Refutation of the Error regarding the Devil and the Trinity
"Was he created by the Father?" (16.53) such a claim is alarming to hear and to utter, and must be avoided. 16.54 Truly, such things are found nowhere at all in the divine and spiritual scripture; on the contrary, when comparing himself to the Father, all the words concerning the divinity of the Only-begotten are found, showing him to be one with himself and of the same essence. 16.55 But no child, or infant, or offspring is ever spoken of regarding the eternal generation from above, which cannot be characterized at all, so that no one might imagine a small or subtle meaning in those previously sophistical blasphemies, but rather he is Son because of his perfection, his being unoriginated, and being inseparably of the same nature as the Father. 16.56 All things that are considered by some to be small regarding divinity, such as "the one who sent me is greater than I" (John 14:28) due to his philanthropic and ineffable humanity which came through us and for us, are used by the holy books. 16.57 Because of this, it is written that angels are made less, according to the apostle: "we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, through the suffering of death" (Hebrews 2:9). 16.58 I think, though I am not entirely certain, that regarding the Father and himself, he spoke showing the goodness and consubstantiality of both: "either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for from the fruit" (Matthew 12:33), he says, "the tree is known."
17.1 Since those who fight against God dare to say that those with the Son and the Holy Spirit are the first creation, while Macedonius says only the Spirit, the weight of remembering such rejected and condemned sayings would fall upon the holy and consubstantial Trinity. 17.2 We will show, setting forth the divine scriptures, how the first creation of God came to be: a first creation, exalted from the heavens, was cast down like lightning, as the Creator himself saw it well and later justly cast it down in the Gospel. 17.3 He says thus according to Job: "But behold, a beast beside you eats grass like oxen; behold, its strength is in its loins, and its power is on its belly. It set its tail like a plume..." (Job 40:15).
...his nerves are woven together, his ribs are bronze, and his back is an iron vessel. This is a beginning of a creation of the Lord made to be played with by the angels.
17.4 So he makes himself to say that the devil is a first creation, being played with by the holy angels because of his unrighteousness and the evilness of his will. But the Son, having created even this one, would not, nor indeed was the Spirit of God created.
18. Concerning the Holy Trinity and that because of the sameness of essence the same names are called on both sides of the hypostases, except for the fatherhood, sonship, and the procession of the Spirit. For this is proper to each hypostasis individually. And that at times the Father, at times the Son, at times the Spirit will be preferred. And that both the triadic and the monadic is shown in the Scripture.
18.1 Therefore, from all the things said, it has been established that those things turn out to be entirely foreign to the truth. For to find things out through cleverness is the work of sophistry, but wisdom is to investigate the Scriptures with reverence and with an appropriate reception.
18.2 It is necessary, therefore, having passed over their improbable sophistries and disputes, to wash the salty things with the intelligible water of the Holy Spirit—that is to say, to show having uncovered the ears—that the Scriptures, because of the sameness of divinity, at times name one of the divine hypostases, and at times name the three, and to each of them they similarly grant the good,
18.3 as when Moses says: 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one' (Deut 6:4), in order to say 'one' declaring the one divinity, but through 'Lord', then 'God' and again 'Lord' signifying the Trinity, by which all cosmic and super-cosmic good has been and will be for men; and again: 'God said, let there be an expanse, and God made the expanse, and God saw that it was good' (Gen 1:6-10); it should be noted that he also names three hypostases and names each one God, and shows the harmony and the cooperation of the one speaking, the one making, and the one praising.
18.4 And again: 'God stands as protector,' he says, 'speaking to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons: thus you shall bless Israel;...'
Greek
«ἐκτίσθην ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός»; 16.53 ὅπερ ἀκούειν μήτιγε καὶ λέγειν φρικτὸν καὶ φευκτόν. 16.54 Οὐδαμοῦ μὲν οὖν παντελῶς θείας καὶ πνευματικῆς γραφῆς εὕρηται ταῦτα· τοὐναντίον δὲ συγκρίνοντος ἑαυτὸν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἐστὶν πάντα τοῦ μονογενοῦς τὰ περὶ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ ῥήματα καὶ ἑνοῦντος ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὁμότιμον ἀποφαίνοντος. 16.55 ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τέκνον ἢ παιδίον ἢ γέννημα εἴρηται πώποτε κατὰ τὴν ἄνω ἄπειρον γέννησιν ἣν οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν χαρακτηρίσαι δύναται, ἵνα μή τι μικρὸν ἢ ὑπόνοιαν παρέχον ταῖς προλεχθείσαις αὐτῶν σεσοφισμέναις βλασφημίαις φαντασθείῃ τις, ἀλλ' υἱὸς διὰ τὸ τέλειον καὶ τὸ ἀνάρχως γεννηθῆναι καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῆς φύσεως ἀπαράλλακτον. 16.56 Ὅλα δὲ τὰ νομιζόμενα παρά τισιν εἶναι πρὸς θεότητα μικρὰ καὶ τό «ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστιν» διὰ τὴν φιλάνθρωπον καὶ ἄρρητον ἐνανθρώπησιν αὐτοῦ τὴν δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γενομένην ταῖς ἱεραῖς κεχρησμῴδηται βίβλοις. 16.57 δι' ἣν καὶ ἀγγέλων ἠλαττῶσθαι γέγραπται κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον ἐπιστείλαντα· «τὸν δὲ βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους ἠλαττωμένον βλέπομεν Ἰησοῦν διὰ τὸ πάθη μα τοῦ θανάτου». 16.58 Ἐγὼ οὖν οἶμαι καὶ οὐ πάντως διασφάλλομαι, ὅτι περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ ἑαυτοῦ εἶπεν τὴν ἀμφοῖν δεικνὺς ἀγαθότητα καὶ ὁμοουσιότητα· «ἢ ποιήσατε τὸ δένδρον καλὸν καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ καλὸν ἢ ποιήσατε τὸ δένδρον σαπρὸν καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ σαπρόν· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ καρποῦ», φησίν, «τὸ δένδρον γινώσκεται». 17.1 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ θεομαχοῦντες οἱ μὲν σὺν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τὸ πρῶτον κτίσμα εἶναι λέγειν τολμῶσιν, Μακεδόνιος δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα μόνον, ἐπ' ἐκείνους μὲν τὸ βάρος τοῦ ἐπιμνησθῆναι τῶν τοιούτων ἀπονενοημένων καὶ κατακρίτων ῥημάτων τρέψειεν ἡ ἁγία καὶ ὁμοούσιος τριάς, 17.2 ἡμεῖς δὲ ὑποδείξομεν τὰς θείας παρατιθέμενοι γραφὰς τὸ πρῶτον κτίσμα τοῦ θεοῦ οὕτω γεγενῆσθαι· πρῶτον κτίσμα ἐπαρθὲν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐρρίφη ὡς ἀστραπή, καθὰ αὐτὸς ὁ κτίσας καλῶς καὶ ὕστερον δικαίως ῥίψας ἐν εὐαγγελίῳ ἐθεώρησεν· 17.3 λέγει δὲ οὑτωσὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἰώβ· «ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ θηρίον παρά σοι χόρτον ἴσα βουσὶν ἐσθίον· ἰδού, ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν ὀσφΰι, ἡ δὲ δύναμις αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρός. ἔστησεν οὐρὰν ὡς κυπά ρισσον, τὰ δὲ νεῦρα αὐτοῦ συμπέπλεκται, αἱ πλευραὶ χαλκαῖ, ὁ δὲ νῶτος αὐτοῦ σιδηροῦς χυτός. τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀρχὴ πλάσματος κυρίου πεποιημένον ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων». 17.4 ὥστε τὸν διάβολον πρῶτον κτίσμα εἶναι λέγει ἑαυτὸν ποιήσαντα ἐγκαταπαίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων διὰ τὸ ἀνόσιον αὐτοῦ καὶ κακόβουλον τῆς προαιρέσεως. οὐκ ἂν δὲ μετ' αὐτὸν ὁ υἱὸς ὁ καὶ τοῦτον δημιουργήσας οὔτε μὴν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκτίσθη. 18.ν Περὶ τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος καὶ ὅτι διὰ τὸ ταὐτὸν τῆς οὐσίας τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπ' ἀμφο τέραις ταῖς ὑποστάσεσιν ὀνόματα λέγονται, πάρεξ τῆς πατρότητος καὶ υἱότητος καὶ τῆς ἐκπορεύσεως τοῦ πνεύματος. τοῦτο γὰρ ἴδιον ἑκάστης ὑποστάσεως ἰδίως. καὶ ὅτι ποτὲ ὁ πατήρ, ποτὲ ὁ υἱός, ποτὲ τὸ πνεῦμα προτάσ σεται. καὶ ὅτι καὶ τὸ τριαδικὸν καὶ τὸ μοναδικὸν ἐν τῇ γραφῇ δείκνυται. 18.1 Ἐκ πάντων δὴ οὖν τῶν εἰρημένων συνέστη ὡς τὰ ἐκείνων παντοίως ἀλλότρια τῆς ἀληθείας ὄντα τυγχάνει. σοφιστείας γὰρ ἔργον τὸ εὑρεσιλογεῖν, σοφίας δὲ τὸ μετ' 17 αἰδοῦς καὶ τῆς ἐναρμοττούσης ἀποδοχῆς διερευνᾶν τὰς γραφάς. 18.2 ἀναγκαῖον δὲ λοιπὸν τὰς ἀπιθάνους αὐτῶν συρφετολογίας καὶ διαμάχας παρελθόντας καὶ τῷ νοητῷ ποτίμῳ ὕδατι τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τὰς ἁλμυράς, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἀποκλυσαμένους ἀκοὰς ἐπιδεῖξαι, ὅτιπερ αἱ γραφαὶ διὰ τὸ ταὐτὸν τῆς θεότητος ποτὲ μὲν μίαν τῶν θείων ὑποστάσεων, ποτὲ δὲ τὰς τρεῖς ὀνομάζουσιν, καὶ ἑκάστῃ αὐτῶν ὁμοίως τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀπονέμουσιν, 18.3 ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ Μωϋσῆς· «ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ, κύριος ὁ θεός σου κύριος εἷς ἐστιν», διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν «εἷς» δηλώσας τὴν μίαν θεότητα, διὰ δὲ τοῦ «κύριος», εἶτα «θεὸς» καὶ πάλιν «κύριος» τὴν τριάδα σημάνας, παρ' ᾗ πᾶν ἐγκόσμιον καὶ ὑπερκόσμιον ἀγαθὸν ὑπῆρξεν καὶ ὑπάρξει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· καὶ πάλιν· «εἶπεν ὁ θεός· γενηθήτω στερέωμα, καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα, καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεός, ὅτι καλόν»· σημειωτέον, ὅτι καὶ τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις καὶ ἑκάστην θεὸν ὀνομάζει καὶ τὴν συμφωνίαν καὶ τὴν συνεργίαν δείκνυσιν τοῦ εἰπόντος καὶ τοῦ ποιήσαντος καὶ τοῦ ἐπαινέσαντος. 18.4 Καὶ πάλιν· «προστάττει», φησίν, «ὁ θεὸς τῷ Μωϋσεῖ λέγων· λάλησον Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ· οὕτως εὐλογήσετε τὸν Ἰσραήλ·
About this text
Didymus the Blind defends the full divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit against those who rank them.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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