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of the Spirit,” having said three things, he joined them with the conjunction, teaching that a proper meaning is attached to each name, because names are significant of things. And that the things have a distinct and independent existence, no one who has even a small share of sense doubts. Of Father and Son and Holy Spirit the nature is the same and the divinity one, but the names are different, presenting to us distinct and complete concepts. For it is impossible, unless the mind has become fixed on the properties of each without confusion, to be able to render the doxology to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. If, therefore, they deny saying these things or teaching thus, our objective has been achieved. And yet I see that the denial is difficult for them, because there are many witnesses of these words. However, we are not looking at the past, only let the present be sound. But if they persist in the same things, it is necessary for us to proclaim the disaster among you to other Churches and to have letters from many bishops arrive to you, condemning this great magnitude of secretly constructed impiety. For either some progress will be made toward our purpose or in any case the present protest will release us from blame at the Judgment Seat. 210.5 And they have already set down these arguments in their own treatises; which they first sent to the man of God, Meletius the bishop, and having received from him the appropriate replies, just as mothers of monsters are ashamed of the deformities of nature, so they too, having hidden their own shameful birth-pangs in fitting darkness, nurse them. And they made some attempt by a letter also to our like-minded Anthimus, the bishop of Tyana, saying that Gregory had said in a statement of faith that Father and Son are two in concept, but one in hypostasis. But that this was not said dogmatically, but contentiously in the Dialogue with Gelianus, they were unable to perceive, those who congratulate themselves on the subtlety of their minds. In which there are many errors of the copyists, as we will show from the words themselves, if God is willing. Then, however, persuading the Hellene, he did not think it necessary to be precise about the words, but sometimes even to concede to the custom of the one being argued against, so that he would not resist the essential points. For which reason you would find there many expressions that now provide the heretics with the greatest strength, such as "creature" and "work" and anything of that kind. And many things said about the connection with the man they refer to the discourse concerning the divinity, those who hear the scriptures without instruction, such as this thing that is being circulated by them. For one must know well that just as one who does not confess the commonality of the essence falls into polytheism, so one who does not grant the particularity of the hypostases is carried over into Judaism. For our mind must, as it were, resting upon some subject and having impressed upon itself its clear characteristics, thus come to a conception of what is sought. For not having understood the Paternity, nor having considered concerning whom this property is defined, how is it possible to receive the concept of God the Father? For it is not sufficient to enumerate differences of persons, but one must confess each person as existing in a true hypostasis. Since indeed the non-hypostatic shaping of the persons not even Sabellius rejected, saying that the same God, being one in subject, changes form according to the needs that arise from time to time, speaking now as Father, now as Son, and now as Holy Spirit. This error, long ago extinguished, is now being revived by the inventors of this nameless heresy, who reject the hypostases and deny the name of the Son of God. Whom, if they do not cease speaking injustice against God, one must lament with those who deny Christ. 210.6 We have necessarily made these distinctions for you, in order that the... from the wicked teachings

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Πνεύματος», τρία εἰπὼν συνέπλεξεν αὐτὰ τῷ συνδέσμῳ, ἑκάστῳ ὀνόματι ἴδιον ὑποβεβλῆσθαι τὸ σημαι νόμενον ἐκδιδάσκων, διότι πραγμάτων ἐστὶ σημαντικὰ τὰ ὀνόματα. Τὰ δὲ πράγματα ἰδιάζουσαν καὶ αὐτοτελῆ τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἔχειν οὐδεὶς τῶν καὶ μικρὸν μετεχόντων τοῦ φρο νεῖν ἀμφιβάλλει. Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος φύσις μὲν ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ θεότης μία, ὀνόματα δὲ διάφορα περιωρισμένας καὶ ἀπηρτισμένας τὰς ἐννοίας ἡμῖν παρισ τῶντα. Ἀμήχανον γάρ, μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἑκάστου ἰδιώμασι τὴν διάνοιαν γενομένην ἀσύγχυτον, δυνηθῆναι Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι τὴν δοξολογίαν ἀποπληρῶσαι. Ἐὰν μὲν οὖν ἀρνῶνται μὴ λέγειν ταῦτα μηδὲ διδάσκειν οὕτω, κατώρθωται ἡμῖν τὰ σπουδαζόμενα. Καίτοι χαλεπὴν αὐτοῖς οὖσαν ὁρῶ τὴν ἄρνησιν, διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς ἔχειν τῶν λόγων τούτων τοὺς μάρτυρας. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐ σκοποῦμεν τὰ παρελθόντα, τὰ παρόντα μόνον ὑγιαινέτωσαν. Ἐὰν δὲ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμένωσιν, ἀνάγκη καὶ πρὸς ἄλλας Ἐκκλησίας ἐκβοῆσαι ἡμᾶς τὴν καθ' ὑμᾶς συμφορὰν καὶ ποιῆσαι παρὰ πλειόνων ἐπισκόπων γράμματα ὑμῖν ἀφικέσθαι, τὸ μέ γεθος τοῦτο τῆς ὑποκατασκευαζομένης ἀσεβείας καταρ ρηγνύντα. Ἢ γὰρ προὔργου τι ἔσται εἰς τὴν σπουδὴν ἢ πάντως ἡ παροῦσα διαμαρτυρία ἀφίησιν ἡμᾶς τῆς αἰτίας ἐπὶ τοῦ Κριτηρίου. 210.5 Ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἐν συντάγμασιν οἰκείοις κατεβάλοντο τοὺς λόγους τούτους· οὕσπερ καὶ ἀπέστειλαν πρῶτον τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ Μελετίῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ λαβόντες παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰς προσηκούσας ἀποκρίσεις, ὡς αἱ τῶν τερά των μητέρες ἐπαισχυνόμεναι τοῖς πηρώμασι τῆς φύσεως, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς αἰσχρὰς ἑαυτῶν ὠδῖνας τῷ προσήκοντι σκότῳ κατακρύψαντες τιθηνοῦνται. Καθῆκαν δέ τινα πεῖραν δι' ἐπιστολῆς καὶ πρὸς τὸν ὁμόψυχον ἡμῶν Ἄνθιμον τὸν Τυάνων ἐπίσκοπον, ὡς ἄρα Γρηγορίου εἰπόντος ἐν ἐκθέσει πίστεως Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν ἐπινοίᾳ μὲν εἶναι δύο, ὑποστάσει δὲ ἕν. Τοῦτο δὲ ὅτι οὐ δογματικῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλ' ἀγωνιστικῶς ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γελιανὸν ∆ιαλέξει, οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν συνιδεῖν οἱ ἐπὶ λεπτότητι τῶν φρενῶν ἑαυτοὺς μακαρίζοντες. Ἐν ᾗ πολλὰ τῶν ἀπογραψαμένων ἐστὶ σφάλματα, ὡς ἐπ' αὐτῶν τῶν λέξεων δείξομεν ἡμεῖς, ἐὰν ὁ Θεὸς θέλῃ. Ἔπειτα μέντοι τὸν Ἕλληνα πείθων οὐχ ἡγεῖτο χρῆναι ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι περὶ τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπη καὶ συνδιδόναι τῷ ἔθει τοῦ ἐναγομένου, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἀντιτείνοι πρὸς τὰ καίρια. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ πολλὰς ἂν εὕροις ἐκεῖ φωνὰς τὰς νῦν τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς μεγίστην ἰσχὺν παρεχομένας, ὡς τὸ κτίσμα καὶ τὸ ποίημα καὶ εἴ τι τοιοῦτον. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον συναφείας εἰρημένα εἰς τὸν περὶ τῆς θεότητος ἀναφέρουσι λόγον οἱ ἀπαιδεύτως τῶν γεγραμμένων ἀκούοντες, ὁποῖόν ἐστι καὶ τοῦτο τὸ παρὰ τούτων περιφερόμενον. Εὖ γὰρ εἰδέναι χρὴ ὅτι ὥσπερ ὁ τὸ κοινὸν τῆς οὐσίας μὴ ὁμολογῶν εἰς πολυθεΐαν ἐκπίπτει, οὕτως ὁ τὸ ἰδιάζον τῶν ὑπο στάσεων μὴ διδοὺς εἰς τὸν Ἰουδαϊσμὸν ὑποφέρεται. ∆εῖ γὰρ τὴν διάνοιαν ἡμῶν οἱονεὶ ἐπερεισθεῖσαν ὑποκειμένῳ τινὶ καὶ ἐναργεῖς αὐτοῦ ἐντυπωσαμένην τοὺς χαρακτῆρας, οὕτως ἐν περινοίᾳ γενέσθαι τοῦ ποθουμένου. Μὴ γὰρ νοήσαντας τὴν πατρότητα μηδὲ περὶ ὃν ἀφώρισται τὸ ἰδίωμα τοῦτο ἐνθυμηθέντας, πῶς δυνατὸν Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἔννοιαν παραδέξασθαι; Οὐ γὰρ ἐξαρκεῖ διαφορὰς προσώ πων ἀπαριθμήσασθαι, ἀλλὰ χρὴ ἕκαστον πρόσωπον ἐν ὑποστάσει ἀληθινῇ ὑπάρχον ὁμολογεῖν. Ἐπεὶ τόν γε ἀνυπόστατον τῶν προσώπων ἀναπλασμὸν οὐδὲ Σαβέλλιος παρῃτήσατο, εἰπὼν τὸν αὐτὸν Θεόν, ἕνα τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ὄντα πρὸς τὰς ἑκάστοτε παραπιπτούσας χρείας μετα μορφούμενον, νῦν μὲν ὡς Πατέρα, νῦν δὲ ὡς Υἱόν, νῦν δὲ ὡς Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον διαλέγεσθαι. Ταύτην πάλαι κατασβεσθεῖ σαν τὴν πλάνην ἀνανεοῦνται νῦν οἱ τῆς ἀνωνύμου ταύτης αἱρέσεως ἐφευρεταί, οἱ τὰς ὑποστάσεις ἀθετοῦντες καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπαρνούμενοι. Οὕς, ἐὰν μὴ παύσωνται λαλοῦντες κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίαν, ὀδύρεσθαι χρὴ μετὰ τῶν ἀρνησιχρίστων. 210.6 Ταῦτα ἀναγκαίως ὑμῖν διεστειλάμεθα, ἵνα τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν διδαγμάτων