Georgius Acropolita, Against the Latins

we understand, we proclaim in truth, confirming knowledge by faith or by knowledge clarifying faith unto piety. Thus for you we also resolve the "proceeding from the Son," thus for you also the "being sent" and "being supplied" and "being given" and whatever other names those who know these things better than we do dogmatize concerning the Son, and the identity and otherness in these things, who have utterly forbidden the procession, to whose names the utterance of the proclamation has borne witness. For their knowledge has ascended beyond heaven, their sound has poured out to all the ends of the earth. For these men in Christ held together the universe with the words of piety, thundering around or flashing like lightning around the world.

2.13 Since, then, the things of Christ have been so clarified for us and have been well resolved, along with the things which all the hierophants taught and made clear, who have not dared to say that the Spirit proceeds from the Son, because no complete necessity appeared to them from the sayings, we must begin the discernment of the remaining matters. For the time being, then, so that I may proclaim to you even a little of the arguments in advance, how is it that what Christ did not teach and an apostle does not know—for if he knew, he who received all the grace of the Spirit in a tongue of fire would have spoken it out—the teachers did not reason, that you yourself, according to the reasonings just now readily brought forth to you, are emboldened to teach? Who are you? And though countless men have passed by, distinguished, as we know, for piety and wisdom and for the greatest of divine signs, no one yet has been so audacious as to add such a phrase also in the case of the Son, and you are shameless in the attempt? You would have been blessed, if only you had held to what was taught you by them; but now—I know not from where you are prompted—wishing to push aside and surpass the teachers, you have appeared most wretched to me.

2.14 But since we have shaken for you the great foundations, in which you boasted more of the firm and, as you thought, unshakable position, behold, I bring you my own as well, so that you may know if they are founded on the rock of Christ, where the currents of the rivers cannot wash anything away with the sophistical arguments of empty things. But first I will ask you something, and you answer my question: did the Father beget the Son and process the Spirit at the same time or not at the same time? No one who has wished to be pious will yet say "not at the same time"; for time will intervene in the existences of those from the Father, and they will not escape the first and the second, and all the other things that follow for those who are not brought into being at the same time. And somewhere one of the theologians has said to those who place them in a beginning: "When was the Son begotten? When the Spirit proceeded." and conversely: "When did the Spirit proceed? When the Son was begotten," not separating the procession from the begetting in the indivisible moment of their coming into being. It remains, therefore, that the begetting and the procession from the Father are at the same time, that is, that which is begotten from him and that which proceeds. If, then, they are at the same time, how is the one through the other? For the medium must first exist, and then that which is through it appear. But if things beyond time are far from time, so these things are indeed beyond time, because they are at the same time and because no medium is found for their existence. For together with the cause are conceived at the same time the things from it, but the effects, if one is through the other, it is entirely necessary that one comes into being first and the other second. Therefore, both are at the same time from the same, and not one through the other, so that there may not be time, a first and a later, or a difference of essence will intervene among the three.

2.15 If, then, I do not persuade you with these things, listen again to another. If the Son is a mean between the Father and the Spirit, he is therefore defined—for every mean is circumscribed by the extremes—and I do not speak of place or time or power or energy, which are known in things subject to nature, but by essence itself, even if it were infinite, being limited by infinites. Which is also paradoxical, if the infinite is limited; for it will not be limited in other things. But by what it is defined, it is also circumscribed; and God appeared to us circumscribed in essence, the newest thing, than which what

νοοῦμεν, ἐξαγγέλλομεν εἰς ἀλήθειαν, πίστει βεβαιοῦντες τὴν γνῶσιν ἢ τῇ γνώσει τὴν πίστιν τρα νοῦντες εἰς τὴν εὐσέβειαν. οὕτω σοι καὶ τὸ προϊὸν ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ διαλύομεν, οὕτω σοι καὶ τὸ πεμπόμενον καὶ χορηγού μενον καὶ διδόμενον καὶ ὅσα ἄττα τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ δογματίζουσι οἱ κρεῖττον ἡμῶν εἰδότες ταῦτα καὶ τὴν ἐν τούτοις ταὐτότητά τε καὶ ἑτερότητα, οἳ τὴν ἐκπόρευσιν παντάπασιν ἀπηγόρευσαν, ὧν τοῖς ὀνόμασιν ἡ τῆς ἐξαγγε λίας προφορὰ μεμαρτύρηκε. τούτων γὰρ ἡ γνῶσις ὑπεραν έβη τὸν οὐρανόν, τούτων ὁ φθόγγος εἰς πάντα γῆς ἐξεχύθη τὰ πέρατα. οὗτοι γὰρ ἐν Χριστῷ τοῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας λόγοις συνέσχον τὸ πᾶν, βροντῆς τρόπον ἢ ἀστραπῆς περιδονή σαντες ἢ περιαστράψαντες τὴν ὑφήλιον.

2.13 Ἐπεὶ γοῦν οὕτως ἡμῖν τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σεσαφήνισται καὶ καλῶς τῶν λύσεων ἔσχηκε σὺν τοῖς καὶ ἅπερ οἱ ἱερο φάνται πάντες ἐδίδαξάν τε καὶ διετράνωσαν, οἳ μὴ ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐκπορεύεσθαι τὸ πνεῦμα εἰπεῖν τετολμήκασιν, ὅτι μὴ πᾶσα ἀνάγκη παρὰ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῖς ἀνεφαίνετο, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρκτέον εἰς τὴν διάκρισιν. τέως οὖν, ἵνα τι καὶ μικρόν σοι προαναφωνήσω τῶν λόγων, πῶς, ὃ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐδίδαξεν ἀπόστολός τε οὐκ οἶδεν-εἰ γὰρ οἶδε, καὶ ἐξελά λησεν ὁ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος χάριν ἐν πυρίνῃ γλώσσῃ πᾶσαν δεξάμενος-οὐ συνελογίσαντο οἱ διδάσκαλοι, κατὰ τούς σοι προφερομένους ῥᾳδίως ἄρτι συλλογισμοὺς ἀποθρασύνῃ διδάσ κειν αὐτός; ὃς τίς ποτε εἶ; καὶ μυρίων παρῳχηκότων ἀνδρῶν εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σοφίᾳ καὶ ταῖς μεγίσταις τῶν θεοσημειῶν διαπρεψάντων ὡς οἴδαμεν, οὐδείς πω τὴν τοιαύτην λέξιν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ προσθεῖναι ἀπηυθαδιάσατο, καὶ σὺ ἀπαν αιδεύῃ πρὸς τὴν ἐγχείρησιν; μακάριος ἂν ἦς, εἰ μόνον ἐξείχου τῶν δεδιδαγμένων σοι παρ' αὐτῶν· νῦν δ'-οὐκ οἶδ' ὅθεν ὁρμώμενος-ἐθέλων παραγκωνίσαι καὶ ὑπερβαλεῖν τοὺς διδάξαντας ἀθλιότατος ἐμοὶ ἐναπέφηνας.

2.14 Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τὰ μεγάλα τῶν βάθρων σοι διεσείσαμεν, ἐν οἷς καὶ μᾶλλον ηὔχεις τὸ ἑδραῖον καὶ ὡς ἐδόκεις ἀσάλευτον, ἰδού σοι φέρω καὶ τὰ ἐμά, ἵν' εἰδείης εἰ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἑδράζονται τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅπου τι παρασῦραι τὰ τῶν ποτα μῶν οὐ δύνανται ῥεύματα λόγοις σοφιστευόντων ἐπὶ κενῆς. ἀλλὰ πρῶτον ἐρωτήσω σέ τι, καὶ ἀπόκριναί μοι πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν· ἅμα τὸν υἱὸν γεγέννηκεν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκπεπόρευκεν ἢ οὐχ ἅμα; οὐχ ἅμα μὲν οὐδείς πω τῶν εὐσε βεῖν βεβουλημένων ἐρεῖ· χρόνος γὰρ μεσολαβήσει περὶ τὰς ὑπάρξεις τῶν ἐκ πατρὸς καὶ τὸ πρῶτον οὐ διαφύγωσι καὶ τὸ δεύτερον καὶ τἆλλα ὅσα τοῖς οὐχ ἅμα οὐσιωμένοις ἀκο λουθεῖ. καί πού τις τῶν θεολογησάντων εἰρήκει πρὸς τοὺς εἰς ἀρχὴν τιθεμένους αὐτά· «πότε ὁ υἱὸς γεγέννηται; ὅτε τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκπεπόρευται» καὶ ἀνάπαλιν· «πότε τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκπεπόρευται; ὅτε ὁ υἱὸς γεγέννηται», οὐ διαστειλάμενος τῆς γεννήσεως τὴν ἐκπόρευσιν ἐν τῷ ἀτόμῳ τῆς οὐσιώσεως. λείπεται γοῦν ἅμα εἶναι τὴν γέννησιν ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ ἐκπόρευσιν εἴτουν τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννώμενον καὶ τὸ ἐκπορευό μενον. εἰ γοῦν ἅμα, πῶς διὰ θατέρου θάτερον; δεῖ γὰρ πρῶτον εἶναι τὸ μέσον, εἶτα φανῆναι τὸ δι' αὐτοῦ. εἰ δὲ χρόνου πόρρω τὰ ὑπὲρ χρόνον, οὕτω ταῦτά γε ὑπὲρ χρόνον, ὅτι ἅμα καὶ ὅτι μέσον οὐχ εὑρίσκεται πρὸς τὴν ὕπαρξιν. τῷ γὰρ αἰτίῳ συννοοῦνται ἅμα τὰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ, τὰ δ' αἰτιατά, εἰ διὰ θατέρου θάτερον, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα καὶ πρῶτον οὐσιοῦσθαι καὶ δεύτερον. ἅμα γοῦν ἄμφω ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐ δι' ἑτέρου τὸ ἕτερον, ἵνα μὴ χρόνος ᾖ πρῶτον καὶ ὕστερον, ἢ διαφορὰ οὐσίας μεσολαβήσει ἐν τοῖς τρισίν.

2.15 Εἰ γοῦν οὐ πείθω σε τούτοις, ἀκροῶ πάλιν ἑτέρου. εἰ μέσος τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ὁ υἱός, ὥρισται ἄρα-ἅπαν γὰρ μέσον τοῖς ἄκροις ἐμπεριγράφεται- καὶ οὐ τόπῳ λέγω ἢ χρόνῳ ἢ δυνάμει ἢ ἐνεργείᾳ, ἃ τοῖς ὑπὸ φύσιν γνωρίζεται, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ γε δὴ τῇ οὐσίᾳ κἂν ἄπειρος εἴη ὑπὸ ἀπείρων περατουμένῃ. ὃ καὶ παράδοξον, ἂν περα τῶται τὸ ἄπειρον· οὐ περατωθήσεται γὰρ ἐν ἄλλοις. οἷς δὲ ὁρίζεται, καὶ περιγράφεται· καὶ ἐφάνη θεὸς ἡμῖν τῇ οὐσίᾳ περιγραφόμενος, τὸ καινότατον, οὗ τί