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and behaving insolently towards the scriptures and quoting the saying in the "Psalms" concerning Christ, which runs thus: " You have loved righteous "ness and hated iniquity; therefore God, "your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions ". "Now, concerning the fact that the Son of God was neither made from things that were not, "nor was there ever a time when he was not, John the Evan "gelist is sufficient to teach, writing thus about him: 'the only-begotten Son, who is "in the bosom of the Father.' For the divine tea "cher, intending to show two inseparable realities, the Father "and the Son, named him as being in the bosom of the Father. "But indeed also, that the Word of God is not numbered among the things made from non-existence, "the same John says that all things were made through him. "For he revealed his unique subsistence, saying: 'In the beginning "was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was "God. All things were made through him, and without him was not "anything made.' For if all things were made through him, how could he who bestowed "being on the things that were made, himself have once not existed? For in no way is the Word, the "creating principle, defined as being of the same nature as the things that were made; if indeed "he was in the beginning and all things were made through him and he made them from non-existence. "For that which Is seems opposite to and very far removed from things made from non-existence. "For it shows there is no interval between the Father and the Son, nor is the soul able to imagine this 13 "even for a single thought; but the creation of the "world from non-existence has a later subsistence and a recent origin, "all things having received such an "essence by the Father through the Son. For having contemplated the long 'was' of the Word of God and that it surpasses "the understanding of created beings, the most devout John thought it unworthy to speak of his generation "and making, not daring to name the maker with the things made using corresponding syllables, "not that he was unbegotten "(for the one unbegotten is the Father), but that the ineffable subsistence of the only-begotten "God is beyond the permitted comprehension of the evan "gelists, and perhaps also of angels. I do not think that those who dare to ask anything concerning "these things are counted among the pious, because of their "inattention to: 'Seek not the things that are too hard for you, and search not the things that are above your strength.' "For if the knowledge of many other things, and incomparably "inferior to this, is hidden from human comprehension (such as is "in Paul: 'what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor "has entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those "who love him,' and God also says that Abraham was not able to number the stars, "and furthermore, 'the sand of the seas and the drops 14 "of rain,' it says, 'who can number?'), how could someone meddle with "the subsistence of the Word of God, unless he happened to be seized by a melancholic disposition? "concerning which the prophetic Spirit says: 'His generation "who shall declare?' which our Savior himself, benefiting "the pillars of all in the world, was eager to relieve them of the knowledge concerning "this, saying therefore that it was beyond their nature to comprehend, "and that the knowledge of this most divine mystery was reserved "for the Father alone; 'For no one knows who the "Son is,' saying, 'except the Father; and no one knows the Father "except the Son.' concerning whom I think the Father also says 'My my "stery is for me.' "And that it is madness to think the Son was made from non-existence, "having a temporal proposition, is shown at once by 'from non-existence', "even if the foolish are ignorant of the madness of their own phrase. For 'was not' "must exist either in times or in some interval of an age. "If therefore it is true that all things were made through him, it is clear that every "age and time and interval and 'when', in which 'was not' "is found, was made through him. And how is it not incredible to say that he who made "both times and ages and seasons, in which 'was not' is mixed, 15 "himself once was not? For it is inconceivable and full of all igno "rance to say that the cause of something is himself subsequent "to its generation. For he precedes according to

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καὶ ταῖς γραφαῖς ἐμπαροινοῦντες καὶ παρατιθέμενοι τὸ ἐν "Ψαλμοῖς περὶ Χριστοῦ ῥητόν, τὸ οὕτως ἔχον· " ἠγάπησας δικαιο "σύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀδικίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ θεός, "ὁ θεός σου, ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου ". "Περὶ μὲν οὖν ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ οὔτε ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γεγένηται, "οὔτε ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, αὐτάρκης παιδεῦσαι Ἰωάννης ὁ εὐαγ "γελιστὴς γράφων οὕτως περὶ αὐτοῦ· " ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός, ὁ ὢν "εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός ". προνοούμενος γὰρ ὁ θεῖος δει "κνύναι διδάσκαλος ἀλλήλων ἀχώριστα πράγματα δύο, τὸν πατέρα "καὶ τὸν υἱόν, ὄντα αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ πατρὸς ὠνόμασεν. "ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ὅτι τοῖς ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γενομένοις ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ "οὐ συναριθμεῖται, πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ γεγονέναι φησὶν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἰωάννης. "τὴν γὰρ ἰδιότροπον αὐτοῦ ὑπόστασιν ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· " ἐν ἀρχῇ "ἦν ὁ λόγος καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ "λόγος. πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο "οὐδὲ ἕν ". εἰ γὰρ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, πῶς ὁ τοῖς γενομένοις "τὸ εἶναι χαρισάμενος αὐτός ποτε οὐκ ἦν; οὐ γάρ πως ὁ λόγος, τὸ "ποιοῦν, τοῖς γενομένοις τῆς αὐτῆς εἶναι φύσεως διορίζεται· εἴ γε "αὐτὸς μὲν ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πάντα δὲ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων "ἐποίησεν. ἐναντίον γὰρ δοκεῖ τοῖς ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γενομένοις τὸ ὂν "καὶ ἀφεστηκὸς σφόδρα. τὸ μὲν γὰρ μεταξὺ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ οὐδὲν "δείκνυσιν εἶναι διάστημα, οὐδ' ἄχρι τινὸς ἐννοίας τοῦτο φαντασι 13 "ῶσαι τῆς ψυχῆς δυναμένης· τὸ δὲ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων δημιουργεῖσθαι τὸν "κόσμον νεωτέραν ἔχει τῆς ὑποστάσεως καὶ πρόσφατον τὴν γένεσιν, "ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ πάντων εἰληφότων τὴν τοιαύτην "οὐσίωσιν. μακρὸν γοῦν θεωρήσας τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου τὸ ἦν καὶ ὑπεραῖ "ρον τῆς τῶν γενητῶν διανοίας ὁ εὐλαβέστατος Ἰωάννης γένεσιν "αὐτοῦ καὶ ποίησιν ἀπηξίωσεν εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲ ταῖς ὁμοστοίχοις συλλαβαῖς "τὸ ποιοῦν τοῖς γιγνομένοις ὀνομάσαι τολμήσας, οὐχ ὅτι ἀγέννητος "ἦν (ἓν γὰρ ἀγέννητον ὁ πατήρ), ἀλλ' ὅτι τῆς ἐξεσμένης τῶν εὐαγ "γελιστῶν, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀγγέλων καταλήψεως ὑπερέκεινά ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ "μονογενοῦς θεοῦ ἀνεκδιήγητος ὑπόστασις. εἰς εὐσεβεῖς οὐκ οἶμαι "λογιζομένους τοὺς μέχρι τούτων ἐπερωτᾶν τι τολμῶντας, διὰ τὸ "ἀνήκοον τοῦ " χαλεπώτερά σου μὴ ζήτει, καὶ ὑψηλότερά σου "μὴ ἐξέταζε ". εἰ γὰρ ἑτέρων πολλῶν ἡ γνῶσις, καὶ τούτου ἀσυγκρί "τως κολοβωτέρων, κέκρυπται τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κατάληψιν (οἷά ἐστι "παρὰ Παύλῳ· " ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ "ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς "ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν ", ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἄστρα φησὶν ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ "ἀριθμῆσαι μὴ δύνασθαι, καὶ ἔτι " ἄμμον θαλασσῶν καὶ σταγό 14 "νας ὑετοῦ ", φησί, " τίς ἐξαριθμήσει ;"), πῶς ἂν περιεργάσαιτό τις "τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ὑπόστασιν, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ μελαγχολικῇ διαθέσει "ληφθεὶς τυγχάνοι; περὶ ἧς τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμά φησι· " τὴν γενεὰν "αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται ;" ἣν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, εὐεργετῶν "τοὺς πάντων τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ κίονας, τὴν περὶ τούτου γνῶσιν "αὐτῶν ἀποφορτίσασθαι ἐσπούδασεν, πᾶσι μὲν οὖν αὐτοῖς ἀφύσικον "εἶναι λέγων εἰς κατάληψιν, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ πατρὶ ἀνακεῖσθαι τὴν τοῦ "θειοτάτου τούτου μυστηρίου εἴδησιν· " οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἔγνω τίς ἐστιν "ὁ υἱός " λέγων " εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ· καὶ τὸν πατέρα οὐδεὶς ἔγνω "κεν εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός ". περὶ οὗ καὶ τὸν πατέρα οἶμαι λέγειν " τὸ μυ "στήριόν μου ἐμοί ". "Ὅτι δὲ μανιῶδες τὸ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων τὸν υἱὸν γεγονέναι φρονεῖν, "χρονικὴν ἔχον τὴν πρόθεσιν αὐτόθεν δείκνυται τὸ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων, "κἂν ἀγνοῶσιν οἱ ἀνόητοι τὴν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτῶν μανίαν. ἢ γὰρ "χρόνοις ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι δεῖ τὸ οὐκ ἦν, ἢ αἰῶνός τινι διαστήματι. "εἰ τοίνυν ἀληθὲς τὸ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ γεγονέναι, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ πᾶς "αἰὼν καὶ χρόνος καὶ διαστήματα καὶ τὸ ποτέ, ἐν οἷς τὸ οὐκ ἦν "εὑρίσκεται, δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο. καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἀπίθανον τὸν καὶ χρό "νους καὶ αἰῶνας καὶ καιρούς, ἐν οἷς τὸ οὐκ ἦν συμπέφυρται, ποιή 15 "σαντα, αὐτόν ποτε μὴ εἶναι λέγειν; ἀδιανόητον γὰρ καὶ πάσης ἀμα "θίας ἀνάπλεων τὸν αἴτιον γενόμενόν τινος αὐτὸν μεταγενέστερον "λέγειν τῆς ἐκείνου γενέσεως. προηγεῖται γὰρ κατ'