Chapter 1 #

¹ In the previous book, we clearly demonstrated through Scripture that the apostles and prophets were chosen by the Holy Spirit, just as they were by the Father and the Son. The prophets were appointed to prophesy, and the apostles to preach the Gospel. Now, we add something remarkable and undeniable: the Spirit was upon Christ. Just as Christ sent the Spirit, the Spirit also sent the Son of God. As the Son of God says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me. He has sent Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind.” After reading this from the Book of Isaiah, He says in the Gospel, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” indicating that the prophecy was about Himself.

² Can we then be surprised that the Spirit sent both the prophets and the apostles, given that Christ said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me”? He rightly said “upon Me” because He was speaking as the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, He was anointed and sent to preach the Gospel.

³ But if they do not believe the Son, let them listen to the Father, who also says that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Christ. For He told John, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending from heaven and remaining, He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” God the Father said this to John, and John heard, saw, and believed. He heard from God, saw it in the Lord, and believed that it was the Spirit coming down from heaven. It was not a dove that descended, but the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove; for it is written, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove.”

⁴ As John testified that he saw, so did Mark write; Luke, however, added that the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove. You should not think that this was an incarnation, but rather an appearance. The appearance was brought before him so that those who could not see the Spirit might believe through the visible sign. This appearance demonstrated that the Holy Spirit shares the same honor in authority, the same operation in the mystery, and the same gift in baptism, along with the Father and the Son. We should not consider the Holy Spirit, in whom the Lord was baptized, too weak for the servant to be baptized in Him.

⁵ And he fittingly said, “abiding upon Him,” because the Spirit inspired the prophets intermittently, speaking or acting through them as needed, but the Spirit always remained in Christ.

⁶ Don’t be swayed by the fact that it was said “upon Him,” referring to the Son of Man, because He was baptized as the Son of Man. The Spirit is not upon Christ in His divine nature, but rather in Christ; just as the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ is in both the Father and the Son, for He is the Spirit from God’s mouth. The one who is of God remains in God, as it is written: “We did not receive the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is from God.” The Spirit remains in Christ, who has received from Christ; as it is also written: “He will take from what is Mine.” Additionally, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Therefore, the Spirit is not over Christ in His divinity, because the Trinity is not over Itself, but over all things; It exists within Itself, not over Itself.

⁷ Who, then, can doubt that the Spirit sent the prophets and apostles, since the Son of God says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.” Elsewhere, He also says: “I am the First, and I am forever; My hand has founded the earth, and My right hand has established the heaven. I will call them, and they shall stand up together, and shall all be gathered together and shall hear. Who has declared these things to them? Because I loved you, I performed your pleasure against Babylon, so that the seed of the Chaldæans might be taken away. I have spoken, and I have called; I have brought him and made his way prosperous. Come to Me and hear this. From the beginning, I have not spoken in secret; I was there when these things were done; and now the Lord God has sent Me and His Spirit.” Who says, “The Lord God has sent Me and His Spirit,” except He who came from the Father to save sinners? And, as you hear, the Spirit sent Him. This is to prevent you from believing that the Spirit is of inferior power when you hear that the Son sends the Spirit.

⁸ So both the Father and the Spirit sent the Son. The Father sent Him, as it is written: “But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name.” The Son also sent Him, for He said: “But when the Paraclete has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth.” If the Son and the Spirit send each other, just as the Father sends, then there is no inferiority or subjection, but rather a shared power and authority.

Chapter 2 #

¹ Not only did the Father send the Son, but He also gave Him, just as the Son gave Himself. As we read: “Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins.” If some think He was subject because He was sent, they cannot deny that it was by grace that He was given. The Father gave Him, as Isaiah said: “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” I dare to say that He was also given by the Spirit, who was sent by the Spirit. Since the prophet did not specify by whom He was given, it shows that He was given by the grace of the Trinity. As the Son Himself gave Himself, He could not be subject to Himself according to His divine nature. Therefore, His being given cannot be seen as a sign of subjection in the Godhead.

² But the Holy Spirit was also given, for it is written: “I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete.” The Apostle also says: “Therefore, he who despises these things despises not man but God, who has given us His Holy Spirit.” Isaiah shows that both the Spirit and the Son are given: “Thus says the Lord God, who made the heaven and fashioned it, who established the earth and the things in it, and gives breath to the people upon it, and the Spirit to those who walk upon it.” And to the Son: “I am the Lord God, who has called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand, and will strengthen You; and I have given You for a covenant of My people, for a light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out of their fetters those that are bound.” Since the Son is both sent and given, and the Spirit is also both sent and given, They assuredly share a oneness of Godhead and a oneness of action.

Chapter 3 #

¹ The Holy Spirit is also called the Finger of God because of the deep, unbreakable bond between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Just as the Son is described as the Right Hand of God in Scripture—“Your Right Hand, O Lord, is made glorious in power” and “Your Right Hand, O Lord, has shattered the enemy”—the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Finger of God. This is confirmed by Jesus, who said, “But if I cast out demons by the Finger of God.” In another Gospel passage, Jesus similarly refers to the Spirit of God: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God.”

² What more could be said to clearly express the unity of the Godhead, or how it works, than to recognize that the fullness of the eternal Godhead would be far more fragmented than our own physical body if we were to divide its essence and multiply its powers? Yet, the eternity of the Godhead remains one and undivided.

³ Often, we use our own experiences and language to understand things beyond our grasp, drawing conclusions from what we can observe about what we cannot. As the Apostle Paul said, “The invisible qualities of God, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made,” including His “eternal power and divine nature.” This suggests that, just as the Son is described as the eternal Power of the Father, the Holy Spirit should also be understood as embodying the eternal Godhead due to His divinity. The Son is also described as eternal life, so it follows that the Finger of God—another name for the Spirit—is both eternal and divine. After all, everything that belongs to God is both eternal and divine.

⁴ It was with this Finger of God that the law was inscribed on the stone tablets given to Moses. God did not use a physical finger to write the letters we read; instead, He conveyed the law through His Spirit. As the Apostle explains, “The Law is spiritual,” and it is not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on the “fleshy tables of the heart.” If the Apostle’s letters are written in the Spirit, there’s no reason to doubt that the Law of God was also written not with ink but with the Spirit of God—who illuminates rather than stains the inner depths of our hearts and minds.

⁵ Previously, these teachings were engraved on stone tablets, symbolizing their permanence. However, the tablets were first shattered and cast aside by Moses because the people had strayed from the prophet’s guidance. The breaking of the tablets was symbolic, not of erasing the message, but of the failure to adhere to it. Make sure that your own spiritual foundation is not shattered, ensuring your mind and soul remain unified. Christ is not divided; He is united with the Father. Don’t let anything separate you from Him. If your faith falters, it’s as if the tablet of your heart is broken. Your soul’s unity diminishes if you don’t believe in the unity of the divine Trinity. Your faith and your sins are both recorded, as Jeremiah noted: “Your sin, O Judah, is written with an iron pen and a diamond point.” This writing is on your heart and spirit. Sin is where grace is present, but sin is recorded by a pen, while grace is marked by the Spirit.

⁶ With this Finger, the Lord Jesus wrote mystically on the ground with a bowed head when the adulteress was brought before Him by the Jews. This act symbolized that when we judge the sins of others, we should first remember our own.

⁷ Since God wrote the Law through His Spirit, we shouldn’t think the Spirit’s ministry is somehow inferior or, in a bodily sense, the Spirit to be a minor part of God. The Apostle Paul explains elsewhere that he doesn’t use human wisdom in his teachings but speaks through words given by the Spirit, comparing spiritual truths with other spiritual truths. He points out that natural, or unspiritual, people can’t grasp the things of the Spirit of God. He knew that those who try to compare divine matters with earthly ones are not spiritual and would find these matters foolish. Anticipating these doubts, Paul asks rhetorically, “Who can understand the mind of the Lord to teach Him?” But he concludes that we have the mind of Christ.

Chapter 4 #

¹ If someone is still caught up in physical doubts and is confused by bodily imagery, they should realize that they can’t truly understand the Son if they misunderstand the Spirit. If someone believes that the Spirit is just a small part of God because He is referred to as the “Finger of God,” then, logically, they would also have to believe that the Son is only a small part of God since He is called the “Right Hand of God.”

² The Son is described as both the “Right Hand” and the “Power” of God. Since perfection implies power, it’s important to avoid the heretical idea that the Father was only partially perfect in His own essence and received perfection through the Son. This would imply that the Son is not co-eternal with the Father. But the Power of God has always existed—so if they claim that the Power of God didn’t exist at some point, they would be suggesting that there was a time when the Father was not fully perfect, which is clearly false.

³ As I mentioned, these teachings are meant to emphasize the unity of the Godhead. We should understand and believe, as the Apostle said, that the fullness of the Godhead resides in Christ, just as it resides in the Father and in the Holy Spirit. Just as there is unity in the Godhead, there is also unity in their work.

⁴ This understanding is also reflected in the Song of Moses. After leading the Israelites through the sea, Moses recognized the roles of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He said, “Your Right Hand, O Lord, is glorious in power; Your Right Hand, O Lord, has crushed the enemy,” acknowledging both the Son and the Father, of whom the Son is the Right Hand. Then, to include the Holy Spirit, he added, “You sent Your Spirit, and the sea covered them; the waters were divided by the Spirit of Your anger.” This shows the unity of the Godhead and not any inequality within the Trinity.

⁵ You can see that the Holy Spirit worked together with the Father and the Son. Just as waves might have been frozen in the sea to create a wall of water for the Israelites to pass through, and then returned by the Spirit to drown the Egyptian army, so too did the Spirit guide and protect the Israelites. Many believe that the pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night, which led and shielded the Israelites, also came from the same divine source.

⁶ This incredible act of God, which amazes the entire world, was accomplished with the involvement of the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle pointed out. He explained that this event symbolized a deeper spiritual truth. As we read: “Our ancestors were all under the cloud and passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, and they all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink.”

⁷ How could there be a symbol of a sacrament, which is fully realized through the Spirit, without the Holy Spirit’s involvement? As the Apostle explained: “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

⁸ So, you can see that the Father acts through the Son, and the Son works through the Spirit. Therefore, you shouldn’t doubt that what was symbolized in the figure aligns with what Truth itself declares. After all, how can anyone deny the Spirit’s presence and grace in the sacrament, where we experience His work firsthand?

⁹ Just as the Father sanctifies, so does the Son, and the Holy Spirit does as well. The Father sanctifies as it is written: “May the God of peace sanctify you completely, and may your spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Similarly, the Son says: “Father, sanctify them by the truth.”

¹⁰ The Apostle also said of the Son: “He has become for us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.” Do you see that He was made our sanctification? This does not mean He changed what He is, but that He came to sanctify us in our humanity.

¹¹ The Apostle also explains that the Holy Spirit is the one who makes us holy. He says: “We should always thank God for you, dear friends loved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first to be saved through the Holy Spirit’s work of making you holy and your belief in the truth.”

¹² So, the Father makes us holy, the Son makes us holy, and the Holy Spirit makes us holy, but it’s all the same sanctification. This is because there is one baptism and one grace in the sacrament.

Chapter 5 #

¹ But why should it be surprising that Someone who doesn’t need sanctification but is overflowing with it can sanctify each person? After all, we’ve been taught that God’s Majesty is so immense that the Holy Spirit is as inseparable from God the Father as a finger is from the body.

² But if someone believes that this should be interpreted as a matter of diminishing power rather than unity of power, they will be falling into a profound misunderstanding. They would be trying to imagine the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as if they were parts of a single physical form, with separate distinctions among them, which is a flawed and misguided view.

³ But let’s be clear, as I’ve often stated: this testimony is meant to signify not inequality but unity of power. The works of God are also described as the works of His hands or fingers. For example, it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows the work of His hands,” and elsewhere, “In the beginning You founded the earth, O Lord; and the heavens are the work of Your hands.” This shows that the works of the hands are the same as the works of God. Thus, there’s no distinction in the work based on physical attributes, but rather a unity of power.

⁴ The works attributed to the hands are also attributed to the fingers, as it says: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which You have set in place.” Here, the fingers are credited with creating the same things as the hands. This is consistent with the verse: “You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work, and I will rejoice in the works of Your hands.”

⁵ We read that the Son is referred to as the “hand” in the phrase “Has not My Hand made all these things?” and also “I will place you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand,” which relates to the mystery of the Incarnation because God’s eternal Power took on a physical body. It’s clear that Scripture uses the term “hand” to describe both the Son and the Holy Spirit.

⁶ Similarly, since the Spirit is described as the “finger of God,” it’s understood that the term “fingers” in the plural represents both the Son and the Spirit. Lastly, to affirm that he received sanctification from both the Son and the Spirit, a certain saint says, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me.”

Chapter 6 #

¹ Why do we reject similar terms when asserting the oneness of power, given that this oneness is so profound that the Spirit, the Father, and the Son all rebuke in the same way? For instance, it is written: “O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger, neither chasten me in Your displeasure.” In the 49th Psalm, the Lord says: “I will rebuke you and set your sins before you.” Similarly, the Son said about the Holy Spirit: “When I go away, I will send the Paraclete to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.”

² What drives the irrationality of those lacking faith, making us seem as if we’re uncertain about whether the Holy Spirit can rebuke, when even judges can only render their judgments through the Spirit? Consider the renowned judgment of Solomon: when faced with two women disputing over a child, with one having accidentally killed her own child and claiming the other’s, Solomon was able to uncover the truth by discerning the hidden intentions and genuine feelings of the mothers. This insight was remarkable and could only have come through the gift of the Holy Spirit. No ordinary means would have revealed the true emotions of the women like the “sword” of the Spirit, of which the Lord says, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The deepest thoughts cannot be penetrated by physical means but only by the Spirit: “For the Spirit of understanding is holy, one only, manifold, subtle, lively”, and, further on, “overseeing all things”.

³ Think about what the prophet said: that God oversees everything. Solomon did something similar; he had the sword brought out, pretending he would divide the baby. His plan was to see which woman truly loved the child more—whether she would choose to save the baby rather than her own comfort. The real mother, driven by her genuine love, would prefer to give up her claim rather than see her child harmed. In contrast, the woman who only pretended to be the mother, motivated by selfish desires, would care less about the baby’s fate. In this way, the spiritual man, so that he might judge all things (for who is spiritual judges all things) used this test to uncover the truth hidden in the women’s emotions. By evaluating their reactions, he was able to determine the real mother. Thus, it was the true mother’s deep love—an expression of the Spirit—that revealed her identity.

⁴ He judges like a prophet, because the word of wisdom comes from the Spirit. So, how can people deny that the Spirit can correct the world on matters of judgment? The Spirit clears up confusion in judgment and ensures a successful outcome.

⁵ Daniel, unless he had been inspired by the Spirit of God, would never have uncovered the deceitful adultery and false accusations. When Susanna was wrongfully accused by the elders and saw that the people were swayed by their authority and she had no one to turn to, she prayed to God for judgment, fully confident in her innocence. As she was about to be executed, the Lord heard her plea and sent the Holy Spirit to a young man named Daniel. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, Daniel revealed the elders’ treachery. It was through divine power that Daniel was able to expose their hidden motives.

⁶ Consider the profound and divine miracle of the Holy Spirit. Susanna chose to remain true to her own sense of purity rather than seeking validation from others. She risked her reputation and remained silent when accused, and even when condemned, she kept her peace, trusting in her own conscience. Even in the face of danger, she maintained her modesty, ensuring that those who could not break her chastity would not make her appear disrespectful. When she called upon the Lord, she received the Holy Spirit, who revealed the secret intentions of the elders.

⁷ Let those who value chastity learn not to fear false accusations. Susanna, who chose to uphold her purity over her life, did not lose her life but retained the honor of her chastity. Similarly, Abraham, when called to journey to distant lands, did not let the risk to his wife’s modesty or the threat of death deter him. He preserved both his own life and his wife’s purity. Trusting in God has never led to regret. Chastity strengthened Sarah’s devotion, and her devotion enhanced her chastity.

⁸ If anyone thinks that, as the Scripture says, “God raised up the Holy Spirit of a young man”, was merely the spirit of a man rather than the Holy Spirit, let them read further. They will see that Daniel received the Holy Spirit, which is why he could prophesy. Additionally, the king promoted him because he had the grace of the Spirit. The king says, “You, Daniel, are able because the Holy Spirit of God is in you.” Further, it is written, “Daniel was set over them because an excellent Spirit was in him.” The Spirit of Moses was also given to those appointed as judges.

Chapter 7 #

¹ What should we say about the other aspects? We know that the Lord Jesus not only judges in the Spirit but also punishes. He wouldn’t punish the Antichrist, whom, as we read, the Lord Jesus will destroy with the Spirit of His mouth, unless He had already judged his worthiness for punishment. Yet, this is not a matter of receiving grace, but rather the unity remains intact, because neither can Christ exist without the Spirit, nor the Spirit without Christ. The unity of the divine nature cannot be divided.

² Since we have the example where the Lord Jesus will destroy with the Spirit of His mouth, the Spirit is understood to be like the Sword of the Word. Finally, in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Himself says: “I came not to bring peace, but a sword.” He came to give the Spirit; thus, there is a two-edged sword in His mouth, which truly represents the grace of the Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit is the Sword of the Word.

³ To understand that there is no inequality but rather unity of nature, consider that the Word is also the Sword of the Holy Spirit. It is written: “Take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

⁴ Since the Sword of the Word is the Holy Spirit, and the Sword of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God, there is clearly a unity of power between Them.

Chapter 8 #

¹ We can see this unity in other passages of Scripture as well. While Ezekiel says to the people of the Jews, “And you have grieved Me in all these things, says the Lord,” Paul writes to the new believers in his Epistle, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom you were sealed.” Similarly, Isaiah says of the Jews, “But they did not believe and grieved the Holy Spirit,” and David says of God, “They grieved the Most High in the desert and tempted God in their hearts.”

² Understand also that while Scripture elsewhere says that the Spirit was tempted and that God was tempted, it also says that Christ was tempted. For example, the Apostle tells the Corinthians: “Do not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by serpents.” It was just that those who opposed God felt the venom, as they had not honored their Creator.

³ The Lord wisely decreed that those who were bitten should be healed by looking at the bronze serpent, as it symbolizes the Cross. Although Christ was physically lifted up on the Cross, the Apostle also felt crucified to the world and the world to him, as he said: “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The world’s temptations were thus crucified, symbolized by a bronze serpent instead of a real one, because the Lord took on the appearance of a sinner in His true body, but without sin. By imitating a serpent through the deceptive appearance of human weakness, and shedding the flesh, He destroyed the cunning of the real serpent. Therefore, in the Cross of the Lord, which avenges temptation and aids humanity, I recognize the Trinity’s healing power and see the offense against the Trinity in the wicked.

⁴ Therefore, when you read in the book of Moses that the Lord, when tempted, sent serpents upon the people of Israel, you must either acknowledge the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Divine Majesty, or recognize that when the Apostle writes about the Spirit being tempted, he is referring to the Spirit as Lord. The Apostle, in his letter to the Hebrews, states that the Spirit was tempted. You find this in the passage: “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried Me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.’ So I declared on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’”

⁵ Therefore, according to the Apostle, the Spirit was tempted. If the Spirit was tempted, He was also certainly guiding the people of Israel into the Promised Land. As it is written: “He led them through the deep, as a horse through the wilderness, and they did not labor, and like cattle through the plain. The Spirit came down from the Lord and guided them”. He also provided them with the calm rain of heavenly food, making fruitful the daily harvest that the earth had not produced, and which no farmer had sown.

⁶ Now let us examine these points one by one. God promised rest to the Israelites, and the Spirit claims that rest as His own. God the Father states that He was tempted by the unbelieving, and the Spirit also says that He was tempted by the same people, indicating that it is the one Godhead of the Trinity that was tempted by the unbelieving. God condemns the Israelites, preventing them from entering the land flowing with milk and honey, symbolizing the rest of the resurrection. The Spirit issues the same condemnation with the decree: “If they shall enter into My rest.” This demonstrates the unity of Will and the excellence of one Power.

Chapter 9 #

¹ Some might argue that this passage doesn’t specifically refer to the Holy Spirit, but the Apostle Peter teaches us elsewhere that the Holy Spirit can be grieved by our sins. For instance, Ananias’s wife is asked, “Why have you conspired to test the Spirit of the Lord?” The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of God, and as the Apostle Paul explains, “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Paul first mentions the Spirit of God and then immediately refers to it as the Spirit of Christ. By doing this, he clarifies that where the Holy Spirit is, Christ is also present, as he continues, “But if Christ is in you.”

² Just as we understand that where the Spirit is, Christ is also present, the Apostle shows us the reverse is true as well: where Christ is, the Holy Spirit is also present. For example, Paul says, “Do you seek proof of Christ speaking in me?” and elsewhere he adds, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” This demonstrates the inseparable unity of the Trinity. According to Scripture, whenever the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit is mentioned, the fullness of the entire Trinity is present.

³ In the example we’ve discussed, Peter first refers to the Holy Spirit and then calls Him the Spirit of the Lord. For instance, he says to Ananias, “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and deceive about the price of the field? While it was yours, wasn’t it under your control? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why have you thought this evil in your heart? You haven’t lied to men but to God.” Later, he asks Ananias’s wife, “Why have you conspired to test the Spirit of the Lord?”

⁴ First, Peter refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Lord. Since he initially mentions the Holy Spirit and then states, “You have not lied to men but to God,” it follows that either we recognize the unity of the Godhead in the Holy Spirit—because lying to the Holy Spirit is the same as lying to God—or, if you reject the idea of the Godhead’s unity, you must still acknowledge from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is indeed God.

⁵ If we recognize that similar expressions are used for both the Spirit and the Father, we see that both the Holy Spirit and God the Father share the same divine truth and knowledge—since falsehood is detected by both. If we accept these truths about the Spirit, why try to deny what you read? Therefore, you must either acknowledge the unity of the Godhead among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, or you must affirm the divinity of the Holy Spirit alone. In either case, you are affirming the divine nature, because both the unity and the divinity of God are inseparable.

Chapter 10 #

¹ Scripture doesn’t just confirm the divinity of the Holy Spirit in this passage alone; Jesus Himself said in the Gospel that “the Spirit is God.” Yet you Arians, who try to deny this by removing such passages from your copies, seem to wish this issue were only in your versions and not in the Church’s. During the time when Auxentius took over the Church of Milan through the force of godless unbelief, the Church of Sirmium was also under attack by Valens and Ursatius when their bishops lost their faith. It was during this turmoil that your distortion and sacrilege were found in the church books. It’s possible you did the same thing before.

² You may have managed to erase the letters, but you couldn’t remove the faith. Your attempt at erasure has exposed and condemned you even more. You couldn’t erase the truth, but that act has wiped your names from the book of life. Why was the passage “For God is a Spirit” removed if it wasn’t relevant to the Spirit? If you claim this expression refers to God the Father and insist it should be erased, then you are, by extension, denying God the Father. You must choose: either way, your own impiety will ensnare you. By denying either the Father or the Spirit as God, you effectively declare yourselves to be heretics. Thus, your attempt to erase the Word of God only reveals your fear of the truth.

³ You may have erased it from your hearts and minds, but the Word of God remains unblemished, and the Holy Spirit cannot be erased. The Spirit turns away from those with impious minds. It is not grace that is blotted out, but rather iniquity. As it is written, “I am He who blots out your iniquities.” Additionally, when Moses pleaded for the people, he said, “Blot me out of Your book if You do not forgive this people.” Yet, he was not erased because he was without iniquity; instead, grace continued to flow.

⁴ You are, therefore, exposed by your own admission. Your actions cannot be justified as wise but only as deceitful. You are aware that your deception is revealed by the evidence of that passage and that your arguments cannot counter its testimony. Where else could the meaning of that passage come from, when the entire context is about the Spirit?

⁵ Nicodemus asks about being born again, and Jesus responds: “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, they cannot enter the kingdom of God.” He explains that there are two types of birth: one is physical, from the flesh, and the other is spiritual, from the Spirit. He continues: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, because it is born of the flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit, because the Spirit is God.” Follow the entire passage, and you’ll see that God has addressed your wrongdoing by providing a complete explanation.: “Don’t be surprised”, He says, “that I said you must be born again. The Spirit moves as He chooses; you hear His voice but don’t know where He comes from or where He is going. In the same way, everyone who is born of the Spirit is like this.”

⁶ Who is the person born of the Spirit and made Spirit, if not one who is renewed in the Spirit of their mind? This is indeed the person who is regenerated through both water and the Holy Spirit, as we receive the promise of eternal life through the process of regeneration and the renewal provided by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter also refers to this when he says, “You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So, who is baptized with the Holy Spirit if not someone who is born again through both water and the Holy Spirit? This is why Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, they cannot enter the kingdom of God.” In this way, He explained that we are born of the Holy Spirit in the same way that we are born of water. I rely on these scriptures rather than on mere arguments.

⁷ I ask, if it is clear that we are born again by the Holy Spirit, why should there be any doubt that we are born of the Holy Spirit? After all, Jesus Himself was both born and reborn through the Holy Spirit. If you acknowledge that He was born of the Holy Spirit—something you cannot deny—yet deny that He was reborn, it is inconsistent to accept what is divine and reject what is human. This situation is similar to what was said to the Jews: “If I told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

⁸ In the Greek text, the passage does not say “through the Spirit,” but rather “of the Spirit.” It reads: ἀμήν, ἀμήν, λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μὴ τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, which translates as “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit.” Since the phrase indicates that what is born of the Spirit is described as being “of the Spirit,” it follows that the Holy Spirit is indeed God, as the scripture affirms that “the Spirit is God.”

⁹ The same Evangelist clarifies that he is referring to the Holy Spirit by saying elsewhere: “Jesus Christ came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit testifies, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three witnesses: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three are one.”

¹⁰ Consider how these elements serve as evidence: The Spirit transforms our minds, the water purifies us, and the blood signifies the cost. The Spirit has made us children through adoption, the water of baptism has cleansed us, and the Lord’s blood has redeemed us. Thus, we receive both an invisible and visible sign through this spiritual sacrament, for “the Spirit Himself bears witness to our spirit”. While each element fully represents the sacrament, they each have a distinct role; where there is a distinction in role, there is no equality in the witness given.

Chapter 11 #

¹ Consider this: In a later part of the same book, the Lord refers to God as Spirit, specifically mentioning God the Father. The Gospel says: “The time is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in Spirit and truth.” From this passage, you might argue not only against the divinity of the Holy Spirit but also suggest that, since God is worshipped in Spirit, the Spirit is somehow subordinate.

² To address this, I’ll point out that “Spirit” often refers to the grace granted by the Spirit. For example, the Apostle says, “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be expressed,” which means the grace of the Spirit, unless you’ve somehow heard these groanings directly from the Holy Spirit. So, when it says that God is worshipped in Spirit and truth, it’s not implying worship from a wicked heart but rather through the grace of the Spirit. Wisdom does not enter a malicious soul, and no one can truly call Jesus Lord except through the Holy Spirit. The Apostle continues, “Now there are varieties of gifts,” highlighting the different ways the Spirit works.

³ This concept doesn’t relate to the fullness or division of the Spirit, as neither the human mind can grasp the Spirit’s fullness nor is the Spirit divided into parts. Instead, the Spirit bestows the gift of spiritual grace upon the soul, enabling worship of God both in Spirit and in truth. No one can truly worship God unless they embrace the truth of His divine nature with sincere devotion. Likewise, one does not grasp Christ or the Holy Spirit in a personal, limited sense, but rather through their spiritual essence and presence.

⁴ If you interpret this as referring to Christ and the Spirit in a personal sense, then worshiping God in truth is akin to worshiping Him in Spirit. Thus, there would be an implied subjection, which is unacceptable to believe, suggesting the Son is not worshiped. Alternatively, and correctly, it indicates a shared grace of unity, meaning the Spirit is worshiped just as the Father and the Son are.

⁵ Let’s address and resolve the misguided arguments of the Arians. They claim that the Spirit should not be worshipped because God is worshipped in Spirit. By their logic, they should also argue that Truth should not be worshipped because God is worshipped in truth. Although there are many truths, as it is said, “Truths are diminished from the sons of men,” these truths come from the Divine Truth, which is Christ Himself, who declared, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” If they understand Truth in this context as referring to Christ, then they should also recognize the grace of the Spirit, and there would be no issue; or, if they accept Christ as the Truth, they must also deny that He is to be worshipped.

⁶ They are contradicted by the actions of the faithful and by the teachings of Scripture. Mary worshipped Christ, which is why she was chosen to be the first to announce His resurrection to the apostles, breaking the longstanding curse and correcting the profound wrongs associated with womanhood. The Lord did this with deep significance: where sin had greatly increased, grace would abound even more. It is fitting that a woman, who first brought the message of sin to man, should also be the one to bring the message of the Lord’s grace.

⁷ The apostles worshipped, and therefore those who testified to the faith were given authority over it. Similarly, the angels worshipped, as it is written, “Let all His angels worship Him.”

⁸ They worship not only His divine nature but also His footstool, as it is written, “Worship His footstool, for it is holy.” If they claim that the mysteries of Christ’s Incarnation should not be worshipped, despite revealing aspects of His divine nature and the presence of the Heavenly Word, let them consider that the apostles worshipped Him when He rose again, glorified in His Flesh.

⁹ So, if worshiping God through Christ doesn’t take away from Christ’s role—since Christ is also worshiped—then worshiping God through the Spirit doesn’t diminish the Spirit’s role either, because the Spirit is also worshiped. As the Apostle says, “We serve the Spirit of God,” which means that serving is also a form of worship. This aligns with what was said earlier: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

¹⁰ To address any potential confusion about the example we’ve used, let’s explore the meaning of the prophet’s instruction to “Worship His Footstool.” This doesn’t imply that God has a physical body or that He needs a literal footstool, as God is beyond physical limitations. According to scripture, only God is to be worshiped, as stated: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” Given this, it seems contradictory for the prophet, who was well-versed in the Law, to suggest something contrary to the Law. Therefore, it’s important to understand what “footstool” really means. We also read elsewhere that “The heaven is My throne, and the earth is the footstool of My feet.” However, we don’t worship the earth, as it is a creation of God.

¹¹ Let’s consider whether the prophet does not say that earth should be worshipped, which the Lord Jesus took upon Him by taking on human flesh. Here, “footstool” is understood as the earth, and the earth represents the Flesh of Christ, which we continue to honor in our rituals today. The apostles also honored this same Flesh in the Lord Jesus. Christ is unified and undivided; honoring Him as the Son of God does not negate His birth from the Virgin. Since the mystery of the Incarnation is worthy of reverence, and since the Incarnation was brought about by the Holy Spirit—just as it is written, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”—it follows that the Holy Spirit should also be honored, as the one born of the Holy Spirit is venerated.

¹² Let’s be clear: this should not be redirected to the Virgin Mary. Mary was a sacred vessel for God, but she is not the deity worshipped in the temple. Therefore, only God Himself, who worked through His temple, is to be worshipped.

¹³ This doesn’t undermine our argument that God is worshipped in Spirit, as the Spirit is also to be honored. If we look at the words themselves, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit represent the unity of the same divine power. What does it mean to worship “in Spirit and in truth”? If this isn’t about the grace of the Spirit or the true faith of the heart, but rather about individual persons (assuming “person” is an appropriate term for the Divine Majesty), then it must refer to both Christ and the Spirit.

¹⁴ When we say that the Father is worshipped in Christ, it means that the Father is present in Christ, speaks through Christ, and dwells in Christ. This doesn’t imply a physical presence or a confusing mixture, but rather a unity of divine essence—God in God, Light in Light, as the eternal Father is in the co-eternal Son. This unity of divine power means that Christ is honored together with the Father when we worship God the Father in Christ. Similarly, through the same unity of divine power, the Spirit is honored along with God when we worship God in the Spirit.

¹⁵ Let’s dive deeper into the meaning of these words and expressions, and figure out their true significance by looking at other passages. It’s been said that everything was made with wisdom. Does this mean that wisdom wasn’t involved in creation? But we know that everything was made through Him. David also says that the heavens were created by the Word of the Lord. So, the one who calls the Son of God the creator of even the heavenly realms is also making it clear that everything was created through the Son. This shows that in renewing His works, He does not separate the Son from the Father but rather unites them.

¹⁶ Paul also says that everything in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible, was created in Christ. Does this mean that when he says “in Him,” he’s denying that all things were made through Him? Absolutely not. He affirms it. Elsewhere, he states: “One Lord Jesus, through whom all things came into being.” So, when he uses “through Him,” he’s not contradicting the idea that all things were made “in Him.” The terms “in Him” and “through Him” essentially mean the same thing—they point to Christ being central and consistent in all respects. Paul makes this clear when he says that everything was created both “through Him” and “in Him.” This shows that in Christ, the phrases “with Him,” “through Him,” and “in Him” are interchangeable. As Scripture states, everything was made through and in Him.

¹⁷ Understand also that the Father was with the Son, and the Son was with the Father, during the creation of all things. Wisdom says, “When He was preparing the heavens, I was with Him; when He was making the fountains of waters.” In the Old Testament, when God said, “Let Us make,” it indicated that the Son was to be honored alongside the Father as the Creator. Just as things are said to be created “in the Son,” acknowledging the Son as the Creator, so too, when God is worshipped in truth, it implies that the Son is also worshipped in the same way. Similarly, the Spirit is worshipped because God is worshipped in Spirit. Thus, the Father is worshipped together with the Son and the Spirit because the Trinity is to be honored.

Chapter 12 #

¹ Is there anyone who denies that the Godhead of the eternal Trinity deserves worship? The Scriptures affirm the incomprehensible Majesty of the Divine Trinity. As the Apostle puts it, “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

² The apostles truly witnessed this glory when Jesus was transfigured on the mount and shone with the radiance of His divine nature. The apostles saw it and fell on their faces. Don’t you think they were, in that moment, worshipping, unable to endure the overwhelming brilliance of divine light with their mortal eyes? The intensity of eternal glory must have overwhelmed their senses. What else could they have said, other than, “Come, let us worship and bow down before Him”? For God has shone in our hearts to reveal the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

³ So, who is it that shined to make the knowledge of God known in the face of Jesus Christ? The passage says, “God shined to reveal the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Who else could this be but the Spirit made manifest? It is only the Holy Spirit to whom the power of the Godhead can be attributed. If someone excludes the Spirit, they must then introduce another entity who, along with the Father and the Son, can share in the glory of the Godhead.

⁴ Let’s revisit the passage: “It is God who shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Here, Christ is clearly presented. If it is said that the glory which gives light is that of the Spirit, then God Himself is being referred to, since it speaks of the glory of God. If this refers to the Father, then it must be understood that the one who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” and who shines in our hearts, is the Holy Spirit, for we cannot honor anyone else alongside the Father and the Son. Therefore, if you acknowledge the Spirit in this context, then you must also recognize the Spirit as God, as the Apostle has identified Him. Thus, it is essential for you to confess the Godhead of the Spirit, which you now deny.

⁵ How can you so boldly deny this when you’ve read that the Holy Spirit has a temple? It is written: “You are the temple of God, and the Holy Spirit dwells in you.” God has a temple, but a mere creature does not have a true temple. However, the Spirit who lives within us does have a temple. As it says: “Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.”

⁶ But the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell in the temple as a priest or minister; He dwells there as God. As the Lord Jesus said, “I will dwell in them, and walk among them, and be their God, and they will be My people.” David also says, “The Lord is in His holy temple.” So the Spirit dwells in this holy temple just like the Father and the Son do. Jesus said, “I and the Father will come and make Our home with him.”

⁷ The Father resides in us through the Spirit that He has given us. How could different natures coexist in this way if it were not possible? Yet, the Spirit lives in harmony with both the Father and the Son. This is why the Apostle connects the Communion of the Holy Spirit with the grace of Jesus Christ and the love of God, saying: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

⁸ We see that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all dwell in the same [person] through their shared divine nature. Thus, the one who dwells in the temple has divine power. Just as the Father and the Son are present, so too are we the temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s not multiple temples but one temple, because it belongs to one divine Power.

Chapter 13 #

¹ What are you afraid of? Is it that you’re worried about creating confusion about the nature of God? You shouldn’t be concerned. When we talk about God as a single entity, we’re referring to one God. Even if we say that the Son is God, it doesn’t mean there are two Gods. If, when you acknowledge the divinity of the Spirit, you think it implies there are three Gods, then by the same logic, acknowledging the divinity of the Son would mean there are two Gods. So, according to your view, if you believe that “God” refers to one person rather than one nature, you either have to say there are two Gods or deny that the Son is God.

² Let’s clear up any misunderstanding, though we won’t excuse any errors. We believe that there is one God, and this means there is one divine essence and one unified power. Just as we acknowledge one God by recognizing the Father and do not deny the Son’s divine nature, we also include the Holy Spirit within this unity. We do not claim there are three Gods, because what creates plurality is division of power, not unity. Unity in the divine nature cannot accommodate plurality, as plurality involves numbers, and the divine nature transcends numerical distinctions.

Chapter 14 #

¹ God is One, without diminishing the majesty of the eternal Trinity, as the example we’ve discussed shows. The Trinity is evident not only in this example but also in many other places, as we’ve mentioned before. Notably, the Apostle Paul clearly outlines the divinity and authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in his letters to the Thessalonians. For instance, he writes: “May the Lord make you increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as we do for you. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes.”

² So, who is the Lord that causes us to grow and overflow with love before God and our Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus? The Apostle has mentioned both the Father and the Son. The only one left to join with them is the Spirit. The Lord who strengthens our hearts in holiness must be the Spirit, since holiness is a gift of the Spirit. This is further supported by the Apostle’s statement: “In holiness of the Spirit and belief in the truth.”

³ So, who do you think is being referred to as “Lord” here, if not the Spirit? Hasn’t God the Father also made this clear, saying: “The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit”? The Spirit descended in the form of a dove to both witness to His wisdom and complete the sacrament of baptism, demonstrating that His work is in perfect unity with that of the Father and the Son.

⁴ To ensure you don’t think the Apostle overlooked anything, he deliberately and intentionally referred to the Spirit as “Lord,” being inspired by the Spirit Himself. This is confirmed in his second letter to the Thessalonians, where he says: “May the Lord direct your hearts in the love of God and the patience of Christ.” If love comes from God and patience comes from Christ, then the Lord who directs our hearts must be the Holy Spirit. Denying this would mean denying that the Spirit is the one guiding us.

⁵ We can’t deny it, because the Lord said of the Spirit: “I have much more to tell you, but you can’t handle it now. However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” Additionally, David speaks of the Spirit when he says: “Your good Spirit will lead me along the right path.”

⁶ Consider what the Lord said about the Holy Spirit. When the Son of God came, He pointed out that, because the Spirit had not yet been given, we were like children in our spiritual understanding. He spoke of the Spirit coming to transform us from these spiritual children into mature believers. This wasn’t just to highlight the power of the Spirit, but to demonstrate that true spiritual strength comes from a full understanding of the Trinity.

⁷ You need to either acknowledge another person besides the Spirit, or make it clear that you only recognize the Spirit as the true Lord.

⁸ If you need a clear statement from Scripture about the Spirit being called Lord, you’ll find it in the passage: “Now the Lord is the Spirit.” The context of the entire passage makes it clear that this refers to the Holy Spirit. Consider the apostle’s words: “Whenever Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts; but when they turn to the Lord, the veil is removed.” And remember, “The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

⁹ Not only does Scripture refer to the Spirit as Lord, but it also adds that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit”. In other words, we who have turned to the Lord and gained spiritual insight through the Scriptures are being transformed from the glory that led us to the Lord to a higher, heavenly glory. Since we are converted to the Lord, and the Lord who renews us is the Spirit, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is being referenced here. After all, the Spirit who renews us must be the same one who receives us; it wouldn’t make sense for someone to renew those whom they haven’t accepted.

¹⁰ Why should we focus on specific wording when we can see the unity in the concept? Even if you distinguish between the Lord and the Spirit, you can’t deny that wherever the Lord is, the Spirit is also present. Anyone who is converted to the Lord is also converted to the Spirit. If you challenge the literal interpretation, you can’t disrupt the unity of the concept. And if you try to separate the unity, you end up acknowledging that the Spirit is indeed the powerful Lord.

Chapter 15 #

¹ You might ask: If I refer to the Spirit as Lord, am I implying there are three Lords? And if I call the Son Lord, does that mean I’m either denying the Son or claiming there are two Lords? Absolutely not. The Son Himself said, “You cannot serve two masters.” He didn’t deny Himself or the Father as Lord. He referred to the Father as Lord when He said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” And He called Himself Lord in the Gospel, saying, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and that’s right because I am.” He wasn’t talking about two separate Lords. He emphasized that there is only one Lord, as He clarified by saying, “You cannot serve two masters.” Since the Lordship is singular, with the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father, there is only one Lord.

² This was also the teaching of the Law: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” This means that God is unchanging, always unified in His power, and consistent without any increase or decrease. That’s why Moses referred to Him as One, even though he also spoke of the Lord sending fire from the Lord. Similarly, the Apostle says, “May the Lord grant him mercy from the Lord.” In both cases, the Lord is not divided when He acts or grants mercy. The unity of His Lordship remains intact in every action.

³ In the Psalms, you find the phrase: “The Lord said to my Lord.” This doesn’t mean that the Father is not the Lord of the Son; rather, it emphasizes that the Son is indeed the Lord of the prophet. Jesus pointed this out in the Gospel when He asked, “If David, in the Spirit, calls Him Lord, how can He be his Son?” It’s David, not the Spirit, who calls the Son Lord through the Spirit. If someone were to claim that the Spirit is calling the Son Lord, they would also, by that logic, have to claim that the Son is the Son of the Spirit, which is clearly not the case.

⁴ Just as we don’t say there are two Lords when we refer to both the Father and the Son as Lord, we also don’t say there are three Lords when we acknowledge the Spirit as Lord. Claiming there are three Lords or three Gods is just as wrong as saying there are two Lords or two Gods. There is only one God, one Lord, and one Holy Spirit. The essence of God and the essence of Lordship are unified: if something is God, it is Lord, and if it is Lord, it is God. The Godhead and the Lordship are inseparable.

⁵ Finally, you see that the Father is both Lord and God: “O Lord my God, I will call upon You, hear me.” You also see that the Son is both Lord and God, as Thomas declared after touching Christ’s side, saying, “My Lord and my God.” Just as the Father is both God and Lord, so the Son is both God and Lord. The titles and roles shift from one to the other, but the divine nature remains constant and unchanged. The distinctions are not just roles or honors bestowed, but are expressions of the inherent, unchanging divine nature and unity. Each has its unique role, yet their essential properties are united in a single divine essence.

Chapter 16 #

¹ So, the Father is holy, the Son is holy, and the Spirit is holy, but they are not three separate holies; there is only one Holy God, one Lord. True holiness is singular, just like the true nature of God is one, and this true holiness inherent in the Divine Nature is also one.

² Everything we consider holy reflects this one true Holiness. The Cherubim and Seraphim, with their endless voices, praise Him, saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth.” They repeat it three times, not just once, to show that there isn’t only one aspect of holiness; not twice, to include the Spirit; and not in the plural, to avoid suggesting multiple gods. By repeating the word three times, they reveal the distinction of Persons within the Trinity while affirming the unity of the Godhead, thus proclaiming God.

³ We find nothing more fitting to proclaim God’s greatness than calling Him holy. Everything else seems inadequate for God, too lowly for the Lord. Therefore, consider whether it’s appropriate to diminish the honor of the Holy Spirit, whose name itself is a praise to God. Just as the Father is praised and the Son is praised in the same way, so too is the Spirit named and honored. The Seraphim and all the blessed beings offer their praise by calling God holy, the Son holy, and the Spirit holy.

⁴ How can He not possess all that belongs to God when He is named alongside the Father and the Son in baptism by priests, invoked in offerings, praised by the Seraphim in heaven with the Father and the Son, dwells in the Saints together with the Father and the Son, is poured out on the righteous, and provides inspiration to the prophets? That’s why in the divine Scriptures, everything is called θεόπνευστος (God-inspired), because what the Spirit has spoken is inspired by God.

⁵ If they refuse to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit has everything that belongs to God and can do all things, then let them specify what He lacks or what He cannot do. Just as the Son has everything and the Father willingly gives everything to the Son according to His nature—because, as Scripture says, “What My Father has given Me is greater than all”—so too, the Spirit possesses everything of Christ, as righteousness does not withhold anything.

⁶ If we pay close attention, we’ll see the unity of the Divine Power. Jesus says that what the Father has given Him is greater than anything else, and no one can take it away from the Father’s hand. He says, “I and the Father are one.” Since we have established that the Holy Spirit is the Father’s hand, and since the Father’s hand is also the Son’s hand (because the Spirit of the Father is also the Spirit of the Son), it follows that anyone who receives eternal life through this Trinity is secure. Such a person is not separated from the Father, nor from the Son, nor from the Spirit.

⁷ From the fact that the Father is said to have given to the Son, and that the Spirit receives from the Son—as noted in the statement, “He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you” (a statement that refers more to the Spirit’s role in distributing rather than to a limitation in Divine Power)—we can see that the Unity of the Godhead is revealed, rather than the necessity of a gift.

⁸ The Father gave by begetting, not by adopting; He gave what was inherent in the Divine Nature itself, not something added by His generosity. Because the Son, like the Father, brings people to Himself and gives life, He shows His equality with the Father in the unity of Power by saying, “I and the Father are One.” Here, “I and the Father” reveals their equality, while “are One” asserts their unity. Equality means there is no confusion between them, while unity means there is no separation. Equality differentiates the Father from the Son, but unity ensures that they are not divided.

⁹ When Jesus says, “I and the Father,” He rejects Sabellianism by indicating that He is distinct from the Father, while still being united with Him. He also counters Photinianism by affirming His unity with God the Father. By saying “I and the Father,” He refutes the Sabellians, who would deny the distinct persons within the Godhead. And by saying “are One,” He rejects the Arians, who would claim a hierarchical difference between the Father and the Son. In both expressions, Jesus addresses the errors of Sabellianism and Arianism: He asserts that “We are One [Substance],” not merely “One [Person],” and “I and the Father,” not the other way around. This is not a sign of rudeness but of careful teaching to prevent misunderstanding. Unity does not imply a specific order, and equality does not imply a hierarchy. Thus, it is fitting that the Son of God, who teaches with diligence, would avoid confusion and ensure clarity in His words.

Chapter 17 #

¹ It’s important to note where the Lord had this conversation, because the locations where He spoke often give us better insight into His messages. For instance, before fasting, He was led into the wilderness to resist the devil’s temptations. While living a moderate life amidst plenty is commendable, temptations are more frequent in the midst of wealth and pleasure. The tempter promised abundance to test Him, but the Lord chose to embrace hunger to overcome. I’m not saying that temperance can’t be maintained in wealth; however, just as a sailor is more at risk than someone who stays on land, those in the midst of riches face greater temptation.

² Let’s look at a few more details. When Jesus was about to promise the kingdom of heaven, He went up a mountain. On another occasion, He led His disciples through grain fields, preparing to plant heavenly teachings in their minds, aiming for a rich harvest of souls. When He was ready to complete His earthly mission and had perfected His disciples, whom He had grounded in His teachings, He entered a garden. There, He aimed to nurture the young olive trees in God’s house and to refresh the righteous, growing like palm trees and fruitful vines, with the flow of His Blood.

³ In this passage, Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Porch during the dedication. This symbolizes Christ walking in the hearts of the wise and discerning, dedicating their good intentions to Himself. The prophet also mentions this idea, saying: “I will walk in the midst of Your house with a pure heart.” So, within ourselves, we have the house of God, including the halls, porches, and courts. As it is written, “Let your waters flow freely in your courts.” Therefore, open the porch of your heart to the Word of God, who says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

⁴ Let us, then, listen to what the Word of God says, dwelling in the hearts of the wise and peaceful: “I and My Father are One.” He will not speak this truth within the hearts of the restless and foolish, for “the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.” The limited hearts of sinners cannot grasp the vastness of faith. Finally, when the Jews heard, “I and the Father are One,” they picked up stones to stone Him.

⁵ Anyone who cannot accept this truth is like a Jew; anyone who rejects it figuratively stones Christ with the stones of their treachery, which are harsher than any physical rock. Believe me, such a person wounds Christ. Although Christ can no longer suffer physical wounds—“For from now on, we no longer know Christ according to the flesh”—He, who delights in the love of the Church, is still wounded by the impiety of the Arians.

⁶ “The law of Your mouth, O Lord, is good to me; I keep Your commandments.” You Yourself declared that You are one with the Father. Because Peter believed this, he was given the keys to the kingdom of heaven and, without concern for himself, was able to forgive sins. Judas, however, because he did not believe, hanged himself with the rope of his own wickedness. Oh, the hard stones of unbelieving words! Oh, the disgraceful cord of the betrayer, and the even more loathsome price paid by the Jews! Oh, hateful money, with which either the righteous is bought for death or sold! Joseph was sold, and Jesus Christ was bought—one into slavery, the Other into death. Oh, detestable inheritance! Oh, fatal transaction, which either sells a brother into suffering or places a price on the Lord, the Redeemer of all, to destroy Him.

⁷ The Jews committed violence against two things that are supreme above all: faith and duty, and in both, they wronged Christ, the Author of faith and duty. For in the patriarch Joseph, there was a foreshadowing of Christ, and Christ Himself came in the reality of His flesh, “Who did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but took on the form of a servant.” He did this because of our fall, taking upon Himself the burden of servitude and not turning away from suffering.

⁸ In one account, the price is set at twenty pieces, while in another it’s thirty. How can we determine the true value of someone whose worth is beyond measure? The discrepancy in the price reveals a flaw in the inquiry itself. In the Old Testament, the price is twenty pieces of silver, and in the New Testament, it’s thirty. This reflects that the Truth surpasses the type, Grace is more generous than the Law, and the Presence of Christ is greater than the Law. The Law anticipated Christ’s Coming, and Christ’s Coming fulfilled the Law.

⁹ The Ishmaelites bought Joseph for twenty pieces of silver, while the Jews paid thirty for Jesus. This difference is significant. The faithless are often more generous with their iniquity than the faithful are with their salvation. However, it’s important to understand the nature of each transaction. Twenty pieces represent the price of a slave, while thirty pieces reflect the price of someone condemned to the Cross. Both the Incarnation and the Passion are extraordinary, but the true fulfillment of faith lies in the Mystery of the Passion. I hold the birth from the Virgin Mary in high regard, but I am even more grateful for the Mystery of the sacred Body. There’s nothing more merciful than forgiving those who wronged Him. Yet, it is even more remarkable that He, who could not die because He was God, chose to die for our sake, so that we might live through His Spirit.

¹⁰ It’s significant that Judas Iscariot valued the ointment at three hundred pence. This amount seems to symbolize the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross. Indeed, Jesus Himself said, “She poured this ointment on My body to prepare Me for burial.” Why did Judas assign such a high value to the ointment? Because forgiveness of sins is immensely valuable to those who are sinners, and the act of forgiveness is seen as precious. As it is written, “To whom much is forgiven, the same loves much.” Thus, even those who have sinned recognize and confess the grace of the Lord’s Passion. They bear witness to Christ, even if they have persecuted Him.

¹¹ Or because wisdom does not enter a malicious soul, the traitor’s evil nature led him to place a high value on the suffering of the Lord’s body. He did this to divert people from their faith by emphasizing the immense cost. Therefore, the Lord offered Himself without a price so that poverty would not prevent anyone from coming to Christ. The patriarchs sold Him for a low price so that everyone could afford Him. As Isaiah said, “You who have no money, come, buy and eat without money,” to reach those who had nothing. O traitor Judas, you appraise the ointment of His Passion at three hundred pence, yet you sell His Passion for thirty pence. Generous in appraisal, stingy in selling.

¹² So, not everyone buys Christ at the same price. Photinus, who buys Him for death, pays one price; the Arian, who buys Him to wrong Him, pays another; and the Catholic, who buys Him to glorify Him, pays yet another. However, he buys Him without money, as it is written: “He who has no money, let him buy without price.”

¹³ Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, says Christ. Although many call themselves Christians and use His name, not all will receive the reward. Both Cain offered a sacrifice, and Judas gave a kiss, but it was said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” This means you complete your wickedness with a gesture of affection, spread hatred with a symbol of peace, and bring about death with an outward sign of love.

¹⁴ Let the Arians not flatter themselves with the use of the name “Christian,” because they call themselves such. The Lord will respond to them: “You promote My Name but deny My Substance. I do not recognize My Name where My eternal Godhead is not acknowledged. That is not My Name which is divided from the Father and separated from the Spirit. I do not recognize My Name where I do not recognize My doctrine; I do not recognize My Name where I do not recognize My Spirit. For he does not understand that he is comparing the Spirit of the Father to those servants whom He created.” This point has already been discussed at length.

Chapter 18 #

¹ To sum up, and to clearly gather the arguments presented, the evident glory of the Godhead is proven by various arguments, especially by these four key points. God is known by these marks: that He is without sin, that He forgives sin, that He is not a creature but the Creator, and that He does not give but receives worship.

² So, no one is without sin except God alone, for only God is sinless. Likewise, no one can forgive sins except God alone, as it is written: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Only one who is not a creature can be the Creator of all, and one who is not a creature is undoubtedly God. As it is written: “They worshipped the creature rather than the Creator, who is God blessed forever.” Moreover, God does not worship but is worshipped, for it is written: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

³ Let’s consider whether the Holy Spirit possesses any attributes that confirm His divinity. First, let’s address the fact that only God is without sin, and challenge them to prove that the Holy Spirit has sin.

⁴ They cannot prove their point and instead demand proof from us, asking that we demonstrate through Scripture that the Holy Spirit has not sinned, just as it is written of the Son that He committed no sin. Let them understand that we rely on the authority of Scripture in our teaching, for it is written: “For in Wisdom is a spirit of understanding, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, undefiled.” If Scripture declares that the Spirit is undefiled, has it lied about the Son, that you would think it has lied about the Spirit? The prophet also says in the same passage about Wisdom that nothing impure enters into her. She is herself undefiled, and her Spirit is undefiled. Therefore, if the Spirit has not sinned, He is God.

⁵ But how could the Spirit be guilty of sin when He is the One who forgives sins? If He has committed no sin, then He is without sin and cannot be a mere creature. For every created being is subject to the possibility of sin, while only the eternal Godhead is free from sin and entirely undefiled.

⁶ Let’s now examine whether the Spirit forgives sins. There can be no doubt about this, since the Lord Himself said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whosever sins you forgive, they are forgiven.” This shows that sins are forgiven through the Holy Spirit. Men act as ministers for the forgiveness of sins, but they do not exercise this power on their own. They forgive sins not in their own name, but in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They ask, and the Godhead grants; the service is performed by man, but the gift comes from the Power on high.

⁷ It is clear that sin is forgiven through baptism, and in baptism, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all active. Since it is written, “Who can forgive sins except God alone?” it follows that the Spirit, who is inseparable from the unity of God’s nature, also shares in God’s power. If the Spirit shares in God’s power, how can He be separated from God’s name?

⁸ Let’s now determine whether the Spirit is a creature or the Creator. We have already clearly proven that He is the Creator, as it is written: “The Spirit of God Who has made me.” It has also been stated that the face of the earth is renewed by the Spirit, and that everything withers without the Spirit, making it clear that the Spirit is the Creator. Who can doubt this, especially since, as we have shown earlier, even the Lord’s birth from the Virgin, which surpasses all creation, involved the work of the Spirit?

⁹ Therefore, the Spirit is not a creature but the Creator. And since the Creator cannot be a creature, the Spirit, who creates all things together with the Father and the Son, is undoubtedly the Creator. The Apostle makes this clear when he condemns the Gentiles for serving the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, and by urging that the Holy Spirit should be served. This shows that the Spirit is the Creator and, being the Creator, should be called God. The Apostle further emphasizes this in his Epistle to the Hebrews, stating, “For He that created all things is God.” Thus, let them either identify something created without the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or acknowledge that the Spirit shares the same divine nature as the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ The writer also taught that the Spirit is to be worshipped, as He is called Lord and God. Since He is the God and Lord of the Universe, He is certainly to be worshipped by all. It is written: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

¹¹ Or let them point out where it is written that the Spirit worships. It is said of the Son of God: “Let all the Angels of God worship Him,” but we do not read, “Let the Spirit worship Him.” How can the Spirit worship when He is not among servants and ministers, but, along with the Father and the Son, has the service of the righteous under Him? For it is written: “We serve the Spirit of God.” Therefore, the Spirit is to be worshipped by us, as the Apostle taught that we must serve Him. Whom we serve, we also adore, as it is written: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

¹² The Apostle has not overlooked even this matter, ensuring that we are taught the Spirit is to be worshipped. Since we have shown that the Spirit is present in the prophets, there can be no doubt that prophecy is given through the Spirit. Clearly, when He who dwells in the prophets is worshipped, the Spirit Himself is also worshipped. Thus, we read: “If the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and someone unlearned or unbelieving enters, will they not say you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy, and an unlearned or unbelieving person comes in, they are convicted by all and judged by all. The secrets of their heart are revealed, and so they will fall on their face and worship God, declaring that God is truly among you.” Therefore, it is God who is worshipped, God who abides and speaks in the prophets. Since the Spirit abides and speaks in this way, the Spirit must also be worshipped.

Chapter 19 #

¹ Just as the Father and the Son are One, because the Son possesses everything that the Father has, the Spirit is also one with the Father and the Son, because He too knows all the things of God. The Spirit did not obtain this knowledge by force, so there is no question of anyone being deprived. He did not seize it, avoiding any appearance of theft. The Spirit did not take it out of necessity or overpower anyone; He possesses it through unity of power. Therefore, if the Spirit works all these things—because the same Spirit works all—how is He not God, having everything that God has?

² Let us consider if there is anything that God has which the Holy Spirit does not. God the Father has divinity, and the Son also has it, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells. The Spirit also has divinity, as it is written: “The Spirit of God is in my nostrils.”

³ God searches the hearts and minds, as it is written: “God searches the hearts and minds.” The Son also has this power, as He said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” for Jesus knew their thoughts. The Spirit has the same power, revealing to the prophets the secrets of others’ hearts, as mentioned before: “For the secrets of his heart are made manifest.” Why should we be surprised that the Spirit searches the hidden things of man, when He even searches the deep things of God?

⁴ God is inherently truthful, as it is written: “Let God be true and every man a liar.” Can the Spirit, who is called the Spirit of Truth, lie? We have shown that He is called the Truth, just as John also referred to Him, as well as the Son, as the Truth. David says in the psalm: “Send out Your light and Your truth; they have led me and brought me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacles.” If you interpret the Son as the light in this passage, then the Spirit is the Truth, or if you interpret the Son as the Truth, then the Spirit is the light.

⁵ God has a name that is above every other name, and He has given this name to His Son, as we read that every knee should bow at the name of Jesus. Let’s consider whether the Holy Spirit also has this name. It is written: “Go, baptize the nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, the Holy Spirit also has a name above every other name. What the Father and the Son have, the Holy Spirit also has, because they share the same divine nature.

⁶ It is God’s unique power to raise the dead. Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, the Son also gives life to whom He wills. The Holy Spirit, through whom God raises the dead, also gives life. As it is written: “He shall also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” To understand that this is not a minor gift, consider that the Spirit also raises the dead, as the prophet Ezekiel says: “Come, O Spirit, and breathe upon these dead, and they shall live. And I prophesied as He commanded me, and the Spirit of life entered into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great company.” Furthermore, God says: “You shall know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring My people out of their graves. I will give you My Spirit, and you shall live.”

⁷ When He spoke of His Spirit, did He refer to anyone other than the Holy Spirit? He would not have described His Spirit as being produced by blowing, nor could this Spirit come from the four corners of the world, since the winds we experience are partial and not universal; likewise, the spirit by which we live is individual, not universal. However, the Holy Spirit’s nature is to be both over all and in all. Therefore, from the prophet’s words, we can understand how the scattered framework of disjointed bones may come together again into the form of a revived body when the Spirit gives them life. The ashes can reunite with their respective limbs, driven by a disposition to come together before being reformed into the appearance of living beings.

⁸ Do we not, in the manner of these acts, recognize the oneness of the divine power? The Spirit raises the dead in the same way the Lord did during His Passion, when, in an instant, the graves of the dead were opened, and the living bodies rose from the tombs. The smell of death was replaced by the scent of life, and the ashes of the deceased regained the likeness of the living.

⁹ Therefore, the Spirit possesses what Christ possesses, and consequently what God possesses, because everything the Father has belongs to the Son. This is why He said: “Everything the Father has is Mine.”

Chapter 20 #

¹ Furthermore, it is significant that we read about a river flowing from the throne of God. The Evangelist John describes this in his words: “And He showed me a river of living water, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of the street, and on either side, was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of all nations.”

² This river flowing from the throne of God is undoubtedly the Holy Spirit. The one who believes in Christ drinks from it, as Jesus Himself said: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” He was speaking about the Spirit. Therefore, the river represents the Spirit.

³ This, then, is within the throne of God, as the water does not cleanse the throne of God itself. Whatever interpretation you have for that water, David did not say it was above the throne of God, but rather above the heavens. As it is written: “Let the waters above the heavens praise the Name of the Lord.” He says “Let them praise,” not “let it praise.” If he meant the element of water, he would have said “Let it praise,” but by using the plural, he intended for us to understand that he was referring to the Powers.

⁴ It is no wonder that the Holy Spirit is in the throne of God, since The kingdom of God itself is the work of the Holy Spirit. As it is written: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” When the Savior Himself says, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be destroyed,” by adding, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you,” He shows that the kingdom of God is unified and upheld by both Himself and the Spirit.

⁵ It is truly foolish to deny that the Holy Spirit reigns alongside Christ, especially when the Apostle teaches that we too will reign with Christ in His kingdom. As it is written: “If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him.” We will reign by adoption, through grace, while Christ reigns by His divine power and nature.

⁶ The Holy Spirit, therefore, shares in the kingdom with the Father and the Son, and He is of one nature with Them, of one Lordship, and also of one power.

Chapter 21 #

¹ Since the Holy Spirit is part of the kingdom alongside the Father and the Son, why should we question that it was the Holy Spirit who sent Isaiah? Paul’s authority confirms this, as the Evangelist Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, supports Paul’s view. Luke writes: “The Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah the prophet to our ancestors, saying: ‘You will hear but not understand; you will see but not perceive.’”

² So, if it was the Holy Spirit who sent Isaiah, then it must have been the Spirit whom Isaiah saw after Uzziah’s death. Isaiah described his vision: “I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high and exalted throne, and the temple was filled with His glory. Seraphim stood above Him, each with six wings—two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and with two they were flying. They called to each other, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.’”

³ If the Seraphim were standing, how could they be flying? And if they were flying, how could they be standing? If we struggle to grasp these details, how can we expect to fully understand God, whom we have never seen?

⁴ The prophet’s vision of a wheel within a wheel doesn’t refer to a physical sight but rather symbolizes the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. The lives of the saints are so harmonious that the later parts align perfectly with the earlier ones. In this vision, the wheel within a wheel represents life under the Law and life under grace. Since Jews are part of the Church, the Law is encompassed by grace. A true Jew is someone who is spiritually connected to the Church, and the circumcision of the heart is a sacrament practiced within the Church. The scripture says, “In Jewry is God known,” indicating that, just as the wheels turn within one another, so too the wings were both still and in motion.

⁵ Similarly, the Seraphim use two wings to cover their faces, two to cover their feet, and two to fly. This symbolizes a deep spiritual truth: time has different aspects. The past remains static, the future is in motion, and the present moment is fleeting. Just as the Seraphim’s wings cover God’s face and feet, so do the past and future envelop our understanding of God. In God’s eternal existence, without beginning or end, all time—past and future—rests in a state of completeness. Therefore, the past and future are fixed, while the present constantly moves. Instead of delving into the mysteries of God’s beginning or end, which are beyond our grasp, focus on the present moment and offer praise rather than seeking answers.

⁶ The Seraphim, with their unending praise, remind us that our role is to constantly praise God rather than question Him. Their perpetual worship is an example for us, illustrating that our focus should be on giving thanks rather than seeking answers. Thus, the Holy Spirit is also recognized as the Lord of Hosts. If anyone disputes this, they might reject the teachings of Christ’s chosen Teacher or deny that the Holy Spirit, who grants all powers according to His will, is indeed the Lord of powers.

Chapter 22 #

¹ It is now possible to understand the unity of majesty and authority within the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Some suggest that it was God the Father whom Isaiah saw, while Paul, supported by Luke, attributes this vision to the Holy Spirit. John the Evangelist, however, refers to the Son in his account. John writes: “When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, in case they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.”

² John says Isaiah spoke these words and made it clear that he saw the Son’s glory. Paul, on the other hand, attributes these statements to the Spirit. So, where does this difference come from?

³ There is indeed a difference in wording, but not in meaning. Although John and Paul use different expressions, neither is mistaken. The Father is seen in the Son, as Jesus said, “Whoever sees Me sees the Father.” Similarly, the Son is perceived through the Spirit, since no one can declare Jesus as Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Christ is not seen with physical eyes but through the Spirit’s grace. This is reflected in Scripture, which says, “Wake up, you who sleep; rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Even Paul, when he lost his sight, saw Christ only through the Spirit. The Lord Himself said, “I have appeared to you to appoint you as a minister and a witness of both what you have seen of Me and what you will see of Me.” The prophets, too, received the Spirit and saw Christ.

⁴ So, there is one vision, one authority, and one glory. Can we deny that the Holy Spirit is also the Lord of glory when the Lord of glory, who was crucified and born of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, is Christ? Christ is not two separate entities but one. He was born as the Son of God from the Father before the world began, and in the world, He was born as a man by taking on human flesh.

⁵ Why should I assert that, just like the Father and the Son, the Spirit is also pure and Almighty? Solomon described the Spirit in Greek as παντοδύναμον (Almighty) and πᾶνέπίσχοπον (All-seeing), indicating that the Spirit is indeed all-powerful and observes everything, as demonstrated in the Book of Wisdom. Therefore, the Spirit also shares in honor and glory.

⁶ Consider this: if you believe there is something inappropriate about Him, or if this offends you, O Arian, feel free to remove Him from His unity with the Father and the Son. However, if you choose to do so, you will find the heavens turned upside down, as all their power comes from the Spirit. To remove Him, you would first have to touch God, for the Spirit is God. But how can you possibly bring down One who searches the profound mysteries of God?