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A Sectional Confession of Faith

Gregory Thaumaturgus

Section 5

About this work

Author: Gregory Thaumaturgus

V.

Again, when one speaks of the Holy

‹ Section 4 Section 6 ›

Spirit

as

an

object

made

holy

,

he

will

no

longer

be

able

to

apprehend

all

things

as

being

sanctified

in

(

the

)

Spirit

.

For

he

who

has

sanctified

one

,

sanctifies

all

things

.

That

man

,

consequently

,

belies

the

fountain

of

sanctification

,

the

Holy

Spirit

,

who

denudes

Him

of

the

power

of

sanctifying

,

and

he

will

thus

be

precluded

from

numbering

Him

with

the

Father

and

the

Son

;

he

makes

nought

,

too

,

of

the

holy

(

ordinance

of

)

baptism

,

and

will

no

more

be

able

to

acknowledge

the

holy

and

august

Trinity

.

For

either

we

must

apprehend

the

perfect

Trinity

in

its

natural

and

genuine

glory

,

or

we

shall

be

under

the

necessity

of

speaking

no

more

of

a

Trinity

,

but

only

of

a

Unity

;

or

else

,

not

numbering

created

objects

with

the

Creator

,

nor

the

creatures

with

the

Lord

of

all

,

we

must

also

not

number

what

is

sanctified

with

what

sanctifies

;

even

as

no

object

that

is

made

can

be

numbered

with

the

Trinity

,

but

in

the

name

of

the

Holy

Trinity

baptism

and

invocation

and

worship

are

administered

.

For

if

there

are

three

several

glories

,

there

must

also

be

three

several

forms

of

cultus

with

those

who

impiously

worship

the

creature

;

for

if

there

is

a

distinction

in

the

nature

of

the

objects

worshipped

,

there

ought

to

be

also

with

these

men

a

distinction

in

the

nature

of

the

worship

offered

.

What

is

recent

surely

is

not

to

be

worshipped

along

with

what

is

eternal

;

for

the

recent

comprehends

all

that

has

had

a

beginning

,

while

mighty

and

measureless

is

He

who

is

before

the

ages

.

He

,

therefore

,

who

supposes

some

beginning

of

times

in

the

life

of

the

Son

and

of

the

Holy

Spirit

,

therewith

also

cuts

off

any

possibility

of

numbering

the

Son

and

the

Spirit

with

the

Father

.

For

as

we

acknowledge

the

glory

to

be

one

,

so

ought

we

also

to

acknowledge

the

substance

in

the

Godhead

to

be

one

,

and

one

also

the

eternity

of

the

Trinity

.

Notes

1
ἡγιασμένον ποίημα.
2
Trias. [See vol. ii. p. 101.]
3
Trias. [See vol. ii. p. 101.]
4
Monas.
5
συναριθμεῖν.
6
τὰ πρόσφατα.