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of divine baptism with the Father and the Son, being numbered as liberating men from sins. And at the mystical table declaring the very body of the Son's incarnation, how could the Holy Spirit be made or created or of a servile nature, but not kindred and consubstantial with the masterly and creative and royal substance? For if it is a slave, let it not be numbered with the Creator; for it is united and numbered with, since it is fitting to obey Christ, the precise teacher of such doctrines, who teaches firmly and safely the things concerning His own substance, even if it seems to the Pneumatomachi that they are wiser and know heavenly things more than God, boasting, or rather speaking boldly and impiously. If then the divine Daniel, having seen an angel and marveled at the beauty and size of the one who appeared, fell on his face, astonished at the marvel of the sight, what defense will they have, those who dare to mediate to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit and attempt to weigh the ineffable nature with words and to explain it physically? Therefore the 1.514 scriptures call the timeless and eternal and unmediated procession of the Son from the Father, which is greater than all reason and mind, generation, not in order to suggest a passion, but in order to indicate the consubstantiality; for in reality, those who are begotten are consubstantial with those who beget. But lest it should bring in a notion of passion, they call him Word. Lest he be thought of as younger, they say, "in the beginning was the Word." Then also, proclaiming the relation to the Father, "and the Word was with God." Then also the dignity, "and the Word was God." having learned from Son the consubstantiality, and from Word the impassibility, and from being in the beginning the co-eternity, and from being with the Father the intimacy with him, and through his being God his dignity, and having sent away from each name what is unsuitable and inappropriate, such as from Son, being younger, and from Word, being without subsistence, may we both know and worship him as God eternal, consubstantial and good, and having come forth from the Father timelessly.

After the death of Eustathius the most holy bishop of Antioch, Flavian the great is appointed. In these times the heresy of the Messalians also arose, that is, of the Euchites and Enthusiasts and Lampetians and Bogomils (for this is many-named) from Adelphius and Dadoes and Sabas and Symeon the heresiarchs. from whom the great Flavian, having gathered 1.515 many monks who were denying the heresy, exposed them in this way. For having taken a certain notable elder among them aside privately, he said to him with cunning: "We, O elder, having lived a longer life, have learned human nature more precisely and have come to know very well the machinations of the opposing demons, and by experience we have been taught the bestowal of grace. But these, being young, and knowing nothing of these things precisely, cannot bear to hear more spiritual words. Therefore tell me, how do you say that the contrary spirit withdraws and the grace of the all-holy Spirit comes upon one through your prayer and practice?" And he, charmed by these words, vomited up all the hidden and soul-destroying venom, and says: "We know of no benefit coming from baptism to those who are deemed worthy of it, but only earnest prayer drives out the indwelling and co-essential demon. For each one who is born inherits from the first father, just as his nature, so too the servitude of demons, and when these are driven out by earnest prayer, the Holy Spirit then comes upon one visibly and perceptibly, and most clearly signifying His own presence, the body is completely freed from passionate motion, and the soul is fully delivered from the inclination toward worse things, so that it no longer needs either fasting to oppress the body or teaching to restrain the soul and the mind from every evil activity and thought.

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τοῦ θείου βα πτίσματος σὺν πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ ὡς ἐλευθεροῦν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀριθμούμενον. καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς μυστικῆς τραπέζης τὸ σῶμα ἰδικὸν τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ σαρκώσεως ἀποφαῖνον, πῶς ἂν εἴη ποιητὸν ἢ κτιστὸν ἢ τῆς δουλικῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ' οὐ τῆς δεσποτι κῆς καὶ δημιουργοῦ καὶ βασιλίδος οὐσίας συγγενὲς καὶ ὁμοούσιον τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα; εἰ γὰρ δοῦλον, μὴ συναριθμείσθω τῷ κτίστῃ· ἥνωται γὰρ καὶ συνηρίθμηται, ἐπειδὴ τῷ ἀκριβεῖ τῶν τοιούτων δογματιστῇ Χριστῷ πείθεσθαι προσήκει, βεβαίως καὶ ἀσφαλῶς τὰ περὶ τῆς οἰκείας οὐσίας διδάσκοντι, εἰ καὶ τοῖς πνευματομάχοις δοκεῖ, σοφωτέρους εἶναι καὶ τὰ οὐράνια πλέον εἰδέναι θεοῦ κομ πάζοντας ἢ μᾶλλον τολμηρῶς τε καὶ δυσσεβῶς ῥητορεύοντας. εἰ οὖν ὁ θεῖος ∆ανιὴλ ἄγγελον θεασάμενος καὶ θαυμάσας τὸ κάλλος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ ὀφθέντος πρηνὴς ἔπεσεν, ἐκπλαγεὶς πρὸς τὸ παράδοξον τῆς θέας, ποίαν ἕξουσιν ἀπολογίαν οἱ πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι μεσιτεύειν τολμῶντες καὶ τὴν ἄρρητον φύσιν λόγοις ζυγοστατεῖν ἐπιχειροῦντες καὶ φυσιολογοῦντες; τὴν τοίνυν 1.514 ἄχρονον καὶ ἀΐδιον καὶ ἀμεσίτευτον καὶ παντὸς λόγου καὶ νοῦ κρείτ τονα πρόοδον τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς γέννησιν καλοῦσιν αἱ γρα φαὶ οὐχ ἵνα πάθος ὑπογράψωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸ ὁμοούσιον ὑποδεί ξωσιν· ὁμοούσια γὰρ τῷ ὄντι τὰ τικτόμενα τοῖς τίκτουσιν. ἵνα δὲ μὴ φαντασίαν πάθους ἐπικομίσῃ, λόγον προσαγορεύουσιν. ἵνα μὴ νεώτερος ἐπινοηθῇ, "ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος" φασίν. εἶτα καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα σχέσιν κηρύττοντες "καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν." εἶτα καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν, "καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος." ἐκ μὲν τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ ὁμοούσιον, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἀπαθές, καὶ ἐκ μὲν τοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ εἶναι τὸ συναΐδιον, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἶναι τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκειότητα, διὰ δὲ τοῦ θεὸν εἶναι τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτοῦ καταμαθόντες, καὶ ἐξ ἑκάστου ὀνό ματος τὸ μὴ ἐφορμοῦν καὶ ἀπρεπὲς ἀποπεμψάμενοι, οἷον ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ νεώτερον, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἀνυπόστατον, θεὸν ἀΐδιον ὁμοούσιον καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἀχρόνως ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς προελθόντα εἰδείημέν τε καὶ προσκυνήσαιμεν.

Μετὰ θάνατον Εὐσταθίου τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου ἐπισκόπου Ἀν τιοχείας Φλαβιανὸς ὁ μέγας προχειρίζεται. τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις ἀνεφύη καὶ ἡ τῶν Μασαλιανῶν αἵρεσις εἴτ' οὖν Εὐχιτῶν καὶ Ἐν θουσιαστῶν καὶ Λαμπετιανῶν καὶ Βογομίλων (πολυώνυμος γάρ ἐστιν αὕτη) ἀπὸ Ἀδελφιοῦ καὶ ∆αδώη καὶ Σάβα καὶ Συμεῶνος τῶν αἱρεσιαρχῶν. ἀφ' ὧν ὁ μέγας Φλαβιανὸς μοναχοὺς συναθροίσας 1.515 πολλούς, καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐξαρνουμένους τόνδε τὸν τρόπον διή λεγξεν. ἐπίσημον γάρ τινα παρ' αὐτοῖς γέροντα παραλαβὼν κατ' ἰδίαν ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν μετὰ πανουργίας "ἡμεῖς μέν, ὦ πρεσβῦτα, τὸν πλείω βεβιωκότες βίον ἀκριβέστερον καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ἐμά θομεν φύσιν καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων δαιμόνων ἔγνωμεν εὖ μάλα μηχανήματα, πείρᾳ δὲ καὶ τὴν τῆς χάριτος ἐδιδάχθημεν χορη γίαν. οὗτοι δὲ νέοι ὄντες, καὶ τούτων ἀκριβῶς οὐδὲν ἐπιστάμενοι, πνευματικωτέρων λόγων ἀκοῦσαι οὐ φέρουσιν. οὐκοῦν εἰπέ μοι, πῶς φατὲ καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον πνεῦμα ὑποχωρεῖν καὶ τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος τὴν χάριν ἐπιφοιτᾶν διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας εὐχῆς καὶ ἐπι τηδεύσεως;" ὁ δὲ τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις καταθελχθεὶς ἐξήμεσεν ἅπαντα τὸν κεκρυμμένον ἰὸν καὶ ψυχοφθόρον, καὶ φησίν "οὐδε μίαν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἴσμεν ὠφέλειαν τοῖς ἀξιουμένοις ἐγγί νεσθαι, μόνην δὲ τὴν σπουδαίαν εὐχὴν τὸν ἔνοικον καὶ συνουσιω μένον δαίμονα ἐξελαύνειν. ἕλκει γὰρ ἕκαστον τῶν τικτομένων ἐκ τοῦ προπάτορος ὥσπερ τὴν φύσιν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων δουλείαν, ὧν ὑπὸ τῆς σπουδαίας εὐχῆς ἐλαυνομένων ἐπιφοιτᾷ λοι πὸν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ὁρατῶς καὶ αἰσθητῶς, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν παρ ουσίαν φανερώτατα σημαῖνον, τὸ μὲν σῶμα τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς κινή σεως ἐλευθεροῦται παντελῶς, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω ῥοπῆς τέλεον ἀπαλλάττεται, ὡς μηκέτι δεῖσθαι λοιπὸν μήτε νηστείας πιεζούσης τὸ σῶμα μήτε διδασκαλίας χαλινούσης τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἀπὸ πάσης ἐνεργείας πονηρᾶς καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως.