Thus our intellect has received from God the natural belonging to it always to give birth to the word, which it has inseparable and always united with itself. If you take away the word, then along with the word you will also take away the mind, the progenitor of the word. Now think about your prototype, and by this example you will understand with certainty that whoever denies the Son of God also denies the Father who begat Him. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, is it possible for him not to renounce the Holy Spirit, even if he does not want to?

More and less should not be taken by anyone in relation to the Holy and Equal Trinity. O man! You are honored by God more than all other creatures by the dignity of reason, which you rule and reign over them; why it behooves you to understand that which is above you from what is in yourself, from what is in you the image of God, by which you have been vouchsafed. Just as the human mind is known through the medium of the word (it is good to repeat the same thing in order to strengthen your thoughts and goodness, to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven hidden in you), and the soul is again known through the medium of the mind and the word, so God the Father has been and is known to us, the faithful, through His Only-begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit through the Father and the Son who are related to Him. Just as when the mind gives birth to the word, it is at the same time made manifest to those who hear it, either through the living word or through the writings, and the desire of the soul, as common to both, both the mind and the word, and these three, the mind, the word, and the soul, do not merge into one and are not divided into three, but all three together, and each is especially seen in one essence, so it behooves us to think piously in relation to the Holy, one-in-essence and indivisible Trinity, and to confess that the Father ineffably and inconceivably begets the Son and the Word, Whom He had in the beginning in Himself and Who has inseparably even after His birth, that the Son is born of the Father, with Whom He is always inseparable and co-existent, and is never separated from Him, and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and is united and united with the Father and the Son, who is of one essence with Him. with Whom we worship and ask for food from all creation, and moreover, that these three persons of the Most Holy Trinity have one will. Thus the Most Holy Trinity is known and revealed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, by the grace of the Father, through the Son, to all who are enlightened from above. At the same time, it is necessary to believe that the all-existent essence of the one Divinity of these three persons (I repeat the same thing: in the sanctification of oneself by such commemoration and word) is the triune hypostasis, and, believing in this way, it is evident to confess together with us that its three hypostases, being united naturally, do not merge into one, nor are they divided into three. In each of these three persons, the other two are contemplated in thought, in one essence, nature and glory, and these three persons are one God, the Creator and Almighty of all things visible and invisible.

Whoever believes that God is the Creator of all creatures, Who created everything from Him who bears, heavenly, earthly, and underworld, knowing his Creator, abides within his boundaries, and, ascending with his mind from the beauty of creatures to the Creator, sings and glorifies Him as the Creator of all that exists, and does not try to comprehend the incomprehensible nature of God.

He is unapproachable, invisible, ineffable, inconceivable to all creatures created by Him, heavenly and earthly. Nor did we, who formerly erred and believed in many gods, who served creatures and worshipped idols. But He, as loving to mankind and abundantly merciful, took pity on our ignorance and condescended to our weakness as much as was required, so that we might know that the Holy Trinity is the one perfect God, Whom it behooves us to worship piously in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

But what the essence of the Divinity sung in the Trinity is, what is in appearance, in what place it is, what is in greatness, and how it is in unity, not only could people not conceive, but even the Angels themselves could not comprehend the incomprehensible and all-eternal nature. Do not point out to me our theologies, because in them, on the basis of the Word of God, the theologians of our Church have set forth only that which serves to denounce heretical absurdities, and not that which would explain the Divine nature. Wherefore keep in mind that which, since the Divine nature is impregnable, is finite and incomprehensible, and that which is incomprehensible is also ineffable. How many times does it happen that we cannot express in words what we understand as we should? That of which all the Divine Scripture testifies, that it is invisible and inconceivable, what man or angel can explain and describe clearly? Of course, none. It is impossible for the human mind to understand and qualify by any name that which is not something of existence. And all the Divine Scripture, with all the thoughts and sayings contained in it about God, represent only that God is, and not that He is. And it also clearly reveals about God that He always exists, and that this God is and is ever trihypostasis, omnipotent, Almighty, All-seeing, Creator and Provider of all, all-satisfied, all-natural, and that He is known to us as much as one can see the boundless sea, standing on its edge at night with a small lighted candle in his hands. How much, do you think, will this one see from all that boundless sea? Of course, a little, or almost nothing. At the same time, he sees that water well, and knows that the sea is before him, that the sea is boundless, and that he cannot embrace it all with his gaze. So there is a matter in relation to our knowledge of God.

I will give you another example for the clarification of this subject. Suppose there is a man who has never seen or drunk water, and therefore does not know what water is, and you tell him about water, painting to him springs, rivers, and seas. Hearing this, he will certainly ask you to tell him what the nature of water is, what is its appearance, what is its quality and quantity, where it comes from, how it flows, and how, constantly flowing, it is never exhausted. Tell me now, what would you say to him? I think that even if you are of a very high mind and very knowledgeable, you cannot explain and make it clear to someone who has never seen or drunk water what water is, where it comes from, and how it flows. If, however, we cannot say anything definite about the flowing nature of water, which we see, drink, and touch, and cannot explain to those who ask us what the nature of water is, where it comes from, and what elements it is composed of, then what angel or saint can teach those who do not know God and His attributes, what is this God, Who created all things? what is His essence and glory? No one can explain this, absolutely no one.

However, he who has been vouchsafed to see God in the way we spoke of before, has no need of instruction from another, because he has all God, Who dwells, moves, and speaks within him, and teaches him His ineffable mysteries, according to the holiest word of God Himself, Who says: "My mystery is to Me and to Mine." Yes, there can be no other way for God to reveal Himself in anyone, except for the exact fulfillment of His commandments, if, that is, someone does not neglect them and despises them in any matter at all, but preserves them, observes them, and fulfills them with all diligence and zeal. And those who live in this way will not be far from the kingdom of God, but according to the zeal and diligence that they show in the fulfillment of the commandments, they will receive the reward of contemplating God, greater or lesser, faster or slower, according to the ascetic deeds, and will become sons of God and gods by grace in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Homilies of St. Symeon the New Theologian. Part 2. - Moscow: Pravila very, 2001, pp. 28-42.

Homily Sixty-Two. 1. Theological third, that what is the Father is the same is the Son, and that what is the Son is the same is the Holy Spirit, and that these three are one Spirit, one honorable, one in essence, and one throne.

God, the ever-glorified and glorified, that is, the Father, the co-originating Son of the Father, and the Holy Spirit, co-existent and consubstantial with the Father and the Son, is one nature and glory, the Trinity of one essence, the one Godhead, the essence of equal honor and trihypostasis, the beginning of all that exists, and the all-encompassing power, the one-throned and one-glorious, the omnipotent Lordship and Kingdom.

And again, when in another place of the Gospel He says: "My Father is greater than me" (John 14:28), or: "For myself I do nothing" (John 8:28), He thereby shows that there is one person the Father and another the Son. When He also says, "I will pray My Father, and He will give you another Comforter" (John 14:16)... The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father (John 15:26), thereby shows that the Holy Spirit, as another Comforter, is another person from the Father and the Son. But by the same words of the Lord, His grace enables us to understand all the unity of the triune and consubstantial Godhead and Kingdom, the triumph of eternal life and the indivisible unity of the three hypostases, so that where the Father is glorified, there is also the Son with the Holy Spirit; where the Son is named, there is also the Father with the Holy Spirit; and where the Holy Spirit is glorified, there is also the Father and the Son.

Being thus enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, that the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity are of one essence and equal in honor, that is, that their hypostases are inseparably and inseparably united in the Divine nature and the one essence for all of them, we, when we lift up our minds to God the Father, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, Who raptures us in sorrow through the Son, God the Word, and stretch out our hands and eyes to Him, we say: Our Father, Who art in heaven! And again, when we begin to offer prayers to the Only-begotten Son of the Father, Who by the grace of the Holy Spirit gives us knowledge and understanding, we say: Only-begotten to the Son, co-existent Word of God and Father, one Son from one Father, God from God, Beginningless from Beginningless, Eternal from Eternal, Eternal from Eternal, Light from Light, Life from Life, Unapproachable from Unapproachable, Incomprehensible from Incomprehensible, Ineffable from Ineffable, Unchangeable from Unchangeable, Unthinkable from Unthinkable, cleanse our sins! Likewise, when we call upon the Holy Spirit, we say: O Holy Soul, proceeding inexpressibly from the Father, and descending upon us faithful through the Son, the Spirit of life and knowledge, the Spirit of holiness and perfection, the Spirit of goodness, the most wise, the loving to mankind, the comforting, the most glorious, the nourishing and the drinking, the merciful, the enlightening, the strengthening, the divine Spirit of patience, the Giver of joy, gladness, chastity, wisdom, knowledge, meekness, kindness, carelessness for worldly things, the contemplation of heavenly blessings, the Spirit as the repulsor of sloth, negligence, absent-mindedness and deceit, the Spirit as the indicator of the Divine Mysteries, the betrothal of the heavenly kingdom, the source of prophecy, the crater of teaching, the door of repentance, the destroyer of sins, the Spirit of love, peace, faith, abstinence - come and dwell in us, and abide with us inseparably and inseparably, sanctify, renew and enlighten our hearts, as one in essence, equal in honor and co-throned with the Son and the Father, Who makes gods by grace those who receive Thee, who destroys all sin, and brings with Thy descent all virtue, not having from outside what Thou brings, but naturally being all good, and those whom Thou electest to Thy abode, making essentially the receptacles of all good.

Thus we offer a hymn to the three persons of the Holy Trinity, not as dividing into three gods the one Godhead, which is one God, indivisible, but as worshipping the Son and the Spirit together with the Father, the Father and the Spirit together with the Son, and the Father and the Son together with the Spirit. Glorifying these three persons, we philosophize that one is the nature of the one triune Godhead, consubstantial, equal in power, unwilled, co-existent, co-beginningal, unmerged and indivisible.

One and the same God is three in hypostases, and is one in the unity of essence and nature. Thus did our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the Only-begotten Son of the Father, reveal to us, that is, that this same Son with the Father and the Spirit are of one nature, and of one essence and co-throned, saying: I and the Father are one, and in another place showing that the Holy Spirit is not abolished from the same nature, when He said: "The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father." For just as the same water proceeds from the fountain of water, so God the Spirit proceeds from God the Father. It is said: "The Spirit is God: and whosoever worshipeth Him, by the Spirit and in truth is worthy to worship" (John 4:24). Thus, if the Father is the Spirit, it is evident that the Son begotten of Him is the Spirit, which is why St. Paul says: "But the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Spirit is also the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and through the Son being given to us, the unworthy. We say: the Holy Spirit is sent and given, not in the sense that He Himself did not want it, but in the sense that the Holy Spirit, through the Son, one of the persons of the Holy Trinity, accomplishes, as His own will, that which is pleasing to the Father, for the Holy Trinity is indivisible in nature, essence and will, but in hypostases is called personally – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one God, and His name is the Trinity. He, being above every name, word, and word, surpasses the comprehension of all intellect, and is not something of all that is of Him, as having been essentially excluded from the circle of that.