Against the Epistle of Manichæus, Called Fundamental 10
10 The Holy Spirit Twice Given PL 42, 179
11. For the glorification of our Lord among men is His resurrection from the dead and His ascension to heaven. For it is written in the Gospel according to John: "The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified." Now if the reason why He was not given was that Jesus was not yet glorified, He was given immediately on the glorification of Jesus. And since that glorification was twofold, as regards man and as regards God, twice also was the Holy Spirit given: once, when, after His resurrection from the dead, He breathed on the face of His disciples, saying, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost;" and again, ten days after His ascension to heaven. This number ten signifies perfection; for to the number seven which embraces all created things, is added the trinity of the Creator. On these things there is much pious and sober discourse among spiritual men. But I must keep to my point; for my business at present is not to teach you, which you might think presumptuous, but to take the part of an inquirer, and learn from you, as I tried to do for nine years without success. Now, therefore, I have a document to believe on the subject of the Holy Spirit’s advent; and if you bid me not to believe this document, as your usual advice is not to believe ignorantly, without consideration, much less will I believe your documents. Away, then, with all books, and disclose the truth with logical clearness, so as to leave no doubt in my mind; or bring forward books where I shall find not an imperious demand for my belief, but a trustworthy statement of what I may learn. Perhaps you say this epistle is also of this character. Let me, then, no longer stop at the threshold: let us see the contents.
Spiritus sanctus quando missus. Fortasse dicas mihi: Quando ergo venit a Domino promissus Paracletus? Hic ego si non haberem aliud quod crederem, facilius eum adhuc venturum exspectarem, quam per Manichaeum venisse concederem. Nunc vero cum in Actibus Apostolorum manifestissime sancti Spiritus praedicetur adventus, quae me necessitas cogit haereticis tam periculose et tam facile credere? In libro enim memorato sic scriptum est: Primum quidem sermonem fecimus de omnibus, o Theophile, quae coepit Jesus facere et docere in die qua Apostolos elegit per Spiritum sanctum, et praecepit praedicare Evangelium. Quibus praebuit se vivum post passionem in multis argumentis dierum, visus est eis per dies quadraginta, et docens de regno Dei, et quomodo conversatus sit cum illis, et praeceperit eis ne discederent ab Jerosolymis, sed sustinerent pollicitationem Patris, quam audistis, inquit, ex ore meo. Quoniam Joannes quidem baptizavit aqua, vos autem Spiritu sancto incipietis baptizari: quem et accepturi estis non post multos dies istos usque ad Pentecosten. Illi quidem cum venissent, interrogabant eum, dicentes: Domine, si hoc in tempore repraesentaberis, et quando regnum Israel. Ille autem dixit: Nemo potest cognoscere tempus, quod Pater posuit in sua potestate; sed accipietis virtutem Spiritus sancti supervenientem in vos, et eritis mihi testes apud Jerusalem, et in tota Judaea et Samaria, et usque in totam terram . Ecce habes ubi commemoravit discipulos pollicitationis paternae, quam ex ore ejus audierant de Spiritu sancto venturo. Nunc videamus quando sit missus. Paulo post enim sequitur, et dicit: In illo tempore quo suppletus est dies Pentecostes, fuerunt omnes eadem animatione simul in unum: et factus est subito de coelo sonus, quasi ferretur flatus vehemens, et implevit totum illum locum in quo erant sedentes; et visae sunt illis linguae divisae quasi ignis, qui et insedit super unumquemque illorum. Et impleti sunt omnes Spiritu sancto, et coeperunt loqui linguis, quomodo Spiritus dabat eis pronuntiare. Jerosolymis autem fuerunt habitantes Judaei homines ex omni natione quae est sub coelo. Et cum facta esset vox, collecta est turba, et confusa est; quoniam audiebat unusquisque suo sermone et suis linguis loquentes eos. Stupebant autem et mirabantur, ad invicem dicentes: Nonne omnes qui loquuntur, natione sunt Galilaei? Et quomodo agnoscimus in illis sermonem in quo nati sumus? Parthi, Medi, Elamitae, et qui inhabitant Mesopotamiam, Armeniam et Cappadociam, Pontum, Asiam, Phrygiam et Pamphyliam, Aegyptum et regiones Africae, quae est ad Cyrenen; et qui advenerant Romani, et Judaei, et incolae, et Cretes, et Arabes, audiebant loquentes illos suis linguis magnalia Dei. Stupebant autem, et haesitabant ob id quod factum est, dicentes: Quidnam hoc vult esse? Alii autem irridebant, dicentes: Hi musto omnes onerati sunt . Ecce ubi venit Spiritus sanctus: quid vultis amplius? Si Scripturis credendum est, cur non his potius credam, quae robustissima auctoritate firmatae sunt; quae cum ipso Evangelio, ubi promissum Spiritum sanctum pariter credimus, innotescere populis et commendari posteris praedicarique meruerunt? Hos ergo Actus Apostolorum Evangelio pari auctoritate conjunctos cum lego, invenio non solum esse promissum illis veris Apostolis sanctum Spiritum, sed etiam tam manifeste missum, ut nullus de hac re locus relinqueretur erroribus.