The Nature of Creation and the Holy Spirit
“You were baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God.” Therefore, look, look, how the name of the Son is entirely a divine name, and likewise that of the Holy Spirit; for one name has revealed both of them. And that the Holy Spirit, as if having gathered them ineffably from the beginning, now recreates. For to have loosed the old signified to be recreated. By this title: “having regenerated us through the bath of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). The Psalmist is no less worthy of being known regarding those already existing in generation who are now being created in the divine swimming pool spiritually. For he says: “A people being created praises the Lord” (Psalm 50:2).
Do not then the hypostases, which possess the same honor and energy, inherit the same nature, and do not differ from one another in deity and power, but alone are able to be infused, arranged, and everywhere co-thought with the One; who is both of them, not from where the hypostases are for both, but has from himself, uncountably, and equally and similarly, the hypostases united and continuous. Furthermore, regarding what has been said: every decree of these heretics is similarly, as also similarly-spoken, of their currently moving error of sophistry, as we shall learn soon from their own chapters. For if by chance they say a certain word, such as “eternal” or “good”, bringing a divine indication concerning the Trinity in unity, and fitting to it entirely and perfectly, it happened to be said concerning a creature, along with the due memory of the creature, they say nothing, for what do they have to say? Concerning God the Father and his Son; but they immediately and thoughtlessly bring the Holy Spirit down to the creature, not appropriately leading up to God and the Only-begotten, those who, being most harmonious with the Holy Spirit in the same and equal nature, have been unutterably described by the theologians. Therefore, only regarding those in the chapter in which we are proceeding, having been justified as unable to exceed, but sufficient for the whole struggle concerning the heretics: or let them show, which is very heavy to say, whether the beginning or the end of the Holy Spirit has perhaps been used; or entirely, that he had a certain way toward corruption, like the angelic and human choice; or let it be to them...
That which is called, 'an ox on the tongue.' I have said much regarding those things, but I will move to the initial hypothesis: that as it is unchangeable and incapable of virtue or vice, so the rational creation is capable of both virtue and vice, as we find in incorporeal beings—as we previously said, virtue is within the blessed angels, while vice is in the rejected ones; and in bodies, as we ourselves are.
But the divine Spirit, participating in virtue and glory, rather being the very source of the highest virtue, is incapable of either of these, just as neither the Father nor the Son is. And if it is incapable, it is also not of a different substance; for if it does everything the Father wills, it is not of a different substance. From this, therefore, it is gathered to know that it is not a creation, yet it stands in the same relation to God the Father, His Son, and the God who is from Him, from whom it naturally proceeded, as it is written: 'in us' (1 Cor 6:19).
That creation is sanctified and justified by Him who is the Holy God by nature; for it is capable of being sanctified and justified, not incapable. As for the Holy Spirit, since He is distinguished—being separate from creation but joined to that nature from which He proceeded, concerning which we have been initiated, saying: 'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning' (James 1:17)—and since He cares for and provides for even the lowly: He sanctifies, justifies, and grants wisdom, and provides every kind of heavenly virtue; but He is by no means found to have a need to be sanctified, justified, or made wise by another, just as neither the self-existent Father nor His consubstantial Son is.
For this reason, it is rightly called both 'Holy' and 'Spirit of Holiness', instead of 'holy by nature and from himself'; and 'Divine Spirit', instead of 'God by nature'; and 'Breath of the Almighty', instead of 'consubstantial with the Almighty, breathed from His person'; so that He alone shows such a name, being consubstantial with God the Father, sanctifying, and not even being contained by the Word. For Paul is able to both speak and set forth the patterns of faith.
Greek
ἡγιάσθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν.» ἄθρει οὖν, ἄθρει, ὡς εἰ θεϊκὸν ὄνομα, ὥσπερ οὖν θεϊκόν, τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ, ἐξάπαντος καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος· ἓν γὰρ ἀμφοῖν αὐτῶν ἐδήλωσεν ὄνομα. καὶ ὅτι, ὡς συγκτίσαν ἀρρήτως τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ νῦν ἀνακτίζει. τὸ γὰρ ἀπολούσασθαι, τὸ ἀνακτισθῆναι ἐσήμανεν. Τίτῳ δέ· «ἀναγεννήσας ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως πνεύματος ἁγίου.» οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ ὁ ἱεροψάλτης τοὺς ἤδη ἐν γενέσει ὑπάρχοντας νῦν κτιζομένους ἐν τῇ θείᾳ κολυμβήθρᾳ πνευματικῶς ἀξιοῖ εἰδέναι. φησὶν γάρ· «λαὸς ὁ κτιζόμενος αἰνέσει τὸν κύριον.» οὔκουν αἱ τὴν αὐτὴν τιμὴν καὶ ἐνέργειαν ἔχουσαι ὑποστάσεις τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκληρώσαντο φύσιν, καὶ οὐδὲν θεότητι καὶ δυνάμει διαφέρουσιν ἀλλήλων, μόναι δὲ συμφύεσθαι καὶ συντάττεσθαι καὶ πανταχοῦ συνεπινοεῖσθαι δύνανται τῷ ἑνί· ὃς ἄμφω αὐτός, οὐχ ὧν αἱ ὑποστάσεις ἀμφοῖν, ἔχει ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ ἀνάρχως καὶ ἐξ ἴσου καὶ ὁμοίου καὶ ἀλέκτως ἡνωμένας καὶ συνεχεῖς τὰς ὑποστάσεις. ἔτι πρὸς τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν· πᾶν δικαίωμα τῶν αἱρετικῶν τούτων ὁμοιότροπον, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁμοιόλεκτόν ἐστι τῆς νῦν κινουμένης ἑώλου αὐτῶν σοφιστείας, ὡς μαθησόμεθα μετ' οὐ πολὺ τῇ πείρᾳ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν κεφαλαίων. εἰ γὰρ τυχὸν λέξιν τινά, ὡς τὴν «αἰώνιος» ἢ τὴν «ἀγαθός», θείαν ἔνδειξιν κομίζουσαν περὶ τῆς ἐν μονάδι τριάδος, καὶ αὐτῇ καθ' ὅλου καὶ τελείως προσήκουσαν, ἔτυχέν που εἰρῆσθαι περὶ κτίσματος, μετὰ τῆς ὀφειλομένης κτίσματι μνήμης, οὐδὲν μὲν λέγουσιν τί γὰρ καὶ εἰπεῖν ἔχουσιν; περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· κατάγουσι δὲ εὐθὺς ἀφρονέστατα τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα εἰς τὴν κτίσιν, οὐκ ἀνάγουσι πρεπωδέστατα εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ τοὺς ἐν ὁμοίῳ καὶ ἴσῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ἁρμοδιώτατα ὑπὸ τῶν θεολόγων ἀνευφημηθέντας. καὶ μόνων τοίνυν τῶν πρὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ κεφαλαίῳ ᾧ μέτειμεν, δικαιολογηθέντων ὑπερβαθῆναι μὴ δυναμένων, ἀρκούντων δὲ εἰς ὅλον τὸν περὶ αἱρετικῶν ἀγῶνα· ἢ δειξάτωσαν ὃ καὶ λέγειν βαρὺ λίαν, ὡς ἀρχὴ ἢ πέρας τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κεχρησμῴδηταί που· ἢ ὅλως, ὅτι ὁδόν τινα ἔσχεν ἐπὶ φθορὰν ὡς ἡ ἀγγελικὴ καὶ ἀνθρωπικὴ προαίρεσις· ἢ ἔστω αὐτοῖς, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, «βοῦς ἐπὶ γλῶσσαν». τοσαῦτα μὲν περὶ ἐκείνων ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπόθεσιν μεταβήσομαι. 6.5ν ὅτι ὡς ἄτρεπτον ἀρετῆς τε κακίας τε ἀνεπίδεκτόν ἐστιν. ἡ κτίσις ἡ λογικὴ ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας ἐστιν δεκτική, ὡς εὑρίσκομεν ἐν ἀσωμάτοις μέν, καθὰ προείπομεν, ἀρετῆς ἐντὸς τοὺς εὐδοκίμους ἀγγέλους, κακίας δὲ τοὺς ἐκριφέντας· ἐν δὲ σώμασιν, ὡς ἐσμὲν ἡμεῖς αὐτοί. τὸ δὲ θεϊκὸν πνεῦμα ὑπὲρ ἀρετὴν καὶ δόξαν τυγχάνον, μᾶλλον δ' αὐτὸ πηγάζον τὴν ἀκροτάτην ἀρετήν, οὐδενός ἐστι τούτων δεκτικόν, ὡς οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ οὐδ' ὁ υἱός. εἰ δὲ μὴ δεκτικόν, οὐδ' ἑτερόβουλον· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ γὰρ πανθ' ὅσα θέλει ὁ πατήρ, οὐδ' ἑτεροούσιον. κἀντεῦθεν οὖν συνάγεται καὶ τό τε μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸ κτίσμα, ἀπαραλλάκτως δὲ ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἡμᾶς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸν θεόν, ἐξ οὗ φυσικῶς ἐξεπορεύθη, γινώσκειν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὡς γέγραπται. 6.6ν ὅτι φύσει ἅγιον καὶ ἁγιάζον καὶ δικαιοῦν ἡ κτίσις ἁγιάζεται καὶ δικαιοῦται ὑπὸ τοῦ τὴν φύσιν ἁγίου θεοῦ· δεκτικὴ γὰρ τοῦ ἁγιασθῆναι καὶ δικαιωθῆναι τυγχάνει, οὐ παρεκτική. τὸ δ' ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ἐπείπερ διέστηκε· μὲν τῆς κτίσεως, συνῆπται δὲ τῇ φύσει ἐκείνῳ, ἐξ οὗ ἐκπεπόρευται περὶ οὗ καὶ ἐμυσταγωγήθημεν, ὡς· «πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον ἄνωθέν ἐστι, κατα βαῖνον ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν φώτων, παρ' ᾧ οὐκ ἔστι παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα». καὶ ἐπείπερ πάντων κήδεται καὶ προμηθεῖται καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ὑπαιτίων· ἁγιάζει μὲν καὶ δικαιοῖ καὶ σοφίζει καὶ πᾶν εἶδος ἐπουρανίου ἀρετῆς παρέχει· αὐτὸ δὲ οὐδαμῶς εὑρίσκεται ἔχον ἐπιτηδειότητα τοῦ ἁγιάζεσθαι ἢ 59 δικαιοῦσθαι ἢ σοφίζεσθαι ὑφ' ἑτέρου καθὰ οὐδ' ὁ αὐτοφυὴς πατὴρ οὐδ' ὁ ὁμοφυὴς αὐτοῦ υἱός· ὡς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὀρθῶς εὐφημεῖσθαι αὐτοάγιόν τε καὶ «πνεῦμα ἁγιοσύνης», ἀντὶ τοῦ, φύσει καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἅγιον· καὶ «πνεῦμα θεῖον», ἀντὶ τοῦ, φύσει θεός· καὶ «πνοὴ παντοκράτορος», ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὁμοούσιον τοῦ παντοκράτορος πνευσθὲν ἐκ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ· ὥστε καὶ μόνην μίαν τοιαύτην ὀνομασίαν δεικνύναι αὐτὸ ὁμοούσιόν τε τῷ θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ ἁγιαστικὸν καὶ μηδὲ λόγῳ χωρεῖσθαι. τοιγάρτοι ὁ δυνατὸς εἰπεῖν τε καὶ τύπους ἐκθέσθαι πίστεως Παῦλος
About this text
Didymus the Blind defends the full divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit against those who rank them.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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