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Translated by Bl. Jackson.
St Basil the Great Resources Online and in Print
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88 Pages
Page 7
Chapter V.
That "through whom" is said also in the case of the Father, and "of whom" in the case of the Son and of the Spirit.
7. After thus describing the outcome of our adversaries' arguments, we shall now proceed to shew, as we have proposed, that the Father does not first take "of whom" and then abandon "through whom" to the Son; and that there is no truth in these men's ruling that the Son refuses to admit the Holy Spirit to a share in "of whom" or in "through whom," according to the limitation of their new-fangled allotment of phrases. "There is one God and Father of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things." [734]
Yes; but these are the words of a writer not laying down a rule, but carefully distinguishing the hypostases. [735]
The object of the apostle in thus writing was not to introduce the diversity of nature, but to exhibit the notion of Father and of Son as unconfounded. That the phrases are not opposed to one another and do not, like squadrons in war marshalled one against another, bring the natures to which they are applied into mutual conflict, is perfectly plain from the passage in question. The blessed Paul brings both phrases to bear upon one and the same subject, in the words "of him and through him and to him are all things." [736] That this plainly refers to the Lord will be admitted even by a reader paying but small attention to the meaning of the words. The apostle has just quoted from the prophecy of Isaiah, "Who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor," [737] and then goes on, "For of him and from him and to him are all things." That the prophet is speaking about God the Word, the Maker of all creation, may be learnt from what immediately precedes: "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?" [738] Now the word "who" in this passage does not mean absolute impossibility, but rarity, as in the passage "Who will rise up for me against the evil doers?" [739] and "What man is he that desireth life?" [740] and "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?" [741] So is it in the passage in question, "Who hath directed [lxx., known] the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath known him?" "For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things." [742] This is He who holds the earth, and hath grasped it with His hand, who brought all things to order and adornment, who poised [743] the hills in their places, and measured the waters, and gave to all things in the universe their proper rank, who encompasseth the whole of heaven with but a small portion of His power, which, in a figure, the prophet calls a span. Well then did the apostle add "Of him and through him and to him are all things." [744] For of Him, to all things that are, comes the cause of their being, according to the will of God the Father. Through Him all things have their continuance [745] and constitution, [746] for He created all things, and metes out to each severally what is necessary for its health and preservation. Wherefore to Him all things are turned, looking with irresistible longing and unspeakable affection to "the author" [747] and maintainer "of" their "life," as it is written "The eyes of all wait upon thee," [748] and again, "These wait all upon thee," [749] and "Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." [750]
[734] 1 Cor. viii. 6.
[735] If Catholic Theology does not owe to St. Basil the distinction between the connotations of ousia and hupostasis which soon prevailed over the identification obtaining at the time of the Nicene Council, at all events his is the first and most famous assertion and defence of it. At Nicaea, in 325, to have spoken of St. Paul as "distinguishing the hypostases" would have been held impious. Some forty-five years later St. Basil writes to his brother, Gregory of Nyssa (Ep. xxxviii.), in fear lest Gregory should fall into the error of failing to distinguish between hypostasis and ousia, between person and essence. cf. Theodoret Dial. i. 7, and my note on his Ecc. Hist. i. 3.
[736] Rom. xi. 36.
[737] Rom. xi. 34, and Is. xl. 13.
[738] Is. xl. 12, 13.
[739] Ps. xciv. 16.
[740] Ps. xxxiv. 12.
[741] Ps. xxiv. 3.
[742] John v. 20.
[743] isor& 191;opia. cf. Plat. Phaed. 109, A.
[744] Rom. xi. 38.
[745] diamone. cf. Arist. de Sp. i. 1.
[746] cf. Col. i. 16, 17.
[747] Acts iii. 15.
[748] Ps. cxlv. 15.
[749] Ps. civ. 27.
[750] Ps. cxlv. 16.
Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/basil/holy-spirit.asp?pg=7
