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has made the God of all uncommunicated to himself, not even so would the principle of God's goodness allow the one who says the Father is uncommunicated in what is his to the one from him to be plausible; but what was said would nevertheless have had consistency. But to say that the alienation exists by a law of nature, is not even the mark of one who has examined nature in sensible things; according to which it is natural for each to beget not what is alien, nor what is contrary, but rather what is its own and what is proper to it. Therefore, here again he did not perceive the self-contradiction of his statements. For being indignant in what follows at those who say the Only-begotten is like in essence to the Father, he wrote thus: {EUN.} But those who have dared to compare the masterless essence, superior to every cause and free from all laws, with that which is begotten and enslaved to paternal laws, seem to me to have either not examined the nature of all things at all, or not to make their judgments concerning these things with a pure mind. {BAS.} How then did the masterless [essence] and that which is free from all laws now appear not to have its incomparability by choice, but to be bound beforehand by a law of nature, and without choice to drive out the begotten from communion with itself, so that for this reason it also happens to be unapproachable to the Only-begotten? So great then is the inconsistency in what he says; but how great is the impiety? He calls the essence of the Father masterless and free (if indeed that which submits to the law of nature is masterless); but by contrast he declares that of the Only-begotten to be servile, and from this takes away the equality of nature. For since there are two realities, creation and divinity; and since creation is set in servitude and obedience, but divinity is ruling and masterful; is not he who takes away the dignity of lordship, and casts it down into the lowliness of servitude, clearly showing for this reason also that he places him in the same rank with all creation? For this is surely no dignity for him, if he should excel his fellow-servants. But if he is not confessed as King and Lord, accepting obedience not through a defect of nature but by the goodness of his choice; this is grievous and dreadful, and brings destruction to those who deny it. And he adds: {EUN.} That the essence of God, following the laws of nature, neither admits comparison with another, and furnishes us to conceive for them the activity as consistent and proper 29.645 to its own dignity. {BAS.} This was said by him as proof of the alienation of the Only-begotten from the Father; but it establishes our argument. For if the essence of God furnishes one to conceive its activity also as consistent and proper to its own dignity, and unbegottenness is a dignity, as it seems to Eunomius; and this is also the essence according to their argument, and the activity of God is the Only-begotten, or the image of the activity. And this is according to their argument; so that to contradict them would be superfluous, since they have nothing to say. Or I would value it greatly for them to deny this blasphemy; however, since they have said it, let us reason from the very things said by them, that if unbegottenness is a dignity of God, and this is also the essence, and the activity is consistent with and proper to the dignity of God, and this is Christ according to their supposition, then he will be proper and belonging to the essence of God. And none of these things is ours. For by putting together their very own words, we make the demonstration upon them. To the essence of God, he says, belongs the dignity; to the dignity is proportionate the activity; the image of the activity is the Only-begotten; and conversely, if the Only-begotten is the image of the activity, and the activity of the dignity, and the dignity of the essence, the Only-begotten will be the image of the essence. Thus often they themselves also, the workers of falsehood, being constrained by the power, bear witness to the truth even unwillingly. Since also the demons were not doing the work of evangelists, but being unable to look against the [power] of the truth

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πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀκοινώνητον κατεσκευακέναι τὸν Θεὸν τῶν ὅλων, οὐδ' οὕτω μὲν ἂν ὁ τῆς ἀγαθότη τος τοῦ Θεοῦ συνεχώρει λόγος πιθανὸν εἶναι τὸν λέ γοντα ἀκοινώνητον εἶναι τὸν Πατέρα τῶν αὐτῷ παρ όντων πρὸς τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ· εἶχε δ' ἂν ὅμως ἀκολου θίαν τὰ εἰρημένα. Νόμῳ δὲ φύσεως λέγειν ὑπάρχειν τὴν ἀλλοτρίωσιν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἐστι φύ σιν ἐπεσκεμμένου· καθ' ἣν οὐχὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια, οὐδὲ τὰ ἐναντία, τὰ οἰκεῖα δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ τὰ προσήκοντα ἀπογεννᾶσθαι πέφυκεν ὑφ' ἑκάστου. Πάλιν οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὐ συνεῖδε τὴν πρὸς ἑαυτὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐναντιότητα. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς κατ όπιν ἀγανακτῶν, πρὸς τοὺς ὅμοιον κατ' οὐσίαν τὸν Μο νογενῆ τῷ Πατρὶ λέγοντας, ἔγραψεν οὕτως· {ΕΥΝ.} Τὴν ἀρχὴν δὲ δοκοῦσί μοι οἱ τὴν ἀδέ σποτον, καὶ πάσης μὲν αἰτίας κρείττονα, πάντων δὲ νόμων ἐλευθέραν οὐσίαν τῇ γεννητῇ καὶ νόμοις πατρικοῖς δουλευούσῃ συγκρίνειν τολμήσαντες, ἢ μηδὲ ὅλως τὴν τῶν ὅλων φύσιν ἐπεσκέφθαι, ἢ μὴ καθαρᾷ τῇ διανοίᾳ τὰς περὶ τούτων ποιεῖσθαι κρίσεις. {ΒΑΣ.} Πῶς οὖν ἡ ἀδέσποτος καὶ πάντων νόμων ἐλευθέρα ἀνεφάνη νῦν οὐχ ἑκούσιον ἔχουσα τὸ ἀσύγ κριτον, ἀλλὰ νόμῳ φύσεως προειλημμένη, καὶ ἀπροαιρέτως τῆς πρὸς ἑαυτὴν κοινωνίας τὸ γεννητὸν ἀπελαύνουσα, ὥστε διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτῷ τυγχάνειν τῷ Μονογενεῖ ἀπροσπέλαστος; Τοσοῦτον μὲν οὖν ἐν τοῖς λεγομένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀσύμφωνον· τὸ δὲ ἀσε βὲς ὅσον; Ἀδέσποτον μὲν καὶ ἐλευθέραν τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίαν προσαγορεύει (εἴπερ οὖν ἀδέσποτος ἡ τῷ νόμῳ τῆς φύσεως ὑποκύπτουσα)· δουλικὴν δὲ εἶ ναι ἐξ ἀντιθέτου τὴν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἀποφαίνεται, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τὸ ὁμότιμον τῆς φύσεως ἀφαιρούμενος. ∆ύο γὰρ ὄντων πραγμάτων, κτίσεώς τε καὶ θεότη τος· καὶ τῆς μὲν κτίσεως ἐν δουλείᾳ καὶ ὑπακοῇ τε ταγμένης, ἀρχικῆς δὲ οὔσης καὶ δεσποτικῆς τῆς θεό τητος· ὁ ἀφαιρούμενος τῆς δεσποτείας τὸ ἀξίωμα, καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς δουλείας ταπεινὸν καταβάλλων, οὐχὶ δῆλός ἐστι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συστοιχοῦντα αὐτὸν τῇ πάσῃ κτίσει δεικνύς; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο σεμνὸν αὐτῷ, εἰ τῶν ὁμοδούλων προέξει. Ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ βασιλεὺς καὶ ∆εσπότης ὁμολογοῖτο, οὐ τῇ τῆς φύσεως ἐλαττώσει, τῇ ἀγαθότητι δὲ τῆς προαιρέσεως καταδεχόμενος τὸ ὑπήκοον· τοῦτο χαλεπὸν καὶ φρικτὸν, καὶ ὄλεθρον φέρον τοῖς ἀρνουμένοις. Ὁ δὲ προστίθησιν· {ΕΥΝ.} Ὅτι τοῖς νόμοις τῆς φύσεως ἑπομένη ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐσία, οὔτε τὴν πρὸς ἕτερον σύγκρισιν ἐπιδέχεται, καὶ παρέχει ἡμῖν ἀκόλουθον καὶ προσ 29.645 ήκουσαν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀξιώματι νοεῖν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐνέρ γειαν. {ΒΑΣ.} Τοῦτο εἴρηται μὲν ἐκείνῳ εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ἀλλοτριώσεως τοῦ Μονογενοῦς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· συνίστησι δὲ τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον. Εἰ γὰρ ἀκόλουθον καὶ προσήκουσαν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀξιώματι παρέχει νοεῖν καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐσία, ἀξίωμα μέν ἐστιν ἡ ἀγεννησία, ὡς Εὐνομίῳ δοκεῖ· τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ οὐσία κατὰ τὸν τούτων λόγον, ἐνέργεια δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ Μονογενὴς, ἢ ἐνεργείας εἰκών. Καὶ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸν τούτων λόγον· ὥστε τούτοις ἀντιλέγειν παρ έλκον ἂν εἴη, οὐδὲν ἔχουσιν. Ἢ πολλοῦ ἂν τιμη σαίμην ἀρνεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς βλασφημίαν ταύτην· πλὴν, ἐπειδήπερ εἰρήκασιν, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τούτοις εἰρημέ νων συλλογισώμεθα, ὅτι εἰς ἀξίωμα μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀγεννησία, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ οὐσία, ἀκόλουθος δὲ καὶ προσήκουσα τῷ ἀξιώματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἐνέργεια, αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς κατὰ τὴν τούτων ὑπόληψιν, οἰκεῖος ἄρα καὶ προσήκων τῇ οὐσίᾳ ἔσται τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τούτων οὐδέν ἐστιν ἡμέτερον. Αὐτὰ γὰρ τὰ τού των συνθέντες ῥήματα, ἐπ' αὐτῶν τὴν δεῖξιν ποιού μεθα. Τῇ οὐσίᾳ, φησὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ ἀξίωμα· τῷ ἀξιώματι ἀναλογοῦσά ἐστιν ἡ ἐνέργεια· τῆς ἐνερ γείας εἰκὼν ὁ Μονογενής· καὶ ἀνάπαλιν, εἰ τῆς μὲν ἐνεργείας ὁ Μονογενὴς εἰκὼν, ἡ δὲ ἐνέργεια τοῦ ἀξιώματος, τὸ δὲ ἀξίωμα τῆς οὐσίας, ὁ Μο νογενὴς ἔσται τῆς οὐσίας εἰκών. Οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ πολ λάκις οἱ ἐργάται τοῦ ψεύδους, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐνεργείας ἀγχόμενοι, μαρτυροῦσι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ μὴ βουλόμε νοι. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ δαίμονες οὐχὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν ἐποίουν ἔργον, ἀλλ' ἀντιβλέπειν μὴ δυνάμενοι τῷ τῆς ἀλη θείας