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naturally implanting in those that are inferior, in no way will the desire for more cease, but with the appetite always straining toward what has not yet been obtained, that which is less will always long for what is more and will always be changed towards the greater and will never reach the perfect, by not finding the limit, which having grasped, it will cease its ascent. 1.1.291 For since the first good is infinite by nature, of necessity the participation of the one enjoying it will also be infinite, always apprehending more and always finding that which is more than what was apprehended, and never being able to be made equal to it, because neither is that which is participated in limited, nor does that which is increased through participation cease. 1.1.292 Such, then, are the blasphemies that arise from the argument out of the distinction in the good. But if they contemplate the 20greater and the lesser20 in them according to some corporeal supposition, the absurdity of the argument is at once admitted, even if it is not examined precisely in every detail. For it is entirely necessary that certain qualities and dimensions and bulks and shapes and all things by which the concept of body is completed, are by these suppositions introduced also upon the divine nature. But where the composite is spoken of, 1.1.293 there the dissolution of the composite is certainly also conceded. But from the absurdity of the dogma that dares to declare the lesser and the greater in things without magnitude and incomparable, these and such things are constructed, as the argument has shown a few things out of many; for it is not easy to uncover with reason all the deceit hidden in the dogma. And through the few things that have been said, the absurdity of the blasphemies that consequently appear will nonetheless be 1.1.294 demonstrated. But let us proceed to the next points of the argument, with a few things still being added for the establishment of our own dogma. For since the God-inspired testimony is a sure criterion of truth for every dogma, I think it is good to confirm our argument also by the adducing of divine things. 1.1.295 Therefore, we have come to know these distinctions in the division of beings, first that which is first with respect to our comprehension, I mean the sensible, and after this, that which is contemplated by the mind through the guidance of sensible things, which we say is intelligible; and of the intelligible, again, we have apprehended another distinction, being divided into the created and the uncreated. And we have determined that the uncreated nature is the holy trinity, and the created nature all things that are said and are and 1.1.296 are named after that one. Therefore, so that our determination may not be unproven, but secured by the testimonies of scripture, we shall add this to what has been said, that the Lord was not created, but came forth from the Father, as the God Logos himself in his own person testifies in the gospel, according to that ineffable and indescribable manner of generation or 1.1.297 of procession. And what witness could be found more true 1.1.297 than the voice of the Lord, who through the entire gospel calls his true father Father and not creator, and names himself not a work of God but Son of God? 1.1.298 For just as, signifying the communion according to the flesh with what is human, he called the one who appeared son of man, showing the natural kinship of his flesh to that from which it was taken, so also he indicates the true and genuine relationship to the God of all things by the appellation of Son, showing through the word 'Son' that which is proper to the nature. And if some, from the proverbial saying, bringing forward the things spoken obscurely in a parable through a riddle, bare and uninterpreted, for the overthrow of the truth, proffer the word 'created', which the Proverb-writer composed from the person of Wisdom, in support of the perversion of their own dogma, saying that 'The Lord created me' is a confession that the Lord was created, as if the Only-begotten himself did not deny such a thing through this saying, we must not pay attention to the argument. 1.1.299 For it is not at all necessary to ... into the

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τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις φυσικῶς ἐντιθέντος, οὐδενὶ τρόπῳ ἡ τοῦ πλέονος ἔφεσις στήσεται, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ μήπω ληφθὲν ὑπερτεινομένης ἀεὶ τῆς ὀρέξεως πάντοτε τὸ ἐλατ τούμενον τοῦ πλέονος ὀρεχθήσεται καὶ ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἀλλοιωθήσεται καὶ οὐδέποτε πρὸς τὸ τέλειον φθάσει, τῷ μὴ εὑρίσκειν τὸ πέρας, οὗ δραξάμενον στήσεται τῆς ἀνόδου. 1.1.291 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἄπειρον τῇ φύσει τὸ πρῶτον ἀγαθόν, ἄπειρος ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἔσται καὶ ἡ μετουσία τοῦ ἀπολαύοντος, ἐσαεὶ τὸ πλέον καταλαμβάνουσα καὶ πάντοτε εὑρίσκουσα τοῦ κατα ληφθέντος τὸ περισσότερον καὶ μηδέποτε παρισωθῆναι αὐτῷ δυναμένη, τῷ μήτε τὸ μετεχόμενον περατοῦσθαι μήτε τὸ διὰ τῆς μετουσίας ἐπαυξανόμενον ἵστασθαι. 1.1.292 Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν δια φορᾶς ἀνακύπτοντα ἐκ τοῦ λόγου τὰ βλάσφημα. εἰ δὲ κατά τινα σωματικὴν ὑπόληψιν τὸ 20μεῖζόν τε καὶ ἔλατ τον20 ἐπ' αὐτῶν θεωροῦσιν, αὐτόθεν ὁμολογεῖται τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἄτοπον, κἂν μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάζηται. ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶσα ποιότητάς τινας καὶ διαστάσεις ὄγκους τε καὶ σχήματα καὶ πάντα δι' ὧν συμπληροῦται ὁ τοῦ σώματος λόγος, ταῖς ὑπονοίαις ταύταις καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως συνεισάγεσθαι. ὅπου δὲ τὸ σύνθετον λέγεται, πάν 1.1.293 τως ἐκεῖ συνομολογεῖται καὶ ἡ τοῦ συνθέτου διάλυσις. ἀλλ' ἐκ μὲν τῆς τοῦ δόγματος ἀτοπίας τῆς τὸ ἔλαττον καὶ τὸ ὑπερέχον ἐν τοῖς ἀμεγέθεσι καὶ ἀσυγκρίτοις ἀποφαίνεσθαι τολμώσης ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κατασκευάζεται, ὡς ὀλίγα ἐκ πολλῶν ὁ λόγος ὑπέδειξεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εὔκολον πάντα τὸν ἐγκεκρυμμένον τῷ δόγματι δόλον διακαλύψαι τῷ λόγῳ. καὶ δι' ὀλίγων δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων οὐδὲν ἧττον ἡ ἀτοπία τῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον τῆς βλασφημίας ἀναφαινομένων ἐπι 1.1.294 δειχθήσεται. ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἐφεξῆς τοῦ λόγου προέλ θωμεν, μικρῶν ἔτι πρὸς σύστασιν τοῦ ἡμετέρου δόγματος προσδιορισθέντων. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κριτήριον ἀσφαλὲς τῆς ἀλη θείας ἐπὶ παντὸς δόγματος ἡ θεόπνευστός ἐστι μαρτυρία, καλῶς ἔχειν ἡγοῦμαι τῇ παραθέσει τῶν θείων καὶ τὸν ἡμέ τερον λόγον πιστώσασθαι. 1.1.295 Οὐκοῦν ταύτας ἔγνωμεν ἐν τῇ διαιρέσει τῶν ὄντων τὰς διαφοράς, πρῶτον τὸ ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν κατάληψιν πρῶ τον, τὸ αἰσθητὸν λέγω, μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ διὰ τῆς τῶν αἰσθητῶν χειραγωγίας ὑπὸ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρούμενον, ὃ δὴ νοητὸν εἶναί φαμεν· καὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ πάλιν ἑτέραν διαφορὰν κατελάβομεν εἰς τὸ κτιστὸν καὶ ἄκτιστον διαιρουμένην. καὶ τῆς μὲν ἀκτίστου φύσεως τὴν ἁγίαν τριάδα εἶναι διωρισάμεθα, τῆς δὲ κτιστῆς πάντα ὅσα μετ' ἐκείνην λέγεταί τε καὶ ἔστι καὶ 1.1.296 ὀνομάζεται. ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ ἀναπόδεικτος ἡμῶν ὁ διορισμὸς ὑπάρχῃ, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τῆς γραφῆς μαρτυρίαις ἠσφαλισμένος, τοῦτο τοῖς εἰρημένοις προσθήσομεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκτίσθη ὁ κύριος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐξῆλθε, καθὼς αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς λόγος αὐτοπροσώπως ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ μαρτύρεται, κατὰ τὸν ἄρρητον ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀνεκδιήγητον τῆς γεννήσεως ἤτοι 1.1.297 τῆς ἐξόδου τρόπον. καὶ τίς ἂν εὑρεθείη μάρτυς ἀληθέ 1.1.297 στερος τῆς τοῦ κυρίου φωνῆς, διὰ παντὸς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου πατέρα καὶ οὐχὶ κτίστην ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἀποκαλοῦντος πατέρα καὶ οὐχὶ ἔργον θεοῦ ἀλλ' υἱὸν θεοῦ ἑαυτὸν ὀνο 1.1.298 μάζοντος; ὥσπερ γὰρ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώ πινον κοινωνίαν σημαίνων υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου τὸ φαινόμενον προσ ηγόρευσε, δεικνὺς τὴν κατὰ φύσιν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἐξ ἧς ἐλήφθη συγγένειαν, οὕτω καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν ἀληθῆ καὶ γνησίαν σχέσιν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ υἱοῦ διασημαίνει, τὸ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν οἰκεῖον διὰ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ φωνῆς ἐνδεικνύμενος. κἄν τινες ἐκ τῆς παροιμιώδους ῥήσεως τὰ ἐν παραβολῇ σκοτεινῶς δι' αἰνίγματος εἰρημένα ψιλὰ καὶ ἀνερμήνευτα πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν τῆς ἀληθείας προφέροντες τὴν τοῦ ἐκτίσθαι φωνήν, ἣν ἐκ προσώπου τῆς σοφίας ὁ παροιμιαστὴς ἐποιήσατο, εἰς συνη γορίαν τῆς τοῦ δόγματος αὐτῶν διαστροφῆς προχειρίζωνται, λέγοντες τὸ Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ὁμολογίαν εἶναι τοῦ ἐκτίσθαι τὸν κύριον, ὡς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μονογενοῦς διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης τὸ τοιοῦτον οὐκ ἀρνουμένου, ἡμῖν οὐ προσεκτέον τῷ λόγῳ. 1.1.299 οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦ πάντως δεῖν εἰς τὸν