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by superiority of nature 1.1.531 having dominion over all things, and in addition to these things, that the dogma of the monarchy is not partitioned into different principles divided by the otherness of nature, but to believe that there is one divinity, one principle, one authority over all things, the divinity being contemplated in the harmony of likes and leading the mind through the like to the like, since the principle of all things, which is the Lord, shines upon souls through the Holy Spirit (for it is impossible for the Lord Jesus to be otherwise contemplated, except in the Holy Spirit, as the apostle says), and through the Lord, who is the principle of all things, the principle beyond all principle is found by us, which is the God over all; for it is not possible for the archetypal good to be 1.1.532 known in any other way, unless it is seen in the image of the invisible. And just as if turning back in a double-course race, after the chief point of the knowledge of God, I mean the God over all, running through things that are near and familiar to the mind, we proceed from the Father through the Son to the Spirit. For having been established in the contemplation of the unbegotten light, from there again we perceived the light from it in immediate succession, as a certain ray co-existing with the sun, whose cause of being is from the sun, but whose existence is together with the sun, not coming to be later in time, but appearing together with it from it as soon as the sun is seen 1.1.533; or rather (for there is no necessity, being slaves to the image, to give the slanderers a handle against the argument in the weakness of the example) we shall not conceive of a ray from a sun, but from an unbegotten sun another sun, begottenly shining forth together with it at the conception of the first, and being in all respects the same in beauty, in power, in brilliance, in magnitude, in splendor, and in absolutely all the things contemplated concerning the sun. And again another such light in the same manner, not cut off from the begotten light by any interval of time, but shining forth through it, yet having the cause of its hypostasis from the prototypical light, being itself also a light, shining in likeness to the one conceived before it and illuminating and performing all the other 1.1.534 works of light. For there is no variation of one light from another light in this respect, when it appears to be wanting or falling short in no aspect of illuminating grace, but is contemplated as raised to the highest point with all perfection with the Father and the Son, is numbered after the Father and the Son, and through itself bestows access to the conceived light which is in the Father and the Son to all who are able to partake. 1.1.535 But enough of this. Since he is very fluent in revilings and makes insolence the groundwork of every principle, and instead of any proof for disputed points brings forward reviling, come, let us also briefly refute the things which, slandering our teacher about the term 'unbegotten,' he has insolently directed against both him and the argument 1.1.536. He cited the teacher's statement concerning these things, which runs thus: "1And I, for my part, would say that the appellation 'unbegotten,' even if it seems especially to agree with our conceptions, still, as it is found nowhere in Scripture and is a primary element of his blasphemy, deserves to be passed over in silence, since the term 'Father' has the same force as 'unbegotten'; for He who is truly and only Father is from no other, and 'from no other' 1.1.537 is the same as 'unbegotten'."2 What proof, then, does he bring against what has been said, to show that this argument was poorly stated, let us hear. 20Therefore, the irregularity of arguments which, from a rashness no less than from a shameless wickedness, he mixes into his own attempts, being carried about by the instability of his opinion and by the weakness of his reasonings20. You see the aptness of the response, how skillfully, according to that logical nimbleness of his, he refutes the force of what was said, and introduces in its place 1.1.538 the more pious supposition. 20Irregular20, he says, 20in his argument, rash no less than wicked in his opinion, unstable, being carried about by the weakness of his reasonings20. Whence are these things and from what

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φύσεως ὑπερ 1.1.531 οχῇ τὸ κατὰ πάντων ἔχοντα κράτος, καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τού τοις τὸ μὴ εἰς διαφόρους ἀρχὰς τῇ ἑτερότητι τῆς φύσεως διῃρημένας τὸ τῆς μοναρχίας δόγμα καταμερίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ μίαν θεότητα, μίαν ἀρχήν, μίαν τῶν πάντων ἐξουσίαν εἶναι πιστεύειν, ἐν τῇ τῶν ὁμοίων συμφωνίᾳ τῆς θεότητος θεω ρουμένης καὶ διὰ τοῦ ὁμοίου πρὸς τὸ ὅμοιον τὴν διάνοιαν ἀγούσης, ὡς τῆς πάντων μὲν ἀρχῆς, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ κύριος, διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐλλαμπούσης (ἀμή χανον γὰρ ἄλλως θεωρηθῆναι τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν, εἰ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος), διὰ δὲ τοῦ κυρίου, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ πάντων ἀρχή, τῆς ἐπέκεινα πάσης ἀρχῆς ἡμῖν εὑρισκομένης, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων θεός· οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατόν ἐστιν ἄλλως τὸ ἀρχέτυπον ἀγαθὸν ἐπι 1.1.532 γνωσθῆναι, μὴ ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ ἀοράτου φαινόμενον. ὥσπερ δέ τινα δίαυλον ἀνακάμπτοντες μετὰ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς θεογνωσίας, αὐτὸν λέγω τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεόν, διὰ τῶν προσεχῶν τε καὶ οἰκείων τῇ διανοίᾳ τρέχοντες ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα ἀναχωροῦμεν. ἐν περινοίᾳ γὰρ τοῦ ἀγεννήτου φωτὸς καταστάντες ἐκεῖθεν πάλιν τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ φῶς κατὰ τὸ προσεχὲς ἐνοήσαμεν οἷον ἀκτῖνά τινα τῷ ἡλίῳ συνυφισταμένην, ἧς ἡ μὲν αἰτία τοῦ εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου, ἡ δὲ ὕπαρξις ὁμοῦ τῷ ἡλίῳ, οὐ χρό νοις ὕστερον προσγινομένη, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τῷ ὀφθῆναι τὸν ἥλιον 1.1.533 ἐξ αὐτοῦ συναναφαινομένη· μᾶλλον δὲ (οὐ γὰρ ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τῇ εἰκόνι δουλεύοντας δοῦναι τοῖς συκοφάνταις κατὰ τοῦ λόγου λαβὴν ἐν τῇ τοῦ ὑποδείγματος ἀτονίᾳ) οὐχὶ ἀκ τῖνα ἐξ ἡλίου νοήσομεν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀγεννήτου ἡλίου ἄλλον ἥλιον ὁμοῦ τῇ τοῦ πρώτου ἐπινοίᾳ γεννητῶς αὐτῷ συνεκ λάμποντα καὶ κατὰ πάντα ὡσαύτως ἔχοντα κάλλει δυ νάμει λαμπηδόνι μεγέθει φαιδρότητι καὶ πᾶσιν ἅπαξ τοῖς περὶ τὸν ἥλιον θεωρουμένοις. καὶ πάλιν ἕτερον τοιοῦτον φῶς κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, οὐ χρονικῷ τινι διαστήματι τοῦ γεννητοῦ φωτὸς ἀποτεμνόμενον, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτοῦ μὲν ἐκλάμπον, τὴν δὲ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αἰτίαν ἔχον ἐκ τοῦ πρω τοτύπου φωτός, φῶς μέντοι καὶ αὐτὸ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τοῦ προεπινοηθέντος λάμπον καὶ φωτίζον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα 1.1.534 τὰ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐργαζόμενον. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστι φωτὶ πρὸς ἕτερον φῶς κατ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο παραλλαγή, ὅταν κατ' οὐδὲν τῆς φωτιστικῆς χάριτος ἐνδέον ἢ ὑστερούμενον φαίνηται, ἀλλὰ πάσῃ τελειότητι πρὸς τὸ ἀκρότατον ἐπηρμένον μετὰ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ θεωρεῖται, μετὰ πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν ἀριθμεῖται, καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν προσαγωγὴν πρὸς τὸ ἐπινοούμενον φῶς τὸ ἐν πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ πᾶσι τοῖς μετασχεῖν δυναμένοις χαρίζεται. 1.1.535 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον. ἐπεὶ δὲ πολύς ἐστιν εὐροῶν ταῖς λοιδορίαις καὶ πάσης μὲν ἀρχῆς κατα σκευὴν τὴν ὕβριν ποιούμενος, ἀντὶ δὲ πάσης ἀποδείξεως τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων τὴν λοιδορίαν ἐπάγων, φέρε καὶ ὅσα περὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀγεννήτου φωνῆς συκοφαντῶν τὸν διδά σκαλον ἡμῶν καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ εἰς τὸν λόγον 1.1.536 ἐξύβρισε, βραχέα διελέγχωμεν. παρέθετο τοῦ διδασκάλου περὶ τούτων λέξιν ἔχουσαν οὕτως· "1Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀγεννήτου προσηγορίαν, κἂν τὰ μάλιστα δοκῇ ταῖς ἐν νοίαις ἡμῶν συμβαίνειν, ἀλλ' οὖν ὡς οὐδαμοῦ τῆς γραφῆς κειμένην καὶ πρῶτον στοιχεῖον οὖσαν τῆς βλασφημίας αὐτοῦ, σιωπᾶσθαι ἂν δικαίως ἀξίαν εἶναι φήσαιμι, τῆς πατρὸς φωνῆς ἴσον δυναμένης τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ· ὁ γὰρ ὄντως πατὴρ καὶ μόνος ἐξ οὐδενός ἐστιν ἑτέρου, τὸ δὲ ἐξ οὐδενὸς 1.1.537 ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ."2 τίνα οὖν ἐπάγει τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ κακῶς εἰρῆσθαι τὸν λόγον τοῦτον ἀκούσωμεν. 20τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀνωμαλίαν τῶν λόγων ἣν ἐκ προ πετείας οὐχ ἧττον ἢ πονηρίας ἀναιδοῦς τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ καταμίγνυσιν ἐγχειρήμασι, τῷ τῆς γνώμης ἀστηρίκτῳ καὶ τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν ἀσθε νείᾳ περιφερόμενος20. ὁρᾶτε τὸ εὔστοχον τῆς ἀπαν τήσεως, ὡς τεχνικῶς κατὰ τὴν λογικὴν αὐτοῦ ἐντρέχειαν ἐκείνην διαλύει μὲν τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν δύναμιν, ἀντεισάγει 1.1.538 δὲ τὴν εὐσεβεστέραν ὑπόληψιν. 20ἀνώμαλος20, φησί, 20τὸν λόγον, προπετὴς οὐχ ἧττον ἢ πονηρὸς τὴν γνώμην, ἀστήρικτος τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν ἀσθε νείᾳ περιφερόμενος20. πόθεν ταῦτα καὶ ἐκ ποίας