Gregory of Nazianzus De Spiritu Sancto (Orat. 31) 5

Arthur James Mason (Translator)

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De Spiritu Sancto (Orat. 31). Gregory of Nazianzus. Arthur James Mason (Translator). Germany. 2014.

Sponsored by University of Leipzig.

Funding provided by European Social Fund Saxony.

Current edition First1KGreek

De Spiritu Sancto (Orat. 31) (Greek) (Gregory of Nazianzus. The Five Theological Orations. Mason, Arthur James, translator. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1899.)

Notes on the current edition

De Spiritu Sancto (Orat. 31)

1. 4. 1 om τὸ ἄγιον cef2g || 1 τρια] + ἢν f || 4 θεότης εἰ μὴ τελεια] θεοτητος ἡμιτέλεια b : θεότητος εἰ μὴ τέλεια d : θεότης ἦ εἰ suprascr.) μὴ τέλεια c ||
δ’ av] ’δε c || 7 η γαρ] εἰ γὰρ dfg || η αγιοτης] om η e || 8 η αυτη] αὔτη ceg || 10 δίχα] + TOudfg || 11 ἄπο] + του ’duo Colb.’
2. 3. μηδὲ τὰ δύο θῆς ἄνω] ‘Ι veilture to tell you not to set the other two up ’ because it is useless and illogical to attempt it.
3. 4. εἰ μὴ τελεία] I retain this reading in the text, as it has most authority and makes good sense ; but I have little doubt that the true reading, which would account for the variants, is ἡ μὴ τελεία.
4. 6. μὴ τοῦτο ἔχουσα] By τοῦτο Gr. means the Holy Ghost.
5. 7. ἢ γὰρ ἄλλη τις] Besides the superior Ms. authority for ἢ, it accords better with the καἰ before ἤ τις, which would be unintelligible with εἰ. It is quite in ’s style to interpose the question with λαὶ before passing on to the second horn of the dilemma. ‘ Either the holiness of the Godhead is independent of the Holy Spirit, — and in that case I should like to be informed what it is supposed to be; or if ’ etc.
6. 10. μετ’ ἐμοῦ] in company with creatures like us.
7. 5. The Sadducees denied His existence. Some of the best Greek thinkers had glimpses of Him, but there was no agreement among them on the point. Christians likewise are divided. While some believe Him to be God, some think Him α Divine operation, or even α creature; some make nice distinctions between His nature and those of the Father and Son.
8. 14. μικρὸν ἄνωθεν] ‘a little farther back’; the same comparative use which we observed iu πόρρωθεν ii 2.
9. 15. διειλήφαμεν] ’ have discussed’; cp. iv 16.
10. 5, 9 οὐδέτερον] οὐδὲν ἕτερον f ΙΙ 11 πέρι αὐτοῦ] πέρι αὐτὸ c2 || 14 σοφὼ. τερῶν] σοφώτερον ’in nonnull.’
11. 1. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀγγ.] Acts xxiii 8. Gr.'s remark is not exactly logical γάρ) ; the denial of angels would not involve the denial of the Holy Spirit. It looks as if he had carelessly taken πνεῦμα in that passage to = ἅγιον πν.
12. 3. διαπτύσαντες] Cp. τοσαύτας Gr. prob. means, as De Billy interprets, tot ac tanta. id. Ἑλλήνων δὲ οἱ θ.] no doubt esp. Plato and Aristotle. If the actual expression νοῦς τοῦ παντός does not occur in Plato, the thought is there, and prob. the expression itself in some of the Neo- Platonists. The phrase τὸν θύραθεν νοῦν comes from Arist. de Gen. An. ii 3.
13. 5. διηνέχθησαν] ’’they differed,' i.e. from one another.
14. 6. τῶν δέ καθ’ ἤμ’. σ.] ‘of our own clever people,' as opp. to Ἑλλήνων. There is an ironical tone in σοφῶν, because, although orthodox divines are included in the phrase, Gr. is thinking most of the heretical doctors.
15. 11. μέσως πως...διακ.] ‘ hold a kind of neutral position with regard Him.’
16. 12. Βy τὰς 12. ἄχρι διανοίας] Like the μέχρι which has occurred several times in these Orations, ἄχρι means ‘in thought and no father.’ They have not the courage to express it.
17. 14. ἄλλων δὲ ἤ·κουσα] 1 1 have heard others, still cleverer, meting out Godfrequently head? It is not known whom he means.
18. 15. τὰ νοούμενα] ‘that our notion is that of three existences.’ The is used throughout to avoid undue handling of personal language.
19. 16. διέστησαν] 1st aor., ‘ they put them at such a distance from each other, as to make the first’ etc.