8. But, according to the words of the Apostle, He is not only the radiance of Glory, but also the imprinted image of His essence (substantiae) and even of His hypostasis (subsistence). Therefore it is not superfluous to pay attention to the sense in which any other essence and hypostasis, besides the very essence of God, can be called His image. The Son of God, Who is called the Word of God and His Wisdom, alone knows the Father and reveals Him to those whom He wills, that is, to those who can be made capable of receiving the Word and Wisdom itself.

Suppose, for example, that two statues are made. One is so huge that it occupies the entire circle of the earth and is inaccessible to anyone's observation, and the other is an exact copy of the first, but not of such enormous size. Then, when people see the second statue, they can also know about the first statue, because the smaller statue has the same outlines of limbs and faces, the same appearance and the same material as the first. In the same way, the Son of God, having humbled Himself in His equality with the Father and showing us the way to know Him, becomes the image of His essence. The purpose of this is that we, who are unable to see the glory of the divine light, may have access to the contemplation of it, by the fact that it is made for us by this radiance. Of course, a crude comparison with statues only explains how the Son of God, having entered into the smallest form of the human body, reflected in Himself the immeasurable and invisible greatness of the Father, due to the similarity with His works and power. That is why He said to His disciples: "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9), "I and the Father" (John 10:30). In the same sense, we must also understand the words: "The Father is in Me, and I in the Father" (John 10:38).

Kn. 1, ch. 3. About the Holy Spirit

1. Now we must briefly consider the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. All those who in any way acknowledge Providence confess that there is an unborn God who created and arranged everything. They all recognize Him as the parent of the universe. We are not alone in preaching that He has a Son. Thus, although this doctrine seems rather surprising and incredible to Greek and barbarian philosophers, yet some of them express an opinion of the Son, when they confess that all things were created by the word or mind of God. We are convinced that the doctrine of the Son of God can only be set forth and brought into the minds of men only by means of the Scriptures inspired by the Holy Spirit,145 namely, by the Gospel and the Apostle, and also by the law and the prophets, as Christ Himself has attested. As for the hypostasis of the Holy Spirit, no one could have had the slightest supposition about it, except those who were acquainted with the law and the prophets, or those who profess faith in Christ. Although, of course, no one is able to express (the full truth) about God the Father, yet about Him it is possible to obtain some idea through the medium of visible creatures and on the basis of what the human mind naturally cognizes, moreover, this concept can be confirmed by the Holy Scriptures. It is also true that no one knows the Son except the Father, but nevertheless the human mind learns from the Holy Scriptures how to think about Him. Not only from the New, but also from the Old Testament, precisely through the deeds of the saints, who serve as prototypes of Christ, by means of these deeds it is possible to discern either His divine nature or the human nature assumed by Him.

2. But many Scriptures teach us about the existence of the Holy Spirit. In the 50th Psalm David says: "Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 50:13). And in the book of Daniel it says: "In you is the Spirit of the Holy God" (Dan. 4:6). In the New Testament there are even more such testimonies, from which we know that the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ, and that the Lord, after His resurrection, breathed upon the Apostles, saying: "Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). The angel says to Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you" (Luke 1:35). Paul says: "No one can call Jesus Lord, except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). According to the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit was given in baptism through the laying on of the hands of the apostles (Acts 8:18). From all these testimonies we conclude that the essence of the Holy Spirit possesses such dignity and authority that even saving baptism can be performed by the authority of all [Persons] of the highest Trinity [triad], that is, through the joint mention of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and through the union with the unborn God the Father and His only-begotten Son also in the name of the Holy Spirit. And who will not be amazed at the greatness. of the Holy Spirit, when will he hear that he who has spoken a word against the Son of man can hope for forgiveness, but he who has spoken blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not receive forgiveness either in the present world or in the world to come (Matt. 12:32)? with... >

8. From these testimonies about the unity of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us now return to what we have actually begun to discuss. God the Father gives all beings existence, participation in Christ [the Logos], makes beings rational. Hence it follows that these beings are worthy either of praise or of punishment, because they are capable of virtue and vice. Therefore, there is also the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that beings who are not holy by nature may become holy through participation in this grace. Thus, beings have their being from God the Father, rationality from the Word, and holiness from the Holy Spirit. Moreover, those beings who have previously been sanctified through the Holy Spirit become capable of perceiving Christ as God's truth, and even those who have already been vouchsafed to attain this stage [of moral regeneration] through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, will still receive the gift of wisdom through the power and action of the Holy Spirit. This idea is expressed by the Apostle Paul when he says that the word of wisdom is given to some, and the word of knowledge is given to others by the same Spirit. But with all this, pointing out a strictly defined distinction between the gifts, the Apostle refers all these gifts to the source of everything and says: "The actions are different, but God is one and the same, working all things in all" (1 Corinthians 12:6). That is why the action of the Father, which imparts existence to all beings, is especially glorious and majestic when each one succeeds and ascends to the highest stages of perfection, through participation in Christ as wisdom, knowledge, and sanctification. The action of the Father is glorified when one is purified through participation in the Holy Spirit and worthily receives the grace of knowledge in such a way that he reaches such perfection that the being he has received from God becomes fully worthy of God. And God gives existence for perfection, so that it is worthy of God. Thus, the possibility of eternal existence will be received from God by the one who fulfills the will of God. However, in order for this to be accomplished, in order for created beings to stand inseparably <) before the Eternal, they must be instructed and taught by Wisdom and raised to perfection through the confirmation of the Holy Spirit and through constant sanctification, by means of which they can hold on to God alone. Thus, with the constant action of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, renewed in all degrees of perfection, we may contemplate a holy and blessed life. When we succeed in approaching this life, we must be firm so as not to become satiated with this life. On the contrary, with a gradual and greater penetration into this blessedness, the thirst for it should increase and grow in us, provided that we more and more ardently and zealously receive and preserve within ourselves the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, if someone is seized by gluttony, I do not think that he will suddenly become empty and fall away from perfection. It must necessarily fall little by little and gradually. Consequently, if someone sometimes accidentally undergoes a slight fall, but soon comes to his senses and comes to his senses, he cannot actually completely destroy [his moral state], but can rise again and return to his former level. He can regain what he has lost through negligence.

II. Origen's Physics 2, ch. 3 2. On the Beginning of the World and the Causes of It

1. After this, it remains for us to investigate whether there was another world before the present world. If it was, was it the same, or a little different from it, or inferior to it, or was there no peace at all, but something like our idea of a future end when the kingdom would be delivered over to God and the Father? The previous world had the same end, but the diverse fall of rational beings prompted God to create this diverse and diverse world. It is also necessary to investigate the possibility of correction for sinners after [the end of] this world. We are talking about a severe and suffering correction through teaching, with the help of which sinners will comprehend the truth following the example of those who in our lives have given themselves over to podvigs and, having purified their minds, have already here received the ability to comprehend divine wisdom. And whether there will not be a general end again after this. Will not a new world[148] appear again for the correction and perfection of the needy, which will be like the present, better, or much worse? And whatever this subsequent world will be, how long will it exist? And will there ever be a time when there will be no peace at all? Or perhaps there was a time when there was no peace at all? Or have there been and will be many more worlds? And does it happen that one world comes out in everything similar to another to the point of indifference.<... >

Kn. 2, ch. 9 3. About the world and the movements of intelligent creatures

1. Now let us return to the discussion of the beginning of creation, no matter how the mind of the Creator, God, contemplates this principle. It must be thought that in this beginning God created a certain number of rational or spiritual creatures (which we have called minds above), as much as He foresaw that could be sufficient. For it should not be thought that there is no end to creatures, as some wish, because where there is no end, there is no knowledge, and no description is possible. If this were so, then God could not contain the created or control it, because the infinite is by nature unknowable. And the Scriptures say that God "arranged all things by measure, number, and weight" (Wis. 11:21), so it is fair to apply quantitative characteristics to rational beings. There are as many of them as can be distributed, managed, and maintained by divine Providence. In accordance with this, it is necessary to apply a measure to matter, which was created by God in such quantities as could be sufficient to adorn the world. So, this is what God created in the beginning, that is, first of all. We think that this is indicated by the beginning which Moses mysteriously introduces when he says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). For it is not the firmament or the land that is spoken of here, but of the heaven and earth from which these visible heavens and earth borrow their names.

2. Rational beings were in the beginning created out of nothing, that is, they did not exist before, but (later) began to exist, so that they necessarily received a changeable being, because virtue was not inherent in them by nature, but was produced by the grace of the Creator. And their very being is not their own and not always, but given by God. Everything that is given can be taken away and cease. The reason for this cessation will be that the movements of souls are not directed in accordance with law and truth. For the Creator has given the minds He created voluntary and free movements, of course, so that the good may be their own good, if it is preserved of its own will. But laziness and disinclination to work in the matter of preserving the good, as well as disgust and disdain for the best, laid the foundation for the apostasy from the good. To depart from good means nothing else than to do evil. For it is known that evil is a lack of good. From this it follows that to the extent that someone fell away from good, to the same extent he gave himself up to evil. Consequently, every mind, despising the good, was drawn into the opposite of the good, that is, evil. From this the Creator received certain seeds and causes of difference and variety, so that He created the world different and diverse, according to the difference of minds, i.e., rational creatures, the difference which these creatures received, it must be assumed, for the above reason. And what exactly we call different and diverse, we will now point out.<... >

Kn. 3, ch. 6 5. About the End of the World

2. Although in the end, according to the promise, God will be all and in all, yet it should not be thought on this basis that animals, cattle, or beasts will reach this end. Otherwise, it would be necessary to recognize that God will also be present in animals, cattle and beasts. It is the same with trees and stones, otherwise it would be necessary to say that God will be present in them as well. Nor should it be thought that any vice will reach this end. Otherwise, we would have to say that when God is in everything, then He will also be in some vessel of evil. True, we say that now God is also present everywhere and in everything, since nothing can be free from God. But He is not present in such a way as to make up everything in that in which He is present. Therefore it is necessary to consider more carefully what exactly will be the perfect blessedness and the end of all things, when God will not only be in everything, but will also constitute everything in everything. Let us therefore examine what is this "all" that God will be in all things?<... >

6. All this bodily substance of ours will be brought to this state when everything is restored to its original unity, and God is all in all. But this will not happen suddenly, but gradually over endless and innumerable centuries. Purification and correction will be accomplished gradually and separately for each being. Some will go ahead and will strive for the higher degrees more quickly, others will follow at the closest distance, and others will go far behind. In this way, through many and countless ranks of those who are reunited with God, from the state of enmity, [turn] will come to the last enemy, which is called death, and he will also be destroyed, so that he will no longer be an enemy. When all rational souls are restored to this state, then the nature of this body of ours will be raised to the glory of the spiritual body. We see that rational creatures who have lived in ignominy are no other creatures than creatures who have been called to blessedness for their merits. The same beings who were formerly sinful are later called to blessedness when they are converted and reunited with God. In the same way, we need to think about the nature of the body. The body which we shall use in incorruption, in power, and in glory, will be no other than that which we use now, in humiliation, in corruption, and in weakness; but the same body, freed from the infirmities in which it now exists, will change into a state of glory and become spiritual. That which was a vessel of infamy, after purification will become a vessel of honor and a dwelling place of bliss. In this state, the body will always remain unchanged, according to the will of the Creator. The authenticity of this is confirmed by the saying of the Apostle: "... we have a habitation not made with hands, eternal in heaven" (2 Corinthians 5:1). The faith of the Church does not recognize, as some Greek philosophers do, that in addition to the four elements of which the body is composed, there is a fifth element. After all, on the basis of the Holy Scriptures, no one can even form any assumption about this. In the same way, the very examination of things does not allow us to recognize it, especially since the Apostle clearly determines that those who have risen from the dead are not given any new bodies, but they receive the same bodies that they had in life, [only] transformed from worse to better. He says: "... the natural body is sown, the spiritual body rises: it is sown in corruption, it rises in incorruption; it is sown in weakness, it rises in strength; is sown in humiliation, rises in glory" (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). It is known that man has a certain perfection: at first he is a natural man and does not understand the things of the Spirit of God, and then, by means of teaching, he comes to the point where he becomes spiritual and judges everything, while he himself is not judged by anyone[151]. In the same way, one should think about the state of the body. Now the body serves the soul and is therefore called the soul. But when the soul, united with God, becomes one spirit with Him, then this same body will serve the spirit and, through some improvement, will attain a spiritual state and quality, since the corporeal nature easily assumes the quality that God wills or circumstances require<. >