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

To Eupaterius and his daughter.To Eupaterius and his daughter. 2519Letter CLIX. 25181. You may well imagine what pleasure the letter of your excellencies gave me, if onlyfrom its very contents. What, indeed, could give greater gratification to one who prays everto be in communication with them who fear the Lord, and to share their blessings, than aletter of this kind, wherein questions are asked about the knowledge of God? For if, to me,“to live is Christ,” 2520 truly my words ought to be about Christ, my every thought and deedought to depend upon His commandments, and my soul to be fashioned after His. I rejoice,therefore, at being asked about such things, and congratulate the askers. By me, to speakshortly, the faith of the Fathers assembled at Nicæa is honoured before all later inventions.In it the Son is confessed to be con-substantial with the Father and to be naturally of thesame nature with Him who begat Him, for He was confessed to be Light of Light, God ofGod, and Good of Good, and the like. Both by those holy men the same doctrine was declared,and by me now who pray that I may walk in their footsteps.2. But since the question now raised by those who are always endeavouring to introducenovelties, but passed over in silence by the men of old, because the doctrine was nevergainsaid, has remained without full explanation (I mean that which concerns the HolyGhost) I will add a statement on this subject in conformity with the sense of Scripture. Aswe were baptized, so we profess our belief. As we profess our belief, so also we offer praise.As then baptism has been given us by the Saviour, in the name of the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Ghost, so, in accordance with our baptism, we make the confession of thecreed, and our doxology in accordance with our creed. We glorify the Holy Ghost togetherwith the Father and the Son, from the conviction that He is not separated from the DivineNature; for that which is foreign by nature does not share in the same honors. All who callthe Holy Ghost a creature we pity, on the ground that, by this utterance, they are falling intothe unpardonable sin of blasphemy against Him. I need use no argument to prove to thosewho are even slightly trained in Scripture, that the creature is separated from the Godhead.The creature is a slave; but the Spirit sets free. 2521 The creature needs life; the Spirit is theGiver of life. 2522 The creature requires teaching. It is the Spirit that teaches. 2523 The2518 Placed about 373.2519 On the Nicene Creed and the Holy Ghost.2520 Phil. i. 21.2521 cf. Rom. viii. 2.2522 John vi. 63.2523 John xiv. 26.613