Gregory of Nyssa, To Eustathius on the Holy Trinity, and the Godhead of the Holy Spirit

On the Holy Trinity, and of the Godhead of the Holy Spirit.

All you who study medicine have, one may say, humanity for your profession: and I think that one who preferred your science to all the serious pursuit

I may say that those who conceived this causeless hatred for us seemed to be acting very much on the principle of Æsop’s fable. For just as he makes h

Well, what is their charge? There are two brought forward together in the accusation against us one, that we divide the Persons the other, that we d

But our argument in reply to this is ready and clear. For any one who condemns those who say that the Godhead is one, must necessarily support either

What, then, is our doctrine? The Lord, in delivering the saving Faith to those who become disciples of the word, joins with the Father and the Son the

But they say that this appellation is indicative of nature, and that, as the nature of the Spirit is not common to the Father and the Son, for this re

But the order of things which is above us, alike in the region of intelligence and in that of sense (if by what we know we may form conjectures about

But I know not how these makers-up of all sorts of arguments bring the appellation of Godhead to be an indication of nature, as though they had not he

But if any one were to call this appellation indicative of dignity, I cannot tell by what reasoning he drags the word to this significance. Since howe

But if any one were to call this appellation indicative of dignity, I cannot tell by what reasoning he drags the word to this significance. Since however one may hear many saying things of this kind, in order that the zeal of its opponents may not find a ground for attacking the truth, we go out of our way with those who take this view, to consider such an opinion, and say that, even if the name does denote dignity, in this case too the appellation will properly befit the Holy Spirit. For the attribute of kingship denotes all dignity; and “our God,” it says, “is King from everlasting19 Ps. lxxiv. 12..” But the Son, having all things which are the Father’s, is Himself proclaimed a King by Holy Scripture. Now the Divine Scripture says that the Holy Spirit is the unction of the Only-Begotten20 Acts x. 38., interpreting the dignity of the Spirit by a transference of the terms commonly used in this world. For as, in ancient days, in those who were advanced to kingship, the token of this dignity was the unction which was applied to them, and when this took place there was thenceforth a change from private and humble estate to the superiority of rule, and he who was deemed worthy of this grace received after his anointing another name, being called, instead of an ordinary man, the Anointed of the Lord: for this reason, that the dignity of the Holy Spirit might be more clearly shown to men, He was called by the Scripture “the sign of the Kingdom,” and “Unction,” whereby we are taught that the Holy Spirit shares in the glory and kingdom of the Only-begotten Son of God. For as in Israel it was not permitted to enter upon the kingdom without the unction being previously given, so the word, by a transference of the terms in use among ourselves, indicates the equality of power, showing that not even the kingdom of the Son is received without the dignity of the Holy Spirit. And for this reason He is properly called Christ, since this name gives the proof of His inseparable and indivisible conjunction with the Holy Spirit. If, then, the Only-begotten God is the Anointed, and the Holy Spirit is His Unction, and the appellation of Anointed21 Reading with Oehler Χριστοῦ in place of Θεοῦ (the reading of the Paris edition). points to the Kingly authority, and the anointing is the token of His Kingship, then the Holy Spirit shares also in His dignity. If, therefore, they say that the attribute of Godhead is significative of dignity, and the Holy Spirit is shown to share in this last quality, it follows that He Who partakes in the dignity will also partake in the name which represents it.

εἰ δέ τις ἀξίας ἐνδεικτικὴν εἶναι τὴν προσηγορίαν ταύτην ὁρίζοιτο, οὐκ οἶδα μὲν τίνι λόγῳ πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην σημασίαν ἕλκει τὸ ὄνομα: πλὴν ἐπειδὴ πολλῶν ἐστι τὸ τοιοῦτον λεγόντων ἀκούειν, ὡς ἂν μηδαμόθεν χώραν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ τῶν ἀντικειμένων εὑρίσκοι σπουδή, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ὑπόληψιν συμπεριενεχθέντες τοῖς οὕτω δοξάζουσι φαμὲν ὅτι, κἂν ἀξίαν σημαίνῃ τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο κυρίως τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ἡ προσηγορία ἐφαρμοσθήσεται. πᾶσαν μὲν γὰρ ἀξίαν ἐνδείκνυται τῆς βασιλείας τὸ ὄνομα, Ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἡμῶν, φησί, βασιλεὺς προαιώνιος. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ υἱὸς ὁ πάντα [τὰ] τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας γραφῆς ἀνακηρύττεται, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον χρῖσμα τοῦ μονογενοῦς εἶναί φησιν ἡ θεία γραφὴ ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν τῇδε νενομισμένων τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ πνεύματος ἑρμηνεύουσα. ὡς γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀρχαίοις τοῖς εἰς βασιλείαν παραγομένοις σύμβολον ἦν τῆς ἀξίας ταύτης τὸ ἐπαγόμενον αὐτοῖς χρῖσμα, οὗ γενομένου τὸ ἀπ' ἐκείνου μετάστασις ἦν ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδιωτικῆς ταπεινότητος ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς δυναστείας ὑπεροχήν, καὶ ἕτερον μετελάμβανεν ὄνομα μετὰ τὴν χρῖσιν ὁ τῆς χάριτος ταύτης ἠξιωμένος ἀντὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ ἀνθρώπου χριστὸς κυρίου ὀνομαζόμενος: διὰ τοῦτο, ὡς ἂν μάλιστα ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀξία τοῖς ἀνθρώποις παραδειχθείη, σύμβολον βασιλείας καὶ χρῖσμα παρὰ τῆς γραφῆς ὠνομάσθη, διδασκομένων ἡμῶν ὅτι τῆς τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ δόξης καὶ βασιλείας κοινωνεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. ὡς γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἦν παρελθεῖν εἰς βασιλείαν μὴ προκαθηγησαμένου χρίσματος, οὕτω τὴν ἴσην ἐνδείκνυται δύναμιν ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ὀνομάτων ὁ λόγος, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἡ τοῦ υἱοῦ βασιλεία δίχα τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀξίας καταλαμβάνεται: διὸ κυρίως χριστὸς λέγεται, τῆς ἀχωρίστου καὶ ἀδιαστάτου πρὸς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα συναφείας τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου παρεχομένου τὴν ἔνδειξιν. εἰ οὖν χριστὸς μὲν ὁ μονογενὴς θεός, χρῖσμα δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἡ δὲ τοῦ χριστοῦ προσηγορία τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐνδείκνυται, σύμβολον δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἡ χρῖσις ἐστίν, ἄρα κοινωνεῖ καὶ τῆς ἀξίας τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. εἰ οὖν φασί τινες τὸ τῆς θεότητος ὄνομα τοῦ ἀξιώματος εἶναι δηλωτικόν, ἀπεφάνθη δὲ κοινωνεῖν ἐν τούτῳ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἄρα τὸ κοινωνοῦν τῆς ἀξίας κοινωνήσει πάντως καὶ τοῦ παραστατικοῦ ταύτης ὀνόματος.