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of a flash from the glass shining down upon the underlying matter, and immediately it is received from the fire of the sun and kindles the fire. Has the sun been cut through the sharing of its 47.3 substance? Has it failed? Has it been lessened? No, they say. If, therefore, being a creature it was not lessened, how much more so God, being infinite and incomprehensible and undefiled, having begotten from himself, being spirit, God the Word, ineffable and incomprehensible and incorruptible, begot in incorruptibility, not through passion, not through division, not through diminution, but perfect begot perfect 47.4 in perfection. And the nature of fire lights many lamps from one, and the first, while existing, was not lessened; but again, the same substance can be from many parts, I mean of lamps or torches. 47.5 But not so is the divine, far be it! For the Word did not enter again and work a blending with the Father, but the Father is Father and the Son is Son and the Holy Spirit is Holy Spirit. 48.1 For foolish is that which is said among the Manichaeans, that in † the mind of Manes the souls, having come from the pillar of light, are one body and, being released from their bodies, are again molded into the one substance, as being gathered into the one pillar according to the mythical 48.2 nature of their fiction. But the Gospel did not show it so, but he broke from five loaves and fed five thousand and did not leave their leftovers, but 'Gather,' he says, 'and leave 48.3 none of the fragments,' and they gathered twelve baskets; and they gathered them together into the containers, but the fragments he did not make again into the unified loaves as they were. They gathered the multitude, but into 48.4 many fragments, but he showed one gathering of baskets. And not according to a hypothesis of theory did we allegorize this and the aforementioned example of the sun. For we do not call the loaves souls, nor the fragments, far be it, nor do we equate God with the sun created by him, nor the Only-Begotten with the ray sent by the sun onto the 48.5 tow. But in a similar way the begotten souls are not joined into one mixture, far be it, but into the dwelling places of God which are written of, that 'many are the dwelling places with the Father'; not becoming one heap, but with each being individually count48.6ed. Nor in saying that God has begotten his only-begotten Son do we attribute passion to him, according to their evil blasphemy. For everyone who begets with passion suffers, and one must say neither 'creature' nor 'offspring' according to their reasoning, lest we present a God who suffers or is acted upon. From where, then, did we find the Son, or why does he have the name 48.7 of Son? But these are the reasonings of men and proceeding from earthly thoughts. For it is unlawful to reckon our passions, those of men, to God, as God clearly says, 'My thoughts are not as your thoughts,' and again, 'Not as man, so also God.' 49.1 Therefore, let them cease from their blasphemy and learn from the Father who says, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'; and again, as speaking of future things, he says, 'For you are my beloved Son, whom I have chosen,' and then in the songs 49.2 'chosen from ten thousands.' From where, then, does a choice come, let them say. For the triflers think that in saying 'I have chosen,' he is called Son by grace and not by nature. Let them show who 49.3 is like him, so that, having tested them all, he might choose him. For if he is the only-begotten Son, there is no one equal to him nor comparable, 'being like the son among the sons of God.' For these he knows by grace, but no one is able to be made equal to him, because he is Son by nature. 49.4 For it is clear from where

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μαρμαρυγῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὑέλου καταυγαζούσης εἰς τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὕλην καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ ἡλίου λαμβάνεται καὶ ἐξάπτει τὸ πῦρ. ἆρα τέτμηται ὁ ἥλιος διὰ τῆς μετοχῆς τῆς 47.3 οὐσίας; ἆρα ἐνέλειψεν; ἆρα μεμείωται; οὐχί, φασίν. εἰ τοίνυν κτίσμα ὢν οὐκ ἐμειώθη, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ὁ ἄπειρος καὶ ἀκατάληπτος καὶ ἄχραντος ὢν θεός, ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ γεννήσας πνεῦμα ὢν θεὸν Λόγον ἄφραστον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον καὶ ἄφθαρτον ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ ἐγέννησεν, οὐ διὰ πάθους οὐ διὰ τομῆς οὐ δι' ἐλλείψεως, ἀλλὰ τέλειος τέλειον 47.4 ἐν τελειότητι. καὶ ἡ μὲν τοῦ πυρὸς φύσις πολλοὺς λύχνους ἅπτει ἀπὸ ἑνὸς καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ὑπάρχων οὐκ ἐμειώθη· πάλιν δὲ δύναται ἡ αὐτὴ οὐσία ἐκ πολλῶν μερικῶν εἶναι, φημὶ δὲ λύχνων ἢ λαμπάδων. 47.5 ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω τὸ θεῖον, μὴ γένοιτο· οὐ πάλιν γὰρ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Λόγος καὶ συναλοιφὴν τῷ πατρὶ εἰργάσατο, ἀλλ' ὁ πατὴρ πατήρ ἐστι καὶ ὁ υἱὸς υἱὸς καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα πνεῦμα ἅγιον. 48.1 Μωρὸν γὰρ τὸ παρὰ τοῖς Μανιχαίοις εἰρημένον ὅτι ἐν † τῷ νοῒ τοῦ Μάνη αἱ ψυχαὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ στύλου τοῦ φωτὸς γενόμεναι ἓν σῶμά εἰσι καὶ λυόμεναι ἀπὸ τῶν σωμάτων αὖθις ἀναπλάττονται τῇ μιᾷ οὐσίᾳ, ὡς εἰς τὸν ἕνα στῦλον συναγόμεναι κατὰ τὸ μυθῶδες 48.2 αὐτῶν τοῦ πλάσματος. ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἔδειξε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἀλλ' ἔκλασεν ἀπὸ πέντε ἄρτων καὶ ἐχόρτασε πεντακισχιλίους καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτῶν τὰ περισσεύματα, ἀλλά «συναγάγετε» φησί «καὶ μηδὲν 48.3 ἀπολίπητε τῶν κλασμάτων», καὶ συνήγαγον δώδεκα κοφίνους· καὶ εἰς τὰς μὲν θήκας ὁμοῦ συνήγαγον, τὰ δὲ κλάσματα αὖθις οὐκ εἰς συνάφειαν ἄρτων ὡς ἦσαν ἐποίησε. συνήγαγον μὲν τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλ' εἰς 48.4 πολλὰ κλάσματα, εἰς μίαν δὲ συναγωγὴν ἔδειξε κοφίνων. καὶ οὐ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν θεωρίας ἡμεῖς τοῦτο ἠλληγορήσαμεν καὶ τὸ προειρημένον τοῦ ἡλίου ὑπόδειγμα. οὐ γὰρ τοὺς ἄρτους ψυχὰς λέγομεν οὔτε τὰ κλάσματα, μὴ γένοιτο, οὔτε τὸν θεὸν ἐξισοῦμεν τῷ ἡλίῳ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐκτισμένῳ οὔτε τὸν μονογενῆ αἴγλῃ τῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου εἰς τὸ 48.5 στυπεῖον πεμπομένῃ. κατὰ δὲ τὸ ὅμοιον καὶ αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ γεννηθεῖσαι οὐ συνάπτονται εἰς μίαν συναλοιφήν, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς τοῦ θεοῦ μονὰς τὰς γεγραμμένας ὅτι «πολλαὶ μοναὶ παρὰ τῷ πατρί»· οὐκ εἰς ἕνα δὲ βουνὸν γινόμεναι, ἀλλ' ἑκάστου ἰδιαζόντως ἀριθμου48.6 μένου. οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ λέγειν γεγεννηκέναι τὸν θεὸν τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ υἱὸν πάθος αὐτῷ προσάπτομεν κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων κακὴν βλασφημίαν. πᾶς γὰρ γεννῶν ἐμπαθῶς κάμνει καὶ οὐ χρὴ οὔτε κτίσμα λέγειν οὔτε γέννημα κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνων λόγον, ἵνα μὴ δῶμεν θεὸν κάμνοντα ἢ πάσχοντα. πόθεν οὖν εὕρομεν τὸν υἱὸν ἢ διὰ τί ὄνομα 48.7 υἱοῦ ἔχει; οὗτοι δὲ συλλογισμοὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἀπὸ γηΐνων φρονημάτων ὁρμώμενοι. τὰ γὰρ ἡμῶν πάθη τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς θεὸν ἀθέμιτόν ἐστι λογίζεσθαι, σαφῶς τοῦ θεοῦ λέγοντος «οὐχ ὡς αἱ διάνοιαι ὑμῶν ἡ διάνοιά μου» καὶ πάλιν «οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος, οὕτω καὶ θεός». 49.1 Τοίνυν παυσάσθωσαν ἀπὸ τῆς βλασφημίας καὶ μαθέτωσαν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ λέγοντος «οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα»· πάλιν δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ μελλόντων λέγει «σὺ γὰρ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ὃν ἐξελεξάμην», καὶ τότε ἐν τοῖς ᾄσμασιν 49.2 «ἐκλελοχισμένος ἀπὸ μυριάδων». πόθεν οὖν ἐκλογὴ γίνεται λεγέτωσαν. νομίζουσι γὰρ οἱ ληρώδεις ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν «ἐξελεξάμην» κατὰ χάριν αὐτὸν υἱὸν καλεῖσθαι καὶ οὐ κατὰ φύσιν. δειξάτωσαν τίς 49.3 αὐτῷ ὅμοιος, ἵνα τοὺς πάντας δοκιμάσας ἐκεῖνον ἐκλέξηται. εἰ γὰρ υἱός ἐστι μονογενής, οὐκ ἔστι τις ἴσος αὐτοῦ οὔτε ἀντιπαράθετος, «ὅμοιος ὢν τῷ υἱῷ ἐν υἱοῖς θεοῦ». τούτους γὰρ οἶδε κατὰ χάριν, ἐκείνῳ δὲ μὴ δυνάμενόν τινα ἐξισοῦσθαι τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν φυσικῶς 49.4 υἱόν. φανερὸν γὰρ πόθεν