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De trinitate 2.827

39.600 CHAPTER 8. Concerning the foreknowledge and self-determination of the Holy Spirit. After, indeed, the divine nature and operation of the

Spirit of God, the oracles discourse most clearly of all concerning His self-determination and voluntary distribution.

1. That not as a servant, but with authority, He does and provides all things, just as

He wills, the gifts, as many as the ineffable, and super-essential, and sole nature would bestow; and He works whatsoever He wills, and breathes 39.601 where He has chosen; and He wills that which the Father and the Son will; and breathes likewise where the Father and the Son also will; fulfilling the one unstinting will of the Father, and of the Son, and of Himself; and leaving nothing, not even those things having a faint life, bereft of His providence. For presiding over His own creation, since He is good-in-Himself, and since He is a co-worker of the good Creator, He oversees all things, and overlooks nothing, being all-sufficient, and distributing divine gifts. For to the "one good," envy never arises concerning anyone about anything; but rather by benefactions He shows His authority. And for this reason we say that there is one will, and one authority and power of the Trinity. Of whom the will, and authority, and operation is one, therefore the divinity is also one. For that which works all things by its own authority, and is present in each thing, is of the one and undefiled nature over all things, having no deficiency in anything, nor doing what it does not will; but neither doing what is not pleasing to the Father and the Son. And in the way that, among other proofs, this shows the Son to be unchangeable with respect to the Father, namely, "Whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does likewise;" so also the Holy Spirit, along with the others, both works all things and bestows as He wills and breathes where He has chosen. For presenting this, and clearly theologizing about the Spirit, the Apostle wrote: "that we might see the things freely given to us by God." And a faithful witness of all these things would be the same one writing again to the Corinthians in the first Epistle: "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." But one must not 39.604 pass over, first, that because of the equality in all things of the Holy Spirit with the Father, he mentions Him first, then the Son, and afterwards God the Father who works all in all; and second, that having said above that God works all in all, he adds a single harmony of testimony, setting it forth concerning the Father and His Spirit: "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills;" so that from this he might show the Holy Spirit to be God with self-determination; not having undertaken an unfitting matter, nor having innovated the order, nor having erred from what is proper; but preserving inviolate the knowledge of the faith, and the purity of the theology; and not insulting the undivided nature and dignity, as those who do not count [Him] with, but

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De trinitate 2.827

39.600 ΚΕΦ. Ηʹ. Περὶ τῆς προγνώσεως καὶ αὐτεξουσιότητος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Μετὰ δὴ τὴν θείαν φύσιν καὶ ἐνέργειαν τοῦ

Πνεύματος τοῦ Θεοῦ, τρανέστατα κομιδῆ περὶ τῆς αὐτεξουσιότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐθελουσίου διανομῆς τὰ λόγια διαλέγονται.

Αʹ. Ὅτι οὐ διακονικῶς, ἀλλ' αὐθεντικῶς, πάντα ποιεῖ καὶ παρέχει, καθὼς

βούλεται, τὰ χαρίσματα, ὅσαπερ ἂν ἡ ἄφραστος, καὶ ὑπερούσιος, καὶ μόνη χαρίσαιτο φύσις· καὶ ἐνεργεῖ ὅσα ἐθέλει, καὶ πνεῖ 39.601 ὅπου προῄρηται· βούλεται δὲ, ὅπερ ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ Υἱός· καὶ πνεῖ ὁμοίως ἔνθα θέλει καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ ὁ Υἱός· πληροῦν τὴν ἄφθονον τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ ἑαυτοῦ μίαν βούλησιν· καὶ μηδὲν, μηδὲ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀμυδρὰν ἐχόντων ζωὴν, ἔρημον ἀπολιμπάνον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προνοίας. Προϊστάμενον γὰρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ποιήσεως, ἅτε ὂν αὐτοάγαθον, καὶ ἅτε συνεργὸν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ, πάντα ἐφορᾷ, καὶ οὐδὲν παραβλέπει, πανταρκὲς ὑπάρχον, καὶ θεϊκὰ δωρήματα διανέμον. Τῷ γὰρ "ἑνὶ ἀγαθῷ," οὐδεὶς περὶ οὐδενὸς οὐδέποτε ἐγγίνεται φθόνος· ἀλλ' εὐεργεσίαις μᾶλλον δείκνυσι τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἓν θέλημα, καὶ μίαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν τῆς Τριάδος εἶναι λέγομεν. Ὧν δὲ θέλησις, καὶ ἐξουσία, καὶ ἐνέργεια μία. ἄρα μία καὶ ἡ θεότης. Τὸ γὰρ πάντα ἐνεργοῦν κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἰδίαν, καὶ παρὸν ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἕκαστον, τῆς ἐπὶ πάντων ἐστὶ μιᾶς καὶ ἀκηράτου φύσεως, οὐκ ἔχον ἔν τινι τὸ ἐλλεῖπον, οὐδὲ ποιοῦν ὃ μὴ θέλει· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ποιοῦν ὃ μὴ θυμῆρες τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ. Καὶ ὃν τρόπον ἀπαράλλακτον πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποδείξεων δείκνυσι τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ τὸ, "Ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ ὁ Πατὴρ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ·" οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ τὸ πάντα ἐνεργεῖν καὶ δωρεῖσθαι καθὼς βούλεται καὶ πνεῖν ἔνθα προῄρηται. Τοῦτο γὰρ παριστῶν, καὶ τρανῶς θεολογῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἔγραφεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Ἵνα ἴδωμεν τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν." Γένοιτο δ' ἂν πάντων τούτων καὶ αὖθις μάρτυς πιστὸς γράφων ὁ αὐτὸς Κορινθίοις ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ Ἐπιστολῇ· "∆ιαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισμάτων εἰσὶν, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα· καὶ διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν εἰσιν, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς Κύριος· καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσὶ, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεὸς ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. Ἑκάστῳ δὲ δίδοται ἡ φανέρωσις τοῦ Πνεύματος πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον. Ὧ μὲν γὰρ δίδοται διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, ἑτέρῳ δὲ πίστις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ Πνεύματι, ἄλλῳ δὲ χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ Πνεύματι, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, ἄλλῳ δὲ προφητεία, ἄλλῳ δὲ διάκρισις πνευμάτων, ἑτέρῳ δὲ γένη γλωσσῶν, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται." Χρὴ δὲ μὴ 39.604 παραδραμεῖν, ἓν μὲν, ὅτι διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα περὶ πάντα ἰσότητα τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, πρώτου μέμνηται αὐτοῦ, εἶτα τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ μετέπειτα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐνεργοῦντος τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν· δεύτερον δὲ, ὅτι ἀνωτέρω εἰπὼν τὸν Θεὸν ἐνεργεῖν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν, ἐπάγει μίαν ἁρμονίαν μαρτυρίας ἐκτιθέμενος περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ· "Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται·" ἵν' ἐκ τούτου Θεὸν αὐτεξούσιον δηλώσῃ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· οὐκ ἀπροσήκῳ πράγματι ἐγχειρήσας, οὐδὲ τὴν τάξιν καινοτομήσας, οὐδὲ διαμαρτὼν τοῦ καλῶς ἔχοντος· ἀλλ' ἄτρωτον φυλάττων τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τῆς θεολογίας τὴν καθαρότητα· καὶ οὐχ ὑβρίζων τὴν ἀμέριστον φύσιν καὶ ἀξίαν, ὡς οἱ μὴ συναριθμοῦντες, ἀλλ'