In illud: Qui dixerit verbum in filium

26.648 But concerning the evangelical saying about which you wrote and indicated, forgive me, beloved, as I have a good conscience. For I fear even to approach it at all; lest, having penetrated it with my reasoning and begun to investigate, I should fail to draw out the deep meaning within it. I wished, at any rate, to be completely silent about this, and to be content only with these previous writings. But considering that you might insist on writing a second time about this, I forced myself to write the moderate understanding of it which I have learned; trusting that, if we hit the mark, you will approve for the sake of the one who taught it; but if we do not, you will not 26.649 blame us, knowing both our eagerness and our weakness. Now the saying is, when, so many signs having been performed in the Gospel, the Pharisees said: "This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons;" but the Lord, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste." And having said: "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you;" he then adds: "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven; and whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." But you were asking, why is it that blasphemy against the Son is forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness either in the present age, or in the one to come? Now, ancient men, Origen the erudite and industrious, and Theognostus the admirable and zealous (for I happened upon their treatises concerning these things when you wrote the letter), for both write about this, saying that this is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, when those who have been deemed worthy in baptism of the gift of the Holy Spirit turn back to sinning. For this reason, they say, they will not receive forgiveness; just as Paul also says in the letter to the Hebrews: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and have fallen away, to be renewed again to repentance." These things they say in common, but each also adds his own particular thought. For Origen also states the reason for the judgment against such people thus: "God the Father pervades all things and holds all things together, both inanimate and animate, rational and irrational; but the power of the Son extends only to rational beings, among whom are catechumens and Greeks who have not yet believed; but the Holy Spirit is only in those who 26.652 have partaken of him in the gift of baptism. When, therefore, catechumens and Greeks sin, they sin against the Son, since he is in them, as has been said; but they are nevertheless able to receive forgiveness, when they are deemed worthy of the gift of regeneration. But when the baptized sin, he says that such transgression reaches to the Holy Spirit; since it was being in him that he sinned; and for this reason the punishment against him is unforgivable." And Theognostus, also adding his own thoughts, says these things: "He who has transgressed a first and second boundary would be deemed worthy of a lesser punishment; but he who has also disregarded the third would no longer obtain pardon. And he says the first and second boundary is the catechism concerning the Father and the Son; and the third, the Word delivered at perfection and participation in the Spirit; and wishing to confirm this, he brings forward the word from the Savior

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In illud: Qui dixerit verbum in filium

26.648 Περὶ δὲ οὗ γράφων ἐδήλωσας εὐαγγελικοῦ ῥητοῦ, συγγίνωσκε, ἀγαπητὲ, συνείδησιν ἔχων ἀγα θήν. ∆έδια γὰρ κἂν ὅλως προσελθεῖν αὐτῷ· μὴ καὶ, δύνας εἰς αὐτὸ τῷ λογισμῷ, καὶ ἀρξάμενος ἐρευνᾷν, ἀτονήσω τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ βαθεῖαν διάνοιαν ἑλ κῦσαι. Σιωπῆσαι γοῦν περὶ τούτου τέλεον ἐβουλόμην, καὶ μόνον ἀρκεσθῆναι τούτοις τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν γράμμασι. Στοχαζόμενος δὲ μὴ ἄρα καὶ δεύτερον περὶ τούτου γράψαι φιλονεικήσῃς, ἐβιασάμην ἐμαυ τὸν, ἣν ἔχω μαθὼν, περὶ αὐτοῦ μετρίαν διάνοιαν γράψαι· θαῤῥῶν, ὡς, τυχόντας μὲν ἡμᾶς τοῦ σκοποῦ, ἀποδέξῃ διὰ τὸν διδάξαντα· μὴ τυχόντας δὲ, οὐ 26.649 μέμψῃ, γινώσκων τὴν ἡμετέραν προθυμίαν τε καὶ ἀσθένειαν. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ῥητόν ἐστιν, ὅτε, Τοσούτων σημείων γινομένων ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, οἱ μὲν Φα ρισαῖοι ἔλεγον· «Οὗτος οὐκ ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια εἰ μὴ ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων· ὁ δὲ Κύριος, εἰδὼς τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις αὐτῶν, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Πᾶσα βασιλεία μερισθεῖσα καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἐρημοῦται.» Καὶ εἰρηκώς· «Εἰ δὲ ἐν Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ἐγὼ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια, ἄρα ἔφθασεν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ·» λοιπὸν ἐπιφέρει· «∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, Πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ἡ δὲ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται· καὶ ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ λόγον κατὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ· ὃς δ' ἂν εἴπῃ κατὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ οὔτε ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι.» Σὺ δὲ ἐζήτεις, τί δήποτε ἡ μὲν εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν βλασφη μία ἀφίεται, ἡ δὲ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον οὐκ ἔχει ἄφεσιν οὔτε ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλον τι; Παλαιοὶ μὲν οὖν ἄνδρες, Ὠριγένης ὁ πολυμαθὴς καὶ φιλόπονος, καὶ Θεόγνωστος ὁ θαυμάσιος καὶ σπουδαῖος (τούτων γὰρ τοῖς περὶ τούτων συνταγματίοις ἐνέτυχον, ὅτε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἔγραψας), ἀμφότεροι γὰρ περὶ τούτου γράφουσι, ταύτην εἶναι τὴν εἰς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα βλασφημίαν λέγοντες, ὅταν οἱ καταξιωθέντες ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι τῆς δω ρεᾶς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος παλινδρομήσωσιν εἰς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ μηδὲ ἄφεσιν αὐτοὺς λήψεσθαί φασι· καθὰ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους λέγει· «Ἀδύνατον γὰρ τοὺς ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας, γευσαμένους τε τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρα νίου, καὶ μετόχους γενηθέντας Πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ καλὸν γευσαμένους Θεοῦ ῥῆμα, δυνάμεις τε μέλ λοντος αἰῶνος, καὶ παραπεσόντας, πάλιν ἀνακαινί ζειν εἰς μετάνοιαν.» Ταῦτα δὲ κοινῇ μὲν λέγουσι, καὶ ἰδίαν δὲ ἕκαστος προστίθησι διάνοιαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ὠριγένης καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων κρίσεως οὕτω λέγει· «Ὁ μὲν Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ εἰς πάντα διήκει καὶ πάντα συνέχει, ἄψυχά τε καὶ ἔμψυχα, λογικά τε καὶ ἄλογα· τοῦ δὲ Υἱοῦ ἡ δύναμις εἰς τὰ λογικὰ μόνα διατείνει, ἐν οἷς εἰσι κατηχούμενοι καὶ Ἕλληνες, οἱ μηδέπω πιστεύσαντες· τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἰς μόνους ἐστὶ τοὺς 26.652 μεταλαβόντας αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ τοῦ βαπτίσματος δό σει. Ὅταν τοίνυν κατηχούμενοι καὶ Ἕλληνες ἁμαρτάνωσιν, εἰς μὲν τὸν Υἱὸν ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἐπεὶ ἐν αὐ τοῖς ἐστιν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται· δύνανται δὲ ὅμως λαμβά νειν ἄφεσιν, ὅταν καταξιωθῶσι δωρεᾶς τῆς παλιγ γενεσίας. Ὅταν δὲ οἱ βαπτισθέντες ἁμαρτά νωσι, τὴν τοιαύτην παρανομίαν εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον φθάνειν φησίν· ἐπειδὴ ἐν αὐτῷ γενόμενος ἥμαρτε· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀσύγγνωστον εἶναι τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ τιμωρίαν.» Ὁ δὲ Θεόγνωστος καὶ αὐτὸς προστιθείς φησι ταῦτα· «Ὁ πρῶτον παραβεβηκὼς ὅρον καὶ δεύτερον ἐλάττονος ἂν ἀξιοῖτο τιμωρίας· ὁ δὲ καὶ τὸν τρίτον ὑπεριδὼν οὐκέτι ἂν συγγνώμης τυγχάνοι. Πρῶ τον δὲ ὅρον καὶ δεύτερόν φησι τὴν περὶ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ κατήχησιν· τὸν δὲ τρίτον τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τελειώσει καὶ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος μετοχῇ παραδιδόμε νον Λόγον· καὶ τοῦτο βεβαιῶσαι θέλων, ἐπάγει τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος

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