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but should it be necessary for sinners to be punished, here too the difference is great. For not as they, being stoned, and burned, and mutilated by the priests, are we thus brought to repentance, but it is enough to be cast out from the paternal table, and from sight for a set number of days. And in the case of the Jews, the adoption was an honor in word only; but here a reality has also followed: the cleansing through baptism, the gift of the Spirit, the bestowing of the other good things. And besides these, one could say many other things that show our nobility and their lowliness; having hinted at all of which through the Spirit and fear and adoption, he also makes another proof of having the spirit of adoption. What is this one? Whereby we cry, Abba, the Father. 60.527 c. And how great a thing this is, the initiated know, being rightly commanded to say this word first in the mystical prayer. What then? Did not they also call God Father? he says. Do you not hear Moses saying, You have forsaken the God who begot you? Do you not hear Malachi reproaching and saying, that one God created us, and one is the Father of us all? But even if these things and more than these were said, nowhere do we find them calling God by this word, nor praying thus. But we all, both priests and laity, rulers and ruled, were commanded to pray thus. And this is the first sound we utter, after those wondrous birth-pangs, and the strange and paradoxical law of childbirth. Besides, if they ever did call Him so, it was from their own understanding; but those in grace are moved by a spiritual energy. For just as there is a spirit of wisdom, by which the unwise became wise, and this is shown by their teaching; and there is a spirit of power, by which the weak raised the dead and cast out demons, and a spirit of the gift of healings, and a spirit of prophecy, and a spirit of tongues; so also is there a spirit of adoption. And just as we know the spirit of prophecy, from which he who has it foretells the future, not speaking from his own mind, but moved by grace; so also the spirit of adoption, from which he who has received it calls God Father, being moved by the Spirit. And wishing to show its genuineness, he also used the Hebrew tongue; for he did not say only, The Father, but, Abba, the Father, which is especially the word of legitimate children to a father. Having spoken, then, of the difference from their polity, from the grace that was given, from freedom, he brings forward also another proof of the superiority of this adoption. What is this one? The Spirit Itself bears witness with our spirit, he says, that we are children of God. For I do not make my claim from the voice alone, he says, but also from the cause from which the voice is born; for as the Spirit dictates, we say these things. This he stated more clearly elsewhere, saying that God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, the Father. And what is, The Spirit bears witness with the spirit? The Paraclete, he says, with the gift given to us. For the voice is not of the gift alone, but also of the Paraclete who gave the gift; for He Himself taught us through the gift to speak thus. But when the Spirit bears witness, what doubt remains? For if a man, or an angel, or an archangel, or any other such power promised this, some might have reasonably doubted; but when the highest substance, which both bestowed this gift and bears witness to us through the prayers it commanded, who would any longer dispute about this dignity? For not even if a king appointed someone, and proclaimed the honor before all, would any of the subjects dare to speak against it. If children, he says, then heirs. Do you see how he gradually increases the gift? For since it is possible both to be children and not to become heirs (for not all children are heirs), he adds this also, that we are also heirs. But the Jews, besides not having such an adoption, were also cast out of the inheritance. For He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and the vineyard

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κολασθῆναι δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντας δέῃ, καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλὴ ἡ διαφορά. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐκεῖνοι καταλευόμενοι, καὶ καιόμενοι, καὶ ἀκρωτηριαζόμενοι παρὰ τῶν ἱερέων, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπιστρεφόμεθα, ἀλλὰ ἀρκεῖ τραπέζης ἐκβληθῆναι πατρικῆς, καὶ ἀπὸ ὄψεως ῥητὰς γενέσθαι ἡμέρας. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ῥήματος ἦν τιμὴ ἡ υἱοθεσία μόνον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ πρᾶγμα ἠκολούθησεν, ὁ διὰ βαπτίσματος καθαρμὸς, ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος δόσις, ἡ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν χορηγία. Καὶ τούτων δὲ ἕτερα πλείονα ἔστιν εἰπεῖν τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐνδεικνύμενα εὐγένειαν, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων εὐτέλειαν· ἅπερ ἅπαντα διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος καὶ τοῦ φόβου καὶ τῆς υἱοθεσίας αἰνιξάμενος, καὶ ἑτέραν ποιεῖται ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας ἔχειν. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ἐν ᾧ κράζομεν, Ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατήρ. 60.527 γʹ. Τοῦτο δὲ ἡλίκον ἐστὶν, ἴσασιν οἱ μύσται, καλῶς ἐπὶ τῆς εὐχῆς τῆς μυστικῆς τοῦτο πρῶτον κελευόμενοι τὸ ῥῆμα λέγειν. Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἐκάλουν καὶ ἐκεῖνοι Πατέρα, φησὶ, τὸν Θεόν; οὐκ ἀκούεις Μωϋσέως λέγοντος· Θεὸν τὸν γεννήσαντά σε ἐγκατέλιπες; οὐκ ἀκούεις τοῦ Μαλαχία ὀνειδίζοντος καὶ λέγοντος, ὅτι Θεὸς εἷς ἔκτισεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ εἷς Πατήρ ἐστι πάντων ἡμῶν; Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ταῦτα καὶ πλείονα τούτων εἴρηται, οὐδαμοῦ τοῦτο εὑρίσκομεν αὐτοὺς καλοῦντας τὸ ῥῆμα τὸν Θεὸν, οὐδὲ εὐχομένους οὕτως. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἅπαντες, καὶ ἱερεῖς καὶ ἰδιῶται καὶ ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀρχόμενοι, οὕτως εὔχεσθαι ἐκελεύσθημεν. Καὶ ταύτην πρώτην ἀφίεμεν φωνὴν, μετὰ τὰς θαυμαστὰς ὠδῖνας ἐκείνας, καὶ τὸν ξένον καὶ παράδοξον τῶν λοχευμάτων νόμον. Ἄλλως δὲ, εἰ καὶ ἐκάλεσάν ποτε ἐκεῖνοι, ἀλλ' ἐξ οἰκείας διανοίας· οἱ δὲ ἐν τῇ χάριτι, ἀπὸ πνευματικῆς ἐνεργείας κινούμενοι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ πνεῦμα σοφίας ἐστὶ, καθ' ὃ σοφοὶ οἱ ἄσοφοι ἐγίνοντο, καὶ δηλοῦται τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας· καὶ πνεῦμα δυνάμεώς ἐστι, καθ' ὃ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς νεκροὺς ἤγειραν, καὶ δαίμονας ἤλασαν, καὶ πνεῦμα χαρίσματος ἰαμάτων, καὶ πνεῦμα προφητείας, καὶ πνεῦμα γλωσσῶν· οὕτω καὶ πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἴσμεν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς προφητείας, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ ἔχων αὐτὸ προλέγει τὰ μέλλοντα, οὐκ οἰκείᾳ φθεγγόμενος διανοίᾳ, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς χάριτος κινούμενος· οὕτω δὴ καὶ πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ λαβὼν Πατέρα καλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος κινούμενος. Ὁ δὲ βουλόμενος δεῖξαι γνησιότητα, καὶ τῇ τῶν Ἑβραίων ἐχρήσατο γλώσσῃ· οὐ γὰρ εἶπε μόνον, Ὁ Πατὴρ, ἀλλ', Ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατὴρ, ὅπερ τῶν παίδων μάλιστά ἐστι τῶν γνησίων πρὸς πατέρα ῥῆμα. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πολιτείας διαφορὰν, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος τῆς δεδομένης, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλευθερίας, ἐπάγει καὶ ἑτέραν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ὑπεροχῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ταύτην. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα συμμαρτυρεῖ τῷ πνεύματι ἡμῶν, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐσμὲν τέκνα Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς ἰσχυρίζομαι μόνον, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς αἰτίας, ἀφ' ἧς ἡ φωνὴ τίκτεται· τοῦ γὰρ Πνεύματος ὑπαγορεύοντος, ταῦτα λέγομεν. Ὅπερ ἀλλαχοῦ σαφέστερον δηλῶν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν κράζον· Ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατήρ. Τί δέ ἐστι, τὸ Πνεῦμα τῷ πνεύματι συμμαρτυρεῖ; Ὁ Παράκλητος, φησὶ, τῷ χαρίσματι τῷ δεδομένῳ ἡμῖν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦ χαρίσματός ἐστιν ἡ φωνὴ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ δόντος τὴν δωρεὰν Παρακλήτου· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὗτος ἐδίδαξε διὰ τοῦ χαρίσματος οὕτω φθέγγεσθαι. Ὅταν δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα μαρτυρῇ, ποία λοιπὸν ἀμφιβολία; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος, ἢ ἄγγελος, ἢ ἀρχάγγελος, ἢ ἄλλη τις τοιαύτη δύναμις τοῦτο ὑπισχνεῖτο, κἂν ἀμφιβάλλειν ἦν εἰκός τινας· τῆς δὲ ἀνωτάτω οὐσίας τῆς καὶ δωρησαμένης τοῦτο, καὶ δι' ὧν ἐκέλευσεν εὔχεσθαι μαρτυρούσης ἡμῖν, τίς ἂν ἀμφισβητήσειε λοιπὸν περὶ τῆς ἀξίας; Οὐδὲ γὰρ βασιλέως χειροτονήσαντός τινα, καὶ ἀνακηρύττοντος τὴν τιμὴν παρὰ πᾶσι, τολμήσειεν ἄν τις τῶν ὑπηκόων ἀντειπεῖν. Εἰ δὲ τέκνα, φησὶ, καὶ κληρονόμοι. Ὁρᾷς πῶς κατὰ μικρὸν αὔξει τὴν δωρεάν; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔνι καὶ τέκνα εἶναι, καὶ μὴ κληρονόμους γενέσθαι (οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντες κληρονόμοι οἱ παῖδες), ἐπάγει καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι καὶ κληρονόμοι. Οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι μετὰ τοῦ μὴ τοιαύτην ἔχειν υἱοθεσίαν καὶ τῆς κληρονομίας ἐξεβλήθησαν. Κακοὺς γὰρ κακῶς ἀπολέσει, καὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα