Conversation on the Holy Spirit

1. Christ-loving ones! Yesterday we glorified the coming of the Holy and Worshipful Spirit, celebrated not because of human inventions, but because of the testimony of the Father’s power. The Word of God is learned not from what we think or say, but through what we shine, and our piety is recognized, and the truth is proclaimed. The word of God alone, the instruction of the Holy Spirit alone serve as the lamp of piety, the preaching of the knowledge of God, and the light of Divine teaching. It is necessary to dwell longer on the narrative of the Holy and Worshipful Spirit and to say more clearly something about His holy and glorious power. Let us again use the same words as before - we will talk about the Holy Spirit not on the basis of what we ourselves think, but on the basis of what we learn, what Divine words teach us about Him, it is better to say: on the basis of the fact that He Himself proclaims about Himself, speaks through the mouth of the prophets, communicates His ray through the apostles; by His nature He is indivisible, since He comes from an indivisible and indivisible nature. His name is: the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Christ. This is what Scripture calls Him, or better yet, Himself, both the Spirit of God and the Spirit Who is from God. And so that, having heard the name of the Spirit of God, we never think that He is called so by virtue of fellowship with God, Scripture, speaking about the Holy Spirit, adds: “God, who is from God.” One thing means to say: “God’s” and another means to say: “Which is from God.” God's - heaven and earth, as created by God. But nothing is said to be from God, except what comes from His essence. The Spirit is called the Holy Spirit. This is His most important and first name, containing the most expressive meaning and showing the nature of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, Spirit of God. Who calls Him the Spirit of God? Listen to the Savior: “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons” (Matthew 12:28). Spirit of God. So, so that, as I said earlier, anyone, having heard about the Spirit of God, would not think that some kind of community is meant here, and not a community of nature, Paul says: “We have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God” (1 Cor. 2:12). In turn, the Spirit is called the Spirit of the Father, as the Savior says to the holy apostles: “Do not worry about how or what to say; for in that hour it will be given to you what to say, for it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak in you” (Matthew 10:19–20). Just as, having said: “The Spirit of God,” Scripture added: “Which is from God,” so, in turn, the Spirit is called the Spirit of the Father. And lest you think that He is called that because of His fellowship with the Father, the Savior decisively says: “When the Comforter comes... the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father” (John 15:26). It says there: “from God,” and here it says “from the Father.” What exactly the Lord attributed to Himself: “I came forth from the Father” (John 16:28), he also attributes the same to the Holy Spirit, saying: “Who proceeds from the Father.” So the Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit is from God the Father, and He proceeds from the Father. What does “emanate” mean? He didn’t say “born.” What is not written should not be discussed. The Son is born of the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Are you inquiring from me about the difference in general, how this one is born and this one comes out? So what? Having learned that the Son was born, you also learned about the manner of His origin. And when you hear that the Son is preached, you at the same time comprehend the image of His birth. Names are something that is revered by faith and observed by pious thought. What is the meaning of the word “emanates”? In order to avoid the name “birth” and in order not to call the Spirit the Son, Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit: “Who proceeds from the Father.” It calls Him coming forth, just as water springs up from the earth. As it is said about paradise: “a river comes out of Eden” (Gen. 2:10), so the Spirit comes out and flows out. The Father is called the source of “living water,” as the prophet Jeremiah speaks about it: “Marvel at this, O heavens, and tremble and be horrified, says the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters” (“the heavens were horrified at this and greatly trembled... For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters”) (Jeremiah 2:12–13). The Divine Word, defining the Father as the source of “living water,” speaks of the living water emanating from the source of life: “which proceeds from the Father” (John 15:26). What's coming out? Holy Spirit. How? Like water from a spring. But why is the Holy Spirit called water? The Savior says: “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Offering an explanation regarding this water, the evangelist adds: “These things He said concerning the Spirit, which those who believed on Him were about to receive” (John 7:39). So, if the Evangelist John, giving an explanation regarding the Holy Spirit, called Him living water, and the Father says: “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water,” then, consequently, the Father is the source of the Spirit; therefore the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Therefore, I repeat, the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God and the Spirit who is from God, the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit who is from the Father. Isaiah testifies from the persons of Christ about the Spirit of the Lord: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me” (Isaiah 61:1). And Paul: “The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17). If the Spirit is present somewhere, and if therefore there is freedom there, then is He really a slave? If the Holy Spirit frees those on whom He descends from the yoke of slavery and grants them freedom, then in what way is He a slave? How does He give what He does not have? How, being a slave himself, frees others? Have you not heard what Paul says: “Because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free” (Rom. 8:2)? Does the Spirit, who does not have the element of freedom in His nature, free slaves? After all, if He was created and enslaved, He does not make anyone free. 2. Let not the heretics deceive you with their tricks. I am not saying that the Spirit is a slave, nor am I saying that He is a creature. This is a new heresy. There is a danger of the heretics introducing three principles: the uncreated, the created, and something else, which I don’t know what to call. The Spirit of God, the Spirit who is from God, the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit who proceeds from the Father, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of the Son. The Apostle says: “And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4:6). You see, He called the Son Spirit. In another place, in turn, Paul calls Him the Spirit of Christ: “But you do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you” (Rom. 8:9). Please pay attention to this holy plexus. Paul brings onto the stage, as it were, some holy and living rope from a threefold woven power, uniting the inseparable nature and pointing to a single power with various names. “You do not live according to the flesh,” says the apostle, “but according to the Spirit.” Here is the Spirit. “If only the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Here is the Spirit of God. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9). And, of course, it would be necessary to say: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of God,” but he said: “The Spirit of Christ.” The Apostle said: “The Spirit of God,” and added: “The Spirit of Christ.” “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). The Apostle said this in order to show that if there is a Spirit, then so is Christ, that it is one and the same thing: Christ is present and the Spirit is present, and that it is the same thing to say “the Spirit of God” and “the Spirit... of Christ...”. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, just as one could call Him the Spirit of the Son, because the Savior says: “I am... the truth” (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth, who is the Spirit of the Son, as Paul says: “He sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts” (Galatians 4:6). So, He is both the Spirit of the Son and the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus Christ. Listen to Paul himself: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11). These are the names of the holy and immaculate Power, the holy and adored Spirit. There are other names that correspond not to His nature, but to His activity. The speech is profound, and to understand it requires ears that are attentive, ignorant of hesitation, and filled with faith. The Spirit is called the Spirit of life because the Savior says: “I am... the truth and the life” (John 14:6). The Spirit is called the Spirit of life, just as Paul says: “the law of the Spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2). These names indicate the same dignity, the same nature. There are other names that are attributed not to the Holy Spirit, but to His power and action, when, for example, we are talking about His gifts. I speak by first explaining my point and then giving evidence. When, through the prayers of the saints, the Holy Spirit grants - either to me or to another Christian - sanctification and I receive the gift, so that I will have a holy body and a holy soul, then the gift imparted to me is called the spirit of holiness, that is, a gift of grace. If the Holy Spirit imparts to someone who has neither wisdom nor knowledge a gift: he will give him only faith, such as, for example, many who possess grace-filled gifts, by virtue of which they, even without knowing the Scriptures, believe in them, then such a gift is called the spirit of faith. If anyone receives from the Holy Spirit the power and gift to believe in the promised blessings that are to be given to us in the next century, then he will receive the spirit of promise. If someone receives the gift of wisdom, then such a gift is called the spirit of wisdom. And in all cases, the grace-filled gifts of the Spirit are called spirit. Be especially attentive to our explanations of our views, done figuratively and partially. So let's move on to the evidence. When someone has the gracious gift of love, he is said to have the spirit of love. When someone receives the gracious gift of martyrdom, they say that he has the spirit of power, that is, the gracious gift. Since what is given is the Holy Spirit, the gift is called by the same name as the One who gives it. Therefore Paul says: “You did not receive the spirit of slavery to live in fear again, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons” (Rom. 8:15). And again: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Here he refers to the gift of grace as the Spirit, as in the case when he says: “you... were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13). Where is it written about the Spirit of promise? Paul says: “having the same spirit of faith” (2 Cor. 4:13) and promises, that is, the gracious gift of the Spirit. So here is the spirit of faith, the spirit of promise. If anyone is meek and lowly in heart, he has received the gift of meekness. The latter is God’s gift of grace. Paul speaks about this: “if a person falls into any sin, you who are spiritual correct him in the spirit of meekness” (Galatians 6:1), that is, with the grace-filled gift of meekness. “Keeping watch,” says Scripture, “each one on himself, lest he be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). This is the spirit of meekness. To others, sanctification of soul and body is given, and it is called the spirit of holiness, just as the apostle says: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle, chosen for the gospel of God, which God first promised through His prophets in the holy scriptures” (“Paul the servant Jesus Christ, called an apostle, was chosen for the gospel of God, having first promised by His prophets... according to the Spirit of holiness" (Rom. 1:1-2, 4). He said this in the reverse order; the meaning of his words is: "Paul became an apostle according to the Spirit of holiness." Many, following the first saying, thought that Paul was talking about the Son of God, predestined “according to the Spirit of holiness.” However, in reality this is not the case. On the contrary, this passage says that Paul was made an apostle “according to the Spirit of holiness.” When was it installed? After the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since the other apostles were chosen before the suffering of Christ, and he was chosen after Christ’s resurrection, that is why it is said: “according to the Spirit of holiness.” I will also say something else. When, during the holy sacraments, we all begin to say: “Our Father who art in heaven!” (“Our Father, who art in heaven”) (Matthew 6:9), then it means that we have received a gift: the spirit of sonhood, that is, the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit. The spirit is called the spirit of zeal, as Paul says: “So you also are zealous for spiritual gifts” (“even though you are zealous for the spiritual gifts”) (1 Cor. 14:12), that is, you have zeal for spiritual gifts. “Be zealous for greater gifts—that is, for gifts of grace—and I will show you an even more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I... am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1–2); that is, love is more important than any gift of grace. 3. But let's return to the issue at hand. Isaiah speaks again: after all, one and the same Spirit speaks through the mouth of all. Therefore, as Paul said about the spirit of life, the spirit of love, the spirit of power, the spirit of chastity, the spirit of promise, the spirit of faith, the spirit of meekness, the spirit of procreation, so does blessed Isaiah: “And a branch will come from the root of Jesse” (“a rod will come out of the root of Jesse”) (Is. 11:1), that is, the royal one - the Savior. He calls the royal sign a rod, as David also says: “The rod of righteousness is the rod of Your kingdom” (Psalm 44:7). “And a branch shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his root; and the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him” (Isa. 11:1–2). Here is the name of the nature of the Spirit Himself. Then follow His grace-filled gifts: “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge, the spirit of godliness,... the spirit of the fear of God” (Is. 11:2-3). For example, someone explains the Scripture: either you, the faithful, or another Christian. Even if the meaning is dark and unclear, the Holy Spirit will give someone the power to clarify even hidden thoughts. Such a person received the spirit of revelation, that is, a gift of grace that reveals the incomprehensible. Therefore, the apostle, wanting the disciples of piety to understand the meaning of the Scriptures, says: “I pray to God that... he will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him, and enlighten the eyes of your heart” (Eph. 1:17-18). Have you seen the spirit of revelation? But let's return to the proposed speech. In the case where the depths must be comprehended, it is called the spirit of revelation. Where there should be love is called the spirit of love. Where it is necessary for the teacher to speak clearly is called the spirit of wisdom. Where it is necessary for the listener to clearly understand what is being said to him is called the spirit of understanding. The spirit of wisdom is given to those who teach, the spirit of understanding to those who hear. I preach, and you are able to understand me, but you cannot teach others. This is called the gift of wisdom for teaching someone. God, wanting to show that He sends the word of wisdom to both the learner and the gift of understanding to the learner, so that he understands God, says: “The mouth of the preacher has the gift of wisdom, the heart of the learner has the gift of understanding. Wisdom is the weapon of the mouth; understanding is the weapon of the heart.” Therefore, David says: “My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart knowledge” (“My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the teaching of my heart understanding”) (Psalm 48:4). Another did not receive the grace of teaching, but received the grace to express the required opinion and give good and praiseworthy advice. Sometimes the teacher is not able to offer the necessary opinion because he has not received this gift: others do not receive everything, so that he does not think that the gift of grace is a matter of nature. One receives the grace of teaching; and so that he does not become arrogant, he turns out to be incapable of giving advice in everyday affairs. Another, who cannot teach, gives excellent advice. It turns out that he who lends to others in other cases is himself lent by them. Where is this from? I will now present evidence that a person who has received the grace of teaching has need of the advice of another person. Moses received the gift of wisdom, legislation, teaching; took upon himself the responsibility of holding court throughout the day. His father-in-law Jethro comes, offering him advice, and says: “You alone are not able to carry out justice over such a great people; but if you still start doing this, you will completely ruin yourself.” But what to do? “Appoint, he says, commanders of tens and commanders of fifties, as well as commanders of hundreds and commanders of thousands, so that matters exceeding the powers of the commander of a ten will go to the commander of fifty, and the superior abilities of the latter will go to the commander of a hundred, and those exceeding the powers of the commander of a hundred will go to the commander of a thousand, those exceeding the powers of this will go to you, and those exceeding yours will go to God. If, he says, any “important thing happens” (“serious... verb "), then let them report it to you. If something turns out to be beyond your power, then turn to God with it (Ex. 18:18-23). The lawgiver, being wise, accepted the opinion of a private person; and this opinion became the law and the image of the future. Since Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a priest of idols, and then condemned his error and recognized the truth, he became the image of the church of the pagans: understanding the wisdom of the law surpassed the pagans, not because it was pagan, but because it was corrected for the better. In fact, when was Jethro’s opinion accepted? Not at the time when he was a priest of idols, but after he knew the works of God and when Moses told him about the miracles in Egypt, he says: “Now I have learned (behold, repentance!) that your Lord is greater than all the gods” (Exod. 18:11) So, from the time he learned the truth, Jethro received the grace-filled gift of giving good advice. 4. But let us return to the issue to be discussed. He who teaches has received the spirit of wisdom, and he who studies has received the spirit of understanding, so that he can understand what is being taught. Therefore, Isaiah ascribes wisdom to the speaker, and understanding to the listener, and says: “a wise artist and skilled in speech” (“a wise architect and an understanding listener”) (Is. 3:3). The spirit of advice is given to the adviser, the spirit of power is given to the one who receives the advice. The advisor receives the grace of grace to say something useful, and the one who receives the advice receives the grace to do what is useful. Spirit of fear of God. Each of these grace-filled gifts was given for a specific need. When the tabernacle was built in the desert under Moses, then, without a doubt, at that time there was a need not for the gift of a teacher, but for the gift of an architect, how to prepare fine linen, hyacinth, scarlet, and purple. God imparted a gift of grace - an architectural gift, the gift of sewing and weaving, melting gold, shaping stones and connecting them. Why did God impart these arts? Because He built a tabernacle on earth. The tabernacle was an image of earth and heaven. God created the heavens and earth in six days. The Tabernacle was set up to have the image of heaven and earth, and there was a need for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which would bring the matter into order. It was not a time of teaching, but of the application of the art of weaving and other arts. God says: “I appoint Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah; and I filled him with the Spirit of God, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all skill" ("I called it by the name of Bezalel, ... from the tribe of Judah, and filled it with the spirit of God, the spirit of wisdom, ... understanding, and knowledge" (Ex. 31: 2-3). By the Spirit of wisdom, to advise those who built the tabernacle whether they should build this way or that way. The spirit of understanding ("thought") - to bring everything into order. The Spirit of knowledge - so that he understands the power of what is said by God. In another case, God promises to impart the grace of love for mankind and says: “I will pour out on the house of David... the spirit of grace and generosity” (Zech. 12:10), that is, the gift of love for mankind. In turn, the gracious gift of humility is communicated. How is this clear? The three youths in the cave, being righteous, trampled on the flame, but, like the humble, they called themselves sinners. They trampled down the fire, thanks to the abundance of their righteousness, and turned the furnace into dew. However, they did not become proud and say: “Oh, how great is our righteousness! We have conquered nature, surpassed the law! But they act like the righteous and speak like sinners. Really, thoughts. They trampled on the flame, rejoiced like saints, and spoke of themselves as sinners: “We have sinned and acted lawlessly, departing from You, and we have sinned in everything. They did not listen to Your commandments, nor did they keep them, nor did they do as You commanded us, that it might be good for us” (Dan. 3:29–30). Therefore, since, being righteous, they humbled themselves, they received the spirit of humility, the grace-filled gift of humility. As such, having seen the manifestation of grace, they say: “We have at this present time neither prince, nor prophet, nor leader, nor burnt offering, nor sacrifice, nor oblation, nor incense, nor place, that we may sacrifice unto Thee, and obtain Thy mercy” (Dan. 3:38–39). So, due to the fact that we have neither a city, nor a church, nor an altar, nor incense, instead of all this, humility of mind will be sufficient for us. Therefore they say: “But with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, let us be accepted.” Another, when he is filled with grace, having accepted the gift in its entirety, says: “he received the spirit of fulfillment.” How is this clear? Jeremiah says: “The way of the daughter of My people is not toward holy things, nor toward pure spirit, but toward fulfillment” (Jeremiah 4:11–12). They, he said, have no spirit to fill them. The apostles, as it is written, had a “spirit of fulfillment.” “Then,” says the Scripture, “Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:9), that is, when he exposed Elimas the sorcerer (Acts 13:8). Do you see the gifts of grace? I will repeat the names of the ineffable nature: the Spirit of God, the Spirit who is from God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Him who raised Christ, the Spirit of life, the Spirit of truth. Then - grace-filled gifts: the spirit of power, the spirit of love, the spirit of chastity, the spirit of promise, the spirit of faith, the spirit of revelation, the “spirit of sonhood.” When someone receives the gracious gift of performing judgment, he receives the spirit of judgment, as Isaiah says: “and the blood of Jerusalem will purify from the midst of it with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of fire” (“and the Lord will purify them with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of heat”) (Is. 4:4). He calls the punishing and cleansing force “the spirit of judgment and the spirit of fire.” David asks for a “right spirit” that would lead him to the right path. And then he asks for a gift of grace that controls the passions and ensures that the soul is not in slavery to the passions. Since David’s heart was corrupted and from a state of chastity entered the path of sin, passions and pleasure, and since he unjustly made a decision that destroyed his husband, became a slave of lust and fell into adultery, he asks God, saying: “Renew the right spirit within me. Do not cast me away,” he says, “from Your presence... Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and establish me with the sovereign Spirit” (“renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence... Reward me with the joy of Your salvation and establish me with the sovereign Spirit”) (Psalm. 50:12–14), that is, a gift of grace that controls passions and dominates pleasures. 5. This is what we said about the divine dignity of the Holy Spirit and the difference in His actions. The heretics, not knowing that Scripture, when speaking about the “spirit of holiness” or “promise,” means the gifts of the Spirit, attribute this to His nature and say that God gave and the Holy Spirit bestowed. “Have you seen,” they say, “that this is a gift from God?” They read what concerns gifts and attributed it to nature, while it was necessary to understand which names clarify nature and which designate grace. They distorted the truth, mixed everything up, got confused, went astray from the path of truth, “their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21); “professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22). Therefore, they reason: “Since,” they say, “you raise questions about the Spirit and teach on the basis of the Scriptures, desiring to have the Scriptures as your witnesses, then we, prompted by ourselves, By the Scriptures, we say what the Savior said about the Holy Spirit." What does He say? "When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth... He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak from Himself, but He will speak what He hears, and He will tell you the things to come... because he will take from Mine and will tell you” (“When the Comforter comes,... the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he... will guide you into all truth; for He speaks not of Himself, but if He hears,... He will tell you that He will receive of Mine and will tell you.”) (John 15:26, 16:13-14). Have you seen, they say that the Spirit “will not speak from Himself,” but will receive from Jesus Christ? The dignity of the Spirit cannot be proven. Has not Scripture, they say, made it clear that He is subject to the authority of the Son, that the Son lends Him, and that then the Spirit delivers His gifts to others? Pay special attention to the matter. When something said seems to you to excite bewilderment, do not immediately attack this expression, but wait until the end of the thought. Have you not seen that when buildings are built, everything is randomly mixed: lime, stones, logs, everything appears to your eyes in a mixed form, but in the eyes of the master everything seems to correspond to his goals? He knows at what time these mixed substances will be useful in one place, and at what time in another; and what is now scattered here and there is brought into proper harmonious order, and the result is the beauty of the building. Therefore, when you notice that the speaker moves from one to another and from another to a third, then assume that he is preparing materials for himself. When I collect the latter, then I will show the harmonic order in my reasoning. There is one nature of the Son and the Spirit, one power, one truth, one life, one wisdom. Since the Savior deigned to take on our nature, He has been filled with the Holy Spirit, not because He was lower than the Holy Spirit, but because the flesh had to receive the descent of the Spirit in human form; and not because God the Word could not sanctify the nature that He assumed. If you agreed with this position, then the Son would also be superfluous, since the Father would be sufficient for the sanctification of creation. Does the Father really accept the Son because He – the Father – is powerless? Does the Son really receive the Spirit for the same reason? But because there is one nature that “acts in everything”; one thing the Father does, and is perceived in all nature; the other is the Son, and passes into all nature; and the third is Spirit, and is perceived in all nature. So, when nature is considered in itself, then it is equal and the same, full of sovereign dignity, amazing, neither poor nor imperfect, does not increase, does not decrease, does not become worse, does not receive addition. When God the Word took on our flesh, He created it in human image, receiving the Holy Spirit, as one of the prophets or as one of the apostles. I said earlier that the Spirit descends not because the divinity of the Son was not enough, but in order that in this way the perfect knowledge of the Trinity might be revealed. So, the flesh of the Lord was rewarded with the Holy Spirit, and then the Savior wanted to give into the ownership of the Holy Spirit the body that He, the Lord, had received, so that everything that Christ would do in the flesh would be attributed to the Holy Spirit, who lived in Him, as in a holy human church. Christ is a man for our sake, but in Himself God. He is God in Himself, and man is by virtue of His love for mankind. He cast out demons and wanted to attribute their casting out to the Holy Spirit. And he says: “If by the Spirit of God I cast out demons” (Matthew 12:28). He did not say: “I cast out God by the Word,” but he attributes this to the Holy Spirit, as if he were a holy man honored with the Holy Spirit. It is known that when He entered the church, He took the book of the prophet Isaiah and read. I read what was written about Himself. “And He opened the book,” the Scripture reports, “saying: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me” (Luke 4:17–18). Is this befitting God the Word? Does God really say: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me”? Is it not unquestioning that the face of a man says: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me” (Isaiah 61:1)? “With the Spirit,” he says, “I am anointed with the Holy One.” Therefore Peter says: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38). 6. Here, please, let us stop our attention. All of the above serves to clarify the words: “he will receive of Mine” (he will receive of Mine) (John 16:14). We do not jump from one object to another, but, as I said earlier, we prepare materials so that you bring them into a single harmonious whole. I. Christ was awarded the Holy Spirit, baptized in the Jordan; and John says: “I saw the heavens opening and the Spirit of God descending... like a dove and remaining on Him” (Mark 1:10; John 1:32). Have you seen how the Lord receives the Holy Spirit in human form? No one is so wicked as to think that the Godhead has received the Spirit. John the Baptist says: “There is someone standing among you whom you do not know.” “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me: On whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, He... is the Son of God (John 1:26, 33-34). The Holy Spirit descended to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me” (Isaiah 61:1). The flesh was baptized, the one who was baptized immediately came out of the water and was “carried up by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Matthew 4:1). He was “raised up,” and the flesh had the Holy Spirit, as if it were a teacher. Why was He “raised up”? To give us an image: “As My flesh is not guided by desires, but by the Spirit, so should you also do.” That is why Paul says: “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not in the flesh”; and: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18; Rom. 8:14). The flesh of Christ is guided by the Spirit; We will also be guided by him. Indeed, for this reason, the Lord takes everything upon Himself in order to leave us an image. “He was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted” (Matthew 4:1) - and defeated the devil; It was not the Divinity who won, because it would be a dishonor for the Divine to say about Itself that It had won. God is never conquered or conquered, but always reigns supreme. If He had won, then it would have been possible that He Himself was overcome. But the One who always rules is the Almighty, and his subjects do not rebel against Him, just as He does not overcome His subordinates with certain efforts. So, if the Lord’s flesh, the Lord’s image, a new man, heavenly, a new branch that blossomed after a miraculous birth, if He received the Holy Spirit, then you have evidence that the Spirit came from heaven, that “by the Spirit He was led up” into the wilderness to defeat the devil. So that the image of Adam, which fell into error at the beginning, subsequently wins, for this a new Man comes, accompanied by the power of the Spirit. Therefore, as I said, He was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted” (Matthew 4:1). And when He returned as a conqueror, Scripture says about Him: “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit from the wilderness” (Luke 4:14). So, the flesh had the Holy Spirit, not a part of spiritual gifts, as we have when wisdom is imparted to one, knowledge to another, but it had all the gifts. Truly I am possessed by fear and tremble for fear that the powerlessness of my tongue will not diminish the greatness of what is proclaimed. So, the body of the Lord and the holy flesh, having received the power of the Holy Spirit, did not receive, as is said about any of the apostles and prophets, one gift of grace or another. A person cannot contain everything. Therefore Paul says: “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are everyone miracle workers? Does everyone have gifts of healing?” ( 1 Cor. 12:29–30 )? In relation to us, talents are divided; in the flesh of Christ all manifestations of grace, all gifts were present, according to the essence of the flesh. And pay attention. First, the Lord filled His church with all kinds of grace-filled powers. He had the gift of healing illnesses, casting out demons, raising the dead, predicting the future, performing works of truth; He could do everything and possessed the fullness of spiritual gifts, since the Lord’s flesh of the body was filled with all kinds of grace-filled gifts. It was necessary that then we also generally receive some from the Lord’s body, as if from a storehouse; given from him to both the apostles and prophets. John testified that in Him, that is, the Lord, was all the fullness of the Divinity. And Paul: “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). He did not simply say: “in that lived the Divinity,” but: “all the fullness of the Divinity,” that is, every gift of the Divine. And lest anyone think that “all the fullness of the Divinity” dwelt in God the Word, the apostle says: “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Divinity bodily.” In His flesh is all the fullness of wisdom, intelligence, strength, miracles, and all activity. Then from His fullness we borrow everything for ourselves. John the Baptist testifies: “Neither did I know Him; but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me: on whom you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him (he did not say: “giving Him one gift,” but “abiding” in all things), He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (John 1:33). Then, wanting to show that the Savior did not receive grace as a man, John says: “God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand” (John 3:34–35). So where do we get it from? “And of His fullness we have all received” (John 1:16). He received completeness, and we from it. How? From the time the Spirit filled the Lord’s flesh with Himself, the Lord drew from it, as from a source, and lent gifts to people. Please pay attention. He says: “When He, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth... for he will take of Mine” (John 16:13–14). 7. Pay attention to the exact meaning of the words. The Lord did not say: “from Me,” but: “from Mine.” “From Mine” – from whom? “He will give you of Mine”; however, “He Himself will receive.” He receives not as something lent, but, since He filled the source, as if the foundation of grace-filled gifts, He draws from the container and offers it to everyone from His own property. And how is it known that “receiving” means “receiving from one’s own property”? Listen. God filled Moses with the Spirit, and Moses said: “I alone cannot bear the burden of all this people. Choose someone else for yourself." God says to him: “Gather for Me seventy... elders, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them” (Num. 11:14, 16–17). He did not say: “I will take your spirit,” but: “from the Spirit that is on you,” “I will take from Mine.” God says: “In those days I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and they will prophesy (Joel 2:28). If God, who took from Moses, was lent to them, then the Spirit, who took from the Son, was also lent to Him. Moses was the image of Christ, because just as the 70 elders were filled with the spirit that was in Moses, in the same way the universe received the Holy Spirit from Christ. “He will receive from Mine”: “From what has been given to Me alone, the Lord’s man, He who gave Himself takes Himself, Who descended on Me and remained in Me, Who anointed Me, sanctified Me, brought Me into the desert and returned Me victorious.” “He will receive from Mine and tell you.” And to show that He remembered not the Holy Spirit, but His gifts, immediately after the words “He will receive of Mine,” he adds: “All that the Father has is Mine” (John 16:15). I received it from the Holy Spirit. Therefore I said: “He will receive from Mine.” Since God sanctified the flesh with the Holy Spirit and the Father sent down into the flesh of Christ the gift of the Spirit, and grace, having come, invested all the gifts in Christ, then He says: “He will receive from Mine and will tell you.” What does the expression mean: “he will not speak of himself, but will speak what he hears” (John 16:13), “he will tell you” (John 16:13–14)? It was said earlier that one thing is the Holy Spirit, and another is a gift of grace; the other is the king, and the other is the gift of the king. When someone wages war against many and various barbarian nations, he is perplexed from where to start the war. If he engages in war with these, then another wing will raise its head against him. If he divides his army into two parts, then through this his forces will disintegrate. We are among the Arians who overthrow the glory of Christ, and the Macedonians who insult the Divine glory of the Spirit. If I tell the Macedonians about the Son what is confessed by everyone, then the Arian will immediately enter into an argument: “Have you really convinced me about the Son by speaking to me about the Spirit?” 8. And since today it is proposed to talk about the Holy Spirit (after all, by the grace given from Christ, we have often prevailed in the matter of the Son; you are witnesses of what has been said, knowing that the matter was conducted by us not through skillful sophistical devices, but with the help of proofs from Scripture), then, although I now wanted to offer a word about the Son, who always has in Himself a brilliant power, - however, in order to present evidence against heretics, limping on the question of the Spirit, I leave that word aside for now. It is impossible for one who is limping in his ideas about the Spirit to walk straight in the question of the Son. Until now you will not convince the Macedonian to subscribe to the doctrine of “consubstantiality” in accordance with the Council of Nicea, although they always say: “We live in accordance with that faith, since nothing was said clearly about the Spirit. There was neither persistent dispute nor hostile bickering about this subject.” However, in order to fully convince them, I say: “It is written: “He will not speak of himself” (John 16:13). Tell the Macedonian: “This is also written about the Son”; It’s better to say: “He speaks of Himself: “I... speak not of Myself” (John 14:10). Please note that I am citing evidence from a source that you also acknowledge. It is necessary to argue with an Arian about the saying: “I... do not speak from Myself,” and similarly about the issue of the Spirit. With you, who have declared yourself to be a pious thinker, there is no need to enter into competition. When speaking about Christ, you say that He is equal to God, like the Father in everything. I introduced the question with you in mind as one who confesses the glory of the Son. You say about the Spirit: “He will not speak from Himself.” The Savior says about Himself: “I do not speak from Myself, but I speak what I heard from My Father.” So the Son does not speak “from Himself.” Meanwhile, both the Father and the Son have equal honor. I am telling you this because the Arian doubts both this and that. What those who suffer shipwreck experience is what unbelievers also endure, as Paul says: “Those who are shipwrecked in matters of faith” (cf. 1 Tim. 1:19). The Arians, having suffered shipwreck, lost both the glory of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Macedonians, of course, are zealously trying to rise from the depths to the top, but they too have lost half of their load, as Paul says: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). Therefore, pay attention so that it does not seem that we are attacking following the example of the fighters and arrogantly offering justification for the provisions. “I... do not speak from Myself.” Explain to me what the expression “I speak not of Myself,” used by the Savior, means? After all, whatever solution the Macedonian comes up with regarding the Son, he will find the same suitable in relation to the Holy Spirit. Two balanced expressions: neither the Spirit from Himself nor the Son from Himself say anything. But the Son has need of the Father; the Spirit also needs the Father. Until now, equal honor belongs to both. So, pay attention. I know that I have plunged into the depths, as the power of Christ, the all-searching one, knows. I shudder with fear rather than speak - I am afraid precisely that the ship will rush into the boundless abyss and there will be no Spirit. Give me a prepared ship, a helmsman, shipmen, ropes, anchors, everything ready, and if there is no wind blowing anywhere, then, in the absence of the latter’s action, aren’t all those preparations useless? This is what usually happens. Even if the speech is extensive, and the thought is deep, even if there is eloquence and intelligence, but if there is no Holy Spirit delivering His help, then everything is useless. 9 . So, why did the Lord say about Himself, as well as about the Spirit: “I do not speak on My own behalf.” Like fighters, having attacked someone who argues, we will try to fully convince both ourselves and those (i.e., heretics), if only they want to listen to us. Of course, we will not force them to lead them to the path of truth, but we will begin to speak to them; won't they really be convinced? Don't be surprised if I, a man, say this when God says to Ezekiel: “Go to the children of Israel... and you will tell them... Whether they will listen or not, whether they will believe or not” (Ezek. 2:3-5, 7). We say this: “Will they listen or not, believe or not, agree with us or disagree.” If they (the heretics) do not agree with us who say this, then we are not guilty of this. This is what Paul taught, and after presenting his teaching he says: “I testify before everyone that I am clean from the blood of you all, for I did not fail to proclaim to you... the way of God” (Acts 20:26–27). And now I say: why did the Savior say: “I speak not of myself”; and of the Spirit: “He will not speak of himself”? I ask your love, let us stop our attention here. While Christ is one, many false Christs appeared, as the Savior said about this: “Hidden behind My name, many false Christs and false prophets will come” (Matthew 24:24). Although Christ is one, and His coming was announced by the prophets, even before His appearance some deceivers arose, saying: “We are the Christs.” Fevda says: “It’s me.” Judas the Galilean: “It is I.” And they misled many. The Savior, having come, says: “All of them, no matter how many of them came before Me... were thieves and robbers” (John 10:8). Since these, who were deceivers earlier than others and took the name of Christ, tried to convince the people that they were Christs, appearing not at the same time, but each separately: one now, and the other at another time, then Christ says: “As many as they came before Me... there were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. My sheep hear My voice and know My voice and follow Me" (John 10:3-4, 8). So, those false Christs came - and they did not learn either from the law or from the prophets, but they spoke from themselves and guided by their own opinion. The Savior, having come, did not retreat from the prophets, but said, for example, this: “Isaiah prophesied well about you” (Matthew 15:7); and another time: “Is it not written in your law?” (John 8:17). And when the devil approached Him, the Lord said to him: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” (Matthew 4:10). So, Christ, having come in the flesh, did not speak from Himself, but from the prophets. Since those who came before Christ did not speak in the name of Christ, neither from the law, nor through the mouth of the prophets, but, guided by their personal opinions, expressed erroneous views and thoughts, the Savior says: “I do not speak on My own behalf as they do” (John 14:10). To speak for Oneself means to speak outside the law. Therefore, it is also appropriate for us to speak. When you see that heretics are putting forward Aristotelian or Platonic propositions on their side, say: “We do not speak for ourselves; We speak what we heard from Christ.” And how can it be seen that someone who speaks from himself is a false prophet, or that speech based on his personal opinion characterizes a false prophet? The prophet Ezekiel speaks of the prophets who misled His people: “Hear the word of the Lord! I didn't send them. They spoke from themselves, and preach from their hearts” (Ezek. 13). Since the false prophets preached from themselves, the Savior, clearing Himself of such suspicion, says: “I... do not speak from Myself.” How can it be seen that the Savior was suspected of being a seducer? First of all, let's establish exactly this. During the feast of “setting up tabernacles” (“putting up the canopy”) (John 7:2), crowds of people were looking for Jesus, saying: “Where is He?” And there was disagreement regarding Him: “Some said that He was good; and others said, “No, but he deceives the people” (John 7:12). Do you see how they suspected Him as a deceiver? Another time, after the holy death of the Savior, the bishops said to Pilate: “Sir! We remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said: After three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:63). I said this to prove that the Lord was considered by others to be a deceiver. Since He was considered such, He says: “I do not speak from Myself, but from the Law, from the Prophets, what I heard from the Father. Not according to My Divinity I heard from the Father - in the law, from the prophets" (John 14:10, 15:15). He speaks this on behalf of His flesh to dispel error. “I... do not speak from Myself... but what I have heard from My Father.” But you say what you heard from your father the devil. And to prove that the devil, every time he speaks, shows a lie in something, the Lord says about him: “When he speaks a lie, he speaks his own thing” (John 8:44). “I do not speak from Myself, but from the prophets, from the law. This is the truth." So, just as the Savior, eliminating suspicion and removing bad assumptions regarding Him, says: “I do not speak on My own behalf like the deceivers,” the same should be said about the Spirit. 10. Please pay attention to the following here. According to the word of the Savior, there are many false Christs and false prophets; one said: “It is I,” and the other: “It is I,” as it is written: “Many will come in My name, saying that I am the Christ, and will deceive many, but do not be deceived” (Luke 21:8). Just as the name of Christ was taken by deceivers, in the same way many had to take on the appearance of people possessing the Holy Spirit, which they did not have, and talk about it. But a man appeared there, of course, and said: “I am Christ”; here no one dared to say: “I am the Holy Spirit,” because the Spirit did not descend in a bodily form, but invisibly. He came down on Peter, he came down on Paul - and everyone recognized that they both had the Spirit of the Lord. Simon appeared and said: “I have the Spirit.” By outward appearance, no one can distinguish a person who has the Spirit from one who does not, or a person who has an unclean spirit from one who has the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit had been visible, then Simon would not have deceived, since after investigating the matter he would have been exposed. Montanus came, saying: “I have the Holy Spirit”; Manichaean came and said: “I have the Holy Spirit.” He, the Spirit, was not visible. So, so that people would not be deceived by the name, since the gift of grace had to descend invisibly, the Lord says: “When He, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, comes, He will bring My words to your memory and guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself” (John 16:7, 13). Every time you notice that someone says: “I have the Holy Spirit,” but proclaims not the truths of the Gospel, but his own inventions, he is speaking from himself, and there is no Holy Spirit in him. After all, the Lord also says about Himself: “I... do not speak on My own behalf” in order to remove suspicion of error from Himself; rather, to separate error from truth and to show who has the Holy Spirit and who does not, but only pretends to have it, the Lord says: “The Spirit will not speak from Himself.” You have heard from Me what I have conveyed. When the invisible Spirit comes, He will speak Mine. If you notice that someone repeats the words of the Gospel, then he really has the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will come to bring to your remembrance what I taught you. Therefore, if anyone who says about himself that he has the Spirit proclaims something from himself, and not on the basis of the Gospels, then do not believe him. Follow My teaching. “He will not speak from himself.” But His appearance shows who has received the Holy Spirit and who has not. If anyone repeats the words of Christ, he has the Holy Spirit. “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). Manes came, truly μανείς (i.e., insane), having a name corresponding to his error, and said: “I am the Comforter, whom the Savior promised to His apostles; I am the Son of God." Where in the Gospel of Jesus Christ did you hear that the sun and moon are creators? Where did Christ say that they absorb souls and bring them back? Where did you read this? From the fact that this is not said in the Scriptures, but that Manes speaks here on his own, it is clear that he does not have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit “will not speak of Himself, but will tell you what He hears, that is, He will confirm what I have said.” And pay attention to what is worthy of surprise. Just as the Savior, having come, became the complement of the law and the prophets, so the Spirit is the complement of the Gospel. Christ, having come, completed with Himself what was said by the Father in the law and through the mouth of the prophets. Therefore Paul says: “Christ is the fulfillment of the law” (cf. Rom. 10:4). The Holy Spirit, having come, completed the gospel. What is in the law, Christ completes; and what is in the teaching of Christ is complemented by the Spirit, not because the Father is imperfect, but just as Christ appeared, confirming that he is the Father, so the Holy Spirit also appeared, confirming that he is the Son. How is this clear? The Savior says to the disciples: “I still have much to say to you; but now you cannot contain it. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak from Himself” (John 16:12–13). He completes Mine." The Son fulfills what is the Father, and does not speak from Himself. The Spirit fulfills that which is the Son, and does not speak from Himself. But if you hear someone say: “I will send you the Holy Spirit,” then do not understand the words in relation to the Divine, because God is not sent. These are names denoting activity, names that are hidden and clear: hidden if we mean dignity, clear if we mean contemplation. Anyone who sends someone sends, of course, to places in which he himself is not present. Imagine that I am talking to someone in this place. I can’t tell the latter: “go, I’ll send you here.” This does not mean to send, but to sit with you or call to you. If God is everywhere, and “heaven and earth,” He says, “I fill” (Jeremiah 23:24), then where does He, who is omnipresent, send? “If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I go down to the underworld, you will be there too. If I take the wings of the dawn and move to the edge of the sea, there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will hold me” (Psalm 139:8-10). So, where is God sending? Isn’t He Himself everywhere, and isn’t the one He sends also omnipresent? God sent His Son into the world. Isn’t it like being present in the latter? For the world is from the Son. Therefore, did He come into the world as someone who had not been in the world before that time? How does the Evangelist John say: “All things came into being through Him... He was in the world, and the world was made through Him” (John 1:3, 10)? How was He sent into the world? On the other hand, if the one who was sent was sent, and the one who sent remained in the things above, and the one who was sent remains below, then how did the Lord say: “He who sent Me is with Me” (John 8:29)? 11. Please, pay special attention, give stability to your speech. A heretic can say: “is with Me” - this means: “helps Me,” just as I say: “God is with me.” Not just said but what? “I have the Father in Me” (John 14:10). If the Father was with Him and abided in Him, then how did He send, or how was This One sent? After all, if they came, then both came, and no one was sent; or, on the other hand, both remained. If the Father remained in those above, then how does the Son say: “The Father is with Me”? If the one who sent remained in those above, then how is it that the one who was sent has the one who sent with him? “I,” said the Lord, “am in the Father, and the Father is with Me” (cf. John 10:38). How then was he sent who says: “The Father is in Me”? How, in turn, did the Father send Him? So, when the Lord says: “I will send you the Holy Spirit,” it means: “the gift of the Spirit.” And so that you understand that a gift is sent and that the Spirit is not sent, the Savior says to the apostles: “But remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49) and receive the power of the Holy Spirit who has come upon you.” The other is the power that is given, and the other is the Spirit that gives. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He pleases” (1 Cor. 12:11); So, you are not able to prove that the Holy Spirit is sent by pure Divinity. If I prove to you that the Creator of heaven and earth is sent by the Holy Spirit, then what will you do? Either reject Christ and destroy the Scriptures, or, being a slave to the Scriptures, obey them. “Where,” he says, “was it said?” Listen to what God says through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, the messenger of piety: “Listen to Me, Jacob and Israel, My called: I am the same, I am the first, I am after this, and besides me there is no God” (Is. 48:12). Pay attention. Here follows what is sought. Who said this? Father or Son? Look how, under the image of unity of command, he secretly preaches the Trinity. “I am the first God, and I am the last, and besides Me there is no God.” Who says this? The Creator, because he adds: “My hand founded the earth” (Isa. 48:13). Look how the Creator says: “And My Spirit established the heavens; I gave My commandments to all the stars; I stirred up the king according to righteousness and all My ways are right.” Having called Himself the Creator and Maker of heaven and earth, He then says the following: “I did not tell you these things in secret from the beginning, nor in a hidden place.” He said: “I founded the earth and created the heavens; I was there; and now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me” (“when I was, there was a beh, and now the Lord has sent Me, and His Spirit”) (Is. 48:16). You, who created heaven and earth, who said to the stars: “I was there; and now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me,” “the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me,” God the Father begat according to the Divinity and sent carnally. The Creator of heaven says: “The Lord God and His Spirit have sent me.” The heretic accepts the Spirit's embassy in a sense that is offensive to Him. The Father sent without moving away from Him and without removing Him from Himself; The Son sent the Spirit without separating Him from Himself and without being separated from Him. Therefore, Scripture says: “God has poured out His Spirit” (cf. Joel 2:28), that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Divinity is not poured out, but is a gift. Therefore, in order to prove that what is being poured out is not the Holy Spirit, but the grace of the Divine Spirit, David says to Christ: “grace was poured out from Your mouth” (“grace was poured out on Your lips”) (Psalm 44:3). It is grace that is poured out, not the giver of grace. So, if the same honor is proclaimed and if the expression “from Myself” is explained, as well as the other: “He will receive from Mine” is interpreted in the sense of borrowing, as it were, from a source, then let the heretics have no place or loophole to secretly carry out their wickedness through it. Almost the Holy Spirit, which you received. I have often said that you have received a reward: Christ took your image from you, and He Himself gave you His Spirit. Doubtful works (Spuria) attributed to St. John Chrysostom. You might be interested in: