The Error of Heretics Regarding Eternity and the Spirit
Regarding the phrase 'unto the ages of ages.' It is not possible to hear it as it is, for those who are divided concerning the theologies of the Holy Spirit have determined this as a main point. For they lead themselves to the ends of the earth by presumption; and unmeasured passion does not usually testify accurately to an investigationvertheless, nothing prevents one from hearing that device of theirs. For if they could, they would make it even more widely known.
Thus it is here: if something is called 'eternal' by name, it is possible to call it God, but if it is merely 'everlasting,' it is the Creator of the ages. For it is written: 'God is the maker of times and ages' (Ps 90:2), and again: 'Of old God spoke in many ways and in many manners to the prophets, but at the end of the days He spoke to us in Son, whom He set as heir of all things, through whom also He made the ages' (Heb 1:1-2). For if everything called 'eternal' must be named God, there would be infinite gods. For it is written: 'Rise up, eternal gates' (Ps 24:7), and again: 'Everlasting years were remembered' (Ps 102:17), and again: 'Like everlasting sheep' (Isa 54:13), and: 'These shall rise to eternal punishment' (Matt 25:46), and elsewhere: 'Those in the dust of the earth shall rise, some to everlasting life, and others to everlasting shame' (John 5:29).
Is then both the punishment and the shame God? See how much absurdity and impiety the shared name of 'eternal' falls into; it leaps upon and is swept along by the meanings and words of those people; but this is dissolved by these things: regarding the eternal name, as we have just remembered, the others, whatever they may be, did not come from time alone; but they also have the corruption of the nature of opinion, and their 'everlastingness' is altogether unlike the divine eternity; just as the one called holy, angel, or man, is similarly and perhaps this is to the Holy of Holies Spirit; for in the whole, holiness and eternity exist.
Pay attention, then, to what great clamor the 'eternal' is raised concerning the Holy Spirit, and that this wonderful and most uncontainable thing has been applied to Him, I say that He who through the Holy Spirit made the ages brings Himself to His own true Father on our behalf. Let them also consider that all the powers of the heavens are in the Holy Spirit, certainly as a co-worker with the ungraspable Creator; and that,
The heretics, not at an opportune time but in confusion, mentioned the eternal gates and thresholds, having said these things as a summary of what was brought forward to us in words. Let the difference be clear to them between the unoriginated and unchangeable eternal, and that which is from time and subject to change, and let it be known that this is not brief, nor is it only another beauty regarding essence, but is altogether transformed. Let it also be known that the Holy Spirit holds the eternal judgment toward God the Father, who strengthens all things, and the Son, not toward creatures. Having released the inferior opinion, let them embrace the better; and let them marvel, instead of what they do now, at what is worthy of marveling; and let them practice a better time after these things, for there is no envy. And having made themselves victims of the arrogant reproach of those things, they have thereby brought forth the benefit of repentance.
For if this word, as something indicating the divine, was used concerning God the Father and the Son, perhaps it might similarly be applied to the Spirit of God. One thing is this: another is that nothing of those things of which they remembered the eternal was decreed as divine, or a Holy Spirit proceeding from God—that is, one thing, and not a plurality; nor is it arranged with the Father and the Son for divine initiation and divine gift, nor of any other, lest I say too much, it was unworthy of the honor belonging to divinity. Other things toward this: God and Father pleased through His Son, the Word, to have all things created. And what an insult, as they dream, to His all-holy Spirit, from not being created! For if, according to them, it is not inexpressibly a co-worker with the Creator as the Father is? But since all energy and gift, creative and good and perfect, belongs to His only-begotten Son, the Word, and to the one Holy Spirit, and is common to them, all things are led up to the One, from whom these blessed hypotheses appeared inexpressibly along with Him; these things a person, having made himself a quiet examiner, full of the reasonings of wisdom, which are mentioned in various places of this book and those before it, could easily learn. And Paul, who is greater than men, left this clearly confirmed to the Corinthians: 'But you were removed, but you were justified, but...'
Greek
σήμερον· ὁ αὐτὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.» οὐκ ἔστιν δέ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκοῇ ἀκοῦσαι, ἅπερ καὶ εἰς τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο ὡρίσαντο οἱ περὶ τὰς θεολογίας τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀποδιακείμενοι. ἀπάγουσι γὰρ εἰς ἔσχατα γῆς ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ προλήψεως· ἄκριτος δὲ 57 ἔρως οὐκ εἴωθεν ἀκριβῆ μαρτυρεῖν ἐξέτασιν· ὅμως οὐδὲν οἷον κωλύει αὐτῆς ἐκείνης τῆς πιθανουργίας ἀκοῦσαι. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἔτι πλέον καταγνωσθείησαν. ἔχει οὖν ὧδε· οὐκ εἴ τι αἰώνιον ὁμωνύμως προσηγόρευται, θεὸς δύναται λέγεσθαι, ἀλλ' εἴ τις θεός, αἰωνίων ποιητής. γέγραπται γάρ· «χρόνων καὶ αἰώνων ποιητὴς ὁ θεός·» καὶ πάλιν· «Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ θεὸς λαλήσας ἐν τοῖς προφή ταις, ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ, ὃν ἔθετο κληρόνομον πάντων, δι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν.» οὐ γὰρ εἴ τι αἰώνιον προσηγόρευται, θεὸς ὀφείλει ὀνομάζεσθαι· ἄπειροι θεοὶ ἔσονται. γέγραπται γάρ· «καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι,» καὶ πάλιν· «ἔτη αἰώνια ἐμνήσθησαν» καὶ αὖθις· «ὥσπερ πρόβατα αἰώνια,» καί· «ἀναστήσονται οὗτοι εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον.» καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἐν χώματι γῆς, οἱ μὲν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, οἱ δὲ εἰς αἰσχύνην αἰώνιον.» ἆρα οὖν καὶ ἡ κόλασις καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη θεοί; ὁρᾶς, εἰς ὅσην ἀτοπίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν ἡ κατὰ τὸ αἰώνιον ὁμωνυμία ἐκπίπτει, τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἐκείνων νοήμασι καὶ ῥήμασιν ἅλμη ἐπιπολάζει τε καὶ συμπέφυρται· ταύτην δὲ διαλύει τάδε· τοῦ αἰωνίου ὀνόματος ὡς ἄρτι ἐπεμνήσθημεν, τὰ ἄλλα κἂν ἔτυχεν, μόνον οὐκ ἀπὸ χρόνου ἔτυχεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ φθορὰν τὴν ἀπὸ γνώμης οἰκείας τροπὴν ἔχει, καὶ ἀνόμοιον παντάπασιν τῷ θείῳ αἰωνίῳ τὸ ἐκείνων αἰώνιόν ἐστιν· καθὰ οὐδὲ ὁ λεγόμενος ἅγιος, ἄγγελος ἢ ἄνθρωπος, ὁμοίως καὶ ἴσως τοῦτό ἐστιν τῷ ἁγίῳ τῶν ἁγίων πνεύματι· αὐτὸ γὰρ ἁγιότης καὶ αἰωνιότης τὸ πᾶν ὑπάρχει. πρόσχωσι τοίνυν, μετὰ ποίας μεγαλοφωνίας τὸ αἰώνιον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀνείρηται, καὶ ὅτι τούτῳ τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ πᾶσιν ἀχωρητότατον προσεπέθηκεν, φημὶ τὸ διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τὸν κατασκευάσαντα τοὺς αἰῶνας ἑαυτὸν προσαγαγεῖν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ἀληθινῷ πατρὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. σκεψάσθωσαν δὲ καὶ ὅτι αἱ δυνάμεις πᾶσαι τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματί εἰσιν, πάντως ὅτι ὡς συνδημιουργῶ τοῦ ἀνεπιδεοῦς δημιουργοῦ· καὶ ὅτι, ὧν οὐκ εὐκαίρως, ἀλλ' ἐνδιασκεύως ἐμνημόνευσαν αἱρετικοὶ αἰωνίων πυλῶν καὶ προβάτων, τὸ τέλος τὰ εἰς τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο προκομισθέντα πρὸς ἡμῶν λόγια προεῖπαν. καὶ ἔστω δῆλον αὐτοῖς τὸ διάφορον τοῦ τε ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀτρέπτως αἰωνίου τοῦ τε ἀπὸ χρόνου καὶ τρεπτοῦ, καὶ ὡς οὐ βραχὺ τοῦτο, οὐδὲ περὶ τὴν οὐσίαν καὶ ἄλλο κάλλος ἐστὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ τὸ παντάπασιν ἐξηλλαγμένον. ἔστω δὲ γνώριμον καὶ τὸ, ὅτι τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τὴν περὶ τὸ αἰώνιον κρίσιν πρὸς τὸν ἐνισχύσαντα τὰ σύμπαντα θεὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει, οὐ πρὸς τὰ κτίσματα· καὶ λύσαντες τὴν χείρω γνώμην, ἑλέσθωσαν τὴν βελτίονα· καὶ θαυμαζέτωσαν, ἀντὶ τῶν νῦν, ἃ θαυμάζειν ἄξιον· καὶ πραξάτωσαν βελτίω τὸν μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνον· φθόνος γὰρ οὐδείς· καὶ ἀφ' ὧν τὴν ἀλαζόνα μέμψιν ποιησάμενοι ἑαυτοὺς ἔβλαψαν, ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὸ τῆς μεταμελείας ὄφελος ἀπενεγκάσθωσαν. εἰ γάρ, ὡς θεοπρεπές τι ἐνδεικνυμένη ἡ λέξις αὕτη ἐχρήσθη περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ, ἴσως καὶ ὁμοίως ἐκληφθείη ἂν περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ. ἓν μὲν δὴ τοῦτο· ἕτερον δέ, ὅτι οὐδὲν, ὧν ἐμνήσθησαν αἰωνίων, προσηγόρευται θεῖον, ἢ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκπορευθέν, ἤγουν ἕν τι, καὶ μὴ πλῆθος ὄν· οὐδὲ συντάττεται τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ εἰς θείαν μυσταγωγίαν καὶ θεϊκὴν δωρεάν, οὐδὲ ἄλλης τινός, ἵνα μὴ πολλὰ λέγω, θεότητι ἀνηκούσης τιμῆς ἠξίωται. ἄλλα πρὸς τούτοις· ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ εὐδόκησεν διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου πάντα δημιουργηθῆναι. καὶ ποία, ὡς ὀνειροπολοῦσιν, λοιδορία τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ τῷ παναγίῳ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ δημιουργῆσαι, εἴ γε ἄρα, κατ' αὐτοὺς, μὴ ἀρρήτως συνεργόν ἐστι τῷ δημιουργῷ ὡς ὁ πατήρ; ὅτι δὲ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ υἱοῦ λόγου καὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἁγίου πνεύματος πᾶσα ἐνέργεια καὶ δωρεά, δημιουργική τε, ἀγαθή τε καὶ τελεία, καὶ κοινὴ αὐτῶν ὑπάρχει, ἀνάγεται δὲ ὅλα εἰς τὸν ἕνα, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σὺν ᾧ ἀφράστως ἐξεφάνησαν αἱ μακαρίαι ὑποστάσεις αὗται ῥᾷστα ἂν καταμάθοι ὁ ἐξέτασίν τινα ἡσυχῖ ποιησάμενος τῶν σοφίας μεστῶν λογίων, τῶν τε ἐν διαφόροις τόποις τοῦδε τοῦ βιβλίου μνημονευθέντων, τῶν τε ἐν τῷ πρὸ αὐτοῦ. 58 καὶ Παῦλος δέ, ὁ κρείττων ἢ κατ' ἀνθρώπους, ἀπέφηνεν τοῦτο φανερῶς διαβεβαιωσάμενος Κορινθίοις μέν· «ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε, ἀλλὰ
About this text
Didymus the Blind defends the full divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit against those who rank them.
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