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and he says the lesser concerning them, let it not escape notice that while appearing to grant the simple, in truth he constructs the composite. 1.1.238 But again let us take up in order the statement spoken by him. 20Sincerely20, he says, 20the substance being simple and in every way one and being conceived according to its own dignity20. What does 20according to its own dignity20 mean? For if he considers the substances in a community of dignity, the addition of the phrase was in this case both superfluous and redundant, dwelling on what is agreed upon; yet perhaps the unsuitability of the expression had something pardonable, since the more pious thought does not make the futility and superfluity 1.1.239 of the phrase rejectable. But now the danger for him is not confined to the error of his words (for the sickness would have been easily cured), but he still clings to his wicked devices. For he says each of the three substances is 20simple20 20according to its own dignity20, so that the argument of 1.1.240 simplicity might also work evil along with the distinctions stated by him from the beginning concerning the first, second, and third substance. For just as he named the substance of the Father alone 20highest20 and alone 20sovereign20, having confessed none of these things concerning the Son and the Spirit, neither the word 'above' nor 20most sovereign20, so in the same way, having also called the substances simple according to the measure of dignity observed in each, he thinks it necessary to apply the concept of simplicity also, such that the most sovereign and first is considered in the highest and perfect simplicity, while the second, in proportion to the measure of its inferiority in primacy, diminishes the principle of its simplicity, and in the case of the last, likewise, it falls short of perfect simplicity by as much as the proportion of its dignity is diminished to the lowest degree; 1.1.241 so that from this it follows that the substance of the Father is supposed to be purely simple, but that of the Son not precisely simple, but that something of a composite nature has been mixed in with it, and that the nature of the Holy Spirit abounds in the composite, as the principle of simplicity is gradually diminished in the last. For just as that which is not perfectly good is acknowledged to participate in some part of the contrary state, so that which is not entirely simple does not escape seeming to be composite. 1.1.242 And that he means these things when he uses these words, is shown more clearly by what follows, through which more openly he brings down the concept concerning the Son and the Spirit to certain groveling and base conceptions. 20Since the activities are circumscribed20, he says, 20by the works, and the works are measured by the activities of those who have made them, it is altogether necessary, of course, that the activities following each of the substances be lesser and greater, and that some hold the first 1.1.243 rank, and others the second20. For although he has laboriously covered these things with a fog of language and prepared their meaning to be hard to grasp for the many, nevertheless it will be easily clarified from the sequence of what has been examined. 20Since the activities are circumscribed20, he says, 20by the works. works20 he calls the Son and the Spirit, and 20activities20 the effective powers of these, through which they were produced, which a little before he says 20follow20 20the 1.1.244 substances20. And the word 20to be circumscribed20 indicates the equal balance of the created substance with the power that brought it into being, or rather, not a power, but an activity of a power, as he himself names it, so that the result might not be the work of the entire power of the one acting, but of some partial activity, with so much of the whole power being set in motion as was going to appear commensurate with the production of what was coming into being. And again, repeating the same thing, he says: 20and the works being measured by the activities of those who made them20. 1.1.245 But the meaning of these things would become more known to us through an example. For let us suppose the argument is about some shoemaker's tool, thus: the shoemaker's knife, having been drawn into the shape of a circle, if it should be applied to something, on which such a shape must be produced,

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καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον ἐπ' αὐτῶν λέγει, μὴ λανθανέτω τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν τὸ ἁπλοῦν χαριζόμενος, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ κατασκευάζων τὸ σύνθετον. 1.1.238 Πάλιν δὲ τὸν ῥηθέντα παρ' αὐτοῦ λόγον καθεξῆς ἀνα λάβωμεν. 20εἰλικρινῶς20, φησίν, 20ἁπλῆς τῆς οὐσίας καὶ πάντη μιᾶς οὔσης τε καὶ νοουμένης κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν20. τί βούλεται τὸ 20κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν20; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν κοινότητι τῆς ἀξίας θεωρεῖ τὰς οὐσίας, πε ρισσὴ μὲν καὶ οὕτως ἦν καὶ παρέλκουσα ἡ προσθήκη τοῦ λόγου τοῖς ὁμολογουμένοις ἐνδιατρίβουσα, πλὴν ἀλλ' εἶχέ τι συγγνωστὸν ἴσως ἡ ἀκαιρία τῆς λέξεως, τῆς εὐσεβεστέρας ἐννοίας οὐκ ἀπόβλητον ποιούσης τὸ μάταιον καὶ περιρρέον 1.1.239 τοῦ λόγου. νῦν δὲ οὐ μέχρι τῆς τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῷ δια μαρτίας ἐστὶν ὁ κίνδυνος (ἦ γὰρ ἂν εὐίατον ἦν τὸ ἀρρώ στημα), ἀλλ' ἔτι τῶν πονηρῶν ἔχεται τεχνασμάτων. 20ἁπλῆν20 γὰρ λέγει τῶν τριῶν οὐσιῶν 20ἑκάστην κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν20, ἵνα τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ῥηθεῖσιν αὐτῷ διορισμοῖς περὶ τῆς πρώτης τε καὶ δευτέρας καὶ τρίτης οὐσίας καὶ ὁ τῆς 1.1.240 ἁπλότητος συγκακουργῆται λόγος. ὥσπερ γὰρ μόνην 20ἀνωτάτω20 καὶ μόνην 20κυρίαν20 τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς προση γόρευσεν οὐσίαν, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύ ματος ὁμολογήσας, οὔτε τὴν ἄνω φωνὴν οὔτε τὴν 20κυριω τάτην20, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον καὶ ἁπλᾶς προσειπὼν τὰς οὐσίας κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐπιθεωρουμένης ἑκάστῃ ἀξίας καὶ τὴν τῆς ἁπλότητος ἔννοιαν ἐφαρμόζειν οἴεται χρῆναι, ὡς τῆς μὲν κυριωτάτης καὶ πρώτης ἐν τῇ ἄκρᾳ καὶ τελείᾳ θεωρουμένης ἁπλότητι, τῆς δὲ δευτέρας ἀναλόγως κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς τῶν πρωτείων ὑφέσεως καὶ τὸν τῆς ἁπλότητος λόγον ὑποστελλούσης, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τελευταίας ὡσαύτως το σοῦτον ὑποκαταβαίνει τῆς τελείας ἁπλότητος, ὅσον καὶ ἡ ἀναλογία τοῦ ἀξιώματος ἐπὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων κατασμικρύνεται· 1.1.241 ὡς ἐκ τούτου συμβαίνειν τὴν μὲν τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίαν ἁπλῆν καθαρῶς ὑπονοεῖσθαι, τὴν δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ μὴ ἀκριβῶς ἁπλῆν, ἀλλά τι καὶ τῆς συνθέτου φύσεως αὐτῇ παραμεμίχθαι, τοῦ δὲ ἁγίου πνεύματος πλεονάζειν ἐν τῷ συνθέτῳ τὴν φύσιν, τοῦ τῆς ἁπλότητος λόγου κατ' ὀλίγον ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἐλαττουμένου. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ μὴ τελείως ἀγαθὸν μέρει τινὶ τῆς ἐναντίας ἕξεως μετέχειν ὁμολογεῖται, οὕτως ὃ μὴ παντελῶς ἐστιν ἁπλοῦν, οὐ διαφεύγει τὸ μὴ σύνθετον εἶναι δοκεῖν. 1.1.242 Καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα νοῶν τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις κέχρηται, διὰ τῶν ἐφεξῆς σαφέστερον δείκνυται, δι' ὧν φανερώτερον εἰς χαμαιζήλους τινὰς καὶ ταπεινὰς ὑπολήψεις κατάγει τὴν περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ἔννοιαν. 20συμπεριγρα φομένων20, φησί, 20τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν ἐνεργειῶν καὶ τῶν ἔργων ταῖς τῶν ἐργασαμένων ἐνεργείαις παραμετρουμένων, ἀνάγκη δήπου πᾶσα καὶ τὰς ἑκάστῃ τῶν οὐσιῶν ἑπομένας ἐνεργείας ἐλάτ τους τε καὶ μείζους εἶναι, καὶ τὰς μὲν πρώ 1.1.243 την, τὰς δὲ δευτέραν ἐπέχειν τάξιν20. ταῦτα γὰρ εἰ καὶ φιλοπόνως τῇ ὁμίχλῃ τῆς λέξεως συγκαλύψας δυσθή ρατον αὐτῶν τὴν ἔννοιαν εἶναι τοῖς πολλοῖς παρεσκεύασεν, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας τῶν ἐξητασμένων εὐκόλως σα φηνισθήσεται. 20συμπεριγραφομένων20, φησί, 20τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν ἐνεργειῶν. ἔργα20 ὀνομάζει τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα, 20ἐνεργείας20 δὲ τὰς ἀποτελεστικὰς τούτων δυνάμεις δι' ὧν ἀπειργάσθησαν, ἅσπερ μικρῷ πρόσθεν 20ἕπεσθαί20 φησι 20ταῖς 1.1.244 οὐσίαις20. ἡ δὲ τοῦ 20συμπεριγράφεσθαι20 λέξις δηλοῖ τὸ ἰσοστάσιον τῆς ἀποτελεσθείσης οὐσίας πρὸς τὴν ὑποστήσασαν δύναμιν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχὶ δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεως ἐνέργειαν, καθὼς αὐτὸς ὀνομάζει, ἵνα μὴ πάσης τῆς τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος δυνάμεως ἔργον ᾖ τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα, ἀλλά τινος μερικῆς ἐνεργείας τοσοῦτον ἐκ τῆς πάσης δυνάμεως κινηθείσης, ὅσον σύμμετρον ἔμελλε τῇ ἀπεργασίᾳ τοῦ γινομένου φανήσεσθαι. καὶ πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ ἐπαναστρέψας φησί· 20καὶ τῶν ἔργων ταῖς τῶν ἐργασαμένων ἐνεργείαις παραμετρου μένων20. 1.1.245 Τούτων δὲ ὁ νοῦς γένοιτ' ἂν ἡμῖν δι' ὑποδείγματος γνωριμώτερος. ὑποθώμεθα γὰρ περὶ ὀργάνου τινὸς τῶν σκυτοτομικῶν εἶναι τὸν λόγον οὕτω· τὸ σμιλίον εἰς κύκλου σχῆμα περιηγμένον ἐὰν ἐπιβληθῇ τινι, ᾧ χρὴ τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐγγενέσθαι τύπον,