(NOTE: The electronic text obtained from The Electronic Bible Society was
not completely corrected. EWTN has corrected all mistakes found.)


GREGORY THAUMATURGOS

ON THE TRINITY.
(Dubious or spurious)

[Translated by the Rev. S.D.F. Salmond, M.A.]

FRAGMENT FROM THE DISCOURSE.(1)

   GREGORY THAUMATURGUS, Bishop of Neo-Caesareia in Pontus,(2) near
successor of the apostles, in his discourse on the Trinity, speaks thus: --

   I see in all three essentials--substance, genus, name. We speak of man,
servant, curator (curatorem),--man, by reason of substance; servant, by
reason of genus or condition; curator, by reason of denomination. We speak
also of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: these, however, are not names which
have only supervened at some after period, but they are subsistences.
Again, the denomination of man is not in actual fact a denomination, but a
substance common to men, and is the denomination proper to all men.
Moreover, names are such as these,--Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob: these, I
say, are names. But the Divine Persons are names indeed: and the names are
still the persons; and the persons then signify that which is and
subsists,--which is the essence of God. The name also of the nature
signifies subsistence;(3) as if we should speak of the man. All (the
persons) are one nature, one essence, one will, and are called the Holy
Trinity; and these also are haines subsistent, one nature in three persons,
and one genus. But the person of the Son is composite in its oneness (unita
est), being one made up of two, that is, of divinity and humanity together,
which two constitute one. Yet the divinity does not consequently receive
any increment, but the Trinity remains as it was. Nor does anything new
befall the persons even or the names, but these are eternal and without
time. No one, however, was sufficient to know these until the Son being
made flesh manifested them, saying: "Father, I have manifested Thy name to
men; glorify Thou me also, that they may know me as Thy Son."(4) And on the
mount the Father spake, and said, "This is my beloved Son."(5) And the same
sent His Holy Spirit at the Jordan. And thus it was declared to us that
there is an Eternal Trinity in equal honour. Besides, the generation of the
Son by the Father is incomprehensible and ineffable; and because it is
spiritual, its investigation becomes impracticable: for a spiritual object
can neither be understood nor traced by a corporeal object, for that is far
removed from human nature. We men know indeed the generation proper to us,
as also that of other objects; but a spiritual matter is above human
condition, neither can it in any manner be understood by the minds of men.
Spiritual substance can neither perish nor be dissolved; ours, however, as
is easy to understand, perishes and is dissolved. How, indeed, could it be
possible for man, who is limited on six sides--by east, west, south, north,
deep, and sky--understand a matter which is above the skies, which is
beneath the deeps, which stretches beyond the north and south, and which is
present in every place, and fills all vacuity? But if, indeed, we are able
to scrutinize spiritual substance, its excellence truly would be undone.
Let us consider what is done in our body; and, furthermore, let us see
whether it is in our power to ascertain in what manner thoughts are born of
the heart, and words of the tongue, and the like. Now, if we can by no
means apprehend things that are done in ourselves, how could it ever be
that we should understand the mystery of the uncreated Creator, which goes
beyond every mind? Assuredly, if this mystery were one that could be
penetrated by man, the inspired John would by no means have affirmed this:
"No man hath seen God at any time."(6) He then, whom no man hath seen at
any time,--whom can we reckon Him to resemble, so that thereby we should
understand His generation? And we, indeed, without ambiguity apprehend that
our soul dwells in us in union with the body; but still, who has ever seen
his own soul? who has been able to discern its conjunction with his body?
This one thing is all we know certainly, that there is a soul within us
conjoined with the body. Thus, then, we reason and believe that the Word is
begotten by the Father, albeit we neither possess nor know the clear
rationale of the fact. The Word Himself is before every creature--eternal
froth the Eternal, like spring from spring, and light from light. The
vocable Word, indeed, belongs to those three genera of words which are
named in Scripture, and which are not substantial,--namely, the word
conceived,(1) the word uttered,(2) and the word articulated.(3) The word
conceived, certainly, is not substantial. The word uttered, again, is that
voice which the prophets hear from God, or the prophetic speech itself; and
even this is not substantial. And, lastly, the word articulated is the
speech of man formed forth in air (aere efformatus), composed of terms,
which also is not substantial.(4) But the Word of God is substantial,
endowed with an exalted and enduring nature, and is eternal with Himself,
and is inseparable from Him, and can never fall away, but shall remain in
an everlasting union. This Word created heaven and earth, and in Him were
all things made. He is the arm and the power of God, never to be separated
from the Father, in virtue of an indivisible nature, and, together with the
Father, He is without beginning. This Word took our substance of the Virgin
Mary; and in so far as He is spiritual indeed, He is indivisibly equal with
the Father; but in so far as He is corporeal, He is in like manner
inseparably equal with us. And, again, in so far as He is spiritual, He
supplies in the same equality (aequiparat) the Holy Spirit, inseparably and
without limit. Neither were there two natures, but only one nature of the
Holy Trinity before the incarnation of the Word, the Son; and the nature of
the Trinity remained one also after the incarnation of the Son. But if any
one, moreover, believes that any increment has been given to the Trinity by
reason of the assumption of humanity by the Word, he is an alien from us,
and from the ministry of the Catholic and Apostolic Church. This is the
perfect, holy, Apostolic faith of the holy God. Praise to the Holy Trinity
for ever through the ages of the ages. Amen.


Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published
by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland beginning in
1867. (ANF 6, Roberts and Donaldson). The digital version is by The
Electronic Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.

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