Chapter 4

For our part, we acknowledge that the word of truth uses these expressions in many places. But we utterly deny that the freedom of the Spirit is enslaved to the petty rules of pagan thought. Scripture varies its expressions appropriately according to the need of each case.

“From which,” for example, does not invariably indicate material, as they claim. Scripture more commonly uses this expression of the supreme Cause: “One God, from whom are all things,” and again, “All things are from God.” Yet the word of truth also often uses it of material, as when it says, “You shall make the ark from incorruptible wood,” “You shall make the lampstand from pure gold,” “The first man was from the earth, earthy,” and, “You too were formed from clay, as I was.”

But these people, in order to establish—as we said—a difference of nature, have made a rule that this expression belongs to the Father alone. They took the beginnings of their distinction from pagan writers, yet they do not follow those writers consistently. Following their teachers, they assign the title of instrument to the Son and that of place to the Spirit: they say “in the Spirit” and “through the Son.” But when they reserve “from whom” for God, they cease following pagan usage and suddenly appeal, as they say, to apostolic usage: “From him you are in Christ Jesus,” and, “All things are from God.”

What conclusion do they draw from this technical scheme? They say that the nature of the cause is one thing, the nature of the instrument another, and the nature of the place another. Therefore, according to them, the Son is alien in nature from the Father, just as the tool is from the craftsman; and the Spirit too is alien, insofar as place or time is distinct from the nature of the tools and from those who use them.