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his timeless and pre-eternal existence. But he, struggling for his own deceit, thinks he is leading the argument into absurdity. {EUN.} For if, he says, the Son existed before his own generation, he was unbegotten. {BAS.} But this "before his generation," O foolish one, is either entirely non-existent, and a fiction of the mind resting on no substrate whatsoever—and why must one argue with the senseless? For this is similar to as if we were to dispute with one whose reason has been carried away by madness—or if it refers to something that exists, it will refer to the concept of the ages. But if all the ages are conceived as somehow beneath the generation of the Only-Begotten, being his own creations, foolish is he who seeks what is prior to the hypostasis of the Son. For he asks nothing different than if he were to inquire about the Father, whether he existed before his own substance, or not. For just as there the question is senseless—to seek what is superior to the unoriginate and unbegotten—so too here, in the case of him who is co-existent with the Father from eternity, and has nothing between himself and the one who begot him, to make questions of priority in terms of time is truly of equal senselessness. For it is similar to asking what will be after the death of the immortal, and to seeking what existed before the generation of the eternal. But they, since the Father's being without beginning is called eternal, declare eternal to be the same as without beginning, and since the Son is not unbegotten, they do not confess him to be eternal either. But they differ greatly in meaning. For "unbegotten" is said of that which has no beginning of itself, nor cause of its being; but "eternal" is that which is prior to all time and age in its being. Wherefore the Son is both not unbegotten, and eternal. And indeed, some even deem the ages worthy of the appellation "eternal," as having obtained this title from their "always being." But we consider it of the same madness both to attribute eternity to the creation, and to deprive the Lord of creation of this confession. But he, carrying his argument to the point of shamelessness, what does he say? {EUN.} But we, abiding by the things proven by the saints both of old and now in our time, 29.609 since neither the substance of God admits of generation, nor is there any other underlying substance for the generation of a Son, we say that the Son was begotten from not being. {BAS.} Who is so ambitious in piety? Who has so prided himself on being a friend of Christ, as these men glory in words of insolence and dishonor, and in those that pull down the glory of the Only-Begotten? Will you not cease, O atheist, from calling "not being" him who truly is, the fount of life, who provides being to all that is? Who found for himself a name of his own, and one befitting his eternity, in the divine utterance to his own servant Moses, naming himself "Being"? For "I am," he says, "the One Who Is." And no one will deny that these things were spoken from the person of the Lord; at least not anyone who does not have the Jewish veil lying upon his own heart at the reading of Moses. For it is written that an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses on the bush in a flame of fire. Therefore, having first mentioned an angel in the narrative, Scripture introduces the voice of God. For he said, it says, to Moses: "I am the God of your father Abraham"; and a little after again: "I am the One Who Is." Who then is the same, both angel and God? Is it not he of whom we have learned, that his name is called Angel of great counsel? For my part I do not think more is needed for the proof, but that for those who love Christ even the reminder is sufficient, while for those who are incurable there will be no benefit from the multitude of things said. For even if he later became the Angel of great counsel, yet neither before did he disdain the title of angel. For not only here shall we find our Lord named both angel and God by Scripture; but Jacob also, recounting the vision to his wives, says: "And the angel of God said to me"; and a little after from the same: "I am the God who appeared to you in the place where you anointed for me there

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ἄχρονον αὐτοῦ καὶ προαιώνιον ὕπαρ ξιν. Ὁ δὲ, ἐπαγωνιζόμενος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπάτῃ, εἰς ἄτοπον τὸν λόγον ἀπάγειν οἴεται. {ΕΥΝ.} Εἰ γὰρ, φησὶ, πρὸ τῆς γεννήσεως ἦν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Υἱὸς, ἀγέννητος ἦν. {ΒΑΣ.} Ἀλλὰ τὸ πρὸ τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦτο, ὦ μάταιε, ἤτοι ἀνύπαρκτόν ἐστι παντελῶς, καὶ δια νοίας ἀναπλασμὸς οὐδενὶ ἐρειδομένης ὑποκειμένῳ· καὶ τί δεῖ ἀντιλέγειν τοῖς ἀνοήτοις; παραπλήσιον γὰρ τοῦτο, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ καὶ τῷ τὸν λογισμὸν ἐκ φρε νίτιδος παρενεχθέντι διεμαχόμεθα· ἢ εἰ πρός τι τῶν ὄντων φέρεται, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν αἰώνων ἔννοιαν ἐνεχθήσεται. Ἀλλ' εἴπερ αἰῶνες πάντες κάτω που τῆς γενέσεως τοῦ Μονογενοῦς νοοῦνται, αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου ὄντες ποιήματα, μάταιος ὁ ἐπιζητῶν τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὰ πρεσβύτερα. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀλλοιότερον ἐρωτᾷ, ἢ εἰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπυν θάνετο, πότερον ὑπῆρχε πρὸ τῆς ἰδίας συστάσεως, ἢ οὐχί. Ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἀνόητον τὸ ἐρώτημα, ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνάρχου καὶ ἀγεννήτου ζητεῖν τὸ ἀνώτερον· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐξ ἀϊδίου τῷ Πατρὶ συνόντος, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχοντος μέσον ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ τοῦ γεννήσαν τος, χρονικὰς ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ προτέρου τὰς ἐρωτήσεις, τῆς ἴσης ὄντως ἀνοίας. Παραπλήσιον γὰρ ἐρωτᾷν, τί ἔσται μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ ἀθανάτου, καὶ ἐπι ζητεῖν τί ὑπῆρχε πρὸ τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ ἀϊδίου. Οἱ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἄναρχον τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀΐδιον ὀνομάζεται, ταυτὸν τὸ ἀνάρχῳ τὸ ἀΐδιον ἀποφαίνουσι, καὶ ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἀγέννητος ὁ Υἱὸς, οὐδὲ ἀΐδιον εἶναι ὁμολογοῦσι. Πλεῖστον δὲ διαφέρει κατὰ τὴν ἔννοιαν. Ἀγέννητον μὲν γὰρ λέγεται τὸ μηδεμίαν ἀρχὴν ἑαυτοῦ, μηδὲ αἰτίαν ἔχον τοῦ εἶναι· ἀΐδιον δὲ τὸ χρόνου παντὸς καὶ αἰῶνος κατὰ τὸ εἶναι πρεσβύτερον. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἀγέννητος, καὶ ἀΐδιος. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἀξιοῦσί τινες τῆς τοῦ ἀϊδίου προσηγο ρίας, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἀεὶ εἶναι τῆς κλήσεως ταύτης τετυ χηκότας. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς λογιζόμεθα παρα νοίας καὶ τῇ κτίσει προσμαρτυρεῖν τὸ ἀΐδιον, καὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην τῆς κτίσεως τῆς ὁμολογίας ταύτης ἀποστε ρεῖν. Ὁ δὲ, πρὸς τὸ ἀναίσχυντον ἐκφέρων τὸν λόγον, τί φησιν; {ΕΥΝ.} Ἡμεῖς δὲ, τοῖς τε ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ πά λαι καὶ νῦν ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἀποδεικνυμένοις ἐμμένον 29.609 τες, μήτε τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ Θεοῦ προσιεμένης γέννη σιν, μήτε μὴν ἑτέρας τινὸς ὑποκειμένης εἰς Υἱοῦ γέννησιν, μὴ ὅντα φαμὲν τὸν Υἱὸν γεγεννῆ σθαι. {ΒΑΣ.} Τίς οὕτως ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ φιλότιμος; τίς ἐπὶ τῷ φιλόχριστος εἶναι τοσοῦτον ἐκαλλωπίσατο, ὅσον οὗτοι τοῖς τῆς ὕβρεως καὶ ἀτιμίας ῥήμασι, καὶ καθαιρετικοῖς τῆς δόξης τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἐπαγάλλον ται; Οὐ παύσῃ μὴ ὄντα προσαγορεύων, ὦ ἄθεε, τὸν ὄντως ὄντα, τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ζωῆς, τὸν πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσι τοῦ εἶναι παρεκτικόν; Ὃς οἰκείαν ἑαυτῷ καὶ πρέ πουσαν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀϊδιότητι ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον θεράποντα Μωϋσέα χρηματισμῷ προσηγορίαν ἐξεῦ ρεν, ὄντα ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάσας; Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι, φησὶν, ὁ ὤν. Καὶ τούτοις οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ μὴ οὐχὶ ἐκ προσ ώπου τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρῆσθαι· οὔκουν ὅστις γε μὴ τὸ Ἰουδαϊκὸν κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει Μωϋσέως κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καρδίας ἐπικείμενον ἔχει. Γέγρα πται γὰρ, ὅτι ὤφθη τῷ Μωϋσεῖ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοῦ βάτου ἐν πυρὶ φλογός. Ἄγγελον τοίνυν προ τάξασα τῆς διηγήσεως ἡ Γραφὴ, Θεοῦ ἐπάγει τὴν φωνήν. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Μωϋσεῖ· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου Ἀβραάμ· καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα πάλιν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν. Τίς οὖν ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ ἄγγε λος καὶ Θεός; Ἆρα οὐχὶ περὶ οὗ μεμαθήκαμεν, ὅτι καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγε λος; Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶμαι πλειόνων δεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἀπό δειξιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν φιλοχρίστοις ἐξαρκεῖν καὶ τὴν ὑπόμνησιν, τοῖς δὲ ἀνιάτως ἔχουσι μηδὲν ὄφελος ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν λεγομένων ἔσεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὕστερον ἐγένετο τῆς μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγελος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πρότερον ἀπηξίου τὴν τοῦ ἀγγέλου προσ ηγορίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα μόνον εὑρήσομεν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν καὶ ἄγγελον καὶ Θεὸν ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ὀνομασθέντα· ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰακὼβ, τὴν ὀπτασίαν ταῖς γυναιξὶ διηγούμενος, φησί· Καὶ εἶπέ μοι ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὗ ἤλειψάς μοι ἐκεῖ