Chapter 9
[The Deifying Power and Effect of the Holy Spirit]

22. LET us now investigate what are our common conceptions concerning the Spirit, as well those which have been gathered by us from Holy Scripture concerning It as those which we have received from the unwritten tradition of t he Fathers. First of all we ask, who on hearing the titles of the Spirit is not lifted up in soul, who does not raise his conception to the supreme nature? It is called “Spirit of God,”²⁰⁶ “Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father,”²⁰⁷ “right Spirit,”²⁰⁸ “a leading Spirit.”²⁰⁹ Its²¹⁰ proper and peculiar title is “Holy Spirit;” which is a name specially appropriate to everything that is incorporeal, purely immaterial, and indivisible. So our Lord, when teaching the woman who thought God to be an object of local worship that the incorporeal is incomprehensible, said “God is a spirit.”²¹¹ On our hearing, then, of a spirit, it is impossible to form the idea of a nature circumscribed, subject to change and variation, or at all like the creature. We are compelled to advance in our conceptions to the highest, and to think of an intelligent essence, in power infinite, in magnitude unlimited, unmeasured by times or ages, generous of It’s good gifts, to whom turn all things needing sanctification, after whom reach all things that live in virtue, as being watered by It’s inspiration and helped on toward their natural and proper end; perfecting all other things, but Itself in nothing lacking; living not as needing restoration, but as Supplier of life; not growing by additions; but straightway full, self-established, omnipresent, origin of sanctification, light perceptible to the mind, supplying, as it were, through Itself, illumination to every faculty in the search for truth; by nature un-approachable, apprehended by reason of goodness, filling all things with Its power,²¹² but communicated only to the worthy; not shared in one measure, but distributing Its energy according to “the proportion of faith;”²¹³ in essence simple, in powers various, wholly present in each and being wholly everywhere; impassively divided, shared without loss of ceasing to be entire, after the likeness of the sunbeam, whose kindly light falls on him who enjoys it as though it shone for him alone, yet illumines land and sea and mingles with the air. So, too, is the Spirit to every one who receives lt, as though given to him alone, and yet It sends forth grace sufficient and full for all mankind, and is enjoyed by all who share It, according to the capacity, not of Its power, but of their nature.

9.22 ῎Ηδη δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὰς κοινὰς ἡμῶν ἐννοίας ὁποῖαί τινές εἰσιν ἐξετάσωμεν͵ τάς τε ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ συναχθείσας ἡμῖν καὶ ἃς ἐκ τῆς ἀγράφου παρα δόσεως τῶν πατέρων διεδεξάμεθα. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν͵ τίς ἀκούσας τῶν προσηγοριῶν τοῦ Πνεύματος͵ οὐ διανίσταται τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀνωτάτω φύσιν τὴν ἔννοιαν ὑπεραίρει; Πνεῦμα γὰρ Θεοῦ εἴρηται͵ καὶ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας͵ ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύε ται͵ Πνεῦμα εὐθές͵ Πνεῦμα ἡγεμονικόν. Πνεῦμα ἅγιον͵ ἡ κυρία αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδιάζουσα κλῆσις· ὅπερ δὴ μάλιστα παντὸς τοῦ ἀσωμάτου καὶ καθαρῶς ἀΰλου τε καὶ ἀμεροῦς ὄνομά ἐστι. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος τὴν ἐν τόπῳ προσκυ νεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν ἡγουμένην διδάσκων͵ ὅτι ἀπερίληπτον τὸ ἀσώματον͵ Πνεῦμα͵ φησίν͵ ὁ Θεός. Οὐ τοίνυν δυνατὸν Πνεῦμα ἀκούσαντα͵ περιγεγραμμένην φύσιν ἐντυπῶσαι τῇ διανοίᾳ͵ ἢ τροπαῖς καὶ ἀλλοιώσεσιν ὑποκειμένην͵ ἢ ὅλως ὁμοίαν τῇ κτίσει· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ἀνωτάτω ταῖς ἐννοίαις χωροῦντα͵ νοερὰν οὐσίαν ἐπάναγκες ἐννοεῖν͵ ἄπειρον κατὰ δύναμιν͵ μεγέθει ἀπεριόριστον͵ χρόνοις ἢ αἰῶσιν ἀμέτρητον͵ ἄφθονον ὧν ἔχει καλῶν. Πρὸς ὃ πάντα ἐπέστραπται τὰ ἁγιασμοῦ προσδεόμενα· οὗ πάντα ἐφίεται τὰ κατ΄ ἀρετὴν ζῶντα͵ οἷον ἐπαρδόμενα τῇ ἐπιπνοίᾳ καὶ βοηθούμενα πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἑαυτοῖς καὶ κατὰ φύσιν τέλος. Τελειωτικὸν τῶν ἄλλων͵ αὐτὸ δὲ οὐδαμοῦ ἐλλεῖπον· οὐκ ἐπισκευαστῶς ζῶν͵ ἀλλὰ ζωῆς χορηγόν· οὐ προσθήκαις αὐξανόμενον͵ ἀλλὰ πλῆρες εὐθύς͵ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἱδρυμένον καὶ πανταχοῦ ὄν. Ἁγια σμοῦ γένεσις͵ φῶς νοητόν͵ πάσῃ δυνάμει λογικῇ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας εὕρεσιν οἷόν τινα καταφάνειαν δι΄ ἑαυτοῦ παρεχό μενον. Ἀπρόσιτον τῇ φύσει· χωρητὸν δι΄ ἀγαθότητα· πάντα μὲν πληροῦν τῇ δυνάμει͵ μόνοις δὲ ὂν μεθεκτὸν τοῖς ἀξίοις͵ οὐχ ἑνὶ μέτρῳ μετεχόμενον͵ ἀλλὰ κατ΄ ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως διαιροῦν τὴν ἐνέργειαν. Ἁπλοῦν τῇ οὐσίᾳ͵ ποικίλον ταῖς δυνάμεσιν· ὅλον ἑκάστῳ παρὸν καὶ ὅλον ἁπανταχοῦ ὄν. Ἀπαθῶς μεριζόμενον͵ καὶ ὁλοσχερῶς μετε χόμενον· κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος͵ ἧς ἡ χάρις τῷ ἀπολαύοντι ὡς μόνῳ παροῦσα͵ καὶ γῆν ἐπιλάμπει καὶ θάλασσαν͵ καὶ τῷ ἀέρι ἐγκέκραται. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἑκάστῳ τῶν δεκτικῶν͵ ὡς μόνῳ παρόν͵ διαρκῆ τοῖς πᾶσι τὴν χάριν ὁλόκληρον ἐπαφίησιν· οὗ ἀπολαύει τὰ μετέχοντα͵ ὅσον αὐτὰ πέφυκεν͵ οὐχ ὅσον ἐκεῖνο δύναται.

23. NOW the Spirit is not brought into intimate association with the soul by local approximation. How indeed could there be a corporeal approach to the incorporeal? This association results from the withdrawal of the passions which, coming afterwards gradually on the soul from its friendship to the flesh, have alienated it from its close relationship with God. Only then after a man is purified from the shame whose stain he took through his wickedness, and has come back again to his natural beauty, and as it were cleaning the Royal Image and restoring its ancient form, only thus is it possible for him to draw near to the Paraclete.²¹⁴

9.23 Οἰκείωσις δὲ Πνεύματος πρὸς ψυχὴν οὐχ ὁ διὰ τόπου προσεγγισμὸςπῶς γὰρ ἂν πλησιάσαι τῷ ἀσωμάτῳ σωμα τικῶς; ἀλλ΄ ὁ χωρισμὸς τῶν παθῶν͵ ἅπερ ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς τὴν σάρκα φιλίας ὕστερον ἐπιγινόμενα τῇ ψυχῇ͵ τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκειότητος ἠλλοτρίωσε. Καθαρθέντα δὴ οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἴσχους ὃ ἀνεμάξατο διὰ τῆς κακίας͵ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐκ φύσεως κάλλος ἐπανελθόντα͵ καὶ οἷον εἰκόνι βασιλικῇ τὴν ἀρχαίαν μορφὴν διὰ καθαρότητος ἀποδόντα͵ οὕτως ἐστὶ μόνως προσεγγίσαι τῷ Παρακλήτῳ.

 THROUGH His aid hearts are lifted up, the weak are held by the hand, and they who are advancing are brought to perfection.²¹⁶ Shining upon those that are cleansed from every spot, He makes them spiritual by fellowship with Himself.

Διὰ τούτου͵ καρδιῶν ἀνάβασις͵ χειραγωγία τῶν ἀσθενούντων͵ τῶν προκοπτόντων τελείωσις. Τοῦτο τοῖς ἀπὸ πάσης κηλῖδος κεκαθαρμένοις ἐλλάμπον͵ τῇ πρὸς ἑαυτὸ κοινωνίᾳ πνευματικοὺς ἀποδείκνυσι.

Just as when a sunbeam falls on bright and transparent bodies, they themselves become brilliant too, and shed forth a fresh brightness from themselves,

Καὶ ὥσπερ τὰ λαμπρὰ καὶ διαφανῆ τῶν σωμάτων͵ ἀκτῖνος αὐτοῖς ἐμπεσούσης͵ αὐτά τε γίνεται περιλαμπῆ͵ καὶ ἑτέραν αὐγὴν ἀφ΄ ἑαυτῶν ἀποστίλβει· ο

Hence comes[:]

Ἐντεῦθεν͵

foreknowledge of the future,

μελλόντων πρόγνωσις͵

understanding of mysteries,

μυστηρίων σύνεσις͵

apprehension of what is hidden,

κεκρυμμένων κατάληψις͵

distribution of good gifts,

χαρισμάτων διανομαί͵

the heavenly citizenship,

τὸ οὐράνιον πολί τευμα͵

a place in the chorus of angels,

ἡ μετὰ ἀγγέλων χορεία͵

joy without end,

ἡ ἀτελεύτητος εὐφροσύνη͵

abiding in God,

ἡ ἐν Θεῷ διαμονή͵

the being made like to God,

ἡ πρὸς Θεὸν ὁμοίωσις͵

and, highest of all,
the BEING MADE GOD.

 τὸ ἀκρότατον τῶν ὀρεκτῶν͵ θεὸν γενέσθαι.

²¹⁷ Such, then, to instance a few out of many, are the conceptions concerning the Holy Spirit, which we have been taught to hold concerning His greatness, His dignity, and His operations, by the oracles²¹⁸ of the Spirit themselves.

Αἱ μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἔννοιαι ἡμῶν͵ ἃς περὶ τοῦ μεγέθους αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀξίας καὶ τῶν ἐνεργημάτων ὑπ΄ αὐτῶν τῶν λογίων τοῦ Πνεύματος φρονεῖν ἐδιδάχθημεν͵ ὡς ὀλίγα ἀπὸ πολλῶν παραθέσθαι͵ τοιαῦται.