Three Books of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, on the Holy Spirit.

 Book I.

 Chapter I.

 Chapter II.

 Chapter III.

 Chapter IV.

 Chapter V.

 Chapter VI.

 Chapter VII.

 Chapter VIII.

 Chapter IX.

 Chapter X.

 Chapter XI.

 Chapter XII.

 Chapter XIII.

 Chapter XIV.

 Chapter XV.

 Chapter XVI.

 Book II.

 Introduction.

 Chapter I.

 Chapter II.

 Chapter III.

 Chapter IV.

 Chapter V.

 Chapter VI.

 Chapter VII.

 Chapter VIII.

 Chapter IX.

 Chapter X.

 Chapter XI.

 Chapter XII.

 Chapter XIII.

 Book III.

 Chapter I.

 Chapter II.

 Chapter III.

 Chapter IV.

 Chapter V.

 Chapter VI.

 Chapter VII.

 Chapter VIII.

 Chapter IX.

 Chapter X.

 Chapter XI.

 Chapter XII.

 Chapter XIII.

 Chapter XIV.

 Chapter XV.

 Chapter XVI.

 Chapter XVII.

 Chapter XVIII.

 Chapter XIX.

 Chapter XX.

 Chapter XXI.

 Chapter XXII.

Chapter II.

The Son and the Spirit are alike given; whence not subjection but one Godhead is shown by Its working.

9. And not only did the Father send the Son, but also gave Him, as the Son Himself gave Himself. For we read: “Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins.”460    Gal. i. 3, 4. If they think that He was subject in that He was sent, they cannot deny that it was of grace that He was given. But He was given by the Father, as Isaiah said: “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;”461    Isa. ix. 6. but He was given, I dare to say it, by the Spirit also, Who was sent by the Spirit. For since the prophet has not defined by whom He was given, he shows that He was given by the grace of the Trinity; and inasmuch as the Son Himself gave Himself, He could not be subject to Himself according to His Godhead. Therefore that He was given could not be a sign of subjection in the God-head.

10. But the Holy Spirit also was given, for it is written: “I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete.”462    S. John xiv. 16. And the Apostle says: “Wherefore he that despiseth these things despiseth not man but God, Who hath given us His Holy Spirit.”463    1 Thess. iv. 8. Isaiah, too, shows that both the Spirit and the Son are given: “Thus,” says he, “saith the Lord God, Who made the heaven and fashioned it, Who stablished the earth, and the things which are in it, and giveth breath to the people upon it, and the Spirit to them that walk upon it.”464    Isa. xlii. 5. And to the Son: “I am the Lord God, Who have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand, and will strengthen Thee; and I have given Thee for a covenant of My people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out of their fetters those that are bound.”465    Isa. xlii. 6, 7. Since, then, the Son is both sent and given, and the Spirit also is both sent and given, They have assuredly a oneness of Godhead Who have a oneness of action.

CAPUT II.

Filium perinde ac Spiritum dari; unde non subjectio, sed una divinitas operatione demonstratur.

9. Nec solum misit Pater Filium, sed etiam dedit, sicut ipse se Filius dedit. Lectum est enim nobis: Gratia vobis a Deo Patre nostro et Domino Jesu Christo, qui se dedit pro peccatis nostris (Galat. I, 3, 4). 667 Si subjectum in eo putant fuisse, quia missus est; gratiae esse negare non possunt, quia datus est. Datus est autem a Patre, ut Esaias dixit: Puer natus est nobis, Filius datus est nobis (Esai. IX, 6); datus est autem, audeo dicere, et ab Spiritu qui missus ab Spiritu 0779B est. Cum enim non definierit propheta a quo datus sit, ostendit datum gratia Trinitatis: cum autem ipse se Filius dederit, utique non potuit ipse sibi secundum divinitatem esse subjectus. Ergo non potuit divinae subjectionis esse quod datus est.

10. Datus est autem et Spiritus sanctus, quia lectum est: Rogabo Patrem, et alium paraclitum dabit vobis (Joan. XIV, 16). Et Apostolus ait: Quapropter qui haec spernit, non hominem spernit, sed Deum, qui dedit Spiritum suum in nobis (I Thess. IV, 8). Esaias quoque et Spiritum datum ostendit et Filium: Sic, inquit, dicit Dominus Deus, qui fecit coelum,et finxit illud: qui solidavit terram, et quae in ea sunt: et dat populo qui est super eam Spiritum, et Spiritum calcantibus eam (Esa. XLII, 5). Et ad 0779C Filium: Ego Dominus Deus, qui vocavi te in aequitate, et tenebo manum tuam, et confortabo te: et dedi te in testamentum generis mei, in lucem gentium, aperire oculos caecorum, educere de vinculis alligatos (Ibid. 6, 7). Cum ergo Filius et missus et datus sit, Spiritus quoque missus et datus sit; habent utique unitatem divinitatis, qui habent operis unitatem.