου τῇ οἰκουμένῃ κατεστήσατο. Εἰσιόντι δὲ εἰς ∆αμασκὸν Ἀνανίας ἔφη· Σαὺλ ἀδελφὲ, ἀνάβλε ψον· ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων προεχειρίσατό σε. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ περὶ Χριστοῦ νομισθῇ τὸ ῥῆμα, ἐπιλέγει· Τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ γνῶναι τὸν δί καιον αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. Ὃς δὴ τὴν κλῆσιν καὶ τὴν προχείρησιν ἀνάγραπτον ποιούμενος ἔφη· Παῦλος δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κλητὸς ἀπόστολος. Εἶτα καὶ ἄλλο τι πρὸς τῇ κλήσει λέγει· Ἀφωρισμένος εἰς Εὐαγγέλιον Θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ ἀφορίσαν τὸ Πνεῦμα τυγχά νειν αἱ Πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐδίδαξαν. Νηστευόν των γὰρ, φησὶ, τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προσευχομέ νων, εἶπε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Ἀφορίσατε δή μοι τὸν Παῦλον καὶ τὸν Βαρνάβαν εἰς τὸ ἔργον ὃ προσκέκλημαι αὐτούς. Εἰ δὲ ἐκλέγεται μὲν αὐτὸν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ὃν προεχειρίσατο, ὁ