6. The impious heretics in all cases sharpened their tongues against the Holy Spirit and dared to assert absurdities, as the narrator Irenaeus wrote in his writings against heresies. Some have dared to call themselves the Holy Spirit, of whom the first is Simon the sorcerer, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. He dared to teach these things after he had been rejected; and the so-called Gnostics, impious people, said other things about the Holy Spirit. The lawless Valentinians are again different; and the impious Manes dared to say that he himself was the Comforter sent by Christ. And others said that one Spirit was in the prophets, and another in the New Testament. Their error, or rather blasphemy, is manifold. Therefore, hate such and flee those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, for whom there is no remission. What fellowship do you have with the desperate, who now have to be baptized into the Holy Spirit? If he who associates with a thief and agrees with him is subject to punishment, then what can the one who offends the Holy Spirit expect?

7. Let the Marcionites also be hated, who destroyed in the New Testament the words quoted from the Old Testament. For the first godless Marcion, the first to admit three gods, and seeing that in the New Testament there were testimonies about Christ from the Prophets, he destroyed these testimonies of the Old Testament, in order to leave the King without witnesses. Let the aforesaid Gnostics, experts in name, but full of ignorance, who dare to say things about the Holy Spirit that I dare not say, be hated.

8. Let Catafrigi and Montanus, the chief of evil, and his two prophetesses, Maximilla and Priscilla, be hated. For this Montanus, mad and truly violent, he would not have said this if he had not been in a frenzy, dared to call himself the Holy Spirit, being a lowly man and full of all uncleanness and abomination. In order not to offend the chastity of the women who are here, it is enough to explain this by means of signs. Having occupied Pepusa, the smallest place in Phrygia, and falsely calling it Jerusalem, he slew there the unfortunate little children of women and broke them up into lawless food, under the pretext of what they called mysteries. For this reason, before, during the persecution, we were suspected of this; for these Montanists, though falsely, were called by the same name of Christians. A man full of all impiety and inhumanity dared to call himself the Holy Spirit, and he is subject to condemnation as unanswerable.

9. His companion was, as said before, the second most impious Manes, who gathered evil from all heresies. He, the last pit of perdition, having gathered together all the heretical teaching, composed a new lie and taught it. He dared to say that he was the Comforter, whom Christ had promised to send. But the Saviour, promising the Comforter, said to the Apostles: "But ye sit in the city of Jerusalem, until ye shall be clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Well? Did the Apostles, who had died two hundred years before, wait for Manes to be clothed with power? And who will dare to say that they have not been filled with the Holy Spirit during this time? And it is written that they then laid on their hands, and received the Spirit of Svatago (Acts 8:17). Was it not before Manes, and before many years, that this came to pass, when the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost?

10. Why was Simon the sorcerer condemned? Is it not because he came to the Apostles and said: "Give me also this power, that if I lay my hand on it, I will receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:19)? He did not say, "Give me also the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, but power, to sell to others what he cannot sell, and which he himself did not have." And He brought silver to those who are not covetous. He saw that those who brought the price of the sold possessions laid it at the feet of the Apostles; but he did not consider that those who trample under foot the wealth brought for the sustenance of the poor would not give for a price the power of the Holy Spirit. What do they say to Simon? Thy silver is with thee, let it be unto destruction, for thou hast not acquired the gift of God with silver (Acts 8:20). Thou art the second Judas; you thought that the gift of the Spirit could be sold for silver. If, then, Simon, who wanted to gain power for a price, perished, then how wicked was Manes, who called himself the Holy Spirit? Let us hate those who are worthy of hatred; let us turn away from those whom God abhors. Let us also say to God with all boldness about all heretics: "Do not they that hate Thee, O Lord, hate Thee, and about Thy enemies that are tormented" (Psalm 138:21)? For there is also good enmity, as it is written, for example: "And thou shalt put enmity between thee and thy seed" (Gen. 3:15). For love for the serpent produces enmity against God and death.

11. So this is what we had to say about the outcasts. Now let us turn to the Divine Scriptures, and let us drink water from our vessels (Proverbs 5:15), that is, from the Holy Fathers, and from our wells of the spring. Let us drink of the living water that flows into eternal life (John 4:14). And this is what the Saviour said about the Spirit, Whom they that believe in Him willingly receive (John 7:39). Take note of what He says, believe in Me, not simply, but as the Scripture speaks. He points out to you the words of the Old Testament: "Rivers shall flow out of his belly, living waters" (38). Not visible rivers, watering the earth, producing only thorns and trees, but rivers enlightening the soul. And in another place to say: "But the water which I will give him, there shall be in him a fountain of water flowing in the living everlasting" (John 4:14), New living and flowing water, flowing on the worthy.

12. And why did He call spiritual grace water? In the water there is vegetable and animal power. Water descends from heaven in the rain; and although it descends in one form, it has different effects. One fountain waters the whole paradise: the same rain falls all over the world, but in the lily it is white, in the rose ruddy, in violets and hyacinths scarlet, and in every kind of flowers different and diverse. In dates it is like this, and in grapes it is different, and gives everything a special appearance, while. he is of the same kind and not different in himself. For rain, which does not change in itself, does not descend in one form or another; but entering into the composition of those things that receive it, in each produces its own effect. In the same way, the Holy Spirit, being one and the same and indivisible, divides grace to each as He pleases. And as a dry tree, being watered, sends forth sprouts; in the same way, the sinful soul, having received the Holy Spirit through repentance, brings forth the fruits of righteousness. For He, being the same, according to the will of God the Father, in the name of Christ produces different actions. In the one it turns the tongue to the word of wisdom, in the other it enlightens the soul with prophecy; to some He gives the power to cast out demons, and to another He gives the ability to interpret the Divine Scriptures. He strengthens the one in chastity, teaches the other charity; he teaches some fasting and asceticism, another he teaches contempt for that which pertains to the body, and prepares others for martyrdom; in others He produces another: but He is not different in Himself, as it is written: "For the manifestation of the Spirit is given for profit" (1 Corinthians 12:7), for to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of understanding, about the same Douce (8): to another faith, by the same Spirit (9), to another the work of powers: to another prophecy, to another reasoning by the Spirit, and to another thou shalt bring tongues (10). And all this works in one and the same Spirit, dividing by power as He willeth (1 Corinthians 12:11).

13. But since the Divine Scriptures say many different things simply about the Spirit, it is dangerous that someone should not fall into confusion of concepts through ignorance, not knowing what spirit to understand what is written; then it is good now to precaution to explain what kind of Spirit the Scripture calls Holy. For just as Aaron is called Christ (the Anointed One), and David, and Saul, and others are called Christs, while one is the true Christ: in the same way, since the name of the spirit is given to various things, it is necessary to know who is the Holy Spirit who is especially named; for to many things is given the name of the spirit. An angel is called a spirit; our soul is called spirit; and this breathing wind is called spirit; and great power is called spirit; And a bad way of life is called a spirit, and the devil's adversary is called a spirit. Be careful therefore when you hear this, lest you be honored with one instead of another, because of the same name. The Scripture says of our soul: "His spirit shall go forth, and shall return to his land" (Psalm 145:4). And it is said of this same soul in another place: "Build up the spirit of man in it" (Zech. 12:i). Angels are spoken of in the Psalms: "Make thy angels spirits, and thy servants a flame of fire" (Psalm 103:4). And it is said of the wind: "With a stormy spirit thou shalt crush the ships of Tarshish" (Psalm 47:8), and "As in an oak grove a tree shall be shaken by the spirit" (Psalm 47:5). And in another place: fire, hail, snow, bare, the spirit is stormy (Psalm 143:8). The Lord Himself says of good teaching: "The words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and life are life" (John 6:63), that is, they are spiritual: but the Holy Spirit is not uttered with the tongue. He has life as the Most Wise, He gives the power to speak, and He Himself converses.

14. And do you want to know that he talks and speaks? Philip, according to the revelation of the Angels, went along the path leading to Gaza at the time when the Eunuch was riding. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Come and cleave unto this chariot" (Acts 8:29). You see? The Spirit speaks to the one who hears. And Ezekiel says thus: "The Spirit of the Lord hath come upon me, and saith unto me, This saith the Lord" (Ezekiel 11:5). And in another place: "The Holy Spirit said to the Apostles who were in Antioch, 'Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work, where I have called them' (Acts 13:2). You see? That the Spirit has life, separates, calls, and sends with authority. And Paul says: "Exactly, as the Holy Spirit testifies throughout all the cities, saying, 'For chains and sorrows await me" (Acts 20:23). For this good sanctifier of the Church, and helper and teacher, is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, of Whom the Saviour said: "He shall teach you all things" (He did not say, "He will only teach"), but He will also remember all things that have spoken to you (John 14:26); for there is not another teaching of Christ, but another of the Holy Spirit, but one and the same. He foretold to Paul what was to happen to him: that he, having learned these things beforehand, would be more complacent. This is said in order to explain the words: the words that I have spoken to you, the Spirit, so that, that is, you do not consider this Spirit to be a mere utterance of the mouth, but a good teaching.

15. Sin is also called spirit in the Scriptures, as we have said, but in a different and opposite sense, as, for example, it is said: "By the spirit of fornication thou wast deceived" (Hos. 4:12). An unclean spirit is called a spirit (Luke 11:24), the devil, however, with the addition, unclean. Each spirit is given its own name to designate its property. If the Scriptures call the human soul spirit; then with the addition: the spirit of man. If he calls the wind a spirit, he calls it a stormy spirit (Psalm 47:8). If sin is called a spirit, then it is called a spirit of fornication (Oc. 4:12). If he calls the devil a spirit, he calls him an unclean spirit: so that we may know what kind of spirit he is talking about. Do not think that it says about the Holy Spirit, no; for the name of spirit is something general, and everything that does not have a gross body is usually called spirit. But there is a great difference here. For an unclean spirit, when it attacks the soul of a man (may the Lord preserve the soul of all those who hear, as well as those who are not here!), is like a bloodthirsty wolf attacking a sheep in order to devour it.

Truly, the enemies of men are the devils, who treat them in such a vile and merciless way.

16. No, the Holy Spirit is not like that; His actions, on the contrary, are directed towards good and salvation. And in the first place, His appearance is meek, with Him they received incense, His lightest burden. Rays of light and knowledge shine before His appearance. He comes with the love of a true Minister. For to come to save and heal, to teach, to admonish, to strengthen, to comfort, to enlighten the mind, first of the one who comes, and through Him the minds of others. And just as he who was formerly in darkness, and then suddenly beheld the sun, receives light with his bodily eyes, and sees what he has not clearly seen: so he who has been vouchsafed the Holy Spirit is enlightened by the soul, and having risen above man, beholds what he has not seen. On earth with his body, and with his soul he looks to the heavens. He sees Isaiah sitting on the throne of the Lord high and exalted (Isaiah 6:1): he sees Ezekiel sitting on the Cherubim (Ezekiel 10): he sees, like Daniel, thousands of thousands, and thousands of thousands (Dan. 7:10). And the little man sees the beginning of the world and the end of the world, and the middle of times, and the succession of kings, he knows what he did not understand before: for the true Enlightener is with him. Inside the walls is a man, but the power of knowledge extends far away, and he sees even the deeds of others.

7. Peter was not with Ananias and Sapphira when they sold their possessions, but he was there in spirit. Why, he says, will Satan fill thy heart with lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3)? There was no accuser, no witness. How did he know what had happened? Is not that which is yours? And what is sold is not in your power? What hast thou put this thing in thy heart (4)? The unlearned Peter learned by the grace of the Spirit what the Greek wise men did not understand. Thou knowest the same thing of Elisse: for when he healed Naaman's leprosy for nothing, Gehazi took payment, as a reward for the labor of others: and he took money from Naaman, and hid it in a dark place; But darkness is not dark for the saints. For as soon as he came, Elisha asked him; and how does Peter say: "O Lord, if I have given up a village on it" (Acts 5:8)? Thus also this one testeth: whence come, Gehazi (2 Kings 5:25)? Not because he did not know whence he came, but out of sorrow he said, "From where?" Thou hast come from darkness, and into darkness thou shalt go. Thou hast sold healing to the leper, and thou shalt receive in return his leprosy. I have fulfilled, he says, the command of Him who said to me, Thou shalt receive it, thou shalt give it to me; but you, having sold this gift, accept the leprosy, which was an occasion for sale. What then did Elisha say to him? And is my heart walking with thee (26)? Though I was here in body, yet the Spirit given to me by God saw what was distant, and showed me clearly what was happening elsewhere. Do you see that the Holy Spirit not only leads out of ignorance, but also communicates knowledge? Do you see how he enlightens souls?

18. Isaiah for almost a thousand years saw Zion as a tabernacle, while this city still stood, was adorned with marketplaces, and was in glory, and another prophet said, "Zion, as the field shall be prooted" (Micah 3:12); predicting what has now come to pass in our presence. Notice, then, the accuracy of the prophecy; it says: "The daughter of Zion shall be left as a tabernacle in the vineyard, and as a storehouse of vegetables in the vineyard" (Isaiah 1:8). Now in these places there are almost cucumber ridges everywhere. Do you see how the Holy Spirit enlightens the saints? Therefore, see that instead of Him, because of the similarity of the name, you do not receive another spirit, but try to find exact signs.