De Spiritu Sancto (Orat. 31)

τῶν πραγμάτων τὰ μὲν οὐκ ἔστι, λέγεται δέ· τὰ δὲ ὄντα οὐ λέγεται· τὰ δὲ οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε λέγεται· τὰ δὲ ἄμφω, καὶ ἔστι, καὶ λέγεται. τούτων ἀπαιτεῖς με τὰς ἀποδείξεις ; παρασχεῖν ἕτοιμος. ὑπνοῖ τῆ γραφῇ θεός, καὶ γρηγορεῖ, καὶ ὀργίζεται, καὶ βαδίζει, καὶ θρόνον ἔχει τὰ χερουβίμ· καίτοι πότε γέγονεν ἐμπαθής ; πότε δὲ σῶμα θεὸν ἀκήκοας ; τοῦτο οὐκ ὂν ἀνεπλάσθη. ὠνομάσαμεν γάρ, ὡς ἡμῖν ἐφικτόν, ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. τὸ μὲν ἠρεμεῖν αὐτὸν ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, καὶ οἷον ἀμελεῖν, δι’ ἃς αὐτὸς οἶδεν αἰτίας, ὑπνοῦν. τὸ γὰρ ἡμέτερον ὑπνοῦν τοιοῦτον, ἀνενέργητόν τε καὶ ἄπρακτον. τὸ δὲ ἀθρόως εὖ ποιεῖν ἐκ μεταβολῆς, γρηγορεῖν. ὕπνου γὰρ λύσις ἐγρήγορσις, ὥσπερ ἀποστροφῆς ἐπίσκεψις. τὸ δὲ κολάζειν ὀργίζεσθαι πεποιήκαμεν· οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐξ ὀργῆς ἡ κόλασις. τὸ δὲ νῦν μὲν τῇδε, νῦν δὲ τῇδε ἐνεργεῖν, βαδίζειν. ἡ γὰρ ἀπ’ ἄλλου πρὸς ἄλλο μετάβασις, βαδισμός. τὸ δὲ ἐναναπαύεσθαι ταῖς ἁγίαις δυνάμεσι, καὶ οἷον ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν, καθέζεσθαι καὶ θρονίζεσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο ἡμέτερον. οὐδενὶ γὰρ οὕτως ὡς τοῖς ἁγίοις τὸ θεῖον ἐναναπαύεται. τὸ δὲ [*](22. 9 αὐτὸς αἰτίας οἶδεν c: οἶδεν αὐτὸς αἰτίας e ΙΙ 10 om ὕπνουν secundo loco b || 16 εναναπαυεσθαι] εναπαυεσθαι (sic) c: ἀναπαύεσθαι df ΙΙ 19 εναναπαυεται] ἐπαναπαύεται be2 ‘Or. 1’) [*](22. There are four heads under which we may arrange the phenomena of Scripture language, (I) There are things said which are not literally true. Of this kind are all the anthropomorphic expressions concerning God.) [*](1. λέγεται δέ] sc. in Scripture.) [*](4. ὑπνοῖ] Ps. xliii 24 (xliv 23).) [*](5. γρηγορεῖ] Jer. xxxi 28.) [*](id. ὀργίζεται] e.g. Ps. lxxviii (lxxix) 5.) [*](ib. βαδίζει] The word does not seem to be used of God in LXX. The ref. is doubtless to passages like Gen. iii 8.) [*](ib. θρόνον ἔχει] Ps. lxxix 2 (lxxx 1); Ezek. i 26.) [*](6. ἐμπαθής] in ref. to ὑπνοῖ, γρηγορεῖ, ὀργίζεται; σῶμα, to βαδίζει, θρόνον.) [*](9. ἠρεμεῖν … ἀφ’ ἠμ’.] ‘letting alone’ (lit. ‘keeping quiet from us’).) [*](11. ἀθρόως] ‘suddenly; cp. ii 2.) [*](15. τῇδε. … τῇδε] ‘in this direction and in that.’) [*](17. ταῖς ἃγ. δυνάμεσι] sc. τοῖς χερουβίμ. ‘Resting in those holy Powers and, as it were, being fond of the place, is “sitting” and “being enthroned”.’) [*](18. οὐδενὶ γάρ] The γάρ explains, not the καὶ τοῦτο ἠμ’., but the choice of the expression ‘resting’ etc. God is in everything; but there is nothing in which He ‘rests’ as He does in the saints (and angelic beings).) [*](19. τὸ δέ ὀξυκ.] more instances of metaphorical language. God ‘flies,’ Ps. xvii li (xviii 10); we speak of His ‘face,’ e.g. Ps. iv 7 (6); His ‘hand,’ e.g. Ps. cxliv (cxlv) 16.)

ὀξυκίνητον, πτῆσιν· τὴν δὲ ἐπισκοπήν, πρόσωπον· τὸ διδόναι δὲ καὶ προσίεσθαι, χεῖρα· καὶ ἄλλη τις ὅλως τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεων ἢ ἐνεργειῶν ἄλλο τι τῶν σωματικῶν ἡμῖν ἀνεζωγράφησεν.

Πάλιν σὺ πόθεν τὸ ἀγέννητον λαβὼν ἔχεις, ἢ τὸ ἄναρχον, τὰς σὰς ἀκροπόλεις, ἢ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ ἀθάνατον ; δεῖξον ταῦτα ὀνομαστί, ἢ διαγράψομεν, καὶ τέθνηκας ἐκ τῶν σῶν ὑποθέσεων, καθαιρεθέντων σοι τῶν ὀνομάτων, καὶ τοῦ τείχους τῆς καταφυγῆς ἐφ’ ᾧ ἐπεποίθεις. [*](23. 6 om η e2 || 7 ὀνομαστὶ] + καὶ η ἀθετήσομεν ἐπειδὴ οὐ γέγραπται bed, nisi quod om καὶ cd || 9 ἐφ’ ω] ἐφ’ ο ac2) [*](2. προσίεσθαι] ‘to welcome’; ii 119.) [*](ib. ὅλως] ‘in short.’) [*](4. ἀνεζωγράφησεν] ‘has depicted,’ i.e. ‘has suggested the form of.’ should almost have expected the inversion of the sentence, — that bodily things depict the powers and operations of God; but either way is intelligible.) [*](23. (2) There are th ings not said which are nevertheless true, — among them facts of which you make a deal. (3) Things neither said nor true. (4) Things both true and said.) [*](5. πάλιν] Instances of true things not found in Scripture.) [*](6. τὰς σὰς ἀκροπ.] ‘those fortresses of yours’; cp. below τοῦ τῆς καταφυγῆς.) [*](7. ἢ διαγράψομεν] Cp. iii 8. The words ἢ ἀθετήσομεν, ἐπειδὴ οὐ γέγραπται seem to be an ancient gloss to explain ἢ διαγράψομεν. They offer no real alternative to it ; and the variation of the mss. which contain them between ἢ and καὶ ἢ indicates the uncertainty of their footing. If they are to be retained, the only sense that can be got out of them would be this: — Shew us the words ἀγέννητον, ἄναρχον in the Bible, and we will either reject the Holy Ghost’s Divinity for not being found there, or (if we can prove that it is there) we will erase both it and your two words together. But this would be very cumbrous. Omitting the words, the sense is plain. Gr. retaliates ; — Shew us ἀγένν., ἄναρχ. in the Bible, or we will discard them, and you will die by your own rules. The perf. τέθνηκας gives vividness to the argument. Probably the gloss was introduced because Gr. ’s word διαγράψομεν seemed itself to imply that the words ἀγέννητον etc. were to be found written in Scripture. How can that be erased which was never written? The scribe wished to substitute for διαγρ. the more general word ἀθετήσομεν, ‘because the expressions in question are not written.’ It may be that the correction might be due to Gr. himself; but (1) its place in the MSS. is against it; it ought to have followed διαγρ.; (2) by διαγρ. Gr. intended no reference to being found in Scripture ; he meant, if conscious of the metaphor at all, an erasure from the theological writings in which the expressions occurred.) [*](8. τῶν ὀνομάτων] sc. ἀγέννητον, ἄναρχον.)

ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ταῦτα συναγόντων, κἂν μὴ ταῦτα λέγηται ; τίνων τούτων ; Ἐγώ εἰ μί’ πρῶτος, καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα. καί, Πρὸ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος θεός, καὶ μετ’ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται. ὅλον γὰρ τὸ ἔστιν ἐμόν· οὔτε ἠργμένον, οὔτε παυσόμενον. ταῦτα λαβών, τὸ μὲν μὴ εἶναί τι πρὸ αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ πρεσβυτέραν αἰτίαν ἔχειν, ἄναρχον προσηγόρευσας, καὶ ἀγέννητον· τὸ δὲ μὴ στήσεσθαι τοῦ εἶναι, ἀθάνατον καὶ ἀνώλεθρον. αἱ μὲν δὴ πρῶται συζυγίαι τοιαῦται, καὶ οὕτως ἔχουσαι. τίνα δὲ οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε λέγεται; πονηρὸν τὸ θεῖον, ἡ σφαῖρα τετράγωνος, τὸ παρελθὸν ἐνέστηκεν, οὐ σύνθετον ὁ ἄνθρωπος. τίνα γὰρ εἰς τοσοῦτόν ποτε ἐμπληξίας ἀφικόμενον ἔγνως, ὥστε τι τοιοῦτον ἢ ἐννοῆσαι τολμῆσαι, ἢ ἀποφήνασθαι ; λείπεται δεῖξαι τίνα καὶ ἔστι καὶ λέγεται· θεός, ἄνθρωπος, ἄγγελος, κρίσις· ματαιότης οἱ τοιοῦτοι συλλογισμοί, καὶ τῆς πίστεως ἀνατροπή, καὶ τοῦ μυστηρίου κένωσις.

[*](3 μετ’ ἐμὲ] μετ’ ἐμοῦ a || ΙΙ σύνθετον] σύνθετος b || 12 ἐμπληξίας ποτε df || 15 ματαιότης] ἀνταπόδοσις ‘Reg. Cypr.’)[*](1. ἢ δῆλον] The ellipsis is, (Have you any other interpretation) or is it evident?)[*](ib. ἐκ τῶν τ. σύναγ’.] Supply ἐστίν, or λαμβάνεται : ‘that they are deduced from passages which imply them.’)[*](2. ἐγώ εἰμι πρῶτος] Is. xliv 6.)[*](3. πρὸ ἐμοῦ] Is. xliii 10.)[*](4. ὅλον γὰρ τὸ ἐστιν ἐμόν] God is represented as still speaking ; ‘all that is included in the word Is is Mine, without beginning and without end.’)[*](5. ταῦτα λαβών] You have taken these facts, and have (rightly) deduced from them the appellations which you give to God, of ἀγέννητον, ἀθάνατον, and the rest.)[*](8. αἱ…πρῶται σῦς.] viz. things that are said and are not, and things that are and are not said.)[*](10. τὸ παρελθὸν ἔνεστ’.] ‘past is present.’)[*](12 ἐμπληξίας] ‘so daft.’)[*](13. ἀποφήνασθαι] ‘to declare his opinion that it is so.’ The ἢ mean ‘or at any rate.’)[*](14. θεός, ἄνθρ., κτλ.] Gr. first names four substantives, and then certain propositions ; ‘such syllo- gisms are vanity, and a of faith, and an emptying of the mystery? See 1 Cor. i 17 foll.)[*](24. This being so, we must not make too much of the reticence Scripture. When you hear of twice five, you are justified in saying ten ; so whatever is clearly implied in Scripture may rightly be affirmed, even if it is not explicitly stated there. I will give you the reason for the reticence of Scripture.)

τοσαύτης οὖν οὔσης διαφορᾶς ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ τοῖς πράγμασι, πῶς οὕτω σὺ λίαν δουλεύεις τῷ γράμματι, καὶ γίνῃ μετὰ τῆς Ἰουδαικῆς σοφίας, καὶ συλλαβαῖς ἀκολουθεῖς, ἀφεὶς τὰ πράγματα ; εἰ δὲ σοῦ τὰ δὶς πέντε λέγοντος, ἢ τὰ δὶς ἑπτά, τὰ δέκα συνῆγον, ἢ τέσσαρες καὶ δέκα ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων· ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ζῶον λογικόν, θνητόν, τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἆρα ἄν σοι ληρεῖν ἐνομίσθην ; καὶ πῶς, τὰ σὰ λέγων; οὐ γὰρ τοῦ λέγοντος μᾶλλον οἱ λόγοι, ἢ τοῦ λέγειν συναναγκάζοντος. ὥσπερ οὖν ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἂν τὰ λεγόμενα μᾶλλον ἐσκόπουν, ἢ τὰ νοούμενα· οὕτως οὐδὲ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῶν μὴ λεγομένων, ἢ μὴ σαφῶς, ἐκ τῆς γραφῆς νοούμενον ηὕρισκον, ἔφυγον ἂν τὴν ἐκφώνησιν, φοβούμενος σὲ τὸν συκοφάντην τῶν ὀνομάτων. οὕτω μὲν οὖν στησόμεθα πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ ἡμισείας εὐγνώμονας. σοὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔξεστι λέγειν. ὁ γὰρ τὰς τοῦ υἱοῦ προσηγορίας οὕτως ἐναργεῖς οὔσας καὶ τοσαύτας ἀρνούμενος, οὐδ’ ἂν ταύτας ᾐδέσθης δῆλον ὅτι, καὶ εἰ πολλῷ σαφεστέρας καὶ πλείους ἐγίνωσκες. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δηλώσω τῆς [*](24. 3 συλλαβαις] ταῖς συλλ. c || 4 ακολουθης f || 5 τεσσαπες] τὰ τεσσαπεσ cdf || 10 εἰ] + μὴ ‘Or. I’ || 12 νοουμένων bede.) [*](1. ἐν τοῖς ὂν. καἰ τοῖς πρ.] ‘diversity in names and things.’) [*](3. τῆς ᾿Ιουδ. σοφίας] because the Jews were ‘slaves to the letter.’ ib. συλλαβαῖς] Basil, on the other hand, de Sp. S. 1, points out the extreme importance of noticing ‘syllables.) [*](8. τὰ σὰ λέγων] ‘for saying what you said? For words belong as much to him who forces them to be said (i.e. in this case to you who gave me the data for my conclusion) as to him who said them ’ (i.e. to me who that you meant ‘ten,’ ‘man’).) [*](9. ἐνταῦθα] in the case just supposed.) [*](10. οὐδὲ εἴ τι ἄλλο κτλ.] lif I found anything else intended in Scripture (lit. found out of Scripture anything else intended), though not stated, or not stated clearly, I should not have shrunk from expressing it for fear ’ etc.) [*](13. συκοφ. τῶν ὂν.] The word denotes one who is on the watch for words to denounce them.) [*](ib. στησόμεθα πρός] ‘will take our stand against.’ The οὕτω to the argument from the beginning of § 21 to this point.) [*](14. σοὶ γάρ] i.e. the Eunomian ; oὐδὲ τοῦτο means the foregoing ment, which he says would for them be without force. This seems to have more point than to suppose it to mean ἐξ ἤμ’. εύγν. εἶναι.) [*](17. ταύτας] the προσηγορίαι of the Spirit.)

πάσης ἐπικρύψεψς, καίπερ σοφοῖς οὖσιν ὑμῖν, βραχύ τι τὸν λόγον ἀναγαγών.