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

To the Cæsareans. A defence of his withdrawal, and concerning the faith.under Him.” 1838 Are you not afraid, sir, of God called unsubjected? For He makes thysubjection His own; and because of thy struggling against goodness He calls himself unsubjected.In this sense too He once spoke of Himself as persecuted—“Saul, Saul,” He says,“why persecutest thou me?” 1839 on the occasion when Saul was hurrying to Damascus witha desire to imprison the disciples. Again He calls Himself naked, when any one of hisbrethren is naked. “I was naked,” He says, “and ye clothed me;” 1840 and so when anotheris in prison He speaks of Himself as imprisoned, for He Himself took away our sins andbare our sicknesses. 1841 Now one of our infirmities is not being subject, and He bare this.So all the things which happen to us to our hurt He makes His own, taking upon Him oursufferings in His fellowship with us.9. But another passage is also seized by those who are fighting against God to the perversionof their hearers: I mean the words “The Son can do nothing of Himself.” 1842 Tome this saying too seems distinctly declaratory of the Son’s being of the same nature as theFather. For if every rational creature is able to do anything of himself, and the inclinationwhich each has to the worse and to the better is in his own power, but the Son can donothing of Himself, then the Son is not a creature. And if He is not a creature, then He isof one essence and substance with the Father. Again; no creature can do what he likes. Butthe Son does what He wills in heaven and in earth. Therefore the Son is not a creature.Again; all creatures are either constituted of contraries or receptive of contraries. But theSon is very righteousness, and immaterial. Therefore the Son is not a creature, and if He isnot a creature, He is of one essence and substance with the Father.10. This examination of the passages before us is, so far as my ability goes, sufficient.Now let us turn the discussion on those who attack the Holy Spirit, and cast down everyhigh thing of their intellect that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. 1843 You say thatthe Holy Ghost is a creature. And every creature is a servant of the Creator, for “all are thyservants.” 1844 If then He is a servant, His holiness is acquired; and everything of which theholiness is acquired is receptive of evil; but the Holy Ghost being holy in essence is called“fount of holiness.” 1845 Therefore the Holy Ghost is not a creature. If He is not a creature,1838 1 Cor. xv. 28. i.e. Because the Son then shall be subjected, He is previously ἀνυπότακτος, not as being“disobedient” (1 Tim. i. 9), or “unruly” (Tit. i. 6, 10), but as being made man, and humanity, though subjectunto Him, is not yet seen to be “put under Him” (Heb. ii. 8).1839 Acts ix. 4.1840 Matt. xxv. 36.1841 cf. Isa. liii. 4 and Matt. viii. 17.1842 John v. 19.1843 2 Cor. xi. 5.1844 Ps. xix. 91.1845 Rom. i. 4.381