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On the Holy Spirit

FIFTH THEOLOGICAL ORATION CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT

1 Such then is the discourse concerning the Son; and so it has escaped those who would stone it, passing through the midst of them. For the Word is not stoned, but stones, when it wills, and slings at beasts, the words that approach the mountain wickedly. But what would you say, they ask, concerning the Holy Spirit? Whence do you introduce to us a strange and unwritten god? This even those say who are moderate concerning the Son. For what one can find with roads and rivers, they are both split from one another and are brought together into one another; this also happens here on account of the richness of impiety, that those who are divided in other things agree in others, so that they are not even able to know clearly what is agreeable or what is contentious. 2 So then the discourse concerning the Spirit has something difficult about it, not only because men, having grown weary in the discourses concerning the Son, wrestle more heatedly with the Spirit; for they must in some way be impious, or life is not worth living for them; but also because we, having been worn down by the multitude of questions, suffer the same thing as those with poor appetites, who, whenever they are disgusted with any of the foods, we likewise are displeased with every word, just as they are with food. Nevertheless, may the Spirit grant, and the Word will run, and God will be glorified. So then, to examine carefully and distinguish in how many ways either "spirit" or "holy" is understood and spoken of in the divine scripture, with the appropriate testimonies for the contemplation, and what besides these is uniquely the combination of both, I mean the Holy Spirit, we will leave to others, who have philosophized on these things both for themselves and for us, since we too owe these things to them. But we ourselves will turn to the next parts of the discourse.

3 So then, those who are displeased that we introduce the Holy Spirit as some strange and unscriptural god, and who fight vehemently for the letter, let them know that there they fear a fear where there is no fear, and let them know clearly that their love for the letter is a cloak for impiety, as will be shown a little later, when we have refuted their objections as far as we are able. But we are so confident in the divinity of the Spirit, which we venerate, that we will even begin our theology from this point, applying the same expressions to the Trinity, even if it seems rather bold to some. The true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world, was the Father. The true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world, was the Son. The true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world, was the other Paraclete. Was, and was, and was; but was one. Light, and light, and light; but one light, one God. This is what David also envisioned before, saying: In your light we shall see light. And now we have both seen and proclaim, from the light of the Father comprehending the Son as light in the light of the Spirit, a concise and simple theology of the Trinity. Let him who rejects, reject; let him who is lawless, be lawless; we proclaim what we have understood. We will ascend a high mountain and cry out, if we are not heard from below. We will exalt the Spirit, we will not be afraid. But if we are afraid, it is of keeping silent, not of proclaiming.

4 If there was a time when the Father was not, there was a time when the Son was not. If there was a time when the Son was not, there was a time when the Holy Spirit was not. If the one was from the beginning, so were the three. If you cast down the one, I dare and say, do not place the two above. For what is the benefit of an incomplete divinity? Or rather, what divinity, if not complete? And how is it complete, if it lacks something for its completion? And it somehow lacks, if it does not have the holy; and how could it have, not having this? for well another besides

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De spiritu sancto

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΣ ΠΕΜΠΤΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΠΝΕΥΜΑΤΟΣ

1 Ὁ μὲν δὴ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ λόγος τοιοῦτος· καὶ οὕτω διαπέφευγε τοὺς λιθάζοντας, διελθὼν διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν. ὁ λόγος γὰρ οὐ λιθάζεται, λιθοβολεῖ δέ, ὅταν ἐθέλῃ, καὶ σφενδονᾷ θηρία, λόγους κακῶς τῷ ὄρει προσβαίνοντας. τί δ' ἂν εἴποις, φασί, περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύ ματος; πόθεν ἡμῖν ἐπεισάγεις ξένον θεὸν καὶ ἄγραφον; τοῦτο ἤδη καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν υἱὸν μετριάζοντες. ὅπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ὁδῶν εὑρεῖν ἐστὶ καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν, σχίζονταί τε ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, καὶ εἰς ἄλληλα συνάγονται· τοῦτο κἀνταῦθα συμβαίνει διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ἀσεβείας, καὶ τοὺς τὰ ἄλλα διεστῶτας ἐν ἄλλοις συμφέρεσθαι, ὥστε μηδὲ γινώσκειν καθαρῶς δύνασθαι τὸ συμφέρον ἢ τὸ μαχόμενον. 2 Ἔχει μὲν οὖν τι καὶ δυσχερὲς ὁ περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος λόγος, οὐ μόνον ὅτι ἐν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ λόγοις ἀποκαμόντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι θερμότερον τῷ πνεύματι προσπαλαίουσι· χρὴ γάρ τι πάντως αὐτοὺς ἀσεβεῖν, ἢ οὐδὲ βιωτός ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ὁ βίος· ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς τῷ πλήθει τῶν ζητημάτων ἀποκναισθέντες ταὐτὸν πάσχομεν τοῖς κακοσίτοις, οἳ ἐπειδὰν πρός τι τῶν βρωμάτων ἀηδισθῶσι, πρὸς πάντα λόγον ὁμοίως, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τροφήν, δυσχεραίνομεν. ὅμως διδότω τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ ὁ λόγος δραμεῖται, καὶ ὁ θεὸς δοξασ θήσεται. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐπιμελῶς ἐξετάζειν καὶ διαιρεῖσθαι, ποσαχῶς ἢ τὸ πνεῦμα ἢ τὸ ἅγιον παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ νοεῖται καὶ λέγεται, μετὰ τῶν προσφόρων τῇ θεωρίᾳ μαρτυριῶν, καὶ ὅ τι παρὰ ταῦτα ἰδιοτρόπως τὸ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν συνημμένον, λέγω δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἑτέροις παρήσομεν, οἳ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἡμῖν ταῦτα πεφιλοσοφή κασιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς ταῦτα ἐκείνοις. αὐτοὶ δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἑξῆς τοῦ λόγου τρεψόμεθα.

3 Οἱ μὲν οὖν, ὡς ξένον τινὰ θεὸν καὶ παρέγγραπτον εἰσαγόντων ἡμῶν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, δυσχεραίνοντες, καὶ σφόδρα προπολεμοῦντες τοῦ γράμματος, ἴστωσαν ἐκεῖ φοβούμενοι φόβον, οὗ μὴ ἔστι φόβος, καὶ σαφῶς γινωσκέτωσαν ὅτι ἔνδυμα τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς ἡ φιλία τοῦ γράμματος, ὡς δειχθήσεται μικρὸν ὕστερον, ἐπειδὰν τὰς ἐνστάσεις αὐτῶν εἰς δύναμιν διελέγξωμεν. ἡμεῖς δὲ τοσοῦτον θαρροῦμεν τῇ θεότητι τοῦ πνεύματος, ὃ πρεσβεύομεν, ὥστε καὶ τῆς θεολογίας ἐντεῦθεν ἀρξόμεθα, τὰς αὐτὰς τῇ τριάδι φωνὰς ἐφαρμόζοντες, κἄν τισι δοκῇ τολμηρότερον. ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὁ πατήρ. ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχό μενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὁ υἱός. ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὁ ἄλλος παράκλητος. ἦν, καὶ ἦν, καὶ ἦν· ἀλλ' ἓν ἦν. φῶς, καὶ φῶς, καὶ φῶς ἀλλ' ἓν φῶς, εἷς θεός. τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ καὶ ∆αβὶδ ἐφαντάσθη πρότερον, λέγων· Ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς. καὶ νῦν ἡμεῖς καὶ τεθεάμεθα καὶ κηρύσσομεν, ἐκ φωτὸς τοῦ πατρὸς φῶς καταλαμβάνοντες τὸν υἱὸν ἐν φωτὶ τῷ πνεύματι, σύντομον καὶ ἀπέριττον τῆς τριάδος θεολογίαν. ὁ ἀθετῶν ἀθετείτω, ὁ ἀνομῶν ἀνομείτω· ἡμεῖς ὃ νενοήκα μεν, κηρύσσομεν. ἐπ' ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀναβησόμεθα καὶ βοήσομεν, εἰ μὴ κάτωθεν ἀκουοίμεθα. ὑψώσομεν τὸ πνεῦμα, οὐ φοβηθησόμεθα. εἰ δὲ καὶ φοβηθησόμεθα, ἡσυχάζοντες, οὐ κηρύσσοντες.

4 Εἰ ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν ὁ πατήρ, ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν ὁ υἱός. εἰ ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν ὁ υἱός, ἦν ὅτε οὐδὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. εἰ τὸ ἓν ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, καὶ τὰ τρία. εἰ τὸ ἓν κάτω βάλλεις, τολμῶ, καὶ λέγω, μηδὲ τὰ δύο θῇς ἄνω. τίς γὰρ ἀτελοῦς θεότητος ὄνησις; μᾶλλον δὲ τίς θεότης, εἰ μὴ τελεία; τελεία δὲ πῶς, ᾗ λείπει τι πρὸς τελείωσιν; λείπει δέ πως, μὴ ἐχούσῃ τὸ ἅγιον· ἔχοι δ' ἂν πῶς, μὴ τοῦτο ἔχουσα; εὖ γὰρ ἄλλη τις παρὰ