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| To Eupaterius and his daughter.
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Letter
CLIX.2518
To Eupaterius and his daughter.2519
| 2519 On the Nicene
Creed and the Holy Ghost. |
1. You may well
imagine what pleasure the letter of your excellencies gave me, if only
from its very contents. What, indeed, could give greater
gratification to one who prays ever to be in communication with them
who fear the Lord, and to share their blessings, than a letter of this
kind, wherein questions are asked about the knowledge of God? For
if, to me, “to live is Christ,”2520
truly my words ought to be about Christ, my every thought and deed
ought to depend upon His commandments, and my soul to be fashioned
after His. I rejoice, therefore, at being asked about such
things, and congratulate the askers. By me, to speak shortly, the
faith of the Fathers assembled at Nicæa is honoured before all
later inventions. In it the Son is confessed to be
con-substantial with the Father and to be naturally of the same nature
with Him who begat Him, for He was confessed to be Light of Light, God
of God, and Good of Good, and the like. Both by those holy men
the same doctrine was declared, and by me now who pray that I may walk
in their footsteps.
2. But since the question now raised by
those who are always endeavouring to introduce novelties, but passed
over in silence by the men of old, because the doctrine was never
gainsaid, has remained without full explanation (I mean that which
concerns the Holy Ghost) I will add a statement on this subject in
conformity with the sense of Scripture. As we were baptized, so
we profess our belief. As we profess our belief, so also we offer
praise. As then baptism has been given us by the Saviour, in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, so, in
accordance with our baptism, we make the confession of the creed, and
our doxology in accordance with our creed. We glorify the Holy
Ghost together with the Father and the Son, from the conviction that He
is not separated from the Divine Nature; for that which is foreign by
nature does not share in the same honors. All who call the Holy
Ghost a creature we pity, on the ground that, by this utterance, they
are falling into the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against Him. I
need use no argument to prove to those who are even slightly trained in
Scripture, that the creature is separated from the Godhead. The
creature is a slave; but the Spirit sets free.2521
The creature needs life; the Spirit
is the Giver of life.2522
The
creature requires teaching. It is the Spirit that
teaches.2523
The
creature is sanctified; it is the Spirit that sanctifies.2524
Whether you name angels,
archangels, or all the heavenly powers, they receive their
sanctification through the Spirit, but the Spirit Himself has His
holiness by nature, not received by favour, but essentially His;
whence He has received the distinctive name of Holy. What then
is by nature holy, as the Father is by nature holy, and the Son by
nature holy, we do not ourselves allow to be separated and severed
from the divine and blessed Trinity, nor accept those who rashly
reckon it as part of creation. Let this short summary be
sufficient for you, my pious friends. From little seeds, with
the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, you will reap the fuller crop of
piety. “Give instruction to a wise man and he will be
yet wiser.”2525
I will put
off fuller demonstration till we meet. When we do, it will be
possible for me to answer objections, to give you fuller proofs from
Scripture, and to confirm all the sound rule of faith. For the
present pardon my brevity. I should not have written at all
had I not thought it a greater injury to you to refuse your request
altogether than to grant it in part.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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