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Our argument concerning the Holy Spirit is the same, having its difference in order alone. For as the Son is joined to the Father, and, though he has his being from him, is not posterior in existence, so again the Holy Spirit is attached to the Only-begotten, who is contemplated before the hypostasis of the Spirit only by a mental apprehension according to the principle of cause; but temporal extensions have no place in the pre-eternal life. So that, when the principle of cause is removed, the Holy Trinity is in no way inharmonious with itself. Indeed, the first struggles against Eunomius have already been sufficiently accomplished by divine alliance in the preceding labors, as it is possible for those who wish to learn from these very works of ours, how in the first of the books the deceit was powerfully refuted, and falsehood no longer has any strength against the truth in the matters examined, at least for those not too passionately shameless toward the truth 2.1.2. But since a second work has been marshaled by him against piety, like some robbers’ ambush, again, with God as our ally, through us the truth is armed against the battle-line of the enemy, just like a general leading our arguments and directing them as she sees fit against the foes, whom following in her footsteps we will boldly venture upon the second struggles, in no way frightened by the battle-line of falsehood, even if it appears in a multitude 2.1.3 of words; for faithful is he who promised that a thousand shall be pursued by one, and ten thousands moved by two, since it is piety, not multitude of hands, that has 2.1.4 the victory in war. For just as the fleshy Goliath, brandishing that heavy spear at the Israelites, brought no cowardice to a man who was a shepherd and unpracticed in the skill of warfare, by whom he was engaged in battle and became headless, his hope being turned to the contrary, in the same way our Goliath, the champion of alien knowledge, who extends his blasphemy like a sharp and naked sword against his opponents, polishing it at the same time with newly-whetted sophisms, did not appear fearsome and unassailable to us laymen, so that he could boastfully exult in the desertion of his opponents; but he found us, from the flock of the Lord, impromptu combatants, who have neither learned to dispute with words, nor consider not having learned it a loss, hurling against him the simple and rustic argument of the truth 2.1.5. Since, therefore, that aforementioned shepherd, after felling the alien with his sling, his helmet having been shattered by the stone and having parted inwardly from the force of the blow, did not make this the limit of his brave deed, to see his adversary fallen, but running upon him and despoiling the enemy of his head, he returns to his own people as a trophy-bearer, parading that boastful head among the army of his countrymen, for this reason it is fitting for us too, looking to this example, not to grow soft towards the second labors, but as much as possible to imitate the valor of David and, similarly to him, after the first blow, to step upon the fallen one, so that the enemy of the truth might be shown to be most especially deprived of his head 2.1.6. For he who is separated from the faith has been beheaded more than the alien. For since Christ is the head of every man, as the apostle says, and it is altogether fitting for the faithful one to be called a man (for Christ would certainly not be the head of the unfaithful), he who is cut off from the saving faith would be altogether headless, like Goliath, being parted from the true head by his own sword, which he whetted against the truth, and our task is not to cut it from him, but to show that it has been cut. 2.1.7 And let no one think that I, out of some ambition and desire for human glory, readily descend into this truceless and undeclared war to grapple with my opponents. For if it were possible to live untroubled in quietness in a peaceful life, it would be far from what is fitting to disturb our quiet willingly, rousing a self-chosen war of challenge 2.1.8 against ourselves. But since the city of God, the Church, is besieged, and the great wall of the faith is shaken, being battered all around by the engines of heresy, and there is no small danger that the word of the Lord will be carried off captive, snatched away by the expedition of the demons, for this reason, judging it a fearful thing not to share in the Christians' struggle, I have not inclined toward quiet, but rather I have esteemed the sweat from labors more highly than the relief from keeping quiet, knowing well that just as he will receive his wage, as the apostle says, according to his own labor
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αὐτὸς ἡμῖν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος λόγος, ἐν μόνῃ τῇ τάξει τὴν διαφορὰν ἔχων. ὡς γὰρ συνάπτεται τῷ πατρὶ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ εἶναι ἔχων οὐχ ὑστερίζει κατὰ τὴν ὕπαρξιν, οὕτω πάλιν καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἔχεται τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐπινοίᾳ μόνῃ κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἰτίας λόγον προθεωρουμένου τῆς τοῦ πνεύ ματος ὑποστάσεως· αἱ δὲ χρονικαὶ παρατάσεις ἐπὶ τῆς προαιωνίου ζωῆς χώραν οὐκ ἔχουσιν. ὥστε τοῦ λόγου τῆς αἰτίας ὑπεξῃρημένου ἐν μηδενὶ τὴν ἁγίαν τριάδα πρὸς ἑαυ τὴν ἀσυμφώνως ἔχειν. Τὰ μὲν δὴ πρῶτα τῶν πρὸς Εὐνόμιον ἀγώνων ἱκανῶς ἤδη κατὰ θείαν συμμαχίαν ἐν τοῖς φθάσασι διήνυσται πόνοις, καθὼς πάρεστι τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐξ αὐτῶν ἡμῖν τῶν πεπονημένων μαθεῖν, ὅπως ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ τῶν λόγων ἡ ἀπάτη κατὰ κράτος ἐλήλεγκται, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἰσχὺν ἔτι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν τοῖς ἐξητασμένοις τὸ ψεῦδος ἔχει τοῖς γε μὴ λίαν ἐκθύμως ἀναισχυντοῦσι πρὸς τὴν ἀλή 2.1.2 θειαν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ δεύτερος αὐτῷ κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας πόνος οἷόν τις λῃστρικὸς συγκεκρότηται λόχος, πάλιν τοῦ θεοῦ συμμαχοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια τῇ παρατάξει τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀνθοπλίζεται, καθάπερ τις στρατηγὸς προκαθη γουμένη τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων καὶ πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἑαυτῇ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων εὐθύνουσα, ᾗ κατ' ἴχνος ἑπόμενοι θαρ ρούντως τοῖς δευτέροις τῶν ἀγώνων ἐπιτολμήσομεν οὐδὲν καταπλαγέντες τὴν τοῦ ψεύδους παράταξιν, κἂν ἐν πλήθει 2.1.3 προφαίνηται λόγων· πιστὸς γὰρ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος χι λίους ὑφ' ἑνὸς διωχθήσεσθαι καὶ μυριάδας ὑπὸ δύο μετα κινηθήσεσθαι, ὡς τῆς εὐσεβείας, οὐ τῆς πολυχειρίας ἐχού 2.1.4 σης τὸ κατὰ πόλεμον κράτος. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πολύσαρκος Γολιὰθ τὴν βαρεῖαν ἐκείνην τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις ἐπισείων αἰχμὴν οὐδεμίαν ἐπήγαγε δειλίαν ἀνδρὶ ποιμένι καὶ ἀμελετήτῳ τῆς πολεμικῆς εὐστροφίας, ᾧ συμπλακεὶς κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἀκέ φαλος γίνεται, πρὸς τοὐναντίον αὐτῷ τῆς ἐλπίδος περιτρα πείσης, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς Γολιὰς ὁ τῆς ἀλλοφύλου καθηγούμενος γνώσεως πρόκωπόν τε καὶ γυμνὴν οἷόν τινα ῥομφαίαν τὴν βλασφημίαν τοῖς ἀντιτεταγμένοις προτείνων καὶ στίλβων ἅμα τοῖς νεοθήκτοις σοφίσμασιν, οὐκ ἐφάνη φοβερὸς καὶ δυσάντητος τοῖς ἰδιώταις ἡμῖν, ὡς κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν αὐτὸν τῇ ἐρημίᾳ τῶν ἀντιβαινόντων ἐπικομ πάζειν· ἀλλ' εὗρεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου ποίμνης αὐτο σχεδίους πολεμιστὰς τοὺς μήτε μαθόντας λογομαχεῖν μήτε ζημίαν τὸ μὴ μεμαθηκέναι νομίζοντας ἰδιωτικόν τε καὶ ἀγροικίζοντα τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας κατ' αὐτοῦ σφενδονή 2.1.5 σαντας. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ μνημονευθεὶς ἐκεῖνος ποιμὴν τῇ σφενδόνῃ καταβαλὼν τὸν ἀλλόφυλον, ὑπορραγείσης τῷ λίθῳ τῆς περικεφαλαίας καὶ πρὸς τὴν βίαν τῆς βολῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ἐντὸς διασχούσης, οὐ τοῦτον ἐποιήσατο τῆς ἀνδραγαθίας τὸν ὅρον, τὸ ἰδεῖν ἐν πτώματι τὸν ἀντίπαλον, ἀλλ' ἐπιδρα μὼν καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἀποσυλήσας τροπαιοφόρος τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐπάνεισι, τὴν μεγαλορρήμονα κεφαλὴν ἐκείνην ἐν τῷ στρατῷ τῶν ὁμοφύλων διαπομπεύων, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμᾶς προσήκει πρὸς τὸ ὑπόδειγμα βλέποντας μὴ καταμα λακισθῆναι πρὸς τοὺς δευτέρους τῶν πόνων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα μιμήσασθαι τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὴν ἀριστείαν καὶ παραπλη σίως ἐκείνῳ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην πληγὴν ἐπεμβῆναι τῷ κει μένῳ, ὡς ἂν φανείη μάλιστα τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔρημος ὢν ὁ 2.1.6 τῆς ἀληθείας πολέμιος. ὁ γὰρ τῆς πίστεως διεζευγμένος τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτέτμηται τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου μᾶλλον. ἐπεὶ γὰρ κεφαλὴ παντὸς ἀνδρὸς ὁ Χριστός, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπό στολος, ἄνδρα δὲ τὸν πιστὸν πάντως εἰκὸς ὀνομάζεσθαι (οὐ γὰρ δὴ καὶ τῶν ἀπίστων ἂν εἴη κεφαλὴ ὁ Χριστός), πάν τως ὁ τῆς σῳζούσης πίστεως ἀποτμηθεὶς ἀκέφαλος ἂν εἴη κατὰ τὸν Γολιάθ, διὰ τῆς ἰδίας μαχαίρας, ἣν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐθήξατο, τῆς ἀληθινῆς κεφαλῆς μεριζόμενος, ἣν οὐχὶ τεμεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀποδεῖξαι τετμημένην ἔργον ἡμέτερον. 2.1.7 Καί με μηδεὶς οἰέσθω φιλοτιμίᾳ τινὶ καὶ δόξης ἀν θρωπίνης ἐπιθυμίᾳ πρὸς τὸν ἄσπονδον τοῦτον καὶ ἀκή ρυκτον πόλεμον ἑτοίμως κατιόντα τοῖς ἐναντίοις συμπλέ κεσθαι. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐξῆν ἀπραγμόνως καθ' ἡσυχίαν διά γειν ἐν εἰρηνεύοντι βίῳ, πόρρω τοῦ καθεστῶτος ἂν ἦν ἑκουσίως ἐπιταράσσειν τὴν ἡσυχίαν, αὐθαίρετον ἐκ προ 2.1.8 κλήσεως πόλεμον καθ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐπεγείροντας. ἐπεὶ δὲ πολιορκεῖται μὲν ἡ πόλις τοῦ θεοῦ, ἡ ἐκκλησία, κατα σείεται δὲ τὸ μέγα τεῖχος τῆς πίστεως τοῖς μηχανήμασι τῆς αἱρέσεως ἐν κύκλῳ περιδονούμενον, κίνδυνος δὲ οὐ μικρὸς αἰχμάλωτον οἴχεσθαι παρὰ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπι στρατείας ἀνάρπαστον τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου γενόμενον, διὰ τοῦτο φοβερὸν εἶναι κρίνας τὸ μὴ συμμετασχεῖν τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀγωνίας οὐκ ἐπὶ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀπέκλινα, προτι μοτέρους δὲ μᾶλλον ἐποιησάμην τοὺς ἐκ τῶν πόνων ἱδρῶτας τῆς ἐκ τοῦ ἡσυχάζειν ἀνέσεως, εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ὅτι ὥσπερ τὸν μισθὸν λήψεται, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον