The Visibility of the Father and the Trinity
When the worthy must be revealed. And let Peter write, as it is foretold: the Spirit was sent from heaven; let it be understood in the same way that the Son was sent. For that word is as a word, and this as a saying, and the Spirit sent from God. And because of the knowing that things said from Christ or from the Holy Spirit are also said from the Father through the single will, these are words. For he is neither ignorant nor sent as a slave, nor does he speak or act or come from himself as an opponent.
That no one sees God and Father, except the Son alone and the Holy Spirit; and toward those saying: 'It is not written, then,' he says, 'that the angels see the face of the Father?' Creation does not see God and Father in the way that He is; for this is of a different nature, incorporeal and uncontainable. And toward this is: 'No one shall see my face and live' (John 1:18). But the Scriptures say, at times to see or know the Son alone, and at times the Holy Spirit alone, the God Father, because the Trinity is in a unity of divinity, just as as the Savior says in John: 'Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; he has seen the Father' (John 6:46).
And the Son is from God by nature generatively, and the Holy Spirit processionally; and again: 'Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and whoever the Son shall reveal.' And as when speaking specifically about the Holy Spirit, as Paul writes to the Corinthians, as was foretold, and as Isaiah prophesies: 'Spirit of wisdom and understanding, spirit of knowledge and godliness' (Isa 11:2). It is not written, then, he says, in Matthew from the Savior: 'See, do not despise one of these little ones; for I say to you, that their angels in the heavens always see the face of my Father who is in heaven?' (Matt 18:10). Yes; but they see, not as much and as what God is, but according to what they are able to grasp. And the only-begotten and the Holy Spirit...
makes creation worthy of adoption
Greek
ἡνίκα δεῖ τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐκφαίνειν. τὸν δὲ Πέτρον, ὡς προείρηται, γράψαι· ἀπεστάλη ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα· νοείσθω, ᾧ τρόπῳ νοεῖται τό· ἀπεστάλη ὁ υἱός. ὡς λόγος γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, καὶ τοῦτο ὡς ῥῆμα καὶ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπεστάλη. καὶ διὰ τὸ εἰδέναι, ὅτι τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἢ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος λεγόμενα λέγεται καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς διὰ τὸ ἓν θέλημα, τὰ τοιαῦτα κεῖται ῥήματα. οὔτε γὰρ ἀγνοεῖ ἢ πέμπεται ὡς δοῦλον, οὔτε ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ λαλεῖ ἢ ποιεῖ ἢ ἔρχεται ὡς ἀντίθεον. 6.16ν ὅτι οὐδεὶς ὁρᾷ τὸν θεὸν καὶ πατέρα, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας· οὐ γέγραπται οὖν, φησίν, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι βλέπουσιν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός; ἡ κτίσις οὐχ ὁρᾷ τὸν θεὸν καὶ πατέρα οὕτως, ὡς ἔστιν· ἑτέρᾳ γὰρ φύσει τοῦτο ἀχώρητον καὶ ἀβάστακτον ὑπάρχει· καὶ πρὸς αὐτήν ἐστιν τό· «οὐδεὶς ὄψεταί μου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ζήσεται.» αἱ δὲ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ποτὲ μὲν τὸν υἱὸν μόνον, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα μόνον ὁρᾶν ἢ εἰδέναι τὸν θεὸν πατέρα, ἐπειδὴ ἐν μονάδι θεότητος ἡ τριάς, ὡς ἡνίκα ὁ σωτὴρ παρὰ Ἰωάννῃ λέγει· «οὐχ ὅτι τὸν πατέρα τις ἑόρακεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ· οὗτος ἑόρακεν τὸν πατέρα.» ἔστιν δὲ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ὁ υἱὸς γεννητικῶς, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἐκπορευτικῶς· καὶ πάλιν· «οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν πατέρα τις ἐπιγινώσκει, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός, καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψῃ,» καὶ ὡς ὅταν ἰδικῶς περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ὡς προελέχθη, Παῦλος Κορινθίοις γράφει, καὶ ὡς Ἠσαῖας προφητεύει· «πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως, πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας.» οὐ γέγραπται οὖν, φησίν, Ματθαίῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος· «ὁρᾶτε, μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων· λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσιν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς;» ναί· ἀλλὰ βλέπουσιν, οὐχ ὅσος καὶ οἷός ἐστιν ὁ θεός, ἀλλὰ καθ' ὅσον αὐτοὶ χωροῦσιν. ὁ δὲ μονογενὴς καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα διὰ τὸ ταὐτὸν τῆς θεότητος ὁρῶσιν οὕτως, ὡς ἔστιν ὁ ἀμεγέθης καὶ ἀνείδεος θεός. 6.17ν ὅτι τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τὴν κτίσιν υἱοθεσίας ἀξιοῖ· αὐτὸ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκπορεύεται. ἡ κτίσις ἡ λογική, ὅταν ἀξία γένηται ἀνακαινισμοῦ καὶ υἱοθεσίας, ὑπὸ τῆς πανδυνάμου χάριτος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τούτων ἀξιοῦται, ἐπειδὴ οὐ κτίσμα, ἀλλὰ θεὸς ὑπάρχει, οἷος ὁ κτίσας τὸ πρῶτον. 6.18ν ὅτι οὐχ ὑμνεῖ ὡς ἡ ἄλλη κτίσις· ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸ τῶν ὑμνημένων ἐστι. ἡ κτίσις 64 πᾶσα, ὁρατὴ καὶ ἀόρατος, ὀνομαστὶ προστάττεται ὑπὸ τῶν τριῶν παιδῶν Ἀνανία, Ἀζαρία καὶ Μισαὴλ ἐν τῇ Βαβυλωνίᾳ καμίνῳ ἀποτεθέντων ὑμνεῖν καὶ ὑπερυψοῦν τὸν θεὸν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ ὁ θεϊκὸς θρόνος, ὃ ἐνταῦθα νοεῖται τὰ Σεραφίμ, δοξάζει ἅτε ὄντα καὶ αὐτὰ μέρος τῆς κτίσεως. ἔφασαν γὰρ οἱ αὐτοί· «εὐλογήμενος εἶ, ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβίμ,» καὶ πάλιν ἀντὶ τοῦ μνημονεῦσαι τῶν Σεραφίμ· «καὶ εὐλογημένος εἶ ἐπὶ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας σου, καὶ ὑπερύμνητος καὶ ὑπερυψούμενος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.» ὁμοίως καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυίδ, ἐνεργουμένου ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἐν ρβʹ καὶ ἐν ρμηʹ ψαλμῷ παρακελεύεται ἡ κτίσις αἰνεῖν τὸ κύριον. τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ὡς καὶ ὁ υἱός, οὐ συνεμνημονεύθη, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸ οὐ δημιούργημα, ἀλλὰ δημιουργός· οὐδὲ τῶν ὑμνούντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὑμνουμένων καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν Σεραφίμ ἐστιν τῶν σὺν πολλῷ φόβῳ περιεστώτων τὸ θεϊκὸν βῆμα καὶ συγκαλυπτόντων ταῖς πτέρυξιν ἑαυτὰ καὶ ἀμοιβαδὸν ἀνταναφωνούντων ἀσιγήτοις στόμασιν καὶ ἀκαταπαύστῳ φωνῇ τρίτον «ἅγιος» διὰ τὰς τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις, ἅπαξ «κύριος» διὰ τὴν μίαν κυριότητα· ἅπερ, ὅτι μάλιστα δείκνυσιν τὴν θεότητα τοῦ πανυμνήτου πνεύματος. Μακεδονιανοὶ δέ, φυλαττόμενοι καὶ οἷον δεδοικότες, μὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἢ προσήκοντά ποτε λέγοντες ὀφθῶσιν ἢ ἀπρόσηκα προέμενοι λάθωσιν, ἐπιβαίνουσιν ἄνευ δίκης ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιτρέποντες καὶ τῷ
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)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.