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being separated? For the contrary, 1.1.397 as I have said before, is established; since no mode of variation in operations is seen in the Father and the Son, and it is demonstrated that there is no division in the essences of the Son and the Spirit, in the identity of the power that gave them subsistence, just as the testimony of the logographer confirms the argument, which runs word for word thus: 20since20, he says, 20the same operations accomplish the identity 1.1.398 of the works20. So if an identity of works is accomplished in the similarity of operations, and according to them the work of the Father is the Son, and of him the Holy Spirit, the sameness of mode in the operation of the Father and the Son will certainly indicate the identity of the essence that was brought to completion. 1.1.399 But he adds: 20and since varied works also indicate varied operations20. So then, let us examine this again, where the argument's strength lies, and if you please, let us understand these things through clear examples. Is not the operation of him who established the whole world and 1.1.400 all things in it by his will alone, one single operation through commanding? For He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created. Was not the command similarly substantial for all things, and was not the will alone sufficient to give subsistence to what was not? How then, when so great a difference is observed arising from the one operation of commanding, does this man, as if not seeing the facts, say that the variation of the works indicates a variation of 1.1.401 the operation? For on the contrary, all things in the world ought to be uniform, if indeed, according to the dogmatist, a variation in operations is indicated by a difference in works. Or does he see all these things as similar, and only in the Father and the Son does he perceive dissimilarity? 1.1.402 Let him then examine now, if not before, the difference in the elements, and how each of the things in the world that contribute to the constitution of the universe has been drawn by its nature to its contrary. For some are by nature light and borne upwards, while others are heavy and sink downwards, and some are always at rest, while others are in perpetual motion, and among those in motion, some have an unvarying motion towards one point, like the heaven and the wandering stars, whose course unfolds in the opposite direction to the universe, while others are diffused everywhere and are always borne along according to circumstance, like the air and 1.1.403 the sea and the whole nature of liquid substance. And what could one say of the opposition of hot to cold, or the difference of wet to dry, and the separation of up from down? And how many dissimilarities there are among animals according to their nature, and the variations among plants in their shapes and sizes and in their fruits and qualities—what 1.1.404 human speech could recount them? But this wise man declares to us that 20varied works [imply] also varied operations20, either having not yet learned the manner of the divine operation, which Scripture says, that all things came to be by the word of command, or being dull of sight towards the difference of things that have come to be. And thus, speaking incautiously, he lays down laws for us concerning divine dogmas, perhaps having not yet heard from anyone that every declarative statement, if it does not possess what is altogether unassailable and acknowledged concerning the matter at hand, but if the dogmatist speaks authoritatively about things to which no one who has examined them would agree, he is no different from those who recount dreams or 1.1.405 fables over drinks. And since such is the incongruity in what has been said, just as those who, through the fantasy of a dream, think they see something of the things earnestly sought in waking life, eagerly cling to non-existent things, and through a deluded sight persuading their desire for the apparition, they think they possess it, so too he himself, having imagined through this dream-like representation of dogmas that his statements are valid, affirms that these things are so, and through them attempts to establish the rest. And it is worthwhile to set forth the passage itself, which runs thus. 1.1.406 20Since these things are so, and in relation to one another
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χωριζομένης; τοὐναν 1.1.397 τίον γάρ, καθὼς προέφην, κατασκευάζεται· ἐπειδὴ οὐδεὶς τρόπος τῆς τῶν ἐνεργειῶν παραλλαγῆς ἐν πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ θεωρεῖται, καὶ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἐν ταῖς οὐσίαις τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος εἶναι διάστασιν ἐν τῇ ταὐτότητι τῆς ὑπο στησαμένης δυνάμεως ἐπιδείκνυται, καθὼς καὶ ἡ τοῦ λογο γράφου μαρτυρία βεβαιοῖ τὸν λόγον οὕτως ἐπὶ λέξεως ἔχουσα· 20ἅτε20, φησί, 20τῶν αὐτῶν ἐνεργειῶν τὴν ταὐ 1.1.398 τότητα τῶν ἔργων ἀποτελουσῶν20. ὥστε εἰ ταὐτό της ἐπιτελεῖται τῶν ἔργων ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν ὁμοιότητι, ἔργον δὲ κατ' αὐτοὺς τοῦ μὲν πατρὸς ὁ υἱός, τούτου δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἡ ὁμοιοτροπία τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐνεργείας τὴν ταὐτότητα πάντως τῆς ἀποτελεσθείσης οὐσίας ἐνδείξεται. 1.1.399 Ἀλλὰ προστίθησι· 20καὶ τῶν παρηλλαγμένων ἔργων παρηλλαγμένας καὶ τὰς ἐνεργείας ἐμφαι νόντων20. πάλιν τοίνυν καὶ τοῦτο σκοπήσωμεν, τίνι τὸ ἰσχυρὸν ὁ λόγος ἔχει, καὶ εἰ δοκεῖ διὰ τῶν ἐναργῶν ὑποδειγμάτων ταῦτα κατανοήσωμεν. ἆρ' οὐχὶ μία ἐστὶν ἡ διὰ τοῦ προστάσσειν ἐνέργεια τοῦ πάντα τὸν κόσμον καὶ 1.1.400 τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ συστησαμένου διὰ μόνου θελήματος; Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπε καὶ ἐγενήθησαν, αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν. οὐκ ἐπὶ πάντων ὁμοίως οὐσιώθη τὸ πρόσταγμα καὶ ἤρ κεσεν ἡ βούλησις μόνη τὸ μὴ ὂν ὑποστήσασθαι; πῶς οὖν ἐκ μιᾶς τῆς διὰ τοῦ προστάσσειν ἐνεργείας τοσαύτης τῆς διαφορᾶς καθορωμένης οὗτος ὥσπερ οὐχ ὁρῶν τὰ πράγ ματα τὴν τῶν ἔργων παραλλαγὴν τὸ παρηλλαγμένον τῆς 1.1.401 ἐνεργείας ἐνδείκνυσθαι λέγει; τοὐναντίον γὰρ ἔδει μονο ειδῆ πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἶναι, εἴπερ κατὰ τὸν δογμα τιστὴν τῷ διαλλάσσοντι τῶν ἔργων καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν παρηλλαγμένον ἐμφαίνεται. ἢ ταῦτα ὅμοια πάντα βλέπει, ἐν μόνῳ δὲ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ἐνθεωρεῖ τὸ ἀνόμοιον; 1.1.402 Οὐκοῦν ἐπισκεψάσθω νῦν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, τὴν ἐν τοῖς στοιχείοις διαφορὰν καὶ ὡς ἕκαστον τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς σύστασιν συντελούντων πρὸς τὸ ἐναν τίον ἀπῆκται τῆς φύσεως. τὰ μὲν γὰρ κοῦφά τε καὶ ἀνω φερῆ πέφυκε, τὰ δὲ βαρέα καὶ εἰς τὸ κάτω βρίθοντα, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀεὶ ἑστῶτα, τὰ δὲ διόλου κινούμενα, καὶ ἐν τοῖς κινουμένοις τὰ μὲν ἀπαράβατον ἐπὶ τὸ ἓν ἔχει τὴν κίνησιν, ὡς ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων οἱ πλανώμενοι, οἷς ὁ δρόμος εἰς τὸ ἔμπαλιν τοῦ παντὸς ἀνελίσσεται, τὰ δὲ πανταχόθεν διαχεόμενα κατὰ τὸ συμβαῖνον ἀεὶ φέρεται, ὡς ὁ ἀὴρ καὶ 1.1.403 ἡ θάλασσα καὶ ἡ πᾶσα τῆς ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας φύσις. τί δ' ἂν εἴποι τις τὴν τοῦ θερμοῦ πρὸς τὸ ψυχρὸν ἐναντίωσιν ἢ τοῦ ὑγροῦ τὴν πρὸς τὸ ξηρὸν διαφορὰν τοῦ τε ἄνω τὴν πρὸς τὸ κάτω διάστασιν; ὅσαι δὲ τῶν ζῴων αἱ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἀνομοιότητες, τὰς δὲ ἐν τοῖς φυτοῖς κατά τε τὰ σχήματα καὶ τὰ μεγέθη καὶ τὰς τῶν καρπῶν καὶ ποιοτήτων παραλ 1.1.404 λαγὰς τίς ἂν ἐπέλθοι λόγος ἀνθρώπινος; ἀλλ' ὁ σοφὸς οὗτος τῶν 20παρηλλαγμένων ἔργων παρηλλαγμέ νας καὶ τὰς ἐνεργείας20 ἡμῖν ἀποφαίνεται, ἢ τὸ εἶδος τῆς θείας ἐνεργείας μήπω μαθών, ὅ φησιν ἡ γραφή, ὅτι τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ προστάγματος πάντα γεγένηται, ἢ πρὸς τὴν τῶν γεγονότων διαφορὰν ἀμβλυώττων. καὶ οὕτως ἡμῖν ἀπερισκέπτως φθεγγόμενος περὶ θείων δογμάτων νομοθετεῖ, οὔπω τάχα τινὸς ἀκηκοώς, ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἀποφαντικῶς λεγό μενον, ἐὰν μὴ καθόλου τὸ ἄμαχόν τε καὶ ὁμολογούμενον περὶ τοῦ προκειμένου πράγματος ἔχῃ, ἀλλὰ περὶ ὧν οὐκ ἄν τις τῶν ἐπεσκεμμένων συνθοῖτο, περὶ τούτων κατ' ἐξου σίαν ὁ δογματίζων λέγῃ, οὐδὲν διαφέρει τῶν ὀνείρους ἢ 1.1.405 μύθους παρὰ πότον διηγουμένων. καὶ τοιαύτης οὔσης τῆς ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀναρμοστίας, καθάπερ οἱ δι' ἐνυπνίου φαντασίας τῶν καθ' ὕπαρ σπουδαζομένων ὁρᾶν τι νομί σαντες προθύμως ἔχονται τῶν ἀνυπάρκτων καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸ φαινόμενον ἐπιθυμίας διὰ τῆς ἠπατημένης ὄψεως ἀναπει θούσης ἔχειν οἴονται, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τῆς ὀνειρώδους ταύτης τῶν δογμάτων ἀνατυπώσεως ἰσχύειν αὐτῷ φαντα σθεὶς τὰ εἰρημένα ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν διαβεβαιοῦται καὶ δι' αὐτῶν κατασκευάζειν ἐπιχειρεῖ τὰ ὑπόλοιπα. ἄξιον δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν παραθέσθαι τὴν λέξιν ἔχουσαν οὕτως. 1.1.406 20Οὕτω δὲ τούτων ἐχόντων καὶ τῇ πρὸς ἄλ ληλα