50

before all things the Son 29.677 without the Father, but also after the 'sometime' will he be found. When we say, since the Father is always, it is necessary that the Son also is always, they say: Therefore, since the Son is also always creator, creation will also be always, and so creation will also be co-eternal with the Father and the Son. But one who says creator does not at the same time also say creation. For a building does not co-exist with the builder, nor the ship with the shipwright. For the act of creation is in the creator, but the thing created is after the creator. But it is impossible to say Father, if there is no Son. And one who says Father does not say Father simply, but says Father of someone. God, and Lord, and almighty, and Sabaoth, and the one who is, and Adonai, and Eloi, God is called in the Scriptures; but unbegotten nowhere. But if one were to concede this, it would be fitting for both Jews and all people to say both unbegotten and the aforementioned names; but only for Christians [to say] Father of Christ. If therefore the only thing that separates us from the others is false, and not true, and a name by convention, and not a thing by nature; our faith is false, and our hope is vain. For where the beginning is uncertain, the end is also powerless. Again they ask: Was the Son begotten when he was, or when he was not; their question being obscure and deceitful. For being ashamed to ask 'when', and 'in time', they say 'when he was'. Ask them in return: Did God the Father beget the Son when He was Father, or when He was not Father? For if [He begot Him] when He was Father, being, He begot one who was; but if when He was not, He is begotten and not Father by nature. But the divine Scriptures shut out all their contentiousness, with Moses crying out concerning the Son, 'He who is sent me'; and the evangelist, 'In the beginning was the Word.' And not once the 'was', but a fourth time. And again elsewhere: 'He who is from God'; and: 'He who is in the bosom of the Father'; and in other places: 'He who is in heaven'; And in the Revelation: 'He who is, and who was, and who is to come'; and Paul: 'Who being the brightness of his glory'; and: 'Who, being in the form of God'; and again: 'Who is over all, God blessed.' If the Son is true God, and light, and unchangeable, and good, and holy, and Lord, and the Father is these things also, He is not so in a similar way, but in a greater way; not by a superiority of substance but by an excess of quality. 29.680 For substance is not said to be more than substance, but quality than quality. For a man is not said to be more of a man than another man; but a good man [more] than a good man, and a just man than a just man. Of begotten things, the nature is the same as the one who begot, even if the one begotten has his being in a different way. For neither Abel, who was born from union, was other than Adam, Adam not having been begotten but formed. If the cause is greater than and different in substance from that which is caused, and every father is a cause, and every son is caused, fathers are greater than and different in substance from their sons, and not of one substance. But this is not true. They ask: If, having begotten the Son, the Father ceased from begetting him; and if they should receive [the answer] that He ceased, they add: Therefore He also began to beget. For everything that has an end also has a beginning; therefore the Son was not always. We shall say then: If that which ceases must also have a beginning, and that which has a beginning must also cease; then angels and all incorporeal beings, having a beginning of their being, will of necessity also have an end of their being. But this is absurd. It is possible therefore, both for something that has begun to be, not to have ceased, and for something that has ceased, not to have begun. But if not, the Son Himself, if He has a beginning of His being, also of necessity has an end, according to them; since they wish everything that has a beginning also to have an end. And how is this not blasphemous? And the foreknowledge of God, having no beginning, after the things about which he had foreknowledge came to be, has an end. So that it is not necessary for that which has an end also to have a beginning. The 'one' in the case of incorporeal beings, is spoken of either in activity, or in will, or in substance. The Savior therefore, having said: 'I and the Father are one', said it according to one of the things written above. Therefore if they say [it is one] in activity, it is necessary to say [it is one] also in substance; for the activity of those of a different substance would not be the same; but if [they are] one in will, it is not only necessary that the Son wills whatever the Father wills, but also whatever the Son wills, it is necessary that the Father also

50

πρὸ πάντων ὁ Υἱὸς 29.677 χωρὶς τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὸ ποτὲ εὑρεθή σεται. Ἡμῶν λεγόντων, Πατρὸς ὄντος ἀεὶ, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν εἶναι ἀεὶ, ἐκεῖνοί φασιν· Οὐκοῦν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ἀεὶ δημιουργὸς, καὶ ἡ δημιουργία ἀεὶ ἔσται, καὶ οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἡ δημιουργία συναΐδιος Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ. Ἀλλ' ὁ εἰπὼν δημιουργὸν οὐχ ἅμα καὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν λέγει. Οὐ γὰρ τῷ οἰκοδόμῳ συν υπάρχει τὸ οἰκοδόμημα, οὐδὲ τῷ ναυπηγῷ τὸ σκάφος. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ δημιουργία ἐν τῷ δημιουργῷ, τὸ δὲ δημιουργούμενον μετὰ τὸν δημιουργόν. Πατέρα δὲ εἰπεῖν ἀδύνατον, μὴ ὄντος Υἱοῦ. Καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν Πατέρα οὐχ ἁπλῶς Πατέρα, ἀλλά τινος λέγει Πατέρα. Θεὸς, καὶ Κύριος, καὶ παντοκράτωρ, καὶ Σα βαὼθ, καὶ ὢν, καὶ Ἀδωναῒ, καὶ Ἐλωῒ, ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς εἴρηται· ἀγέννητος δὲ οὐδαμεῖς. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ τοῦτο συγχωρήσει, καὶ τὸ ἀγέννητος καὶ τὰ προκείμενα ὀνόματα λέγειν ἁρμόσει καὶ Ἰου δαίοις καὶ πᾶσι· Χριστιανοῖς δὲ μόνοις τὸ Πατὴρ Χρι στοῦ. Εἰ οὖν τὸ μόνον χωρίζον ἡμᾶς τῶν ἄλλων ψευδὲς, καὶ οὐκ ἀληθὲς, καὶ ὄνομα θέσει, καὶ οὐ πρᾶγμα φύσει· ψευδὴς ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς ματαία. Οὗ γὰρ ἀβέβαιος ἡ ἀρχὴ, καὶ τὸ τέ λος ἀνίσχυρον. Πάλιν ἐρωτῶσιν· Εἰ ὢν ἐγεννήθη ὁ Υἱὸς, ἢ μὴ ὤν· ἀσαφοῦς καὶ κακοτέχνου τῆς ἐρωτή σεως οὔσης αὐτῶν. Αἰσχυνόμενοι γὰρ τὸ πότε, καὶ ἐν χρόνῳ, ἐρωτῆσαι, τὸ ὢν λέγουσιν. Ἀντερώτησον αὐτούς· Εἰ ὢν ὁ Θεὸς Πατὴρ τὸν Υἱὸν ἐγέννησεν, ἢ μὴ ὢν Πατήρ; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὢν Πατὴρ, ὢν ὄντα ἐγέν νησεν· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ὢν, γεννητὸς καὶ οὐ φύσει Πατήρ. Πᾶσαν δὲ φιλονεικίαν αὐτῶν ἀποκλείουσιν αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαὶ, Μωσέως μὲν βοῶντος περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, Ὁ ὤν με ἀπέστειλε· τοῦ δὲ εὐαγγελιστοῦ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ τὸ ἦν, ἀλλὰ τέταρτον. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Ὁ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καί· Ὁ ὢν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρός· καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις· Ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· Καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει· Ὁ ὢν, καὶ ὁ ἦν, καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος· καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· Ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης· καί· Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων· καὶ πάλιν· Ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς εὐλογητός. Εἰ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς, καὶ φῶς, καὶ ἄτρεπτος, καὶ ἀγαθὸς, καὶ ἅγιος, καὶ Κύριος ὁ Υἱὸς, ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὢν, οὐχ ὁμοίως ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ μειζόνως· οὐκ οὐσίας ὑπεροχῇ ἀλλὰ ποιότητος ὑπερβολῇ. 29.680 Οὐσία γὰρ οὐσίας μᾶλλον οὐ λέγεται, ποιότης δὲ ποιότητος. Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἀνθρώπου μᾶλλον οὐ λέ γεται· ἀγαθὸς δὲ ἀγαθοῦ, καὶ δίκαιος δικαίου. Τῶν γεννητῶν ἡ αὐτὴ φύσις πρὸς τὸν γεννήσαντα, κἂν ἑτέρως ὁ γεννηθεὶς τὸ εἶναι ἔχῃ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἄβελ, ὁ ἐκ συνδυασμοῦ γεννηθεὶς, ἕτερος παρὰ τὸν Ἀδὰμ, τοῦ Ἀδὰμ μὴ γεννηθέντος ἀλλὰ πλασθέντος. Εἰ τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ αἰτιατοῦ μεῖζον καὶ διάφορον κατ' οὐσίαν, πᾶς δὲ πατὴρ αἴτιος, καὶ πᾶς υἱὸς αἰτιατὸς, μείζους καὶ διάφοροι κατ' οὐσίαν οἱ πατέρες τῶν υἱῶν, καὶ οὐ μιᾶς οὐσίας. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀληθές. Ἐρωτῶσιν· Εἰ, γεννήσας ὁ Πατὴρ τὸν Υἱὸν, ἐπαύσατο τοῦ γεννᾷν αὐτόν· κἂν λάβωσιν, ὅτι ἐπαύσατο, ἐπάγου σιν· Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἤρξατο γεννᾷν. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ τέλος ἔχον καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχει· οὐκ ἄρα οὖν ἦν ἀεὶ ὁ Υἱός. Ἐροῦμεν οὖν· Εἰ τὸ παυόμενον ἀνάγκη καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχειν, καὶ τὸ ἀρχὴν ἔχον ἀνάγκη καὶ παύεσθαι· ἄγγελοι οὖν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀσώματα ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι ἔχοντα, ἀνάγκῃ καὶ τέλος τοῦ εἶναι ἕξει. Ἀλλ' ἄτοπον. ∆υνατὸν οὖν, καὶ ἀρξάμενον τοῦ εἶναι, μὴ πεπαῦσθαι, καὶ παυσάμενον, μὴ ἦρχθαι. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Υἱὸς εἰ ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι ἔχει, καὶ τέλος κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἔχει· ἐπειδὴ πᾶν τὸ ἀρχὴν ἔχον καὶ τέλος ἔχειν βούλονται. Καὶ πῶς οὐ βλάσφημον; Καὶ ἡ πρόγνωσις δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀρχὴν οὐκ ἔχουσα, μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι περὶ ὧν προέγνω, τέλος ἔχει. Ὥστε οὐ τὸ τέλος ἔχον ἀνάγκη καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχειν. Τὸ ἓν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων, ἢ ἐνεργείᾳ, ἢ βου λήσει, ἢ οὐσίᾳ λέγεται. Ὁ Σωτὴρ οὖν εἰπών· Ἐγὼ καὶ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν, καθ' ἕν τι τῶν προγεγραμ μένων εἴρηκεν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ μὲν κατ' ἐνέργειαν λέγου σιν, ἀνάγκη καὶ κατ' οὐσίαν λέγειν· τῶν γὰρ ἑτερου σίων οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἡ ἐνέργεια ὁμοία· εἰ δὲ κατὰ βούλη σιν ἓν, οὐχ ὅσα ὁ Πατὴρ βούλεται μόνον, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν βούλεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὅσα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς βούλεται, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸν Πατέρα