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that from which he was, if it is right so to speak, the self-begotten Father—that the Son from him co-exists with him. 15.10 And "was with God" might be powerfully understood to mean that according to God he was without beginning, unbegotten, uncontainable, good, immortal, all-sovereign. For if it is not so with respect to this wisdom that has gushed forth, it will not be so even with respect to the fount that gushed forth the wisdom. But it is so with respect to both. 15.11 For the purpose and the divinely-transmitted word of John is manifest and certain and straightforward and looking only to the divine. 15.12 "The Word was God" establishes that the Word is substantial and that he is God such as that God is whose Word he is; and again, that he is uncaused. 15.13 "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made" reveals him, as has already been said, not just as creator, but also that he was not created. 15.14 For if not one created thing received its being without him, it is clear to everyone that he himself was not made, but was divinely begotten. For it is impossible that he who has given existence to all things and substance and immortality to rational beings came into being from non-being. For nothing created is able to give substance or grant immortality or make beings rational; but from the substance of gold or silver or bronze or iron or wood or stone, already brought forth from non-being by God, it creates something soulless and irrational, perhaps a statue or something else; 15.15 but to bring forth a substance that does not exist or to reveal one that is ensouled and rational happens to be the proper and exclusive characteristic of the one all-powerful and self-sufficient divine nature alone. 15.16 And the Father made through him as light through its own effulgence and as mind through word. 15.17 "In him was life" further teaches that he himself is without beginning, being the life of the one and supreme nature, and being the cause of all beings that in no way existed. Therefore he himself also says: "I am the life, I am the light." 15.18 He generously furnishes testimonies for his being without beginning by saying "was" so many times, so that by the repetition of such a word he might either open the deaf ears of heretics, or that no pretext concerning "there was a time when he was not" might be left for the future universal and unswerving judgment. 15.19 "And the life was the light of men" teaches again the same things. For it says: this uncreated life is the constitution of the created nature of men. 15.20 "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" does not tolerate the opinions of the heretics. For not secretly but very sharply it declares that whatever pre-temporal time or inopportune moment or pre-eternal age one might suppose, he shines eternally as the inseparable effulgence of God, and the darkness of non-existence never overcame him. 15.21 "The Almighty" does not even need interpretation. For it shows that he has the kingdom indivisibly with God the Father and his Holy Spirit and is "God over all." 15.22 "The one who comes" signifies the Son who is about to come a second time and "judge the living and the dead." 15.23 Therefore John the Baptist also, establishing that "he who is" is said concerning the Son, declares to the master: "Are you" instead of that one who is, whom, when you were in the virgin's womb, I myself, recognizing you as God while in the womb of the barren woman, worshipped by leaping, "or should we expect another?" 15.24 And in his first epistle, John, the friend and apostle of the Lord, writes: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—and the life was made manifest, and we have seen, and testify, and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." 15.25 Pay attention again to the multitude of "was," and how those who do not confess him to be the Son according to nature, co-eternal with God, do not have the fellowship of salvation with the Father or the only-begotten. 15.26 for toward this faith for us the

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τό-ἀφ' οὗ ἦν, εἰ θέμις οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ὁ αὐτογενὴς πατήρ-συνυπάρχειν αὐτῷ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ υἱόν. 15.10 ἐρρωμένως δὲ νοηθείη ἂν τό «ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν», ὅτι κατὰ τὸν θεὸν ἦν ἄναρχος, ἀγένητος, ἀχώρητος, ἀγαθός, ἀθάνατος, παμβασιλεύς. εἰ γὰρ μὴ οὕτως ἔχει ἐπὶ τῆς βρυθείσης σοφίας ταύτης, οὐχ ἕξει οὐδ' ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς τῆς βρυσάσης τὴν σοφίαν. ἔχει δὲ οὕτως ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν. 15.11 ἐπιφανὴς γὰρ καὶ βέβαιος καὶ ἀπερίεργος καὶ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ὁρῶν μόνον ὁ σκοπὸς καὶ ὁ θεοπαράδοτος λόγος τοῦ Ἰωάννου. 15.12 Τό «θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος» συνιστᾷ τὸ οὐσιώδη εἶναι τὸν λόγον καὶ θεὸν εἶναι οἷός ἐστιν θεὸς ἐκεῖνος οὗ λόγος ἐστίν· καὶ αὖθις τὸ ἀναίτιον. 15.13 Τό «πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν» ἀποφαίνει αὐτόν, ὡς ἤδη ἐλέχθη, μονονουχὶ δημιουργόν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ οὐκ ἐκτίσθη. 15.14 εἰ γὰρ μηδὲ ἓν κτιστὸν χωρὶς αὐτοῦ τὸ εἶναι ἐδέξατο, παντί που δῆλον ὡς αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' ἐγεννήθη θεϊκῶς. καὶ γὰρ ἀμήχανον ἐκ μὴ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἥκειν τὸν ὕπαρξιν τοῖς ὅλοις καὶ τοῖς λογικοῖς οὐσίωσιν καὶ ἀθανασίαν δεδωκότα. οὐδὲν γὰρ κτιστὸν οὐσιοῦν ἢ ἀπαθανατοῦν ἢ λογικοὺς ποιεῖν δύναται· ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἤδη παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων παραχθείσης οὐσίας χρυσοῦ ἢ ἀργύρου ἢ χαλκοῦ ἢ σιδήρου ἢ ξύλου ἢ λίθου δημιουργοῖ ἄψυχον καὶ ἄλογον, ἀνδριάντα τυχὸν ἤ τι ἕτερον· 15.15 αὐτὸ δέ, οὐσίαν μὴ οὖσαν προοῖσαι ἢ ἔμψυχον καὶ λογικὴν ἀναδεῖξαι μόνης τῆς πανδυνάμου καὶ αὐτοτελοῦς μιᾶς θεϊκῆς φύσεως ἴδιον καὶ ἐξαίρετον τυγχάνει ὄν. 15.16 ἐποίησεν δὲ δι' αὐτοῦ ὁ πατὴρ ὡς φῶς δι' οἰκείου ἀπαυγάσματος καὶ ὡς νοῦς διὰ λόγου. 15.17 Τό «ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν» ἐπεκδιδάσκει ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ἀνάρχως, ἡ ζωὴ τῆς μιᾶς καὶ ἀνωτάτω φύσεως ὑπάρχων, καὶ μηδαμῶς ὄντων πάντων αἴτιος ὢν τῶν ὄντων. διὸ καὶ αὐτός φησιν· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή, ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς». 15.18 φιλοτιμεῖται δὲ τῷ ἀνάρχῳ τὰς μαρτυρίας τοσαυτάκις εἰπὼν τό «ἦν», ἵνα τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς τοιαύτης φωνῆς ἢ αἱρετικῶν τὰς κωφὰς ἀκοὰς διανοίξῃ ἢ μηδὲν περὶ τοῦ «ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν» ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ καθολικῇ καὶ ἀπαρεγκλίτῳ διαγνώσει πρόφασις ὑπολειφθείη. 15.19 Τό «καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων» ἐκπαιδεύει αὖθις τὰ αὐτά. φησὶν γάρ· αὕτη ἡ ἀγένητος ζωὴ σύστασις τῆς γενητῆς ἀνθρώπων φύσεως ὑπάρχει. 15.20 Τό «καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν» οὐκ ἀνέχεται τῶν αἱρετικῶν δοξασμάτων. οὐ κρυφίως γὰρ καὶ ἄγαν δριμέως δηλοῖ, ὡς ὅνπερ ἄν τις προχρόνιον χρόνον ἢ ἀκαιριαίαν ῥοπὴν ἢ προαιώνιον αἰῶνα ὑπολάβῃ, φαίνει ἀϊδίως ὡς ἀχώριστον ἀπαύγασμα τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οὔποτε σκοτία ἀνυπαρξίας αὐτὸ κατέλαβεν. 15.21 Τό «ὁ παντοκράτωρ» οὐδὲ ἑρμηνείας δεῖται. δείκνυσι γὰρ ἀδιαίρετον ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ εἶναι «ἐπὶ πάντων θεόν». 15.22 Τό «ὁ ἐρχόμενος» τὸν υἱὸν δηλοῖ μέλλοντα ἔρχεσθαι τὸ δεύτερον καὶ «κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς». 15.23 Συνιστῶν τοίνυν καὶ ὁ βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης, ὅτι τό «ὁ ὤν» περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ εἴρηται, δηλοῖ τῷ δεσπότῃ· «σὺ εἶ» ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ὤν, ὃν καὶ ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ σε ὄντα τῆς παρθένου θεὸν ἐπιγνοὺς αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἐν τῇ νηδύϊ τῆς στείρας ὢν διὰ τῆς σκιρτήσεως προσεκύνησα «ἢ ἕτερον προσδοκῶμεν;» 15.24 Καὶ ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ δὲ ἐπιστολῇ Ἰωάννης ὁ φίλος καὶ ἀπόστολος τοῦ κυρίου γράφει· «ὃ ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν, περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς-καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν καὶ ἀπαγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον, ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡμῖν-ὃ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν, ἀπαγγέλλομεν καὶ ὑμῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθ' ἡμῶν. καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ». 15.25 Πρόσχες καὶ αὖθις τῷ πλήθει τοῦ «ἦν», καὶ ὡς κοινωνίαν σωτηρίας οὐκ ἔχουσιν μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἢ τοῦ μονογενοῦς οἱ μὴ ὁμολογοῦντες κατὰ φύσιν υἱὸν εἶναι αὐτὸν συνάναρχον τοῦ θεοῦ. 15.26 πρὸς ταύτην γὰρ ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν τὴν