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for he is the father, who begat from himself the only-begotten Word and firstborn of all creation20. He has written joining both 20only-begotten and firstborn20, there being a great contradiction in these 1.4.13 names, as is easy even for the very slow to learn to know. For it is clear that the only-begotten, if he were truly only-begotten, can no longer be firstborn, and the firstborn, as firstborn, cannot be only-begotten. And in these matters he accuses Asterius in vain; for the words calling the son of God sometimes only-begotten son and sometimes firstborn of all creation were not his but belonged to divine scripture. 1.4.14 Again he joins to these things, saying, but having abandoned true knowledge, he has now also displayed to us his artificial theory. For being unable to establish his own desire from the divine scriptures, he runs back to the most wise fathers, as he thinks, saying: 20which the most wise of the fathers 1.4.15 have declared in their own compositions20. Asterius says that his own fathers have made a declaration and have written a dogma concerning God from their own choice. For the 1.4.16 name of dogma pertains to human will and opinion. And that this is so, the dogmatic art of physicians sufficiently witnesses to us, and what are called the dogmas of the philosophers also witness; and that also the things decreed by the senate are even now called dogmas of the senate, I think no one is ignorant. And Marcellus was led to say these things, having forgotten the apostolic voice which says concerning the savior, "having abolished the law of commandments in ordinances," but he also finds fault with having to follow the fathers, though the divine scripture says, "ask your father 1.4.17 and he will tell you; your elders, and they will tell you" and "do not move the ancient landmarks which your fathers have set." Then, being indignant that he called Paulinus blessed, and at the same time again speaking ill of Eusebius, he writes thus for wishing to support Eusebius who had written the letter badly, 20first, not having expounded didactically20, he said, 20the dogma, he composed the letter, for the writing was not to the church nor to the ignorant, but to the blessed Paulinus20, calling him blessed for this reason, that he held the same opinion as Asterius. Therefore since we have learned of Asterius's 20most wise fathers20, I think it follows to speak also of the one who became the teacher 1.4.18 of both Paulinus and the others. For from the letter of Paulinus the one who had also become his teacher would become very clear to us. And after saying some things in between, he again slanders the same man as not having rightly accepted Origen, saying thus Paulinus wrote these things not reminding of evangelical teaching, but confessing 20that some are moved to this of themselves, but others from the readings of the aforementioned 1.4.19 men have been led to this way20. Then finally, adding a kind of crown to his proof, he appended sayings of Origen to his own letter, as if he could persuade more than the evangelists and the apostles. And the sayings are these: 20It is time to take up again concerning the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, to go through a few of the things then omitted; concerning the Father, that being indivisible and unpartitioned he becomes the Father 1.4.20 of the Son, not by projecting him, as some suppose. For if the Son is a projection of the Father and an offspring from him, such as the offspring of animals, it is necessary that both the one projecting and the one projected be a body20. 1.4.21 Then next, after the quotation of Origen's words, he adds, saying Origen wrote these things, not having wished to learn from the holy prophets and apostles about the eternity of the Word, but having given more to himself, he dares in vain to relate a second hypothesis of the Word. And to these things rightly said by Origen, concerning the need not to a certain corporeal and passible

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γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ, ὁ γεννήσας ἐξ αὑτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ λόγον καὶ πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως20. ἀμφότερα συνάψας γέγραφεν 20μονογενῆ καὶ πρωτότοκον20, πολλῆς ἐναντιότητος ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασιν οὔσης τού1.4.13 τοις, ὡς ἔστιν ῥᾴδιον καὶ τοῖς σφόδρα δυσμαθέσιν γνῶναι. δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ὁ μονογενής, εἰ ὄντως μονογενὴς εἴη, οὐκέτι πρωτό τοκος εἶναι δύναται, καὶ ὁ πρωτότοκος ᾗ πρωτότοκος οὐ δύναται μονογενὴς εἶναι. καὶ ἐν τούτοις δὲ τὸν Ἀστέριον αἰτιᾶται μάτην· οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας γραφῆς ἐτύγχανον αἱ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ποτὲ μὲν λέγουσαι μονογενῆ υἱὸν ποτὲ δὲ πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως φωναί. 1.4.14 αὖθις δὲ συνάπτει τούτοις λέγων 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· 20ὅπερ οἱ σοφώτατοι τῶν πατέρων 1.4.15 ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις συντάγμασιν ἀπεφήναντο20. ἀπόφασιν ἀπο πεφάσθαι τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ πατέρας Ἀστέριός φησιν καὶ δόγμα περὶ θεοῦ γεγραφέναι ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἑαυτῶν προαιρέσεως. τὸ γὰρ τοῦ 1.4.16 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 δόγ ματα συγκλήτου λέγεται, οὐδένα ἀγνοεῖν οἶμαι. καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ὁ Μάρκελλος, ἀμνημονήσας τῆς ἀποστολικῆς φωνῆς ἥ φησιν περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος «τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῖς δόγμασιν καταργήσας», προήχθη εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέμφεται τῷ δεῖν ἕπεσθαι τοῖς πατράσιν, τῆς θείας φασκούσης γραφῆς «ἐπερώτησον τὸν πατέρα 1.4.17 σου καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ σοι· τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους σου καὶ ἐροῦσίν σοι» καὶ «μὴ μέταιρε ὅρια αἰώνια ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ πατέρες σου». εἶτ' ἀγανακτῶν ὅτι Παυλῖνον μακάριον ἀπεκάλεσεν, ὁμοῦ τε κακῶς Εὐσεβίου πάλιν μνημονεύων, οὕτω γράφει συνηγορῆσαι γὰρ βουληθεὶς τῷ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν κακῶς γρά ψαντι Εὐσεβίῳ, 20πρῶτον μὲν οὐ διδασκαλικῶς ἀναπτύξας20, ἔφη, 20τὸ δόγμα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν συνέταξεν, οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οὐδὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας ἐγίγνετο τὸ γράμμα ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν μακάριον Παυλῖνον20, μακάριον αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦτο εἰπών, ὅτι τὴν αὐτὴν εἶχεν Ἀστερίῳ δόξαν. οὐκοῦν ἐπει δήπερ 20τοὺς σοφωτάτους πατέρας20 Ἀστερίου μεμαθήκαμεν, ἀκό λουθον ἡγοῦμαι λέγειν καὶ τὸν Παυλίνου τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων γε1.4.18 νόμενον διδάσκαλον. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς Παυλίνου ἐπιστολῆς ὁ κἀκείνου διδάσκαλος γεγονὼς εὔδηλος γένοιτ' ἂν ἡμῖν. καὶ μεταξύ τινα εἰπὼν τὸν αὐτὸν αὖθις διαβάλλει ὡς οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἀποδεξάμενον τὸν Ὠριγένη, λέγων οὕτως οὐκ εὐαγγελικῆς ὑπομιμνήσκων διδασκαλίας ταῦτ' ἔγραψεν Παυλῖνος, ὁμολογῶν δὲ 20ἐνίους μὲν ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν οὕτω κινεῖ σθαι, ἐνίους δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων τῶν προειρημέ1.4.19 νων ἀνδρῶν τοῦτον ἦχθαι τὸν τρόπον20. εἶτα τέλος, ὥσπερ τινὰ κορωνίδα τῆς ἀποδείξεως ἐπάγων, ἐκ τῶν Ὠριγένους ῥητῶν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ὑπέγραψεν ἐπιστολῇ, ὡς μᾶλλον πεῖσαι δυναμένου παρὰ τοὺς εὐαγγελιστὰς καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους. ἔστιν δὲ τὰ ῥητὰ ταῦτα· 20ὥρα ἐπαναλαβόντα περὶ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ὀλίγα τῶν τότε παραλελειμμένων διεξελθεῖν· περὶ πατρὸς ὡς ἀδιαίρετος ὢν καὶ ἀμέριστος υἱοῦ γίγνεται 1.4.20 πατήρ, οὐ προβαλὼν αὐτόν, ὡς οἴονταί τινες. εἰ γὰρ πρό βλημά ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ γέννημα ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ὁποῖα τὰ τῶν ζῴων γεννήματα, ἀνάγκη σῶμα εἶναι τὸν προβαλόντα καὶ τὸν προβεβλημένον20. 1.4.21 εἶθ' ἑξῆς μετὰ τὴν τῶν Ὠριγενειῶν φωνῶν παράθεσιν ἐπιφέρει λέγων ταῦτα Ὠριγένης γέγραφεν, μὴ παρὰ τῶν ἱερῶν προφητῶν τε καὶ ἀποστόλων περὶ τῆς ἀιδιότητος τοῦ λόγου μαθεῖν βουλη θείς, ἀλλ' ἑαυτῷ δεδωκὼς πλεῖον δευτέραν ὑπόθεσιν διηγήσασθαι τοῦ λόγου μάτην τολμᾷ. καὶ τούτοις δὲ τοῖς ὑπὸ Ὠριγένους ὀρθῶς εἰρημένοις, περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν σωματικήν τινα καὶ παθητικὴν