St Basil the Great ON THE HOLY SPIRIT, Complete

Translated by Bl. Jackson.

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88 Pages

Page 44

And how could "thrones, dominions, principalities and powers" [1047] live their blessed life, did they not "behold the face of the Father which is in heaven"? [1048] But to behold it is impossible without the Spirit! Just as at night, if you withdraw the light from the house, the eyes fall blind and their faculties become inactive, and the worth of objects cannot be discerned, and gold is trodden on in ignorance as though it were iron, so in the order of the intellectual world it is impossible for the high life of Law to abide without the Spirit. For it so to abide were as likely as that an army should maintain its discipline in the absence of its commander, or a chorus its harmony without the guidance of the Coryphaeus. How could the Seraphim cry "Holy, Holy, Holy," [1049] were they not taught by the Spirit how often true religion requires them to lift their voice in this ascription of glory? Do "all His angels" and "all His hosts" [1050] praise God? It is through the co-operation of the Spirit. Do "thousand thousand" of angels stand before Him, and "ten thousand times ten thousand" ministering spirits? [1051] They are blamelessly doing their proper work by the power of the Spirit. All the glorious and unspeakable harmony [1052] of the highest heavens both in the service of God, and in the mutual concord of the celestial powers, can therefore only be preserved by the direction of the Spirit. Thus with those beings who are not gradually perfected by increase and advance, [1053] but are perfect from the moment of the creation, there is in creation the presence of the Holy Spirit, who confers on them the grace that flows from Him for the completion and perfection of their essence. [1054]

[1047] Col. i. 16.

[1048] Matt. xviii. 10.

[1049] Is. vi. 3.

[1050] Ps. cxlviii. 2.

[1051] Dan. vii. 10.

[1052] cf. Job xxxviii. 7, though for first clause the lxx. reads hote egenethe astra. On the Pythagorean theory of the harmony of the spheres vide Arist. De Coel. ii. 9, 1.

[1053] prokope. cf. proekopte of the boy Jesus in Luke ii. 52.

[1054] hupostasis, apparently again used in its earlier identification with ousia.

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