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and incorporeal, but without coupling, both because He is again incorporeal and is one God alone, needing no other; and without end and without ceasing, because He is without beginning and timeless and without end and is always the same; for that which is without beginning is without end, but that which is without end by grace is not in every case without beginning, as for instance the angels. Therefore, the ever-existing God generates His own Word, perfect, without beginning and without end, so that God, whose nature and existence are above time, might not beget in time. But man, it is clear, generates in the opposite manner, being subject to generation and corruption and flux and increase, and being clothed with a body and possessing in his nature the male and the female; for the male is in need of the female's help. -But may He be merciful who is beyond all things and above all thought and comprehension. The holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, therefore, teaches at once the Father and at once His only-begotten Son, begotten of Him timelessly and without flux and impassibly and incomprehensibly, as only the God of all knows. Just as fire exists and at the same time the light from it, and it is not first fire and then light, but at the same time; and just as the light, ever begotten of the fire, is ever in it, in no way separated from it, so also the Son is begotten of the Father, in no way separated from Him, but is ever in Him. But the light, begotten inseparably from the fire and ever remaining in it, does not have its own hypostasis apart from the fire, for it is a natural quality of the fire; but the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father inseparably and without interval and ever remaining in Him, has His own hypostasis apart from that of the Father. He is called, then, Word and Radiance because He was begotten of the Father without coupling, and impassibly, and timelessly, and without flux, and inseparably; and Son and Express Image of the Father's hypostasis because He is perfect and hypostatic and in all things like the Father, except in being unbegotten; and Only-begotten because He alone was begotten in a unique way of the Father alone. For no other generation is like the generation of the Son of God, for there is no other Son of God; for though the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, it is not by generation but by procession. This is another mode of existence, both incomprehensible and unknowable, just as is the generation of the Son. Therefore, all that the Father has are His, except for unbegottenness, which signifies not a difference in essence nor in worth, but a mode of existence, just as Adam was unbegotten (for he is a creature of God) and Seth was begotten (for he is the son of Adam) and Eve proceeded from Adam's side (for she was not begotten), they do not differ from one another in nature (for they are human beings), but in their mode of existence. For one must know that ἀγένητον, written with one Nu, signifies the uncreated or that which has not come into being, whereas ἀγέννητον, written with two Nus, indicates that which has not been begotten. According to the first meaning, therefore, essence differs from essence; for the uncreated or ἀγένητος (with one Nu) essence is one thing, and the generated or created essence is another. But according to the second meaning, essence does not differ from essence; for the first hypostasis of every species of living things is unbegotten, but not uncreated; for they were created by the Demiurge, brought into being by His Word, but were not begotten, since there was no pre-existing being of the same kind from which they might be begotten. According, therefore, to the first meaning, the three super-divine hypostases of the holy Godhead share in common (for they are consubstantial and uncreated), but according to the second meaning, not at all (for only the Father is unbegotten, for His being is not from another hypostasis) and only the Son is begotten (for He has been begotten of the Father's essence without beginning and timelessly) and only the Holy Spirit proceeds from the essence of the Father, not being begotten but proceeding. Thus indeed the divine Scripture teaches, but the mode of the generation and of the procession is incomprehensible. And this too must be known, that the name of fatherhood and sonship and procession was not transferred from us to the blessed Godhead, but on the contrary

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καὶ ἀσώματον, ἐκτὸς δὲ συνδυασμοῦ διά τε τὸ ἀσώματον πάλιν καὶ ἕνα μόνον εἶναι θεὸν ἀπροσδεῆ ἑτέρου, ἀτελευτήτως δὲ καὶ ἀκαταπαύστως διά τε τὸ ἄναρχον καὶ ἄχρονον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον καὶ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχειν· τὸ γὰρ ἄναρχον ἀτελεύτητον, τὸ δὲ χάριτι ἀτελεύτητον οὐ πάντως ἄναρχον ὥσπερ οἱ ἄγγελοι. Γεννᾷ τοίνυν ὁ ἀεὶ ὢν θεὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λόγον τέλειον ὄντα ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀτελευτήτως, ἵνα μὴ ἐν χρόνῳ τίκτῃ θεὸς ὁ χρόνου ἀνωτέραν ἔχων τήν τε φύσιν καὶ τὴν ὕπαρξιν. Ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος δῆλον ὡς ἐναντίως γεννᾷ ὑπὸ γένεσιν τελῶν καὶ φθορὰν καὶ ῥεῦσιν καὶ πληθυσμὸν καὶ σῶμα περικείμενος καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν καὶ τὸ θῆλυ ἐν τῇ φύσει κεκτημένος· ἐνδεὲς γὰρ τὸ ἄρρεν τῆς τοῦ θήλεος βοηθείας. -Ἀλλ' ἵλεως εἴη ὁ πάντων ἐπέκεινα καὶ πᾶσαν νόησιν καὶ κατάληψιν ὑπερκείμενος. ∆ιδάσκει οὖν ἡ ἁγία καθολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ ἐκκλησία ἅμα πατέρα καὶ ἅμα τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ υἱὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγεννημένον ἀχρόνως καὶ ἀρρεύστως καὶ ἀπαθῶς καὶ ἀκαταλήπτως, ὡς μόνος ὁ τῶν ὅλων οἶδε θεός. Ὥσπερ ἅμα τὸ πῦρ καὶ ἅμα τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ φῶς, καὶ οὐ πρῶτον τὸ πῦρ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ φῶς ἀλλ' ἅμα, καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ φῶς ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀεὶ γεννώμενον ἀεὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστι μηδαμῶς αὐτοῦ χωριζόμενον, οὕτω καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γεννᾶται μηδαμῶς αὐτοῦ χωριζόμενος, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστιν. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν φῶς ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς γεννώμενον ἀχωρίστως, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀεὶ μένον οὐκ ἔχει ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν παρὰ τὸ πῦρ, ποιότης γάρ ἐστι φυσικὴ τοῦ πυρός, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ μονογενὴς ἐκ πατρὸς γεν νηθεὶς ἀχωρίστως καὶ ἀδιαστάτως καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ μένων ἀεὶ ἔχει ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν παρὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρός. Λόγος μὲν οὖν καὶ ἀπαύγασμα λέγεται διὰ τὸ ἄνευ συνδυασμοῦ καὶ ἀπαθῶς καὶ ἀχρόνως καὶ ἀρρεύστως καὶ ἀχωρίστως γεγεννῆσθαι ἐκ τοῦ πατρός, υἱὸς δὲ καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς πατρικῆς ὑποστάσεως διὰ τὸ τέλειον καὶ ἐνυπόστατον καὶ κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιον τῷ πατρὶ εἶναι πλὴν τῆς ἀγεννησίας, μονογενὴς δέ, ὅτι μόνος ἐκ μόνου τοῦ πατρὸς μόνως ἐγεννήθη. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁμοιοῦται ἑτέρα γέννησις τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ γεννήσει, οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστιν ἄλλος υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἀλλ' οὐ γεννητῶς ἀλλ' ἐκπορευτῶς. Ἄλλος τρόπος ὑπάρξεως οὗτος ἄληπτός τε καὶ ἄγνωστος, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ τοῦ υἱοῦ γέννησις. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάντα, ὅσα ἔχει ὁ πατήρ, αὐτοῦ εἰσι πλὴν τῆς ἀγεννησίας, ἥτις οὐ σημαίνει οὐσίας διαφορὰν οὐδὲ ἀξίωμα, ἀλλὰ τρόπον ὑπάρξεως, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἀγέννητος ὤν (πλάσμα γάρ ἐστι θεοῦ) καὶ ὁ Σὴθ γεννητός (υἱὸς γάρ ἐστιν τοῦ Ἀδάμ) καὶ ἡ Εὔα ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ πλευρᾶς ἐκπορευθεῖσα (οὐ γὰρ ἐγεννήθη αὕτη) οὐ φύσει διαφέρουσιν ἀλλήλων (ἄνθρωποι γάρ εἰσιν), ἀλλὰ τῷ τῆς ὑπάρξεως τρόπῳ. Χρὴ γὰρ εἰδέναι, ὅτι τὸ ἀγένητον διὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς Νῦ γραφόμενον τὸ ἄκτιστον ἤτοι τὸ μὴ γενόμενον σημαίνει, τὸ δὲ ἀγέννητον διὰ τῶν δύο Νῦ γραφόμενον δηλοῖ τὸ μὴ γεννηθέν. Κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὸ πρῶτον σημαινόμενον διαφέρει οὐσία οὐσίας· ἄλλη γὰρ οὐσία ἡ ἄκτιστος ἤτοι ἀγένητος (διὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς Νῦ), καὶ ἄλλη ἡ γενητὴ ἤτοι κτιστή. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ δεύτερον σημαινόμενον οὐ διαφέρει οὐσία οὐσίας· παντὸς γὰρ εἴδους ζῴων ἡ πρώτη ὑπόστασις ἀγέννητός ἐστιν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγένητος· ἐκτίσθησαν μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ παραχθέντα εἰς γένεσιν, οὐ μὴν ἐγεννήθησαν μὴ προϋπάρχοντος ἑτέρου ὁμοειδοῦς, ἐξ οὗ γεννηθῶσι. Κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὸ πρῶτον σημαινόμενον κοινωνοῦσιν αἱ τρεῖς τῆς ἁγίας θεότητος ὑπέρθεοι ὑποστάσεις (ὁμοούσιοι γὰρ καὶ ἄκτιστοι ὑπάρχουσι), κατὰ δὲ τὸ δεύτερον σημαινόμενον οὐδαμῶς (μόνος γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἀγέννητος· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἑτέρας ἐστὶν αὐτῷ ὑποστάσεως τὸ εἶναι) καὶ μόνος ὁ υἱὸς γεννητός (ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς γὰρ οὐσίας ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀχρόνως γεγέννηται) καὶ μόνον τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐκπορευτὸν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ πατρός, οὐ γεννώμενον ἀλλ' ἐκπορευόμενον. Οὕτω μὲν τῆς θείας διδασκούσης γραφῆς, τοῦ δὲ τρόπου τῆς γεννήσεως καὶ τῆς ἐκπορεύσεως ἀκαταλήπτου ὑπάρχοντος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἰστέον, ὡς οὐκ ἐξ ἡμῶν μετηνέχθη ἐπὶ τὴν μακαρίαν θεότητα τὸ τῆς πατρότητος καὶ υἱότητος καὶ ἐκπορεύσεως ὄνομα, τοὐναντίον δὲ