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adoption of rational beings, not existing in them by nature but "by an aptitude of manners and by the gift of God, and the Word knows it to be mutable; " "for when the sons of God saw the daughters of men, they took wives for themselves " and so forth; and we have been taught that God said through Isaiah, "I have begotten and exalted sons, but they have rejected me. "Having much to say, beloved, I pass on, thinking it burdensome "to remind like-minded teachers through many words. For "you yourselves are taught by God, " not ignorant that the teaching which has recently risen "up against the piety of the church is that of Ebion and Ar 18 "temas, and the zeal of Paul of Samosata in Antioch, "who was excommunicated from the "church by a synod and judgment of all bishops everywhere; " whom Lucian succeeded and remained excommunicated during the time of three "bishops for many years. Having drunk up the dregs of their "impiety, those who say He is from nothing have now sprung up among us, "their hidden offshoots, Arius and Achillas and the synod of "evil-doers with them. And I know not how three "bishops ordained in Syria, for agreeing with them, are inflaming them to what is "worse, concerning whom let the judgment be reserved for your examination; who, "remembering the words of the Savior's passion, humiliation, and emptying, and "of His so-called poverty, and what things the Savior took upon Himself for our sakes, "they set them forth for the "denial of His highest and original divinity, and of the words "signifying His natural glory and nobility and abiding with the Father "they have become forgetful; such as, " I and "the Father are one. " which the Lord says, not proclaiming Himself to be "the Father, nor making plain that the two natures in hypostasis are one, "but that the Son of the Father is by nature suited to preserve accurately the Father's likeness, "having by nature taken on His likeness in all things "and being the unchangeable image of the Father and the express image "of the prototype. Whence also to Philip, who at that time desired to see, 19 "the Lord reveals abundantly, saying to him who said, " Show us the "Father, " he says: " He who has seen me has seen the Father, " as if "the Father were seen through an unspotted mirror and a living, divine image "of Him. Of which the most holy say something similar in the Psalms: " in "your light we shall see light. " For this reason also, he who honors the Son honors "the Father, and rightly so; for every impious word dared to be spoken "against the Son has its reference to the Father. "And what is still wonderful then, beloved, that I am about to write, if "I set forth the false slanders against me and our most pious "people? For those who have arrayed themselves against the divinity of the Son of God "do not shrink from uttering ungrateful insults against "us; who indeed do not deem any of the ancients worthy to be compared to themselves, "nor do they endure to be put on a level with the teachers with whom we associated from childhood, "nor do they even consider any of their present fellow-ministers everywhere to be a measure "of wisdom, saying that they alone are wise and without possessions and discoverers of doctrines, "and that to them alone have been revealed things which have not naturally come into the "mind of any other under the sun. O impious arrogance "and measureless madness and vainglory suited to melancholy and "Satanic pride which has hardened in their impious souls! "The God-loving clarity of the ancient scriptures did not shame them, "nor did the concordant piety of their fellow-ministers concerning Christ dim "their audacity against him. Not even the demons will tolerate their "unholy work, taking care not to utter a blasphemous word against the Son of God. 20 "These things, then, according to our present ability, have been raised by us "against those who with unlearned matter have struggled against Christ and have purposed "to slander our piety toward him. For the inventors "of nonsensical fables say that we, who turn away from the "impious and unscriptural blasphemy against Christ that He is "from things that are not," teach two unbegottens, "saying that it must be one of two things, those who

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λογικῶν υἱοθεσίαν, οὐ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχουσαν ἀλλὰ "τρόπων ἐπιτηδειότητι καὶ δωρεᾷ θεοῦ, καὶ μεταπτωτὴν οἶδεν ὁ λόγος· " ἰδόντες γὰρ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώ "πων ἔλαβον ἑαυτοῖς γυναῖκας " καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ " υἱοὺς ἐγέν "νησα καὶ ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν " διὰ Ἡσαΐου εἰρηκέναι "τὸν θεὸν ἐδιδάχθημεν. "Πολλὰ λέγειν ἔχων, ἀγαπητοί, παρέρχομαι, φορτικὸν εἶναι νομίσας "διὰ πλειόνων διδασκάλους ὁμόφρονας ὑπομιμνήσκειν. αὐτοὶ γὰρ "ὑμεῖς θεοδίδακτοί ἐστε , οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντες ὅτι ἡ ἔναγχος ἐπανα "στᾶσα τῇ ἐκκλησιαστικῇ εὐσεβείᾳ διδασκαλία Ἐβίωνός ἐστι καὶ Ἀρ 18 "τεμᾶ, καὶ ζῆλος τοῦ κατὰ Ἀντιόχειαν Παύλου τοῦ Σαμοσατέως, "συνόδῳ καὶ κρίσει τῶν ἁπανταχοῦ ἐπισκόπων ἀποκηρυχθέντος τῆς "ἐκκλησίας· ὃν διαδεξάμενος Λουκιανὸς ἀποσυνάγωγος ἔμεινε τριῶν "ἐπισκόπων πολυετεῖς χρόνους. ὧν τῆς ἀσεβείας τὴν τρύγα ἐρρο "φηκότες νῦν ἡμῖν οἱ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐπεφύησαν, τὰ ἐκείνων κεκρυμ "μένα μοσχεύματα, Ἄρειός τε καὶ Ἀχιλλᾶς καὶ ἡ τῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς " πονηρευομένων σύνοδος. καὶ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἐν Συρίᾳ χειροτονη "θέντες ἐπίσκοποι τρεῖς, διὰ τὸ συναινεῖν αὐτοῖς, ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον "ὑπεκκαίουσι, περὶ ὧν ἡ κρίσις ἀνακείσθω τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ δοκιμασίᾳ· οἳ "τὰς μὲν τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους ταπεινώσεώς τε καὶ κενώσεως καὶ "τῆς καλουμένης αὐτοῦ πτωχείας καὶ ὧν ἐπικτήτους ὁ σωτὴρ δι' "ἡμᾶς ἀνεδέξατο φωνὰς διὰ μνήμης ἔχοντες, παρατίθενται ἐπὶ παρα "γραφῇ τῆς ἀνωτάτω καὶ ἀρχῆθεν αὐτοῦ θεότητος, τῶν δὲ τῆς "φυσικῆς αὐτοῦ δόξης τε καὶ εὐγενείας καὶ παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ μονῆς "σημαντικῶν λόγων ἐπιλήσμονες γεγόνασιν· οἷόν ἐστι τὸ " ἐγὼ καὶ "ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν ". ὅπερ φησὶν ὁ κύριος, οὐ πατέρα ἑαυτὸν ἀνα "γορεύων οὐδὲ τὰς τῇ ὑποστάσει δύο φύσεις μίαν εἶναι σαφηνίζων, "ἀλλ' ὅτι τὴν πατρικὴν ἐμφέρειαν ἀκριβῶς πέφυκε σώζειν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ "πατρός, τὴν κατὰ πάντα ὁμοιότητα αὐτοῦ ἐκ φύσεως ἀπομαξάμενος "καὶ ἀπαράλλακτος εἰκὼν τοῦ πατρὸς τυγχάνων καὶ τοῦ πρωτοτύπου "ἔκτυπος χαρακτήρ. ὅθεν καὶ τῷ τηνικαῦτα ποθοῦντι ἰδεῖν Φιλίππῳ 19 "ἀφθόνως ὁ κύριος ἐμφανίζει, πρὸς ὃν λέγοντα " δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν "πατέρα " λέγει· " ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα ", ὥσπερ "δι' ἐσόπτρου ἀκηλιδώτου καὶ ἐμψύχου θείας εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ θεωρου "μένου τοῦ πατρός. ὧν ὅμοιον ἐν Ψαλμοῖς οἱ ἁγιώτατοί φασιν· " ἐν "τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς ". διὸ δὴ καὶ ὁ τιμῶν τὸν υἱὸν τιμᾷ "τὸν πατέρα, καὶ εἰκότως· πᾶσα γὰρ ἀσεβὴς φωνὴ εἰς τὸν υἱὸν λέ "γεσθαι τολμωμένη εἰς τὸν πατέρα τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει. "Καὶ τί λοιπὸν ἔτι θαυμαστὸν ὃ μέλλω γράφειν, ἀγαπητοί, εἰ "τὰς κατ' ἐμοῦ ψευδεῖς διαβολὰς καὶ τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου ἡμῶν λαοῦ "ἐκθήσομαι; οἱ γὰρ κατὰ τῆς θεότητος τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ παραταξά "μενοι οὐδὲ τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν ἀχαρίστους παροινίας παραιτοῦνται λέ "γειν· οἵ γε οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχαίων τινὰς συγκρίνειν ἑαυτοῖς ἀξιοῦσιν "οὐδὲ οἷς ἡμεῖς ἐκ παίδων ὡμιλήσαμεν διδασκάλοις ἐξισοῦσθαι ἀνέχον "ται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν νῦν πανταχοῦ συλλειτουργῶν τινα εἰς μέτρον "σοφίας ἡγοῦνται, μόνοι σοφοὶ καὶ ἀκτήμονες καὶ δογμάτων εὑρεταὶ "λέγοντες εἶναι, καὶ αὐτοῖς ἀποκεκαλύφθαι μόνοις ἅπερ οὐδενὶ τῶν "ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ἑτέρῳ πέφυκεν ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἔννοιαν. ὢ ἀνοσίου τύφου "καὶ ἀμέτρου μανίας καὶ μελαγχολικῆς ἡρμοσμένης δόξης κενῆς καὶ "σατανικοῦ φρονήματος εἰς τὰς ἀνοσίους αὐτῶν ψυχὰς ἀποσκιρώσαντος. "οὐ κατῄδεσεν αὐτοὺς ἡ τῶν ἀρχαίων γραφῶν φιλόθεος σαφήνεια, "οὐδὲ ἡ τῶν συλλειτουργῶν σύμφωνος περὶ Χριστοῦ εὐλάβεια τὴν "κατ' αὐτοῦ θρασύτητα αὐτῶν ἠμαύρωσεν. ὧν οὐδὲ τὰ δαιμόνια τῆς "ἀνοσιουργίας ἀνέξεται, φωνὴν βλάσφημον κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ "εἰπεῖν φυλαττόμενα. 20 "Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν δύναμιν ἐπηπορήσθω "πρὸς τοὺς ἀπαιδεύτῳ ὕλῃ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κονισαμένους καὶ τὴν "εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσέβειαν ἡμῶν συκοφαντεῖν προθεμένους. φασὶ γὰρ ἡμᾶς "οἱ φληνάφων ἐφευρεταὶ μύθων, ἀποστρεφομένους τὴν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων "ἀσεβῆ καὶ ἄγραφον κατὰ Χριστοῦ βλασφημίαν, ἀγέννητα διδάσκειν "δύο, δυοῖν θάτερον δεῖν εἶναι λέγοντες οἱ