The Hypostatic Properties of the Son and Spirit.
Didymus was influenced by Gregory the Theologian, who was the
closest to him of the Cappadocians, and he defines the hypostatic properties of
the Son and the Spirit as "generation and procession." The distinction of these
modes is inaccessible even to the angels, and Didymus stresses that Divine
generation is incommensurate with the generation of creatures. The Father is the
single source or root of the Divinity. Didymus has no expression which is
analogous to the phrase "through the Son" used by Gregory of Nyssa. Instead, he
speaks about the procession of the Spirit from the immortal source of the
Father, and in this way he avoids any suggestion of inequality among the
hypostases. Didymus considers it vitally important to stress the perfect
equality of the persons of the Trinity.
In defending his doctrine from heretical attacks Didymus
attributes the following words to the lips of the Word: "The Father is God, and
I am also, for I am His true and beloved Only-Begotten Son. The Father is the
Lord and I am also. I am the Lord of everything, the heir of the living Father,
and the master of the inheritance, for I rule that which is Mine both as the
Creator and as the true Son. I became the heir through the Incarnation. The
Father is the Creator and I am also. For I have said to you: 'He is the Emperor
and He has arranged a wedding for his Son the Emperor.' The Father is unchanging
and I am also. It has been said of Me: 'You abide in the ages and Your years
will never pass away.' The Father is impassive and I am also and I give
participation in this impassivity to those who are Mine. The Father is eternal
and I am also, for there was never a time when the Father did not possess His
name, the personal radiation of His glory, the image of His hypostasis, and the
image of His Divinity, and that is I. The Father is Life, Light, Goodness,
Strength, Truth, and Wisdom, and everything that is worthy of God. I am also the
Savior, the sun which shines on righteous men and sinners and which does not
return evil for evil. The Father loves men and I love them. I have given Myself
for you, have accepted the outer form of a slave, and from you I have endured
ridicule and humiliation and the Cross." A stronger testimony to the
consubstantiality of the Son can hardly be imagined.
The Trinitarian theology of Didymus is completely free of
Origenist heresies. He is close to the doctrines of the Cappadocians, but their
similarities are not restricted to external details of theology alone. The
immediacy and vividness of Didymus' own contemplation are evident in his
writings on the Trinity, which are frequently developed with the intensity of
prayer.
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