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them of the "all-creating wisdom of God that interval in which they say "the Son had not been begotten by the Father, the scripture, according to them, lying "which proclaims Him to be the firstborn of all creation. "In agreement with these things, therefore, the most eloquent Paul cries out, "saying concerning him: " whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom "he also made the ages ", but also " in him were created all "things, those in the heavens and those on the earth, the visible "and the invisible, whether principalities, or powers, or dominions, "or thrones; all things were created through him and for him; and "he is before all things ". "Since, then, the hypothesis 'from non-existing things' has been shown to be most impious, it is necessary "for the Father always to be Father; and he is Father with the Son always present, "on account of whom he is called Father; and with the Son always present to him, the Father is always "perfect, being without deficiency in goodness, not having begotten his only-begotten "Son in time, nor after an interval, nor from non-existing things. What then? Is it not unholy to say that the wisdom of "God once was not, which says: " I was with him, fitting things together, I "was that in which he delighted ", or that the power of God once did not exist, "or that his Word was ever mutilated, or the other things from which the Son "is known and the Father is characterized? For to say that the radiance of the "glory does not exist, destroys also the original light, of which it is "the radiance. And if the image of God was not always, it is clear that "neither is he of whom it is the image always. But also by the non-existence of the "character of the hypostasis of God, he is also destroyed who is 16 "in every way characterized by him. From which it is possible to see that the sonship "of our Savior has no communion with the sonship of the rest. "For in the same way that his ineffable hypostasis was shown by incomparable "excellence to be superior to all those to whom he himself granted being, "so also his sonship, being by nature of the paternal divinity, "differs by an unutterable excellence from those adopted as sons by position through him. "For he is of an unchangeable nature, being perfect and in all things "lacking nothing; but they, being subject to change in either direction, "need his help. For what progress could the wisdom of God make, "or what could the Truth-itself gain? Or how could God the Word "be improved, or the life, or the true light? But if this is so, how much more "unnatural is it for wisdom ever to become susceptible of folly, or for the "power of God to be joined with weakness, or for the Word to be obscured "by unreason, or for darkness to be mixed with the true light, when the "apostle himself says, " what fellowship has light with darkness, "or what harmony has Christ with Belial ", and Solomon that "it would be impossible even to conceive of the ways of a serpent "upon a rock ", which according to Paul is Christ? But those who are his creatures, "both men and angels, have received blessings "to advance, being trained in virtues and lawful commandments so as not "to sin. For this reason our Lord, being the Son of the Father by nature, "is worshipped by all; but they, having put away the spirit of " slavery , from brave deeds and progress, having received the spirit of adoption, 17 "being benefited by the Son by nature, become "sons themselves by position. "Therefore, Paul declared his genuine and unique and natural and "excellent sonship thus, saying of God: " who did not spare his own Son, but for our sakes (clearly "of those who are not sons by nature) delivered him up ". For in "contrast to those who are not his own, he said he was his own Son. And in the "Gospel: " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well "pleased ". And in the Psalms the Savior says: " the Lord said to me: "You are my Son ". Manifesting his genuineness, he indicates that there are no "genuine sons of his other than himself. And what of " from the womb "before the morning star I have begotten you "? Does it not openly show a natural sonship of a paternal birth, "not by care of conduct and the "practice of progress, but having obtained this by the property of nature? Whence also "the only-begotten Son of the Father has an unchangeable sonship. But that of the

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αὐτοὺς τῆς τὰ "ὅλα δημιουργούσης τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας ἐκεῖνο τὸ διάστημα ἐν ᾧ φασι "μὴ γεγενῆσθαι τὸν υἱὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός, ψευδομένης κατ' αὐτοὺς "καὶ τῆς πρωτότοκον αὐτὸν εἶναι πάσης κτίσεως ἀναγορευούσης "γραφῆς. σύμφωνα γοῦν τούτοις βοᾷ καὶ ὁ μεγαλοφωνότατος Παῦλος "φάσκων περὶ αὐτοῦ· " ὃν ἔθηκε κληρονόμον πάντων, δι' οὗ "καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν ", ἀλλὰ καὶ " ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ "πάντα, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ "καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε ἀρχαί, εἴτε ἐξουσίαι, εἴτε κυριότητες, "εἴτε θρόνοι· πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· καὶ "αὐτός ἐστι πρὸ πάντων ". "Ἀσεβεστάτης οὖν φανείσης τῆς ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ὑποθέσεως, ἀνάγκη "τὸν πατέρα ἀεὶ εἶναι πατέρα· ἔστι δὲ πατὴρ ἀεὶ παρόντος τοῦ υἱοῦ, "δι' ὃν χρηματίζει πατήρ· ἀεὶ δὲ παρόντος αὐτῷ τοῦ υἱοῦ, ἀεί ἐστιν "ὁ πατὴρ τέλειος, ἀνελλιπὴς τυγχάνων ἐν τῷ καλῷ, οὐ χρονικῶς "οὐδὲ ἐκ διαστήματος οὐδὲ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γεννήσας τὸν μονογενῆ "υἱόν. τί δέ; οὐκ ἀνόσιον τὸ λέγειν μὴ εἶναί ποτε τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ "θεοῦ, τὴν λέγουσαν· " ἐγὼ ἤμην παρ' αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα, ἐγὼ "ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρεν ", ἢ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ ποτε μὴ ὑπάρχειν, "ἢ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἠκρωτηριάσθαι ποτέ, ἢ τὰ ἄλλα ἐξ ὧν ὁ υἱὸς "γνωρίζεται καὶ ὁ πατὴρ χαρακτηρίζεται; τὸ γὰρ ἀπαύγασμα τῆς "δόξης μὴ εἶναι λέγειν συναναιρεῖ καὶ τὸ πρωτότυπον φῶς, οὗ ἐστιν "ἀπαύγασμα. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἦν ἀεί, δῆλον ὅτι "οὐδὲ οὗ ἐστιν εἰκὼν ἔστιν ἀεί. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μὴ εἶναι τὸν τῆς "ὑποστάσεως τοῦ θεοῦ χαρακτῆρα , συναναιρεῖται κἀκεῖνος ὁ 16 "πάντως ὑπ' αὐτοῦ χαρακτηριζόμενος. ἐξ ἧς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὴν υἱότητα "τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσαν κοινωνίαν πρὸς τὴν τῶν λοιπῶν "υἱότητα. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἡ ἄρρητος αὐτοῦ ὑπόστασις ἀσυγκρίτῳ "ὑπεροχῇ ἐδείχθη ὑπερκειμένη πάντων οἷς αὐτὸς τὸ εἶναι ἐχαρίσατο, "οὕτως καὶ ἡ υἱότης αὐτοῦ, κατὰ φύσιν τυγχάνουσα τῆς πατρικῆς θεό "τητος, ἀλέκτῳ ὑπεροχῇ διαφέρει τῶν δι' αὐτοῦ θέσει υἱοθετηθέντων. "ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀτρέπτου φύσεως τυγχάνει, τέλειος ὢν καὶ διὰ πάντων "ἀνενδεής· οἱ δὲ τῇ εἰς ἑκάτερα τροπῇ ὑποκείμενοι τῆς παρὰ τούτου "βοηθείας δέονται. τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ προκόψαι ἔχοι ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφία, "ἢ τί προσλαβεῖν ἡ αὐτοαλήθεια; ἢ ὁ θεὸς λόγος πῶς ἂν ἔχοι βελ "τιωθῆναι ἢ ἡ ζωὴ ἢ τὸ ἀληθινὸν φῶς; εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, πόσῳ πλέον "ἀφύσικον τυγχάνει μωρίας ποτὲ δεκτικὴν γενέσθαι τὴν σοφίαν ἢ τὴν "τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμιν ἀσθενείᾳ προσπλακῆναι, ἢ ἀλογίᾳ τὸν λόγον "ἀμαυρωθῆναι ἢ τῷ ἀληθινῷ φωτὶ ἐπιμιχθῆναι σκότος, τοῦ μὲν "ἀποστόλου αὐτόθεν λέγοντος " τίς κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος, "ἢ τίς συμφώνησις Χριστῷ πρὸς Βελίαρ ", τοῦ δὲ Σολομῶντος "ὅτι ἀδύνατον ἂν εἴη κἂν μέχρι πρὸς ἐννοίας εὑρεθῆναι ὁδοὺς ὄφεως "ἐπὶ πέτρας , ἥτις κατὰ Παῦλόν ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός; οἱ δὲ κτίσματα "αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντες, ἄνθρωποί τε καὶ ἄγγελοι, καὶ εὐλογίας εἰλήφασι "προκόπτειν ἀρεταῖς ἀσκούμενοι καὶ νομίμοις ἐντολαῖς πρὸς τὸ μὴ "ἁμαρτάνειν. διὸ δὴ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, φύσει τοῦ πατρὸς υἱὸς τυγχά "νων, ὑπὸ πάντων προσκυνεῖται· οἱ δὲ ἀποθέμενοι τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς " δουλείας , ἐξ ἀνδραγαθημάτων καὶ προκοπῆς τὸ τῆς υἱοθεσίας 17 "λαβόντες πνεῦμα , διὰ τοῦ φύσει υἱοῦ εὐεργετούμενοι γίγνονται "αὐτοὶ θέσει υἱοί. "Τὴν μὲν οὖν γνησίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδιότροπον καὶ φυσικὴν καὶ κατ' "ἐξαίρετον υἱότητα ὁ Παῦλος οὕτως ἀπεφήνατο, περὶ θεοῦ εἰπών· " ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν (δηλον "ότι τῶν μὴ φύσει υἱῶν) παρέδωκεν αὐτόν ". πρὸς γὰρ ἀντι "διαστολὴν τῶν οὐκ ἰδίων αὐτὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν ἔφησεν εἶναι. ἐν δὲ τῷ "Εὐαγγελίῳ· " οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδό "κησα ". ἐν δὲ Ψαλμοῖς ὁ σωτήρ φησιν· " κύριος εἶπε πρός με· "υἱός μου εἶ σύ ". γνησιότητα ἐμφανίζων σημαίνει μὴ εἶναι αὐτοῦ "γνησίους υἱοὺς ἄλλους τινὰς παρ' αὐτόν. τί δὲ καὶ τὸ " ἐκ γαστρὸς "πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε "; οὐχὶ ἄντικρυς τῆς πατρικῆς μαιώ "σεως φυσικὴν ἐνδείκνυται υἱότητα, οὐ τρόπων ἐπιμελείᾳ καὶ προ "κοπῆς ἀσκήσει, ἀλλὰ φύσεως ἰδιώματι ταύτην λαχόντος; ὅθεν καὶ "ἀμετάπτωτον ἔχει τὴν υἱότητα ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τοῦ πατρός. τὴν "δὲ τῶν