The Unvarying Illumination of Wisdom and the Nature of the Spirit

by essence, as by thought

And to him in Spain, and in another place, having been granted by him a wisdom that is simple and without wavering until the end of the earth, he imparts it; not in one way now, only to suddenly appear in another, nor more to one and less to another, breathing upon them, but always shining similarly to each one both together and distinctly, just as the one who said: 'I am with you all the days until the completion of the age' (Matt 28:20).

Since they transfer to God and Father the theology lying with John where it is said: 'God is Spirit' (1 John 4:16), saying because it is written that he is Spirit, and also because it is written: 'The Spirit of our face is Christ Lord' (2 Cor 3:3);—will they then also count the Father and the Son as Spirit among the other functional spirits? If it is not so, then the Holy Spirit is not understood among the other spirits, for he is not an archangel. For Michael and Gabriel and those like them are archangels; and with them, even heretics would not say that the Holy Spirit of God is ranked. Wherefore then, do they examine where he is to be ranked, or among which creatures? For after God, we were not taught from the Scriptures another rational nature, nor of the many spirits and of bodies like us.

Still, they lead us sophistically from what is set forth: that the Father and the Son are 'true,' but the Spirit is written as 'truth,' as if this were different. But it is the same, as it has been shown by the first argument, and this does not differ from that.

Concerning those saying, 'Since the only-begotten is the Word of God, what shall we call the Spirit?' and concerning the testimony that the Son is only-begotten. The Holy Spirit is one and only; and again the Son is the Word; the Holy Spirit, the Word. And concerning comparison; and concerning the fact that there is no paradigm of the incomparable essence.

Toward these things, the most varied and manifold according to the word—I do not know, if not even according to opinion—but certainly that even this, the heretics of the stranger to us of the simpler and truer teaching, frequently turning over the same words, say: 'The God Word was called only-begotten, because the Holy Spirit is not from the subsistence of the Father. Since if he himself would not be called only-begotten, the...'

Greek

παρθένον, οὐκ ἦν καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ τῇ οὐσίᾳ, ὡς τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τότε ἐπὶ γῆς διέτριβεν μόνον. οὐδὲ τοῖς αἰῶσίν εἰσιν ἀπερίληπτοι· «ὁ ποιῶν» γάρ, φησί, «τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον.» 4.7 οὐχ ἕν τι τῶν γινομένων παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λειτουργοῦσιν αὐτῷ, ὡς ἔδειξεν ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριήλ, διακονησάμενος πρὸς τὴν θεοτόκον Μαρίαν καὶ εἰπών· «πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐλεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ.» οὔτε οὖν ναὸς αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καθά ἐστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ. οὐ συμπεριλαμβάνονται μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐ μία τίς ἐστιν ὑπόστασις ἀγγελική, ἀλλὰ καὶ δυσαρίθμητος. 4.8 τὸ δὲ ὑπερπάμφαες ἅγιον πνεῦμα συμφυῶς καὶ ἑνοειδῶς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρρήτου καὶ ὑπερουσίου καὶ προουσίου καὶ καθολικῆς καὶ ἀμόρφου προῆλθεν ἀχρόνως πατρικῆς ὑποστάσεως, καὶ προσηγόρευται θεῖον· ἕν τέ ἐστιν ἀπλήθυντον, ἀγαθόν, ἄφθονον, ἀπρόσιτον, ἀπερίγραφον πάσαις νοήσεσιν, ἀπειροδύναμον, ἀνέκλεκτον, μόνως ὑπάρχον· καὶ φύσει ἅγιόν τε καὶ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὂν τῶν πάντων, ἀλλὰ θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ τε ὢν καὶ συνὼν ἡμῖν, αἴτιος πᾶσιν πάντων καλῶν· παρὼν μὲν τοῖς ὅλοις ἀύλως, ἀνειδέως, ἀμετασχηματίστως· 4.9 οὐκ ἐξιστάμενος δὲ τοῦ συνιδρῦσθαι ἀφράστως τῷ πατρί, καὶ ἐξαπλούμενος πάντη καὶ χωρῶν, καὶ ἐν ἅπασιν ἀμιγῶς κατοικῶν· καὶ ταῖς ἐννοίαις ἡμῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἡμῖν ἀοράτων ἐμβατεύων, καὶ ἀκριβῶν ἅπαντα, καίτοι πάντα εἰδώς· καὶ ἀφώνως ἐνηχῶν, καὶ ψυχῶν ἐπακούων ἔνδοθεν σιγῇ κραζουσῶν, καὶ πάσας ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἰκτείρων ἀμελλητί, καὶ ἐπιρωννύων, καὶ εὐφροσύνην ἄφατον ταῖς ἑκασταχοῦ φύσεσιν ἐνδιδούς· περιέχων τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς τὴν σύστασιν, καὶ πάντα ἔχων ὑφ' ἑαυτῷ· καὶ θεσπεσίῳ φωτίζων φωτὶ καὶ εὐεργετῶν τῇ ἀπλέτῳ αὐτοῦ ἐνεργείᾳ καὶ ἀγαθότητι· 4.10 τὰ μὲν ἀμείνω τὴν γνώμην ἐπὶ τελειότερον ἄγων σκοπόν, τὰ δὲ χείρω καὶ πλημμελῶς ἀναστρεφόμενα οὐκ ἀποστερῶν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βασιλικῆς καὶ ὁμονοητικῆς καὶ ἀμερίστου προστασίας, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐφέσει καθιστῶν αὐτὰ καὶ συννοίᾳ τῆς χορηγοῦ τῶν ὁλικῶν ἀγαθῶν ὁμοουσίου τριάδος· καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς καλλιεργοῦσι συλλαμβανόμενος, μετὰ τοῦ πάντων ἐξῃρημένος εἶναι οὕτως, ὅτι ἄλλῳ μὲν τῶν ἀποστόλων διάγοντι ἐν Ἰνδίᾳ, ἑτέρῳ δ' ἐν Σπανίᾳ ἄλλῳ δ' ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ ἕως τῆς ἐσχατιᾶς τῆς γῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ νενεμημένῳ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀπλανοῦς καὶ ἀκιβδήλου μετεδίδου σοφίας· οὐ τῷδε μὲν νῦν, ἑτέρῳ δ' εἰςαῦθις παραγινόμενος, οὐδὲ τῷ μὲν μᾶλλον, τῷ δὲ ἔλαττον ἐπιπνέων, ἀλλ' ἅμα τε καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὁμοῦ καὶ διακεκριμένως ἀεὶ ὁμοίως ἐπιλάμπων, καθὰ καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν κύριος· «μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰ ῶνος.» 4.11 ἐπεὶ μή γε–ἐπειδὴ αὐτοὶ τὴν παρ' Ἰωάννῃ 50 κειμένην θεολογίαν περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ἔνθα εἶπεν· «πνεῦμα ὁ θεός» μεταφέρουσιν εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πατέρα, λέγοντες διὰ τὸ εἶναι πνεῦμα αὐτὸν οὕτω γεγράφθαι, ἔτι δὲ ἐπειδὴ γέγραπται καί· «πνεῦμα τοῦ προσώπου ἡμῶν Χριστὸς κύριος·» – ἆρα καὶ τὸν παρέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἅτε πνεῦμα τοῖς ἄλλοις συναριθμήσουσι λειτουργικοῖς πνεύμασιν; εἰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐχ οὕτως, οὐδὲ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα νοεῖται μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων πνευμάτων. ἀρχάγγελος γὰρ οὔκ ἐστιν. ὁ γὰρ Μιχαὴλ καὶ Γαβριὴλ καὶ οἱ κατ' αὐτούς εἰσιν ἀρχάγγελοι· μετ' ἐκείνους δὲ οὐδὲ αἱρετικοὶ εἴποιεν ἂν τετάχθαι τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ. 4.12 ποῦ οὖν λοιπὸν ἢ μετὰ ποίων κτισμάτων τάσσεσθαι δοκιμάζουσιν αὐτό; μετὰ γὰρ τὸν θεὸν φύσιν ἄλλην λογικὴν ἀπὸ γραφῶν οὐκ ἐδιδάχθημεν ἢ τῶν πολλῶν πνευμάτων καὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς σωμάτων. 4.13 ἔτι σοφιστικῶς ἐκ τῶν προκειμένων ἐπάγουσιν· ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς «ἀληθινός», τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα «ἀλήθεια» γέγραπται, ὡς ἀπᾴδοντος τούτου. ἔστιν δὲ ταὐτόν, καθὰ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ δέδεικται λόγῳ, καὶ οὐ διαφέρει τοῦτο ἐκείνου. 5.ν Περὶ τῶν λεγόντων, ὅτι «μονογενοῦς ὄντος τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου, τί τὸ πνεῦμα καλέσομεν;» καὶ περὶ τοῦ μαρτυρεῖσθαι τὸν υἱὸν μονογενῆ. τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἓν καὶ μόνον· καὶ πάλιν τὸν υἱὸν λόγον· τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ῥῆμα. καὶ περὶ συγκρίσεως· καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι παράδειγμα τοῦ ἀσυγκρίτου οὐσίας. 5.1 Πρὸς ταῦτα οἱ ποικιλώτατοι καὶ πολυτροπώτατοι κατὰ τὸν λόγον οὐκ οἶδα, εἰ μὴ καὶ κατὰ τὴν γνώμην, πάντως δὲ ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο οἱ τῆς ἁπλουστέρας καὶ ἀληθεστέρας διδασκαλίας ἀλλότριοι αἱρετικοὶ ἀναστρέφοντες πολλάκις τὰ αὐτὰ ῥήματα, φασίν· «μονογενὴς ἐκλήθη ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ὑποστάσεώς ἐστιν τοῦ πατρός. ἐπεὶ εἰ αὐτὸς μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἐλέχθη μονογενής, τὸ δὲ

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.