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being unbegotten with God and being one and the same with him, did he say that he himself was created and begotten? For one and the same person, as I said, has been 3.3.47 shown to be the one who goes through all the aforementioned passages. But if he ever belatedly confessed that these things were spoken from the person of the Word who is in God, then his attributions to the flesh of the Savior are forced, and all those things at once have been detected to be stale and vain and superfluous. But if it was the flesh of the Savior that says, “the Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works” according to the interpretation assigned by him, and if the flesh was founded “before the age” and “in the beginning, before he made the earth”—the flesh clearly being the earth, as it seemed to him, because it was said, “you are earth and to earth you will return”—and if indeed it was the flesh that says, “before he made the depths, before the springs of the waters came forth, before the mountains were settled, and before all the hills he begets me” because it was begotten before the election of the apostles, as it seemed to the most wise man, it follows that from the person of the flesh is also said, “when he prepared the heaven, 3.3.48 I was with him.” But no one, unless he were out of his mind, would ever agree with this interpretation; for the 3.3.49 word of truth will speak against him, shouting loudly, showing who it was that was recounting these things. That, therefore, the only-begotten Son begotten of God was another, living and subsisting, existing even before the constitution of all created things, he himself demonstrates through what he adds next, saying, “when he prepared the heaven, I was with him”; for he was with him and present with him before even the heaven came to be and the things beyond heaven and all the things in heaven. This, at least, he was hinting at by saying, “when he prepared the 3.3.50 heaven, I was with him.” And how did God prepare it, or was he legislating and shaping before it came to be the manner in which it had to be constituted? The Father, then, was shaping and preparing, devising how so great a heaven needed to be constituted, of what size it required, and of what shape, measures, and how many parts, for the sake of the things that were to be contained within it, and of the things that would be outside it, and for the sake of those that would make their course within it; and the Son, gazing intently at the Father's thoughts and alone observing the depths within him, proceeded through works, serving the Father's 3.3.51 nods. Wherefore it is said somewhere, “praise the Lord from the 3.3.52 heavens, praise him in the highest. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you stars and light. Praise him, you heavens of heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord; for he spoke, and they were 3.3.53 made, he commanded, and they were created.” But nevertheless, even before the heaven itself and the things beyond heaven and all the things in heaven came to be—for all things have been revealed comprehensively from one—the Son of God was, and was present with and was with the Father while he was still deliberating about the constitution of all these things. Wherefore he says, “when he prepared the heaven, I was with him.” Then, like a good scribe, taking the archetypal ideas from the Father's thoughts, he transferred them to the substances of the works, fashioning and bringing into existence such things 3.3.54 as he saw pre-existing in the thought of the Father. And of these things he himself would be a worthy witness, teaching thus in the Gospels: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, unless he sees the Father doing something; for whatever that one does, these things the 3.3.55 Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself does.” At which point one might reasonably ask how the Son again does the things that have once been done by the Father? But he himself resolved the matter by saying, “for whatever the Father does, these things the 3.3.56 Son also does in like manner.” Therefore, the things done by the Son happen to be likenesses of archetypal works pre-existing in the ineffable thoughts of the Father, which indeed the Son, gazing intently into the thought of the Father, made as imitations of what he saw. But that he observes the depths of the Father

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συναγένητος ὢν τῷ θεῷ ἕν τε καὶ ταὐτὸν ὑπάρχων αὐτῷ, ἐκτίσθαι ἑαυτὸν ἔλεγεν καὶ γεγεννῆσθαι; ἓν γὰρ καὶ ταὐτὸν, ὡς ἔφην, ἀπε3.3.47 δείχθη πρόσωπον τὸ πάντα διεξιὸν τὰ προκείμενα. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὀψέ ποτε ὡμολόγησεν ἐκ προσώπου ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι τοῦ ἐν τῷ θεῷ λόγου, βεβίασται ἄρα αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς εἰς τὴν σάρκα τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀποδόσεως, καὶ πάντα ἀθρόως ἐκεῖνα ἕωλα καὶ μάταια καὶ περιττὰ πεφώραται. εἰ δὲ ἡ σὰρξ ἦν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡ λέγουσα τὸ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ» κατὰ τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ ἑρμηνείαν, καὶ εἰ ἡ σὰρξ «πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος» ἐθεμελιώθη καὶ «ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι» γῆν δηλαδὴ τὴν σάρκα ὡς αὐτῷ ἐδόκει διὰ τὸ εἰρῆσθαι «γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ», καὶ εἴπερ ἡ σὰρξ ἦν ἡ λέγουσα «πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι, πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με» διὰ τὸ προγεγεννημένην εἶναι αὐτὴν τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐκλογῆς ὡς ἐδόκει τῷ σοφωτάτῳ, ἕπεται ἐκ προσώπου τῆς σαρκὸς λέγεσθαι καὶ τὸ «ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν οὐρανόν, 3.3.48 συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ». ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄν τις μὴ τῶν φρενῶν ἐκστὰς ταύτῃ ποτὲ συνθοῖτο τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ· ἀντιφθέγξεται γὰρ αὐτῷ μέγα βοήσας ὁ 3.3.49 τῆς ἀληθείας λόγος, ἐπιδεικνὺς τίς ποτε ἦν ὁ ταῦτα διεξιών. ὡς δ' οὖν ἕτερος ἦν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγεννημένος μονογενὴς υἱός, ζῶν καὶ ὑφεστώς, ὢν καὶ πρὸ τῆς τῶν γενητῶν ἁπάντων συστάσεως, ὅδε παρίστησιν αὐτὸς δι' ὧν ἑξῆς ἐπάγει λέγων «ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν οὐρανόν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ»· συνῆν γὰρ καὶ παρῆν αὐτῷ πρὶν καὶ γενέσθαι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐπέκεινα οὐρανοῦ τά τε ἐν οὐρανῷ πάντα. τοῦτο γοῦν ᾐνίττετο διὰ τοῦ φάναι «ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν 3.3.50 οὐρανόν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ». πῶς δὲ ἡτοίμαζεν ὁ θεὸς ἢ πρὶν γενέσθαι αὐτὸν νομοθετῶν καὶ διατυπούμενος ὃν ἔδει τρόπον αὐτὸν συστῆναι; ὁ μὲν οὖν πατὴρ διετύπου καὶ ἡτοίμαζεν, διανοούμενος ὅπως ἐχρῆν συστῆναι τὸν τοσοῦτον οὐρανόν, ὅσου τε μεγέθους ἐδεῖτο καὶ ὁποίου σχήματος μέτρων τε καὶ μερῶν ὁπόσων, τῶν μελλόντων εἴσω τε αὐτοῦ περιέχεσθαι χάριν, καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς ἔσεσθαι αὐτοῦ, τῶν τε ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν δρόμον ποιησομένων ἕνεκα· ὁ δὲ τοῖς τοῦ πατρὸς λογισμοῖς ἐνατενίζων καὶ μόνος ἐποπτεύων τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ βάθη, δι' ἔργων ἐχώρει τοῖς τοῦ πατρὸς 3.3.51 ἐξυπηρετούμενος νεύμασιν. διὸ λέλεκταί που «αἰνεῖτε τὸν κύριον ἐκ 3.3.52 τῶν οὐρανῶν, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις. αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν, πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ· αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν, πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ. αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν, ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη· αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν, πάντα τὰ ἄστρα καὶ τὸ φῶς. αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν, οἱ οὐρανοὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ τὰ ὕδατα τὰ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου· ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπεν καὶ 3.3.53 ἐγενήθησαν, αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν». πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐπέκεινα οὐρανοῦ τά τε ἐν οὐρανῷ πάντα ἐξ ἑνὸς γὰρ τὰ πάντα περιληπτικῶς δεδήλωται ἦν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τῷ πατρὶ παρῆν τε καὶ συνῆν ἔτι βουλευομένῳ περὶ τῆς τούτων ἁπάντων συστάσεως. διό φησιν «ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν οὐρανόν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ». εἶθ' ὡς ἀγαθὸς γραφεὺς τὰς ἀρχετύπους ἰδέας ἐκ τῶν πατρικῶν λογισμῶν ἀπολαμβάνων ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν ἔργων μετέφερεν οὐσίας, τοιαῦτα ζωοπλαστῶν καὶ ὑφιστάμενος, 3.3.54 ὁποῖα τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς διανοίᾳ προϋποκείμενα ἑώρα. τούτων δ' αὐτὸς γένοιτ' ἂν μάρτυς ἀξιόχρεως, ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὧδε διδάσκων· «ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδέν, ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα· ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ 3.3.55 ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ. ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ φιλεῖ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ἃ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ». ἔνθα τις εἰκότως ζητήσειεν ἂν πῶς τὰ ἅπαξ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς γεγονότα ὁ υἱὸς αὖθις ποιεῖ; ἐπελύσατο δ' αὐτὸς τὸν λόγον εἰπὼν «ἃ γὰρ ἂν ὁ πατὴρ ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ 3.3.56 ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ». οὐκοῦν ὁμοιώματα τυγχάνει τὰ πρὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ γιγνόμενα ἔργων ἀρχετύπων ἐν ἀπορρήτοις τοῦ πατρὸς λογισμοῖς προϋφισταμένων, ἃ δὴ βλέπων ἀτενὲς ἐν τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς διανοίᾳ ὁ υἱὸς μιμήματα ὧν ἑώρα ἐποίει. τὸ δ' ἐποπτεύειν αὐτὸν τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς βάθη