The Unoriginate Hypostases
And 'your incorruptible thing is a spirit in all things', he says, and 'the spirit of the Lord has filled the inhabited world'. For no one would be found so thick and dull who does not realize the infinity of the Only-begotten and the All-holy Spirit from these unerrant and pure testimonies.
And I say that what is written by the Apostle concerning both Hypostases is equal in weight and concord, both the things discussed concerning the Father: 'God over all and through all and in all' (Rom 11:36), and 'the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows, he who is blessed forever, that I do not lie' (Eph 3:14-15); and the things written to the Romans concerning the Son: 'the one who is God over all, blessed forever, Amen' (Rom 11:36). To this also is added 'the fullness of him who fills all in all' (Eph 1:23).
Again, the things used concerning the Father are similar: 'so that God may be all in all' (1 Cor 15:28), but concerning his Son: 'where there is neither Greek nor Jew, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but all in all is Christ' (Col 3:11). And differently: 'that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth, and every tongue should confess that one Lord is Jesus Christ' (Phil 2:10-11).
Concerning the Spirit, according to the things spoken briefly about him and what he is required to perceive in everything, as much as the Father is, as his Spirit, though apart from being Father. For he portrays God both in this and in all things, by which he argues: 'in this we know that he is in us, from his own Spirit, which he gave to us' (1 John 4:13).
And equal to that which was sung concerning God the Father: 'you alone are the most high over all the earth' (Ps 47:8) is what was used concerning the Son in the 6th Psalm: 'Mother Zion says: man and man became in him, and the Most High himself founded her' (Ps 87:5); and that concerning the Holy Spirit in the Gospel: 'you shall receive power from on high, the Holy Spirit coming upon you' (Luke 24:49).
And just as the Father is great in relation to the others, that he knows the Son, so also the Son is great because of knowing the Father; similarly also the Holy Spirit. For he says: 'thus also the things of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God' (1 Cor 2:11). And undeviating from what was written by Paul to the Hebrews concerning the Pa—
The manner of the Son is oracled: 'for it was fitting for him, through whom all things and by whom all things' John 1:3; 'all things came into being through him' John 1:3; and concerning the Spirit: 'by the word of the Lord the heavens were established and by the breath of his mouth all the powers of them' Psalm 33:6.
15.75 Thus, the glorious hypostases, having been endowed equally with the Father, as having inherited his unmixed and incomparable divine nature which is over all, how could they be counted among all things under God, since they are numbered as creatures?
15.76 For just as it is impossible for the Father not to be unoriginate and truly to be Father—for he did not have this name by time or by imposition—so it is impossible for the Son the Word and his Spirit not to be unoriginate and by nature to be from his hypostasis. For at once, Father—forgive me for speaking thus—the one was begotten and the other proceeded inseparably.
15.77 And being Father of the Only-begotten and having his Spirit proceeding from himself is not lacking. And because he is Father, he does not differ from the Son and his Spirit either by time or by essence. For if he begat later, he would have been changing or turning, which is foreign to divinity, along with finding God at one time not being called or not being a Father as if having become one.
15.78 And the apostle, presenting to the Hebrews the unoriginate and incomprehensible nature of the generation of the Son of God, writes concerning Melchizedek: 'without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, made like the Son of God' Hebrews 7:3.
15.79 And he was made like—since he was not genealogized, as was the custom to do with the tribes of Israel concerning those honored among them—because he is a type and a certain pattern of the Lord, who is indeed without mother and without time above, but without father and from time below.
15.80 Even though Melchizedek became a manifest priest, so that it was a joy to receive from him Abraham and to present to him tithes of all things, as the same apostle says: 'Behold this man, from whom Abraham received a tenth' Hebrews 7:4. And again: 'And, so to speak, through Abraham and Levi the one who receives tithes receives tenth parts,' that is, through the forefather Abraham. 'For still,' he says, 'he was in the loins of the father'—Levi, the descendant of Abraham, from whom the...
Greek
15.66 καί «τὸ ἄφθαρτον δέ σου», φησίν, «πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσιν», καί «πνεῦμα κυρίου πεπλήρωκεν τὴν οἰκουμένην». 15.67 οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἂν οὕτω παχύνους καὶ νωθὴς εὑρεθείη, ὅστις μὴ ἐκ τούτων τῶν ἀπλάστων καὶ καθαρῶν μαρτυριῶν τὸ ἀπέραντον τοῦ μονογενοῦς καὶ τοῦ παναγίου πνεύματος συνίδοι. 15.68 Καὶ ἰσόσταθμα καὶ ὁμοιόλεκτα τὰ περὶ ἀμφοῖν τῶν ὑποστάσεων γραφέντα παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου φημί, τά τε περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς διαλεγόμενα· «ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν θεός», καί «ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οἶδεν, ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι»· τά τε περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ῥωμαίοις γραφέντα· «ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν». πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ «τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν πληρουμένου». 15.69 Ἔτι ὅμοια τὰ χρησθέντα περὶ μὲν τοῦ πατρός· «ἵνα ᾖ ὁ θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν», περὶ δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· «ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι Ἕλλην καὶ Ἰουδαῖος, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος, ἀλλὰ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν Χριστός». 15.70 καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν 11 γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται, ὅτι εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός». 15.71 Περὶ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος κατά τε τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ προσφάτως εἰρημένα καὶ καθὸ πάντα νοεῖσθαι κεχρεώστηται αὐτῷ, ὅσα ἐστὶν ὁ πατήρ, ὣς πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, δίχα μέντοι τοῦ εἶναι πατέρα. ἐξεικονίζει γὰρ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν τὸν θεόν, ᾗ διαγορεύει «ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν, ὅτι ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, οὗ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν». 15.72 καὶ ἰσοδύναμον τῷ μελῳδηθέντι περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ πατρός· «σὺ εἶ μόνος ὕψιστος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν» τὸ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ χρησμῳδηθὲν ἐν πϛʹ ψαλμῷ· «μήτηρ Σιὼν ἐρεῖ· ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐγενήθη ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν ὁ ὕψιστος» καὶ τὸ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐν εὐαγγελίῳ· «ὑμεῖς λήψεσθε δύναμιν ἐξ ὕψους ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς». 15.73 Καὶ καθὰ μέγας ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις, ὅτι οἶδεν τὸν υἱόν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ υἱὸς μέγας ἐστὶ καὶ διὰ τὸ γινώσκειν τὸν πατέρα· 15.74 ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. φησὶν γάρ· «οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ». καὶ ἀπαράλλακτον τῷ παρὰ Παύλου Ἑβραίοις γραφέντι περὶ τοῦ πατρός· «ἔπρεπεν γὰρ αὐτῷ, δι' ὃν τὰ πάντα καὶ δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα» τὸ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ χρησμῳδηθέν· «πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο» καὶ περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος· «τῷ λόγῳ κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτῶν». 15.75 Αἱ οὖν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ ἐν ἴσῳ ἐκτετιμημέναι ἔνδοξοι ὑποστάσεις, ὡς τὴν ἐπὶ πάντων θεϊκὴν ἄμικτον καὶ ἀπαράβλητον αὐτοῦ φύσιν διακληρωσάμεναι, πῶς ἂν ἐν πᾶσιν ὑπὸ θεῷ, καθὸ κτιστὰς ψηφίζονται αὐτάς, συναριθ μηθείησαν; 15.76 ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν μὴ τὸν πατέρα ἀνάρχως τε καὶ ἀληθῶς εἶναι πατέρα–οὐ γὰρ χρόνῳ οὐδ' ἐπίθετον ἔσχεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο–, οὕτως ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν μὴ τὸν υἱὸν λόγον καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἀνάρχως τε καὶ φύσει εἶναι ἐκ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ. ἅμα γὰρ πατήρ– συγχωρηθῇ δὲ τὸ οὕτως εἰπεῖν–ἀδιαστάτως ὁ μὲν ἐγεννήθη, τὸ δὲ ἐξεπορεύθη. 15.77 καὶ τοῦ εἶναι οὖν πατέρα τοῦ μονογενοῦς καὶ τοῦ ἔχειν τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐκπορευόμενον παρ' αὐτοῦ οὐ παρῄρηται. καὶ διὰ τὸ εἶναι πατέρα οὔτε χρόνῳ οὔτε οὐσίᾳ διαφέρει τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ. εἰ γὰρ ὕστερον ἐγέννα, μετεβάλλετο ἂν ἤτ' οὖν ἐτρέπετο, ὅπερ ἀλλότριον θεότητος μετὰ τοῦ εὑρίσκεσθαι τὸν θεόν ποτε μὴ λεγόμενον ἢ μὴ ὄντα πατέρα ὡς μήπου γεγεννηκότα. 15.78 Καὶ Ἑβραίοις δὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος τὸ ἄναρχον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ γεννήσεως παριστῶν γράφει περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ· «ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, ἀγενεαλόγητος μηδὲ ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν ἔχων, μηδὲ τέλος ζωῆς, ἀφωμοιωμένος τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ». 15.79 ἀφωμοίωτο δέ–καθὸ οὐκ ἐγενεαλογήθη, ὡς ἔθος ἦν ποιεῖν ταῖς φυλαῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ περὶ τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς ἐντίμων–διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν τύπον καὶ ὑπογραμμόν τινα τοῦ δεσπότου, τοῦ ἄνω μὲν ἀμήτορος καὶ ἀχρόνου, κάτω δὲ ἀπάτορος καὶ ἀπὸ χρόνου. 15.80 καίτοι ἐπιφανὴς ἱερεὺς γενόμενος ὁ Μελχισεδέκ, ὡς εὐλο γηθῆναι παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ δεκάτας αὐτῷ τῶν σκύλων παρασχεῖν, καθὰ ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος λέγει· «θεωρεῖτε δέ, πηλίκος οὗτος, ᾧ καὶ δεκάτην ἀπὸ πάντων ἐμέρισεν Ἀβραάμ». καὶ πάλιν· «καί, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, διὰ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Λευῒ ὁ δεκάτας λαμβάνων δεδεκάτω ται», τουτέστιν διὰ τοῦ προπάτορος Ἀβραάμ. «ἔτι γάρ», φησίν, «ἐν τῇ ὀσφύϊ τοῦ πατρὸς ἦν»–Λευΐ, ὁ ἀπόγονος Ἀβραάμ, παρ' οὖ ἡ
About this text
Didymus the Blind defends the full divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit against those who rank them.
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