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We have heard that of two things acknowledged to exist, as long as both exist, the one is in some way more, and the other less; for each exists equally, as long as it exists, in respect of its existence, with the exception, as has been said before, of the consideration of what is more honorable or more lasting. 1.1.183 If, then, he does not grant at all that the Only-begotten is to be considered in essence (for his argument seems to have imperceptibly slipped into this), let him who does not grant him to be in the proper sense, not concede even the 'less' of him. But if he confesses the Son to be an essential power, subsisting in some way (for we are not yet contending about this), why does he again take away what he gives to him who is confessed to be, by constructing the argument that he is not in the proper sense, which 1.1.184 is equivalent, as has been said, to his not existing at all? For just as it is not possible to be a man for one to whom the definition of the name does not perfectly apply, and for one who is lacking in the properties the whole definition of the essence is thereby nullified for him, so also in the case of everything, to which being is not perfectly nor properly attested, the partial assent to its being offers no proof of its subsistence, but the argument for its not being perfectly 1.1.185 constructs the universal abolition of the subject. So if he thinks rightly, let him change to the pious mind, having removed from his dogma the 'less' and the 'improper' concerning the essence of the Only-begotten and of the Holy Spirit. 1.1.186 But if he is altogether determined to be impious, I for my part do not know for what reason he also wishes to repay his own Creator and God and Benefactor with blasphemy. Let him at least forfeit the reputation of being someone in learning, ignorantly placing essence above essence and declaring the one to be above and the other below according to a non-existent reason, and testifying that the one is proper and the other not so. For neither do we know of any of those who have philosophized outside the faith having talked such nonsense, nor does such a thing accord with the divinely-inspired words or with common notions. 1.1.187 I think, therefore, that the purpose of the invention of these names has been sufficiently revealed from what has been said, that he lays down these words as a sort of starting-point or foundation for all his own mischief regarding the dogma, in order that having established the view that only the one essence is 20highest and most proper20, he may easily run down the others 1.1.188 as being considered among the lower and not proper things. And he shows this especially through the following, in which, when discoursing on his opinions about the Son and the Holy Spirit, he does not come to these names, lest, as I said before, he should, even unwillingly, represent what is proper to their nature by these appellations, but he who dogmatizes that the minds of his hearers must be led by 20fitting names20 and words makes mention of them anonymously. 1.1.189 And yet what name is more fitting than that named by Truth itself? But he dogmatizes against the gospels, not naming him Son, but 20that which exists on account of that one, and after that one is first of all beings.20 And that this is said for the demolition of the pious conception of the Only-begotten will be made more manifest from the rest of his 1.1.190 construction. But since what has been said seems to be neutral, so that even one who says nothing impious about Christ might sometime use these words, for this reason I myself will now pass over the argument concerning the Lord, having reserved my refutation for the more manifest blasphemies against him; but concerning the Holy Spirit, since he uses a manifest and unveiled blasphemy, saying that it is not ranked with the Father and the Son, but is 20subordinate20 to both, I will now, as far as I am able, examine the argument. 1.1.191 What, then, is the meaning of subordination, and in what cases does the divine scripture make use of such a word? Let us first consider. Honoring man because he was made in the image of the Creator, God the Creator subordinated to him all irrational nature, as the great David, recounting this grace in hymns, 1.1.192 praised. For 'all things,' he says, 'He has put in subjection under his feet,' and he mentions by name the things that are subjected. There is again subordination in the divine

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ἀκηκόαμεν δύο τινῶν ὁμολογου μένων εἶναι, ἕως ἂν ἀμφότερα ᾖ, τὸ μέν τι μᾶλλον, τὸ δ' ἔλαττον εἶναι· ἔστι γὰρ ὁμοίως ἑκάτερον, ἕως ἂν ᾖ, καθὸ ἔστιν, ὑπεξῃρημένου, καθὼς προείρηται, τοῦ κατὰ τὸ προτι μότερον ἢ διαρκέστερον λόγου. 1.1.183 Εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐ δίδωσιν ὅλως ἐν οὐσίᾳ τὸν μονογενῆ θεω ρεῖσθαι (πρὸς τοῦτο γὰρ ἔοικε λεληθότως αὐτῷ κατο λισθαίνειν ὁ λόγος), ὁ μὴ διδοὺς αὐτῷ τὸ κυρίως εἶναι μηδὲ τὸ ἧττον ἐπ' αὐτοῦ συγχωρείτω. εἰ δὲ ἐνούσιον δύ ναμιν ὁμολογεῖ τὸν υἱὸν ὁπωσοῦν ὑποστάντα (οὔπω γὰρ περὶ τούτου διαμαχόμεθα), τί πάλιν ἀφαιρεῖται ὃ δίδωσι τὸν ὁμο λογηθέντα εἶναι, τὸ μὴ κυρίως εἶναι κατασκευάζων, ὅπερ 1.1.184 ἴσον ἐστί, καθὼς εἴρηται, τῷ μηδὲ ὅλως εἶναι; ὡς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι, ᾧ μὴ τελείως ὁ κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα λόγος ἐφήρμοσται, τῷ δὲ ἐλλείποντι τῶν ἰδιωμάτων ὅλος ὁ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῷ συνδιαγράφεται λόγος, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς πράγματος, ᾧ μὴ τελείως μήτε κυρίως τὸ εἶναι προσμαρτυρεῖται, οὐδεμίαν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει τῆς ὑποστάσεως ἡ μερικὴ τοῦ εἶναι συγκατάθεσις, ἀλλὰ τὴν καθόλου τοῦ ὑποκειμένου ἀναίρεσιν κατασκευάζει ἡ περὶ τοῦ μὴ τελείως 1.1.185 εἶναι κατασκευή. ὥστε εἰ μὲν εὖ φρονεῖ, πρὸς τὴν εὐσεβῆ διάνοιαν μεταθέσθω, τὸ ἧττον καὶ τὸ ἄκυρον ἐπὶ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ μονογενοῦς τε καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ὑφελὼν ἐκ 1.1.186 τοῦ δόγματος. εἰ δὲ ἀσεβεῖν ἔγνωκε πάντως, [ὡς] ἔγωγε οὐκ οἶδα ἀνθ' ὅτου καὶ βούλεται τὸν κτίστην ἑαυτοῦ καὶ θεὸν καὶ εὐεργέτην διὰ βλασφημίας ἀμείβεσθαι. τὴν γοῦν τοῦ δοκεῖν τις εἶναι κατὰ τὴν παίδευσιν ὑπόνοιαν ζημιούσθω, ἀμαθῶς οὐσίαν ὑπερτιθεὶς οὐσίας καὶ τὴν μὲν ἄνω τὴν δὲ κάτω κατὰ τὸν μὴ εὑρισκόμενον λόγον ἀποφαινόμενος καὶ τῇ μὲν τὸ κύριον τῇ δὲ τὸ μὴ τοιοῦτον προσμαρτυρῶν. οὔτε γὰρ τῶν ἔξω τῆς πίστεως πεφιλοσοφηκότων ἔγνωμέν τινα τοῦτο ληρήσαντα, οὔτε ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις φωναῖς οὔτε ταῖς κοιναῖς ἐννοίαις τὸ τοιοῦτο συμβαίνει. 1.1.187 Τὸν μὲν οὖν σκοπὸν τῆς τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων ἐπι νοίας ἱκανῶς ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων οἴομαι πεφανερῶσθαι, ὅτι καθάπερ ὁρμητήριον ἢ θεμέλιον τῆς πάσης ἑαυτοῦ περὶ τὸ δόγμα κακουργίας τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα προϋποβάλλεται, ἵνα κατασκευάσας τὸ μόνην τὴν μίαν οὐσίαν 20ἀνωτάτω τε καὶ κυριωτάτην20 νομίζειν ῥᾳδίως κατατρέχῃ τῶν ἄλ 1.1.188 λων ὡς ἐν τοῖς κάτω καὶ μὴ κυρίως θεωρουμένων. δεί κνυσι δὲ τοῦτο μάλιστα διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς, ἐν οἷς τὰ δοκοῦντα περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος διαλεγόμενος οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἔρχεται τούτων, ἵνα μή, καθὼς προεῖπον, τὸ οἰκεῖον τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν ταῖς προσηγορίαις καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος παραστήσῃ, ἀλλ' ἀνώνυμον αὐτῶν ποιεῖται τὴν μνήμην ὁ δογματίζων ἀπὸ τῶν 20προσφυῶν ὀνομάτων20 καὶ ῥημάτων δεῖν τὰς τῶν ἀκουόντων διανοίας προσάγεσθαι. 1.1.189 καίτοι τί προσφυέστερον ὄνομα τοῦ παρ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀλη θείας ὠνομασμένου; ἀλλ' ἀντιδογματίζει τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις οὐχ υἱὸν ὀνομάζων, ἀλλὰ 20τὴν δι' ἐκείνην μὲν οὖσαν, μετ' ἐκείνην δὲ πάντων τῶν ὄντων πρωτεύου σαν.20 τοῦτο δὲ ὅτι μὲν ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῆς εὐσεβοῦς περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ὑπολήψεως λέγεται, ἐκ τῆς λοιπῆς αὐτοῦ 1.1.190 κατασκευῆς μᾶλλον φανερωθήσεται. ἐπεὶ δὲ μέσως ἔχειν δοκεῖ τὰ εἰρημένα, ὡς καὶ τὸν μηδὲν ἀσεβὲς περὶ τοῦ Χρι στοῦ λέγοντα χρήσασθαι ἄν ποτε τοῖς ῥήμασι τούτοις, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν περὶ τοῦ κυρίου λόγον νῦν ὑπερβήσομαι, ταῖς φανερωτέραις κατ' αὐτοῦ βλασφημίαις ταμιευσάμενος τὴν ἀντίρρησιν· περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐπειδὴ φανερᾷ καὶ ἀπαρακαλύπτῳ χρῆται τῇ βλασφημίᾳ, λέγων ἀσύντακτον εἶναι πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ, ἀμφοτέροις δὲ 20ὑποτεταγμένον20, ἤδη καθόσον ἂν οἷός τε ὦ, ἐξετάσω τὸν λόγον. 1.1.191 Τί τοίνυν τῆς ὑποταγῆς ἐστι τὸ σημαινόμενον καὶ ἐπὶ τίνων ἡ θεία γραφὴ τῷ τοιούτῳ προσχρῆται ῥήματι, πρῶ τον κατανοήσωμεν. τιμῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον τῷ κατ' εἰκόνα γεγενῆσθαι τοῦ κτίσαντος πᾶσαν αὐτῷ τὴν ἄλογον φύσιν ὑπέταξεν ὁ κτίσας θεός, καθὼς ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ ἐν ὕμνοις 1.1.192 τὴν χάριν ταύτην διεξιὼν ἀνευφήμησε. Πάντα γάρ, φησίν, ὑπέταξεν ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπ' ὀνόματος μέμνηται τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων. ἔστι πάλιν ὑποταγῆς παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ