33

This does not yet have the testimony of a difference in substance. For men by art indeed surpass their own works, but are nonetheless consubstantial with them; as the potter with the clay, and the shipwright with the woods. For both are equally bodies, and equally perceptible, and earthly. But in conceding so great a difference between the Son and the creation, he already does mischief even concerning the very concept of the Only-begotten. {ΕΥΝ.} For for this reason, he says, is He Only-begotten, because, alone from the Alone, being begotten and created by the power of the unbegotten, He became a most perfect minister. 29.616 {ΒΑΣ.} I do not know at which of the things said one ought to be more indignant; whether at the craftiness with which he did mischief concerning the name of the Only-begotten, taking its meaning contrary to both the custom of men and the pious tradition of the Scriptures (for Only-begotten in common usage is the title not of one who has come from one alone, but of one who was alone begotten); or at the blasphemy of 'creature', which he deliberately joined to 'begotten'; in order to show that the Lord partakes of the title 'begotten' in no way differently from the creatures; but just as in 'I have begotten and exalted sons', and 'Israel is my firstborn son'; so also the Lord has been named Son, not having the name that is above every name, but having been deemed worthy of the title on an equal footing with the others. But they take refuge in the saying of Solomon; and from there, as from some sally-port, they run down the faith. For because 'The Lord created me' was said in the person of Wisdom, they have supposed it is permissible for them to call the Lord a creature. But I, though having many things to say about this utterance; first, that it is said once in all the Scriptures; next, that it is in a book having much of its meaning hidden, and for the most part proceeding by means of proverbs and parables and dark sayings and riddles, so that nothing incontrovertible nor clear can be taken from it; I pass over saying, lest I should lengthen the discourse with longer episodes, especially since the examination of the things ill-understood by them has been postponed by us to its own place, in which this part also, God willing, will be set straight. And I think, indeed—let it be said with God's help—that a much more consistent meaning of the text in question, and one bearing no danger, will be revealed by the examination. Meanwhile, however, let us not leave that point unmarked; that other interpreters, who have more accurately grasped the 29.617 meaning of the Hebrew, have rendered 'He possessed me' instead of 'He created'. Which will be the greatest obstacle for them against the blasphemy of 'creature'. For she who said, 'I have gotten a man through God,' appears to have used this word, not having created Cain, but having begotten him. But let us return to the beginning. {ΕΥΝ.} For this reason, he says, is He Only-begotten, because, being begotten and created by the Alone, He became a most perfect minister. {ΒΑΣ.} If, then, He is called Only-begotten not because He was alone begotten, but because He was from the Alone, and if according to you 'to be created' is the same as 'to be begotten'; why do you not also call him 'only-created', O you who so easily both conceive and utter all things? But, as it seems, no one among men is an only-begotten, according to our argument, because for all, generation comes from a union. Nor was Sarah the mother of an only-begotten child, because she did not bear him alone, but with Abraham. And if your views prevail, it will be necessary to relearn our whole life, that the name signifies not a lack of siblings, but a solitude of co-begetters. And now also the creation is diminished in worth in comparison to its cause, the God Logos, failing to be 'only-begotten' itself by as much as the Son assisted the Father in the creation; and yet not even this is conceded by them. For they call Him a most perfect minister. How then was the creation not also from the Alone, according to you, you who add the God Logos to the Father like some lifeless instrument, unless someone will also take away the shipwright

33

Οὔπω τοῦτο τῆς κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν διαφορᾶς τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἔχει. Ἄνθρωποι γὰρ τέχνῃ μὲν ὑπερέχουσι τῶν οἰ κείων ἔργων, ὁμοούσιοι δὲ ὅμως αὐτοῖς καθεστήκα σιν· ὡς ὁ κεραμεὺς τῷ πηλῷ, καὶ ὁ ναυπηγὸς τοῖς ξύλοις. Σώματα γὰρ ὁμοίως ἀμφότερα, καὶ αἰσθητὰ ὁμοίως, καὶ γήινα. Τοσοῦτον δὲ τῷ Υἱῷ πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν τὸ διάφο ρον συγχωρῶν, ἤδη καὶ περὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἔννοιαν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς κακουργεῖ. {ΕΥΝ.} ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, Μονογενὴς, ἐπειδὴ, μόνος παρὰ μόνου τῇ τοῦ ἀγεννήτου δυνάμει γεννηθεὶς καὶ κτισθεὶς, τελειότατος γέγονεν ὑπουρ γός. 29.616 {ΒΑΣ.} Οὐκ οἶδα πρὸς ὅ τι χρὴ πλέον τῶν εἰρημέ νων ἀγανακτῆσαι· πότερον διὰ τὴν πανουργίαν, ἢν περὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἐκακούργησε, παρά τε τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων συνήθειαν καὶ παρὰ τὴν εὐ σεβῆ τῶν Γραφῶν παράδοσιν ἐκλαμβάνων αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν (Μονογενὴς γὰρ οὐχ ὁ παρὰ μόνου γενόμε νος, ἀλλ' ὁ μόνος γεννηθεὶς, ἐν τῇ κοινῇ χρήσει προσαγορεύεται)· ἢ περὶ τῆς τοῦ κτίσματος βλασφημίας, ἣν ἐξεπίτηδες συνῆψε τῷ γεννηθείς· ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐδὲν διαφερόντως παρὰ τὰ κτίσματα τῆς τοῦ γεγεννῆσθαι προσηγορίας μέτεστι τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὸ, Υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, καὶ τὸ, Υἱὸς πρωτότοκός μου Ἰσραήλ· οὕτω καὶ τὸν Κύ ριον Υἱὸν ὠνομάσθαι, οὐχὶ ἔχοντα τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ἄλλοις τῆς προσηγορίας ἀξιωθέντα. Οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Σολομῶντος καταφεύ γουσι λέξιν· κἀκεῖθεν, ὥσπερ ἐξ ὁρμητηρίου τινὸς, τῆς πίστεως κατατρέχουσι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ ἐκ προσώπου τῆς Σοφίας εἰρῆσθαι τὸ, Κύριος ἔκτισέ με, ἐξεῖ ναι αὐτοῖς κτίσμα λέγειν τὸν Κύριον ὑπειλήφασιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ πολλὰ ἔχων εἰπεῖν περὶ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης· πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι ἅπαξ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς Γραφαῖς εἴρη ται ἔπειθ', ὅτι ἐν βίβλῳ πολὺ τὸ κεκρυμμένον τῆς διανοίας ἐχούσῃ, καὶ διὰ παροιμιῶν τε καὶ παρα βολῶν καὶ σκοτεινῶν λόγων καὶ αἰνιγμάτων ὡς τὰ πολλὰ προηγμένῃ, ὥστε μηδὲν ἀναμφισβήτητον μηδὲ τηλαυγὲς ἀπ' αὐτῆς εἶναι λαβεῖν· παρίημι λέγειν, ἵνα μὴ μακροτέροις ἐπεισοδίοις τὸν λόγον ἀπομηκύναιμι, ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐν ἰδίῳ τόπῳ τῆς περὶ τῶν κακῶς αὐτοῖς νοηθέντων ἐξετάσεως ἡμῖν ὑπερτεθείσης, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος, Θεοῦ διδόντος, διευθυνθήσεται. Καὶ οἶμαί γε, ὅ τι σὺν Θεῷ δὲ εἰρήσθω, πολλῷ ἀκολου θοτέραν ἔννοιαν τῆς προκειμένης λέξεως, καὶ μηδένα κίνδυνον φέρουσαν ἀναφανήσεσθαι τῇ ἐξετάσει. Τέως γε μὴν μηδὲ ἐκεῖνο ἀπαρασήμαντον καταλίπωμεν· ὅτι ἄλλοι τῶν ἑρμηνέων, οἱ καιριώτερον τῆς ση 29.617 μασίας τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν καθικόμενοι, Ἐκτήσατό με, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἔκτισεν, ἐκδεδώκασιν. Ὅπερ μέγιστον αὐτοῖς ἐμπόδιον ἔσται πρὸς τὴν βλασφημίαν τοῦ κτί σματος. Ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν, Ἐκτησάμην ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐχὶ κτίσας τὸν Κάϊν, ἀλλὰ γεννήσας, ταύτῃ φαίνεται χρησάμενος τῇ φωνῇ. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπανίωμεν. {ΕΥΝ.} ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶ, Μονογενὴς, ἐπειδὴ, παρὰ μόνου γεννηθεὶς καὶ κτισθεὶς, τελειότατος γέγονεν ὑπουργός. {ΒΑΣ.} Εἰ τοίνυν μὴ παρὰ τὸ μόνος γεγεννῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ παρὰ μόνου Μονογενὴς εἴρηται, ταυτὸν δέ ἐστι κατὰ σὲ τὸ ἐκτίσθαι τῷ γεγεννῆσθαι· τί οὐχὶ καὶ μονόκτιστον αὐτὸν ὀνομάζεις, ὦ πάντα σὺ ῥᾳδίως καὶ διανοούμενος καὶ ἐκφέρων; Μονογενὴς δὲ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἀνθρώπων οὐδεὶς, κατά γε τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον διὰ τὸ ἐκ συνδυασμοῦ πᾶσιν ὑπάρχειν τὴν γέν νησιν. Οὐδὲ ἡ Σάρα μήτηρ μονογενοῦς ἦν παιδὸς, διότι οὐχὶ μόνη αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐτε κνώσατο. Καὶ ἐάν γε κρατῇ τὰ ὑμέτερα, ἀνάγκη ὅλον τὸν βίον μεταμαθεῖν, μὴ μονώσεως ἀδελφῶν, ἀλλ' ἐρημίας τῶν συντικτόντων δηλωτικὸν εἶναι τοὔ νομα. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ κτίσις παρὰ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν ἠλάττωται, παρὰ τοσοῦτον τοῦ καὶ αὐτὴ μονογενὴς εἶναι διαμαρτοῦσα, παρ' ὅσον ὁ Υἱὸς τῆς δημιουργίας τῷ Πατρὶ συνεφήψατο· καί τοιγε οὐδὲ τοῦτο παρ' αὐτῶν συγχωρεῖται. Ὑπουργὸν γὰρ τελειότατον αὐτὸν ὀνομάζουσι. Πῶς οὖν οὐχὶ παρὰ μόνου καὶ ἡ κτίσις γέγονε καθ' ὑμᾶς, οἷόν τι ὄργανον ἄψυχον τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον τῷ Πατρὶ προστιθέντας, εἰ μὴ καὶ τὸν ναυπηγὸν ἀφαιρήσεταί τις