# To Simplicius, on Faith - Author: [Gregory of Nyssa](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/gregory-of-nyssa/) - Latin title: *Ad Simplicium de fide* - Date: ca. 380–394 (approximate) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 45 (Paris: Migne, 1863), cols. 135–146 (OCR by the Internet Archive; lines extracted for this site) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: Friedrich Müller, ed., Gregorii Nysseni Opera Dogmatica Minora 1, Gregorii Nysseni Opera 3.1 (Leiden: Brill, 1958) (cited only; not reproduced) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-simplicium/ - Passages: 3 ## To Simplicius on Faith, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-simplicium/1/#p-1 - Source: PG 45 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Against those who say the Son once was not and is created, Gregory argues from the commands against a "new" or "foreign" god that such a Son could not be worshipped, and explains "The Lord created me" (Prov 8:22) of the humanity the Word became for our sake. ### Greek text Κελεύει ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου μηδένα πρόσφατον θεὸν θεὸν εἶναι νομίζειν, μηδὲ προσκυνεῖν ἀλλοτρίῳ θεῷ. Οὐκοῦν δῆλόν ἐστιν, ὅτι πρόσφατον λέγεται ὃ μὴ ἐξ ἀϊδίου ἐστέ· καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου πάλιν ἀΐδιον λέγεται ὃ μὴ πρόσφατόν ἐστιν. Ὁ τοίνυν μὴ ἐξ ἀϊδίου τὸν Μονογενῇ Θεὸν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἶναι πιστεύων, πρόσφατον αὐτὸν εἶναι οὐκ ἀρνεῖται· τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἀΐδιον, πρόσφατον πάντως· πᾶν δὲ τὸ πρόσφατον, Θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφὴ, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ Θεὸξ πρόσφατος. ΓἌρα ὁ λέγων, ὅτι ποτὲ οὐκ ἦν, οὗτος ἀρνεῖται αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα. Πάλιν ἀλλότριον Θεὸν προσκυνεῖν κωλύει ὁ λέγων, ε Οὐδέποτε προσκυνήσεις θεῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ· ν Ὁ δὲ ἀλλότριος τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον ἡμῶν Θεὸν ἀντιδιαστολῇ θεωρεῖται. Τίς οὖν ὁ ἴδιος ἡμῶν ἐστι Θεός; Δῆλον ὅτι ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεός. Τίς δὲ ὁ ἀλλότριος ; Πάντως ὁ τῆς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ φύσεως ἀλλοτρίως ἔχων. Εἰ οὖν ἴδιος ἡμῶν ἔστιν ὃ ἀληθινὸς θεὸς, ἂν μὴ ἣ τῆς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ φύσεως ὅ Μονογενὴς θεὸς, καθὼς λέγουσιν οἱ αἔρετιχοΐ, ἀλλότριος Θεός ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἡμέτερος. Λέγει ὑπαχούσῃ. Ὁ λέγων κτιστὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι, ἀλλότριον τῆς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ φύσεως εἶναι κατασκευάσει. Τί οὖν ποιοῦσιν οἱ λέγοντες, ὅτι κτιστός ἐστι ; Προσκυνοῦσι τὸν κτιστὸν αὐτὸν, ἢ οὐχί: Εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐ προσκυνοῦσιν, Ἰουδαΐζουσιν, ἀρνούμενοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν προσκύνησιν· εἰ δὲ προσκυνοῦσιν, εἰδωλολα τὸν γὰρ ἀλλότριον τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ προσκυνοῦσιν. ᾿Αλλὰ μὴν ἐπίσης ἀσεδὲς, καὶ μὴ προσκυνεῖν τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ προσκυνεῖν τὸν ἀλλότριον Θεόν. Χρὴ ἄρα τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀληθινὸν τὸν Υἱὸν λέγξιν, ἵνα προσχυνῶμεν αὐτὸν, καὶ μὴ κατακριθῶμεν ὡς ἀλλότριον προσκυνοῦντες θεόν. Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς λέγοντας τὸ ἐκ τῆς Παροιμίας ὅτι ε Κύριος ἔκτισέ με. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο νομίζοντας ἰσχυρόν τι λέγειν περὶ τοῦ κτιστὸν εἶναι τὸν πάντων κτίστην καὶ δημιουργὸν, ταῦτα προσήκει λέγειν, ὅτι πολλὰ δι᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐγένετο ὁ Μονογενὴς Θεός. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Λόγος ὧν, σὰρξ ἐγένετο· καὶ Θεὸς ὧν, ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο· καὶ ἀσώματος ὧν, σῶμα ἐγένετο· καὶ ἕτι πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἁμαρτία, καὶ κατάρα, καὶ λίθος, καὶ ἀξίνη, καὶ ἄρτος, καὶ πρόδατον, καὶ ὁδὸς. καὶ θύρα, καὶ πέτρα, καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἐγένετο, οὐδὲν τούτων τῇ φύσει ὧν, ἀλλὰ δι᾽ ἡμᾶς κατ᾽ οἰκονομίαν γενόμενος. Ὥσπερ οὖν Λόγος ὧν, δι᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐγένετο σάρξ’ καὶ Θεὸς ὧν, ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο· οὕτω καὶ κτίστης ὧν, δι᾿ ἡμᾶς κτίσμα ἐγένετο, κτιστὴ γὰρ ἡ σάρξ. Ὡς οὖν εἶπεν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, ὅτι Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος, ὁ πλάσας με ἐκ κοιλίας δοῦλον αὐτοῦ, οὕτως εἶπεν καὶ διὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος, τὸ ε Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ, εἰς ἔργα αὑτοῦ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τῆς παρθένου πλασθεὶς κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ προφήτου, ὁ δοῦλός ἐστιν, οὐκ ὁ Κύριος· τουτέστιν, ὁ κατὰ σάρκα ἄνθρωπος ἐν ᾧ ὁ Θεὸς ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ κτισθεὶς εἰς ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ὁ Θεός ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ ὁ ἄνθρωπος - ἐν ᾧ ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς ἐφανερώθη, ἐπὶ τὸ τὴν χαταφθαρεῖσαν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης σωτηρίας πάλιν ἀνανεώσασθαι. Ὥστε ἐπειδὴ ### English translation (Claude) To Simplicius, on the Faith God commands through the prophet that no one should think a new god to be God, nor worship a foreign god. It is plain, then, that what is not from eternity is called new; and, on the contrary, what is not new is called eternal. So whoever does not believe that the only-begotten God is from the Father from eternity does not deny that he is new; for what is not eternal is wholly new, and everything new is not God, as Scripture said: "There shall be no new god among you." So whoever says, "There was once when he was not," denies his Godhead. Again, the one who says, "You shall never worship a foreign god," forbids us to worship a foreign god. And the foreign is seen by contrast with our own God. Who, then, is our own God? Plainly the true God. And who is the foreign? Surely the one who is foreign to the nature of the true God. If, then, our own God is the true God, and the only-begotten God is not of the nature of the true God, as the heretics say, he is a foreign god and not ours. [But the gospel] says [that the sheep will not follow a stranger]. Whoever says that he is created will make him out to be foreign to the nature of the true God. What, then, do those do who say that he is created? Do they worship him who is created, or not? For if they do not worship him, they are Judaizing, denying the worship of Christ; and if they worship him, they are idolaters, for they worship one foreign to the true God. But it is equally impious both not to worship the Son and to worship a foreign god. So we must say that the Son of the true Father is true, so that we may worship him and not be condemned as worshipping a foreign god. To those who quote the saying from Proverbs, "The Lord created me," and therefore think they say something strong for the creator and maker of all being created, we must say this: that the only-begotten God became many things for our sake. For being the Word, he became flesh; being God, he became man; being bodiless, he became body; and besides these he became sin, and curse, and stone, and axe, and bread, and lamb, and way, and door, and rock, and many such things, being none of these by nature, but having become them for our sake by way of economy. As, then, being the Word, he became flesh for our sake, and being God, he became man, so too, being creator, he became a creature for our sake; for the flesh is created. As, then, he said through the prophet, "Thus says the Lord, who formed me from the womb as his servant," so he said also through Solomon, "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways, for his works." So the one formed in the womb of the Virgin, according to the prophet's word, is the servant, not the Lord, that is, the man according to the flesh in whom God was manifested; and here too the one created as the beginning of his ways is not God, but the man in whom God was manifested to us, to renew again the ruined way of human salvation. So that, since ### Scripture references - Ps 81:9 (80:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - John 10:5: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 8:22: quotation, high confidence - John 1:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 5:21: allusion, high confidence - Gal 3:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Pet 2:7: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 3:10: allusion, low confidence - John 6:35: allusion, high confidence - John 1:29: allusion, high confidence - John 14:6: allusion, high confidence - John 10:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 10:4: allusion, high confidence - Isa 49:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 3:16: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Compared with NPNF² 5 ("On the Faith") after translation. Quotations: Ps 81:9 (LXX 80:10) "There shall be no new god among you … you shall not worship a foreign god"; John 10:5 (the words are lost in the scan and supplied in brackets from the sense and NPNF); Prov 8:22 LXX; John 1:14; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; Ps 118:22 / 1 Pet 2:7; Matt 3:10 (axe); John 6:35; John 1:29; John 14:6; John 10:9; 1 Cor 10:4; Isa 49:5; 1 Tim 3:16. "There was once when he was not" is the Arian slogan. "Judaizing" is Gregory's charge against those who refuse to worship Christ; translated as written. - Christological terms are translated exactly: the one "created as the beginning of his ways is not God, but the man in whom God was manifested". The scan's opening debris and Latin leaks are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Simpl. 1 (PG 45; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-simplicium/1). ## To Simplicius on Faith, part 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-simplicium/1/#p-2 - Source: PG 45 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is both divine by nature and human by the economy; the Son is eternal as the radiance of the Father's glory is never without the lamp, and as the express image of the Father's hypostasis he cannot be less than the Father, since the Word was in the beginning and wholly with God. ### Greek text δύο περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γινώσκομεν, τὸ μὲν θεῖον, τὸ δὲ ἀνθρώπινον, ἐν μὲν τῇ φύσει τὸ θεῖον, ἐν δὲ τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ τὸ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, ἀκολούθως τὸ μὲν ἀΐδιον θρωπένῃ λογιζόμεθα φύσει. Ὡς γὰρ κατὰ τὸν προφήτην ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ἐπλάσθη δοῦλος, οὕτως καὶ κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶντα, διὰ τῆς δουλιχῆς ταύτης κτίσεως ἐν σαρκὶ ἐφανερώθη. Ὅταν δὲ λέγωσιν· Εἰ ἣν οὐκ ἐγεν· Καὶ, Εἰ ἐγεννήθη, οὐκ ἦν, διδαχθήτωσαν ὅτι οὐ χρὴ τὰ τῆς σαρκικῆς γεννήσεως ἰδιώματα ἐφαρμόζειν τῇ θείᾳ φύσει, Σώματα μὲν γὰρ μὴ ὄντα γεννᾶται· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τὰ μὴ ὄντα εἶναι ποιεῖ· οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος γίνεται. Διὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἀπαύγασμα δόξης αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει, ἵνα διδαχθῶμεν, ὅτι ὥσπερ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ λύχνου φῶς καὶ ἐκ τῆς φύσεώς ἔστι τοῦ ἀπαυγάζοντος, καὶ μετ᾽ ἐκείνου ἐστίν (ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἐξεφάνη ὁ λύχνος, καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ συνεξέλαμψεν), οὕτω κελεύει καὶ ἐνταῦθα νοεῖν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, ὅτι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ οὐδέποτε χωρὶς τοῦ Υἱοῦ ὁ Πατήρ’ οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ γὰρ ἀλαμπῆ εἶναι, τὴν δόξαν, ὡς οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ ἄνευ ἀπαυγάσματος εἶναι τὸν λύχνον. Δῆλον δὲ ὅτι ὥσπερ τὸ εἶναι ἀπαύ γασμα μαρτυρία ἐστὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν δόξαν εἶναι ( γὰρ οὔσης τῆς δόξης οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὸ ἐκ ταύτης ἀπαυ γαζόμενον), οὕτως τὸ λέγειν μὴ εἶνα! τε ἀπαύγασμα, ἀπόδειξίς ἐστι τοῦ μηδὲ τὴν δόξαν εἶναι, ὅτε οὐκ ἦν τὸ ἀπαύγασμα· τὴν γὰρ δόξαν ἄνευ ἀπαυγάσματος εἶναι ἀμήχανον. Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀπαυγάσματος λέγειν ὅτι, Ε ἣν οὐκ ἐγένετο, καὶ, Εἰ ἐγένετο οὐκ ἦν, οὕτως μάταιόν ἐστι περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ταῦτα λέγειν, διότι ὁ Υἱός ἐστι τὸ ἀπαύγασμα. Δῆλον οὖν ὅτι. Οἱ δὲ τὸ μικρότερον καὶ τὸ μεῖζον ἐπὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγοντες, διδαχθήτωσαν παρὰ τοῦ Παύλου μὴ μετρεῖν τὰ ἀμέτρητα· ὁ γὰρ ᾿ΑἈπόστολος τὸν Υἱὸν χαρακτῆρα λέγει τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑποστάσεως. Δῆλον οὖν ὅτι ὅση ἂν ἣ ὑπόστασις ἧ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ποσοῦτος καὶ ὃ χαρακτὴρ ἔστι τῆς ὑποστάσεο·ς· οὗ γὰρ ἐνδέχεται εἶναι μικρότερον τὸν χαρακτῇρα τῆς θεωρουμένης ἐν αὐτῷ ὑποστάσεως. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἰωάννης ταῦτα διδάσκει λέγων, ε Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν, καὶ οὐ μετὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἔδειξεν ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἄλογος ἦν ἡ ἀρχή. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἀποδεῖξαι ὅτι καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἣν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ ἀνελλιπὲς τοῦ Υἱοῦ ὡς πρὸ; τὸν Πατέρα ἐσήμανεν, ὅλῳ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ ὅλως συνθεωρεῖται ὁ Λόγος. Εἰ γὰρ ἐλλιπὴς ἦν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ μεγέθει ὁ Λόγος, ὥττε μὴ δύνασθαι πρὸς ὅλον τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα ἄλογον εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ νομίζειν τὸ ὑπερπίπτον τοῦ Λόγου. ### English translation (Claude) we recognize two things concerning Christ, the one divine, the other human, the divine in nature and the human in the economy, we accordingly reckon what is eternal [to the Godhead, and what is created to the] human nature. For as, according to the prophet, he was formed in the womb as a servant, so too, according to Solomon, he was manifested in the flesh through this servile creation. When they say, "If he was, he was not begotten," and "If he was begotten, he was not," let them be taught that one must not fit the properties of fleshly birth to the divine nature. For bodies come to be begotten when they do not exist; but God makes the things that do not exist to be, and does not himself come to be from what does not exist. For this reason Paul names him "the radiance of glory," so that we may be taught that, as the light from the lamp is both from the nature of what gives the radiance and is together with it (for at once the lamp appeared and the light from it shone out with it), so here too the apostle bids us understand that the Son is from the Father, and that the Father is never without the Son. For it is not possible for the glory to be without its brightness, as it is not possible for the lamp to be without its radiance. It is plain that, as his being radiance is a testimony to his being together with the glory (for if the glory did not exist, what radiates from it would not exist), so to say that the radiance once did not exist is a proof that the glory too did not exist when the radiance was not; for it is impossible for the glory to be without radiance. As, then, it is not possible to say of the radiance, "If it was, it did not come to be," and "If it came to be, it was not," so it is vain to say these things of the Son, because the Son is the radiance. And let those who speak of the "less" and the "greater" in the case of the Son and the Father be taught by Paul not to measure the immeasurable. For the apostle calls the Son the express image of the Father's hypostasis. It is plain, then, that however great the Father's hypostasis is, so great also is the express image of the hypostasis; for it is not possible for the express image to be less than the hypostasis seen in it. And the great John too teaches these things, saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." For by saying that he was "in the beginning," and not after the beginning, he showed that the beginning was never without the Word. And by showing that the Word was also "with God," he signified the completeness of the Son in relation to the Father; for the Word is seen together with God as a whole, wholly. For if the Word were deficient in his own greatness, so as not to be able to be "with" the whole of God, we would have to think that the part of God that exceeds the Word is without the Word. ### Scripture references - Heb 1:3: quotation, high confidence - John 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Isa 49:5: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 8:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Compared with NPNF² 5 after translation. Quotations: Heb 1:3 (radiance of glory; express image of his hypostasis); John 1:1. The words assigning what is eternal to the Godhead and what is created to the humanity are partly lost in the scan and supplied in brackets. - At the start of this part the scan prints a note of Migne's (headed "Contra Eunomium", on every creature as a slave of the Creator, Ps 119:91, and the Spirit as giver of freedom and adoption) inside the Greek; it is removed by a logged correction. NPNF's translation has at this point the sentence "For all creation, as the Apostle says, is in servitude" (Rom 8:21), which is not in our text. A second note on the ὁμοούσιον and the seal (δακτυλίου χαρακτήρ) is also removed. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Simpl. 2 (PG 45; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-simplicium/2). ## To Simplicius on Faith, part 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-simplicium/1/#p-3 - Source: PG 45 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Being unbegotten or begotten makes no difference of nature, as Adam and Abel are both human; the Holy Spirit too is uncreated, giving what creation receives and sharing every divine name except Father and Son; Amos 4:13 speaks not of the Holy Spirit but of the spirit God creates in believers through the "thunder" of the gospel. ### Greek text ᾿Αλλὰ μὴν πάσῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλειότητι ἡ τοῦ Λόγου μεγαλειότης συνθεωρεῖται. Ἄρα οὐκ ἔχει χώραν ἐπὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων τὸ μεῖζον λέγειν καὶ τὸ μικρότερον. Οἱ δὲ λέγοντες τὸ γεννητὸν τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ εἷναι κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἀνόμοιον, διδαχθήτωσαν ραίνειν ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Αὔελ καὶ τὸν ᾿Αδὰμ ὑποδέίὙματο:. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ᾿Αδὰμ κατὰ τὴν φυσικὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων γέννησιν οὐκ ἐγεννήθη· ὁ δὲ·Αθελ ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Αδὰμ ἐγεννήθη. ᾿Αλλὰ μὴν ὁ μὴ γεννηθεὶς ἀγέννητὸς λέγεται· οὐδὲν δὲ ἐκώλυσε τὸν ᾿Αδὰμ τὸ μὴ γεννηθῆναι πρὸς τὸ ἄνθρωπον εἶναι οὐδὲ ἡ γέννησις τὸν Αδελ ἄλλο τι παρὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπένην φύσιν ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ἄνθρωπος κἀκεῖνος, εἰ καὶ ὁ μὲν γεννηθεὶς ἦν, ὁ δὲ δίχα γεννήσεως. Ἄρα καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων τὸ μὴ γεννηθῆναι καὶ τὸ γεννηθῆναι διαφορὰν οὐκ ἐξεργάζεται φύσεως, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ τοῦ Αδελ ἀνθρωπότης μία, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ θεότης μία, Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ οἱ βλασφημοῦντες τὸ αὐτὸ λέγουσιν ὃ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι ἐστὶ καὶ τοῦτο κτιστόν. Ἢ δὲ Ἐκκλησία ἐπίσης, (, ὡς περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, οὕτως καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύμᾶτος πιότεύει, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἄκτιστον, καὶ ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὑπερκειμένον ἀγαθοῦ μετουσίας γίνεται ἀγαθὴ (τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἀπροσδεές ἐστι τοῦ ἀγαθύνοντος, ἀγαθὸν γὰρ τῇ φύσει ἐστὶ, καθὼς ἡ Γραφὴ μαρτυρεῖ), καὶ ὅτι ἡ κτίσις ὁδηγεῖται παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τὴν ὁδηγίαν χαρίζεται· ἡ κτίσις ἡγεμονεύεται, τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα ἡγεμονεύει· ἡ κτίσις παρακαλεῖται, τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα παρακαλεῖ ἡ κτίσις δουλεύει, τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα ἐλευθεροῖ· ἡ κτίσις σοφίζεται, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τὴν τῆς σοφίας δίδωσι χάριν - ἡ κτίσις μεταλαμδάνει τῶν χαρισμάτων τὸ ὃξ Πνεῦμα κατεξουσίαν χαρίζεται. Πάντα γὰρ καῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἕν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται· καὶ μυρίας ἄλλας ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν ἔστιν ἀποδείξεις εὑρεῖν, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ θεοπρεπῆ ὀνόματα, ὅσα τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ παρὰ τῆς Γραφῆς ἐφαρμόζεται, ταῦτα καὶ πεοὶ ἅγιον θεωρεῖται Πνεῦμα· ἡ ἀφθορία, ἡ μακαριότης, τὸ ἀγαθὸν, τὸ σοφὸν, τὸ δυνατὸν, τὸ δίκαιο, ἣ ἁγιότῆς· πᾶν τίμιον ὄνομα οὕτως λέγεται ἐπὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λέγεται, πλὴν τούτων δι᾿ ὧν αἱ ὑποστάσεις τρανῶς τε καὶ ἀσυγχύτως ἀπ᾽ ἀλλήλων διαχωρίξονται. Λέγω δὲ ὅτι οὔτε Πατὴρ λέγεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, οὔτε Υἱός· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ὅσα ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὀνομάζεται, ταῦτα καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι παρὰ τῆς Γραφῆς ἐφΔιὰ τοῦτο οὖν χαταλαμθάνομεν ὅτι ἄνω τῆς κτίσεώς ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον’ οὐκοῦν ὅπου Πατὴρ καὶ ὅπου Υἱὸς νοεῖται, ἐχεῖ νοεῖται καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· ἄνω γὰρ τῆς κτίσεως ὁ Πατὴρ καϊ Υἱὸς, ὅπερ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ἡ ἀκολουθία τοῦ λόγου προσεμαρτύρησεν. Ὁ τοίνυν ὑπερτιθεὶς τῆς κτίσεως τὸ Πνεῦμα (ἡ τὸ ἅγιον, ἀκολούθως τὸν ὀρθόν τε καὶ ὑγιῇ παρεδέξατο λόγον. Μίαν γὰρ ὁμολογήσει τὴν ἄκτιστον φύσιν, τὴν ἐν Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ θεωρουμένην. Ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς ἀπόδειξιν, ὡς οἴονται, τοῦ κτιστὸν εἶναι πὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τὴν τοῦ προφήτου φωνὴν ἡμῖν προφέρουσι τὴν λέγονσαν· ε Ὁ στερεῶν βροντὴν καὶ κτίζων πνεῦμα, καὶ ἀπαγγέλλων εἰς ἀνθρώπους τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο προσήκει νοῆσαι, ὅτι ἄλλο κτίζεσθαι πνεῦμα ἐν τῇ στερεότητι τῆς βροντῆς, ὁ προφήτης λέγει, καὶ οὐχὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα - Βροντὴν γὰρ ὁ μυστικὸς λόγος τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ὀνομάζει. Ἐν οἷς οὖν γίνεται βεθαία καὶ ἀμέτάθετος ἡ εἰς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον πίστις, οὗτοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως μεταδαίνουσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ εἶναι σάρκες, εἰς τὸ γίνεσθαι πνεῦμα, καθὼς λέγει ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς δαρχὸς σάρξ ἐστι· καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἔστι. Θεὸς οὖν ὁ διὰ τοῦ στερεοποιεῖν τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν φωνὴν τοῖς πιστεύουσι, πνεῦμα ΑΙ ΡΕΓ ποιῶν τὸν πιστεύοντα - ὁ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος γεννηθεὶς, καὶ πνεῦμα διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης βροντῆς γενόμένος, ἀπαγγέλλει τὸν Χριστὸν καθὼς ὁ ᾿Απόστολος λέγει, ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται εἰπεῖν, Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, εἰ μὴ ἐν Πνεύματι ἀγίῳ. ### English translation (Claude) But in fact the greatness of the Word is seen together with the whole greatness of God. So there is no room in the divine doctrines for speaking of "greater" and "less." Let those who say that the begotten is unlike the unbegotten in nature be taught [not to talk nonsense] from the example of Abel and Adam. For Adam was not begotten by the natural birth of human beings; but Abel was begotten from Adam. Now the one who was not begotten is called unbegotten; yet not having been begotten did not hinder Adam from being a man, nor did birth make Abel anything other than human nature; but this one is a man, and that one too, even if the one was begotten and the other without birth. So in the divine doctrines too, not having been begotten and having been begotten produce no difference of nature; but as in the case of Adam and Abel humanity is one, so in the case of the Father and the Son Godhead is one. Concerning the Holy Spirit, the blasphemers say the same as they say about the Lord, that he too is created. But the church believes equally, concerning the Holy Spirit as concerning the Son, that he is uncreated; and that the whole creation becomes good by participation in the good that lies above it, while the Holy Spirit has no need of anyone to make him good, for he is good by nature, as Scripture testifies; and that the creation is guided by the Spirit, while the Spirit bestows the guidance; the creation is governed, while the Spirit governs; the creation is comforted, while the Spirit comforts; the creation is a slave, while the Spirit sets free; the creation is made wise, while the Spirit gives the grace of wisdom; the creation shares in the gifts, while the Spirit bestows them with authority. "For all these the one and the same Spirit works, distributing to each individually as he wills." And one may find countless other proofs from the Scriptures that all the lofty names fitting for God that are applied by Scripture to the Father and to the Son are seen also in the Holy Spirit: incorruption, blessedness, goodness, wisdom, power, justice, holiness. Every honourable name is said of the Holy Spirit as it is said of the Father and of the Son, except those by which the hypostases are clearly and without confusion distinguished from one another. I mean that the Holy Spirit is called neither Father nor Son; but all the other names by which the Father and the Son are named are applied by Scripture to the Holy Spirit too. By this, then, we grasp that the Holy Spirit is above creation. So where the Father and where the Son is understood, there the Holy Spirit too is understood. For the Father and Son are above creation, which the sequence of the argument has also testified of the Holy Spirit. So whoever places the Holy Spirit above creation has consistently received the right and sound doctrine; for he will confess one uncreated nature, seen in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But since, as a proof, as they think, that the Holy Spirit is created, they bring forward to us the prophet's word that says, "He who establishes the thunder and creates the spirit, and declares to men his Christ," we must understand this: that the prophet speaks of another spirit created in the establishing of the thunder, and not the Holy Spirit. For the mystical word names the gospel "thunder." In those, then, in whom faith in the gospel becomes firm and unchangeable, these pass through faith from being flesh to becoming spirit, as the Lord says: "What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit." It is God, then, who by establishing the voice of the gospel for those who believe, makes the believer spirit; and the one born of the Spirit, having become spirit through such thunder, declares Christ, as the apostle says that no one can say "Lord Jesus Christ" except in the Holy Spirit. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 12:11: quotation, high confidence - Ps 143:10 (142:10 LXX): allusion, low confidence - Amos 4:13: quotation, high confidence - John 3:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 12:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Compared with NPNF² 5 after translation. Quotations: 1 Cor 12:11; Amos 4:13 LXX ("He who establishes the thunder and creates the spirit, and declares to men his Christ"); John 3:6; 1 Cor 12:3; the Spirit "good by nature" alludes to Ps 143:10 (LXX 142:10). The scan's ῥαίνειν ("[not to talk nonsense]") is uncertain; NPNF's sense is followed. - In the middle of the list of contrasts between creation and Spirit the scan prints a long note of Migne's (on Adam, Eve, and Seth as unbegotten, cut, and begotten yet one nature, the argument of Gregory of Nazianzus, Or. 31.11; and Psalm verses on God's goodness, Ps 51:18; 125:4); it is removed by a logged correction, and the sentence "the creation is governed, while the Spirit governs" is rejoined. Other Latin leaks are removed likewise. ### Citation (SBL) Gregory of Nyssa, Simpl. 3 (PG 45; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-simplicium/3).