NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works - Holy Bible Institute

Against those who assert that the Spirit ought not to be glorified.bounds in the extravagance of the honour we pay? Shall we not rather fear lest, even thoughwe seem to give Him the highest names which the thoughts of man can conceive or man’stongue utter, we let our thoughts about Him fall too low?It is the Spirit which says, as the Lord says, “Get thee down, and go with them, doubtingnothing: for I have sent them.” 1134 Are these the words of an inferior, or of one in dread?“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” 1135 Does aslave speak thus? And Isaiah, “The Lord God and His Spirit hath sent me,” 1136 and “theSpirit came down from the Lord and guided them.” 1137 And pray do not again understandby this guidance some humble service, for the Word witnesses that it was the work ofGod;—“Thou leddest thy people,” it is said “like a flock,” 1138 and “Thou that leadest Josephlike a flock,” 1139 and “He led them on safely, so that they feared not.” 1140 Thus when youhear that when the Comforter is come, He will put you in remembrance, and “guide youinto all truth,” 1141 do not misrepresent the meaning.50. But, it is said that “He maketh intercession for us.” 1142 It follows then that, as thesuppliant is inferior to the benefactor, so far is the Spirit inferior in dignity to God. But1134 Acts x. 20.1135 Acts xiii. 2.1136 Isa. xlviii. 16. Mr. C. F. Johnston remarks: “In Isaiah xlviii. 16 St. Didymus, as translated by St. Jerome,gives Spiritum suum. The Targum has the same. St. Ambrose writes: ‘Quis est qui dicit; misit me Dominus Deuset Spiritus Ejus; nisi Qui venit a Patre, ut salvos faceret peccatores? Quem ut audis, et Spiritus misit; ne cum legisquia Filius Spiritum mittit, inferioris esse Spiritum crederes potestatis,’ (De Sp. S. iii. 1, § 7.) The passage is quotedby St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Cyril Hieros., and, as far as the editor is aware, without any comment whichwould help to determine their way of understanding the case of τὸ πνεῦμα; but Origen, on the words ‘Whosoevershall humble himself as this little child’ (Comm. in Evang., Matt. xiii. 18) says,—quoting the original, which maybe rendered, “‘humbling himself as this little child is imitating the Holy Spirit, who humbled Himself for men’ssalvation. That the Saviour and the Holy Ghost were sent by the Father for the salvation of men is made plainby Isaiah saying, in the person of the Saviour, ‘the Lord sent me, and His Spirit.’ It must be observed, however,that the phrase is ambiguous, for either God sent and the Holy Ghost also sent, the Saviour; or, as I understand,the Father sent both, the Saviour and the Holy Ghost.’” The Vulgate and Beza both render “Spiritus.” The orderof the Hebrew is in favour of the nominative, as in the Vulgate and lxx. cf. Note A on Chap. xlviii. of Isaiah inthe Speaker’s Commentary.1137 Is. lxii. 14, LXX.1138 Ps. lxxvii. 20.1139 Ps. lxxx. 1.1140 Ps. lxxviii. 53.1141 John xvi. 13. cf. xiv. 26.1142 Rom. viii. 26, 27.207