ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΑΓΙΟΝ ΠΝΕΥΜΑ.
Πᾶσαν ἑορτῆς ὑπόθεσιν φαιδροτέραν ὁ Δαβὶδ δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἀπεργάζεται, τὴν πολυαρμόνιον ἐκείνην κιθά ραν προσφόρως ἀεὶ τῇ χρείᾳ μεθαρμοζόμενος. Οὐκ οῦν καὶ τὴν μεγάλην τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς ἑορτὴν φαι δρυνέτω ἡμῖν ὁ αὐτὸς Προφήτης, τῷ πλήκτρῳ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς χορδαῖς τῆς σοφίας τὸ μέλος ἀνακρουόμενος. Εἰπάτω τοίνυν ἐκ τῆς ἐνθέου μελ ωδίας ἐκείνης, τὸ τῇ παρούσῃ χάριτι πρόσφορον, ὅτι Δεῦτε, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ.
Πρότερον χρὴ γνῶναι τὴν χάριν, ἥτις ἐστὶν, εἶθ' οὕτως τὴν κατάλληλον ἐκ τῆς προφητείας ἐφαρμόσαι τῇ ὑποθέ σει φωνήν· καί μοι δότε, καθὼς ἂν ᾖ δυνατὸν, διά τινος ἀκολούθου τάξεως διασαφῆσαι τὸν περὶ τούτων λόγον· Πεπλάνητο κατ' ἀρχὰς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησιν, καὶ καταλιπόντες τὸν τῆς κτίσεως Κύριον, οἱ μὲν τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου στοιχείοις δι' ἀπάτην ὑπέκυπτον, ἄλλοι δὲ τὴν τῶν δαιμό νων φύσιν ἐποιοῦντο σεβάσμιον, πολλοῖς δὲ τὸ Θεῖον ἐδόκει καὶ ἡ χειροποίητος τῶν εἰδώλων μορφὴ, οἷς βωμοί τε, καὶ ναοὶ, καὶ τελεταὶ, καὶ θυσίαι, καὶ τε μένη, καὶ ἀφιδρύματα, καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα παρ' αὐτῶν ἀνετίθετο εἰς θεραπείαν τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν. Εἶδε τοίνυν τῷ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ὀφθαλμῷ τὴν τῆς φύσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαφθορὰν ὁ Δεσπότης τῆς φύσεως, καὶ διά τινος ἀκολουθίας ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης ἐπανάγει τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ζωὴν πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀλη θείας ἐπίγνωσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τοὺς ἐν λιμῷ χρονίῳ συντετηκότας, μετά τινος ἰατρικῆς ἐπιστήμης ἀνα λαμβάνοντες, οὐκ ἀθρόως ἐπὶ τὸν κόρον προάγουσι, φειδοῖ τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτῶν·
Of the Same Author: Discourse on the Holy Spirit.
Every festive theme David renders more radiant through himself, ever adapting that many-toned cithara fittingly to the need. Therefore, let the same Prophet also brighten for us the great feast of Pentecost, striking up the melody on the strings of wisdom with the plectrum of the Spirit. Let him then speak from that inspired song what is suitable to the present grace: "Come, let us rejoice in the Lord."
First, one must know what the grace is, and then apply the appropriate utterance from the prophecy to the subject. And permit me, as far as possible, to clarify the discourse on these matters through some orderly sequence. At the beginning, humanity had gone astray in its understanding of God, and, abandoning the Lord of creation, some, through deception, submitted to the elements of the world; others made the nature of demons an object of veneration; and to many the divine seemed to be even the hand-made form of idols, to whom altars, temples, initiations, sacrifices, precincts, statues, and all such things were dedicated by them for the worship of falsely-named gods. Therefore, the Master of nature saw with the eye of philanthropy the corruption of human nature, and through a certain sequence he leads human life back from error to the knowledge of truth. For just as those who restore those wasted by prolonged famine, with some medical skill, do not bring them abruptly to satiety, sparing their weakness.
ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς συμμέτρου τροφῆς ἀναληφθείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς δυνάμεως, τότε συγχωροῦσι κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἐμφορεῖσθαι τοῦ κόρου· κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τῷ φοβερῷ λιμῷ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως δαπανηθείσης, τεταμιευμένη γίνεται αὐτοῖς παρὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἡ τῆς τῶν μυστη ρίων τροφῆς μετουσία· ὥστε διά τινος ἀκολούθου τάξεως ἀεὶ τὸ τέλειον προσλαμβάνοντας, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὸ πέρας φθάσαι τῆς τελειότητος.
Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶζον ἡμᾶς ἡ ζωοποιός ἐστι δύναμις, ἐν ὀνόματι Πατρὸς, καὶ Υἱοῦ, καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος πιστευομένη. Οἱ δὲ τοῦ παντὸς ἀχώρητοι διὰ τὴν γεγενημένην αὐτοῖς ἐκ τοῦ λιμοῦ τῶν ψυχῶν ἀσθένειαν, πρότερον ἐκ τῆς πολυθεΐας ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν τε, καὶ τοῦ νόμου μετατεθέντες, εἰς μίαν θεότητα βλέπειν ἐθίζονται, καὶ ἐν τῇ μιᾷ θεότητι μόνην τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς δύναμιν κατανοοῦσιν, ἀχώρητοι, καθὼς εἶπον, ὄντες τῆς τελείας τροφῆς. Εἶτα διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου καὶ ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῖς διὰ τοῦ νόμου προτετελειωμένοις ἀπο καλύπτεται, μετὰ τοῦτο παραγίνεται ἡμῖν ἡ τελεία τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν τροφὴ, τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ ζωή. Αὕτη τῆς ἑορτῆς ἡ ὑπόθεσις· διὰ ταῦτα καλῶς ἔχει, χορευτὰς ἡμᾶς γενομένους τοῦ Πνεύμα τος, πείθεσθαι τῷ κορυφαίῳ τῆς πνευματικῆς ταύ της χοροστασίας Δαβὶδ τῷ λέγοντι· Δεῦτε, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστι, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος.
but when their strength is restored through proportionate nourishment, then they are permitted to indulge freely in satiety. In like manner, when the terrible famine of human nature has been consumed, participation in the nourishment of the mysteries is stored up for them by the economy, so that through a certain orderly progression, always receiving the perfect, they may thus reach the end of perfection.
For what saves us is the life-giving power, believed in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But those who are incapable of the whole because of the weakness that has come to them from the famine of souls, having first been transferred from polytheism by the prophets and the law, are accustomed to look to one divinity, and in that one divinity they perceive only the power of the Father, being incapable, as I said, of the perfect nourishment. Then through the Gospel the only-begotten Son is revealed to those who have been previously perfected through the law; after this the perfect nourishment of our nature comes to us, the Holy Spirit, in whom is life. This is the theme of the feast; therefore it is fitting that we, having become dancers of the Spirit, obey the leader of this spiritual dance, David, who says: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord; and the Lord is the Spirit, as the Apostle says.
Σήμερον γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἐτήσιον τοῦ ἔτους περίοδον τῆς πεντηκοστῆς συμπληρουμένης, κατὰ τὴν ὥραν ταύτην, εἴγε περὶ τὴν τρίτην ὥραν τῆς ἡμέρας ἐσμὲν, ἐγένετο ἡ ἀνεκδιήγητος χάρις. Κατεμίχθη γὰρ πάλιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸ Πνεῦμα, ὅπερ πρότερον διὰ τὸ γενέσθαι σάρκα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀπεφοίτησε· καὶ διὰ τῆς βιαίας ἐκείνης πνοῆς, τῶν πνευματικῶν τῆς πονηρίας δυνάμεων, καὶ πάντων τῶν ῥυπαρῶν δαιμονίων ἀποσκεδασθέντων ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀέρος, ἐν τῇ καθόδῳ τοῦ Πνεύματος, πλήρεις τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς, οἱ ἐν τῷ
ὑπερῴῳ καταλειφθέντες ἐγένοντο· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν ἄλλως μέτοχον Πνεύματος ἁγίου γενέσθαι τινὰ, μὴ τῷ ὑπερῴῳ τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης ἐνδιαιτώμενον. Ὅσοι γὰρ τὰ ἄνω φρονοῦσι, μεταθέντες ἑαυτῶν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν τὸ πολίτευμα, τοῦ ὑπερῴου τῆς ὑψηλῆς πολιτείας ὄντες οἰκήτορες, ἐν μετουσίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος γίνονται. Οὕτω γάρ φησιν ἡ ἱστορία τῶν Πράξεων, ὅτι συνηγμένων αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ, τὸ καθαρὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἄϋλον πῦρ εἰς εἴδη γλωσσῶν, κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν μαθητῶν, διασχίζεται. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν Πάρθοις, καὶ Μήδοις, καὶ Ἐλαμίταις, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσι διελέγοντο, κατ' ἐξουσίαν πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐθνικὴν γλῶσσαν τὰς ἑαυτῶν φωνὰς μεθαρμόζοντες· Ἐγὼ δὲ, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, θέλω πέντε λόγους ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ τῷ νοΐ μου λαλῆσαι, ἵνα καὶ ἄλλους ὠφελήσω, ἢ μυρίους λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ. Τότε μὲν χρήσιμον τὸ ὁμόφωνον γίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀλλογλώσσοις, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἀνενέργητον εἴη τὸ κήρυγμα τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι, τῇ φωνῇ τῶν κηρυσσόντων ἐμποδιζόμενον·
Today, according to the annual cycle of the year, when Pentecost is completed, at this hour—if we are about the third hour of the day—the indescribable grace occurred. For the Spirit, which previously had departed from our nature because man became flesh, was again mingled with human beings. And through that violent breath, with the spiritual powers of wickedness and all the foul demons scattered from the air by the descent of the Spirit, those left in the upper room became full of divine power, in the form of fire. Nor is it possible for anyone to become a partaker of the Holy Spirit without dwelling in the upper room of this life. For those who set their minds on higher things, transferring their citizenship from earth to heaven, being inhabitants of the upper room of lofty conduct, come to partake of the Holy Spirit. Thus the account in the Acts says that when they were gathered in the upper room, that pure and immaterial fire was divided into forms of tongues, according to the number of the disciples. Those men then conversed with Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and the remaining nations, adapting their voices at will to every national language. But I, as the Apostle says, wish to speak five words in the Church with my mind, so as to benefit others, rather than ten thousand words with my tongue. At that time it was useful to become of one voice with those of foreign tongues, so that the proclamation might not be ineffective for the ignorant, hindered by the voice of the preachers.
νῦν μέντοι τῆς κατὰ τὴν γλῶσσαν ὁμοφωνίας οὔσης, ἐπιζητῆσαι χρὴ τὴν πυρίνην γλῶσσαν τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς φωτισμὸν τῶν δι' ἀπάτης ἐσκοτισμένων.
Οὐκοῦν καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὁδηγησάτω Δαβὶδ, συγχορεύοντα λαβὼν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Ἀπόστολον. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ψαλμῳδίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἧς ἡ ἀρχὴ τὸ ἀγαλλίαμα ἡμῖν τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ χαρίζεται, λέγουσα· Δεῦτε, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ, οὐ διὰ τούτου πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ὁδηγούμεθα δοξολογίαν· ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς ὑπολοίποις τὰ περὶ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ διδασκόμεθα. Λέξω δὲ ὑμῖν αὐτὰ τοῦ Προφήτου τὰ ῥήματα, οἷς συντίθεται καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος· ἔχει δὲ ἡ ῥῆσις οὕτως· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. Τούτων μεμνημένος ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, οὕτω φησί· Διὸ καθὼς λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, ταύτας τοῦ Προφήτου τὰς ῥήσεις ἐπήγαγεν, ἐφαρμόζων αὐτὰς τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν, ὃν ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; τίς, ὃν παρώργισαν; Μάθε παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Προφήτου, ὅς φησιν, ὅτι· Ἐπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν τὸν Ὕψιστον. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ὁ Ἀπόστολος προτάξας τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἐκείνῳ ταύτας τὰς φωνὰς ἀνατίθησι, λέγων· Διὸ, καθὼς λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. Οὐκοῦν ὃν ὕψιστον Θεὸν ὁ Προφήτης κατωνόμασε, τοῦτον ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἶναι λέγει. Εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς, πάλιν τὸ εἰρημένον ἐπίσκεψαι·
Now, since there is a uniformity of language, it is necessary to seek the fiery tongue of the Spirit for the illumination of those darkened by deceit.
Therefore, let David guide us to this as well, taking the Apostle as his fellow dancer. For in this psalmody, whose beginning grants us the exultation in the Lord, saying: "Come, let us exult in the Lord," we are not led through this to the doxology of the Holy Spirit; but rather, in the remaining parts, we are taught concerning his divinity. I will recite for you the very words of the Prophet, with which the great Apostle also agrees; and the passage runs thus: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation on the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me." Remembering these things, the divine Apostle speaks thus: "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says;" and having said this, he added these words of the Prophet, applying them to the person of the Spirit. Who then is it whom their fathers tested in the wilderness? Whom did they provoke? Learn from the Prophet himself, who says: "They tested the Most High God." But indeed, the Apostle, having prefaced the person of the Holy Spirit, attributes these utterances to him, saying: "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, that on the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me." So then, whom the Prophet named the Most High God, this the divine Apostle says is the Holy Spirit. But if you disbelieve, examine again what has been said.
Διὸ, καθὼς λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. Εἰ οὖν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον λέγει, ὅτι· Ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ὁ δὲ Προφήτης διαμαρτύρεται, ὅτι ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πειρασθεὶς, ὕψιστός ἐστι Θεός· ἐνεφράγη τὰ στόματα τῶν Πνευματομάχων, τὰ λαλοῦντα κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίαν, σαφῶς τοῦ τε Ἀποστόλου καὶ τοῦ Προφήτου διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν θεότητα κηρυσσόντων τοῦ Πνεύματος· τοῦ μὲν εἰπόντος, ὅτι, Ἐπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν τὸν Ὕψιστον, καὶ ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις προφέροντος τὴν ῥῆσιν ἐκείνην, ὅτι, Ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν· τοῦ δὲ μεγάλου Παύλου τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ταύτας τὰς φωνὰς ἐφαρμόσαντος, ὡς διὰ τούτων ἐναργῶς ἀποδειχθῆναι, ὅτι Θεὸς ὕψιστος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστι τὸ ἅγιον. Ἆρα βλέπουσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν πυρίνην γλῶσσαν τῶν θείων λογίων τὴν τὰ κεκρυμ μένα φωτίζουσαν, ἢ ὡς πεπληρωμένων τοῦ γλεύκους καταγελάσουσιν; Ἐγὼ δὲ κἂν ταῦτα λέγωσι καθ' ἡμῶν, συμβουλεύω ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, μὴ φοβηθῆναι τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τῶν τοιούτων, μηδὲ τῷ φαυλισμῷ αὐτῶν ἡττηθῆναι.
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation on the day of trial in the desert, where your fathers tested me. If, then, the Holy Spirit says: Your fathers tested me in the desert; and the Prophet testifies that the one tested in the desert is the Most High God; the mouths of the Pneumatomachi, speaking injustice against God, are stopped, since both the Apostle and the Prophet clearly proclaim through these words the divinity of the Spirit—the one saying that they tested the Most High God, and as from God presenting that saying to the Israelites: In the desert your fathers tested me; and the great Paul applying these words to the Holy Spirit, so that through these it is plainly demonstrated that the Holy Spirit is the Most High God. Do the enemies of the glory of the Spirit see the fiery tongue of the divine oracles that illuminates what is hidden, or will they mock as if filled with new wine? And even if they say these things against us, I advise you, brothers, not to fear the reproach of such men, nor to be defeated by their disparagement.
Εἴθε γὰρ γένοιτό ποτε καὶ ἐκείνοις τὸ γλεῦκος τοῦτο, ὁ νεοθλιβὴς οὗτος οἶνος, ὁ ἐκ τῆς ληνοῦ προχεθεὶς, ἣν ἐπάτησε διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ὁ Κύριος, ἵνα σοι πότιμον τοῦ ἰδίου βότρυος τὸ αἷμα ποιήσῃ. Εἴθε γὰρ ἐπληρώθησαν κἀκεῖνοι τοῦ νέου τούτου οἴνου, ὃν γλεῦκος ὠνόμασαν, ὃς τὴν διὰ τοῦ αἱρετικοῦ ὕδατος ἐπιμιξίαν παρὰ τῶν καπήλων οὐκ ἔπαθε· πάντως γὰρ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος πλήρεις ἐγένοντο, δι' οὗ τὸ παχύ τε καὶ ἰλυῶδες τῆς ἀπιστίας οἱ Πνεύματι ζέοντες ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἐξαφρίζουσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐ δύνανται οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ γλεῦκος δέξασθαι, ἔτι τὸν παλαιὸν ἀσκὸν περιφέροντες, ὃς περικρατεῖν τὸν τοιοῦτον μὴ δυνάμενος οἶνον, αἱρετικῶς ἀποῤῥήγνυται. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς, ἀδελφοὶ, καθώς φησιν ὁ Προφήτης, Δεῦτε, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ, πίνοντες, καὶ τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας γλυκάσματα, καθὼς ὁ Ἔσδρας διακελεύεται, καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων τε καὶ προφητῶν χοροστασίαις ἐμφαιδρυνόμενοι, κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐπὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.
Would that it might come to pass for them as well, this new wine, this freshly pressed wine poured from the vat which the Lord trod through the Gospel, so that he might make the blood of his own grape drinkable for you. Would that they too were filled with this new wine, which they call must, which has not suffered the admixture of heretical water from the tavern keepers; for then they would surely have been filled with the Spirit, through which those who seethe with Spirit foam away from themselves the thick and muddy dregs of unbelief. But such men cannot receive the must within themselves, still carrying about the old wineskin, which, being unable to contain such wine, bursts in a heretical manner. But we, brothers, as the Prophet says, Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, drinking, and the sweet things of piety, as Ezra commands, and, brightening ourselves with the choral dances of the apostles and prophets, let us rejoice and be glad according to the gift of the Holy Spirit on this day which the Lord made, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is glory for the ages. Amen.