It may indeed be undignified to give any answer at all to the statements that are foolish we seem to be pointed that way by Solomon’s wise advice, “n

 What then is the charge they bring against us? They accuse us of profanity for entertaining lofty conceptions about the Holy Spirit. All that we, in f

 What then, shall be our way of arguing? We shall answer nothing new, nothing of our own invention, though they challenge us to it we shall fall back

 We can confirm our argument by material instances. Fire naturally imparts the sense of heat to those who touch it, with all its component parts one

 If, then, the Holy Spirit is truly, and not in name only, called Divine both by Scripture and by our Fathers, what ground is left for those who oppose

 For the plea will not avail them in their self-defence, that He is delivered by our Lord to His disciples third in order, and that therefore He is est

 Since, then, it has been affirmed, and truly affirmed, that the Spirit is of the Divine Essence, and since in that one word “Divine” every idea of gre

 But if all must shrink from that, as going even beyond the most revolting blasphemy, then a devout mind must accept the nobler names and conceptions o

 If such is the doctrine concerning Him when followed out , let the same inquiry be made concerning the Son and the Father as well. Do you not confess

 If, then, they agree that the Holy Spirit is perfect absolutely, and it has been admitted in addition that true reverence requires perfection in every

 In what sort of manner, then, can you honour the Deity? How can you heighten the Highest? How can you give glory to that which is above all glory? How

 The heavens proclaim the glory of God , and yet they are counted poor heralds of His worth because His Majesty is exalted, not as far as the heavens,

 What means, then, this lowering and this expanding of their soul, on the part of these men who are enthusiastic for the Father’s honour, and grant to

 “Yes,” replies one of them, “but we have been taught by Scripture that the Father is the Creator, and in the same way that it was ‘through the Son ’ t

 What shall we answer to this? That the thoughts of their hearts are so much idle talk, when they imagine that the Spirit was not always with the Fathe

 The view which is consistent with all reverence is as follows. We are not to think of the Father as ever parted from the Son, nor to look for the Son

 If, on the contrary, this Spirit has the impulse to work, but some overwhelming control hinders His design, they must tell us the wherefore of this hi

 This is the view we take, after the unprofessional way usual with us and we reject all these elaborate sophistries of our adversaries, believing and

 But with regard to service and worship, and the other things which they so nicely calculate about, and bring into prominence, we say this that the Ho

 But if there is any of them who rejects this statement, and this idea involved in the very name of Divinity, and says that which, to the destruction o

 These destroyers of the Spirit’s glory, who relegate Him to a subject world, must tell us of what thing that unction is the symbol. It not a symbol of

 Again, let us look at it in this way. Kingship is most assuredly shown in the rule over subjects. Now what is “subject” to this Kingly Being? The Word

 For notice the amount of absurdity involved in the other alternative all things that we can think of in the actual creation have, by virtue of all ha

 Then let us look to this too. In Holy Baptism, what is it that we secure thereby? Is it not a participation in a life no longer subject to death? I th

 So that if these despisers and impugners of their very own life conceive of the gift as a little one, and decree accordingly to slight the Being who i

 If, then, every height of man’s ability falls below the grandeur of the Spirit (for that is what the Word means in the metaphor of “footstool”), what

 On the contrary the Holy Spirit is, to begin with, because of qualities that are essentially holy, that which the Father, essentially Holy, is and su

 If such, then, is the greatness of the Spirit, and whatever is beautiful, whatever is good, coming from God as it does through the Son, is completed b

 But you will say, “When I think of the Father it is the Son (alone) that I have included as well in that term.” But tell me when you have grasped the

 Do they too, then, mean this by their worship? Well, is it anything but absurdity to think that it is wrong to honour the Holy Spirit with that with w

 [Translation lacking]

[Translation lacking]

Ἔπειτα κἀκεῖνο παρ' αὐτῶν ἔστι μαθεῖν: ὅταν, ὡς οἴονται, τῷ πατρὶ προσκυνῶσιν, ἆρα καθόλου τῆς διανοίας ἑαυτῶν τοῦ τε μονογενοῦς καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν μνήμην ἐκβάλλουσιν; καὶ μὴν φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει πατέρα ἐννοήσαντα μὴ συνεπινοεῖν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ υἱὸν τῇ διανοίᾳ δεξάμενον μὴ συμπεριλαμβάνειν μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀρνεῖται καθόλου καὶ ἀθετεῖ τὴν ὁμολογίαν, εἷς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἢ Σαδδουκαίων ἐστίν, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἀρνούμενος καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον μὴ δεχόμενος: εἰ δὲ ὁπωσοῦν πρεσβεύειν τὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται, πάντως ὅτι πατέρα ἐννοῶν καὶ τὸν οὗ ἐστι πατὴρ ἐνενόησε καὶ υἱοῦ τὴν ἔννοιαν ἀναλαβὼν προκατηυγάσθη διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος: Οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναται εἰπεῖν κύριον Ἰησοῦν, εἰ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. οὐκοῦν ὁ ἀληθινὸς προσκυνητὴς ἀποστὰς τῆς σωματικῆς ταύτης καὶ χαμαιζήλου ταπεινότητος τῶν νοημάτων τὸ ἄρχον καὶ τὸ κυριεῦον καὶ τὸ ἐξουσιάζον καὶ τὸ πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐνεργοῦν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει οὕτω τιμήσει οὐχ ὡς ἐκείνῳ ἄξιον, ἀλλ' ὅσον αὐτὸς δυνατός ἐστι φέρειν κατὰ τὴν χήραν ἐκείνην, ἣ δύο λεπτοὺς ὀβολοὺς δωροφοροῦσα τοῖς ἱεροῖς θησαυροῖς ἀπεδείχθη † τῆς φιλοτιμίας, οὐχ ὅτι ἄξιον τι θαύματος εἶχεν ἡ ὕλη, ἀλλ' ὅτι πλέον οὐκ ἐχώρει ἡ δύναμις. οὕτω τοίνυν λογιεῖται ὄντως ἔχειν, ὅτι πάντα τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ὅσα εἰς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν ἐπινενόηται κατώτερά ἐστι τῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας τοῦ πνεύματος οὐδεμίαν προσθήκην τῆς δόξης ποιούμενα. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ὡσαύτως ἔχει καὶ τιμώντων καὶ μή: ἡ δὲ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις μόνην δωροφορεῖ τὴν προαίρεσιν, αὐτῷ τῷ θελῆσαι μόνον πληροῦσα ἣν προέθετο χάριν: πλέον δ' ἔτι τοῦ θελήματος καὶ τῆς κατὰ πρόθεσιν ὁρμῆς καὶ κινήσεως ἔχει ἐν τῇ δυνάμει οὐδέν. κἂν θαυμάσαι προέληται κἂν ἐπαίνοις τισὶ τὸ μεγαλεῖον ἀποσεμνῦναι τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, οὐ τὴν φύσιν ἐπήνεσεν: πῶς γὰρ ἐπαινέσει τὸ ἀγνοούμενον; ἀλλά τι τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν θεωρουμένων ἐδόξασε: Γενεὰ γάρ φησι καὶ γενεὰ ἐπαινέσει τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῶν φοβερῶν σου καὶ τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειαν τῆς δόξης τῆς ἁγιωσύνης σου καὶ τὰ θαυμάσιά σου καὶ τὴν μνήμην τοῦ πλήθους τῆς χρηστότητός σου καὶ τὴν ἐν τούτοις μεγαλωσύνην σου διηγήσονται. ὁρᾷς ὡς διὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν περὶ τὴν θείαν φύσιν θεωρουμένων πληροῦται τῷ προφήτῃ τὸ θαῦμα; αὐτὴ δὲ ἐκείνη καθώς ἐστι ἡ θεία τε καὶ μακαρία δύναμις ἄβατος καὶ ἀθέατος λογισμοῖς μένει καὶ διανοίας πολυπραγμοσύνην καὶ λόγου δύναμιν καὶ καρδίας κίνησιν καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ὁρμήν, πάντα κάτω ἑαυτῆς ἀφιεῖσα πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ ὅσον τὰ σώματα ἡμῖν ἀπολιμπάνεται τῆς τῶν ἀστέρων ἁφῆς. ὁ οὖν ταῦτα εἰδὼς καὶ συνεγνωκὼς ἑαυτῷ τὸ οὐτιδανὸν καὶ ἀσθενὲς καὶ πενιχρὸν τῆς φύσεως καταγνώσεται μὲν τῆς ματαιότητος τῶν ἀπὸ οὕτω μικρᾶς καὶ εὐτελοῦς τῆς δυνάμεως οἰομένων ἔχειν τι τῆς ἀξίας τοῦ πνεύματος ὑψηλότερον καὶ φειδομένων ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ῥημάτων τινῶν θεραπευτικῶν ἢ σχημάτων, ἃ εἴτε λατρείαν εἴτε προσκύνησιν σύνηθές τισιν ὀνομάζειν οὐ διαφέρομαι: ἀναβλέπων δὲ εἰς τὸ ὕψος τῆς δόξης, ἧς ἡ ἀληθὴς κατανόησις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀνέφικτος, καταγνώσεται ἑαυτοῦ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης ἐποίησε τῆς θείας ἀξιωθεὶς ἐπιφανείας γῆν καὶ σποδὸν ἑαυτὸν προσαγορεύων: οὕτω δὲ διακείμενος ὅλον ἑαυτὸν ἀναθήσει τῇ θεραπείᾳ τῆς κρείττονος φύσεως, οὐ τὸ μέν τι ποιῶν τῶν εἰς τιμὴν συντεινόντων, τοῦ δὲ ἀπεχόμενος, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ὅτιπερ ἂν ἐν τῇ καθ' ἑαυτὸν δυνάμει μεῖζον καὶ ὑπερέχον εἶναι φανῇ, τοῦτο ἀναθήσει τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων θεῷ, τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ προσκύνησιν τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως χωρουμένην διηνεκῶς ἀναπέμπων τῷ ἔχοντι τοῦ σῴζειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν: σῴζει δὲ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πιστεύει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ καὶ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ οὐκ εἰς πλῆθος δυνάμεων καὶ θεοτήτων κατακερματίζων τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλ' εἰς μίαν δύναμιν, μίαν ἀγαθότητα, μίαν ζωοποιὸν ἐξουσίαν, μίαν θεότητα, μίαν ζωὴν πιστεύων. οὕτως ἀναπέμψει τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς, ἐκ πατρὸς ἀρχόμενος καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τῷ πατρὶ συμπεριλαμβάνων καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τοῦ μονογενοῦς οὐ χωρίζων, ὡς πληροῦσθαι τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων θεῷ σὺν τῷ μονογενεῖ υἱῷ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ προσκύνησιν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν.