The Divinity of the Spirit and the Son

To produce heaven, earth, and sea brought forth upon the water, which is both life-giving and sustaining, is his work?just as, because of what is said in Job concerning the Son, 'He who stretched out the heavens alone' (Job 9:8), the Father, from whom all things are and in whom all things consist, does not depart from creation, how else could these things be true? In the same way, one cannot drive out the Spirit of God—which is of wisdom, power, and holiness—to be a co-creator of God, a holy one.

And what greater proof could be found for this than that it renews and sanctifies in each one through baptism the Spirit of God, and calls back to the better and first form of life? This is also shown by the fact that it itself recalls, as the apostle says concerning those becoming fit through the new birth and enjoying the greatest of all things expected in every respect: 'that you might become according to the image of the one who created you' (2 Cor 3:18); and it also prophesies David in the Psalm: 'the people being created shall praise the Lord' (Ps 22:27). If it did not have a communion of essence, lordship, and energy with the Father and with the Son, 'through whom all things came to be' (John 1:3), it would not renew and sanctify.

Therefore, with the all-holy Spirit, Christ, after the resurrection, breathing into the faces of the disciples, was reclaiming and sanctifying what was corrupted by human disobedience, and said: 'Receive Holy Spirit' (John 20:22); fulfilling the prophecy of Nahum, which relates the thing happening as if already done, through the unbridled desire for the immeasurable beauty of the matter: 'The one who breathes into your face has ascended from the earth, and is lifting you out of tribulation' (Nah 1:15).

Because that it is to create and to sanctify, which the divine Spirit is accustomed to do, David testifies, singing: 'Create in me a clean heart, O God' (Ps 51:10), that is: sanctify me, so that I might be renewed, having been corrupted by sin; for how else could another heart be created for him? And he confirms this with: 'And a steadfast spirit establish within my innermost parts' (Ps 51:12), instead of: 'Provide me a spirit of your exceeding reverence, so that,' he says, 'being revealed pure through its sanctification, I might become worthy of your temple.' For from the oversight of Him alone and of your Son, O Lord, we receive the sound of all evils and remain firm in hope.

We become for all eternal good. For it is manifest to us that David asks for himself to be inaugurated; for how could that which was already his, a spirit coming upon him just now, be inaugurated? But even greater and more necessary is what the Scripture, knowing the difference between creating and sanctifying, says concerning Judas, the merciful one who lost his sanctification: 'It would have been good for him if that man had not been born' (Ps 132:13), for, he says, Judas did the most disadvantageous thing of all, and he gave the Lord for nothing and exchanged life for silver.

And indeed, concerning the economy of the slave form in the unutterable mystery, where John says: 'And the Word became flesh' (Jn 1:14), and Paul: 'He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave' (Phil 2:7), and Solomon said: 'Wisdom built herself a house' (Prov 9:1); and Matthew, because of the same divine nature and energy, set it out thus: 'Now the birth of Jesus Christ was thus: when his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found having in her womb from the Holy Spirit' (Matt 1:18-25). And the archangel said: 'For that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit' (Lk 1:35), and again: 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the one being born will be called a holy Son of the Most High' (Lk 1:32).

It must be remembered, therefore, that because of heretical wanderings, the evangelist preordained the incarnation, then the birth. For dragging our scriptural proofs through the ground, they say mockingly as if in hypocrisy: 'Is the Christ then a Son of the Spirit?' Truly, not even hearing these things, nor that which was said by him to the apostles: 'You do not know of what Spirit the Son of Man is' (Mk 4:40).

If, therefore, since God the Father is true, for this reason also his energy is divine in every way and in all respects; since the energy of the Holy Spirit appears equal and similar to this, for this reason also he himself proves to be true God. And it would be appropriate to say the same concerning the Son. For if the energy of the Father is not inferior to that of the Son or the Spirit—for how at all does the Spirit or the Son work in us?—even if they bring a power that acts by hand, if they are dissimilar as the heretics say; if indeed the fullness of the Son and the Spirit is useful and salvific, the one will be in no way dissimilar.