Gregory of Nyssa, Works

A reading, spoken by our holy father Gregory of Nyssa, concerning the Holy Trinity, in which he recalls Abraham as one who encountered lovers of sight, when they met in fields filled with many-colored flowers, where the individual beauty and the common atmosphere of each one does not permit the perception of any one of them, and thus, as the desire of the lover of sight extends toward all, they equally elude all; a similar form befell my own mind in looking upon that flowery scripture, for the individual beauty of their power, by an equal attraction of the soul, cuts off my desire and makes it unsteady, for among equals it is not easy to find the superior. For behold how the flowers of the great David’s prophecies shine! And again, with what flowers of paradise the Apostle adorns the colorfulness and fills us with the spiritual fragrance of Christ! But as for the flowers of the fields of the Gospel, who could recount them in words, or what mind could present them?

When I consider it well, I think it fitting at this time to recall that saying from the Proverbs, which instructs us to imitate the bee, which, though weak in strength, yet its wisdom is manifest in its works, and no one has ever seen it gather every flower completely and carry it on its back to the raised hive, but rather it takes the tiny, dust-like power lying within the petals of the flower, gathered by its wings, mouth, and feet, and thus, with wisdom, it fills its own labor; and it builds those hexagonal and not straight-joined storehouses of honey, and with the wings' moisture and stickiness it binds together their floors and walls, and fills the inside with honey, which is precious and desirable to both rich and poor, and even reaches kings, the honor of its sweetness, according to the word of Solomon. Now then, so that our own discourse may likewise be honored, and even more so, let us have the grace of prayer as a helper and wisely refine this spiritual honey, so that it may serve as an edification for the whole Church proportionally, and we and you may receive some reward, for this gain is common.

and when our speech is guided by your prayer, the greater grace is granted to you, just as to the giver of alms a greater grace accrues than to the receiver of alms. The holy Gospel, then, commands that new wine be poured into old skins. And perhaps it prefigured this present time by that parable, because newly-pressed wine is full of the boiling of its natural moisture with air, and thus, stirred by the fermentation, it violently casts up and expels the foul matter from that substance. And as my speech supposes, this is nothing other than the teaching and instruction of the Holy Spirit, according to the apostolic word, for it says: "Be fervent in spirit." Those who are hardened and loosened by unbelief are unable to contain the old skins, but burst by the strength of those high teachings. And when some excessive depth of the teachings of the Spirit reaches their ears, they are inflamed, and they themselves perish and render the grace of the Holy Spirit useless, for wisdom does not enter an evil-doing soul, as it is written. And if you wish, permit me to liken it to the custom of the poor, for they too, when they happen upon the table of the rich, are often nourished by the remnants and leftovers.

And likewise I, from that richly laid table of yesterday, according to my strength, prepared a choice discourse, and this present offering I have refined by that, and prepared a feast for these assembled. And what was the remnant and the unexhausted from that yesterday's feast? It is this which we read from the Acts of the Apostles—Paul's arrival at Athens, and how that city was idolatrous and swollen with pride toward its altars, and how the Holy Spirit within the blessed Paul was troubled and agitated, and like a fierce wind, confined within the apostle's soul, it raged, because it found no outlet among those unworthy. Then he engaged with those Stoic and Epicurean philosophers and went to the Areopagus, and from their own custom he led them to the knowledge of God, taking the beginning of his speech from the altar and its inscription. But why have I recalled this reading?

For even now there are those like the Athenians of old, who have no other concern than to speak or hear something novel—yesterday's and today's sons of cooks and bakers, and those turned to other contemptible crafts, and even slaves and exiles and fugitives from slavery, self-styled theologians and philosophers of unrefined words and rhetoricians. And I think you are not unaware, when my discourse looks toward this, that this entire city is filled with such men—the streets and districts and marketplaces and the very corners and alleys and ears of the city; and if you inquire about a mill or a mortar, they philosophize about the begotten and the unbegotten. And if you ask about a drachma, they answer you that the Father is greater, and that the Son is younger and a servant. And if someone says, "The baths are warm," they determine that the Son came into being from non-being. And I do not know what name to give this evil—whether to call it derangement or madness, or some other such evil that changes the mind into foolishness.

and I saw this, and for this reason I recalled that apostolic declaration, that what the writing foretells concerning the Athenians is now seen among these. And if it is fitting to say, theirs is far worse and more evil than that. For their eyes of the soul were blinded by the folly of idols, and they were unable to see the light of divine service. But as if by some raising of the hand of the intellect, they were able to discern only this much, that the divine is not to be grasped, nor is that transcendent nature of His comprehended by thoughts. Therefore they gave the name "unknown" to that true God and acknowledged Him, and honored that unknown one with altars and inscriptions. And that their mind perceived the true God is testified by the apostle, for he said to them: "You worship and serve that God whom you honor." And how are not these now mentioned vain speculators worse than them, who do not spare God, that He might be above their understanding, but rather boast of knowing God as if He Himself knows Himself!

and lo, as if one were to lament worthily over this blindness of minds, which in this very radiance, which has seized the whole world and filled our life, are thus blind toward the service of God! And are you not ignorant of what light I speak of additionally, which has seized this life of ours? Count these royal luminaries and the numbers of the Gospels, which have seized the whole world and from peace and the service of God enlighten every land, for the indication of which the creator God made the first creation of the world a sign. For not only did he establish the great luminary as ruler of the day, but he also added the lesser luminary, so that, illuminated by its light, it might shine together with it. Such a multitude of goods, then, is present for the stewardship, and they, as if troubled by the devil, with arrogance and shamelessness reject and oppose the truth, like those Epicureans and Stoic philosophers in Athens, whom Paul rebuked. And so that you may not think that we are slandering them by reproach and accusation, for this reason we have taken their own words and examined them.

The Stoic philosophers speak of the divinity in a material way, and these men declare the only-begotten Son of God to be a creature. And are you not ignorant of how the unity of the creature with the material is seen? And again, the Epicureans say that there is no other higher providence governing these visible arrangements and providence, but that they are governed and ruled by themselves. And to speak briefly, their foul error and blasphemy end in atheism. Let us see, then, whether the atheism of those who dishonor the Son is not equal to the atheism of the Epicureans. And let no one quibble and boast, saying: The Epicureans neither acknowledge a father nor believe in God; how then is the atheism of these and those equal, who do not deny the divinity of the Father? Wait a little, then, and find—even these Epicureans are not inferior to them in lawlessness. For the Apostle called the Son: radiance of glory, form of hypostasis, power of God, wisdom of God, and every other such lofty and divinely inspired name, each of which, as some kind of union and inseparable correspondence, is not conceived separately, but conjointly and unitedly.

For the radiance and the image—these belong to the radiance and the image of that which they are. And just as light does not shine unless there is a source of illumination and a first cause of its radiance, so also the illuminated nature is not understood by itself unless it is understood together with that which illuminates it. For the image reveals the form, and the form is known through the image. And likewise, the power of God is impossible to see without God. And God, without his power, has no nature that can be conceived. Now then, whoever rejects one of these connected and united correspondences, with him he dissolves everything. The leaders of impiety say, therefore, that there was once a time when the Son was not. But if there was once a time when the Son was not, then there was no radiance, no image, no power, no wisdom; and if these were not, how could God exist? For glory is not understood without radiance, nor form without image, nor wise without wisdom, nor powerful without power, nor father without son; whence it is clear from these statements that whoever dishonors the Son, with him dishonors the Father also.

And where the Son is not glorified, there the Father is not glorified either. And where the Father is not glorified, there the Godhead is uncreated. And the uncreation of God belongs to no one else, but to the Epicureans. You see that those blasphemers are Epicureans and even worse than them, as I said above, who by dishonoring the Son honor the Father and say that He is older and greater, while this one is younger and lesser; that He sends and this one is sent; and they distort some scriptural word concerning this matter with folly and say: The Lord Himself acknowledges that He was sent by the Father. That He was sent, this I know, but that He who sent Him is with Him—this they have not heard, and they do not heed those brilliant teachings, that He is sent and yet is not separated? He is sent for the sake of philanthropy, and He is not separated because of natural indivisibility. And again they say: The Only-Begotten Himself acknowledges that the Father is greater than He, concerning the word which the Lord spoke: "My Father is greater than I." Whence let us examine, brethren, and be astonished, for how can this be? Or did he who said this err, saying: "I am between the Father and my Father"?

Now then, if the Father is greater than the Son, how is the greater contained within the lesser? And if the Son is lesser than the Father, how is the greater filled by the lesser? For just as the great cannot be compressed within the lesser, so too the lesser cannot be expanded within the greater. And thus the Son’s deficiency becomes necessary and powerless within the Father, and the Father’s incomprehensibility within the Son, and the one who said, “I am within the Father and the Father is within me,” is refuted! But if He is lesser, it would have been fitting to say: “I am within a part of the Father, and the Father—not ‘within me,’ but rather and more truly, if the Father is greater, it would have been said: ‘some part of the Father is within me.’” But if the Father is entirely within the Son, and the Son entirely within the Father, where then is the excess or where is the deficiency? And why is much speaking necessary? Rather, it is fitting that with a single word we overturn all their folly. This is it: for the Apostle says, “He who was the image of God did not deem it worthy to be seized, so that He might be equal to God.” Tell me, when you hear “equality” and you understand it as inequality, what is your madness?

Now this is a new teaching, which translates the unequal from the equal! But if some lover of learning should seek to learn with a good mind and desire to understand how the Father is greater than the Son, and how the Son is equal to the Father, since these are said to be mutually opposed, let us set aside the wrathful refutation of the opponents, and with fatherly tenderness, for the sake of this present passage, let us teach the brethren with sweetness. Not all the words of the Gospel are equal, but they have a diverse understanding and teach us the mysteries of the Lord with diverse power. For some proclaim loudly the height of the divinity of the Son of God, and some descend to the lowliness of the human nature. For when the Lord says: "I command you," and: "I wish, purify them," and: "My Father between me and me between the Father," and "He who has seen me has seen my Father," and "I and the Father are one," and "No one knows the Son except the Father," and: "Everything of mine is yours and yours is mine," and "I am glorious among them," and whatever else of this sort, all proclaim that supreme power of divinity which is beyond all essence and nature.

But when the word inclines toward the weakness of our nature, it speaks such words as these: "My soul is troubled unto death," and "If it is possible, take this cup away," and that "He was unable to do nothing by his own power," and that "I received a command as to what I should say and what I should speak," and that "I go to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." And also the weeping over Lazarus, count along with these the ignorance of the way, and the taking of food, and the asking for water, and the going to the fig tree, and the sleeping in the ship. These and all such things do not pertain to the honor of that word from the beginning, but rather reveal his humiliation down to the form of a servant and his descent toward the poverty of our nature. It is said, then, that "He who sent me is greater than I." Now let us examine whether this word pertains to which nature or how it is, or whether "that which was the image of God" from whence he was sent or how? — But it is this, that that which was the fullness of divinity put on the form of a servant and emptied himself down to the form of a servant. And who would not know that this is so?

For the divine power and nature are everywhere extended and have filled everything, and everywhere they reach and hold everything, and it is not possible, nor does it befit, that it should pass from one place to another. For there is no place found empty of it, where it was not previously, and when it passed, then it went. But by its all-holding power it holds everything and governs everything. And there is no place from which it departed, nor any toward which it went, since it has filled everything. Therefore I say that the descent of the Son of God toward our humility and weakness, by the will of the Father, is called an "embodiment." And because the coming of the Lord from that divine nature to our life does not move the Lord from place to place, but announces a descent from the height of glory toward the lowliness of the flesh. Whence he descended—not a fearful word, but an appointed one. This is it: that he took on flesh and did not put on the form of God, but put on the form of a servant. And this is why he said: "I am unable to do anything by myself," for inability is of weakness, and just as darkness opposes light and death opposes life, so weakness opposes strength.

But Christ is the power of God, and power does not become powerless. For if strength became powerless, where then would strength be? And again, when the Word declares that it is unable to do something, it is clear that this weakness is not attributed to the divinity of the only-begotten Son of God, but is testified to the weakness of our nature. For truly the flesh is weak, as it is written: "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." And thus, the divine scripture is in both respects infallible and true; for it acknowledges superiority and does not reject equality. And because when it looks upon human nature, it bears witness to the superiority of divinity, but when it brings the mind to divinity, from then on superiority and inferiority are inactive, which are perceptions corrected to the flesh, as truth itself bears witness: "I and the Father are one." But equality does not befit those who are changed. And I think that this utterance of ours is sufficient to expel the torment of the heretics of superiority-inferiority from the teachings of the service of God.

And if you seek more numerous testimonies, as is done in courts of law, so that the truth may be confirmed by a greater number of witnesses, then grant me also the authority to turn my word back to the ancient accounts and to recall one of the tested ones, which the Apostle also recalls and says: "God made a promise to Abraham, and since there was no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself, and said," what he said. But since many do not know how much is possible, I will briefly recount to you that account, so that it may be known by all. God took Abraham and separated him from his own place and from his own kin, by his command and his revelation. And the patriarch dwelt in a foreign land for a long time, in hope of the promise. And to test his faith, the hope of the fulfillment of that promise was prolonged. And that promise was this: that he would become the father of many nations. And in the length of that time, nature performed its own work. That is, he grew old, and the hope was renewed all the more. And he himself and his wife grew so old that the wonders of childbearing completely ceased among them.

And this the divine scripture clearly indicates, saying: Sarah departed from the custom of women, by which the custom of conception is established. For although her flesh had grown old with age, their hope in God was unaging and incorruptible. At that time Isaac was born, so that it might be made known that his birth was not a work of nature, but a dispensation of divine power. Whence the righteous ones rejoiced fittingly at his birth and gave thanks to God. The aged one was then refreshed by her beloved child, and streams of milk flowed from Sarah's breasts, and they flowed at that time of her old age, and she abundantly nursed that infant of hers, the one who had passed beyond the days [of youth], and she marveled at the extraordinary wonder of the natures and said: "Who would tell Abraham that Sarah is nursing a child?" And thus little by little that infant was revived. And when he reached the age of youth, he was desirable to beholders, a sweetness and a delight to his parents, and a flower and adornment to the young. And thus, along with the progress of his age, the virtues of his soul and the beauty of his body also advanced. And what joy his parents had over him, you yourselves understand in your own mind.

And if the father rejoices, seeing the delight of his child—whether in song, in dance, in play and learning, or in sweet conduct with his peers—and while this was thus progressing, a terrible trial and struggle befell that righteous patriarch: which does he love more—God or nature? My mind trembles, then, at the terrible account of what intervened. Again God appeared and called him by name. And he diligently heeded his command, for from experience he expected exceptional good. But hear the divine command, for he said to him: "Give me your son." Does this word not wound the father's heart? For perhaps he thought that he was being commanded something concerning his son's wedding, and that he was establishing the custom of bride and spouse, so that the blessing of the family might be fulfilled. But let us see the continuation of his word, for he said: "Give me your beloved only-begotten son.

He sees this word’s torment, how it stirs his entrails, how it moves his nature, how it inflames his love, and he calls him a beloved and only-begotten son, so that by such names he might kindle his desire toward him. And when I bring him, what shall I do, O Lord? And He said to him: “Sacrifice him.” And perhaps it seemed to him that he was being commanded to sacrifice something, that he was being appointed priest. But not as priest, but as victim and offering, to be burned up as a sacrifice by this sacrifice. And the divine voice said to him: “Sacrifice him on the mountain which I shall show you.” And what is it? Has your mind not been struck? You who are fathers and have learned by nature the love of children, and you hear the force of this command, and you know how a father’s ear receives the slaying of an only-begotten son? And who would there be who would not be struck by that word and turn away his ears, or who would not curse, and would not justify that commander, with the help of this very nature of ours, and thus say: What is this, O Lord? And for this do you hold me as father of a son, that you might make me a child-killer?

And for this reason you have shown me the taste of this sweet gift, so that you might make me an object of lamentation for the whole world and a spectacle, for you command me, that with my own hand I should kill my child and pour out the blood of my own blood before you? And is it fitting that you yourself should rejoice over such sacrifices as these? Or how shall I kill my child, through whose burning and burial I hope for salvation? And what is this? Such a bridal chamber has been prepared, and such a joyful wedding has been arranged, and for him you have lit not a wedding candle, but fire and consuming flame? And am I made so bridegroom-like, like a groom? And am I made so a father of a family, that I am not even permitted to have a single child? Did Abraham ever conceive of such a thing, or those before him? Let it not be! But he devoted himself to divine love, and completely annihilated his own nature, and those passionate loves of blood and flesh, like some heavy and unsuitable burden, he cast off, and entirely gave himself to God, and became obedient to his command. And he did not even consult his wife about this. And he did this well and wisely, for he did not deem it trustworthy to entrust the divine mystery to the telling of a woman, and because nothing of Adam’s deliberation with Eve was fitting, but rather it brought destruction upon her.

And for this reason she did this, so that, if Sarah should learn of it, she might not, as a mother, be moved by some maternal feeling, and that her burning love for God might not be defiled. For this reason she concealed this deed from her. For if she had known anything of the sort, or had understood it, would she not have done something, or said something? Or would she not have hidden him in her bosom and become faint-hearted and died? Or if she had remained and not become distraught in mind, would she not have spoken such words with bitter lamentation to Abraham: "Have mercy, O man, on your own nature, and do not become, by your wickedness, a tale told throughout the whole earth. This only-begotten son is mine; he is the only consolation of my childbearing and the joy of my heart. He is my only firstborn and also my last. And after this, who else shall we see as a partaker of our table, or whose sweet voice shall we hear, which this our offspring makes us hear, when he calls us by name and speaks to us as father and mother? Or who shall serve our old age; or who shall bury our bodies in the grave? Do you not see this flower of his flesh, which, even if an enemy were to see it, would deserve mercy?

Did she not know that this is the fruit of those long prayers of ours, and this is the dwelling, this is the remnant of our lineage, and this is the staff of our old age? And if you intend to slay him, then slay me first before him, and, as you wish, burn and consume me with fire, and let our burial be common and our grave common, and on one monument let this extraordinary manslaughter be inscribed. And let not Sarah’s eyes see Abraham as the slayer of his child, nor Isaac slain by his father’s hands! These and even more words than these would have been spoken by Sarah if she had known of that impending trial. But, so that nothing might become an obstacle to that act, she hung the wood on the guard and took some of the servants with her and hastened to fulfill the divine will, and then she dismissed those servants, so that they might not oppose with servile sentiment the slaying of Isaac. And if anyone wishes, this deed is sufficient to show the youth’s age, for she ordered the removal of the guard and the carrying of the wood by the youth. And thus that wood of the guard was placed upon Isaac’s shoulders, for if he had not been strengthened by his age, how could he have carried that wood of the guard?

Then again the voice of Isaac, which was no less grievous than those aforementioned trials, pierced the entrails of his father; for he called out with that sweet voice and said: "Father!" But he did not relent, nor was he turned aside by tears, nor did he consider that soon he would no longer hear such a voice. He did not give way to weeping, nor to lamentation, nor to sighing and anguish, but with a steadfast soul and an unbending mind he took up the child's speech and answered him, saying: "What is it, my child?" At this point, understand the child's wise and perceptive soul, and how he reminds his parent, using the form of a question, as if he had forgotten the sacrifice of the victim; and he does not reproach him with forgetfulness or negligence, but, as if wishing to ascertain, he reminds him discreetly of the offering that was to be made with him and says: "Behold, here are the wood, the fire, and the knife; where is the victim for the sacrifice?" But he, whether as a prophet who foresaw what was to come, or as a friend of God strengthened by hope in God, thus fortified the child and said to him: "God will provide the victim for the sacrifice, my child.

And thus, the trial of the patriarch increased more and more, until he arrived at that appointed place and built an altar upon it. And Isaac prepared the material for the building for his father and kindled the fire. And thus everything was made ready. But the consummation of that deed was not accomplished until Abraham took the child with his own hand, and he was unable, by nature, to oppose or to destroy that deed. And Isaac gave himself over to his parent and submitted to him, so that, as he might wish, he might sacrifice him. And which of the two is more worthy of wonder—the one who, for the love of God, set his hand to the slaying of his own son, or the one who, even unto death, was obedient to his father? They vied with each other, for one struggled against nature, while the other considered it worse than death to oppose his own parent. Whence the father bound that child mercilessly. Many times I have seen the depiction of the sacrifice of Isaac, and never have I passed by without tears, for that art manifestly makes the power of the deed a spectacle, for Isaac lies upon the altar, bound backwards, like a lamb, upon his knees, while his father, upon his knees, is bent over his back.

And with his left hand he seized the hair of his head, and turned his face away from him. But he, pitifully, looks upon the face of his own father, and he is bent over with eagerness upon that child, and his right hand he has raised with the knife and is prepared to slay, and barely touches the flesh of the child with the edge of the knife, and then immediately a voice from God is made to him, and he stops that deed. Behold, with difficulty we have somehow turned back again to the path of our discourse, for, like a stubborn mule, we have strayed from the way, and have wandered in thickets and fields, and it is with difficulty that we can grasp the thread of our discourse. For this was the preceding word of the Apostle, concerning which we were speaking, that as we learned from him, the Father and the Son are equal, and there is no distinction between them. But here the divine Scripture called the Word of God an angel and said: "The angel of God called out to him and said: 'Because you have this word, and do not spare your beloved son for my sake, I swear by my own head that I will do everything that the word promised him.'" Who then is it that appeared to Abraham, is it the Father?

But who would call the father an angel? Rather, the only-begotten Son of God [exists], concerning whom the prophet says that he is called the angel of the great counsel. And Paul is not ignorant of this, who learned in paradise the ineffable things, namely: through the Son was made that oath-bound promise, for he says: "God promised Abraham" (this is the only-begotten Word of God and God), that: "since he had no one greater in whose name to swear, he swore by himself." And how do these speak of the father as greater than the son, since Paul says concerning the Son: "he had no one greater in whose name to swear"! Henceforth, then, let us come and raise our word toward that new gospel of wine, so that through teaching we too may receive the boiling of the Holy Spirit, and become the fermenting vessel of that wine, so that we may neither burst nor spill the hidden grace among us. But, as I think, that word of the Psalms concerning this time of evils foretells through prophecy and says: "Sinners became alien from the womb and erred from the belly.

The one born of God speaks of the womb of the Church, for this is the one who receives into her own womb that small one, to be reborn by him through faith. But sinners, like those who are miscarried, became alienated from the womb and fell from the truth of the belly. And behold, I do not see those who have fallen away from faith within the mother's bosom. And for this reason I say that the prophecy of the Psalms foretells concerning these, who are led astray by error. But the fall from the womb signifies this, that they fell from the words of truth and spoke falsehood. And their wrath is like that of a serpent (but this word does not simply denote a serpent, but speaks of that serpent as the beginning of evil). However, we do not now have the leisure to refute those opponents and the shameless mouths and blasphemers of the Holy Spirit with the parable of the serpent, who think that they have some power in their blasphemy, which they utter against the Holy Spirit, for they say that the Holy Spirit is nowhere called God in the Scriptures, and that he is not from the nature of the Father and the Son, and that his manifestation is not attested to nature, but to the name—nowhere, which is the divinity.

When the wicked receive the serpent as an accuser of their own blasphemy, we turn such persons away and reproach them, and we speak thus: that the revealed name of the divine nature is not to be found, but whatever is said, whether by human custom or as set forth and depicted in the divine scriptures for the purpose of indication and representation, that divine nature itself is established as superior to all names and utterances. And I think it is not inappropriate to bring forward at this time the serpent’s counsel, by which it counseled Eve, for it said that the name of divinity has the power of vision as an indicator, and when it was planning the eating of the forbidden fruit, in order to incite disobedience it promised this: “Your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like gods.” Do you see that it likens the power of vision to divinity, or is it not so? For the name of divinity does not indicate nature, but the power of vision. But if they deprive the holy soul even of the power of vision, they, deprived of all goods, are such that even their father the devil acknowledges, and he bears witness to vision concerning divinity!

But if they do not know, even though there is much verbosity about evident deeds, we assume this about them, that they do not know with sincerity concerning this person. What was the theft of Ananias? Or why was he punished so severely? Or how did Peter know that theft, which he had hidden secretly, with his wife? Or was it not the Holy Spirit that revealed to Peter and saw the theft of Ananias? For this reason Peter said to him: "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? You have not lied to men, but to God." And just as if someone were to say that whoever insults a speaker insults a man, he does not divide the insult between two, but refers it to one person, made known through the particular things. So also Peter called the Holy Spirit both Spirit and God, as having been lied to by Ananias.

And both of these are one before the servants of God, and signify a single person, which is the divinity of the Holy Spirit, by whose grace we also have been deemed worthy to see those invisible and hidden depths of truth, and to partake of the divine communion and to glorify with orthodoxy the all-holy Trinity, which is glorified in three hypostases and one essence; this is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, to whom belong glory and strength and power and dominion now and forever and unto the endless ages, world without end, amen.