Chapter I.

St. Ambrose commences his argument by complimenting the Emperor, both for his faith and for the restitution of the Basilica to the Church; then having urged that his opponents, if they affirm that the Holy Spirit is not a servant, cannot deny Him to be above all, adds that the same Spirit, when He said, “All things serve Thee,” showed plainly that He was distinct from creatures; which point he also establishes by other evidence.

19. The Holy Spirit, then, is not amongst but above all things. For (since you, most merciful Emperor, are so fully instructed concerning the Son of God as to be able yourself to teach others) I will not detain you longer, as you desire and claim to be told something more exactly [concerning Him], especially since you lately showed yourself to be so pleased by an argument of this nature, as to command the Basilica to be restored to the Church without any one urging you.

20. So, then, we have received the grace of your faith and the reward of our own; for we cannot say otherwise than that it was of the grace of the Holy Spirit, that when all were unconscious of it, you suddenly restored the Basilica. This is the gift, I say, this the work of the Holy Spirit, Who indeed was at that time preached by us, but was working in you.

21. And I do not regret the losses of the previous time, since the sequestration of that Basilica resulted in the gain of a sort of usury. For you sequestrated the Basilica, that you might give proof of your faith. And so your piety fulfilled its intention, which had sequestered that it might give proof, and so gave proof as to restore. I did not lose the fruit, and I have your judgment, and it has been made clear to all that, with a certain diversity of action, there was in you no diversity of opinion. It was made clear, I say, to all, that it was not of yourself that you sequestrated, that it was of yourself when you restored it.

22. Now let us establish by evidence what we have said. The first point in the discussion is that all things serve. Now it is clear that all things serve, since it is written: “All things serve Thee.”38    Ps. cxix. [cxviii.] 91.    Gen. i. 1. This the Spirit said through the prophet. He did not say, We serve, but, “serve Thee,” that you might believe that He Himself is excepted from serving. So, then, since all things serve, and the Spirit does not serve, the Holy Spirit is certainly not included amongst all things.

23. For if we say that the Holy Spirit is included amongst all things, certainly when we read that the Spirit searches the deep things of God,39    1 Cor. ii. 10.    Gen. i. 4. we deny that God the Father is over all. For since the Spirit is of God, and is the Spirit of His mouth, how can we say that the Holy Spirit is included amongst all things, seeing that God, Whose is the Spirit, is over all, possessing certainly fulness of perfection and perfect power.

25. But lest the objectors should think that the Apostle was in error, let them learn whom he followed as his authority for his belief. The Lord said in the Gospel: “When the Paraclete is come, Whom I will send to you from My Father, even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father, He shall bear witness of Me.”40    S. John xv. 26.    Gen. i. 26. So the Holy Spirit both proceeds from the Father, and bears witness of the Son. For the witness Who is both faithful and true bears witness of the Father, than which witness nothing is more full for the expression of the Divine Majesty, nothing more clear as to the Unity of the Divine Power, since the Spirit has the same knowledge as the Son, Who is the witness and inseparable sharer of the Father’s secrets.

26. He excludes, then, the fellowship and number of creatures from the knowledge of God, but by not excluding the Holy Spirit, He shows that He is not of the fellowship of creatures. So that the passage which is read in the Gospel: “For no man hath seen God at any time, save the Only-begotten Son Who is in the bosom of the Father He hath declared Him,” also pertains to the exclusion of the Holy Spirit. For how has He not seen God Who searches even the deep things of God? How has He not seen God Who knows the things which are of God? How has He not seen God Who is of God? So, since it is laid down that no one has seen God at any time, whereas the Holy Spirit has seen Him, clearly the Holy Spirit is excepted. He, then, is above all Who is excluded from all.

CAPUT PRIMUM.

Argumentum suum aggressus Ambrosius, imperatorem cum propter fidem, tum propter basilicam Ecclesiae restitutam laudat: hinc ubi dixit adversarios, si Spiritum sanctum servire negaverint, quin sit super omnia, diffiteri non posse; addit Spiritum eumdem, 0709B cum dixit: Universa serviunt tibi, satis innuisse a creaturis se separari: quod aliis quoque testimoniis astruitur.

19. Non ergo inter omnia, sed super omnia Spiritus sanctus est. Jam enim de eo ( quoniam ita plene de Dei Filio, clementissime imperator, instructus es, ut ipse jam doceas) cupientem te et exigentem audire aliquid expressius, non morabor; praesertim cum ita te assertione istiusmodi testificatus sis proxime delectatum, ut basilicam Ecclesiae sine ullo monitore praeceperis reformari.

20. Fidei itaque tuae gratiam, et nostrae praemium jam tenemus; neque enim aliud possumus dicere, nisi sancti Spiritus hanc fuisse gratiam quod ignorantibus 0709C omnibus, subito basilicam reddidisti. Spiritus, inquam, sancti hoc munus, hoc opus est, qui a nobis quidem tunc praedicabatur, sed in te operabatur.

21. Nec superioris temporis damna deploro; quandoquidem sequestratio illa basilicae, cujusdam fenoris traxit usuras. Etenim basilicam sequestrasti, ut fidem probares. Implevit igitur propositum suum pietas tua, quae sic sequestraverat, ut probaret; sic probavit, ut redderet. 605 Nec fructum amisi, et judicium teneo, patuitque omnibus in quadam facti discretione discretam tibi numquam fuisse sententiam. Patuit, inquam, omnibus et tuum non fuisse, cum sequestrares: et tuum esse, cum redderes.

22. Primum igitur ab inferioribus inchoemus, ut quasi per gradus quosdam tractatus noster ascendat, 0709D quo facilius hi qui fidem non deferunt, vel ratione 0710A flectantur. Possunt enim dicere in principio: Nec nos dicimus servire Spiritum. Sed cum dicant servire Christum, quomodo possunt negare de Spiritu? Quod si secundum carnem in servi forma consentiunt Christum fuisse, constat et convenit. Ergo si secundum divinitatem suam Christus non servit, non servit etiam Spiritus. Quod si non servit Spiritus, omnia autem serviunt: super omnia igitur Spiritus est, qui non servit sicut omnia.

23. Nunc idipsum quod diximus, testimoniis astruamus. Principium disputationis est, quia serviunt omnia. Servire autem omnia liquet, quoniam scriptum est: Universa serviunt tibi (Psal. CXVIII, 91). Dixit hoc Spiritus per Prophetam. Non dixit: servimus; sed, serviunt tibi; ut crederes quod a servitio 0710B sit ipse exceptus. Ergo cum universa serviant, non serviat Spiritus, utique inter universa non est Spiritus sanctus.

24. Nam si inter omnia dicimus esse Spiritum sanctum, utique cum legerimus quia alta Dei scrutatur Spiritus (I Cor. II, 10), Deum Patrem esse super omnia denegamus. Etenim cum ex Deo Spiritus sit, et Spiritus oris ejus, quomodo possumus inter omnia dicere Spiritum sanctum; cum super omnia Deus sit, cujus est Spiritus, plenae utique perfectionis, perfectaeque virtutis?

25. Ac ne Apostolum arbritentur errasse, accipiant, quem fiduciae hujus sit secutus auctorem. Dominus enim in Evangelio dixit: Cum venerit Paraclitus, quem ego mittam vobis a Patre meo, Spiritum 0710C veritatis, qui a Patre procedit; ille testimonium perhibebit de me (Joan. XV, 26). Ergo et a Patre procedit Spiritus sanctus, et testificatur de Filio. Testificatur etaim de Patre testis et fidelis et verus: quo nihil ad expressionem divinae majestatis est plenius; nihil ad unitatem divinae potestatis evidentius; cum idem noverit Spiritus quod et Filius, qui paternorum testis et consors individuus secretorum est.

26. Exclusit itaque a cognitione Dei societatem et multitudinem creaturae: non excludendo autem Spiritum sanctum, ostendit non esse socium creaturae. Unde et illud quod lecum est in Evangelio: Quia Deum nemo vidit umquam, nisi unigenitus Filius qui est in sinu Patris, ipse enarravit (Joan. I, 18); ad 0710D exceptionem pertinet Spiritus sancti. Quomodo enim 0711A Deum non vidit, qui scrutatur etiam alta Dei? quomodo Deum non vidit, qui cognovit quae Dei sunt (I Cor. II, 10)? quomodo 606 Deum non vidit, qui ex Deo est? Ergo cum ita positum sit quia Deum nemo vidit umquam, vidit autem Spiritus; utique exceptus est Spiritus. Super omnia igitur est, qui est exceptus ex omnibus.