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the Holy Spirit, how will it be possible, that which our understanding grasps when it is excessively curious and meddlesome about things below, comparatively placing one thing above another by means of some temporal interval, to think that this is also the case with the uncreated and pre-eternal substance 1.1.378? in which the Father is understood as without beginning and unbegotten and always Father, and from him, in immediate and unintervalled succession, the only-begotten Son is conceived together with the Father, and through him and with him, before any empty and unsubstantial thought can fall in between, immediately the Holy Spirit is also apprehended as joined, not being posterior in existence after the Son, so that the only-begotten could ever be conceived without the Spirit, but itself also having the cause of its being from the God of all, from whom also is the only-begotten Light, and shining forth through the true Light, being separated neither by interval nor by otherness of nature from the Father or the only-begotten. 1.1.379 For there is no interval in the pre-eternal nature, and there is no difference in substance. For it is not possible to conceive of a difference of uncreated from uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated, as has been demonstrated in the preceding arguments. 1.1.380 Since, therefore, these things are understood to be so by all who accept the simplicity of the plainer preaching, what occasion is there to attempt to analyze the Son’s union with the Father by means of creation, as if it were necessary for something to be co-eternal with it, or to think the Son is of a later generation 1.1.381? For neither is the generation of the only-begotten within the ages, nor is creation before the ages, so that in no way is it fitting for the un-intervalled nature to be divided, and to insert some suspicion of an interval between the creative cause of all things by saying that he who has given being to all things did not always exist 1.1.382. Therefore the argument previously set forth is true, that with the unbegottenness of the Father, the eternity of the only-begotten is co-conceived in a begotten manner; but if some interval were thought to be between, by which the generation of the Son is cut off from the life of the Father, by this also the beginning of the life of the God over all will be defined 1.1.383, which is absurd. But nothing prevents creation, being something other in its own nature than the Creator, from being conceived from some particular beginning, as we said, in no way corresponding to the pure and pre-eternal nature. For to say that heaven or earth or any other of the things seen in creation have come to be from non-being or, as the apostle says, from things that do not appear, brings no dishonor to the maker of all things, since we have also learned from the divine scripture 1.1.384 that these things are neither from eternity nor do they remain forever. But if it were believed that one of those believed in the holy Trinity did not always co-exist with the Father, but some thought according to the argument of the heresy were conceived, at some time stripping the God over all of the glory of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, God will be shown to be separated from nothing other than every good and divine thing and thought, according to the argument of the heresy. But if the Father who exists 1.1.385 before the ages is always glorious, and the glory of the Father is the pre-eternal Son, and likewise the glory of the Son is the Spirit of Christ, always contemplated together with the Son and the Father, from where does this wise man, and from what teaching, pronounce the 20older20 among the timeless and the 20more honorable20 among those honorable by nature, comparatively setting one above the other and through the preference of the one dishonoring the next? For the contrast of 20more honorable20 is in every way more clear as to what it leads. 1.1.386 And such are the things that follow which he adds to what has been said. 20Since20, he says, 20the same activities accomplish an identity of works, and different works show different activities also20. The noble man has come well to the invincible defense of the argument. 20The same activities,20 he says, 20accomplish an identity of works.20 Let us then look at the argument in the light of the facts. The activity of fire through heating is one, but what sort of harmony do the works have? 1.1.387

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πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, πῶς ἔσται δυνατόν, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν κάτω περιεργαζομένη καὶ πολυπραγμονοῦσα καταλαμβάνει ἡ ἔννοια, ἕτερον ἑτέρου συγκριτικῶς ὑπερτιθεῖσα διά τινος χρονικοῦ διαστήματος, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκτίστου καὶ προαιωνίου νομίζειν οὐσίας 1.1.378 εἶναι; ἐν ᾗ πατὴρ μὲν ἄναρχος καὶ ἀγέννητος καὶ ἀεὶ πατὴρ νοεῖται, ἐξ αὐτοῦ δὲ κατὰ τὸ προσεχὲς ἀδιαστάτως ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τῷ πατρὶ συνεπινοεῖται, δι' αὐτοῦ δὲ καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ, πρίν τι κενόν τε καὶ ἀνυπόστατον διὰ μέσου παρεμπεσεῖν νόημα, εὐθὺς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον συνημ μένως καταλαμβάνεται, οὐχ ὑστερίζον κατὰ τὴν ὕπαρξιν μετὰ τὸν υἱόν, ὥστε ποτὲ τὸν μονογενῆ δίχα τοῦ πνεύματος νοηθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐκ μὲν τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων καὶ αὐτὸ τὴν αἰτίαν ἔχον τοῦ εἶναι, ὅθεν καὶ τὸ μονογενές ἐστι φῶς, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς ἐκλάμψαν, οὔτε διαστήματι οὔτε φύ σεως ἑτερότητι τοῦ πατρὸς ἢ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἀποτεμνόμενον. 1.1.379 διάστημα μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς προαιωνίου φύσεως οὐκ ἔστιν, ἡ δὲ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν διαφορὰ οὐδεμία. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστι δυνατὸν ἀκτίστου πρὸς ἄκτιστον διαφορὰν ἐννοῆσαι, ἄκτιστον δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καθὼς ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἀπο δέδεικται λόγοις. 1.1.380 Τούτων οὖν οὕτως ἔχειν ὑπειλημμένων παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς καταδεχομένοις τὸν ἰδιωτισμὸν τοῦ ἁπλουστέρου κηρύγματος, τίνα καιρὸν ἔχει τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα συνάφειαν διὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἀναλύειν πειρᾶσθαι, ὡς ἐπάναγκες εἶναί τι καὶ ταύτῃ συναΐδιον ἢ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν μεταγενέστερον 1.1.381 οἴεσθαι; οὔτε γὰρ ἡ γέννησις τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἐντὸς τῶν αἰώνων οὔτε ἡ κτίσις πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, ὥστε οὐδενὶ τρόπῳ προσήκει τὴν ἀδιάστατον φύσιν καταμερίζεσθαι, καὶ μεταξὺ τῆς πάντων ποιητικῆς αἰτίας διαστηματικήν τινα παρενείρειν ὑπόνοιαν ἐν τῷ λέγειν ποτὲ μὴ εἶναι τὸν πᾶσι δεδωκότα τὸ 1.1.382 εἶναι. οὐκοῦν ἀληθὴς ὁ προαποδεδομένος λόγος, ὅτι τῇ μὲν ἀγεννησίᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἀϊδιότης γεν νητῶς συνεπινοεῖται· εἰ δέ τι διάστημα μεταξὺ νομισθείη, ᾧ ἡ γέννησις τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ζωῆς διατέμνεται, τούτῳ καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ ὁρισθή 1.1.383 σεται, ὅπερ ἄτοπον. τὴν δὲ κτίσιν κωλύει οὐδέν, ἄλλο τι οὖσαν κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ἀπό τινος ἰδιαζούσης νοηθῆναι ἀρχῆς, καθὼς ἔφαμεν, κατ' οὐδὲν τῇ ἀκηράτῳ καὶ προαιωνίῳ φύσει συμβαίνουσαν. τὸ γὰρ ἐκ μὴ ὄντων ἤ, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἐκ μὴ φαινομένων οὐρανὸν ἢ γῆν ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει θεωρουμένων γεγενῆσθαι λέγειν οὐδεμίαν τῷ ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων ἀδοξίαν προστρίβεται, ἐπεὶ καὶ μεμαθήκαμεν παρὰ τῆς θείας γρα 1.1.384 φῆς μήτε ἐξ ἀϊδίου ταῦτα εἶναι μήτε εἰσαεὶ διαμένειν. εἰ δέ τι τῶν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ τριάδι πεπιστευμένων μὴ ἀεὶ συνυπ άρχειν τῷ πατρὶ πιστευθείη, ἀλλά τις κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἱρέ σεως λόγον ἐπινοηθείη διάνοια γυμνοῦσά ποτε τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος δόξης οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ καὶ θείου πράγματός τε καὶ νοήματος κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως λόγον ὁ θεὸς κεχωρι σμένος ἐπιδειχθήσεται. εἰ δὲ ἀεὶ ἔνδοξος ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ὑπάρ 1.1.385 χων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, δόξα δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ προαιώνιος υἱός, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ δόξα τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀεὶ συνθεωρούμενον τῷ υἱῷ καὶ τῷ πατρί, πόθεν ὁ σοφὸς οὗτος καὶ ἐκ ποίας παιδεύσεως τὸ 20πρεσβύτερον20 ἐν τοῖς ἀχρόνοις καὶ τὸ 20τιμιώτερον20 ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν φύσιν τιμίοις ἀποφαίνεται, συγκριτικῶς ὑπερτιθεὶς τοῦ ἑτέρου τὸ ἕτερον καὶ διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἑνὸς προτιμήσεως τὸ ἐφεξῆς ἀτιμάζων; ἡ γὰρ ἀντιδιαστολὴ τοῦ 20τιμιωτέρου20 φανερω τέρα πάντως ἐστὶν εἰς ὅ τι φέρει. 1.1.386 Οἷα δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐπάγει καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα. 20ἅτε20, φησί, 20τῶν αὐτῶν ἐνεργειῶν τὴν ταὐτότητα τῶν ἔργων ἀποτελουσῶν, καὶ τῶν παρηλλαγμένων ἔργων παρηλλαγμένας καὶ τὰς ἐνεργείας ἀπο φαινόντων20. καλῶς ὁ γεννάδας ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμαχον συνηγορίαν τοῦ λόγου. 20αἱ αὐταὶ ἐνέργειαι τὴν ταὐ τότητα τῶν ἔργων ἀποτελοῦσι20, φησίν. ἴδωμεν τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων τὸν λόγον. μία τοῦ πυρὸς ἡ διὰ τοῦ θερμαίνειν ἐνέργεια, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἔργα οἵαν ἔχει τὴν 1.1.387 συμφωνίαν