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Translated by Bl. Jackson.
St Basil the Great Resources Online and in Print
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88 Pages
Page 54
Chapter XIX.
Against those who assert that the Spirit ought not to be glorified.
48. "Be it so," it is rejoined, "but glory is by no means so absolutely due to the Spirit as to require His exaltation by us in doxologies." Whence then could we get demonstrations of the dignity of the Spirit, "passing all understanding," [1114] if His communion with the Father and the Son were not reckoned by our opponents as good for testimony of His rank? It is, at all events, possible for us to arrive to a certain extent at intelligent apprehension of the sublimity of His nature and of His unapproachable power, by looking at the meaning of His title, and at the magnitude of His operations, and by His good gifts bestowed on us or rather on all creation. He is called Spirit, as "God is a Spirit," [1115] and "the breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord." [1116] He is called holy, [1117] as the Father is holy, and the Son is holy, for to the creature holiness was brought in from without, but to the Spirit holiness is the fulfilment of nature, and it is for this reason that He is described not as being sanctified, but as sanctifying. He is called good, [1118] as the Father is good, and He who was begotten of the Good is good, and to the Spirit His goodness is essence. He is called upright, [1119] as "the Lord is upright," [1120] in that He is Himself truth, [1121] and is Himself Righteousness, [1122] having no divergence nor leaning to one side or to the other, on account of the immutability of His substance. He is called Paraclete, like the Only begotten, as He Himself says, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another comforter." [1123] Thus names are borne by the Spirit in common with the Father and the Son, and He gets these titles from His natural and close relationship. From what other source could they be derived? Again He is called royal, [1124] Spirit of truth, [1125] and Spirit of wisdom. [1126] "The Spirit of God," it is said "hath made me," [1127] and God filled Bezaleel with "the divine Spirit of wisdom and understanding and knowledge." [1128] Such names as these are super-eminent and mighty, but they do not transcend His glory.
[1114] Phil. iv. 7.
[1115] John iv. 24.
[1116] Lam. iv. 20. Sic in A.V. and R.V., the reference being to Zedekiah. cf. Jer. xxxix. 5. The Vulgate reads, "Spiritus oris nostri Christus Dominus," from the Greek of the LXX. quoted by St. Basil, "Pneuma prosopou hemon christos kurios."
[1117] 1 John i. 20.
[1118] Ps. cxliii. 10.
[1119] Ps. li. 10.
[1120] Ps. xcii. 15.
[1121] John xiv. 17; xv. 26; xvi. 13; 1 John v. 6.
[1122] 2 Cor. iii. 8, 9.
[1123] John xiv. 16, parakleton. cf. Note on p. 29.
[1124] Ps. li. 12, lxx. pneuma hegemonikon. Vulg. spiritus principalis.
[1125] John xv. 26, etc.
[1126] Is. xi. 2.
[1127] Job xxxiii. 4.
[1128] Ex. xxxi. 3, LXX.
Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/basil/holy-spirit.asp?pg=54
