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For if this had been the case, there are some who disbelieve in such a birth, if He did not share in the flesh of the Virgin; into what impiety would these not have fallen? That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do you see the dignity of the Spirit? For it appears to do the work of God. Above, then, he said, *They were born of God*; but here, that the Spirit begets them. That which is born, he says, of the Spirit is spirit. What he says is this: He who is born of the Spirit is spiritual. For here he does not speak of a generation according to substance, but one according to honor and grace. If, then, the Son is also born in this way, what more will he have than the men who are so born? And how is he only-begotten? For I too am born of God, but not of His substance. If, then, he too is not of the substance, in what does he differ from us in this respect? And so he will be found to be less than the Spirit. For such a birth comes from the grace of the Spirit. Therefore, in order to remain Son, does he need the help of the Spirit? And how do these things differ from Jewish doctrines? So Christ, having said that he who is born of the Spirit is spirit, when He saw him troubled again, brings his discourse to a perceptible example. Marvel not, he says, that I said to you, that you must be born from above. The wind blows where it wills. For by saying, Marvel not, he shows the disturbance of his soul, and leads him to what is more subtle than bodies. For He drew him away from carnal things by saying, That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. But since he did not know what it was that he said, That which is born of the Spirit is spirit, He then transfers him to another image, neither leading him into the grossness of bodies, nor discoursing purely about incorporeal things (for that man was not able to receive it when he heard it), but having found something midway between a body and an incorporeal thing, the motion of the wind, from there He leads him up. For concerning it he says, You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from, and where it goes. And if he says, It blows where it wills, he does not say this as if the wind has some choice, but to show its natural motion which is unhindered and happens with power. For Scripture knows how to speak this way even about inanimate things, as when it says, For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly. Therefore, Where it wills it blows, indicates that it is unrestrainable, and that it is poured out everywhere, and there is no one who can hinder it from being carried here and there; but it is scattered with much power, and no one is strong enough to turn aside its course. 2. And you hear its sound; that is, the crash, the roar; but you do not know where it comes from, and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Here is the entire conclusion. 59.155 For if, he says, you do not know how to explain the impulse, nor the path, of this wind which you perceive by hearing and touch, how can you meddle with the operation of the divine Spirit, not knowing that of the wind, although you hear its sound? Therefore, Where it wills it blows, was also said to demonstrate the authority of the Paraclete. What he says is this: For if no one restrains this, but it is carried where it wills, much more will the laws of nature not be able to restrain the operation of the Spirit, nor the limits of bodily birth, nor anything else of that kind. That You hear its sound was said about the wind is clear from this. For He would not have said to an unbeliever, who did not know the operation of the Spirit, You hear its sound. As therefore the wind is not seen, although it makes a sound, so neither is spiritual birth seen with the eyes of the body, although the wind is a body, even if a most subtle one; for that which is subject to sense is a body. If, then, you are not distressed that you do not see the body, nor do you disbelieve because of this, why, when you hear about the Spirit, do you become dizzy, and demand so many proofs, when you do not do this in the case of a body? What then of Nicodemus? He still remains in Jewish lowliness, even after the example was so clearly stated

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γὰρ τούτου γενομένου εἰσί τινες οἳ διαπιστοῦσι τῇ τοιαύτῃ γεννήσει, εἰ μὴ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκοινώνησε τῆς παρθενικῆς, ποῦ οὐκ ἂν ἐξέπεσαν ἀσεβείας οὗτοι; Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Ὁρᾷς Πνεύματος ἀξίαν; Τὸ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔργον φαίνεται ποιοῦν. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν οὖν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτοὺς γεννᾷ. Τὸ γεγεννημένον, φησὶν, ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνευματικός ἐστι. Γέννησιν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν κατ' οὐσίαν λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν κατὰ τιμὴν καὶ χάριν. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὕτω γεγέννηται, τί πλέον ἕξει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν οὕτω γεγεννημένων; πῶς δὲ μονογενής ἐστι; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐγὼ ἐκ Θεοῦ γεγέννημαι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ. Εἰ τοίνυν μηδὲ αὐτὸς ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας, τί κατὰ τοῦτο διενήνοχεν ἡμῶν; Εὑρεθήσεται δὲ ἄρα καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὕτως ἐλάττων. Ἡ γὰρ τοιαύτη γέννησις ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος γίνεται χάριτος. Ἆρ' οὖν ἵνα μένῃ Υἱὸς, τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δεῖται βοηθείας; Καὶ τί ταῦτα Ἰουδαϊκῶν διέστηκε δογμάτων; Εἰπὼν τοίνυν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτι ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνεῦμά ἐστιν· ἐπειδὴ θορυβούμενον πάλιν εἶδεν, ἐπὶ αἰσθητὸν παράδειγμα ἄγει τὸν λόγον. Μὴ θαυμάσῃς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι εἶπόν σοι, ὅτι δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν. Τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνέει. Τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Μὴ θαυμάσῃς, δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὸν θόρυβον τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ λεπτότερον αὐτὸν ἄγει τῶν σωμάτων. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ σαρκικῶν ἀπήγαγεν εἰπὼν, Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ᾔδει τί ποτε ἐστὶν ὅ φησιν, Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πνεῦμά ἐστιν, λοιπὸν αὐτὸν πρὸς ἑτέραν μεταφέρει εἰκόνα, οὔτε εἰς τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ἄγων παχύτητα, οὔτε περὶ ἀσωμάτων καθαρῶς διαλεγόμενος (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐδύνατο ἀκούων χωρεῖν ἐκεῖνος), ἀλλ' εὑρών τι μέσον σώματός τε καὶ ἀσωμάτου, τὴν τοῦ ἀνέμου φορὰν, ἐντεῦθεν αὐτὸν ἀνάγει. Περὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ φησὶν, ὅτι Τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται, καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει. Εἰ δὲ λέγει, Ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, οὐχ ὡς προαίρεσίν τινα τοῦ ἀνέμου ἔχοντος λέγει τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπὸ φύσεως φορὰν τὴν ἀκώλυτον καὶ μετ' ἐξουσίας γινομένην δηλῶν. Οἶδε γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀψύχων οὕτω διαλέγεσθαι, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Τῇ γὰρ ματαιότητι ἡ κτίσις ὑπετάγη οὐχ ἑκοῦσα. Τὸ οὖν, Ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, τὸ ἀκάθεκτόν ἐστι δηλοῦντος, καὶ ὅτι διαχεῖται πανταχοῦ, καὶ ὁ κωλύων οὐδεὶς τῇδε κἀκεῖσε φέρεσθαι· ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐξουσίας σκεδάννυται, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ ἰσχύων παρατρέψαι τὴν ῥύμην αὐτοῦ. βʹ. Καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις· τουτέστι, τὸν πάταγον, τὸν κτύπον· ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται, καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει. Οὕτως ἐστὶ πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἐνταῦθά ἐστι τὸ συμπέρασμα 59.155 ἅπαν. Εἰ γὰρ τούτου, φησὶ, τοῦ πνεύματος, οὗ τὴν αἴσθησιν δέχῃ τῇ ἀκοῇ καὶ τῇ ἁφῇ, τὴν ὁρμὴν ἑρμηνεῦσαι οὐκ οἶδας, οὐδὲ τὴν ὁδόν· πῶς τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐνέργειαν περιεργάζῃ, τὴν τοῦ ἀνέμου οὐκ ἐπιστάμενος, καίτοι φωνὴν ἀκούων; Τὸ τοίνυν, Ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, καὶ πρὸς παράστασιν τῆς τοῦ Παρακλήτου εἴρηται ἐξουσίας. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐδεὶς κατέχει, ἀλλ' ὅπου θέλει φέρεται· πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνέργειαν οὐ φύσεως δυνήσονται νόμοι κατασχεῖν, οὐχ ὅροι σωματικῆς γεννήσεως, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν. Ὅτι δὲ περὶ ἀνέμου εἴρηται τὸ Τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀπίστῳ διαλεγόμενος, καὶ οὐκ εἰδότι τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν ἐνέργειαν εἶπε, Τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ ἄνεμος οὐ φαίνεται, καίτοι γε φωνὴν διδούς· οὕτως οὐδὲ ἡ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ φαίνεται γέννησις ὀφθαλμοῖς σώματος, καίτοι γε σῶμα ὁ ἄνεμος, εἰ καὶ λεπτότατον τὸ γὰρ αἰσθήσει ὑποβαλλόμενον, σῶμα. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ σῶμα οὐκ ἀσχάλλεις ὅτι μὴ ὁρᾷς, οὐδὲ ἀπιστεῖς διὰ τοῦτο, τί δήποτε περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀκούων ἰλιγγιᾷς, καὶ τοσαύτας ἀπαιτεῖς εὐθύνας, ἐπὶ σώματος τοῦτο οὐ ποιῶν; Τί οὖν ὁ Νικόδημος; Ἔτι ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς εὐτελείας μένει, καὶ ταῦτα παραδείγματος οὕτω σαφῶς λεχθέντος