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consider how he drags it out. {EUN.} Therefore, the simpler and common faith of all those who are concerned with seeming to be rather than with being Christians, to speak summarily and in brief, is this. {BAS.} Tell me, are the pious tradition of the Fathers, and the rule, as you yourself have named it, and the standard, and the safe criterion, now called an instrument of deceit, and an art of pretense, and such things again? For if it does not apply to those who are truly Christians, but to those who have honored seeming over being, what else is it fitting to suppose about it but these things? Who then, unless he were completely mad, would say that the rule of what is straight fits those who are crooked in soul, and the standard of truth its enemies? For those who have honored being called Christians over truly being so, putting on this pretense for the deception of the many, are far from all straightness and truth. Therefore, neither will the crooked be made straight, as the word of Ecclesiastes says, nor will the criteria of truth fit those who have chosen falsehood in their life, as seems right to this man. But for the reasons I have stated, he was led into such manifest contradictions, so that on the one hand, by praising the faith, he might seem to share in the piety of the Fathers, and on the other hand, by taking it up again, he might open a way for himself to his exegesis. For this reason he calls it both a rule, and says that it needs a more exact addition. And let this very thing be a sign of the utmost ignorance, if anyone cares to examine this as well. For the rule, O most wise one, and the standard, so long as it lacks nothing of being a rule and a standard, admits no addition for the sake of exactness. For an addition is according to what is lacking. But being imperfect, they could no longer properly obtain these titles. And so much for these things. But now let us also examine the arguments which he sets forth concerning God. {EUN.} Therefore, he says, one God has been confessed by us, according both to natural conception and to the teaching of the Fathers, having come to be neither from Himself nor from another. For each of them is equally impossible, 29.516 since in truth that which makes must pre-exist that which comes to be, and that which is made must be second to that which makes. And it is possible neither for it to be before or after itself, nor for anything else to be before God. For that thing would have had the dignity of divinity before the second. {BAS.} For what reason, then, did I quote this entire passage of his? So that the man's idle talk, which he uses throughout the whole argument, might become evident. For having said himself that it is evident to the common conceptions of all that God is unbegotten, he attempts to bring us proofs of this, doing something similar to someone who at high noon might wish to teach by argument those with healthy eyes that the sun is the brightest of the heavenly stars. But if he who proves by argument things known to the senses is ridiculous, how is he who teaches things agreed upon by common preconceptions not liable to the same charge of folly? For these things are surely much more credible to the sound-minded than things seen by sight. If, then, there were someone shamelessly attacking this truth, and insisting that the unbegotten has been begotten either by himself or by another, the futility of his words might perhaps have some excuse; but if no one up to this day, neither of those outside our doctrine, nor of those from the Church herself who have risen up against the truth, has reached such a point of frenzy as to dispute about the unbegottenness of the unbegotten; what profit there is from these words, I do not see. Or did we really need the syllogisms of Aristotle and Chrysippus to learn that the unbegotten has not been begotten, neither by himself, nor by another? and that he is neither older, nor younger than himself? What then does he mean by these things? It seems to me that he is at once showing off to his followers, as if he were someone dense and extraordinary in his thought, and quick to perceive an absurdity, but quicker to refute what has been detected, and for this reason he puts on airs with his words

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σκέψασθε πῶς δια σύρει. {ΕΥΝ.} Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἁπλουστέρα καὶ κοινὴ πάντων πίστις ὅσοις τὸ δοκεῖν ἢ τὸ εἶναι Χριστιανοῖς ἐπιμε λὲς, ὡς ἐν ἐπιδρομῇ κεφαλαιωδέστερον εἰπεῖν, αὕτη. {ΒΑΣ.} Εἰπέ μοι, ἡ εὐσεβὴς τῶν Πατέρων παράδοσις, καὶ ὁ κανὼν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὠνόμασας, καὶ ὁ γνώμων, καὶ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς κριτήριον, νῦν ὄργανον ἀπάτης, καὶ τέχνη σχηματισμοῦ, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πάλιν προσαγο ρεύεται; Εἰ γὰρ οὐχὶ τοῖς ὄντως οὖσι Χριστιανοῖς ἐφαρμόζει, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τὸ δοκεῖν πρὸ τοῦ εἶναι τετιμη κόσι, τί ἄλλο περὶ αὐτῆς ὑπολαμβάνειν ἢ ταῦτα προσ ῆκε; Τίς ἂν οὖν, μὴ παντελῶς παραπαίων, τὸν κα νόνα τοῦ εὐθέως τοῖς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνδιαστρόφοις ἁρμό ζειν εἴποι, καὶ τὸν γνώμονα τῆς ἀληθείας τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τῆς ἀληθείας; Οἱ γὰρ τὸ ὀνομάζεσθαι Χριστιανοὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἀληθῶς εἶναι τετιμηκότες, ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν πολ λῶν ἀπάτῃ τὸν σχηματισμὸν τοῦτον ὑποδυόμενοι, πόῤῥω πάσης εὐθύτητος καὶ ἀληθείας εἰσίν. Οὔτε οὖν διεστραμμένον κατευθυνθήσεται, ὡς τοῦ Ἐκκλη σιαστικοῦ λόγος, οὔτε τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας κριτήρια τοῖς τὸ ψεῦδος κατὰ τὸν βίον ᾑρημένοις ἁρμόσει, ὅπερ τούτῳ δοκεῖ. Ἀλλὰ δι' ἃς εἶπον αἰτίας εἰς οὕτω προδήλους ἐναντιότητας ὑπενέχθη, ἵνα οἷς μὲν ἐπαινεῖ τὴν πί στιν κοινωνεῖν τοῖς Πατράσι τῆς εὐσεβείας δόξῃ, οἷς δὲ λαμβάνεται πάλιν αὐτῆς, τὴν ὁδὸν ἑαυτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἐξήγησιν ὑπανοίξῃ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ κανόνα λέγει, καὶ προσθήκης φησὶν ἀκριβεστέρας δεῖσθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀμαθείας σημεῖον ἔστω, εἴ τῳ καὶ τοῦτο φίλον παρεξετάζειν. Ὁ γάρ τοι κανὼν, ὦ σοφώτατε, καὶ ὁ γνώμων, ἕως ἂν μηδὲν ἐνδέῃ τοῦ κανὼν εἶναι καὶ γνώμων, οὐδεμίαν προσ θήκην εἰς ἀκρίβειαν ἐπιδέχεται. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸ ἐλλεῖ πον ἡ πρόσθεσις. Ἀτελεῖς δὲ ὑπάρχοντες, οὐδὲ τῶν προσηγοριῶν τούτων ὑγιῶς ἂν ἔτι τυγχάνοιεν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ οὓς ἐκτίθεται περὶ Θεοῦ λόγους ἐπισκεψώμεθα. {ΕΥΝ.} Εἷς τοίνυν, φησὶ, κατά τε φυσικὴν ἔννοιαν καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῶν Πατέρων διδασκαλίαν ἡμῖν ὡμολό γηται Θεὸς, μήτε παρ' ἑαυτοῦ μήτε παρ' ἑτέρου γε νόμενος. Ἑκάτερον γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐπίσης ἀδύνατον, 29.516 ἐπειδή γε δεῖ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν τὸ ποιοῦν τοῦ γινομένου προϋπάρχειν, καὶ τὸ ποιούμενον τοῦ ποιοῦντος εἶναι δεύτερον. Μήτε δὲ αὐτὸ ἑαυτοῦ πρότερον ἢ ὕστερον εἶναι δύνασθαι, μήτε ἕτερόν τι πρὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἦ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνο πρὸ τοῦ δευτέρου τὸ τῆς θεότητος ἔσχεν ἀξίωμα. {ΒΑΣ.} Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ ταύτην παρεθέμην τὴν λέξιν; Ἵνα καταφανὴς ἡ ἀδολεσχία τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ᾗ χρῆται παρὰ πάντα τὸν λόγον, γένηται. Εἰπὼν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐναργὲς ὑπάρχειν ταῖς κοιναῖς πάντων ἐννοίαις τὸ εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν ἀγέννητον, ἀπο δείξεις τούτου κομίζειν ἡμῖν ἐπιχειρεῖ, παραπλήσιον ποιῶν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἐν σταθερᾷ μεσημβρίᾳ τοὺς ἐῤῥωμένους τὰς ὄψεις λόγῳ διδάσκειν βούλοιτο φανό τατον εἶναι τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν ἀστέρων τὸν ἥλιον. Εἰ δὲ ὁ τὰ τῇ αἰσθήσει γνώριμα λόγῳ δεικνὺς καταγέλα στος, ὁ τὰ ταῖς κοιναῖς προλήψεσιν ὡμολογημένα δι δάσκων πῶς οὐχὶ τῆς ἴσης παρανοίας ὑπεύθυνος; Πολλῷ γὰρ δήπου ταῦτα τῶν διὰ τῆς ὄψεως φαινομέ νων τοῖς σωφρονοῦσι πιστότερα. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἦν τις ὁ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ταύτης ἀναισχυντῶν, καὶ τὸν ἀγέν νητον ἢ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ ἢ παρ' ἑτέρου γεγεννῆσθαι διατεινόμενος, εἶχεν ἄν τινα τυχὸν συγγνώμην ἡ μα ταιότης τῶν λεγομένων· εἰ δὲ οὐδεὶς μέχρι σήμερον οὔτε τῶν ἔξω τοῦ λόγου τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς, οὔτε τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐπαναστάντων τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, εἰς τοσοῦτον ἦλθεν ἀποπληξίας, ὥστε διαμφισβητεῖν περὶ τῆς ἀγεννησίας τοῦ ἀγεννήτου· τί κέρδος ἐκ τῶν λόγων τούτων, οὐ συνορῶ. Ἢ τῶν Ἀριστοτέλους ὄντως ἡμῖν καὶ Χρυσίππου συλλογισμῶν ἔδει πρὸς τὸ μαθεῖν, ὅτι ὁ ἀγέννητος οὐ γεγέννηται, οὔτε αὐτὸς ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ, οὔτε ὑφ' ἑτέρου; καὶ οὔτε πρεσβύ τερος, οὔτε νεώτερος αὐτός ἐστιν ἑαυτοῦ; Τί οὖν αὐτῷ ταῦτα βούλεται; ∆οκεῖ μοι ὁμοῦ μὲν τοῖς ἀκολούθοις ἐγκαλλωπίζεσθαι, ὡς δὴ πυκνός τις καὶ περιττὸς τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ὀξὺς μὲν ὑπιδέσθαι τὸ ἄτοπον, ὀξύτερος δὲ διαλῦσαι τὸ φωραθὲν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐναβρύνεσθαι τῇ τῶν λόγων