The Truth and Equality of the Holy Spirit
His. But the Holy Spirit of God authoritatively presides over prophets and apostles, as God and Lord, as it is shown in the preceding chapters. That creation is strengthened by the all-pervading and all-powerful divine strength, and not that it strengthens itself. For it received power which endures in itself, and it does not fail to impart this to its fellow-servants.
And the Spirit of God strengthens through his generative, nourishing, and inexhaustible power, because he is a creator and not a creature. For the Savior says in the deeds: 'But you will receive power, upon the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you' (Acts 1:8). Just as without his coming, there is to us no power or hope toward God. And it must be understood by this, first, that the presence of the Holy Spirit signifies that he has come by authority; second, that he did not come as a mere messenger, but was foretold by him, the great God and Savior. And again therefore he says: 'But you sit in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high' (Acts 1:4/1:8). And this was the power of the Holy Spirit.
And Paul writes to the Romans, which is to be wondered at or interpreted worthily, especially from an attack, not nothing pleasant: 'I have therefore confidence in Christ Jesus toward God. For I do not dare to speak of anything which Christ has not accomplished through me in word and deed for the obedience of the Gentiles, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit' (Romans 15:18). That it is true; whereas creation, which is the property of God alone, does not always tell the truth, but from its own opinion it has a part of turning and the possibility of lying sometimes. Just as in incorporeal beings is the devil, so in corporeal beings, as it is written: 'Every man is a liar' (Psalm 116:13), and: 'You will destroy all those who speak falsehood' (2 Timothy 2:9). For Father God will not lie, as those from without also have written. And in holy beings, as Paul said concerning the apostles: 'But when I saw that they were not walking straight toward the truth of the good news, I said to Cephas in the presence of all' (Galatians 2:11) what he said. For to always be without falsehood is truly of divine nature alone. Therefore he sent to the Hebrews: 'that' he says, 'through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong exhortation, we who have fled, to hold fast the fore-laid hope' (Hebrews 6:18). And the communion of the Holy Spirit,
Participating in nature with the Father and the Son, it participates in all things, and even in being without falsehood. For it is the Spirit of truth of God (John 14:17), as it was foretold, speaking by the one will of the Father and the Son and itself, and not speaking from itself, just as the Son testified to him saying, 'He will not speak from himself' (John 14:16). It is truth because it does not disagree with the one divinity. Creation has nothing called truth, because there is one divine truth, just as holiness and goodness are one, to which each of us used to reach, we confess.
And the Holy Spirit is foretold as truth just as the Father and the Son, because it is of the same one divinity, having nothing manifold or disagreeing. And the Son testifies concerning the Father and himself, saying, 'Father, your Word is truth' (John 1:14), and again, 'I am the life and the truth' (John 14:6), and concerning the Holy Spirit, as was foretold, that no one knows the things of God except the Holy Spirit, and that because of the equality toward the Father, God again knows the things of the Holy Spirit.
Creation does not know the things of God; for it surpasses it, and nothing dares to rush toward such knowledge, even if it were of the well-disposed; because to know the things of God is impossible for all things, since it does not possess the same nature and the same knowledge possessed by God, as the Savior taught, saying in John, 'The servant does not know what his master does' (Matthew 13:52), and as Peter wrote, 'It is that which is now being announced to you by those having preached to you by a Holy Spirit sent from heaven, into which angels desire to stoop' (1 Peter 1:12).
And that the Holy Spirit knows, as consubstantial God, the apostle wrote to the Corinthians, as has been previously stated. And again, presenting the greatness of the Spirit and the equality toward the Father, he writes in a balanced way: 'But he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is' (1 Corinthians 2:10). For, saying something great concerning the Father, he said the one who searches knows the mind of the Spirit, thus presenting the participation in nature and will and the equality of value and power of the Holy Spirit; he wrote only that he knows the things of the Father and searches his depths and the unknown thoughts of Him, which it is necessary also...
Greek
αὐτοῦ.» τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ αὐθεντικῶς προφήταις καὶ ἀποστόλοις προστάττει, ὡς θεὸς καὶ δεσπότης, καθὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις κεφαλαίοις ἀποδειχθείη. 6.12ν ὅτι ἐνδυναμοῖ ἡ κτίσις ἐνδυναμοῦται ὑπὸ τῆς παναλκοῦς καὶ πανδυνάμου θεϊκῆς ἰσχύος, οὐκ ἐνδυναμοῖ δὲ αὐτή.τὴν γὰρ αὐτῇ διαρκοῦσαν ἐδέξατο δύναμιν, καὶ μεταδιδόναι τοῖς συνδούλοις οὐ σθένει. τὸ δέ γε πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ γονίμῳ καὶ θρεπτικῇ καὶ ἀνεκλείπτῳ αὐτοῦ ἰσχύι ἐνδυναμοῖ, ἐπειδὴ κτίστης καὶ οὐ κτίσμα τυγχάνει. ὁ γὰρ σωτὴρ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσι φησίν· «ὑμεῖς δὲ λήψεσθε δύναμιν, ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς.» ὡς δίχα τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπιφοιτήσεως οὐδεμίας ἡμῖν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν δυνάμεως ἢ ἐλπίδος ὑπαρχούσης. κατανοητέον δὲ πρὸς τούτῳ, ἓν μὲν, ὅτι τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κατ' ἐξουσίαν σημαίνει γεγενῆσθαι· ἕτερον δέ, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτάγγελος ἦλθεν, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος προεμηνύθη. καὶ αὖθις οὖν λέγει· «ὑμεῖς δὲ καθίσατε ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἕως οὗ ἐνδύσησθε δύναμιν ἐξ ὕψους.» αὕτη δὲ ἦν ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. καὶ Παῦλος γράφει Ῥωμαίοις, ἃ θαυμάσαι ἢ ἑρμηνεῦσαι ἀξίως, μάλιστα ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς, οὐδενὶ εὐπετές· «ἔχω οὖν πεποίθησιν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. οὐ γὰρ τολμῶ τι λαλεῖν, ὧν οὐ κατειργάσατο Χριστὸς δι' ἐμοῦ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ εἰς ὑπακοὴν ἐθνῶν, ἐν δυνάμει σημείων καὶ τεράτων ἐν δυνάμει πνεύματος ἁγίου.» 6.13ν ὅτι ἀψευδές· ὅπερ ἴδιον μόνου θεοῦ ἡ κτίσις οὐκ ἀληθεύει ἀεί, ἀλλ' ἐξ οἰκείας γνώμης ἔχει τροπῆς μέρος καὶ τὸ ψεύδεσθαί ποτε. ὡς ἐν μὲν ἀσάρκοις ὁ διάβολος, ἐν δὲ σαρκίνοις καθὰ γράφει· «πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης,» καί· «ἀπολεῖς πάντας τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος.» οὐ γὰρ ἐπιψεύδεσσι πατὴρ θεὸς ἔσσετ' ἀρωγός, ἔγραψαν καὶ οἱ ἔξω. ἐν δὲ ἁγίοις, ὡς Παῦλος περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔφη· «ἀλλ' ὅτε εἶδον, ὅτι οὐκ ὀρθοποδοῦσιν πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ εὐαγ γελίου, εἶπον τῷ Κηφᾷ ἔμπροσθεν πάντων» ἃ εἶπεν. ὡς ἀληθῶς γὰρ μόνης θεϊκῆς φύσεως τὸ ἀεὶ ἀψευδεῖν. διὸ Ἑβραίοις ἐπέστειλεν· «ἵνα» φησίν, «διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύ σασθαι τὸν θεόν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν οἱ καταφυγόντες κρατῆ σαι τῆς προκειμένης ἐλπίδος.» ἡ δὲ κοινωνία τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, κοινωνοῦσα τῇ φύσει τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ, κοινωνεῖ εἰς ὅλα, ἔτι μὴν καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀψευδεῖν. πνεῦμα γὰρ ἀληθείας ἐστὶν τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς προελέχθη, τῷ ἑνὶ θελήματι τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ ἑαυτοῦ λαλοῦν, καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐ λαλοῦν, ὡς ὁ υἱὸς αὐτῷ ἐμαρτύρησεν εἰπών· «ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐ λαλήσει.» 6.14ν ὅτι ἀλήθεια, διὰ τὸ μὴ διαφωνεῖν αὐτὸ πρὸς τὴν μίαν θεότητα. ἡ κτίσις οὐδὲν ἔχει προσαγορευθὲν ἀλήθεια, διὰ τὸ μίαν εἶναι θεϊκὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὡς μία ἐστὶν ἡ ἁγιότης καὶ ἡ ἀγαθότης, ἀφ' ἧς ἑκάστοις ἡμῖν ταῦτα 63 ἐφήκειν ὁμολογοῦμεν. τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἀλήθεια προσηγόρευται καθὰ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱός, ἐπειδὴ τῆς αὐτῆς μιᾶς ἐστιν θεότητος, οὐδὲν ἔχον πολυσχιδὲς ἢ διαφωνοῦν. μαρτυρεῖ δὲ περὶ μὲν τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ υἱὸς λέγων· «πάτερ, ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς ἀλήθειά ἐστιν,» καὶ πάλιν· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια,» περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ὡς προελέχθη. 6.15ν ὅτι οὐδεὶς οἶδεν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ ὅτι διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἰσότητα, τὸ ἀνάπαλιν ὁ θεὸς οἶδεν τὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. ἡ κτίσις οὐκ οἶδεν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ· ὑπερβαίνει γὰρ αὐτήν, καὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς τοιαύτην εἴδησιν ὁρμῆσαι τολμᾷ, κἂν ᾖ τῶν εὐδοκίμων· ἐπειδὴ γνῶναι τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς πάμπαν ἀδύνατον τῇ μὴ οὔσῃ τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεως καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν γνῶσιν τῷ θεῷ κεκτημένῃ, ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ σωτὴρ εἰπὼν ἐν Ἰωάννῃ· «ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ,» καὶ ὡς ἔγραψεν Πέτρος· «ἔστιν ἃ νῦν ἀναγγέλλει ὑμῖν διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελισαμένων ὑμᾶς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἀποσταλέντι ἀπὸ οὐρανοῦ, εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακῦψαι.» τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ὅτι ἐπίσταται ὡς ὁμοούσιος θεός, ὁ ἀπόστολος Κορινθίοις ἐπέστειλεν, ὡς προείρηται. καὶ πάλιν τὴν μεγαλειότητα τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἰσότητα παριστῶν, ἰσόρροπον ἐκείνῳ γράφει· «ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδεν, τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος.» καθὰ γὰρ μέγα τι λέγων περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς, εἶπεν εἰδέναι αὐτὸν τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ φρόνημα, οὕτω τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν κοινωνίαν τῆς φύσεως καὶ θελήσεως καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα τῆς ἀξίας καὶ δυνάμεως τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος παριστῶν, ἔγραψεν μόνον αὐτὸ εἰδέναι τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τὰ βάθη αὐτοῦ ἐρευνᾶν καὶ τὰς ἀγνώστους ἐκείνου νοήσεις, ἃς χρὴ καὶ
About this text
Didymus the Blind defends the full divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit against those who rank them.
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