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the Holy Spirit dwelling in the worthy? And how will the Spirit be alien to God, 'searching the depths of God?' and do not say to me: He searches, and does not yet know, as some dare to blaspheme and destroy themselves, since they would also say the same thing about the Father, because it is also written about him that 'He searches the chambers of the belly.' And if you should understand impiously, because 'to know' is not added to 'to search' in the case of the Spirit, you would also be impious regarding the Father, being forced to produce the same suspicion. For neither in the case of the Father searching the chambers of the belly is 'to know' added, for there was no need to say it, since the foreknowledge of God is clearly shown from the 'searching' and the perfection of the statement possessing it. Thus understand for me, concerning the Spirit and the Son and the Father, the one knowledge and the one foreknowledge, since the Holy Trinity clearly possesses perfection and identity. 14. And it is possible to say innumerable things about these matters and to bring a mass of testimonies from divine Scripture and to extend at length and to cause weariness 3.332 to the readers. For having said many things sufficiently against every heresy, we, the weak, have in the power of God overthrown them all and have shown them to be alien to the truth and each of them to be blaspheming and denying the truth, whether in brief or at length, just as these men who blaspheme in vain against the Lord and against the Holy Spirit and who do not have 'neither here nor in the age to come' according to the things said by the Lord 'forgiveness' of sins because of their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, having been trampled down by the truth itself like a terrible horned unicorn, the mind of the blasphemy being able to destroy the whole body, having been struck by the word of the wood and by the true confession of the Only-begotten, that for him who blasphemes against the Spirit 'it will not be forgiven, neither in this age nor in the one to come,' as I said, having been trampled down and crushed, not prevailing against the truth. For 'the gates of Hades' are truly all the heresies, but 'they will not prevail against the rock,' that is, against the truth. For if any of them should wish to say, 'We ourselves also confess the faith set forth at Nicaea; but show me from it that the Holy Spirit is numbered together in the Godhead,' they will be found to be refuted from it as well. But at that time the inquiry was not about the Spirit. For against what arises from time to time the synods provide security. Since, therefore, Arius directed his slander against the Son, for this reason an exactness of words came about after abundant discussion. But see from the confession itself that those who blaspheme against the Spirit, the Pneumatomachi, who are alien to his gift and holiness, will be found to be saying nothing in this either. For immediately the exposition confesses and does not deny: 'For we believe in one God, the Father Almighty.' And the 'we believe' is not simply said, but the faith is in God 'and in one Lord Jesus Christ'; and it is not simply said, but the faith is in God 'and in the Holy Spirit'; and it is not simply said, but into one doxology and into one union of Godhead and one consubstantiality, into three perfect ones, but one Godhead, one substance, one doxology, one Lordship from the 'we believe' and 'we believe' and 'we believe'. And here the argument of such men has fallen through. And to what point shall I prolong the argument, having considered what has been said against these men sufficient for those who love the truth? Wherefore I will pass over this too, praying that our God will, as is his custom, give aid toward the overthrow of all these, so that having completed the undertaking in his power we may give thanks to him in all things. 3.333 Against Aerius 55, and in the sequence 75. 1. A certain Aerius has again likewise become a great evil to the world, thunderstruck in his mind, puffed up in his pride. For every heresy from the beginning to the end, an evil counsel of those who have become or

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ἐνοικοῦν πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐν τοῖς ἀξίοις; πῶς δὲ ἀλλότριον θεοῦ ἔσται τὸ πνεῦμα «τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐρευνῶν;» καὶ μὴ λέγε μοι· ἐρευνᾷ, καὶ οὔπω γινώσκει, ὥς τινες τολμῶσι βλασφημεῖν καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀπολλύειν, ἐπεὶ ἂν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ λέξωσι περὶ τοῦ πατρός, ὅτι καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ γέγραπται ὅτι «ἐρευνᾷ ταμεῖα κοιλίας». καὶ εἰ ἀσεβῶς νοήσεις διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπικεῖσθαι τῷ ἐρευνᾶν τὸ γινώσκειν ἐπὶ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀσεβήσαις ἂν καὶ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ἀναγκαζόμενος παρεκφέρειν ὑπόνοιαν. οὔτε γὰρ ἐπὶ πατρὸς ἐρευνῶντος ταμεῖα κοιλίας πρόσκειται τὸ γινώσκειν οὔτε γὰρ χρεία ἦν εἰπεῖν σαφῶς δηλουμένης τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προγνωσίας ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐρευνᾶν καὶ τὸ τέλειον τῆς ἀποφάσεως ἐχούσης. οὕτω μοι καὶ περὶ πνεύματος καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ πατρὸς νόησον τὴν μίαν γνῶσιν καὶ τὴν προγνωσίαν, σαφῶς ἐχούσης τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος τὴν τελειότητά τε καὶ ταυτότητα. 14. Καὶ ἀμύθητα ἔστι περὶ τούτων λέγειν καὶ ἀπὸ θείας γραφῆς ὄγκον μαρτυριῶν φέρειν καὶ εἰς πλάτος ἐπιμηκύνειν καὶ κάματον ἐμποιεῖν 3.332 τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν. ἀρκετῶς γὰρ ἐν πάσῃ αἱρέσει πολλὰ εἰπόντες τὰς πάσας ἐν θεοῦ δυνάμει ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ἀνετρέψαμεν καὶ ἀπεδείξαμεν ἀλλοτρίας οὔσας τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἑκάστην αὐτῶν βλασφημοῦσαν καὶ ἀρνουμένην τὴν ἀλήθειαν, κἄν τε ἐν βραχεῖ κἄν τε ἐν πολλῷ, ὡς καὶ οὗτοι οἱ μάτην εἰς τὸν κύριον βλασφημοῦντες καὶ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ μὴ ἔχοντες «μήτε ἐνταῦθα μήτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι» κατὰ τὰ ὑπὸ κυρίου εἰρημένα «ἄφεσιν» ἁμαρτιῶν διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα βλασφημίαν, καταπατηθέντες ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας δίκην κεράστου δεινοῦ μονοκέρωτος, τοῦ νοῦ τῆς βλασφημίας δυναμένου ὅλον τὸ σῶμα φθείρειν, παισθέντες τῷ τοῦ ξύλου λόγῳ καὶ τῇ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἀληθινῇ ὁμολογίᾳ, ὅτι τῷ βλασφημοῦντι εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα «οὔτε ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἀφεθήσεται», ὡς ἔφην, καταπατηθέντες καὶ συντριβέντες, μὴ ἰσχύοντες κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας. «πύλαι γὰρ Ἅιδου» ἀληθῶς πᾶσαι αἱ αἱρέσεις, ἀλλὰ «κατὰ τῆς πέτρας οὐ κατισχύσουσι», τουτέστι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας. κἄν τε γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν τινες θελήσειαν λέγειν ὅτι «τὴν μὲν πίστιν τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν κατὰ Νίκαιαν καὶ αὐτοὶ ὁμολογοῦμεν· δεῖξον δέ μοι ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὅτι τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἐν τῇ θεότητι συναριθμεῖται», εὑρεθήσονται καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἐλεγχόμενοι. οὐ γέγονε δὲ τότε περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ἡ ζήτησις. πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ὑποπῖπτον ἐν καιρῷ καὶ καιρῷ αἱ σύνοδοι τὴν ἀσφάλειαν ποιοῦνται. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ Ἄρειος εἰς τὸν υἱὸν τὴν δυσφημίαν ἀπετείνετο, τούτου ἕνεκα μετὰ περισσῆς διαλογῆς ἀκρίβεια τῶν λόγων γεγένηται. ὅρα δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ὁμολογίας ὅτι οὔτε ἐν τούτῳ εὑρεθήσονταί τι λέγοντες οἱ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα βλασφημοῦντες, οἱ Πνευματομάχοι καὶ ἀλλότριοι τῆς αὐτοῦ δωρεᾶς καὶ ἁγιαστείας. εὐθὺς γὰρ ἡ ἔκθεσις ὁμολογεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἀρνεῖται· «πιστεύομεν γὰρ εἰς ἕνα θεὸν πατέρα παντοκράτορα». τὸ δὲ πιστεύομεν οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ ἡ πίστις εἰς τὸν θεὸν «καὶ εἰς ἕνα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν»· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλ' εἰς θεὸν ἡ πίστις «καὶ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα»· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλ' εἰς μίαν δοξολογίαν καὶ εἰς μίαν ἕνωσιν θεότητος καὶ μίαν ὁμοουσιότητα, εἰς τρία τέλεια, μίαν δὲ θεότητα, μίαν οὐσίαν, μίαν δοξολογίαν, μίαν κυριότητα ἀπὸ τοῦ «πιστεύομεν» καὶ «πιστεύομεν» καὶ «πιστεύομεν». καὶ ἐνταῦθα διέπεσεν ὁ τῶν τοιούτων λόγος. καὶ ἕως ποῦ μηκύνω τὸν λόγον, ἀρκετῶς ἡγησάμενος τοῖς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀγαπῶσι τὰ κατὰ τούτων εἰρημένα; διὸ ὑπερβήσομαι καὶ ταύτην, δεόμενος θεοῦ ἡμῶν συνήθως ἀντιλαβέσθαι πρὸς τὴν τούτων ἀνατροπὴν ἁπάντων, ὅπως ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει τὸ ἐπάγγελμα τελειώσαντες κατὰ πάντα αὐτῷ εὐχαριστήσωμεν. 3.333 Κατὰ Ἀερίου ˉνˉε, τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ˉοˉε. 1. Ἀέριός τις πάλιν ὡσαύτως τῷ κόσμῳ γεγένηται μέγα κακόν, ἐμβροντηθεὶς τὴν ἔννοιαν, ἐπαρθεὶς τὸ φρόνημα. πᾶσαν γὰρ αἵρεσιν κακοβουλία τῶν γενομένων ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἄχρι τέλους ἢ