From the Second
Book.
8. The individual names uttered by me can
neither be separated from one another, nor parted.
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I spoke of the Father, and before I
made mention of the Son I already signified Him in the Father. I
added the Son; and the Father, even although I had not previously named
Him, had already been absolutely comprehended in the Son. I added
the Holy Spirit; but, at the same time, I conveyed under the name
whence and by whom He proceeded. But they are ignorant that
neither the Father, in that He is
Father
, can be separated from
the Son, for that name is the evident ground of coherence and
conjunction; nor can the Son be separated from the Father, for this
word
Father
indicates association
between
them. And
there is, moreover, evident a Spirit who can neither be disjoined from
Him who sends, nor from Him who brings Him. How, then, should I
who use such names think that these are absolutely divided and
separated the one from the other?
After a few words he adds:—
9. Thus, indeed, we expand the indivisible Unity
into a Trinity; and again we contract the Trinity, which cannot be
diminished, into a Unity.
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Ex Athan.,
Ep. de decret. Nic. Syn.
, 4. 17.