Oration XLI. On Pentecost.

 I.  Let us reason a little about the Festival, that we may keep it spiritually.  For different persons have different ways of keeping Festival but to

 II.  Wherefore we must keep the feast spiritually.  And this is the beginning of our discourse for we must speak, even if our speech do seem a little

 III.  As to the honour paid to Seven there are many testimonies, but we will be content with a few out of the many.  For instance, seven precious spir

 IV.  And if we must also look at ancient history, I perceive that Enoch, the seventh among our ancestors, was honoured by translation.  I perceive als

 V.  We are keeping the feast of Pentecost and of the Coming of the Spirit, and the appointed time of the Promise, and the fulfilment of our hope.  And

 VI.  They who reduce the Holy Spirit to the rank of a creature are blasphemers and wicked servants, and worst of the wicked.  For it is the part of wi

 VII.  If, my friends, you will not acknowledge the Holy Spirit to be uncreated, nor yet eternal clearly such a state of mind is due to the contrary s

 VIII.  Confess, my friends, the Trinity to be of One Godhead or if you will, of One Nature and we will pray the Spirit to give you this word God.  H

 IX.  The Holy Ghost, then, always existed, and exists, and always will exist.  He neither had a beginning, nor will He have an end but He was everlas

 X.  Are you labouring to bring forth objections?  Well, so am I to get on with my discourse.  Honour the Day of the Spirit restrain your tongue if yo

 XI.  He wrought first in the heavenly and angelic powers, and such as are first after God and around God.  For from no other source flows their perfec

 XII.  And therefore He came after Christ, that a Comforter should not be lacking unto us but Another Comforter, that you might acknowledge His co-equ

 XIII.  This was proclaimed by the Prophets in such passages as the following:—The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and, There shall rest upon Him Seven

 XIV.  This Spirit shares with the Son in working both the Creation and the Resurrection, as you may be shewn by this Scripture By the Word of the Lor

 XV.  They spoke with strange tongues, and not those of their native land and the wonder was great, a language spoken by those who had not learnt it. 

 XVI.  But as the old Confusion of tongues was laudable, when men who were of one language in wickedness and impiety, even as some now venture to be, w

 XVII.  Next, since it was to inhabitants of Jerusalem, most devout Jews, Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, Egyptians, and Libyans, Cretans too, and Arab

 XVIII.  These questions have been examined before by the studious, and perhaps not without occasion and whatever else any one may contribute at the p

VI.  They who reduce the Holy Spirit to the rank of a creature are blasphemers and wicked servants, and worst of the wicked.  For it is the part of wicked servants to despise Lordship, and to rebel against dominion, and to make That which is free their fellow-servant.  But they who deem Him God are inspired by God36    S. Gregory here commends the practice of reserve in respect of the Deity of the Holy Ghost.  To believe it is necessary to salvation, he would say; but in view of the prevailing ignorance it is well to be careful before whom we give Him the Name of God.  But he demands that his hearers should give to the Holy Ghost all the Attributes of Godhead, and should bear with those who, like himself, gave Him also the Name, as he prays that they all may have grace to do (Bénoît). and are illustrious in their mind; and they who go further and call Him so, if to well disposed hearers are exalted; if to the low, are not reserved enough, for they commit pearls to clay, and the noise of thunder to weak ears, and the sun to feeble eyes, and solid food to those who are still using milk;37    Heb. v. 12. whereas they ought to lead them little by little up to what lies beyond them, and to bring them up to the higher truth; adding light to light, and supplying truth upon truth.  Therefore we will leave the more mature discourse, for which the time has not yet come, and will speak with them as follows.

#2ʹ. Τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον οἱ μὲν εἰς κτίσμα κατάγοντες, ὑβρισταὶ, καὶ δοῦλοι κακοὶ, καὶ κακῶν κάκιστοι. Δούλων γὰρ κακῶν, ἀθετεῖν δεσποτείαν, καὶ ἐπανίστασθαι κυριότητι, καὶ ὁμόδουλον ποιεῖν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἐλεύθερον. Οἱ δὲ Θεὸν νομίζοντες, ἔνθεοι καὶ λαμπροὶ τὴν διάνοιαν. Οἱ δὲ καὶ ὀνομάζοντες, εἰ μὲν εὐγνώμοσιν, ὑψηλοί: εἰ δὲ ταπεινοῖς, οὐκ οἰκονομικοί: πηλῷ μαργαρίτην πιστεύοντες, καὶ ἀκοῇ σαθρᾷ βροντῆς ἦχον, καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις ἥλιον, καὶ τροφὴν στερεὰν τοῖς ἔτι γάλα ποτιζομένοις: δέον κατὰ μικρὸν προάγειν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ προβιβάζειν τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις, φωτὶ φῶς χαριζομένους, καὶ ἀληθείᾳ προξενοῦντας ἀλήθειαν: διὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν τελεώτερον τέως ἀφέντες λόγον (οὔπω γὰρ καιρὸς), οὕτως αὐτοῖς διαλεξόμεθα.