18. Let them presume to tell us, as they have a glib answer to everything, how the heavens were formed, and from what material, and what is their composition; and likewise of the sun and each of the stars. Small wonder if we expose their folly by referring to the things above us, when we do not understand the ‘how’ of the nature of the trees here below, of ‘the gathering together of the waters’, and of the fashioning and forming of living things. But they could not tell us. For even Solomon, who had a far greater share of wisdom than any, saw that it was impossible for men to find out about these things, and said: ‘He hath set eternity within their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.’ Because they cannot find out, do they admit that these things do not exist? Yes, they will admit it, for their understanding is corrupted. Wherefore we might reasonably ask them: ‘You who are without sense and in all things reckless, why do you not the rather cease your impertinent inquiries about the holy Triad, and only believe that it exists? You have the Apostle as your teacher for this, when he says: “It is necessary first to believe on God that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.” He did not say, “how he is,” but only, “that he is”.’ But if they are not overwhelmed by this, let them say how the Father is, that so they may learn how his Word is. But it is absurd, they will say, to ask such questions about the Father. Let them hear, then, that it is also absurd to ask them concerning his Word.

Ἢ τολμησάτωσαν ἀποκρίνασθαι οἱ πάντα λέ γοντες εὐχερῶς, πῶς ὁ οὐρανὸς συνέστη, καὶ ἐκ ποίας ὕλης, καὶ τίς ἡ τούτου μίξις, ἢ πῶς ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ ἕκαστος τῶν ἀστέρων; Τί δὲ θαυμαστὸν ἐκ τῶν ὑπερκειμένων, αὐτῶν ἐλέγχειν τὴν ἀφροσύνην, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ πῶς τῶν ὧδε κάτω ξύλων ἡ φύσις, καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων τὰ συστήματα, πῶς τε τῶν ζώων ἡ πλάσις καὶ ἡ σύστασις, γινώσκεται, Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν εἴ ποιεν, ὅπου γε καὶ Σολομὼν, ὁ περισσότερον πάντων σοφίας μετασχὼν, ὁρῶν ἀδύνατον ἀνθρώποις περὶ τούτων εὑρεῖν, ἔλεγε· «Καί γε σύμπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα, ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους.» Ἆρ' οὖν, ἐπεὶ μὴ δύνανται εὑρεῖν, οὐδὲ εἶναι αὐτὰ ὁμολογοῦσι; Ναὶ ὁμολογήσουσιν ἐφθαρμένην ἔχοντες τὴν διάνοιαν. Οὐκοῦν εἰκότως ἄν τις αὐτοῖς εἴποι· Ὦ ἀνόητοι καὶ πάντα τολμηροὶ, διὰ τί μὴ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος παύεσθε περιεργαζόμενοι, καὶ μόνον πιστεύετε, ὅτι ἔστιν· ἔχοντες εἰς τοῦτο διδάσκαλον τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· «Πιστεῦσαι γὰρ δεῖ πρῶτον Θεῷ, ὅτι ἔστι, καὶ τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν μισθαποδότης γίνεται;» Οὐ γὰρ, πῶς ἐστιν, εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ μόνον, «ὅτι ἔστιν.» Εἰ δὲ μηδὲ οὕτω καταδύονται, εἰπάτωσαν πῶς ἐστιν ὁ Πα τὴρ, ἵν' οὕτω μάθωσι, πῶς ἐστι καὶ ὁ τούτου Λόγος. Ἀλλ' ἄτοπον, φήσουσι, περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς οὕτως ἐρωτᾷν. Ἄτοπον οὖν ἀκουέτωσαν καὶ περὶ τοῦ Λόγου αὐτοῦ οὕτως ἐρωτᾷν.