The Economy of the Mystery and Angelic Limitation
A righteous man and one fearing God, being testified to by all the nations of the Jews, was informed by a holy angel that he was to be brought into his house and to hear words from you. You indeed, if you had remained silent and had shut the mouths of slanders, would have acted much more effectively.
But we, returning toward the most perfect goal and providing this summary and cheerfulness to those about to receive us, and instilling more of the orthodox zeal, say that just as no communion of nature exists in creation toward the uncreated nature, so also no such communion exists in mere information. For the one announces, while the other, not knowing, might be enabled to speak by the Holy Spirit, and from this he receives the name 'angel'; but the Holy Spirit, since He knows all things of God, as Paul confirms, informs divinely, just as the Father, seeing with the sleepless eyes of the deity what is willed, informs the Father and the Son, and not in a servile way, like a bodyguard angel. For 'the servant does not know what his master is doingngng' (Luke 12:47), nor can the one of the same substance possess the knowledge of the other being of a different substance; for to each nature, the knowledge not belonging to it and memory share in error; but even what is known by the generated nature is lost by time. Therefore, even here, the ignorant ones, rushing into the field of the battle of the Word, have gone astray.
For it is written: 'And while Peter was remembering the word, the Holy Spirit said to him: Behold, three men are seeking you. But arising, go with them, distinguishing nothing, for I have sent them.' (Acts 10:19-20). Having come down to the men, Peter said: 'Behold, I am the one you are seeking; what is the reason for which you have come?' (Acts 10:21). And they said: 'Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man' (Acts 10:24), and the following, as it is intended. So, even before good judges, the angel's informing appears to be learned from the Holy Spirit. For to foretell with certainty is a distinguished mark of deity; and this is for the good of those hearing, so that, being made secure, they might be saved. Furthermore, do you not think that by proposing such things, one is somewhat flattering the creation, or perhaps criticizing him who has adorned his own works with the words spoken about him through abundance?
And of his grace. For from this he did not insult himself at all, but rather he showed himself to be praiseworthy, and his works were habitually made bright.
We, indeed, if we carry the matter of the Holy Spirit's endowment as something of divine dignity, and it suffices by itself for testimony, yet we brought forth not only that, but also a multitude of other high and indisputable proofs; if you attend to these without contradiction, you will certainly be less speechless than the fish. Therefore Paul most clearly exposes your trickery, having written to the Ephesians: 'To me, the least of all the saints, this grace was given in the Gentiles, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and to enlighten all, what is the economy of the mystery having been hidden from the ages in God the Creator, so that now might be known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places through the church the manifold wisdom of God' (Eph 3:8). Understand, therefore, how much the nature of the angels is lacking in knowing of itself things that are to come and in endowment; for even through this church of God in this world, which we are, they learn the great things. And toward persuasion, one can grasp something regarding this, which he wrote to the Colossians thus: 'This mystery which was hidden before the ages and from the generations, which has now been revealed to his saints' (Col 1:26). For before this, he says, it was known to God alone.
Toward these things, and also that which concerns the benefit of all men, of which I speak concerning the unchosen economy, this is raised by Peter to the rhetoricians, as it was foretold: 'Angels desire to look into things' (1 Pet 1:12), he says. And if they had any innate knowledge, they would not long to even stoop into it, but because they do not have it, they fall into a sort of excessive desire, like men, for those things whose knowledge is not above them. For it has become nature to overlook easily found things and to make the rarer things a matter of effort. And yet even this is not according to their nature, for by the common reason of their nature I do not say that all are obligated to some extent. 'For if,' he says, 'God did not spare having sinned angels' (2 Pet 2:4), what kind of innate knowledge of the...
Greek
ἀνὴρ δίκαιος καὶ φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν, μαρ τυρούμενός τε ὑπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἐχρηματίσθη ὑπὸ ἀγ γέλου ἁγίου, μεταμέμψασθαί σε εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ῥή ματα παρὰ σοῦ.» ὑμεῖς μὲν οὖν, εἰ ἐσιωπήσατε καὶ ἀπερράψατε συκοφαντίας τὰ στόματα, ἐπράττετε ἂν πολλῷ λυσιτελέστερον. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τελειότερον σκοπὸν ἀναπέμποντες καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο καὶ εὐθυμίαν τοῖς ἐντευξομένοις παρέχοντες καὶ πλείονα τὸν ὀρθόδοξον ζῆλον ἐμβάλλοντες φαμέν, ὅτι ὡς οὐδεμία κοινωνία φύσεως κτίσματι πρὸς τὴν ἄκτιστον φύσιν ἐστίν, οὕτως οὐδὲ χρηματισμοῦ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀγγέλλει, ὁ δ' ἂν οὐκ εἰδὼς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος εἰπεῖν ἐνεργηθείη, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῷ ἄγγελος τοὔνομα· τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἅτε πάντα εἰδὸς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς διαβεβαιοῦται ὁ Παῦλος, χρηματίζει θεϊκῶς, ὡς ὁ πατήρ, ἅπερ ἂν τοῖς τῆς θεότητος ἀκοιμήτοις ὄμμασιν ὁρᾷ βουλόμενον καὶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ οὐ διακονικῶς, καθάπερ ὁ δορυφόρος ἄγγελος. «ὁ γὰρ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν, τί ποιεῖ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ», οὐδέ γε ὁ ἑτεροούσιος τὴν αὐτὴν τῷ ἑτέρας ὄντι οὐσίας κεκτῆσθαι δύναται γνῶσιν· φύσει γὰρ ἑκάστῃ ἡ ἀνήκουσα γνῶσις καὶ μνήμη συμπαρομαρτεῖ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ γνωσθὲν τῇ γενητῇ φύσει ἔσθ' ὅτε τῷ χρόνῳ ἀφίπταται. ὅθεν κἀνταῦθα τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ χωρίου ἑκόντες ἐν τῇ διαμάχῃ τοῦ λόγου παραλελοίπασιν οἱ ἀγνώμονες. ἔχει γάρ· «τοῦ δὲ Πέτρου διενθυμουμένου περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα· ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες τρεῖς ζητοῦσίν σε. ἀλλὰ ἀναστὰς πορεύθητι σὺν αὐτοῖς, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος· διότι ἐγὼ ἀπέσταλκα αὐτούς. καταβὰς δὲ Πέτρος πρὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, ὃν ζητεῖτε· τίς ἡ αἰτία δι' ἣν πάρεστε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Κορνήλιος ἑκατοντάρχης, ἀνὴρ δίκαιος», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ὡς πρόκειται. ὥστε παρὰ κριταῖς ἀγαθοῖς κἀνταῦθα παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος φαίνεται τὸν χρησμὸν ὁ ἄγγελος μαθών. θεότητος γὰρ ἔκκριτον γνώρισμα τὸ προλέγειν ἀσφάλτως· καὶ τοῦτο ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ τῶν ἀκουόντων, ἵν' ἀσφαλισάμενοι σωθῶσιν. εἶτα οὐ νομίζετε τοιαῦτα εἰσηγούμενοι βασκαίνειν μέν πως τῇ κτίσει, μέμφεσθαι δὲ οἷον τῷ δι' ἀφθονίαν ταῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰρημέναις λέξεσιν κοσμήσαντι τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ποιήματα; ὡς ἑπομένης πάντως τῷ τοιούτῳ πράγματι καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος. ἐκ γὰρ καὶ τούτου ὕβρισεν μὲν ἑαυτὸν οὐδαμῶς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπαινετὸν ἔδειξεν, τὰ δὲ ἔργα αὐτοῦ συνήθως ἐφαίδρυνεν. ἡμεῖς δέ, εἰ καὶ σεμνότητά τινα θείαν τῇ πάσῃ ὑποθέσει φέρει τὸ χρηματίζειν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ ἀρκεῖ καθ' ἑαυτὸ παραλαμβανόμενον εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ὅμως οὐ μόνον αὐτό, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πλῆθος ἄλλο ὑψηλῶν καὶ ἀναμφισβητήτων ἀποδείξεων παρηγάγομεν· οἷς εἰ προσέχετε ἀντιπαθείας ἄνευ, ἀφωνότεροι πάντως ἔσεσθε τῶν ἰχθύων. διελέγχει τοίνυν τὴν πιθανουργίαν ὑμῶν σαφέστατα καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, Ἐφεσίοις γράψας· «ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ φωτίσαι πάντας, τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ θεῷ τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι· ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς ἐκ κλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ.» κατανοεῖτε οὖν, πόσον ἐξῄρηται ἡ ἀγγέλων φύσις τοῦ ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς εἰδέναι τι τῶν ἐσομένων καὶ τοῦ χρηματίζειν· ὅτι καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ ἐκκλησίας τοῦ 75 θεοῦ, ἥτις ἐσμὲν ἡμεῖς, τὰ μεγαλεῖα μανθάνει. πρὸς πειθὼ δὲ τὴν περὶ τοῦτο δύναταί τι συλλαμβάνειν καὶ ἅπερ Κολοσσαεῦσιν ἔγραψεν τοιῶσδε· «τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν, ὃ νῦν ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ.» πρὸ τούτου γάρ, φησίν, τῷ θεῷ ἔγνωστο μόνῳ. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἅπερ περὶ τῶν ἐνεγκόντων πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ὄφελος, τῶν περὶ τὴν ἄλεκτον οἰκονομίαν φημί, τοῖσδε παρὰ Πέτρου ἀνείρηται τοῖς ῥητοῖς, ὡς προελέχθη· «εἰς ἅ», φησίν, «ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι.» εἰ δέ τινα ἔμφυτον γνῶσιν εἶχον, οὐκ ἂν ἱμείροντο τοῦ κἂν διακύψαι εἰς αὐτό, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἔχουσιν, εἰς ὑπερβάλλοντα, ὡς οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τρόπον τινὰ ἐκπίπτουσιν ἔρωτα ἐκείνων, ὧν τῆς γνώσεως τυχεῖν αὐτοῖς μὴ ὕπεστιν. πέφυκεν γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἄλλως ὑπερορᾶσθαι μὲν τὰ εὑρεθῆναι ῥᾴδια, ποιεῖσθαι δὲ τὰ σπανιώτερα. καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῦτο οὐ κατὰ γνώμην οἰκείαν, τῷ κοινῷ δὲ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν λόγῳ οὐ πάντας φημί ὑπόχρεοι ὄντες τινές. «εἰ γάρ», φησίν, «ἀγγέλων ἁμαρτησάντων ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐφείσατο», ποίαν ἔμφυτον γνῶσιν τῶν
About this text
Didymus the Blind defends the full divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit against those who rank them.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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