of him", and that "he is one" and "besides him there is no other"? 79 How then will the holy prophet Jeremiah not openly convict him of teaching a different doctrine? For prophesying to us the things concerning the savior he spoke thus: "This is our God, no other shall be accounted of in comparison with him. He found out all the way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant and to Israel his beloved. After this he was seen upon earth, and conversed with men." 80 So that even if one says that, positing that there is a first God and a second, as Narcissus has written in these very words (for he who says "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness" does not allow it), that he and his father are two, we have heard in part from the Lord himself testifying and from the holy scriptures. If therefore Narcissus for this reason should wish to divide in power the Word from the Father, let him know that the prophet who wrote as of God having said "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness," himself wrote "and God made man." 81 For having come across a letter of Narcissus, who presides over Neronia, which he wrote to a certain Chrestus and Euphronius and Eusebius, as Bishop Hosius asked him, if, just as Eusebius of Palestine says there are two substances, so also he would say, I knew from what was written that he, in his response, believes there are three substances. 82 For having dared to divide the Word of God and to name the Word another God, distinct in substance and in power from the Father, into how great a blasphemy he has fallen it is possible to learn easily and clearly from the very sayings written by him. And he has written in these very words thus: Surely the image and that of which it is the image are not conceived of as one and the same, but two substances and two things and two powers, as also so many appellations. 83 But the apostle writes such things concerning the faith of the Galatians; but Eusebius, transferring the apostolic meaning, for which reason the apostle, on account of the aforementioned cause, said, "My children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you," he rebuked the Galatians as not having a right opinion concerning God. For he was truly in sharp and bitter travail, because he knew the Galatians concerning piety were not thinking as he did, nor speaking of two substances and things and powers and gods. 84 Thus also Eusebius of Caesarea has written, he himself also having the same opinion as Paulinus and the outsiders concerning gods. For he has written not as of there being only one God, but of one being the only true God. Whence therefore having learned also Asterius' father Paulinus thought there were younger gods. 85 How then did these men not, having turned to the same most evil way as the outsiders, set forth to teach and write the same things, with Eusebius having spoken similarly to Valentinus and Hermes, and Narcissus to Marcion and Plato? 86 But abandoning true knowledge, he has now shown us his artful theory. For not having from the divine scriptures the means to establish his own desire, he runs back to the wisest fathers, as he thinks, saying: what the wisest of the fathers declared in their own compositions. Asterius says that his fathers have made a declaration and have written a dogma concerning God from their own proper choice. For the name of "dogma" pertains to human counsel and opinion. And that this is so the dogmatic art of physicians sufficiently witnesses to us, and the so-called dogmas of the philosophers also witness; and that what was decided by the senate is still even now called dogmas of the senate, I think no one is ignorant. 87 For wishing to speak in defense of Eusebius who wrote the letter badly, first, having unfolded the dogma not in a didactic manner, he said, he composed the letter, for the writing was not for the church nor for the ignorant but for the blessed Paulinus, calling him blessed for this reason, that he had the same opinion as Asterius. Therefore, since we have learned of the wisest fathers of Asterius, I think it is fitting to speak also of Paulinus and

αὐτοῦ", καὶ ὅτι "εἷς ἐστιν" καὶ "πλὴν αὐτοῦ ἕτερος οὐκ ἔστιν"; 79 πῶς οὖν ὁ ἱερὸς προφήτης Ἱερεμίας οὐ φανερῶς αὐτὸν ἑτεροδιδασκαλοῦντα ἐλέγξει; τὰ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν σωτῆρα ἡμῖν προφητεύων οὕτως ἔφη "οὗτος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐξεῦρεν πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης, καὶ ἔδωκεν Ἰακὼβ τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη". 80 ὥστε κἂν ἐκεῖνό τις λέγῃ, κατασκευάζων πρῶτον εἶναι θεὸν καὶ δεύτερον, ὡς Νάρκισσος αὐταῖς λέξεσιν γέγραφεν (οὐδὲ γὰρ συγχωρεῖ ὁ λέγων "ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν"), ὅτι μὲν αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ δύο εἰσίν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μαρτυροῦντος καὶ τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν ἐκ μέρους ἠκούσαμεν. εἰ τοίνυν Νάρκισσος διὰ τοῦτο διαιρεῖν δυνάμει τὸν λόγον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐθέλοι, γνώτω ὅτι ὁ γράψας προφήτης ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ εἰρηκότος "ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν", αὐτὸς γέγραφεν "καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον". 81 ἐντυχὼν γὰρ Ναρκίσσου τοῦ Νερωνιάδος προεστῶτος ἐπιστολῇ, ἣν γέγραφεν πρὸς Χρηστόν τινα καὶ Εὐφρόνιον καὶ Εὐσέβιον, ὡς Ὁσίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ἐρωτήσαντος αὐτόν, εἰ, ὥσπερ Εὐσέβιος ὁ τῆς Παλαιστί νης δύο οὐσίας εἶναί φησιν, οὕτως καὶ αὐτὸς λέγοι, ἔγνων αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν γραφέντων τρεῖς εἶναι πιστεύειν οὐσίας ἀποκρινόμενον. 82 διελεῖν γὰρ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ τολμήσας καὶ ἕτερον θεὸν τὸν λόγον ὀνομάσαι, οὐσίᾳ τε καὶ δυνάμει διεστῶτα τοῦ πατρός, εἰς ὅσην βλασφημίαν ἐκπέπτωκεν ἔνεστιν σαφῶς ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γραφέντων ῥητῶν ῥᾳδίως μανθάνειν. γέγραφεν δ' αὐταῖς λέξεσιν οὕτως· οὐ δήπου δὲ ἡ εἰκὼν καὶ τὸ οὗ ἐστιν ἡ εἰκὼν ἓν καὶ ταὐτὸν ἐπινοεῖται, ἀλλὰ δύο μὲν οὐσίαι καὶ δύο πράγματα καὶ δύο δυνάμεις, ὡς καὶ τοσαῦται προσηγορίαι. 83 ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἀπόστολος τοιαῦτα περὶ τῆς Γαλατῶν πίστεως γράφει· Εὐσέβιος δὲ μεταφέρων τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἔννοιαν, δι' ἣν τοῦθ' ὁ ἀπόστολος τῆς προειρημένης αἰτίας ἕνεκα, "τέκνα μου" εἶπεν "οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν", καθήψατο Γαλατῶν ὡς μὴ ὀρθὴν ἐχόντων περὶ θεοῦ δόξαν. ὤδινεν γὰρ ἀληθῶς δριμεῖάν τινα καὶ πικρὰν ὠδῖνα, ὅτι ἠπίστατο Γαλάτας περὶ θεοσεβείας μὴ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος δοξάζοντας, μηδὲ δύο οὐσίας τε καὶ πράγματα καὶ δυνάμεις καὶ θεοὺς λέγοντας. 84 οὕτω δὲ καὶ Εὐσέβιος ὁ τῆς Καισαρείας γέγραφεν καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχων Παυλίνῳ τε καὶ τοῖς ἔξωθεν περὶ θεῶν δόξαν. γέγραφεν γὰρ οὐχ ὡς ὄντος μόνου θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἑνὸς ὄντος τοῦ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ. ὅθεν τοίνυν μαθὼν καὶ ὁ Ἀστερίου πατὴρ Παυλῖνος νεωτέρους θεοὺς εἶναι ᾤετο. 85 πῶς οὖν οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν οὗτοι τοῖς ἔξωθεν κακίστην ὁδὸν τραπέντες τὰ αὐτὰ διδάξαι τε καὶ γράψαι προὔθεντο, τοῦ μὲν Εὐσεβίου Οὐαλεντίνῳ τε καὶ Ἑρμῇ ὁμοίως εἰρηκότος, τοῦ δὲ Ναρκίσσου Μαρκίωνί τε καὶ Πλάτωνι; 86 ἀλλ' ἀφέμενος τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως τὴν ἔντεχνον ἡμῖν καὶ νῦν ἐπεδείξατο θεωρίαν. οὐκ ἔχων γὰρ ἐκ τῶν θείων γραφῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ κατασκευάσαι βούλημα, ἐπὶ τοὺς σοφωτάτους, ὡς οἴεται, ἀνατρέχει πατέρας φάσκων· ὅπερ οἱ σοφώτατοι τῶν πατέρων ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις συντάγμασιν ἀπεφήναντο. ἀπόφασιν ἀποπεφάσθαι τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ πατέρας Ἀστέριός φησιν καὶ δόγμα περὶ θεοῦ γεγραφέναι ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἑαυτῶν προαιρέσεως. τὸ γὰρ τοῦ δόγματος ὄνομα τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἔχεται βουλῆς τε καὶ γνώμης. ὅτι δὲ τοῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει μαρτυρεῖ μὲν ἡμῖν ἱκανῶς ἡ δογματικὴ τῶν ἰατρῶν τέχνη, μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ τῶν φιλοσόφων καλούμενα δόγματα· ὅτι δὲ καὶ τὰ συγκλήτῳ δόξαντα ἔτι καὶ νῦν δόγματα συγκλήτου λέγεται, οὐδένα ἀγνοεῖν οἶμαι. 87 συνηγορῆσαι γὰρ βουληθεὶς τῷ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν κακῶς γράψαντι Εὐσεβίῳ, πρῶτον μὲν οὐ διδασκαλικῶς ἀναπτύξας, ἔφη, τὸ δόγμα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν συνέταξεν, οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οὐδὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας ἐγίγνετο τὸ γράμμα ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν μακάριον Παυλῖνον, μακάριον αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦτο εἰπών, ὅτι τὴν αὐτὴν εἶχεν Ἀστερίῳ δόξαν. οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ τοὺς σοφωτάτους πατέρας Ἀστερίου μεμαθήκαμεν, ἀκόλουθον ἡγοῦμαι λέγειν καὶ τὸν Παυλίνου τε