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of the names concerning God, I mean those indicative of the transcendent power, he sets forth the name of 'unbegottenness' and has made this a starting-point for his attack against our dogma, transferring the opposition in pronunciation of the 'begotten' to the 'unbegotten' onto the persons to whom the names have been applied; and through these he sophistically devises the difference of the essences from the variation of the names, not agreeing that what has been begotten is called 'begotten' because it has been begotten, nor that what has not been begotten is 'unbegotten', but saying that one is given its essence from <unbegottenness and the other from> generation, I do not know what kind of 1.1.647 wisdom leads him by the hand to such an understanding. For if one were to consider in themselves the significations of the names, removing in thought the persons upon whom the names seem to have been set, he will find the futility of the thought of the things 1.1.648 said by him. For let no one, just because the Father is preconceived before the Son according to the true account of the faith, for this reason also think it right that the order of the names be arranged together with the dignity and order of the persons underlying them, but let him consider the names in themselves, which is ranked prior to the other in the order of conception (the name, I say again, not the reality signified by the name), which of the things said indicates the positing of some thought and which the negation of what was posited; for instance (for, for the sake of clarity I think it necessary to present the argument through similar examples) education and lack of education, anger and lack of anger, passion and impassibility, and as many things as are of such a kind, which of these is preconceived before the others? Those that represent the negation of what has been posited, or those that represent the positing of the subject? I 1.1.649 for my part say this. For first one conceives of education and anger and passion, and then the negation of the things conceived. So also generation and unbegottenness. And let no one through self-willed piety slander the argument as placing the 1.1.650 Son before the one who begot him. For we are not arguing that the Son is ranked before the Father and preconceived, if the argument distinguishes concerning the meaning of 'begotten' and 'unbegotten'. Therefore, generation signifies the positing of some thing or thought, but unbegottenness, as I said, the negation of what was posited; so that in every way the name of generation is preconceived before the name of 1.1.651 unbegottenness. Why then in these matters do they force the application to the Father of what is second in order among the names, as if it were proper to him, and think that a concept of privation is indicative and comprehensive of the essence of the being, and are vexed and provoked at those who refute the unsoundness of their arguments? 1.1.652 For behold how he bears a grudge against the one who exposed the unsound and weak part of his villainy, and how he defends himself by what means he can; and he can only do so through reviling and insolence, and indeed the possession of such a power abounds in him. For just as with those who write beautifully certain rhythmic connectives fill up what is lacking in the speech, instilling through themselves the euphonious and harmonious into the composition of the language, so also in most of what he says he embellishes his writing with [in] revilings, as if priding himself on the abundance of his power to be insolent. 1.1.653 For again we are 20vain20, again 20erring from right reasonings20 and 20attempting the arguments not with preparation adequate to the need20 and 20falling short of the thought of the speaker20. For our teacher is called all these things and even more than these from his steadfast mouth. And perhaps the reason for his anger is not irrational, but the speech-1.1.654 writer is justly provoked. For why was it necessary to grieve him by refuting the weakness of his argument, and why to lay bare and make manifest to the more simple the blasphemy concealed by the plausibility of the sophisms? And why does he not cover with silence the unsound parts of the dogma, but pillories the wretched man, when he ought to pity him and cover with quietness the indecency of his argument? But he refutes and makes a spectacle of him who is in any way among his own

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τῶν περὶ τὸν θεὸν ὀνομάτων, τῶν ἐνδεικτικῶν λέγω τῆς ὑπερκειμένης δυνά μεως, προτίθησι τὸ τῆς ἀγεννησίας ὄνομα καὶ τοῦτο πε ποίηται τῆς κατὰ τοῦ δόγματος ἡμῶν καταδρομῆς ὁρμη τήριον, τὴν τοῦ γεννητοῦ πρὸς τὸ ἀγέννητον κατὰ τὴν προ φορὰν ἐναντίωσιν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα μεταφέρων, οἷς ἐφήρμοσται τὰ ὀνόματα· καὶ διὰ τούτων τὴν ἑτερότητα τῶν οὐσιῶν τῷ παρηλλαγμένῳ τῶν ὀνομάτων σοφίζεται, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ γεγέν νηται γεννητόν, οὐδ' ὅτι μὴ γεννηθεὶς ἔστιν ἀγέννητον λέ γεσθαι συντιθέμενος, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ἐκ τῆς <ἀγεννησίας τὸν δὲ ἐκ τῆς> γεννήσεως οὐσιῶσθαι λέγων, οὐκ οἶδα ποίας 1.1.647 αὐτὸν σοφίας ἐπὶ τὴν τοιαύτην σύνεσιν χειραγωγούσης. εἰ γάρ τις αὐτὰς ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν καταμάθοι τῶν ὀνομάτων τὰς ἐμφάσεις, ὑφελὼν τῷ λόγῳ τὰ πρόσωπα ἐφ' ὧν τετάχθαι δοκεῖ τὰ ὀνόματα, εὑρήσει τὸ μάταιον τῆς διανοίας τῶν 1.1.648 παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων. μὴ γὰρ ὅτι προεπινοεῖται τοῦ υἱοῦ ὁ πατὴρ κατὰ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον τῆς πίστεως, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν τῶν ὀνομάτων τάξιν ἀξιούτω τις τῇ τῶν ὑποκει μένων αὐτοῖς προσώπων ἀξίᾳ καὶ τάξει συνδιατίθεσθαι, ἀλλὰ αὐτὰ σκοπείτω ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν τὰ ὀνόματα, ποῖον τοῦ ἑτέρου τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἐπινοίας προτέτακται (τὸ ὄνομα πάλιν φημί, οὐ τὸ πρᾶγμα τὸ διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος σημαινόμενον), ποῖον τῶν εἰρημένων θέσιν τινὸς νοήματος καὶ ποῖον τὴν τοῦ τεθέντος ἀναίρεσιν ἐνδείκνυται· οἷον (σαφηνείας γὰρ ἕνεκεν διὰ τῶν ὁμοίων οἶμαι χρῆναι παραστῆσαι τὸν λόγον) παίδευσις καὶ ἀπαιδευσία ὀργὴ καὶ ἀοργησία πάθος καὶ ἀπάθεια καὶ ὅσα τοῦ τοιούτου εἴδους ἐστί, ποῖα τούτων τὸ προεπινοεῖσθαι τῶν ἄλλων ἔχει; ὅσα τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ τε θέντος ἢ ὅσα τὴν θέσιν τοῦ ὑποκειμένου παρίστησιν; ἐγὼ 1.1.649 μὲν τοῦτό φημι. πρότερον γὰρ νοεῖται ἡ παίδευσις καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ καὶ τὸ πάθος, καὶ τότε ἡ τῶν νοηθέντων ἀναίρεσις. οὕτω καὶ ἡ γέννησις καὶ ἡ ἀγεννησία. καὶ μηδεὶς διὰ τῆς ἐθελοθρησκείας διαβαλλέτω τὸν λόγον ὡς προτιθέντα τὸν 1.1.650 υἱὸν τοῦ γεννήσαντος. οὐ γὰρ τὸν υἱὸν προτετάχθαι τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ προεπινοεῖσθαι κατασκευάζομεν, εἰ περὶ τῆς τοῦ γεννητοῦ καὶ ἀγεννήτου σημασίας διαλαμβάνει ὁ λόγος. οὐκοῦν ἡ μὲν γέννησίς τινος πράγματος ἢ νοήματος θέσιν ἀποσημαίνει, ἡ δὲ ἀγεννησία τὴν τοῦ τεθέντος, καθὼς εἶπον, ἀναίρεσιν· ὥστε παντὶ τρόπῳ προεπινοεῖσθαι τοῦ τῆς 1.1.651 ἀγεννησίας ὀνόματος τὸ τῆς γεννήσεως ὄνομα. τί οὖν ἐν τούτοις οἰκεῖον τῷ πατρὶ τὸ τῇ τάξει δεύτερον ἐν τοῖς ὀνό μασιν ἐφαρμόζειν βιάζονται, καὶ οἴονται τό τινος ἀφαιρετικὸν νόημα δεικτικὸν καὶ περιληπτικὸν εἶναι τῆς τοῦ ὄντος οὐσίας, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας τὴν σαθρότητα τῶν λό γων ἀγανακτοῦσι καὶ παροξύνονται; 1.1.652 Ἰδοὺ γὰρ πῶς μνησικακεῖ τῷ τὸ σαθρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀσθενὲς τῆς κακουργίας φωράσαντι, καὶ ὡς ἀμύνεται αὐτὸν δι' ὧν δύναται· δύναται δὲ διὰ λοιδορίας μόνης καὶ ὕβρεως, καὶ σφόδρα γε αὐτῷ περιττεύει τὸ κτῆμα τῆς τοιαύτης δυνάμεως. καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν καλλιγραφούντων τὸν λόγον σύνδεσμοί τινες τοῦ ῥυθμοῦ τὸ ἐνδέον παραπληροῦσι, τὸ εὔηχόν τε καὶ ἐναρμόνιον δι' ἑαυτῶν ἐντιθέντες τῇ συν τάξει τῆς λέξεως, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς πλείστοις ὧν λέγει [ἐν] ταῖς λοιδορίαις καταποικίλλει τὴν συγγραφήν, ὥσπερ καλλωπιζόμενος τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς τοῦ ὑβρίζειν δυνάμεως. 1.1.653 πάλιν γὰρ ἡμεῖς 20μάταιοι20, πάλιν 20τῶν ὀρθῶν λογι σμῶν ἁμαρτάνοντες20 καὶ 20οὐ μετὰ τῆς ἀρκούσης τῇ χρείᾳ παρασκευῆς τοῖς λόγοις ἐπιχειροῦν τες20 καὶ 20τῆς τοῦ λέγοντος διανοίας ἀπολειπό μενοι20. ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα καὶ ἔτι πλείω τούτων παρὰ τοῦ εὐσταθοῦντος στόματος ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν ὀνομάζεται. καὶ ἴσως οὐκ ἄλογος τῆς ὀργῆς ἡ αἰτία, ἀλλὰ δικαίως ὁ λογο 1.1.654 γράφος παρώξυνται. τί γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔδει λυπεῖν ἐξελέγχοντα τὴν ἀρρωστίαν τοῦ λόγου, τί δὲ παραγυμνοῦν τε καὶ φανερὸν ποιεῖν τοῖς ἀκεραιοτέροις τὸ βλάσφημον τῇ πιθανότητι τῶν σοφισμάτων συγκαλυπτόμενον; διὰ τί δὲ οὐκ ἐπικαλύπτει τῇ σιωπῇ τὰ σαθρὰ τοῦ δόγματος, ἀλλὰ στηλιτεύει τὸν δείλαιον, δέον ἐλεεῖν καὶ ἐπικαλύπτειν διὰ ἡσυχίας τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην τοῦ λόγου; ὁ δὲ ἐλέγχει καὶ θεατρίζει τὸν ὁπωσοῦν παρὰ τοῖς ἰδίοις