De Spiritu Sancto (Orat. 31)

Τί οὖν ; θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα ; πάνυ γε. τί οὖν, ὁμοούσιον ; εἴπερ θεός. δὸς οὖν μοί, φησιν, ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ [*](2 τὸ γεγεννησθαι] το γεγενῆσθαι a: om καὶ τὸ γεγεννῆσθαι f || 3 εκπεπορευσθαι αἰ ’Reg. Cypr.' || 6 αξια] εξουσια e || 7 ὑίος] ο ὑίος a || 8 o ὑίος] om ο d || om τὰ f || 9 om τῆ bed || 10 νυν] σου νυν b ’Reg. Cypr.' : om νυν c : νυνι e) [*](4. προσηγόρευσεν] The abovementioned facts ’proclaim Them ’ respectively Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The aor. takes us back to the moment when these titles were first assigned in Scripture.) [*](5. ποστάσεων] here used in the recognised ’personal’ sense.) [*](7. δπερ ὁ πατήρ] He is not the Father, but He is all that the Father is.) [*](ib. δτι ἐκ τοῦ θ.] The fact that He is of the Father's essence (1 Cor. ii 12) does not make Him Son.) [*](8. ἐν τὰ τρία τῆ θ.] The Three (Gr. again avoids the masc.) are One — an undivided unit — in their nature; the One is Three — a Trinity — in the ineffaceable distinction between the persons. The latter observation removes the Sabellian conception of the unity ; the former removes the Eunomian division of the natures. In the construction of the last clause, τῆς π. ν. διαιρέσεως is the predicate after ἦ understood, like οὐκ ἐλλείψεως above.) [*](10 You are surprised at our calling Him God, consubstantial with the Father. He must be so if there is only God God and one Godhead. I am ashamed to use earthly illustrations; but even in natural history there are very different modes of reproduction which it might help you to consider.) [*](12. δὸς οὖν μοι] The word διδόναι is not used here in its frequent sense of a logical concession ; for it would be no concession to the Eunomians to ’give’ what is here required. It means rather, ’shew me’ ‘convince me that it is so.’ The Eunomian offers, if convinced that two consubstantial persons issue from the same Divine Source, to acknow- ledge each of them to be a God. Gr. illustrates the illogical character of the offer by a counter-paralogism. ‘Shew me,’ he says, ‘that there is than one sort of God, and I will shew you the same Trinity that we now believe in, name and thing.’ It is as unreasonable to deduce ditheism or tritheism from the Catholic doctrine of the relation of the Son and Spirit to the Father, as it would be to deduce the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity from a belief in Godheads of varying quality.)

τὸ μὲν υἱόν, τὸ δὲ οὐχ υἱόν, εἶτα ὁμοούσια, καὶ δέχομαι θεὸν καὶ θεόν. δός μοι καὶ σὺ θεὸν ἄλλον, καὶ Φύσιν θεοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι τὴν αὐτὴν τριάδα μετὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ὀνομάτων τε καὶ πραγμάτων. εἰ δὲ εἰς θεὸς μία φύσις ἡ ἀνωτάτω, πόθεν παραστήσω σοι τὴν ὁμοίωσιν; ἢ ζητεῖς πάλιν ἐκ τῶν κάτω καὶ τῶν περὶ σέ; λίαν μὲν αἰσχρόν, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχρὸν μόνον, ἁλλὰ καὶ μάταιον ἐπιεικῶς, ἐκ τῶν κάτω τῶν ἄνω τὴν εἰκασίαν λαμβάνειν, καὶ τῶν ἀκινήτων ἐκ τῆς ῥευστῆς φύσεως, καί, ὅ Φησιν Ἠσαίας, ἐκζητεῖσθαι τὰ ζῶντα ἐν τοῖς νεκροῖς· ὅμως δὲ πειράσομαι, σὴν χάριν, κἀντεῦθεν δοῦναί τινα τῷ λόγῳ βοήθειαν. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα παρήσειν μοι δοκῶ, πολλὰ ἃν ἔχων ἐκ τῆς περὶ ζώων ἱστορίας εἰπεῖν, τὰ μὲν ἡμῖν γνώριμα, τὰ δὲ τοῖς ὀλίγοις, ὅσα περὶ τὰς τῶν ζώων γενέσεις ἡ Φύσις ἐφιλοτεχνήσατο. γεννᾶσθαι γὰρ λέγεται, οὐκ ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν τὰ αὐτὰ μόνον, οὐδὲ ἐξ ἑτέρων ἕτερα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων τὰ αὐτά, καὶ ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ἕτερα. εἰ δέ τῳ πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ ἄλλος ἐστὶ τρόπος γεννήσεως, αὐτό τι ὑφ’ ἑαυτοῦ δαπανώμενον καὶ τικτόμενον. ἔστι δὲ ἃ καὶ [*](10. 1 δεχομαι] + καὶ c || 2 ἄλλον θέον dfg || 4 εἰς θεὸς μία φυσις] εἰς ο θεὸς καὶ μία φύσις b ’Reg. Cypr.’: εἰς θεὸς καὶ μία φύσις f ‘ plures Reg. et Colb.’: εἰς θεὸς τε καὶ μία Φυσις de || 6 η] εἰ ’δε ‘ Reg. Cypr.’ || το τα ζωντα] τον ὄντα ‘Or. 1’) [*](9. ῤευστῆς] ‘changeable,’ ‘transitory’ tory’; cp. ii 22 πῶς κάτω μῶ.) [*](10. ἐκζητεῖσθαι τὰ ζ.] Is. viii 19; cp. Luke xxiv 5.) [*](13. ἡμῖν γνώριμα] known to us all by direct observation; opp. to what only few have had the opportunity of noting. Gr.’s lore on subject is derived from Aristotle.) [*](16. ἐξ ἑτέρων τὰ αὐτά κτλ.] instance given by Elias is that of frogs, some of which are the off- spring of frogs, and others the spontaneous product of the marsh, and yet equally frogs. His instance of the converse is more true to nature, but a less exact illustration of his subject.) [*](19.δαπανώμενον] ‘consumed,’ cp. iv 6. The ref. of course is to the phoenix (Herod, ii 73); see Lightfoot's note on Clem, ad cor. § 25. Gr. himself evidently does not quite believe the fable.) ἐξίσταταί πὼς ἑαυτῶν, ἐξ ἄλλων ζώων εἰς ἄλλα μεθιστάμενά τε καὶ μεταποιούμενα, Φιλοτιμίᾳ Φιλοτιμίᾳ ἤδη δὲ καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ, τὸ μὲν οὐ γέννημα, τὸ δὲ γέννημα, πλὴν ὁμοούσια· ὃ καὶ τῷ παρόντι πὼς μᾶλλον προσέοικεν. ἓν δέ τι τῶν ἡμετέρων εἰπών, ὃ καὶ πᾶσι γνώριμον, ἐφ’ ἕτερον μεταβήσομαι λόγον.

Ὁ Ἀδὰμ τί ποτε ἦν ; πλάσμα θεοῦ. τί δὲ ἡ Εὖα; τμῆμα τοῦ πλάσματος. τί δὲ ὁ Σήθ; γέννημα. ἆρ’ οὖν ταὐτόν σοι φαίνεται πλάσμα, καὶ τμῆμα, καὶ γέννημα; πῶς οὔ; ὁμοούσια δὲ ταῦτα, ἢ τί; πῶς δ’ οὔ; ὡμολόγηται οὖν καὶ τὰ διαφόρως ὑποστάντα τῆς αὐτῆς εἶναι οὐσίας ἐνδέχεσθαι. λέγω δὲ ταῦτα, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὴν θεότητα φέρων τὴν πλάσιν, ἢ τὴν τομήν, ἤ τι τῶν ὅσα σώματος, μή μοί τις ἐπιφυέσθω πάλιν τῶν λογομάχων, ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων θεωρῶν, ὡς ἐπὶ σκηνῆς, τὰ νοούμενα. οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε τῶν εἰκαζομένων οὐδὲν πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐξικνεῖσθαι καθαρῶς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. καὶ τί ταῦτά, φασιν; οὐ γὰρ τοῦ ἑνὸς τὸ μὲν γέννημα, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο τι. τί οὖν; ἡ Eὖα καὶ Σήθ, οὐχὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀδάμ; τίνος γὰρ ἄλλου; ἢ καὶ [*](11. 9 ταὐτὸν] ταύτα acg || ΙΙ τὰ] τὸ e || 1 7 φασιν] φησιν c) [*](1. εἰς ἄλλα μεθιστάμενα] Elias very properly instances gnats, as out of larvae. It was prob. not known that such larvae invariably developed into gnats, or that all gnats had been such larvae.) [*](2. φιλοτιμίᾳ φ] ‘in nature's eagerness to excel’; cp. ἢ φ. ἐφιλοτεχνήσατο above.) [*](ib. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τοῦ αὖ] The same creature produces offspring in more than one way, by generation and otherwise; and both kinds of off- spring have the same nature as the parent. Gr. is prob. thinking of the way in which some low forms of animal life appear (like plants) to be propagated by ‘cuttings’ as well as by ‘seed.’) [*](4. τῷ παρόντι] ‘the case in point,’ i.e. of the Holy Spirit.) [*](11. Human history, however, presents a better, if still an incomplete, illustration. Adam, Eve, and Seth came into being in very different ways; yet they are consubstantial.) [*](9. ταὐτόν σοι φ.] ‘to have the same nature.’) [*](14. ἐπιφυέσθω] Cp. i 4.) [*](15. θεωρῶν ὡς ἐπὶ σκ] These earthly illustrations form a kind of stage upon which the higher things are represented for our study.) [*](17. οὐ γὰρ τοῦ ἑνός] This is part of the objection, not of Gr.’s reply. From the one person of the Father, they say, there cannot issue two others, one by generation, the other in some other way.)

ἀμφότεροι γεννήματα ; οὐδαμῶς. ἀλλὰ τί; τὸ μὲν τμῆμα, τὸ δὲ γέννημα. καἰ μὴν ἀμφότεροι ταὐτὸν ἀλλήλοις· ἄνθρωποι γάρ· οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ. παύσῃ οὖν ἀπομαχόμενος πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα, ὡς ἢ γέννημα πάντως, ἢ μὴ ὁμοούσιον, μηδὲ θεόν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τὸ δυνατὸν λαβὼν τῆς ἡμετέρας ὑπολήψεως; ἐγὼ μὲν οἶ μαί σοι καλῶς ἔχειν, εἰ μὴ λίαν ἔγνωκας φιλονεικεῖν, καὶ πρὸς τὰ δῆλα μάχεσθαι.

Ἀλλὰ τίς προσεκύνησε τῷ πνεύματί, φησιν ; τίς ἢ τῶν παλαιῶν, ἢ τῶν νέων ; τίς δὲ προσηύξατο ; ποῦ δὲ τὸ χρῆναι προσκυνεῖν ἢ προσεύχεσθαι γέγραπται ; καὶ πόθεν τοῦτο ἔχεις λαβών ; τὴν μὲν τελεωτέραν αἰτίαν ἀποδώσομεν ὕστερον, ἡνίκα ἂν περὶ τοῦ ἀγράφου διαλεγώμεθα. νῦν δὲ τοσοῦτον εἰπεῖν ἐξαρκέσει· τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ προσκυνοῦμεν, καὶ δι’ οὗ προσευχόμεθα. Πνεῦμα γάρ, φησιν, ὁ θεός, καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτὸν ἐν πνεύματι καἰ ἀληθείᾳ προσκυνεῖν δεῖ. καὶ πάλιν· Τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα, καθ’ ὃ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἁλλ’ αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπερεντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις. καί, Προσεύξομαι τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξομαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοί, [*](3 παύση] παύσαι b ‘Or. I’ || 6 σοι] σε ace ‘quinque Reg.’ || 7 τὰ δηλα] ἄδηλα e1. 12. II λαβὼν ἔχεις df || 16 ’δει προσκυνεῖν bdf || 17 προσευξόμεθα acdefg || 18 υπερεντυγχανει] εντυγχ. c || 19 προσεύξομαι primo loco] + δε b: -ξωμαι (et in secundo) a) [*](5. καἰ ἐκ τῶν ἄνθρωπ’] ‘even human experience has shewn you the possibility of what we hold.’) [*](6. καλώς ἔχειν] ‘that that you had better,’ i.e. leave off contending.) [*](7. ἔγνωκας] ‘have made up your mind.’) [*](12. You say that the Spirit is not, in Scripture, an object of worship. It is at least ‘in in the spirit’ that we worship, and that which we worship ‘is Spirit.’ He is so entirely one with the object of worship, that worship addressed to the Father is equally addressed to the Holy Ghost. Again, you object that ‘all things were made through the Son,’ and therefore the Holy Ghost among them. No more, I answer, than the Father was. He was made at all. Accept humbly the docmind.’ trine of the unity of the Divine persons.) [*](12. ἀποδώσομεν ὕστερον] in the whole argument, beginning with § 21 and culminating in § 28.) [*](14. πνεῦμα γάρ, φησιν] John iv 24.) [*](16. τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξ.] Kom. viii 26.) [*](19. προσεύξ. τῷ πν.] I Cor. xiv 15.)

τοῦτ’ ἐστίν, ἐν νοὶ καὶ πνεύματι. τὸ οὖν προσκυνεῖν τῷ πνεύματι, ἢ προσεύχεσθαι, οὐδὲν ἄλλο εἶναί μοι φαίνεται, ἢ αὐτὸ ἑαυτῷ τὴν εὐχὴν προσάγειν καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν. ὃ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐπαινέσειε τῶν ἐνθέων, καὶ τῶν εὖ εἰδότων ὅτι καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἑνὸς προσκύνησις τῶν τριῶν ἐστὶ προσκύνησις, διὰ τὸ ἐν τοῖς τρισὶν ὁμότιμον τῆς ἀξίας καὶ τῆς θεότητος ; καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο φοβηθήσομαι τὸ πάντα διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ γεγονέναι λέγεσθαι, ὡς ἑνὸς τῶν πάντων ὄντος καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. πάντα γὰρ ὅσα γέγονεν, εἴρηται, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἅπαντα· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατήρ, οὐδ’ ὅσα μὴ γέγονεν. δείξας οὖν ὅτι γέγονε, τότε τῷ υἱῷ δός, καὶ τοῖς κτίσμασι συναρίθμησον. ἕως δ’ ἂν μὴ τοῦτο δεικνύῃς, οὐδὲν τῷ περιληπτικῷ βοηθῇ πρὸς ἀσέβειαν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ γέγονε, διὰ χριστοῦ πάντως· οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀρνήσομαι. εἰ δὲ οὐ γέγονε, πῶς ἢ τῶν πάντων ἕν, ἢ διὰ χριστοῦ ; παῦσαι οὖν καὶ τὸν πατέρα κακῶς τιμῶν κατὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς, — κακὴ δὲ τιμὴ κτίσμα διδόντα τὸ τιμιώτερον υἱὸν ἀποστερεῖν, — καὶ τὸν υἱὸν κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. οὐ γὰρ ὁμοδούλου δημιουργός, ἀλλ’ ὁμοτίμῳ συνδοξαζόμενος. μηδὲν μετὰ σεαυτοῦ θῇς τῆς τριάδος, μὴ τῆς τριάδος ἐκπέσῃς. μηδενὶ περικόψῃς τὴν μίαν φύσιν καὶ ὁμοίως σεβάσμιον, ὡς ὅ τι ἂν [*](6 om τοῖς c || 7 φοβήσομαι a || II δείξας] δεῖξον df || τότε] καὶ τότε cdf || 14 ἀρνήσωμαι d || 17 ἀποστερεῖν υἱὸν de2f) [*](1. τὸ προσκ. τῷ πν] Gr. thinks that ‘worshipping or praying in or by the Spirit,’ which are clearly commanded, are in fact the bringing of prayer and worship by the Spirit to Himself. This is based upon the text first quoted, in which the object of the worship πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Not that Gr. definitely takes the first πνεῦμα in that text to be the Holy Ghost ; but on the principle that worship offered to one person of the Trinity is offered to all, his reasoning is correct, if his premisses are accepted. It must be owned, however, that he somewhat begs the question.) [*](7. πάντα διὰ τοῦ υἱ.] John i 3.) [*](11. τῳ υἱῷ δός] ‘assign assign Him to the Son’ as one of the things which were made through Him.) [*](12. τῷ περιληπτικῷ] ‘your comprehensive phrase will not help you.’) [*](16. κακῶς τιμῶν κατὰ] ‘wrongly honouring the Father at the expense of the Only-begotten.’) [*](18. οὐ γὰρ ὁμ. δῆμ’.] sc. τοῦ πνεύματος ὁ υἱός.) [*](19. μετὰ σεαυτοῦ] Cp. § 4 μετ’ ἐμοῦ.) τῶν τριῶν καθέλῃς, τὸ πᾶν ἔσῃ καθῃρηκώς, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ παντὸς ἐκπεπτωκώς. βέλτιον μικρὰν τῆς ἑνώσεως φαντασίαν λαβεῖν, ἢ παντελῆ τολμῆσαι δυσσέβειαν.