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| On the Article, And in One Holy Ghost, the Comforter, Which Spake in the Prophets.
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Lecture
XVI.
On the Article, And in One Holy Ghost,
the Comforter, Which Spake in the Prophets.
1 Corinthians xii. 1; 4
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not
have you ignorant.…Now there are diversities of gifts, but the
same Spirit, &c.
1. Spiritual in
truth is the grace we need, in order to discourse concerning the Holy
Spirit; not that we may speak what is worthy of Him, for this is
impossible, but that by speaking the words of the divine Scriptures, we
may run our course without danger. For a truly fearful thing is
written in the Gospels, where Christ has plainly said, Whosoever
shall speak a word against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven
him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come1970
. And there is often fear, lest a man
should receive this condemnation, through speaking what he ought not
concerning Him, either from ignorance, or from supposed
reverence. The Judge of quick and dead, Jesus Christ, declared
that he hath no forgiveness; if therefore any man offend, what hope has
he?
2. It must therefore belong to Jesus
Christ’s grace itself to grant both to us to speak without
deficiency, and to you to hear with discretion; for discretion is
needful not to them only who speak, but also to them that hear, lest
they hear one thing, and misconceive another in their mind. Let
us then speak concerning the Holy Ghost nothing but what is written;
and whatsoever is not written, let us not busy ourselves about
it. The Holy Ghost Himself spoke the Scriptures; He has also
spoken concerning Himself as much as He pleased, or as much as we could
receive. Let us therefore speak those things which He has said;
for whatsoever He has not said, we dare not say.
3. There is One Only Holy Ghost, the
Comforter; and as there is One God the Father, and no second
Father;—and as there is One Only-begotten Son and Word of God,
who hath no brother;—so is there One Only Holy Ghost, and no
second spirit equal in-honour to Him. Now the Holy Ghost is a
Power most mighty, a Being divine and unsearchable; for He is living
and intelligent, a sanctifying principle of all things made by God
through Christ. He it is who illuminates the souls of the just;
He was in the Prophets, He was also in the Apostles in the New
Testament. Abhorred be they who dare to separate the operation of
the Holy Ghost! There is One God, the Father, Lord of the Old and
of the New Testament: and One Lord, Jesus Christ, who was
prophesied of in the Old Testament, and came in the New; and One Holy
Ghost, who through the Prophets preached of Christ, and when Christ was
come, descended, and manifested Him1971
| 1971 At the end of this section there
follows in the Coislin ms. a long
interpolation consisting of two parts. The former is an extract
taken word for word from Gregory of Nyssa, Oratio
Catechetica, ii. c, which may be read in this series:
᾽Αλλ᾽ ὡς Θεοῦ
Λόγον
ἀκούσαντες
.…σύνδρομον
ἔχουσαν τῇ
βουλήσει τὴν
δύναμιν. Of the second
passage the Benedictine Editor says: “I have not been able
to discover who is the author. No one can assign it to our Cyril,
although the doctrine it contains is in full agreement with his:
but he explains all the same points more at large in his two Lectures
(xvi. xvii.). The passage is very ancient and undoubtedly older
than the eleventh century, which is the date of the Cod. Coislin.
Therefore in the controversy of the Latins against the Greeks
concerning the Procession of the Holy Ghost it is important to notice
what is taught in this passage, and also brought forward as a testimony
by S. Thomas (Aquinas), that “The Holy Ghost is of the Godhead of
the Father and the Son (ex Patris et Filii divinitate
existere).” To me indeed these words seem to savour
altogether not of the later but of the more ancient theology of the
Greeks, and to be earlier than the controversies of the Greeks against
the Latins.”
This second passage is as follows:—
“For the Spirit of God is
good. And Thy good Spirit, says David, shall lead me in
the land of righteousness. This then is the Spirit of God in
which we believe: the blessed Spirit, the eternal, immutable,
unchangeable, ineffable: which rules and reigns over all
productive being, both visible and invisible natures: which is
Lord both of Angels and Archangels, Powers, Principalities, Dominions,
Thrones: the Creator of all being, enthroned with the glory of
the Father and the Son, reigning without beginning and without end with
the Father and the Son, before the created substances: Who
sanctifies the ministering spirits sent forth for the sake of those
who are to inherit salvation: Who came down upon the holy and
blessed Virgin Mary, of whom was born Christ according to the flesh;
came down also upon the Lord Himself in bodily form of a dove in the
river Jordan: Who came upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost
in form of fiery tongues; Who gives and supplies all spiritual gifts in
the Church, Who Proceedeth from the
Father: Who is of the Godhead of the Father and the Son;
Who is of one substance with the Father and the Son, inseparable and
indivisible.” | .
4. Let
no one therefore separate the Old from the New Testament1972
| 1972 Cf. Cat. iv. 33; vii.
6. Irenæus, Hæres. III. xxi. 4; IV. ix.
1. In Eusebius, E.H. V. 13, Rhodon says that Apelles
attributed the prophecies to an adverse spirit and rejected them as
false and self-contradictory. Similar blasphemies against the
holy Prophets are imputed to Manes by Epiphanius
(Hæres. lxvi. 30). | ; let no one say that the Spirit in the
former is one, and in the latter another; since thus he offends against
the Holy Ghost Himself, who with the Father and the Son together is
honoured, and at the time of Holy Baptism is included with them in the
Holy Trinity. For the Only-begotten Son of God said plainly to
the Apostles, Go ye, and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost1973
| 1973 Matt. xxviii. 19. The same text is used with much
force by S. Basil (De Spir. S. cap. xxiv.). | . Our hope is
in Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost. We preach not three
Gods1974
| 1974 Cat. xi. 4, note
3. See Newman’s notes on Athanasius, Contra Arian.
Or. I. viii. 1; Ib. Or. III. xxv. 9; Ib. xxvii. 3.
Marcion’s doctrine of three first principles (τριῶν
ἀρχῶν
λόγος) is discussed by Epiphanius
(Hæres. xlii. 6, 7). See also Tertull. Contra
Marcion. I. 15; Euseb. Hist. Eccles. V. 13. | ; let the Marcionites be silenced; but with
the Holy Ghost through One Son, we preach One God. The Faith is
indivisible; the worship inseparable. We neither separate the
Holy Trinity, like some; nor do we as Sabellius work
confusion.1975
| 1975 συναλοιφήν,
iv. 8; xi. 16; xv. 9. | But we know
according to godliness One Father, who sent His Son to be our Saviour;
we know One Son, who promised that He would send the Comforter from the
Father; we know the Holy Ghost, who spake in the Prophets, and who on
the day of Pentecost descended on the Apostles in the form of fiery
tongues, here, in Jerusalem, in the Upper Church of the
Apostles1976
| 1976 Cat. xvii. 13.
Epiphanius (De Mensuris et Ponder. c. 14):
“And he (Hadrian) found the city all levelled to the ground,
except a few houses, and the Church of God which was small: where
the Disciples, on their return after the Saviour was taken up from the
Mount of Olives, went up into the upper chamber: for there it had
been built, that is on Sion.” Cf. Stanley, Sinai and
Palestine, c. xiv. 3: “Within the precincts of that
Mosque (of the Tomb of David) is a vaulted Gothic chamber, which
contains within its four walls a greater confluence of traditions than
any other place of like dimensions in Palestine. It is startling
to hear that this is the scene of the Last Supper, of the meeting after
the Resurrection, of the miracle of Pentecost, of the residence and
death of the Virgin, of the burial of Stephen.” | ; for in all things
the choicest privileges are with us. Here Christ came down from
heaven; here the Holy Ghost came down from heaven. And in truth
it were most fitting, that as we discourse concerning Christ and
Golgotha here in Golgotha, so also we should speak concerning the Holy
Ghost in the Upper Church; yet since He who descended there jointly
partakes of the glory of Him who was crucified here, we here speak
concerning Him also who descended there: for their worship is
indivisible.
5. We would now say somewhat concerning the Holy
Ghost; not to declare His substance with exactness, for this were
impossible; but to speak of the diverse mistakes of some concerning
him, lest from ignorance we should fall into them; and to block up the
paths of error, that we may journey on the King’s one
highway. And if we now for caution’s sake repeat any
statement of the heretics, let it recoil on their heads, and may we be
guiltless, both we who speak, and ye who hear.
6. For the heretics, who are most profane in
all things, have sharpened their tongue1977
against the Holy Ghost also, and have dared to utter impious things; as
Irenæus the interpreter has written in his injunctions against
heresies1978
| 1978 Irenæus is
called “the interpreter” in the same general sense as other
ecclesiastical authors (Cat. xiii. 21; xv. 20), on account of his
frequent comments upon the Scriptures. The full title of his work
was A Refutation and Subversion of Knowledge falsely so called
(Euseb. Hist. Eccles. V. c. 7). Cyril’s expression
(ἐν τοῖς
προστάγμασι)
is sufficiently appropriate to the hortatory purpose professed by
Irenæus in his preface. But the Benedictine Editor thinks
that the word προστάγμασι
may be an interpolation arising from the following words πρὸς
τὰς.…The meaning would then be
“in his writings Against Heresies,” the usual short
title of the work. | . For some of
them have dared to say that they were themselves the Holy
Ghost;—of whom the first was Simon1979
| 1979 Cat. vi. 14, note
10. | ,
the sorcerer spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles; for when he was
cast out, he presumed to teach such doctrines: and they who are
called Gnostics, impious men, have spoken other things against the
Spirit1980
| 1980 Irenæus (I. xxix
§ 4; xxx. § 1). | , and the wicked
Valentinians1981
again something
else; and the profane Manes dared to call himself the Paraclete sent by
Christ1982
. Others again
have taught that the Spirit is different in the Prophets and in the New
Testament.1983
| 1983 Cat. iv. 33. See
§ 3, note 3, above. | Yea, and
great is their error, or rather their blasphemy. Such therefore
abhor, and flee from them who blaspheme the Holy Ghost, and have no
forgiveness. For what fellowship hast thou with the desperate,
thou, who art now to be baptized, into the Holy Ghost also1984
| 1984 i.e. as well as into
the Father and the Son. | ? If he who attaches himself to a
thief, and consenteth with him, is subject to punishment, what hope
shall he have, who offends against the Holy Ghost?
7. Let the Marcionists also be abhorred, who
tear away from the New Testament the sayings of the Old1985
| 1985 See Dict.
Christ. Biography, Marcion, p. 283; and Tertullian (Adv.
Marcion. IV. 6): “His whole aim centres in this that he
may establish a diversity between the Old and New Testaments, so that
his own Christ may be separate from the Creator, as belonging to the
rival god, and as alien from the Law and the Prophets. | . For Marcion first, that most impious
of men, who first asserted three Gods1986
| 1986 Cf. § 4, note 5,
above. | ,
knowing that in the New Testament are contained testimonies of the Prophets
concerning Christ, cut out the testimonies taken from the Old
Testament, that the King might be left without witness. Abhor
those above-mentioned Gnostics, men of knowledge by name, but fraught
with ignorance; who have dared to say such things of the Holy Ghost as
I dare not repeat.
8. Let the Cataphrygians1987
| 1987 Phrygians, or
Cataphrygians (οἱ
κατὰ
φρύγας) was the name given
to the followers of the Phrygian Montanus. See the account of
Montanism in Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. V. xvi., and the note there
in this Series. | also be thy abhorrence, and Montanus, their
ringleader in evil, and his two so-called prophetesses, Maximilla and
Priscilla. For this Montanus, who was out of his mind and really
mad (for he would not have said such things, had he not been mad),
dared to say that he was himself the Holy Ghost,—he, miserable
man, and filled with all uncleanness and lasciviousness; for it
suffices but to hint at this, out of respect for the women who are
present. And having taken possession of Pepuza, a very small
hamlet of Phrygia, he falsely named it Jerusalem; and cutting the
throats of wretched little children, and chopping them up into unholy
food, for the purpose of their so-called mysteries1988
| 1988 The charges of lust
and cruelty brought against the Montanists by Cyril and Epiphanius
(Hær 48) seem to rest on no trustworthy evidence,
and are not mentioned by Eusebius, a bitter foe to the sect. | ,—(wherefore till but lately in the
time of persecution we were suspected of doing this, because these
Montanists were called, falsely indeed, by the common name of
Christians;)—yet he dared to call himself the Holy Ghost, filled
as he was with all impiety and inhuman cruelty, and condemned by an
irrevocable sentence.
9. And he was seconded, as was said before,
by that most impious Manes also, who combined what was bad in every
heresy1989
| 1989 On Manes, see Cat. vi.
20. ff. | ; who being the very
lowest pit of destruction, collected the doctrines of all the heretics,
and wrought out and taught a yet more novel error, and dared to say
that he himself was the Comforter, whom Christ promised to send.
But the Saviour when He promised Him, said to the Apostles, But
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from
on high1990
. What then?
did the Apostles who had been dead two hundred years, wait for Manes,
until they should be endued with the power; and will any dare to
say, that they were not forthwith full of the Holy Ghost?
Moreover it is written, Then they laid their hands on and they
received the Holy Ghost1991
; was not this
before Manes, yea, many years before, when the Holy Ghost descended on
the day of Pentecost?
10. Wherefore was Simon the sorcerer
condemned? Was it not that he came to the Apostles, and said,
Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may
receive the Holy Ghost? For he said not, “Give me also
the fellowship of the Holy Ghost,” but “Give me the
power;” that he might sell to others that which could not be
sold, and which he did not himself possess. He offered money also
to them who had no possessions1992
| 1992 Acts viii. 19. ἀκτήμοσι. Cf.
§ 19: ἀκτημονοῦσι,
and § 22: ἀκτημοσύνην. | ; and this, though
he saw men bringing the prices of the things sold, and laying them at
the Apostles’ feet. And he considered not that they who
trod under foot the wealth which was brought for the maintenance of the
poor, were not likely to give the power of the Holy Ghost for a
bribe. But what say they to Simon? Thy money perish with
thee, because thou hast thought to purchase the gift of God with
money1993
; for thou art a
second Judas, for expecting to buy the grace of the Spirit with
money. If then Simon, for wishing to get this power for a price,
is to perish, how great is the impiety of Manes, who said that
he was the Holy Ghost? Let us hate them who are worthy of hatred;
let us turn away from them from whom God turns away; let us also
ourselves say unto God with all boldness concerning all heretics, Do
not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee, and am not I grieved with
Thine enemies1994
? For there is
also an enmity which is right, according as it is written, I will
put enmity between thee and her seed1995
;
for friendship with the serpent works enmity with God, and
death.
11. Let then thus much suffice concerning
those outcasts; and now let us return to the divine Scriptures, and let
us drink waters out of our own cisterns [that is, the holy
Fathers1996
| 1996 The words ἁγίων
πατέρων are not found
in the mss. Mon. 1. Mon. 2. Vind. Roe. Casaub.
nor in Grodecq. Whether meant to refer, as the Benedictine Editor
thinks, to the writers of the Old Testament, or to Christian authors,
they are an evident gloss. | ], and out of our
own springing wells1997
. Drink we of
living water, springing up into everlasting life1998
| 1998 John iv. 14, quoted more fully at the end of the
section. | ; but this spake the Saviour of the
Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive1999
. For observe what He says, He that
believeth on Me (not simply this, but), as the Scripture hath
said (thus He hath sent thee back to the Old Testament), out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water, not rivers perceived
by sense, and merely watering the earth with its thorns and trees, but
bringing souls to the light. And in another place He says, But
the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of living water
springing up into
everlasting life,—a new kind of water living and springing
up, springing up unto them who are worthy.
12. And why did He call the grace of the
Spirit water? Because by water all things subsist; because water
brings forth grass and living things; because the water of the showers
comes down from heaven; because it comes down one in form, but works in
many forms. For one fountain watereth the whole of Paradise, and
one and the same rain comes down upon all the world, yet it becomes
white in the lily, and red in the rose, and purple in violets and
hyacinths, and different and varied in each several kind: so it
is one in the palm-tree, and another in the vine, and all in all
things; and yet is one in nature, not diverse from itself; for the rain
does not change itself, and come down first as one thing, then as
another, but adapting itself to the constitution of each thing which
receives it, it becomes to each what is suitable2000
| 2000 Compare a similar
passage on rain in Cat. ix. 9, 10. | . Thus also the Holy Ghost, being one,
and of one nature, and indivisible, divides to each His grace,
according as He will2001
: and as the
dry tree, after partaking of water, puts forth shoots, so also the soul
in sin, when it has been through repentance made worthy of the Holy
Ghost, brings forth clusters of righteousness. And though He is
One in nature, yet many are the virtues which by the will of God and in
the Name of Christ He works. For He employs the tongue of one man
for wisdom; the soul of another He enlightens by Prophecy; to another
He gives power to drive away devils; to another He gives to interpret
the divine Scriptures. He strengthens one man’s
self-command; He teaches another the way to give alms; another He
teaches to fast and discipline himself; another He teaches to despise
the things of the body; another He trains for martyrdom: diverse
in different men, yet not diverse from Himself, as it is written,
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit
withal. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of
wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge according to the same
Spirit; to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of
healing, in the same Spirit; and to another workings of miracles; and
to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; and to
another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of
tongues: but all these worketh that one and the same Spirit,
dividing to every man severally as He will2002
.
13. But since concerning spirit in general
many diverse things are written in the divine Scriptures, and there is
fear lest some out of ignorance fall into confusion, not knowing to
what sort of spirit the writing refers; it will be well now to certify
you, of what kind the Scripture declares the Holy Spirit to be.
For as Aaron is called Christ, and David and Saul and others are called
Christs2003
| 2003 See Cat. x. 11; xi.
1. | , but there is only
one true Christ, so likewise since the name of spirit is given to
different things, it is right to see what is that which is
distinctively called the Holy Spirit. For many things are called
spirits. Thus an Angel is called spirit, our soul is called
spirit, and this wind which is blowing is called spirit; great virtue
also is spoken of as spirit; and impure practice is called spirit; and
a devil our adversary is called spirit. Beware therefore when
thou hearest these things, lest from their having a common name thou
mistake one for another. For concerning our soul the Scripture
says, His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return to his
earth2004
: and of the
same soul it says again, Which formeth the spirit of man within
him2005
. And of the
Angels it is said in the Psalms, Who maketh His Angels spirits, and
His ministers a flame of fire2006
. And of
the wind it saith, Thou shalt break the ships of Tarshish with a
violent spirit2007
; and, As the
tree in the wood is shaken by the spirit2008
;
and, Fire, hail, snow, ice, spirit of storm2009
. And of good doctrine the Lord Himself
says, The words that I have spoken unto you, they are
spirit2010
, and they are
life; instead of, “are spiritual.” But the Holy
Spirit is not pronounced by the tongue; but He is a Living Spirit, who
gives wisdom of speech, Himself speaking and discoursing.
14. And wouldest thou know that He
discourses and speaks? Philip by revelation of an Angel went down
to the way which leads to Gaza, when the Eunuch was coming; and the
Spirit said to Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this
chariot2011
. Seest thou
the Spirit talking to one who hears Him? Ezekiel also speaks
thus, The Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and said unto me, Thus
saith the Lord2012
. And again,
The Holy Ghost said2013
, unto the Apostles
who were in Antioch, Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work
whereunto I have called them. Beholdest thou the Spirit
living, separating, calling, and with authority sending forth?
Paul also said, Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city,
saying that bonds and afflictions await me2014
. For this good Sanctifier of the
Church, and her Helper, and Teacher, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, of
whom the Saviour said, He shall teach you all things (and He said
not only, He shall teach, but also, He shall bring to your
remembrance whatever I have said unto you2015
;
for the teachings of Christ and of the Holy Ghost are not different,
but the same)—He, I say, testified before to Paul what things
should befall him, that he might be the more stout-hearted, from
knowing them beforehand. Now I have spoken these things unto you
because of the text, The words which I have spoken unto you, they
are spirit; that thou mayest understand this, not of the utterance
of the lips2016
| 2016 Ib. vi.
63. The Holy
Spirit is more than words pronounced by the tongue, even than our
Lord’s own words, which he called spirit. | , but of the good
doctrine in this passage.
15. But sin also is called spirit, as I have
already said; only in another and opposite sense, as when it is said,
The spirit of whoredom caused them to err2017
. The name “spirit” is
given also to the unclean spirit, the devil; but with the
addition of, “the unclean;” for to each is joined its
distinguishing name, to mark its proper nature. If the Scripture
speak of the soul of man, it says the spirit with the addition,
of the man; if it mean the wind, it says, spirit of
storm; if sin, it says, spirit of whoredom; if the devil, it
says, an unclean spirit: that we may know which particular
thing is spoken of, and thou mayest not suppose that it means the Holy
Ghost; God forbid! For this name of spirit is common to many
things; and every thing which has not a solid body is in a general way
called spirit2018
| 2018 Origen, de
Principiis, i. § 2: “It is the custom of Holy
Scripture, when it would designate anything contrary to this more dense
and solid body, to call it spirit.” | . Since,
therefore, the devils have not such bodies, they are called
spirits: but there is a great difference; for the unclean devil,
when he comes upon a man’s soul (may the Lord deliver from him
every soul of those who hear me, and of those who are not present), he
comes like a wolf upon a sheep, ravening for blood, and ready to
devour. His coming is most fierce; the sense of it most
oppressive; the mind becomes darkened; his attack is an injustice also,
and so is his usurpation of another’s possession. For he
makes forcible use of another’s body, and another’s
instruments, as if they were his own; he throws down him who stands
upright (for he is akin to him who fell from heaven2019
); he twists the tongue and distorts the
lips; foam comes instead of words; the man is filled with darkness; his
eye is open, yet the soul sees not through it; and the miserable man
gasps convulsively at the point of death. The devils are verily
foes of men, using them foully and mercilessly.
16. Such is not the Holy Ghost; God
forbid! For His doings tend the contrary way, towards what is
good and salutary. First, His coming is gentle; the perception of
Him is fragrant; His burden most light; beams of light and knowledge
gleam forth before His coming2020
| 2020 In this contrast
between the evil spirit and the Spirit of God Cyril’s language
rises to true eloquence, far surpassing a somewhat similar description,
which may have been known to him, in Euseb. Dem. Evang. V.
132. | . He comes
with the bowels of a true guardian: for He comes to save, and to
heal, to teach, to admonish, to strengthen, to exhort, to enlighten the
mind, first of him who receives Him, and afterwards of others also,
through him. And as a man, who being previously in darkness then
suddenly beholds the sun, is enlightened in his bodily sight, and sees
plainly things which he saw not, so likewise he to whom the Holy Ghost
is vouchsafed, is enlightened in his soul, and sees things beyond
man’s sight, which he knew not; his body is on earth, yet his
soul mirrors forth the heavens. He sees, like Esaias, the Lord
sitting upon a throne high and lifted up2021
;
he sees, like Ezekiel, Him who is above the Cherubim2022
; he sees like Daniel, ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands2023
;
and the man, who is so little, beholds the beginning of the world, and
knows the end of the world, and the times intervening, and the
successions of kings,—things which he never learned: for
the True Enlightener is present with him. The man is within the
walls of a house; yet the power of his knowledge reaches far and wide,
and he sees even what other men are doing.
17. Peter was not with Ananias and Sapphira
when they sold their possessions, but he was present by the Spirit;
Why, he says, hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the
Holy Ghost2024
? There was no
accuser; there was no witness; whence knew he what had happened?
Whiles it remained was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was
it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine
heart2025
? The
unlettered2026
Peter, through the
grace of the Spirit, learnt what not even the wise men of the Greeks
had known. Thou hast the like in the case also of Elisseus.
For when he had freely healed the leprosy of Naaman, Gehazi received
the reward, the reward of another’s achievement; and he took the
money from Naaman, and bestowed it in a dark place. But the
darkness is not hidden from the Saints2027
. And when he came, Elisseus asked him;
and like Peter, when he said, Tell me whether ye
sold the land for so
much2028
? he also
enquires, Whence comest thou, Gehazi2029
? Not in ignorance, but in sorrow ask I
whence comest thou? From darkness art thou come, and to
darkness shalt thou go; thou hast sold the cure of the leper, and the
leprosy is thy heritage. I, he says, have fulfilled the bidding
of Him who said to me, Freely ye have received, freely
give2030
; but thou hast sold
this grace; receive now the condition of the sale. But what says
Elisseus to him? Went not mine heart with thee? I
was here shut in by the body, but the spirit which has been given me of
God saw even the things afar off, and shewed me plainly what was doing
elsewhere. Seest thou how the Holy Ghost not only rids of
ignorance, but invests with knowledge? Seest thou how He
enlightens men’s souls?
18. Esaias lived nearly a thousand years
ago; and he beheld Zion as a booth. The city was still
standing, and beautified with public places, and robed in majesty; yet
he says, Zion shall be ploughed as a field2031
, foretelling what is now fulfilled in our
days2032
| 2032 Cf. Euseb. Dem.
Evang. vi. 13: “In our own time we have seen with our
eyes the Sion of old renown being ploughed by Romans with yokes of
oxen, and Jerusalem in a state of utter desolation as the oracle itself
says, like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers. As Cyril at that
time saw the Prophet’s prediction fulfilled, so we also to the
present day see most plainly the fulfilment of the divine oracle, and
Sion ploughed before our eyes: for except the Church of the
Apostles, with the houses lying around it, and the house of Caiaphas
and the cemeteries, all the remaining space of this hill, lying without
the city, is under plough.” (Jerusalem Editor). | . And observe the exactness of the
prophecy; for he said, And the daughter of Zion shall be left as a
booth in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers2033
| 2033 Isa. i. 8. ὀπωροφυλάκιον
is the hut of the watchman who guarded the crop when ripening for
harvest. Σικυήλατον
is explained by Basil in his comment on the passage of Isaiah as
“A place that produces quick-growing and perishable
fruits.” This agrees with the etymological sense of the
word as “a forcing-bed for cucumbers” (Hippocrates apud
Fritzsche, “Der Brief des
Jeremia,” v. 70). On the
form σικυηράτῳ,
see the notes on the Epistle of Jeremy in the Speaker’s
Commentary. | . And now the place is filled with
gardens of cucumbers. Seest thou how the Holy Spirit enlightens
the saints? Be not therefore carried away to other things, by the
force of a common term, but keep fast the exact meaning.
19. And if ever, while thou hast been
sitting here, a thought concerning chastity or virginity has come into
thy mind, it has been His teaching. Has not often a maiden,
already at the bridal threshold2034
| 2034 παστάδας.
On the meaning of παστάς see the notes on
Herodotus, II. 148, 169 in Bähr, and Rawlinson. Here it
appears to mean the cloister or colonnade which gave access to the
bridal chamber, θάλαμος. | , fled away, He
teaching her the doctrine of virginity? Has not often a man
distinguished at court2035
, scorned wealth and
rank, under the teaching of the Holy Ghost? Has not often a young
man, at the sight of beauty, closed his eyes, and fled from the sight,
and escaped the defilement? Askest thou whence this has come to
pass? The Holy Ghost taught the soul of the young man. Many
ways of covetousness are there in the world; yet Christians refuse
possessions: wherefore? because of the teaching of the Holy
Ghost. Worthy of honour is in truth that Spirit, holy and good;
and fittingly are we baptized into Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. A
man, still clothed with a body, wrestles with many fiercest demons; and
often the demon, whom many men could not master with iron bands, has
been mastered by the man himself with words of prayer, through the
power which is in him of the Holy Ghost; and the mere breathing of the
Exorcist2036
| 2036 Compare Procat. §
9; Cat. xx. 3. | becomes as fire to
that unseen foe. A mighty ally and protector, therefore, have we
from God; a great Teacher of the Church, a mighty Champion on our
behalf. Let us not be afraid of the demons, nor of the devil; for
mightier is He who fighteth for us. Only let us open to Him our
doors; for He goeth about seeking such as are worthy2037
| 2037 Wisdom vi. 16. Compare the saying in Clem. Alex.
Quis dives salvetur? § 31: αὐτὸν
ζητεῖν τοὺς
εὖ
πεισομένους
ἀξίους τε
ὄντας τοῦ
Σωτῆρος
μαθητάς. The
Jerusalem Editor quotes from Origen (Prolog. in Cantic.) a
passage which may have been known to Cyril: “This Comforter
therefore goeth about seeking if He may discover any worthy and
receptive souls to whom He may reveal the greatness of the love which
is in God.” | and searching on whom He may confer His
gifts.
20. And He is called the Comforter, because
He comforts and encourages us, and helpeth our infirmities; for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself
maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be
uttered2038
, that is, makes
intercession to God. Oftentimes a man for Christ’s sake has
been outraged and dishonoured unjustly; martyrdom is at hand; tortures
on every side, and fire, and sword, and savage beasts, and the
pit. But the Holy Ghost softly whispers to him, “Wait
thou on the Lord2039
, O man; what is now
befalling thee is a small matter, the reward will be great.
Suffer a little while, and thou shalt be with Angels for ever.
The sufferings of this present time art not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us2040
.” He portrays to the man the
kingdom of heaven; He gives him a glimpse of the paradise of delight;
and the martyrs, whose bodily countenances are of necessity turned to
their judges, but who in spirit are already in Paradise, despise those
hardships which are seen.
21. And wouldest thou be sure that by the
power of the Holy Ghost the Martyrs bear their witness? The
Saviour says to His disciples, And when they bring you
unto the synagogues,
and the magistrates, and authorities, be not anxious how ye shall
answer, or what ye shall say; for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in
that very hour, what ye ought to say2041
. For it is impossible to testify
as a martyr for Christ’s sake, except a man testify by the Holy
Ghost; for if no man can say that Jesus Christ is the Lord, but by
the Holy Ghost2042
, how shall any man
give his own life for Jesus’ sake, but by the Holy
Ghost?
22. Great indeed, and all-powerful in gifts,
and wonderful, is the Holy Ghost. Consider, how many of you are
now sitting here, how many souls of us are present. He is working
suitably for each, and being present in the midst, beholds the temper
of each, beholds also his reasoning and his conscience, and what we
say, and think, and believe2043
| 2043 Codd. Monac. Vind.
Roe. Casaub. add καὶ
τί
πιστεύομεν. | . Great indeed
is what I have now said, and yet is it small. For consider, I
pray, with mind enlightened by Him, how many Christians there are in
all this diocese, and how many in the whole province2044
| 2044 The terms παροικία, the See
of a Bishop, and ἐπαρχία,
the Province of a Metropolitan, were both adopted from the
corresponding divisions of the Roman Empire. See Bingham,
Antt. Book IX. i. §§ 2–6. | of Palestine, and carry forward thy mind
from this province, to the whole Roman Empire; and after this, consider
the whole world; races of Persians, and nations of Indians, Garbs and
Sarmatians, Gauls and Spaniards, and Moors, Libyans and Ethiopians, and
the rest for whom we have no names; for of many of the nations not even
the names have reached us. Consider, I pray, of each nation,
Bishops, Presbyters, Deacons, Solitaries, Virgins, and laity besides;
and then behold their great Protector, and the Dispenser of their
gifts;—how throughout the world He gives to one chastity, to
another perpetual virginity, to another almsgiving, to another
voluntary poverty, to another power of repelling hostile spirits.
And as the light, with one touch of its radiance sheds brightness on
all things, so also the Holy Ghost enlightens those who have eyes; for
if any from blindness is not vouchsafed His grace, let him not blame
the Spirit, but his own unbelief.
23. Thou hast seen His power, which is in
all the world; tarry now no longer upon earth, but ascend on
high. Ascend, I say, in imagination even unto the first heaven,
and behold there so many countless myriads of Angels. Mount up in
thy thoughts, if thou canst, yet higher; consider, I pray thee, the
Archangels, consider also the Spirits; consider the Virtues, consider
the Principalities, consider the Powers, consider the Thrones, consider
the Dominions2045
| 2045 S. Basil (De
Spiritu S. c. xvi. § 38), after quoting the same passage,
Col. i. 16, proceeds—εἴτε
κυριότητες,
καὶ εἴ τινές
εἰσιν ἕτεραι
λογικαὶ
φύσεις
ἁκατονόμαστοι.
The last word shews that Basil had in mind this passage of Cyril, who
after the names of nations in § 22, adds καὶ τοὺς
λοίπους
ἀκατονομάστους
ἡμῖν. | ;—of all these
the Comforter is the Ruler from God, and the Teacher, and the
Sanctifier. Of Him Elias has need, and Elisseus, and Esaias,
among men; of Him Michael and Gabriel have need among Angels.
Naught of things created is equal in honour to Him: for the
families of the Angels, and all their hosts assembled together, have no
equality with the Holy Ghost. All these the all-excellent power
of the Comforter overshadows. And they indeed are sent forth to
minister2046
, but He searches
even the deep things of God, according as the Apostle says, For the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For
what man knoweth the thing of a man, save the spirit of the man which
is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God2047
.
24. He preached concerning Christ in the
Prophets; He wrought in the Apostles; He to this day seals the souls in
Baptism. And the Father indeed gives to the Son; and the Son
shares with the Holy Ghost. For it is Jesus Himself, not I, who
says, All things are delivered unto Me of My Father2048
; and of the Holy Ghost He says, When He,
the Spirit of Truth, shall come, and the rest.…He shall
glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto
you2049
. The Father
through the Son, with the Holy Ghost, is the giver of all grace; the
gifts of the Father are none other than those of the Son, and those of
the Holy Ghost; for there is one Salvation, one Power, one Faith; One
God, the Father; One Lord, His only-begotten Son; One Holy Ghost, the
Comforter. And it is enough for us to know these things; but
inquire not curiously into His nature or substance2050
| 2050 In regard to the
caution with which St. Cyril here speaks, we must remember that the
heresy of Macedonius had not yet given occasion to the formal
discussion and determination of the “nature and substance”
of the Holy Ghost. | : for had it been written, we would
have spoken of it; what is not written, let us not venture on; it is
sufficient for our salvation to know, that there is Father, and Son,
and Holy Ghost.
25. This Spirit descended upon the seventy
Elders in the days of Moses. (Now let not the length of the
discourse, beloved, produce weariness in you: but may He the very
subject of our discourse grant strength to every one, both to us who
speak, and to you who listen!) This Spirit, as I was saying, came
down upon the seventy Elders in the time of Moses; and this I say to
thee, that I may now prove, that He knoweth all things, and worketh
as He will2051
.
The seventy Elders were
chosen; And the Lord came down in a cloud, and took of the Spirit
that was upon Moses, and put it upon the seventy Elders2052
; not that the Spirit was divided, but that
His grace was distributed in proportion to the vessels, and the
capacity of the recipients. Now there were present sixty and
eight, and they prophesied; but Eldad and Modad were not present:
therefore that it might be shewn that it was not Moses who bestowed the
gift, but the Spirit who wrought, Eldad and Modad, who though called,
had not as yet presented themselves, did also prophesy2053
| 2053 The apocryphal
book of Eldad and Modad is mentioned by Hermas, Shepherd, Vis.
ii. § 3. S. Basil, Liber de Spir. S. cap. 61,
referring to Num. xi.
26, says that the Spirit
rested permanently only upon Eldad and Modad. | .
26. Jesus the Son of Nun, the successor of
Moses, was amazed; and came to him and said, “Hast thou heard
that Eldad and Modad are prophesying? They were called, and they
came not; my lord Moses, forbid them2054
.” “I cannot forbid
them,” he says, “for this grace is from Heaven; nay, so far
am I from forbidding them, that I myself am thankful for it. I
think not, however, that thou hast said this in envy; art thou
jealous for my sake, because that they prophesy, and thou
prophesiest not yet? Wait for the proper season; and oh that
all the Lord’s people may be prophets, whenever the Lord shall
give His Spirit upon them2055
!” saying this
also prophetically, whenever the Lord shall give; “For as
yet then He has not given it; so thou hast it not yet.”—Had
not then Abraham this, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph? And they
of old, had they it not? Nay, but the words, “whenever
the Lord shall give” evidently mean “give it upon all;
as yet indeed the grace is partial, then it shall be given
lavishly.” And he secretly alluded to what was to happen
among us on the day of Pentecost; for He Himself came down among
us. He had however also come down upon many before. For it
is written, And Jesus the son of Nun was filled with a spirit of
wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him2056
. Thou seest the figure everywhere the
same in the Old and New Testament;—in the days of Moses, the
Spirit was given by laying on of hands; and by laying on of hands
Peter2057
| 2057 Acts viii. 18. On this passage of Cyril,
see the section on “Chrism” in the
Introduction. | also gives the Spirit. And on thee
also, who art about to be baptized, shall His grace come; yet in what
manner I say not, for I will not anticipate the proper
season.
27. He also came down upon all righteous men
and Prophets; Enos, I mean, and Enoch, and Noah, and the rest; upon
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for as regards Joseph, even Pharaoh
perceived that he had the Spirit of God within him2058
. As to Moses, and the wonderful works
wrought by the Spirit in his days, thou hast heard often: This
Spirit Job also had, that most enduring man, and all the saints, though
we repeat not all their names. He also was sent forth when the
Tabernacle was in making, and filled with wisdom the wise-hearted men
who were with Bezaleel2059
.
28. In the might of this Spirit, as we have
it in the Book of Judges, Othniel judged2060
;
Gideon2061
waxed strong;
Jephtha conquered2062
; Deborah, a woman,
waged war; and Samson, so long as he did righteously, and grieved Him
not, wrought deeds above man’s power. And as for Samuel and
David, we have it plainly in the Books of the Kingdoms, how by the Holy
Ghost they prophesied themselves, and were rulers of the
prophets;—and Samuel was called the Seer2063
; and David says distinctly, The Spirit of
the Lord spake by me2064
, and in the Psalms,
And take not thy Holy Spirit from me2065
,
and again, Thy good Spirit shall lead me in the land of
righteousness2066
. And as we
have it in Chronicles, Azariah2067
, in the time of
King Asa, and Jahaziel2068
in the time of King
Jehoshaphat, partook of the Holy Ghost; and again, another Azariah, he
who was stoned2069
. And Ezra
says, Thou gavest also Thy good Spirit to instruct them2070
| 2070 Neh. ix. 20. Ezra and Nehemiah form one book
“Ezra” in the Hebrew Canon. | . But as touching Elias who was taken
up, and Elisseus, those inspired2071
| 2071 πνευματοφόρων,
used only twice in the Sept. (Hosea ix. 7; Zeph. iii. 4), and in an unfavourable sense.
With Cyril’s use of it compare Theophilus, Ad Autolyc. ii.
9: Θεοῦ
ἀνθρώπους
πνευματοφόρους
Πνεύματος
ἁγίου. | and
wonder-working men, it is manifest, without our saying so, that they
were full of the Holy Ghost.
29. And if further a man peruse all the
books of the Prophets, both of the Twelve, and of the others, he will
find many testimonies concerning. the Holy Ghost; as when Micah says in
the person of God, surely I will perfect power by the Spirit the
Lord2072
; and Joel cries,
And it shall come to pass afterwards, saith God, that I will
pour out My Spirit upon all flesh2073
,
and the rest; and Haggai, Because I am with you, saith the Lord of
Hosts2074
; and My Spirit
remaineth in the midst of you2075
; and in like
manner Zechariah, But receive My words and My statutes which I
command by My Spirit, to My servants the Prophets2076
; and other passages.
30. Esaias too, with his majestic voice,
says, And the Spirit of God shall rest upon Him,
the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge
and godliness; and the Spirit of the fear of God shall fill
Him2077
; signifying
that the Spirit is one and undivided, but His operations various.
So again, Jacob My servant,…..I have put My Spirit upon
Him2078
. And again,
I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed2079
;
and again, And now the Lord Almighty and His Spirit hath sent
Me2080
; and again, This
is My covenant with them, saith the Lord, My Spirit which is upon
thee2081
; and again, The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me2082
, and the rest; and again in his charge
against the Jews, But they rebelled and vexed His Holy
Spirit2083
, and Where is He
that put His Holy Spirit within them2084
? Also thou hast in Ezekiel (if thou be
not now weary of listening), what has already been quoted, And the
Spirit fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the
Lord2085
. But the
words, fell upon me we must understand in a good sense, that is
“lovingly;” and as Jacob, when he had found Joseph, fell
upon his neck; as also in the Gospels, the loving father, on seeing his
son who had returned from his wandering, had compassion, and ran and
fell on his neck, and kissed him2086
. And
again in Ezekiel, And he brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God
into Chaldæa, to them of the captivity2087
. And other texts thou heardest before,
in what was said about Baptism; Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you2088
, and the rest; a
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you2089
; and then
immediately, And I will put My Spirit within you2090
. And again, The hand of the Lord
was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord2091
.
31. He endued with wisdom the soul of
Daniel, that young as he was he should become a judge of Elders.
The chaste Susanna was condemned as a wanton; there was none to plead
her cause; for who was to deliver her from the rulers? She was
led away to death, she was now in the hands of the executioners.
But her Helper was at hand, the Comforter, the Spirit who sanctifies
every rational nature. Come hither to me, He says to Daniel;
young though thou be, convict old men infected with the sins of youth;
for it is written, God raised up the Holy Spirit upon a young
stripling2092
; and nevertheless,
(to pass on quickly,) by the sentence of Daniel that chaste lady was
saved. We bring this forward as a testimony; for this is not the
season for expounding. Nebuchadnezzar also knew that the Holy
Spirit was in Daniel; for he says to him, O Belteshazzar, master of
the magicians, of whom I know, that the Holy Spirit of God is in
thee2093
. One thing he
said truly, and one falsely; for that he had the Holy Spirit was true,
but he was not the master of the magicians, for he was no
magician, but was wise through the Holy Ghost. And before this
also, he interpreted to him the vision of the Image, which he who had
seen it himself knew not; for he says, Tell me the vision, which I who
saw it know not2094
. Thou seest
the power of the Holy Ghost; that which they who saw it, know not, they
who saw it not, know and interpret.
32. And indeed it were easy to collect very many
texts out of the Old Testament, and to discourse more largely
concerning the Holy Ghost. But the time is short; and we must be
careful of the proper length of the lecture. Wherefore, being for
the present content awhile with passages from the Old Testament, we
will, if it be God’s pleasure, proceed in the next Lecture to the
remaining texts out of the New Testament. And may the God of
peace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the
Spirit, count all of you worthy of His spiritual and heavenly
gifts:—To whom be glory and power for ever and ever.
Amen. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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