Chapter 19.—The Holy Spirit is Called the Gift of God in the Scriptures. By the Gift of the Holy Spirit is Meant the Gift Which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Specially Called Love, Although Not Only the Holy Spirit in the Trinity is Love.

33. Is this too to be proved, that the Holy Spirit is called in the sacred books the gift of God? If people look for this too, we have in the Gospel according to John the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, who says, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink: he that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” And the evangelist has gone on further to add, “And this He spake of the Spirit, which they should receive who believe in Him.”1008    John vii. 37–39 And hence Paul the apostle also says, “And we have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”1009    1 Cor. xii. 13 The question then is, whether that water is called the gift of God which is the Holy Spirit. But as we find here that this water is the Holy Spirit, so we find elsewhere in the Gospel itself that this water is called the gift of God. For when the same Lord was talking with the woman of Samaria at the well, to whom He had said, “Give me to drink,” and she had answered that the Jews “have no dealings” with the Samaritans, Jesus answered and said unto her, “If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou this living water, etc.? Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whose shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life.”1010    John iv. 7–14 Because this living water, then, as the evangelist has explained to us, is the Holy Spirit, without doubt the Spirit is the gift of God, of which the Lord says here, “If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.” For that which is in the one passage, “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water,” is in the other, “shall be in him a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life.”

34. Paul the apostle also says, “To each of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ;” and then, that he might show that by the gift of Christ he meant the Holy Spirit, he has gone on to add, “Wherefore He saith, He hath ascended up on high, He hath led captivity captive, and hath given gifts to men.”1011    Eph. iv. 7, 8 And every one knows that the Lord Jesus, when He had ascended into heaven after the resurrection from the dead, gave the Holy Spirit, with whom they who believed were filled, and spake with the tongues of all nations. And let no one object that he says gifts, not gift: for he quoted the text from the Psalm. And in the Psalm it is read thus, “Thou hast ascended up on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, Thou hast received gifts in men.”1012    Ps. lxviii. 18 For so it stands in many mss., especially in the Greek mss., and so we have it translated from the Hebrew. The apostle therefore said gifts, as the prophet did, not gift. But whereas the prophet said, “Thou hast received gifts in men,” the apostle has preferred saying, “He gave gifts to men:” and this in order that the fullest sense may be gathered from both expressions, the one prophetic, the other apostolic; because both possess the authority of a divine utterance. For both are true, as well that He gave to men, as that He received in men. He gave to men, as the head to His own members: He Himself that gave, received in men, no doubt as in His own members; on account of which, namely, His own members, He cried from heaven, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”1013    Acts ix. 4 And of which, namely, His own members, He says, “Since ye have done it to one of the least of these that are mine, ye have done it unto me.”1014    Matt. xxv. 40 Christ Himself, therefore, both gave from heaven and received on earth. And further, both prophet and apostle have said gifts for this reason, because many gifts, which are proper to each, are divided in common to all the members of Christ, by the Gift, which is the Holy Spirit. For each severally has not all, but some have these and some have those; although all have the Gift itself by which that which is proper to each is divided to Him, i.e. the Holy Spirit. For elsewhere also, when he had mentioned many gifts, “All these,” he says, “worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to each severally as He will.”1015    1 Cor. xii. 11 And this word is found also in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where it is written, “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts1016    Distributionibus of the Holy Ghost.”1017    Heb. ii. 4 And so here, when he had said, “He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, He gave gifts to men,” he says further, “But that He ascended, what is it but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. And He gave some apostles, some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and doctors.” (This we see is the reason why gifts are spoken of; because, as he says elsewhere, “Are all apostles? are all prophets?”1018    1 Cor. xii. 29 etc.) And here he has added, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.”1019    Eph. iv. 7–12 This is the house which, as the Psalm sings, is built up after the captivity;1020    Ps. cxxvi. 1 since the house of Christ, which house is called His Church, is built up of those who have been rescued from the devil, by whom they were held captive. But He Himself led this captivity captive, who conquered the devil. And that he might not draw with him into eternal punishment those who were to become the members of the Holy Head, He bound him first by the bonds of righteousness, and then by those of might. The devil himself, therefore, is called captivity, which He led captive who ascended up on high, and gave gifts to men, or received gifts in men.

35. And Peter the apostle, as we read in that canonical book, wherein the Acts of the Apostles are recorded,—when the hearts of the Jews were troubled as he spake of Christ, and they said, “Brethren, what shall we do? tell us,”—said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins: and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”1021    Acts ii. 37, 38 And we read likewise in the same book, that Simon Magus desired to give money to the apostles, that he might receive power from them, whereby the Holy Spirit might be given by the laying on of his hands. And the same Peter said to him, “Thy money perish with thee: because thou hast thought to purchase for money the gift of God.”1022    Acts viii. 18–20 And in another place of the same book, when Peter was speaking to Cornelius, and to those who were with him, and was announcing and preaching Christ, the Scripture says, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all them that heard the word; and they of the circumcision that believed, as many as came with Peter, were astonished, because that upon the Gentiles also the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.”1023    Acts x. 44, 46 And when Peter afterwards was giving an account to the brethren that were at Jerusalem of this act of his, that he had baptized those who were not circumcised, because the Holy Spirit, to cut the knot of the question, had come upon them before they were baptized, and the brethren at Jerusalem were moved when they heard it, he says, after the rest of his words, “And when I began to speak to them, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us in the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, that John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If, therefore, He gave a like gift to them, as also to us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could hinder God from giving to them the Holy Spirit?”1024    Acts xi. 15–17 And there are many other testimonies of the Scriptures, which unanimously attest that the Holy Spirit is the gift of God, in so far as He is given to those who by Him love God. But it is too long a task to collect them all. And what is enough to satisfy those who are not satisfied with those we have alleged?

36. Certainly they must be warned, since they now see that the Holy Spirit is called the gift of God, that when they hear of “the gift of the Holy Spirit,” they should recognize therein that mode of speech which is found in the words, “In the spoiling of the body of the flesh.”1025    Col. ii. 11 For as the body of the flesh is nothing else but the flesh, so the gift of the Holy Spirit is nothing else but the Holy Spirit. He is then the gift of God, so far as He is given to those to whom He is given. But in Himself He is God, although He were given to no one, because He was God co-eternal with the Father and the Son before He was given to any one. Nor is He less than they, because they give, and He is given. For He is given as a gift of God in such way that He Himself also gives Himself as being God. For He cannot be said not to be in His own power, of whom it is said, “The Spirit bloweth where it listeth;”1026    John iii. 6 and the apostle says, as I have already mentioned above, “All these things worketh that selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.” We have not here the creating of Him that is given, and the rule of them that give, but the concord of the given and the givers.

37. Wherefore, if Holy Scripture proclaims that God is love, and that love is of God, and works this in us that we abide in God and He in us, and that hereby we know this, because He has given us of His Spirit, then the Spirit Himself is God, who is love. Next, if there be among the gifts of God none greater than love, and there is no greater gift of God than the Holy Spirit, what follows more naturally than that He is Himself love, who is called both God and of God? And if the love by which the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father, ineffably demonstrates the communion of both, what is more suitable than that He should be specially called love, who is the Spirit common to both? For this is the sounder thing both to believe and to understand, that the Holy Spirit is not alone love in that Trinity, yet is not specially called love to no purpose, for the reasons we have alleged; just as He is not alone in that Trinity either a Spirit or holy, since both the Father is a Spirit, and the Son is a Spirit; and both the Father is holy, and the Son is holy,—as piety doubts not. And yet it is not to no purpose that He is specially called the Holy Spirit; for because He is common to both, He is specially called that which both are in common. Otherwise, if in that Trinity the Holy Spirit alone is love, then doubtless the Son too turns out to be the Son, not of the Father only, but also of the Holy Spirit. For He is both said and read in countless places to be so,—the only-begotten Son of God the Father; as that what the apostle says of God the Father is true too: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His own love.”1027    Col. i. 13 He did not say, “of His own Son.” If He had so said, He would have said it most truly, just as He did say it most truly, because He has often said it; but He says, “the Son of His own love.” Therefore He is the Son also of the Holy Spirit, if there is in that Trinity no love in God except the Holy Spirit. And if this is most absurd, it remains that the Holy Spirit is not alone therein love, but is specially so called for the reasons I have sufficiently set forth; and that the words, “Son of His own love,” mean nothing else than His own beloved Son,—the Son, in short, of His own substance. For the love in the Father, which is in His ineffably simple nature, is nothing else than His very nature and substance itself,—as we have already often said, and are not ashamed of often repeating. And hence the “Son of His love,” is none other than He who is born of His substance.

CAPUT XIX.

33. Spiritus sanctus dictus Dei Donum in Scripturis. Donum Spiritus sancti dictum pro Donum quod est Spiritus sanctus. Spiritus sanctus proprie Charitas dicitur, quamvis non solus in Trinitate charitas sit. An et hoc probandum est, Dei Donum dictum esse in sacris Litteris Spiritum sanctum? Si et hoc exspectatur, habemus in Evangelio secundum Joannem Domini Jesu Christi verba dicentis: Si quis sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat. Qui credit in me, sicut dicit Scriptura, flumina de ventre ejus fluent aquae vivae. Porro Evangelista secutus adjunxit: Hoc autem dixit de Spiritu, quem accepturi erant credentes in eum (Joan. VII, 37-39). Unde dicit etiam Paulus apostolus: Et omnes unum Spiritum potavimus (I Cor. XII, 13). Utrum autem donum Dei sit appellata aqua ista, quod est Spiritus sanctus, hoc quaeritur. Sed sicut hic invenimus hanc aquam Spiritum sanctum esse, ita invenimus alibi in ipso Evangelio hanc aquam donum Dei appellatam. Nam Dominus idem quando cum muliere Samaritana ad puteum loquebatur, cui dixerat, Da mihi bibere; cum illa respondisset, quod Judaei non couterentur Samaritanis; respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Si scires Donum Dei, et quis est qui dicit tibi, Da mihi bibere; tu forsitan petisses ab eo, et dedisset tibi aquam vivam. Dicit ei mulier: Domine, neque in quo haurias habes, et puteus altus est; unde ergo habes aquam vivam? et caetera. Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: 1084 Omnis qui biberit ex hac aqua, sitiet iterum; qui autem biberit ex aqua quam ego dabo ei, non sitiet in aeternum: sed aqua quam ego dabo ei, fiet in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam (Joan. IV, 7-14). Quia ergo haec aqua viva, sicut Evangelista exposuit, Spiritus est sanctus, procul dubio Spiritus Donum Dei est, de quo hic Dominus ait: Si scires Donum Dei, et quis est qui dicit tibi, Da mihi bibere; tu forsitan petisses ab eo, et dedisset tibi aquam vivam. Nam quod ibi ait, Flumina de ventre ejus fluent aquae vivae; hoc isto loco, Fiet in eo, inquit, fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam.

34. Paulus quoque apostolus, Unicuique, inquit, nostrum datur gratia secundum mensuram donationis Christi: atque ut donationem Christi Spiritum sanctum ostenderet, secutus adjunxit, Propter quod dicit: Ascendit in altum, captivavit captivitatem, dedit dona hominibus (Ephes. IV, 7, 8). Notissimum est autem, Dominum Jesum, cum post resurrectionem a mortuis ascendisset in coelum, dedisse Spiritum sanctum, quo impleti qui crediderant, linguis omnium gentium loquebantur. Nec moveat quod ait, dona; non, donum: id enim testimonium de Psalmo posuit. Hoc autem in Psalmo ita legitur: Ascendisti in altum, captivasti captivitatem, accepisti dona in hominibus (Psal. LXVII, 19). Sic enim plures codices habent, et maxime graeci, et ex hebraeo sic interpretatum habemus. Dona itaque dixit Apostolus, quemadmodum Propheta, non, donum. Sed cum Propheta dixerit, accepisti dona in hominibus; Apostolus maluit dicere, dedit dona hominibus: ut ex utroque scilicet verbo, uno prophetico, apostolico altero, quia in utroque est divini sermonis auctoritas, sensus plenissimus redderetur. Utrumque enim verum est, et quia dedit hominibus, et quia accepit in hominibus. Dedit hominibus, tanquam caput membris suis: accepit in hominibus idem ipse utique membris suis, propter quae membra sua clamavit de coelo, Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris (Act. IX, 4)? et de quibus membris suis ait, Quando uni ex minimis meis fecistis, mihi fecistis (Matth. XXV, 40). Ipse ergo Christus, et dedit de coelo, et accepit in terra. Porro autem dona ob hoc ambo dixerunt, et Propheta et Apostolus, quia per donum, quod est Spiritus sanctus, in commune omnibus membris Christi multa dona, quae sunt quibusque propria, dividuntur. Non enim singuli quique habent omnia, sed hi illa, alii alia: quamvis ipsum donum a quo cuique propria dividuntur omnes habeant, id est, Spiritum sanctum. Nam et alibi cum multa dona commemorasset, Omnia, inquit, haec operatur unus atque idem Spiritus, dividens propria unicuique prout vult (I Cor. XII, 11). Quod verbum et in Epistola quae ad Hebraeos est invenitur, ubi scriptum est, Attestante Deo signis et ostentis, et variis virtutibus, et Spiritus sancti distributioni . (Hebr. II, 4). Et hic cum dixisset, Ascendit in altum, captivavit captivitatem, dedit dona hominibus; Quod autem 1085 ascendit, ait, quid est, nisi quia et descendit in inferiores partes terrae? Qui descendit, ipse est et qui ascendit super omnes coelos, ut adimpleret omnia. Et ipse dedit quosdam quidem apostolos, quosdam autem prophetas, quosdam vero evangelistas, quosdam autem pastores et doctores. Ecce quare dicta sunt dona: quia, sicut alibi dicit, Numquid omnes apostoli? numquid omnes prophetae (I Cor. XII, 29)? et caetera. Hic autem adjunxit, Ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerii, in aedificationem corporis Christi (Ephes. IV, 7-12). Haec est domus, quae, sicut Psalmus canit, aedificatur post captivitatem (Psal. CXXVI, 1): quoniam qui sunt a diabolo eruti, a quo captivi tenebantur, de his aedificatur domus Christi, quae domus appellatur Ecclesia. Hanc autem captivitatem ipse captivavit, qui diabolum vicit. Et ne illa quae futura erant sancti capitis membra in aeternum supplicium secum traheret, eum justitiae prius, deinde potentiae vinculis alligavit. Ipse itaque diabolus est appellata captivitas, quam captivavit qui ascendit in altum, et dedit dona hominibus, vel accepit in hominibus.

35. Petrus autem apostolus, sicut in eo libro canonico legitur, ubi scripti sunt Actus Apostolorum, loquens de Christo, commotis corde Judaeis et dicentibus, Quid ergo faciemus, fratres? monstrate nobis; dixit ad eos: Agite poenitentiam, et baptizetur unusquisque vestrum in nomine Domini Jesu Christi, in remissionem peccatorum; et accipietis donum Spiritus sancti (Act. II, 37, 38). Itemque in eodem libro legitur, Simonem Magum Apostolis dare voluisse pecuniam, ut ab eis acciperet potestatem, qua per impositionem manus ejus daretur Spiritus sanctus. Cui Petrus idem: Pecunia, inquit, tua tecum sit in perditionem, quia donum Dei aestimasti te per pecunias possidere (Id. VIII, 18-20). Et alio ejusdem libri loco, cum Petrus Cornelio et eis qui cum eo fuerant loqueretur, annuntians et praedicans Christum, ait Scriptura: Adhuc loquente Petro verba haec, cecidit Spiritus sanctus super omnes qui audiebant verbum, et obstupuerunt qui ex circumcisione fideles simul cum Petro venerant, quia et in nationes donum Spiritus sancti effusum est. Audiebant enim illos loquentes linguis, et magnificantes Deum (Id. X, 44-46). De quo facto suo quod incircumcisos baptizaverat, quia priusquam baptizarentur, ut nodum quaestionis hujus auferret, in eos venerat Spiritus sanctus, cum Petrus postea redderet rationem fratribus qui erant Jerosolymis, et hac re audita movebantur, ait post caetera: Cum coepissem autem loqui ad illos, cecidit Spiritus sanctus in illos, sicut et in nos in initio. Memoratusque sum verbi Domini, sicut dicebat: Quia Joannes quidem baptizavit aqua, vos autem baptizabimini Spiritu sancto. Si igitur aequale donum dedit illis, sicut et nobis qui credidimus in Dominum Jesum Christum; ego quis eram, qui possem prohibere Deum non dare illis Spiritum sanctum (Id. XI, 15-17)? Et multa alia sunt testimonia Scripturarum, quae concorditer attestantur Donum Dei esse Spiritum 1086 sanctum, in quantum datur eis qui per eum diligunt Deum. Sed nimis longum est cuncta colligere. Et quid eis satis est, quibus haec quae diximus satis non sunt?

36. Sane admonendi sunt, quandoquidem Donum Dei jam vident dictum Spiritum sanctum, ut cum audiunt, Donum Spiritus sancti, illud genus locutionis agnoscant, quod dictum est, In exspoliatione corporis carnis (Coloss. II, 11). Sicut enim corpus carnis nihil est aliud quam caro; sic Donum Spiritus sancti nihil est aliud quam Spiritus sanctus. In tantum ergo Donum Dei est, in quantum datur eis quibus datur. Apud se autem Deus est, etsi nemini detur, quia Deus erat Patri et Filio coaeternus antequam cuiquam daretur. Nec quia illi dant, ipse datur, ideo minor est illis. Ita enim datur sicut Donum Dei, ut etiam se ipsum det sicut Deus. Non enim dici potest non esse suae potestatis, de quo dictum est, Spiritus ubi vult spirat (Joan. III, 8): Et apud Apostolum quod jam supra commemoravi, Omnia haec operatur unus atque idem Spiritus, dividens propria unicuique prout vult. Non est illic conditio dati et dominatio dantium, sed concordia dati et dantium.

37. Quapropter si sancta Scriptura proclamat, Deus charitas est; illaque ex Deo est, et in nobis id agit ut in Deo maneamus, et ipse in nobis, et hoc inde cognoscimus, quia de Spiritu suo dedit nobis, ipse Spiritus est Deus charitas. Deinde, si in donis Dei nihil majus est charitate, et nullum est majus donum Dei quam Spiritus sanctus, quid consequentius quam ut ipse sit charitas, qui dicitur et Deus et ex Deo? Et si charitas qua Pater diligit Filium, et Patrem diligit Filius, ineffabiliter communionem demonstrat amborum; quid convenientius quam ut ille dicatur charitas proprie, qui Spiritus est communis ambobus? Hoc enim sanius creditur vel intelligitur, ut non solus Spiritus sanctus charitas sit in illa Trinitate, sed non frustra proprie charitas nuncupetur, propter illa quae dicta sunt. Sicut non solus est in illa Trinitate, vel spiritus vel sanctus, quia et Pater spiritus, et Filius spiritus, et Pater sanctus, et Filius sanctus, quod non ambigit pietas: et tamen iste non frustra proprie dicitur Spiritus sanctus. Quia enim est communis ambobus, id vocatur ipse proprie quod ambo communiter. Alioquin si in illa Trinitate solus Spiritus sanctus est charitas, profecto et Filius non solius Patris, verum etiam Spiritus sancti Filius invenitur. Ita enim locis innumerabilibus dicitur et legitur Filius unigenitus Dei Patris, ut tamen et illud verum sit quod Apostolus ait de Deo Patre: Qui eruit nos de potestate tenebrarum, et transtulit in regnum Filii charitatis suae (Coloss. I, 13). Non dixit, Filii sui; quod si diceret, verissime diceret, quemadmodum quia saepe dixit, verissime dixit: sed ait, Filii charitatis suae. Filius ergo est etiam Spiritus sancti, si non est in illa Trinitate charitas Dei nisi Spiritus sanctus. Quod si absurdissimum est, restat ut non solus ibi sit charitas Spiritus sanctus, sed propter illa de quibus 1087 satis disserui, proprie sic vocetur: quod autem dictum est, Filii charitatis suae, nihil aliud intelligatur, quam Filii sui dilecti, quam Filii postremo substantiae suae. Charitas quippe Patris quae in natura ejus est ineffabiliter simplici, nihil est aliud quam ejus ipsa natura atque substantia, ut saepe jam diximus, et saepe iterare non piget. Ac per hoc Filius charitatis ejus nullus est alius, quam qui de substantia ejus est genitus.