2. Who, when he hears these things, will still regard them as Christians, and not rather as pagans? For such things the pagans say against us in conversation among themselves. Who will be willing to answer this folly of theirs? For my part, in my search for an appropriate answer to them, after much thought I find none except that which of old was given to the Pharisees. For as the Saviour, when the Pharisees maliciously questioned him, questioned them in return, that they might perceive their evilmindedness; so likewise, when they ask such questions, let them tell us, nay rather, let them answer us, being questioned as they question. If, when they speak, they do not understand their inventions, perhaps, when they listen, they may realize their folly. If the Holy Spirit is not a creature, as has been shown in our previous writings, but is in God and is given from God: then he is a son, and there are two brothers, he and the Word. And if the Spirit is of the Son, and the Spirit receives all things from the Son, as the Son himself said and inasmuch as it was he who gave him to the disciples by breathing upon them (for you too acknowledge these things): then the Father is a grandfather and the Spirit is his grandson. It is just that you should be questioned from the same Scriptures with the same questions to which you in your questioning ask answer from us. If you deny those things which are written, then you can no longer be called Christians, and it is just for us who are Christians to be questioned by you. But if you read the same Scriptures as we read, then must you likewise be questioned about the same by us. Tell us, therefore, and do not hesitate, whether the Spirit is a son and the Father a grandfather. But if, as did the Pharisees of old, you too reason and say among yourselves, If we say that he is a son, we shall hear the question, Where is it written? If we say, he is not a son, we fear lest they say to us, How then is it written: ‘We received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God’? But if, when you debate these things among yourselves, you too say, We do not know: then must he of whom you ask these questions be silent also, in obedience to him who says: ‘Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.’ Silence is the answer most appropriate to you, that you may realize your own ignorance.

Τίς, τούτων ἀκούων, ἔτι Χριστιανοὺς, καὶ οὐ μᾶλλον Ἕλληνας αὐτοὺς νομίσει; Τοιαῦτα γὰρ Ἕλληνες καθ' ἡμῶν ὁμιλοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς. Τίς ἀποκρίνασθαι θελήσει πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἀφροσύνην αὐτῶν; Ἐγὼ γοῦν, πολλὰ λογισάμενος, καὶ ζητῶν ἁρμόζουσαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπόκρισιν, οὐδεμίαν εὗρον ἢ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς Φαρισαίους τότε γενομένην. Ὡς γὰρ ἐκείνους, κακοήθως ἐρωτήσαντας, ἀντηρώτησεν ὁ Σωτὴρ, ἵν' αἴσθων ται τῆς ἰδίας κακονοίας, οὕτως, ἐπειδὴ καὶ οὗτοι τοιαῦτα ἐρωτῶσιν, εἰπάτωσαν ἡμῖν αὐτοὶ, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀποκρινάσθωσαν ἐρωτώμενοι ὡς ἐρωτῶσιν. Ἐπει δὴ γὰρ, λέγοντες, τὰς παρ' αὐτῶν ἐφευρέσεις οὐ νοοῦσι τάχα, κἂν ἀκούοντες, ἐπιγνῶσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀφροσύνην. Εἰ μὴ κτίσμα ἐστὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν δέδεικται, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐστι, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ δίδοται· οὐκοῦν υἱός ἐστι καὶ αὐτὸ, καὶ δύο ἀδελφοὶ, αὐτό τε καὶ ὁ Υἱός· καὶ εἰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ πάντα δέχεται τὸ Πνεῦμα, ὡς αὐτὸς εἴρηκε, καὶ «ἐμφυσήσας δέδωκεν αὐ τὸ τοῖς μαθηταῖς» (ὁμολογεῖτε γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ ὑμεῖς), οὐκοῦν πάππος ἐστὶν ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ ἔκγονον αὐτοῦ ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα. Ἅπερ γὰρ ἐρωτῶντες ἀπαιτεῖτε παρ' ἡμῶν, τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐρωτᾶσθαι δίκαιον. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀρνεῖσθε τὰ γεγραμμένα, οὐκ ἔτι μὲν ὑμεῖς Χριστιανοὶ λεχθείητε ἄν· δίκαιον δὲ ἡμᾶς τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἐρωτᾶσθαι παρ' ὑμῶν· εἰ δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ ἡμῖν ἀναγινώσκετε, ἀνάγκη καὶ ὑμᾶς περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν οὕτως ἐρωτᾶσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν. Εἴπατε τοίνυν, καὶ μὴ μέλλετε, εἰ Υἱός ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ πάππος ὁ Πατήρ. Ἂν δὲ διαλογιζόμενοι, ὡς οἱ τότε Φαρισαῖοι πεποιήκασιν, εἴπητε καὶ ὑμεῖς πρὸς ἑαυτούς· Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν, ὅτι Υἱός ἐστιν, ἀκουσόμεθα· Ποῦ γέγραπται; ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωμεν· Οὐκ ἔστιν Υἱὸς, φοβούμεθα μὴ εἴπωσιν ἡμῖν· Πῶς οὖν γέγραπται «Ἡμεῖς οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ»; Τοιαῦτα δὲ διαμαχόμενοι πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς, ἐὰν εἴπητε καὶ ὑμεῖς, Οὐκ οἴ δαμεν, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸν ἐρωτώμενον τοιαῦτα παρ' ὑμῶν σιωπᾷν, πειθόμενον τῷ λέγοντι· «Μὴ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ἀφροσύνην, ἵνα μὴ ὅμοιος γένῃ αὐτῷ· ἀλλ' ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ φαίνηται σοφὸς παρ' ἑαυτῷ.» Ἀπόκρισις δὲ ὑμῖν ἁρμόζουσα μάλιστα ἡ σιωπή· ἵνα τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἄγνοιαν ἐπιγνῶτε.