Letter 1127: The Holy Trinity — three persons, one nature — is not a contradiction but a mystery.
On the verse: "In the beginning was the Word." The timeless, eternal, unmediated, and transcending all speech and understanding procession of Christ from the Father, the Scriptures call a begetting — not to ascribe passion to it, but to establish the consubstantiality. For those begotten are truly consubstantial with those who beget them. And lest he be thought to be something later or newer, they say: "In the beginning was the Word." Then they also proclaim his relationship to the Father: "And the Word was with God" — not as something separate and alien, but as dwelling in the bosom of the Father, as a word in the mind, as radiance from a light, as a stream from a spring. And then, to prevent anyone from thinking the Word was a mere attribute and not a subsistent reality, they add: "And the Word was God." Three statements, three safeguards against error. "In the beginning was" refutes those who say the Son had a beginning. "The Word was with God" refutes those who deny the distinction of persons. "The Word was God" refutes those who deny the full divinity of the Son. Thus in three short clauses the Evangelist has overthrown every heresy and established the whole doctrine of the Trinity.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Εἰς τό" « Ἔν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος. νυ Τὴν ἄχρονον καὶ ἀΐδιον καὶ ἀμεσίτευτον, χαὶ παν- τὸς λόγου χαὶ νοῦ κρείττονα πρόοδον τοῦ Χριστοῦ () ἀπὸ Πατρὸς, γέννησιν χαλοῦσιν αἱ Γραφαὶ, οὐχ ἵνα πάθος ὑπογράψωσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα τὸ ὁμοούσιον στήσωσιν. Ὁμοούσια γὰρ τῷ ὄντι τὰ τιχτόμενα τοῖς τίχτου- σιν (). Ἵνα ὃὲ μὴ νεώτερον ἐπινοηθείη, ε« Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἣν ὁ Λόγος, » φασίν. Εἶτα χαὶ τὴν σχέσιν κηρύττουσι τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα" « χαὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. » Εἶτα χαὶ τὴν ἀξίαν" «ε Καὶ Θεὸς ἣν ὁ Λόγος. » Ἔχ μὲν τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὸ ὁμοούσιον " ἐχ δὲ τοῦ Λόγου τὸ ἀπαθές ἐχ δὲ τοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ εἶναι, τὸ συναΐδιον᾽ ἐχ ὃὲ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα οἰκειότητα’ διὰ δὲ τοῦ Θεὸν εἶναι, τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτοῦ χαταμαθόντες᾽ χαὶ ἐξ ἑκάστου ὀνόματος τὸ ἑφορμοῦν ἀπρεπὲς ἀποπεμψάμενοι " οἷον, ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὸ νεώτερον, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Λόγου τὸ ἀνυπό- στατον, Θεὸν ἀΐδιον, ὁμοούσιον, ἀπαθῶς χαὶ ἀχρόνως ὲχ τοῦ Πατρὸς προελθόντα εἰδείημέν τε χαὶ προσχυ- νήσαιμεν. χυοὰ ᾿ηὰθ ἴοτία ἰῃ δηΐπιος ποβίγοβ ἰμϑίπυδι δί4υ6 ἰπρογί!, υϑγ φγαια, ΕἾ ποπιῖιθ, ἰὰ αυοὶ 65ὶ Τροοῃιΐ8 οἷν ροβίογιυβ; Ὑογθὶ δρρο!]διίοπθ, ἰὰ φυυά πυ δι μιαροὶ ϑυθβἰϑίεπιίαι, ϑόυ) δειογηυωι, σοηδυθϑιδλιμ ! 6ηι, ΟΓΘΙΏΙ8. ΔΌδηι16 Ραγραβδίοηο, οἱ ΟΧΙΠΙ. --- ΑὮἢ ΒΑΘΙΠΙΌΜ. θυϊθυ5 ᾿προγία αι οοηιίεὶι Ἰοφὶ πηυη), . οἰΐδπε Ἰνὸη6 Ργοσοίάει. Β6η6 δυΐθ) ἴῃς ἀδίηυπι ϑβυσοθιοὶ, δχίρα ἰθριιδ ὁχ βαδῖγα ργοζγϑβϑυ δαιοϑόλι οἱ - ΜΓ". --- ΠΡῸΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙ͂ΟΝ. Οἷς τὸ ἄρχειν χαθέστηχεν ἔννομον, τούτοις δήπου χαὶ εὖ ὑπάρξει ἀχόλονθον " εὖ δὲ πράσσειν χατορθω- δὶ οὐϊινιοτῖι ρίοῖλ8, φυ88 . οπνηϊατη Βοπογυμ 5ὺ- Ο θήσεται, ἡνίκα χρατύνηται ἡ εὐσέδεια, τῶν ἀγαθῶν ργθιθυπ), οἱ ἀϊνίπογυπι πιδηάαίογιιπι οάρυϊ ᾿ ϑβαπᾶ : 4υ8τ οσηϑί αἱ τοοία ἀ6 αἰνίπο ἡπηνίηθ ορίηἷο, οἰ βίποορα ἱποογγυρίδαυδ σοηίεϑε,, οἱ - ἀἷι εἰπλοῦ δίᾳυο ἀἰοοιο Ὠεὶ, οἱ γε οοβρπαῖυπι) βοηυβ οὔαγίί5 ἀ'4φυ ἃἴδειϊο : αυΐϊθυθ ὃΣ γαῦυβ ἰοἱὰ ἰοχ δἰ ργορ]ιοί» οπῆπθβ ραπάρσηϊ. 0α ὀἰΐδπι ἴῃ πιαϑὶ- δίγαιὶι5 οδἱ διρταηπδληυην αυϊἀδιη οἱ χορ ]θιις οἱ ῥγαδίαμ . Πδ. Ἰορὶ ἶ ριπτοίδοίυγα, οἱ οινηΐι πὶ ) Πγυ) ἃα ὈγοσυΓαιῖο : δίοι! ΘΟμ ΓΑΓΙΟ ΑὙΓᾺΠ . ἀοιηη4: 4πὼ ἱρδὰ δι0ὶ ἰοχ οϑῖ, φυδαυδ ηἶ πἶδὶ ργοργίδπι (Ὑγαπηηὶ υ -- ἰδίο οοπϑθοίδίυγ. Θυϊδυδουπαυδ ἱφίτς ἴθ. ἱμιρο- υἴω:η) δοῦί6 οὐχὶ δὐιηἰηἰδίγαπίυηι, [Π υδϑί σογῸ - "πὶ ΔΌΓΟΔΙΩ ἐχ ἰδρ! ργοίϊοϑίβ οοπιρδοίϑηι αἰ υἱ ἱπηροϑβίίαπὶ ἰιαθθη! ρἰοίαι6π), οἱ [. τΔΠ]υΔΠπὶ Ρυγρυτὰ ἱμάυι᾽, ἰδ ) ᾿ρογαγα, δὲ ργίπεϊρδίιη δἀιϊηοάυπι δι πὶ οὐὈϊΐπογα βιυάουυηι, ,. Ο516η- ἄυμ δηΐπα ἰπ δοιῃ δι ρ518 νο Ὁ βϑἰ τυ πὶ ϑογυϊ ΟΥΔΕΙΙ - πὸ ἀχρότατον, χαὶ τῶν θείων προσταγμάτων χεφά- λαιον, ἣν συνίστησιν ἣ ὀρθὴ περὶ τὸ Θεῖον δόξα, χαὶ εἰλικρινὴς ὁμολογία, φόδος τὰ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμφανίζει καὶ ἀγάπησις, χαὶ ἣ πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον ἀγάπη τ: καὶ συμπάθεια" ἐν οἷς ἅπας ὁ νόμος χαὶ οἱ προφῆ- ται χρέμανται. Τὸ καὶ ἐν ἀρχαῖς τι ὑπερχόσμιον, τὸ προὗχον χαὶ χράτιστον. Ἤδε ἐστὶν ἐπιστασία ἔννομος, χαὶ τοῦ παντὸς ὑπηχόου πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελὲς ἐπιμέ- λεια " ὥσπερ δὴ ἐχ τοῦ ἐναντίου, τυραννίς ἐστι δυ- ναστεία αὐτόνομος (), ἐπὶ τὸ οἰχεῖον μόνον συμφέ- ρον τῷ τυραννοῦντι μετερχομένη. "Ὅσοι τοίνυν ταύτην διέπειν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀποχεχλήρωνται, ἀναδούμενοι ὥσπερ στέφανον χρυσοῦ ἐχ λίθων τιμίων συνηρμο- σμένον, τὴν εὐσέδειαν, διχαιοσύνην τε ὥσπερ ἀλουρ- γίδα ἐνδιδυσχόμενοι, ἐν Θεῷ τε ἄρχειν, καὶ χρατεῖν διχαίαν μάλα ἀρχὴν φιλοτιμήσονται " δειχνῦσι γὰρ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἱερὸν ἀληθέστατον λόγιον, τὸ φάσχον᾽ ε Δι᾽ ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσι, χαὶ δυνάσται γρά- ΥΛΕΙΠ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝΕῈΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΕ. () Ρτο Χριστοῦ ὁ0ἀ. . [Θαἷῖ Υἱοῦ, οἱ Υ0Γ5. δ᾽ γγὺ στήσωσιν ΒοΓ πιαραστήσωσι, ῬΟΒΒΙΝ. () Ιμιδγ τίχτουσιν εἰ ἀρχῇ ᾿ια! οἰπηΐα ἰάδπι οΟΎ. ἰηβογίί, οχίγι ἴθ δ ἶτ0 ἰοσηηι, ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἢ πάθους φαντασία ἐπιχωμάσῃ λόγον προσαγο- ρεύουσιν" ἵνα δὲ νεώτερος ὑπονοηθείη. Υ6Γ8. ρ6- μ011. πῖον λόγος οἱ ἐχ ἰάδπι ἰπ ἵν᾽, [Ὁ. () Τυραγγίς ἐστι δυναστεία αὐτόγομος. Νοῖᾶ αἰ Π γοπ πὶ ΕὙγαπηἶ ἃ ΓΟχπΟ, ΟΟΠΙῈΓ ορίϑί. 19ὲ Ἰ9.. ν᾿, δι Ατίσιοι. Γοίἑἐ. πθς ποιὶ Αιηπιΐηπιπ, Μδτ- ςοἸ ἔπι πι, ρ᾽5δἰη6 ος ἱπουϊοαὶ ἴῃ 5υ ἢἰδῖο- γ᾿ , ηἶ Αἰυἀ [δι ηὶ 8ς ἰεσὶ πη ἱπιρογίυηι, αιδηὴλ ΘΓ πὶ Αἰἰθηϑδ. δ1᾽. δρυὰ ᾿χηδιυπὶ ορῖίϑιί. , οἤῇοϊιη θοηΐ Γορὶα 65ι, εἰρήνην χαὶ ἐνγο- μίαν τοῖς ἀρχομένοις
Related Letters
Nothing, O admirable friend, is wealth — not even if it be great and flooding in from every direction.
To the Philosopher [Hypatia, the famous mathematician, astronomer, and Neoplatonist philosopher in Alexandria, later...
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
What you have written is truly bold — and true.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.