And if we set forth the opinion of most commentators on these words of the Psalmist, that of Eunomius regarding them will be still more convicted of foolishness. For those who have most carefully searched out the sense of the inspired Scripture, declare that not all the works of creation are worthy of the Divine reckoning. For in the Gospel narratives of feeding the multitudes in the wilderness, women and children are not thought worthy of enumeration. And in the account of the Exodus of the children of Israel, those only are enumerated in the roll who were of age to bear arms against their enemies, and to do deeds of valour. For not all names of things are fit to be pronounced by the Divine lips, but the enumeration is only for that which is pure and heavenly, which, by the loftiness of its state remaining pure from all admixture with darkness, is called a star, and the naming is only for that which, for the same reason, is worthy to be registered in the Divine tablets. For of His adversaries He says, “I will not take up their names into my lips117    Ps. xvi. 4..”

Εἰ δὲ χρὴ καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥητοῖς τούτοις τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἐκθέσθαι διάνοιαν, πολὺ μᾶλλον ἀπελεγχθήσεται τὸ μάταιον τῆς Εὐνομίου περὶ τούτων οἰήσεως. λέγουσι γὰρ οἱ ἐπιμελέστερον ἐξητακότες τὸν νοῦν τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς ὅτι οὐ πάντα τὰ ὄντα τῆς θείας ἐστὶν ἐξαριθμήσεως ἄξια: ἔν τε γὰρ τοῖς εὐαγγελικοῖς συσσιτίοις τοῖς γεγονόσι κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον οὔτε τὸ νηπιῶδες οὔτε τὸ γυναικεῖον ἀριθμοῦ ἄξιον ἐνομίσθη, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ τοῦ Ἰσραηλίτου λαοῦ μόνοι τῷ ἀριθμῷ κατελέγησαν οἱ ἤδη κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὅπλα φέρειν καὶ ἀριστεύειν δυνάμενοι. οὔτε γὰρ πάντων τὰ ὀνόματα τοιαῦτά ἐστιν ὡς διὰ τοῦ θείου στόματος φέρεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀριθμεῖται μὲν εἴ τι καθαρὸν καὶ οὐράνιον, ὃ διὰ τὸ ὕψος τῆς πολιτείας ἀμιγὲς μένον τῆς πρὸς τὸν ζόφον ἐπιμιξίας ἄστρον λέγεται, ὀνομάζεται δὲ εἴ τι κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον τοῦ ἐγγραφῆναι ταῖς θείαις δέλτοις ἄξιον γίνεται. περὶ γὰρ τῶν ὑπεναντίων φησὶν ὅτι Οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ τῶν ὀνομάτων αὐτῶν διὰ χειλέων μου.