St Basil the Great ON THE HOLY SPIRIT, Complete

Translated by Bl. Jackson.

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88 Pages

Page 11

11. In the same manner it may also be said of the word "in," that Scripture admits its use in the case of God the Father. In the Old Testament it is said through (en) God we shall do valiantly, [770] and, "My praise shall be continually of (en) thee;" [771] and again, "In thy name will I rejoice." [772] In Paul we read, "In God who created all things," [773] and, "Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father;" [774] and "if now at length I might have a prosperous journey by (en) the will of God to come to you;" [775] and, "Thou makest thy boast of God." [776] Instances are indeed too numerous to reckon; but what we want is not so much to exhibit an abundance of evidence as to prove that the conclusions of our opponents are unsound. I shall, therefore, omit any proof of this usage in the case of our Lord and of the Holy Ghost, in that it is notorious. But I cannot forbear to remark that "the wise hearer" will find sufficient proof of the proposition before him by following the method of contraries. For if the difference of language indicates, as we are told, that the nature has been changed, then let identity of language compel our adversaries to confess with shame that the essence is unchanged.

[770] Ps. cvii. 13.

[771] Ps. lxxi. 6.

[772] For "shall they rejoice," Ps. lxxxix. 16.

[773] Eph. iii. 9.

[774] 2 Thess. i. 1.

[775] Rom. i. 10.

[776] Rom. ii. 17.

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