Athanasius and Nicetas Flashcards
What are Athanasius’ two main points?
- For salvation – participation in HS must be participation in God
- As creator, the HS can’t be a creature
a. Inseparable operations; everything is worked together by the Trinity
Athanasius writes that certain persons have forsaken the Arians because of their blasphemy against the Son, but yet continue to “oppose the Holy Spirit.” What is it that these people were saying about the Holy Spirit?
He s not only a creature
Athanasius gives the hermeneutical principle (the principle by which we should interpret scripture) that enables readers of the Bible to determine when “spirit” refers a created spirit and when it refers to the Holy Spirit. What does Athanasius say “to sum up” his argument?
“To sum up, unless THE ARTICLE is present or the above mentioned addition, it cannot refer to the Holy Spirit.”
Athanasius - To whom or what do “the vital activity and gift” refer?
The Paraclete.
Athanasius - If it is not appropriate to consider the Son to be a creature because the Son is “in the Father and the Father in him”, why is it also inappropriate to consider the Holy Spirit to be a creature?
For if the Spirit is a creature of the Son, it will be consistent for them to say that the Word is a creature of the Father.
Athanasius - “If he (the Spirit) makes men divine, it is not to be doubted that his nature is of God.” What is the logic that supports this statement?
- human beings can only be divine by participating in the spirit, if the spirit is God
By saying the Spirit is homoousios with the Father (God) what is Athanasius saying the Spirit is not one in essence with?
- not one in essence with creatures.
Why is it “clear that the Spirit is not a creature” according to Athanasius?
For that which anoints is not like to those which are anointed.
What is the key summary statement of Athanasius’ argument for the divinity of the Holy Spirit?
“For the Father himself through the Word in the Spirit works and gives all things.”
If the Spirit works with God it must be part of the godhead; inseparable operations
What is the belief about the Holy Spirit against which Nicetas is arguing?
The Holy Spirit is a creature
Nicetas describes the logic used by those who hold that the Holy Spirit is a creature. What are the steps in their argument that enable them to assert his status as a creature?
‘If, therefore, the Spirit is neither born of Father nor unbegotten, nothing is left but to say that He is a creature.
-unbegotten>begotton>creature
What is the language used by Christ in scripture to relate that the Holy Spirit came from the Father?
The Spirit “who proceeds from the Father.”
What according to Nicetas “will help us to realize His (the Spirit’s) nature and greatness”?
the other powers and works of the Holy Spirit
Nicetas identifies the purpose of his upcoming argument, what is it?
My purpose is to show that it is not only in baptism, but in all other things, that the Holy Spirit has worked and will ever work with the Father and the Son.
What is the only way “that we know the Father and Son (and thus the Holy Spirit too)”?
It is only by THEIR WORKS that we know the Father and the Son-‘believe the works,’24 said the Lord. In the same way, we shall not fully know the nature of the Holy Spirit unless we know how wonderful are His works.
