Words And Trinity

Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν χρυσόν φαμεν, κἂν εἰς πολλοὺς διακερματίζηται τύπους, ἕνα καὶ εἶναι καὶ λέγεσθαι· πολλὰ δὲ νομίσματα καὶ πολλοὺς στατῆρας ὀνομάζομεν, οὐδένα τῆς φύσεως τοῦ χρυσοῦ πλεονασμὸν ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν στατήρων εὑρίσκοντες. Διὸ καὶ πολὺς ὁ χρυσὸς λέγεται, ὅταν ὄγκῳ πλείονι, ἢ σκεύεσιν ἢ νομίσμασι θεωρῆται, πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ χρυσοὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ὕλης οὐκ ὀνομάζονται· εἰ μή τις οὕτω λέγοι, χρυσοὺς πολλούς, ὡς τοὺς Δαρεικοὺς ἢ τοὺς στατῆρας, ἐφ' ὧν οὐχ ἡ ὕλη, ἀλλὰ τὰ κέρματα τὴν τοῦ πλήθους σημασίαν ἐδέξατο. Κυρίως γὰρ ἔστιν οὐχὶ χρυσοὺς ἀλλὰ χρυσέους τούτους εἰπεῖν. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν πολλοὶ μὲν οἱ χρύσεοι στατῆρες, χρυσὸς δὲ εἷς, οὕτω καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν οἱ καθ' ἕκαστον ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου δεικνύμενοι, οἷον Πέτρος καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης, εἷς δὲ ἐν τούτοις ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Κἂν ἡ Γραφὴ πλατύνῃ τὸ ὄνομα κατὰ πληθυντικὴν σημασίαν ἐν τῷ λέγειν Ἄνθρωποι κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσι καὶ Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, γνωστέον ὅτι τῇ συνηθείᾳ τῆς ἐπικρατούσης διαλέκτου κεχρημένη, οὐχὶ νομοθετεῖ τὸ δεῖν οὕτως ἢ ὡς ἑτέρως κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς ῥήμασιν· οὐδέ τινα τεχνικὴν περὶ ῥημάτων διδασκαλίαν ποιουμένη ταῦτα διέξεισιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐπικρατοῦσαν συνήθειαν χρῆται τῷ λόγῳ, πρὸς τοῦτο βλέπουσα μόνον, ὅπως ἂν ἐπωφελὴς γένοιτο τοῖς δεχομένοις ὁ λόγος, οὐδὲν ἀκριβολογουμένη κατὰ τὴν λέξιν, ἐν οἷς οὐδεμία βλάβη κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐκ τῶν ῥημάτων συνίσταται. Καὶ μακρὸν ἂν εἴη τὰς σολοικοφανεῖς τοῦ λόγου συντάξεις ἐκ τῆς Γραφῆς καταλέγειν εἰς τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων ἀπόδειξιν· ἐν οἷς δὲ κίνδυνός ἐστι βλαβῆναί τι τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκέτι τὸ ἀβασάνιστόν τε καὶ ἀδιάφορον ἐν τοῖς γραφικοῖς εὑρίσκεται ῥήμασιν. Διὰ τοῦτο ἀνθρώπους συγχωρεῖ πληθυντικῶς ὀνομάζειν διὰ τὸ μηδένα τῷ τοιούτῳ σχήματι τῆς φωνῆς εἰς πλῆθος ἀνθρωποτήτων ταῖς ὑπονοίαις ἐκπίπτειν, μηδὲ νομίζειν πολλὰς ἀνθρωπίνας φύσεις σημαίνεσθαι, διὰ τὸ πληθυντικῶς ἐξαγγελθῆναι τὸ τῆς φύσεως ὄνομα· Τὸ δὲ θεὸς φωνὴν παρατετηρημένως κατὰ τὸν ἑνικὸν ἐξαγγέλλει τύπον, τοῦτο προμηθουμένη, τὸ μὴ διαφόρους φύσεις ἐπὶ τῆς θείας οὐσίας ἐν τῇ πληθυντικῇ σημασίᾳ τῶν θεῶν παρεισάγεσθαι. Διό, φησι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, Κύριος εἷς ἐστιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ Θεὸν τῇ τῆς θεότητος ἀνακηρύσσει φωνῇ, καὶ οὐ διαλύει τὸ ἓν εἰς δυϊκὴν σημασίαν, ὥστε δύο θεοὺς τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ὀνομάσαι, κἂν ἑκάτερος θεὸς παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων κηρύσσηται. Ἀλλὰ Θεὸς μὲν ὁ Πατήρ, Θεὸς δὲ ὁ Υἱός, εἷς δὲ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κηρύγματι ὁ Θεὸς· διὰ τὸ μήτε φύσεως μήτε ἐνεργείας ἐνθεωρεῖσθαί τινα διαφορὰν τῇ θεότητι. Εἰ γὰρ παρήλλακτο κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἠπατημένων ὑπόνοιαν ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος ἡ φύσις, ἀκολούθως ἂν εἰς πλῆθος θεῶν ὁ ἀριθμὸς ἐπλατύνετο, τῇ ἑτερότητι τῆς οὐσίας τῶν ὑποκειμένων συνδιαιρούμενος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πᾶσαν ἀπωθεῖται τὴν κατ' οὐσίαν ἑτερότητα ἡ θεία τε καὶ ἁπλῆ καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος φύσις, ὡς ἂν μία ᾖ, πλήθους σημασίαν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς οὐ προσίεται. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ μία λέγεται φύσις, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἑνικῶς ὀνομάζεται, Θεός, ἀγαθός, ἅγιος, σωτήρ, δίκαιος, κριτής, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῶν θεοπρεπῶν ὀνομάτων νοεῖται. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Περὶ Του Μὴ Εἴναι Τρεις Θεούς, Προς Ἀβλαβιον Source: Migne PG 44.132a-133a

Now we say that gold, even when it has been cut into many types of coins, is one, and to be spoken of so, but we speak of many coins and many staters, finding no multiplication of the nature of gold by the number of staters. For this reason we speak of 'much' gold when it is seen in greater bulk, either in objects or in coin, but we do not say 'many golds' because of the plurality of the matter, except if someone says 'many gold pieces,' as darics or staters, which is not on account of the matter, but the meaning applies to the pieces. For more properly one should not say gold but golden. As, then, the golden staters are many but the gold is one, so they are many who in the nature of man are each shown, as Peter and James and John, but the man in them is one. And though Scripture extends the name according to the plural meaning, as where it says, 'Men swear by the greater,' 1 and 'sons of men' and things like this, it must be recognised that in making use of the prevailing usage of speech, it does not legislate for the necessity of using words in one way or the other, nor does it set these things forth as giving teaching about the use of such things, but it employs the word according to the prevailing custom, with a view to this only, that the word may profit those who receive it, there being no excessive accuracy of speech about things where there could be no injury from the words in the way they are understood. It would take too long to arrange in detail those expressions in Scripture which are inexactly expressed so as to confirm what has been said, but where there is some risk of harm, there is no longer found in Scriptural phrases any inexactitude or indifference. Because of this it allows the use of 'men' in the plural because no one by this figure of speech is misled into thoughts of a plurality of humanities, or thinks that many human natures are meant by the name expressing that nature which is used in the plural. But the word 'God' it employs with great care in the singular form, by this showing forethought, so that by the plural meaning of 'gods' there is no introduction of the idea of different natures in the Divine substance. Therefore it says, 'The Lord your God is one Lord,' 2 and announces the only begotten God by the name of Godhead, not dividing the one with dual signification, so as to name the Father and the Son as two gods, though each by the holy is proclaimed as God. For the Father is God and the Son is God, and by the same proclamation God is one, because there is no thought of difference in the operations of the Godhead. For if according to the thought of those in error the nature of the Holy Trinity were diverse, then in consequence the number would be extended to a plurality of gods, being divided by the difference of substance in the subjects. But since every difference in substance is rejected by the one and changeless Divine nature so that it may be one, it does not permit the signification of plurality for itself. For as it is called one nature, so it is singular in all its other names, such as 'God', 'Good', 'Saviour', Just', 'Judge', and whatever other name may be thought appropriate for the Divine. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On Not Three Gods, To Ablabius 1 Heb 6.16 2 Deut 6.4