22. Let us now investigate what are our common conceptions concerning the Spirit, as well those which have been gathered by us from Holy Scripture concerning It as those which we have received from the unwritten tradition of the Fathers. First of all we ask, who on hearing the titles of the Spirit is not lifted up in soul, who does not raise his conception to the supreme nature? It is called “Spirit of God,”  1  Matt. xii. 28, etc. “Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father,”  2  John xv. 26. “right Spirit,”  3  Ps. li. 10. “a leading Spirit.”  4  Ps. li. 12, lxx. R.V. and A.V., “free spirit.” Its  5  It will be remembered that in the Nicene Creed “the Lord and Giver of life” is τὸ κύριον τὸ ζωοποιόν In A.V. we have both he (John xv. 26, ἐκεῖνος) and it (Rom. viii. 16, αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα). proper and peculiar title is “Holy Spirit;” which is a name specially appropriate to everything that is incorporeal, purely immaterial, and indivisible. So our Lord, when teaching the woman who thought God to be an object of local worship that the incorporeal is incomprehensible, said “God is a spirit.”  6  John iv. 24. On our hearing, then, of a spirit, it is impossible to form the idea of a nature circumscribed, subject to change and variation, or at all like the creature. We are compelled to advance in our conceptions to the highest, and to think of an intelligent essence, in power infinite, in magnitude unlimited, unmeasured by times or ages, generous of Its good gifts, to whom turn all things needing sanctification, after whom reach all things that live in virtue, as being watered by Its inspiration and helped on toward their natural and proper end; perfecting all other things, but Itself in nothing lacking; living not as needing restoration, but as Supplier of life; not growing by additions; but straightway full, self-established, omnipresent, origin of sanctification, light perceptible to the mind, supplying, as it were, through Itself, illumination to every faculty in the search for truth; by nature unapproachable, apprehended by reason of goodness, filling all things with Its power,  7  cf. Wisdom i. 7. but communicated only to the worthy; not shared in one measure, but distributing Its energy according to “the proportion of faith;”  8  Rom. xii. 6. in essence simple, in powers various, wholly present in each and being wholly everywhere; impassively divided, shared without loss of ceasing to be entire, after the likeness of the sunbeam, whose kindly light falls on him who enjoys it as though it shone for him alone, yet illumines land and sea and mingles with the air. So, too, is the Spirit to every one who receives it, as though given to him alone, and yet It sends forth grace sufficient and full for all mankind, and is enjoyed by all who share It, according to the capacity, not of Its power, but of their nature.

[22] Ἤδη δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὰς κοινὰς ἡμῶν ἐννοίας ὁποῖαί τινές εἰσιν ἐξετάσωμεν, τάς τε ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ συναχθείσας ἡμῖν καὶ ἃς ἐκ τῆς ἀγράφου παραδόσεως τῶν πατέρων διεδεξάμεθα. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν, τίς ἀκούσας τῶν προσηγοριῶν τοῦ Πνεύματος, οὐ διανίσταται τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀνωτάτω φύσιν τὴν ἔννοιαν ὑπεραίρει; Πνεῦμα γὰρ Θεοῦ εἴρηται, καὶ «Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται», «Πνεῦμα εὐθές», «Πνεῦμα ἡγεμονικόν». «Πνεῦμα ἅγιον», ἡ κυρία αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδιάζουσα κλῆσις: ὅπερ δὴ μάλιστα παντὸς τοῦ ἀσωμάτου καὶ καθαρῶς ἀΰλου τε καὶ ἀμεροῦς ὄνομά ἐστι. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος τὴν ἐν τόπῳ προσκυνεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν ἡγουμένην διδάσκων, ὅτι ἀπερίληπτον τὸ ἀσώματον, «Πνεῦμα, φησίν, ὁ Θεός». Οὐ τοίνυν δυνατὸν Πνεῦμα ἀκούσαντα, περιγεγραμμένην φύσιν ἐντυπῶσαι τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἢ τροπαῖς καὶ ἀλλοιώσεσιν ὑποκειμένην, ἢ ὅλως ὁμοίαν τῇ κτίσει: ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ἀνωτάτω ταῖς ἐννοίαις χωροῦντα, νοερὰν οὐσίαν ἐπάναγκες ἐννοεῖν, ἄπειρον κατὰ δύναμιν, μεγέθει ἀπεριόριστον, χρόνοις ἢ αἰῶσιν ἀμέτρητον, ἄφθονον ὧν ἔχει καλῶν. Πρὸς ὃ πάντα ἐπέστραπται τὰ ἁγιασμοῦ προσδεόμενα: οὗ πάντα ἐφίεται τὰ κατ' ἀρετὴν ζῶντα, οἷον ἐπαρδόμενα τῇ ἐπιπνοίᾳ καὶ βοηθούμενα πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἑαυτοῖς καὶ κατὰ φύσιν τέλος. Τελειωτικὸν τῶν ἄλλων, αὐτὸ δὲ οὐδαμοῦ ἐλλεῖπον: οὐκ ἐπισκευαστῶς ζῶν, ἀλλὰ ζωῆς χορηγόν: οὐ προσθήκαις αὐξανόμενον, ἀλλὰ πλῆρες εὐθύς, ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἱδρυμένον καὶ πανταχοῦ ὄν. Ἁγιασμοῦ γένεσις, φῶς νοητόν, πάσῃ δυνάμει λογικῇ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας εὕρεσιν οἷόν τινα καταφάνειαν δι' ἑαυτοῦ παρεχόμενον. Ἀπρόσιτον τῇ φύσει: χωρητὸν δι' ἀγαθότητα: πάντα μὲν πληροῦν τῇ δυνάμει, μόνοις δὲ ὂν μεθεκτὸν τοῖς ἀξίοις, οὐχ ἑνὶ μέτρῳ μετεχόμενον, ἀλλὰ κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως διαιροῦν τὴν ἐνέργειαν. Ἁπλοῦν τῇ οὐσίᾳ, ποικίλον ταῖς δυνάμεσιν: ὅλον ἑκάστῳ παρὸν καὶ ὅλον ἁπανταχοῦ ὄν. Ἀπαθῶς μεριζόμενον, καὶ ὁλοσχερῶς μετεχόμενον: κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος, ἧς ἡ χάρις τῷ ἀπολαύοντι ὡς μόνῳ παροῦσα, καὶ γῆν ἐπιλάμπει καὶ θάλασσαν, καὶ τῷ ἀέρι ἐγκέκραται. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἑκάστῳ τῶν δεκτικῶν, ὡς μόνῳ παρόν, διαρκῆ τοῖς πᾶσι τὴν χάριν ὁλόκληρον ἐπαφίησιν: οὗ ἀπολαύει τὰ μετέχοντα, ὅσον αὐτὰ πέφυκεν, οὐχ ὅσον ἐκεῖνο δύναται.