“But God,” he says, “gave the weakest of terrestrial things a share in the most honourable names, though not giving them an equal share of dignity, and to the highest He imparted the names of the lowest, though the natural inferiority of the latter was not transferred to the former along with their names.” We quote this in his very words. If they contain some deep and recondite meaning which has escaped us, let those inform us who see what is beyond our range of vision—initiated as they are by him in his esoteric and unspeakable mysteries. But if they admit of no interpretation beyond what is obvious, I scarcely know which of the two are more to be pitied, those who say such things or those who listen to them. To the weakest of terrestrial things, he says, God has given names in common with the most honourable, though not giving them an equal share of dignity. Let us examine what is meant by this. The weakest things, he says, are dignified with the bare name belonging to the honourable, their nature not corresponding with their name. And this he states to be the work of the God of truth—to dignify the worse nature with the worthier appellation! On the other hand, he says that God applies the less honourable names to things superior in their nature, the nature of the latter not being carried over to the former along with the appellation. But that the matter may be made plainer still, the absurdity shall be shown by actual instances. If any one should call a man who is esteemed for every virtue, intemperate; or, on the other hand, a man equally in disrepute for his vices, good and moral, would sensible people think him of sound mind, or one who had any regard for truth, reversing, as would be the case, the meanings of words, and giving them a non-natural signification? I for my part think not. He speaks, then, of things relating to God, out of all keeping with our common ideas and with the holy Scriptures. For in matters of ordinary life it is only those who are unsettled by drink or madness that go wrong in names, and use them out of their proper meaning, calling, it may be, a man a dog, or vice versa. But Holy Scripture is so far from sanctioning such confusion, that we may clearly hear the voice of prophecy lamenting it. “Woe unto him,” says Isaiah, “that calls darkness light, and light darkness, that calls bitter sweet, and sweet bitter83    Is. v. 20..” Now what induces Eunomius to apply this absurdity to his God? Let those who are initiated in his mysteries say what they judge those weakest of terrestrial things to be, which God has dignified with most honourable appellations. The weakest of existing things are those animals whose generation takes place from the corruption of moist elements, as the most honourable are virtue, and holiness, and whatever else is pleasing in the sight of God. Are flies, then, and midges, and frogs, and whatever insects are generated from dung, dignified with the names of holiness and virtue, so as to be consecrated with honourable names, though not sharing in such high qualities, as saith Eunomius? But never as yet have we heard anything like this, that these weak things are called by high-sounding titles, or that what is great and honourable by nature is degraded by the name of any one of them. Noah was a righteous man, saith the Scripture, Abraham was faithful, Moses meek, Daniel wise, Joseph chaste, Job blameless, David perfect in patience. Let them say, then, whether all these had their names by contraries; or, to take the case of those who are unfavourably spoken of, as Nabal the Carmelite, and Pharaoh the Egyptian, and Abimelech the alien, and all those who are mentioned for their vices, whether they were dignified with honourable names by the voice of God. Not so! But God judges and distinguishes His creatures as they are in nature and truth, not by names contrary to them, but by such appropriate appellations as may give the clearest idea of their meaning.

« Ἀλλ' ὁ θεός », φησί, « καὶ τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις τῶν περὶ γῆν τῶν τιμιωτάτων μεταδέδωκεν ὀνομάτων, μὴ συμμεταδοὺς τῆς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἰσομοιρίας, καὶ τοῖς κυριωτάτοις τῶν εὐτελεστάτων, μὴ συμμεταφερομένης ὑπὸ τῶν ὀνομάτων τῆς φυσικῆς εὐτελείας ». ταῦτα κατ' αὐτὴν εἴρηται τὴν λέξιν: οὕτω παρ' αὐτῶν ὡς παρ' ἡμῶν ἀναγέγραπται. εἰ μέν τινα κατὰ τὸ βάθος ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἔχει διάνοιαν τὴν ἡμᾶς διαφεύγουσαν, λεγόντων οἱ κατειληφότες τὰ πόρρω τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπόψεως, οἱ μεμυημένοι παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐσωτερικήν τε καὶ ἀπόρρητον μύησιν: εἰ δὲ πλέον οὐδὲν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου νοουμένων διερμηνεύουσιν, οὐκ οἶδα ποτέρους ἄν τις ἐλεεινοτέρους τῶν ἑτέρων λογίσαιτο, τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγοντας ἢ τοὺς τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῖς τοιούτοις ὑπέχοντας. « τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις », φησί, « τῶν περὶ γῆν τῶν τιμιωτάτων μεταδέδωκεν ὀνομάτων, μὴ συμμεταδοὺς τῆς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἰσομοιρίας ». οὐκοῦν σκοπήσωμεν τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων διάνοιαν. τὰ ἀσθενέστατα, φησί, ψιλῆς ἀξιοῦται τῆς τῶν τιμίων προσηγορίας, οὐκ ὄντα τὴν φύσιν ἅπερ κατονομάζεται, καὶ τοῦτο ἔργον εἶναι λέγει θεοῦ, τὸ διαψεύδεσθαι τῇ τιμιωτέρᾳ κλήσει τὴν χείρονα φύσιν. καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν τὰς ἀτιμοτέρας φωνὰς τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν προέχουσι τὸν θεὸν ἐφαρμόζειν λέγει, μὴ συμμετατιθεμένης τῇ κλήσει τῆς φύσεως. ὡς δ' ἂν μάλιστα καταφανὲς ἡμῖν τὸ λεγόμενον γένοιτο, ἐπ' αὐτῶν δειχθήσεται τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ ἀτοπία. εἴ τις τὸν διὰ πάσης ἀρετῆς εὐδόκιμον ἀκόλαστον λέγοι ἢ ἀναστρέψας τὸν ἴσῃ κακίᾳ διαβεβλημένον ἀγαθὸν εἴποι καὶ κόσμιον, ἆρα σωφρονεῖν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἤ τινα τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχειν φροντίδα παρὰ τοῖς νοῦν ἔχουσι νομισθήσεται, ἐπηλλαγμένας πρὸς τοὐναντίον τὰς προσηγορίας ποιούμενος, μὴ συμμαρτυρούσης τῇ σημασίᾳ τῶν ὀνομάτων τῆς φύσεως; ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶμαι. ταῦτα τοίνυν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γίνεσθαί φησιν οὗτος, ἃ οὔτε ταῖς κοιναῖς τῶν ἐννοιῶν οὔτε ταῖς γραφικαῖς μαρτυρίαις συμβαίνει. ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡμῶν συνηθείᾳ μόνων τῶν ἐκ μέθης ἢ φρενίτιδος παραπαιόντων ἐστὶ τὸ διαπλανᾶσθαι πρὸς τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὸ σημαινόμενον ταῖς ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων κεχρῆσθαι φωναῖς, ἀλλὰ κύνα μὲν λέγειν, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κυνὶ δὲ πάλιν ἐφαρμόζειν ἀνθρώπου προσηγορίαν. ἡ δὲ θεία γραφὴ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχει τοῦ τῇ συγχύσει ταύτῃ συντίθεσθαι, ὥστε καὶ φανερῶς ἔστι τῆς προφητείας ἐπὶ τούτοις σχετλιαζούσης ἀκούειν. Ὁ λέγων, φησί, τὸ φῶς σκότος καὶ τὸ σκότος φῶς, ὁ τιθεὶς τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν. πρὸς τί τοίνυν βλέπων τὴν ἀτοπίαν ταύτην προσμαρτυρεῖν οἴεται δεῖν τῷ ἰδίῳ θεῷ; εἰπάτωσαν οἱ μυσταγωγηθέντες παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀπόρρητα, τί « τῶν περὶ γῆν ἀσθενέστατον » κρίνουσιν, ὃ « ταῖς τιμιωτάταις » τῶν ἐπωνυμιῶν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ σεμνύνεται. ἀσθενέστατα τῶν ὄντων τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν ζῴων ἐστὶν οἷς ἡ γένεσις ἀπὸ σήψεως ὑγρῶν τὴν σύστασιν ἔχει, τιμιώτατον δὲ τῶν ὄντων ἀρετή τε καὶ ἁγιότης καὶ εἴ τι φίλον τῷ θεῷ. ἆρ' οὖν μυῖαι καὶ σκνῖπες καὶ βάτραχοι καὶ οἷς ἐκ κόπρου ἡ γένεσις, ταῦτα τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ τῇ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπωνυμίᾳ τετίμηται, ὥστε σεμνύνεσθαι μὲν τοῖς τιμίοις τῶν ὀνομάτων, μὴ συμμετέχει δὲ τῆς τῶν « ἀξιωμάτων ἰσομοιρίας », καθώς φησιν ὁ Εὐνόμιος; ἀλλ' οὔπω τὸ τοιοῦτον ἠκούσαμεν, ὅτι τὰ ἀσθενῆ ταῦτα ταῖς μεγαλοφυεστέραις τῶν προσηγοριῶν κατωνόμασται ἢ ὅτι τὸ μέγα τῇ φύσει καὶ τίμιον τῇ ἑνὸς τούτων καθυβρίσθη προσηγορίᾳ. δίκαιος ἦν ὁ Νῶε, φησὶν ἡ γραφή, πιστὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ πραῢς Μωϋσῆς καὶ σοφὸς Δανιὴλ καὶ σώφρων ὁ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ἄμεμπτος ὁ Ἰὼβ καὶ μακροθυμίαν κατωρθωκὼς ὁ Δαβίδ. εἰπάτωσαν τοίνυν, εἴ πη τούτων ἕκαστος ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων τὰς ἐπωνυμίας ἔσχεν, ἢ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον μαρτυρουμένων οἷον Νάβαλ ὁ Καρμήλιος καὶ Φαραὼ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος καὶ Ἀβιμέλεχ ὁ ἀλλόφυλος καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐπὶ κακίᾳ μνημονευόμενοι, εἰ ταῖς δεξιωτέραις τῶν ἐπωνυμιῶν παρὰ τῆς θείας φωνῆς ἐτιμήθησαν. οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχει φύσεως τε καὶ ἀληθείας, οὕτω τὰ ὄντα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κρίνεται τε καὶ λέγεται, οὐκ ἐναντίως τοῖς οὖσιν ὀνομαζόμενα, ἀλλ' ὡς ἂν μάλιστα καταφανῆ γένοιτο τὰ σημαινόμενα ταῖς οἰκείαις προσηγορίαις ἐξαγγελλόμενα.