61

to believe that there is a sequence of order for him through whom all things 1.1.469 came to be; so that he who is not without beginning in the account of his hypostasis is confessed in all other respects to have being without beginning, and the Father is both without beginning and unbegotten, but the Son is without beginning in the manner stated, but surely not unbegotten. 1.1.470 Looking then to what connatural dignity of the Father does he reason by analogy about the mode of generation? He will surely say, to unbegottenness. Therefore, if we say that all the names which we have learned for the doxology of the God of all things are idle and meaningless to you, the enumeration of such terms, uttered in mere speech, is somehow superfluous and redundant, if indeed none of the other appellations 1.1.471 represents the natural dignity of the one who is over all. But if for each of the things said some particular concept is known that is fitting to the conception of God, clearly, according to the number of names, the connatural dignities of God are also contemplated, and through these the likeness of substances is constructed, if indeed the dignities connatural to the substances are 1.1.472 characteristic of the subjects. And since the dignities appear the same for each, the identity in substance of the things which are subject to the same dignities is clearly demonstrated. For if the variation of one name is considered sufficient to indicate the otherness of substance, how much more will the identity of countless names have the strength to represent 1.1.473 the commonality of nature? What then is the reason for which the other names are disregarded, and generation is proven by one alone? And why do they dogmatize that 20unbegottenness20 is the only connatural dignity of the Father, having pushed aside the others? So that by the contrast with what is begotten, they might corrupt the mode of likeness, which itself, when examined at the proper time, will likewise be found to be, along with the aforesaid, ineffectual and insubstantial and of no account. 1.1.474 And that all his constructions look to this, the following shows, in which he approves of himself as having appropriately used that path for the construction of his blasphemy and not having immediately stripped his argument of its intention nor, before putting together the construction of deceit, having assailed with his impiety ears that were still untrained, nor in the introductions of his arguments having declared unbegottenness to be substance and having noised abroad the otherness of substance, 1.1.475 saying these things thus, word for word: 20or as Basil legislates, was it necessary to begin from the very points in question, incoherently, saying that unbegottenness is substance and to noise abroad the otherness of substance or its identity20? concerning which, after having gone through many things in the middle with jests and revilings and insults (for thus the wise man knows how to contend for his own dogmas), he again takes up the argument and, seemingly addressing his opponent and ascribing to him the cause 1.1.476 of what is said, he says the following: 20Since you before all others are liable to these transgressions, you who have allotted the same substance to the one who begot and to the one who was begotten, for which reason you have also devised against yourselves the reviling for these things like some inescapable trap, as justice, as is likely, votes against you with your own arguments. 1.1.477 For either supposing these substances to be separated from one another without beginning, and bringing one of them to the rank of Son through generation and insisting that the one who is without beginning came to be from the one who is, you are subject to your own revilings (for upon him whom you imagine to be unbegotten, you predicate generation from another), or confessing one and only one substance without beginning, then circumscribing it into Father and Son by the generation, you will say that the unbegotten substance has been begotten from itself20. 1.1.478 Therefore, the things written by him before what has been read, as they contain mere shamelessness against our teacher and father and contribute nothing to the present purpose, I will pass over; but in what has been said, since he terribly upon us these double-edged refutations from both sides

61

τάξεως ἀκολουθίαν εἶναι πιστεύειν τὸν δι' οὗ τὰ 1.1.469 πάντα ἐγένετο· ὥστε τὸν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ὑποστάσεως μὴ ἄναρχον ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσιν ὁμολογούμενον ἔχειν τὸ ἄν αρχον, καὶ τὸν μὲν πατέρα καὶ ἄναρχον καὶ ἀγέννητον, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν ἄναρχον μὲν κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἀγέννητον. 1.1.470 Εἰς ποῖον οὖν συμφυὲς ἀξίωμα τοῦ πατρὸς βλέπων δι' ἐκείνου τὸν τῆς γεννήσεως τρόπον ἀναλογίζεται; εἰς τὴν ἀγεννησίαν πάντως ἐρεῖ. οὐκοῦν εἰ μὲν πάντα τὰ ὀνόματα, ὅσα εἰς δοξολογίαν τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐμάθομεν, ἀργά σοι καὶ ἀσήμαντα λέγομεν, περιττή τίς ἐστι καὶ παρέλκουσα ἡ τῶν τοιούτων φωνῶν ἀπαρίθμησις ἐν ψιλῷ τῷ κατα λόγῳ προφερομένη, εἴπερ οὐδεμία τῶν λοιπῶν προσηγοριῶν 1.1.471 τὴν φυσικὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων παρίστησιν. εἰ δὲ ἑκά στου τῶν λεγομένων ἰδιάζουσά τις ἔννοια καὶ πρέπουσα τῇ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπολήψει γνωρίζεται, δηλονότι κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ὀνομάτων καὶ αἱ συμφυεῖς ἀξίαι τοῦ θεοῦ θεωροῦνται καὶ διὰ τούτων ἡ τῶν οὐσιῶν ὁμοιότης κατα σκευάζεται, εἴπερ τὰ συμφυῆ ταῖς οὐσίαις ἀξιώματα γνω 1.1.472 ριστικὰ τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἐστί. τῶν δὲ ἀξιωμάτων ἐφ' ἑκατέρου τῶν αὐτῶν φαινομένων, ἡ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ταὐ τότης τῶν ταῖς αὐταῖς ἀξίαις ὑποκειμένων πραγμάτων σα φῶς ἐπιδείκνυται. εἰ γὰρ ἱκανὴ νομίζεται ἑνὸς ὀνόματος παραλλαγὴ τὸ ξένον τῆς οὐσίας ἐνδείξασθαι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἰσχύσει ἡ τῶν μυρίων ὀνομάτων ταὐτότης τὸ κοινὸν παρα 1.1.473 στῆσαι τῆς φύσεως; τίς οὖν ἡ αἰτία δι' ἣν τὰ μὲν λοιπὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων περιορᾶται, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ ἑνὶ τεκμηριοῦται ἡ γέννησις; καὶ διὰ τί μόνον συμφυὲς ἀξίωμα τὴν 20ἀγεν νησίαν20 ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς δογματίζουσι, τὰ λοιπὰ παρωσά μενοι; ἵνα τῇ πρὸς τὸ γεννητὸν ἀντιδιαστολῇ τὸν τῆς ὁμοιότητος κακουργήσωσι τρόπον, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ κατὰ τὸν προσήκοντα καιρὸν εὐθυνόμενον ἐπίσης τοῖς προειρημένοις ἀδρανές τε καὶ ἀνυπόστατον καὶ ἀντ' οὐδενὸς εὑρεθήσεται. 1.1.474 Ὅτι δὲ εἰς τοῦτο βλέπουσιν αἱ κατασκευαὶ πᾶσαι, τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον δείκνυσιν, ἐν οἷς ἑαυτὸν ἀποδέχεται ὡς προση κόντως τῇ ὁδῷ ἐκείνῃ πρὸς τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς βλασφη μίας χρησάμενος καὶ οὐκ εὐθὺς ἀπογυμνώσας τοῦ λόγου τὸ βούλημα οὐδὲ πρὸ τοῦ συναρτῆσαι τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς ἀπάτης ἀγυμνάστοις ἔτι ταῖς ἀκοαῖς προσβαλὼν τὴν ἀσέ βειαν οὐδὲ ἐν προοιμίοις τῶν λόγων τὴν ἀγεννησίαν οὐσίαν ἀποφηνάμενος καὶ τὴν τῆς οὐσίας ἑτερότητα διαθρυλήσας, 1.1.475 οὑτωσὶ λέγων ταῦτα κατὰ τὴν λέξιν· 20ἢ καθὼς νομο θετεῖ Βασίλειος, ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἄρξασθαι τῶν ζη τουμένων ἔδει ἀσυναρτήτως τὴν ἀγεννησίαν οὐσίαν λέγοντας καὶ τὴν τῆς οὐσίας ἑτερό τητα θρυλεῖν ἢ ταὐτότητα20; περὶ ὧν πολλὰ διὰ μέσου διεξελθὼν ἐν σκώμμασι καὶ λοιδορίαις καὶ ὕβρεσιν (οὕτω γὰρ οἶδεν ὁ σοφὸς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων δογμάτων δια γωνίζεσθαι) πάλιν ἐπαναλαμβάνει τὸν λόγον καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀντίπαλον δῆθεν ἀποτεινόμενος κἀκείνῳ τῶν λεγομένων τὴν 1.1.476 αἰτίαν ἀνατιθεὶς τοιάδε φησίν· 20ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλ λων ὑμεῖς ἔνοχοι τούτοις τοῖς πλημμελήμασιν οἱ τὴν αὐτὴν οὐσίαν τῷ γεννήσαντι καὶ τῷ γεννηθέντι διακληρώσαντες, διὸ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις λοιδορίαν ὥσπερ τινὰ πάγην ἄφυκτον καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐτεκτήνασθε, τῆς δίκης ὡς εἰκὸς τοῖς ὑμετέροις καθ' ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιψηφι 1.1.477 ζούσης. ἤτοι γὰρ ἀνάρχως ἀλλήλων κεχω ρίσθαι τὰς οὐσίας ταύτας ὑπολαμβάνοντες, τούτων δὲ τὴν ἑτέραν εἰς υἱοῦ τάξιν διὰ γεν νήσεως ἄγοντες καὶ τὸν ἀνάρχως ὄντα ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄντος γενέσθαι διατεινόμενοι τοῖς ἰδίοις ὑπό κεισθε λοιδορήμασιν (ὃν γὰρ ἀγέννητον εἶναι φαντάζεσθε, τούτῳ τὴν παρ' ἑτέρου γέννησιν ἐπιφημίζετε), ἢ μίαν καὶ μόνην ἄναρχον ὁμο λογοῦντες οὐσίαν, εἶτα ταύτην εἰς πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν τῇ γεννήσει περιγράφοντες, αὐτὴν παρ' ἑαυτῆς γεγεννῆσθαι τὴν ἀγέννητον οὐσίαν φήσετε20. 1.1.478 Τὰ μὲν οὖν πρὸ τῶν ἀνεγνωσμένων αὐτῷ γεγραμμένα, ὡς ψιλὴν ἔχοντα κατὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν καὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν προκείμενον συντε λοῦντα σκοπόν, ὑπερβήσομαι· ἐν δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ἐπειδὴ δεινῶς ἡμῖν τοὺς ἀμφήκεις τούτους ἐλέγχους διχόθεν