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but as far as the so-called Tartarus is from heaven. But I decline to present these myths, lest someone call me a babbler and a trifler; but I will mention some, and very few, in the discourse to be written after this one, God willing, so that I may show not only 2.97 the implausibility of the myths about the so-called gods, but also their foolishness and impiety. And if anyone is fond of examining the comparison itself, he will find it in the writings of Eusebius of Palestine, and he named this work the *Preparation for the Gospel*; but I will say briefly, that the Egyptians and Phoenicians and the poets and philosophers of the Greeks either supposed the visible elements to be gods, or they proclaimed as 2.98 gods men who had done some good and excelled in some advantages, and they built temples to them when they were dead; but we theologize about none of the visible things, and we honor men who have excelled in virtue as the best of men, but we worship only the God of all, and his Word, and the 2.99 Most Holy Spirit. And we call him the only-begotten Son and Word and Life and Light and Truth, and using very many other names we hymn the divine nature. And not only do we name it from its attributes, but we also address it by 2.100 its lack of attributes; for we call it without beginning and incorruptible and immortal and infinite and indestructible, invisible and formless and without shape, uncircumscribed and incomprehensible and unattainable, assigning these appellations from its lack of attributes. 2.101 For since he is not visible, he is named invisible and unseen, and as he surpasses the mind's imagination, he is called unattainable; and again, infinite, as having neither beginning nor end, and as being superior to corruption and death, incorruptible and immortal; 2.102 and the other things, which are like these, which the divine nature does not have, happen to be indicative. But good and just and light and life and creator and master and pilot of all things, and things similar to these, which he both has and does, guiding creation and 2.103 benefiting the nature of men, are significant. Thus he is named Son, as having been begotten of God the Father, and Word, as having come forth without time and without passion and not having divided the one who begot him; and again, Effulgence of glory, as being co-eternal with the one who begot him. 2.104 But do not be disturbed, hearing that the Word is both from the Father and with the Father. For it is most absurd to tolerate Plato when he says that God is the cause of matter and calls matter co-eternal with God, and affirms that the ideas are from God and with God, but not to be persuaded that the Word of God and the Most Holy Spirit are both from God and with 2.105 God. For if the philosopher said that matter, which is of a different nature and different kind and foreign race, is both from God and with God, surely our account must be considered much more reasonable and true. For we do not say that the Son is of a different nature, nor indeed the Most Holy Spirit, but we proclaim that the essence of the Trinity is one. 2.106 But if anyone seeks to learn the manner of the existence of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, let him first state the manner of the existence of the unbegotten, how he exists without having a cause. For this is indeed completely inexplicable and comprehensible only to pure and 2.107 unadulterated faith. For reason would easily accept that something comes from a cause, whether begotten or created; but no reason accepts that something exists without a cause, unless somehow the guarantee of faith should appear. But if we believe that something is both unbegotten and without beginning and without cause, then it must be believed that, since he is mind, the Word was begotten from him, and the Holy Spirit proceeded. 2.108 And that some of the ancients also call the God of all unbegotten, one might hear Timaeus of Locri saying: "The one beginning of all things is unbegotten; for if it had come into being, it would no longer be a beginning, but that from which the beginning came to be." But Parmenides the Eleatic also the world

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ἀλλ' ὅσον ὁ καλούμενος Τάρταρος οὐρανοῦ. Ἐγὼ δ' αὐτοὺς θεῖναι παραιτοῦμαι τοὺς μύθους, ἵνα μὴ μέ τις ἀδο λέσχην ὀνομάσῃ καὶ φλήναφον· ἐνίων δὲ καὶ μάλα ὀλίγων ἐν τῇ μετὰ τήνδε, ξὺν θεῷ φάναι, γραφησομένῃ διαλέξει μνησθήσομαι, ἵνα τῶν μυθολογουμένων περὶ τῶν καλουμένων θεῶν μὴ μόνον 2.97 τὸ ἀπίθανον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἀνόητον καὶ δυσαγὲς ἐπιδείξω. Εἰ δέ τῳ φίλον καὶ αὐτὴν διαγνῶναι τὴν ξύγκρισιν, εὑρήσει ταύτην ἐν τοῖς Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Παλαιστίνου ξυγγράμμασιν, Εὐαγγελικὴν δὲ προ παρασκευὴν τόνδε τὸν πόνον ἐκεῖνος ὠνόμασεν· ἐγὼ δὲ ξυντόμως ἐρῶ, ὡς Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ Φοίνικες καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων οἱ ποιηταὶ καὶ φιλόσοφοι ἢ τὰ ὁρώμενα στοιχεῖα θεοὺς ὑπετόπασαν ἢ ἀνθρώπων τοὺς εὖ τι πεποιηκότας καὶ ἔν τισι πλεονεκτήμασι διαπρέψαντας 2.98 θεοὺς ἀνηγόρευσαν καὶ τεθνεῶσι ναοὺς ἐδομήσαντο· ἡμεῖς δὲ τῶν μὲν ὁρωμένων θεολογοῦμεν οὐδέν, τῶν δὲ ἀνθρώπων τοὺς ἐν ἀρετῇ διαπρέψαντας ὡς ἀνθρώπους ἀρίστους γεραίρομεν, μόνον δὲ τὸν τῶν ὅλων προσκυνοῦμεν Θεὸν καὶ τὸν ἐκείνου γε Λόγον καὶ τὸ 2.99 πανάγιον Πνεῦμα. Τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ καὶ Υἱὸν μονογενῆ καὶ Λόγον καὶ Ζωὴν καὶ Φῶς καὶ Ἀλήθειαν ὀνομάζομεν, καὶ ἄλλοις δὲ παμπόλλοις ὀνόμασι κεχρημένοι τὴν θείαν φύσιν ἀνυμνοῦμεν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῶν προσόντων ὀνομάζομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ 2.100 τῶν μὴ προσόντων προσαγορεύομεν· ἄναρχον γὰρ καὶ ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀθάνατον καὶ ἄπειρον καὶ ἀνώλεθρον ἀόρατόν τε καὶ ἀνείδεον καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον ἀπερίγραφόν τε καὶ ἀπερίληπτον καὶ ἀνέφικτον καλοῦμεν, ἀπό γε τῶν μὴ προσόντων τὰς προσηγορίας τιθέντες. 2.101 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁρατὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀόρατος ὀνομάζεται καὶ ἀθέατος, καὶ ὡς ὑπερβαίνων τοῦ νοῦ τὴν φαντασίαν, ἀνέφικτος δὴ καλεῖ ται· καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἄπειρος, ὡς οὔτε ἀρχὴν οὔτε τέλος ἔχων, καὶ ὡς φθορᾶς καὶ θανάτου κρείττων, ἄφθαρτος καὶ ἀθάνατος· καὶ 2.102 τἄλλα δέ, ὅσα τούτοις ἔοικεν, ὧν ἡ θεία φύσις οὐκ ἔχει, τυγχάνει ὄντα δηλωτικά. Τὸ δέ γε ἀγαθὸς καὶ δίκαιος καὶ φῶς καὶ ζωὴ καὶ δημιουργὸς καὶ τῶν ὅλων πρύτανίς τε καὶ κυβερνήτης καὶ τὰ τούτοις προσόμοια, ὧν ἔχει τε καὶ ἐνεργεῖ, τὴν κτίσιν ἰθύνων καὶ 2.103 τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν εὐεργετῶν, ὑπάρχει σημαντικά. Οὕτως Υἱὸς ὀνομάζεται, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς γεγεννημένος, καὶ Λόγος, ὡς ἀχρόνως καὶ ἀπαθῶς προελθὼν καὶ μὴ μερίσας τὸν φύσαντα· καὶ αὖ πάλιν Ἀπαύγασμα δόξης, ὡς ξυναΐδιος ὢν τοῦ γεννήσαντος. 2.104 Ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβήσητε, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ ξὺν τῷ Πατρὶ τὸν Λόγον ἀκούσαντες. Τῶν γὰρ ἀτοπωτάτων Πλάτωνος μὲν ἀνέχεσθαι καὶ αἴτιον τῆς ὕλης τὸν Θεὸν λέγοντος καὶ ξυναΐδιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὕλην ἀποκαλοῦντος καὶ τὰς ἰδέας ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ξὺν τῷ Θεῷ φάσκοντος εἶναι, τὸν δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον καὶ τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα μὴ πείθεσθαι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ φῦναι καὶ ξὺν 2.105 τῷ Θεῷ εἶναι. Εἰ γὰρ τὴν ἑτεροφυᾶ καὶ ἑτερογενῆ καὶ ἀλλόφυλον ὕλην καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ξὺν τῷ Θεῷ εἶναι ὁ φιλόσοφος ἔφη, πολλῷ δήπουθεν εὐλογώτερόν τε καὶ ἀληθέστερον ὑποληπτέον τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον. Οὐ γὰρ ἑτεροφυᾶ τὸν Υἱόν, οὐδέ γε τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα εἶναί φαμεν, ἀλλὰ μίαν εἶναι τῆς Τριάδος τὴν οὐσίαν κηρύττομεν. 2.106 Εἰ δέ τις τῆς ὑπάρξεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπιζητεῖ τὸν τρόπον μαθεῖν, εἰπάτω δὴ πρότερος τὸν τρόπον τῆς τοῦ ἀγεννήτου ὑπάρξεως, πῶς ἔστιν οὐκ ἔχων τὸν αἴτιον. Τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ παντελῶς ἄπορον καὶ μόνῃ γε τῇ πίστει τῇ καθαρᾷ καὶ 2.107 ἀκραιφνεῖ χωρητόν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ αἰτίου γενέσθαι τι ἢ γεννητὸν ἢ κτιστὸν δέξαιτ' ἂν ῥᾳδίως ὁ λογισμός· τὸ δὲ εἶναί τι ἄτερ αἰτίου οὐδεὶς προσίεται λογισμός, εἰ μή πῃ ἄρα φανείη τῆς πί στεως τὸ ἐχέγγυον. Εἰ δὲ πιστεύομεν εἶναί τι καὶ ἀγέννητον καὶ ἄναρχον καὶ ἀναίτιον, πιστευτέον ἄρα, ὡς ἐκ τούτου νοῦ γε ὄντος ἐγεννήθη ὁ Λόγος, καὶ προῆλθε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. 2.108 Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν τινες ἀγέννητον καλοῦσι τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν, ἀκούσαι ἄν τις καὶ Τιμαίου τοῦ Λοκροῦ λέγοντος· "Μία ἀρχὰ πάντων ἐστὶν ἀγέννατος· εἰ γὰρ ἐγένετο, οὐκ ἂν ἦν ἔτι ἀρχά, ἀλλ' ἐκείνα, ἐξ ἇς ἀρχὰ ἐγένετο." Παρμενίδης δὲ ὁ Ἐλεάτης καὶ τὸν κόσμον