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the Father and the Son. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who confesses the Son has the Father also. For both are known through both, and each in each, both by ourselves and by the holy angels. For no one could learn what the Father is unless he mentally accepted a subsistent and begotten Son. But neither, again, could one learn what the Son is, unless one clearly considered that the Father has begotten. Therefore, I think it is necessary and accurate to say that if the Son is nonexistent, neither could we truly conceive of the Father. For where is He still a Father, if He has not truly begotten? Or if He has begotten that which is neither subsistent nor exists at all, that which is begotten will be nothing. For that which is not subsistent is equal to nothing, or rather, it is absolutely nothing. Then God will be the Father of nothing. But, O most excellent sirs, I would say to the exponents of such things, your words are empty nonsense. Or at least tell me when I ask: how is the love of God the Father for us exceptional? And if He gave His Son for us—the one who according to you is not subsistent—then He has given nothing for us, and the Word did not become flesh, nor did He endure the precious cross, nor did He abolish the power of death, nor indeed did He rise again. For if He is nothing, and nonexistent according to you, how could He be in these things? Then the word of Holy Scripture has deceived those who have believed, and the firmness of faith has vanished into nothing. {B} May it not be so. {A} And what of this? Has not the divine word signified to us that the Son exists in the form of God, and says He is the image and character of the One who begot Him? 687 {B} Most certainly. {A} And are images as their archetypes? {B} Of course. {A} Therefore, if the image is not hypostatic, and the character is not conceived as existing in itself, they will grant, as from necessary reason, that He of whom it is the character is also non-hypostatic, and the deformity of the image will surely trace back to the archetype. Is that not so? {B} Most certainly. {A} Then, tell me, did Philip, being well-taught in Christ, ask to see the Father who is and subsists, saying, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us,' or the one who is not and is non-hypostatic? {B} The one who is, clearly. {A} If, then, the Son is nothing, since He is not subsistent, according to their unbridled audacity, did He for no reason present Himself to us as an image and accurate knowledge of the Father, saying: 'Have I been with you so long, and you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? I and the Father are one.' But I do not think one could behold that which subsists in that which does not subsist, nor could that which exists ever be conceived as altogether the same as that which does not exist. And how will it be that the Father is in the Son, and the Son in turn is in the Father? Or is it not true to say that if the Word does not exist in His own being, the Father Himself would also be in peril, having nothing in Himself, and being conceived as existing in nothing? For that which absolutely is not could then not be conceived at all. {B} The argument is not unpolished. For it suffers from the greatest absurdity within itself, but it nevertheless reduces the doctrine of the opponents to discord. {A} And one might reasonably be astonished in what way the Father has made existing things in the Son who has not obtained being. But if someone were to ask whether it is good for existing things to be, or perhaps not to be, how would you answer? {B} I would say that it is good to be. For by giving being to things that once were not, the Creator has been named and is pre-eminently good. {A} You have spoken excellently. For this is the nature of the matter. Therefore, creation is in a better state than He through whom all things are called into being, if He is said not to subsist, while they both subsist and are conceived in being. {B} Away with the blasphemy. For the Word of God is living and active, as it is written. Therefore He also said: I am the life. {A} But

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τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱόν. Πᾶς ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν Υἱὸν οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα ἔχει, ὁ ὁμολογῶν τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ τὸν Πατέρα ἔχει. Ἄμφω γὰρ δι' ἀμφοῖν καὶ ἑκάτερος ἐν ἑκατέρῳ πρός τε ἡμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἐπιγινώσκονται. Οὐ γὰρ ἄν τις ἀναμάθοι τί ἐστι Πατὴρ εἰ μὴ Υἱὸν ὑφεστῶτά τε καὶ γεγεννημένον εἰσδέξαιτο κατὰ νοῦν. Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἂν ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς ἀναμάθοι πάλιν, εἰ μὴ ὅτι τέτοκεν ὁ Πατὴρ διενθυμοῖτο σαφῶς. Οὐκοῦν, ἀναγκαῖον οἶμαί που καὶ ἀτρεκὲς εἰπεῖν ὡς εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἀνύπαρκτος ὁ Υἱός, οὐδ' ἂν τὸν Πατέρα κατὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς νοήσαιμεν ἄν. Ποῦ γὰρ ἔτι Πατήρ, εἰ μὴ τέτοκεν ἀληθῶς; Ἢ εἴπερ γεγέννηκε τὸ μὴ ὑφεστὼς μήτε ὑπάρχον ὅλως, τὸ γεννηθὲν ἔσται τὸ μηδέν. Τὸ γάρ τοι μὴ ὑφεστὼς ἐν ἴσῳ τῷ μηδενί, μᾶλλον δὲ παντελῶς οὐδέν. Εἶτα τοῦ μηδενὸς ἔσται Πατὴρ ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' ὦ βέλτιστοι, φαίην ἂν ἔγωγε πρός γε τοὺς τῶν τοιούτων ἐξηγητάς, ὕθλος εἰκαῖος τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν, ἢ γοῦν ἐρομένῳ φράζετε· πῶς ἐξαίρετος ἡ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀγάπησις τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός; Καὶ εἰ δέδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὸν Υἱόν, τὸν καθ' ὑμᾶς οὐχ ὑφεστηκότα, τὸ μηδὲν ἄρα δέδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καὶ οὔτε γέγονε σὰρξ ὁ Λόγος, οὔτε τὸν τίμιον ὑπέστη σταυρόν, οὔτε κατήργηκε τοῦ θανάτου τὸ κράτος, οὔτε μὴν ἀνεβίω πάλιν. Εἰ γάρ ἐστι τὸ μηδέν, καὶ ἀνύπαρκτος καθ' ὑμᾶς, πῶς ἔν γε τουτοισὶ γένοιτ' ἄν; Πεφενάκικεν οὖν ἄρα τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς ὁ λόγος τοὺς πεπιστευκότας, καὶ ἡ τῆς πίστεως ἑδραιότης οἴχεται πρὸς τὸ μηδέν. {Β} Μὴ γένοιτο. {Α} Τί δέ; Οὐκ ἐν μορφῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχειν τὸν Υἱὸν ὁ θεῖος ἡμῖν κατεσήμηνε λόγος, εἰκόνα τε αὐτὸν καὶ χαρακτῆρά φησι τοῦ Γεγεννηκότος; 687 {Β} Καὶ μάλα. {Α} Αἱ δὲ εἰκόνες ὡς τὰ ἀρχέτυπα; {Β} Πῶς γὰρ οὔ; {Α} Οὐκοῦν, εἰ μὴ ἐνυπόστατος ἡ εἰκών, μήτε μὴν ἐν ὑπάρξει νοοῖτο τῇ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὁ χαρακτήρ, ἀνυπόστατον εἶναι δώσουσιν ὡς ἐξ ἀναγκαίου λόγου καὶ τὸν οὗπέρ ἐστι χαρακτήρ, καὶ τὸ τῆς εἰκόνος ἀκαλλὲς ἀναδραμεῖταί που πάντως ἐπὶ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον. Ἦ γάρ; {Β} Καὶ μάλα. {Α} Εἶτα, εἰπέ μοι, Φίλιππος χριστομαθὴς ὢν ἄγαν, τὸν ὄντα τε καὶ ὑφεστηκότα Πατέρα κατιδεῖν ἠξίου, λέγων· Κύριε, δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν, ἢ γοῦν τὸν οὐκ ὄντα καὶ ἀνυπόστατον; {Β} Τὸν ὄντα δηλονότι. {Α} Εἴπερ οὖν ἐστι τὸ μηδὲν ὁ Υἱός, ἅτε δὴ μὴ ὑφεστηκώς, κατά γε τὸ ἐκείνων ἀχάλινον θράσος, εἰς εἰκόνα καὶ γνῶσιν ἀκριβῆ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἡμῖν ἀνθότου παρεκόμιζε, λέγων· Τοσοῦτον χρόνον μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκάς με, Φίλιππε; Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. Οὐ πιστεύεις ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί ἐστι; Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν οἶμαί που τὸν ὑφεστηκότα καταθρήσειέ τις ἔν γε τῷ μὴ ὑφεστηκότι, οὐδ' ἂν ἐννοοῖτό ποτε καὶ ταὐτὸν εἰσάπαν τῷ μὴ ὑπάρχοντι τὸ ὑπάρχον. Ἔσται δὲ ὅπως ἐν Υἱῷ μὲν ὁ Πατήρ, ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς αὖ ἐν τῷ Πατρί; Ἢ οὐκ ἔτυμον εἰπεῖν ὡς εἰ μὴ ἔστιν ὁ Λόγος ἐν ὑπάρξει τῇ καθ' ἑαυτόν, κινδυνεύσειεν ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Πατήρ, ἔχων μὲν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸ μηδέν, νοούμενος δὲ ὑπάρχειν ἐν τῷ μηδενί; Τὸ γὰρ οὐκ ὂν ὅλως οὐδὲν ἂν νοοῖτο λοιπόν. {Β} Οὐκ ἄτραχυς μὲν ὁ λόγος. Πλείστην γὰρ ὅσην ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀτοπίαν νοσεῖ, περιίστησι δ' οὖν ὅμως εἰς τὸ ἀπηχὲς τῶν δι' ἐναντίας τὸ δόγμα. {Α} Κατατεθήποι δ' ἄν τις εἰκότως τίνα δὴ τρόπον ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ τῷ μὴ λαχόντι τὸ εἶναι τὰ ὄντα πεποίηκεν ὁ Πατήρ. Εἰ δὲ δή τις ἔροιτο πότερα τοῖς οὖσι τὸ εἶναι καλόν, ἢ γοῦν τὸ μὴ εἶναι τυχόν, ἀποκρίνῃ τίνα τρόπον; {Β} Φαίην ἂν ὅτι τὸ εἶναι. Τοῖς γὰρ οὐκ οὖσί ποτε τὸ εἶναι διδούς, ἀγαθὸς ὅτι μάλιστα κεχρημάτικέ τε καὶ ἔστιν ὁ ∆ημιουργός. {Α} Ἄριστα ἔφης. Ἔχοι γὰρ ἂν ὧδε τὸ χρῆμα τῇ φύσει. Οὐκοῦν, ἐν ἀμείνοσιν ἡ κτίσις ἥπερ ὁ δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα καλεῖται πρὸς γένεσιν, εἰ ὁ μὲν οὐχ ὑφεστηκέναι λέγεται, τὰ δὲ ὑφέστηκέ τε καὶ ἐν τῷ εἶναι νοεῖται. {Β} Ἄπαγε τῆς δυσφημίας. Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργής, καθὰ γέγραπται. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή. {Α} Ἀλλ'