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Of Saint Basil. Since the definition of every substance is its natural activity; a confirmation
leading the mind to the nature from which it has its procession, of those things which have one and the same activity, of these the substance is also one.
Of the same, from *Against Eunomius*. How can there be a difference of substance, in which an identity of activity is known? For if the substances
are different, the activities must also be different. How is the Spirit not of the same substance as the Father and the Son, being also of the same activity? How can there be a difference of substance in the Trinity, in which an identity of activity is found? For if it is unchangeable according to substance, it will be so also (284) according to power. Of those whose power is equal, their activity is also entirely so; and of those whose nature is one, their activities are the same.
Of Saint Gregory of Nyssa. Therefore the identity of activity in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
clearly shows the unchangeable character of the nature. We are able to know the nature of the one who acts through the comprehension of the activities. The commonality of the nature is actively demonstrated, being established through the identity of the activities. But God is the Father, and God is the Son, and God is the Holy Spirit; but one God in the same proclamation, because no difference is seen either of nature or of activity in the Godhead. If, therefore, both activity and power are one, how is it possible to suppose a difference of nature, in which we find no difference according to power and activity.
It is absolutely necessary to confess that the will is also suitable and proper to the nature; and if they were unlike in nature, their wills would also always be unlike. And since the power in each is sufficient, neither will fail in the fulfillment of its own will. Therefore, if we were to see the activities performed by the Father and the Holy Spirit differing from one another, we would infer from the difference of the activities that the acting natures are also different. For it is not possible for things that are distinct in the principle of their nature to be brought together in the same kind of activities, neither does fire cool, nor does ice heat. But by the difference of natures, the activities from them are also separated from each other.
Of Cyril. For things that have obtained the same nature as one another will act in like manner. But for those for whom the principle of how they
are is different, for these the principle of their activity in all things would also not be the same. Things that have the same activity, and make use of the same natural powers, must be of the same substance. For none of the things that exist will bear unchangeably the same powers and activities toward what is of a different kind and a different substance. For things that are of the same activity are also confessed to be of the same substance. No one in their right mind would grant that things of a different nature and different kind have the same activity. For fire would not perform one and the same activity as water; but just as they have a distinct principle of substance and quality, so also they will produce a different activity. For those whose activity and power are unchangeably one, for these the commonality of form must also be preserved. For things that have the same activity tend also to be of the same substance, and for them to be of a different nature is improbable. For surely there is not one natural
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Τοῦ ἁγίου Βασιλείου. Ἐπείπερ πάσης οὐσίας ὅρος, ἡ κατά φύσιν αὐτῆς ἐνέργεια καθέστηκε· πίστωσις
ἀνάγουσα τόν νοῦν ἐπί τήν φύσιν, ἐξ ἧς ἔχει τήν πρόοδον, ὧν μία καί ἡ αὐτή ἐνέργεια, τούτων καί ἡ οὐσία μία.
Τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τῶν κατ᾿ Εὐνομίου. Πῶς ἑτερότης οὐσίας, ἐν ᾗ ταυτότης ἐνεργείας γνωρίζεται; Παρηλλαγμένων γάρ
τῶν οὐσιῶν, παρηλλαγμένας εἶναι δεῖ καί τάς ἐνεργείας. Πῶς οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας τό Πνεῦμα τῷ Πατρί καί τῷ Υἱῷ, τό καί τῆς αὐτῆς ἐνεργείας. Πῶς ἑτερότης οὐσίας ἐν τῇ Τριάδι, ἐν ᾗ ταυτότης ἐνεργείας εὑρίσκεται; Εἰ γάρ κατά τήν οὐσίαν ἀπαραλλάκτως, ἕξει καί (284) κατά τήν δύναμιν. Ὧν δέ ἡ δύναμις ἴση που πάντως καί ἡ ἐνέργεια· ὧν δέ ἡ φύσις μία, τούτων ἐνέργειαι αἱ αὐταί.
Τοῦ ἁγίου Γρηγορίου Νύσσης. Οὐκοῦν ἡ τῆς ἐνεργείας ταυτότης ἐπί Πατρός καί Υἱοῦ καί ἁγίου Πνεύματος
δείκνυσι σαφῶς τό τῆς φύσεως ἀπαράλλακτον. Τοῦ δέ ἐνεργοῦντος τήν φύσιν, διά τῆς τῶν ἐνεργειῶν κατανοήσεως ἐπιγνῶναι δυνάμεθα. Τό δέ κοινόν τῆς φύσεως ἐνεργῶς ἀποδείκνυται, διά τῆς τῶν ἐνεργειῶν ταυτότητος συνιστάμενον. Ἀλλά Θεός μέν ὁ Πατήρ, Θεός δέ ὁ Υἱός, Θεός δέ τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον· εἷς δέ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κηρύγματι Θεός, διά τό μήτε φύσεως, μήτε ἐνεργείας θεωρεῖσθαί τινα διαφοράν ἐν θεότητι. Εἰ οὖν καί ἐνέργεια καί δύναμις μία, πῶς ἐστιν ἑτερότητα φύσεως ὑπονοῆσαι, ἐν οἷς οὐδεμία κατά τήν δύναμίν τε καί τήν ἐνέργειαν διαφοράν ἐξευρίσκομεν.
Πᾶσα ἀνάγκη κατάλληλον εἶναι καί οἰκείαν ὁμολογεῖν τῇ φύσει καί τήν προαίρεσιν· καί εἰ ἀνομοίως ἔχοιεν κατά τήν φύσιν, ἀνόμοια ἀεί εἶναι καί τά θελήματα. Τῆς δέ δυνάμεως ἐφ᾿ ἑκατέρων ἱκανῶς ἐχούσης, οὐδ᾿ ἕτερον ἀτονήσει πρός τήν ἐκπλήρωσιν τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος. Οὐκοῦν ἐάν ἴδωμεν διαφερούσας ἀλλήλων τάς ἐνερεγείας τάς παρά τοῦ Πατρός τε καί τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐνεργουμένας, διαφόρους εἶναι καί τάς ἐνεργούσας φύσεις ἐκ τῆς ἑτερότητος τῶν ἐνεργειῶν στοχαζόμεθα. Οὐ γάρ ἐνδέχεται τά διεστῶτα κατά τόν τῆς φύσεως λόγον, πρός τό τῶν ἐνεργειῶν εἶδος συνενεχθῆναι, οὔτε ψύχει τό πῦρ, οὔτε θερμαίνει ὁ κρύσταλλος. Ἀλλά τῇ τῶν φύσεων ἑτερότητι, συνδιαχωρίζονται ἀπ' ἀλλήλων καί αἱ παρά τούτων ἐνέργειαι.
Κυρίλλου. Ἐνεργήσει γάρ ὁμοίως, τά τήν αὐτήν ἀλλήλοις λαχόντα φύσιν. Οἷς δέ ὁ τοῦ πῶς
εἶναι λόγος ἐξηλλαγμένος, τούτοις ἄν εἴη, καί ὁ τῆς ἐφ᾿ ἅπασιν ἐνεργείας λόγος, οὐχ ὁ αὐτός. Τά τήν αὐτήν ἐνέργειαν ἔχοντα, καί ταῖς αὐταῖς δυνάμεσι φυσικαῖς ἀποκεχρημένα, τῆς αὐτῆς εἶναι οὐσίας ἀνάγκη. Οὐδέν γάρ τῶν ὄντων πρός τό ἑτερογενές καί ἑτεροούσιον, τάς αὐτάς ἀπαραλλάκτως φορέσει δυνάμεις τε καί ἐνεργείας. Τά γάρ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐνεργείας ὄντα, καί τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὁμολόγηται. Τά ἑτεροφυῆ καί ἑτερογενῆ τήν αὐτήν ἐνέργειαν ἔχειν, οὐκ ἄν τις δῴη σωφρονῶν. Οὐ γαρ ἄν ὕδατι πῦρ ἕν τι καί ταυτόν ἐνεργήσειεν· ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ ἀπεσχοινισμένον ἔχουσι τῆς οὐσίας καί τῆς ποιότητος τόν λόγον, οὕτω καί διάφορον συναποδώσουσι τήν ἐνέργειαν. Οἷς γάρ ἡ ἐνέργεια καί ἡ δύναμις ἀπαραλλάκτως μία, τούτοις ἀνάγκη καί τήν τοῦ εἴδους κοινότητα σώζεσθαι. Φιλεῖ γάρ τά τήν αὐτήν ἐνέργειαν ἔχοντα, τῆς αὐτῆς ὑπάρχειν καί οὐσίας, καί τό ἑτεροφυές ἐν τούτοις ἀπίθανον. Οὐ γάρ δήπου μίαν εἶναι φυσικήν