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demons, who by their own choice were shown to be evil, shudder to hear, let alone to say, that they are useless and beauty-hating creatures. The discourses, therefore, which contain the theological doctrines, have been sufficiently worked out, although there are also other proofs of countless words, but they were not mentioned, so that the readers might not be deterred by their number, nor the writer appear long-winded and verbose. For if "the word of truth is by nature simple," as the renowned among the Greeks say, and for this reason Truth would reasonably be called the Divine alone; it is clear that the discourse about the Word of God is also simple, and free from all perverse complexity. But in order that the divine doctrines may be easy to survey, on account of the problems of the heretics that will now be mentioned, come, let us connect their argument as in a partial and brief recapitulation, even if we are about to repeat ourselves, but nevertheless for the sake of what is necessary and that the things concerning them might become, as far as possible, comprehensible to all from every side. For indeed, those who propose to build a structure, first gather and set aside the suitable materials, then they place them near each spot that is about to be worked on, so that each of those engaged in the handiwork may have them under their eyes and ready at hand, and thus they begin the task. But again entrusting everything to God, the one who stills the waves, and gives a fair voyage, and brings all things to success, by whose grace, which He is accustomed to supply even to sinners and to those constrained in speech—I speak especially of myself—I have come to this 39.784 desire, I will proceed to what follows, believing, that before I speak with the children whom He has given me, and with the children of the children, for whom we labor while we live, and also with all whom He knows, I will receive His grace. For His is the golden decree: "All things whatsoever you shall ask in my name, you will receive;" and, "Open your mouth, and I will fill it;" and, "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of my Father who speaks in you." Being deemed worthy of understanding about Him and from Him, even the outsiders say: God who fashions all things also plants grace in a singer. For human understanding is truly not sufficient to say anything about God, without receiving divine help and power; as Diagoras the Melian also said somewhere: "God, before every mortal work, directs the 39.785 supreme mind; but self-taught virtue travels a short path." I will begin, then, from where it is fitting to begin.

CH. II. 1. If, therefore, the Scripture is true—and it is certainly true—when it says that God the Word is true God

and true Son of God, as it holds in many places, and as the Father says: "This is my beloved Son;" and as John writes: "And we are in the true Son of God, Jesus Christ; this is the true God and eternal life;" and as Jeremiah prophesies: "The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth; the Lord, who made the heavens by understanding, He is the living and true God;" it is therefore clear that He is by nature and properly God, uncreated, and without beginning, and unchangeable in all things from God the Father. For no cause is found for a God who is true by nature, nor is a true God said to be made, nor is a true Son conceived of as being of a different substance. And the fact that it says, "This is my Son," and, "This is the true God," precludes seeking another genuine Son, or a proper God; and otherwise: If He is true God and Son, according to the generation from above, He has a Father, but He does not have a God; but according to the one from below, He has a God, but not a 39.788 father. Therefore, that a being who is entirely human should not set out on a path untrodden and in every way inaccessible to all creatures, even the outsiders declared thus: Acknowledge and reverence God, but do not inquire. And again: But God is immortal, ever-ageless, unshakeable, Unspeakable in secret counsels, self-begotten, Begetting himself, ever new, not made. He is the begetter of truth, himself wise, himself true. And Pindar, faithful and true

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δαίμονες, οἱ δι' οἰκείας γνώμης κακότητα ἀναδειχθέντες, ἄχρηστα καὶ μισόκαλα κτίσματα ἀκοῦσαι, μήτιγε καὶ εἰπεῖν, φρίττουσιν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν λόγοι, οἱ τὰς θεολογίας περιέχοντες, ἀποχρώντως ἀπειργάσθησαν, ἤδη οὐσῶν μὲν καὶ ἄλλων μυριολέκτων ἀποδείξεων, μὴ μνημονευθεισῶν δὲ, ὅπως μήτε ὀκνοῖεν διὰ τὸ πλῆθος οἱ ἐντυγχάνοντες, μήτε μακροπερίοδος καὶ πολυλογῶν φαίνηται ὁ γράφων. Εἰ γὰρ «ἁπλοῦς ὁ μῦθος τῆς ἀληθείας ἔφυ,» φασὶν οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων εὐδόκιμοι, καὶ Ἀλήθεια διὰ τοῦτο εἰκότως ἂν τὸ Θεῖον προσαγορεύοιτο μόνον· δῆλον, ὡς καὶ ὁ περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου λόγος ἁπλοῦς, καὶ πάσης διαστρόφου ποικιλίας ἀπηλλαγμένος. Ἵνα δὲ εὐσύνοπτοι ὦσιν αἱ θεηγορίαι, διὰ τὰ νυνὶ λεχθησόμενα προβλήματα αἱρετικῶν, φέρε, ὡς ἐν μερικῇ καὶ συντόμῳ ἀνακεφαλαιώσει συνείρωμεν τὸν λόγον αὐτῶν, εἰ καὶ ταυτοειπεῖν μέλλομεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως διὰ τὸ χρειῶδες καὶ τὸ πᾶσι πανταχόθεν ἁλώσιμα, κατά γε τὸ ἐφικτὸν, γενέσθαι τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ προθέμενοι οἰκοδομίαν ποιήσασθαι, συνοψίσαντες πρότερον τὰς ἁρμοζούσας ὕλας ἀποτίθενται, εἶτα ἐξ αὐτῶν πλησίον ἑκάστου τόπου ἐξεργάζεσθαι μέλλοντος παρατιθέασιν, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν ὑπ' ὄμμασι καὶ ἐν προχείρῳ ἕκαστοι τῶν τῇ χειρουργίᾳ κεχρημένων, καὶ οὕτω τοῦ πράγματος ἄρχονται. Τῷ δὲ Θεῷ αὖθις τὸ πᾶν θαῤῥήσας, τῷ τὰ κύματα παύοντι, καὶ εὔδιον πλοῦν διδόντι, καὶ πάντα κατορθοῦντι, οὗ κατὰ χάριν ἣν καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῖς καὶ στενοῖς τὸν λόγον, ἰδία δ' ἐμοῦ λέγω, χορηγεῖν εἴωθεν εἰς ταύτην προελήλυθα τὴν 39.784 ἐπιθυμίαν, πρόειμι ἐπὶ τὰ ἑξῆς πιστεύων, ὡς πρινὴ λαλήσω σὺν τοῖς παιδίοις, οἷς ἔδωκέν μοι, καὶ τοῖς παιδίοις τῶν παιδίων, δι' ἃ καὶ ζῶντες πονοῦμεν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ πᾶσιν, οἷς οἶδεν, τὴν χάριν δέξομαι. Αὐτοῦ γὰρ χρυσοῦν θέσπισμά ἐστιν·» Πάντα, ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐπὶ τῷ ἐμῷ ὀνόματι, λήψεσθε·» καὶ, «Ἄνοιξον τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ πληρώσω αὐτό·» καὶ, «Οὐχ ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ λαλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Πατρός μου τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν.» Περὶ οὗ καὶ παρ' οὗ συναισθήσεως ἀξιωθέντες καὶ οἱ ἔξω φασίν· Θεὸς ὁ τὰ πάντα τεύχων καὶ χάριν ἀοιδῷ φυτεύει. Οὐκ αὐτάρκης γὰρ ὄντως ἡ ἀνθρώπου σύνεσις εἰπεῖν τι περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μὴ θείαν προσλαβοῦσα βοήθειάν τε καὶ δύναμιν· ὥς που καὶ ∆ιαγόρας ὁ Μήλιος ἔφησεν· «Θεὸς, πρὸ παντὸς ἔργου βροτείου, νωμᾷ φρένα 39.785 ὑπερτάτην· αὐτοδαὴς δὲ ἀρετᾷ βραχὺν οἶμον ἕρπειν.» Ἄρξομαι δὲ ἀφ' ὧν εἰκὸς ἄρξασθαι.

ΚΕΦ. Βʹ. Αʹ. Εἰ τοίνυν ἀψευδεῖ ἡ Γραφὴ πάντως δὲ ἀψευδεῖ, Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν

καὶ Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀληθινὸν λέγουσα εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον, ὡς πολλαχοῦ ἔχει, καὶ ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ λέγει· «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός·» καὶ ὡς Ἰωάννης γράφει· «Καὶ ἐσμὲν ἐν τῷ ἀληθινῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος·» καὶ ὡς Ἱερεμίας προφητεύει· «Θεοὶ, οἳ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἐποίησαν, ἀπολέσθωσαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· Κύριος, ὃς ἐποίησεν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐν συνέσει, αὐτὸς Θεὸς ζῶν καὶ ἀληθινός·» δῆλον δήπουθεν, ὡς φύσει καὶ κυρίως Θεὸς ἄκτιστος ὢν, καὶ ἄναρχος, καὶ ἀπαράλλακτος κατὰ πάντα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός. Οὔτε γὰρ αἰτία φύσει Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ εὑρίσκεται, οὐδὲ Θεὸς ἀληθινὸς ποιητὸς λέγεται, οὔτε Υἱὸς ἀληθινὸς ἑτεροούσιος νοεῖται. Καὶ τὸ ἔχειν δὲ, «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου·» καὶ, «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεός·» ζητεῖν ἄλλον γνήσιον Υἱὸν, ἢ κυρίως Θεὸν, ἀποκλείει· καὶ ἄλλως· Εἰ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς καὶ Υἱός ἐστιν, κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἄνω γέννησιν, Πατέρα ἔχει, Θεὸν δὲ οὐκ ἔχει· κατὰ δὲ τὴν κάτω, Θεὸν μὲν ἔχει, πατέρα 39.788 δὲ οὔ. Ἀτριβῆ οὖν καὶ τοῖς ἅπασι· κτίσμασιν παντοίως ἀνεπίβατον μὴ στέλλεσθαι πορείαν, ἄνθρωπον ὅλως ὄντα, καὶ οἱ ἔξω διηγόρευσαν τοιῶσδε· Θεὸν νόμιζε καὶ σέβου, ζήτει δὲ μή. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἀθάνατος δὲ Θεὸς, παναγήραος, ἀστυφέλικτος, Ἄῤῥητος κρυφίοις ὑπὸ δήνεσιν, αὐτογένεθλος, Τίκτων αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν, ἀεὶ νέος, οὐ ποιητός. Αὐτὸς ἀληθείης γενέτης, σοφὸς αὐτὸς ἀληθής. Καὶ ὁ Πίνδαρος δὲ, πιστὸν καὶ ἀληθινὸν