22. The creatures came from nothing, having a beginning from which they came into being. For, ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth’ and all that is in them. The Holy Spirit is said to be from God. For no one, it says, ‘knoweth the things of man save the spirit of the man which is in him. Even so, the things of God none knoweth save the Spirit of God. But we received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God.’ What kinship could there be, judging by the above, between the Spirit and the creatures? For the creatures were not; but God has being, and the Spirit is from him. That which is from God could not be from that which is not, nor could it be a creature; lest, by their judgement, he also from whom the Spirit is should be considered a creature. Who will endure such fools? For they say also in their hearts that ‘there is no God’. For if, as no one knows the things of man save the spirit within him, so no one knows the things of God save the Spirit who is in him: would it not be evil speech to call the Spirit who is in God a creature, him who searches even the deep things of God? For from this the speaker will learn to say that the spirit of man is outside the man himself, and that the Word of God, who is in the Father, is a creature.

Again, the Spirit is, and is called, Spirit of holiness and renewal. For Paul writes: ‘Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord.’ Again he says: ‘But ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.’ And when writing to Titus, he said: ‘But when the kindness of God our Saviour and his love toward men appeared, not by works done in righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life.’ But the creatures are sanctified and renewed. ‘Thou shalt send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.’ And Paul says: ‘It is impossible for those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit. . . .’

Τὰ κτίσματα τοίνυν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γέγονεν, ἀρ χὴν ἔχοντα τοῦ γίνεσθαι· ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐ τοῖς. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· «Οὐδεὶς» γὰρ, φησὶν, «οἶδε τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ· οὕτως καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ποία τοίνυν ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων συγγένεια τῷ Πνεύματι πρὸς τὰ κτίσματα; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ κτίσματα οὐκ ἦν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ὤν ἐστιν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Τὸ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος, οὐδὲ κτίσμα, ἵνα μὴ κατ' ἐκείνους καὶ ὁ ἐξ οὗ ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα, κτίσμα εἶναι νομισθῇ. Τίς οὖν τῶν τοιούτων ἀφρόνων ἀνέξεται, λεγόντων καὶ αὐτῶν ἐν καρδίᾳ μὴ εἶναι Θεόν; Καὶ γὰρ εἰ ὥσπερ οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ, οὕτως καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰ μὴ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ Πνεῦμα· πῶς οὐ δύσφημον ἂν εἴη λέγειν κτίσμα τὸ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ Πνεῦμα, τὸ καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐρευνῶν; Μαθήσεται γὰρ ἐκ τούτων εἰπεῖν ὁ τοιοῦτος τὸ μὲν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πνεῦμα ἔξωθεν αὐ τοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἶναι, τὸν δὲ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ Λόγον εἶναι κτίσμα. Πάλιν τε Πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης καὶ ἀνακαινώσεώς ἐστί τε καὶ λέγεται τὸ Πνεῦμα· γράφει γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος· «Τοῦ ὁρισθέντος Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ Πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν.» Καὶ πά λιν φησίν· «Ἀλλ' ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλ' ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν·» ὅτε καὶ πρὸς Τῖτον γράφων ἔλεγεν· «Ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλαν θρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔρ γων τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὧν ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως Πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὗ ἐξέχεεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς πλουσίως διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἵνα, δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι, κληρονόμοι κατ' ἐλπίδα γενηθῶμεν ζωῆς αἰωνίου.» Τὰ δὲ κτίσματα ἁγιαζόμενά εἰσι καὶ ἀνακαινιζόμενα. «Ἐξαποστελεῖς» γὰρ «τὸ Πνεῦμά σου, καὶ κτισθή σονται, καὶ ἀνακαινιεῖς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς.» Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δέ φησιν· «Ἀδύνατον γὰρ τοὺς ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας, γευσαμένους τε τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου, καὶ μετόχους γενηθέντας Πνεύματος ἁγίου.»