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How is what we worship not a plurality of principles? Who are these? Those more complete in their impiety, or those of the second party, I mean those who are in some way right-minded about the Son? For my argument is common to both, but specific to these latter. Now, the one for these is as follows. What do you who worship the Son, even if you have abandoned the Spirit, say to us tritheists? Are you not ditheists? For if you deny also the worship of the Only-begotten, you are clearly ranked with our opponents; and why are we being lenient with you as if you were not entirely deadened? But if you worship, and up to this point are disposed to salvation, we will ask you: what is your argument against ditheism, if you are accused of this? If there is an argument of understanding, answer, and give us also a way to answer. For by whatever arguments you might repel the charge of ditheism, these will also suffice for us against tritheism. And so we are victorious, using you, our accusers, as our advocates; what could be more noble than this?

14 And what is our common contest and argument against both? To us there is one God, because there is one Godhead; and those that are from him have their reference to one, even though they are believed in as three. For one is not more, and another less, God; nor is one before, and another after; nor are they cut by will, nor divided by power, nor is there anything here to be found that belongs to things divisible; but the Godhead is indivisible in things divided, if I must speak concisely; and like a single mingling of light in three suns contiguous to one another. Therefore, when we look to the Godhead, and the first cause, and the monarchy, what appears to us is one; but when we look to those in whom the Godhead is, and those who are from the first cause, timelessly and with equal glory from it, the objects of our worship are three.

15 But what then? they might say, is there not also among the Greeks one godhead, as those among them who philosophize on higher things say, and among us one humanity, the whole race? But nevertheless there are many gods, and not one, just as there are also many men? But in that case the community has the one only as a concept contemplated in the mind; but the individuals are very much divided from one another both by time and by passions and by power. For we are not only composite, but also opposed both to one another and to ourselves, not remaining purely the same even for a single day, let alone for our whole life, but are always in flux and changing in both bodies and souls. And I do not know if this is not also true of angels and every nature above, after the Trinity, even if they are simple and more fixed towards the good by their nearness to the supremely good.

16 And the gods and daemons worshipped by the Greeks, as they themselves say, need no accusers from us, but are convicted by their own theologians, as being subject to passions, as being seditious, as being full of so many evils and changes, and being opposed not only to one another but also to their first causes, whom indeed they name Oceanus, and Tethys, and Phanes, and I know not what others; and finally some child-hating god because of love of rule, swallowing all the others out of greed, so that he might become the father of all men and gods, who were wretchedly eaten and vomited up. But if these are myths and certain allegories, as they themselves say, escaping the shamefulness of the story, what will they say to this, "All things are divided in three," and that one presides over one part of reality, another over another, being divided both in their spheres and in their dignities? But our belief is not such; "nor is this the portion of Jacob," says my theologian; but each one of them has relation to the unity no less than to itself, by the identity of substance and of power. And this is the principle of the union, as far as we have apprehended. If then this argument is strong, thanks be to God for the insight; but if not, let us seek a stronger one.

17 But as for your arguments, I know not whether we should say they are in jest or in earnest, by which you destroy our union. For what is the argument? "Things of the same substance are counted together," you say; by "counted together" meaning the reduction to a single number; not

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πῶς οὐ πολυαρχία τὸ δοξαζόμενον; ταῦτα τίνες; οἱ τελεώτεροι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, ἢ καὶ οἱ τῆς δευτέρας μερίδος, λέγω δὲ τοὺς περὶ τὸν υἱόν πως εὐγνώμονας; ὁ μὲν γὰρ κοινός μοι πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους λόγος, ὁ δὲ πρὸς τούτους ἴδιος. ὁ μὲν οὖν πρὸς τούτους τοιοῦτος. τί φατε τοῖς τριθείταις ἡμῖν οἱ τὸν υἱὸν σέβοντες, εἰ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀφεστήκατε; ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐ διθεῖται; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀρνεῖσθε καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς τὴν προσκύνησιν, σαφῶς τέταχθε μετὰ τῶν ἐναντίων· καὶ τί φιλανθρωπευόμεθα πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὡς οὐ πάντῃ νενεκρωμένους; εἰ δὲ σέβεσθε, καὶ μέχρι τούτου διάκεισθε σωτηρίως, ὑμᾶς ἐρω τήσομεν· τίς ὁ λόγος τῆς διθείας ὑμῖν, ἂν τοῦτο ἐγκαλῆσθε; εἰ ἔστι λόγος συνέσεως, ἀποκρίθητε, δότε καὶ ἡμῖν ὁδὸν ἀποκρίσεως. οἷς γὰρ ἂν ὑμεῖς τὴν διθείαν ἀποκρούσησθε λόγοις, οὗτοι καὶ ἡμῖν κατὰ τῆς τριθείας ἀρκέσουσι. καὶ οὕτω νικῶμεν, ὑμῖν τοῖς κατηγόροις συνηγόροις χρώμενοι· οὗ τί γενναιότερον;

14 Ὁ δὲ κοινὸς ἡμῖν πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους τίς ἀγών τε καὶ λόγος; ἡμῖν εἷς θεός, ὅτι μία θεότης· καὶ πρὸς ἓν τὰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει, κἂν τρία πιστεύηται. οὐ γὰρ τὸ μὲν μᾶλλον, τὸ δὲ ἧττον θεός· οὐδὲ τὸ μὲν πρότερον, τὸ δὲ ὕστερον· οὐδὲ βουλήσει τέμνεται, οὐδὲ δανάμει μερίζεται, οὐδέ τι τῶν ὅσα τοῖς μεριστοῖς ὑπάρχει, κἀν ταῦθα λαβεῖν ἐστίν· ἀλλὰ ἀμέριστος ἐν μεμερισμένοις, εἰ δεῖ συντό μως εἰπεῖν, ἡ θεότης· καὶ οἷον ἐν ἡλίοις τρισὶν ἐχομένοις ἀλλήλων, μία τοῦ φωτὸς σύγκρασις. ὅταν μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὴν θεότητα βλέψω μεν, καὶ τὴν πρώτην αἰτίαν, καὶ τὴν μοναρχίαν, ἓν ἡμῖν τὸ φανταζό μενον· ὅταν δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἐν οἷς ἡ θεότης, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς πρώτης αἰτίας ἀχρόνως ἐκεῖθεν ὄντα καὶ ὁμοδόξως, τρία τὰ προσκυνούμενα.

15 Τί δαί, οὐχὶ καὶ παρ' Ἕλλησι, φαῖεν ἄν, μία θεότης, ὡς οἱ τὰ τελεώτερα παρ' ἐκείνοις φιλοσοφοῦντες, καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ἀνθρωπότης μία, τὸ γένος ἅπαν; ἀλλ' ὅμως θεοὶ πολλοί, καὶ οὐχ εἷς, ὡς δὴ καὶ ἄνθρωποι; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν ἡ κοινότης τὸ ἓν ἔχει μόνον ἐπινοίᾳ θεω ρητόν· τὰ δὲ καθ' ἕκαστον πλεῖστον ἀλλήλων καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τοῖς πάθεσι καὶ τῇ δυνάμει μεμερισμένα. ἡμεῖς τε γὰρ οὐ σύνθετοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντίθετοι καὶ ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας οἱ αὐτοὶ καθαρῶς μένοντες, μὴ ὅτι τὸν ἅπαντα βίον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σώμασι καὶ ψυχαῖς ἀεὶ ῥέοντες τε καὶ μεταπίπτοντες. οὐκ οἶδα δέ, εἰ μὴ καὶ ἄγγελοι καὶ πᾶσα φύσις ἡ ἄνω μετὰ τὴν τριάδα, κἂν ἁπλοῖ τινὲς ὦσι, καὶ πρὸς τὸ καλὸν παγιώτεροι τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἄκρον καλὸν ἐγγύτητι.

16 Οἵ τε παρ' Ἑλλήνων σεβόμενοι θεοί τε καὶ δαίμονες, ὡς αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν, οὐδὲν ἡμῶν δέονται κατηγόρων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς σφῶν αὐτῶν ἁλίσκονται θεολόγοις, ὡς μὲν ἐμπαθεῖς, ὡς δὲ στασιώδεις, ὅσων δὲ κακῶν γέμοντες καὶ μεταβολῶν, καὶ οὐ πρὸς ἀλλήλους μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὰς πρώτας αἰτίας ἀντιθέτως ἔχοντες, οὓς δὴ καὶ Ὠκεανούς, καὶ Τηθύας, καὶ Φάνητας, καὶ οὐκ οἶδα οὕς τινας ὀνο μάζουσι· καὶ τελευταῖόν τινα θεὸν μισότεκνον διὰ φιλαρχίαν, πάντας καταπίνοντα τοὺς ἄλλους ἐξ ἀπληστίας, ἵνα γένηται πάντων ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε πατήρ, δυστυχῶς ἐσθιομένων καὶ ἐμουμένων. εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μῦθοι καὶ ὑπόνοιαί τινες, ὡς αὐτοί φασι, τὸ αἰσχρὸν τοῦ λόγου διαδιδράσκοντες, τί φήσουσι πρὸς τό, Τριχθὰ δὲ πάντα δέδασται, καὶ τὸ ἄλλον ἄλλῳ τινὶ τῶν ὄντων ἐπιστατεῖν, διηρημέ νους καὶ ταῖς ὕλαις καὶ τοῖς ἀξιώμασι; τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον οὐ τοιοῦτον· οὐδὲ αὕτη μερὶς τῷ Ἰακώβ, φησιν ὁ ἐμὸς θεολόγος· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἓν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἔχει πρὸς τὸ συγκείμενον οὐχ ἧττον ἢ πρὸς ἑαυτό, τῷ ταὐτῷ τῆς οὐσίας καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως. καὶ οὗτος ὁ τῆς ἑνώσεως λόγος, ὅσον ἐφ' οἷς ἡμεῖς κατειλήφαμεν. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὗτος ἰσχυρὸς ὁ λόγος, τῷ θεῷ χάρις τῆς θεωρίας· εἰ δὲ μή, ζητῶμεν τὸν ἰσχυ ρότερον.

17 Τοὺς δὲ σοὺς λόγους οὐκ οἶδα πότερον παίζοντος εἶναι φήσο μεν, ἢ σπουδάζοντος, οἷς ἀναιρεῖς ἡμῶν τὴν ἕνωσιν. τίς γὰρ δὴ καὶ ὁ λόγος; τὰ ὁμοούσια συναριθμεῖται, φῄς· συναρίθμησιν λέγων τὴν εἰς ἀριθμὸν ἕνα συναίρεσιν· οὐ