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each one, so in every way also the punishment for 2.1.9 the neglect of labors according to one's ability. For this reason I also boldly underwent the first battle of the argument, from the shepherd's pouch, that is, from the ecclesiastical dogmas, sending forth these unadorned and natural arguments for the overthrow of the blasphemy and needing no armament of external arguments for the contest, and now I do not shrink from the second contests, placing my hope according to the great David on him who teaches my hands for battle and my fingers for war, if somehow it might happen to us too by divine power that the hand that writes be guided to the refutation of the heretical dogmas, and that the fingers serve for the overthrow of the evil battle-array, skillfully and combatively arranging the argument against the enemies. And just as in human wars, those who excel the rest in both courage and power 2.1.10, and, secured by their weapons and by their training for dangers, have acquired experience in warfare, stand at the front of the phalanx, facing danger before those arrayed in the rear, while the rest of the throng, contributing only to the appearance of numbers, seem by their very linking of shields to contribute some benefit to the common cause, so also in our contests, the noble soldier of Christ and vigorous champion against the foreigners, the great hoplite of the spirit, Basil, who has put on the apostolic panoply and is secured by the shield of faith, always putting forth the defensive weapon, I mean the sword of the spirit, this man fights in the front line for the Lord's army in the discourse composed against the heresy, both living and defending and excelling against the enemies, but we, the multitude, having hidden ourselves behind the shield of the champion of the faith, just as the general leads the way against the opponents, will not abstain from the contests according to our ability. 2.1.11 Since, therefore, he, in refuting the deceived and unsubstantial fantasy of the heresy, says that the appellation of unbegottenness is in no other way than by concept attributed to God, and he adduced the proofs secured by both common notions and scriptural testimonies, but the inventor of the deceit, Eunomius, neither agrees with what has been said nor is able to refute it powerfully, but being hard pressed by the truth, the more brightly the dogma of piety shines, the more, like the nocturnal animals, he is dim-sighted towards the light, and not even finding the usual refuges of his sophisms, he wanders in vain and entering the impasse of falsehood, he is wrapped up in the same things, and almost his entire second labor has been occupied with this nonsense, for this reason it is well for us too to engage in the battle against our opponents on this point, on which our champion also led the way through his own discourse. 2.1.12 But first I say it is necessary to review in summary our entire conception concerning the dogmas and the disagreement of our enemies with us, so that the examination of the matters before us may proceed for us systematically. Therefore, the chief point of Christian piety is this: to believe that the only-begotten God, who is truth and true light and the power of God and life, is truly all the things that are said of him, both the others and, before the others, these things: God and truth, that is, God in truth, always being what he is conceived and named, and neither at any time not being, nor at any time not going to be, whose being, whatever it is in essence, escapes every apprehensive assault 2.1.13 and curiosity; but to us, as the word of wisdom somewhere says, from the greatness and beauty of created things, by a certain analogy of things known, he comes into knowledge of his being, through his energies granting only the belief, not the knowledge 2.1.14 of what he is. Since this understanding, therefore, has prevailed among all Christians, at least those who are truly worthy of this name, I mean those who have learned from the law to worship nothing that is not true God, by the very act of worshiping the only-begotten God they confess that he is God in truth and not falsely named, there came the destructive blight of the church, which corrupts the pious seeds of the faith, an advocate of the Jewish deceit, having something 2.1.15 also of the Hellenic atheism. For by fashioning a created god, it becomes an advocate of the deceit of the Hellenes, and by not accepting the Son, it establishes the Jewish error. This heresy, therefore, which invalidates the true divinity of the Lord and contrives that one must suppose him to be created, and not that which the Father is in essence and power and worth, since from all sides of the truth

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ἕκαστος, οὕτω πάντως καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπὶ 2.1.9 τῇ τῶν κατὰ δύναμιν πόνων ὀλιγωρίᾳ. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν πρώτην τοῦ λόγου μάχην εὐθαρσῶς ὑπέστην, ἐκ τοῦ ποι μενικοῦ καδδίου, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν δογμάτων, τοὺς ἀκατασκεύους τούτους καὶ αὐτοφυεῖς λόγους εἰς ἀνα τροπὴν τῆς βλασφημίας ἀφεὶς καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν λόγων ὁπλίσεως ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα προσδεηθείς, καὶ νῦν πρὸς τοὺς δευτέρους τῶν ἀγώνων οὐκ ἀναδύομαι, τὴν ἐλπίδα θέμενος κατὰ τὸν μέγαν ∆αβὶδ ἐπὶ τὸν διδάσκοντα χεῖρας εἰς παράταξιν καὶ δακτύλους εἰς πόλεμον, εἴ πως γένοιτο καὶ ἡμῖν ἐκ θείας δυνάμεως εὐθυνθῆναι μὲν τὴν γράφουσαν χεῖρα πρὸς τὴν τῶν αἱρετικῶν δογμάτων ἀναί ρεσιν, ὑπηρετῆσαι δὲ τοὺς δακτύλους τῇ ἀνατροπῇ τῆς πο νηρᾶς παρατάξεως, ἐμπείρως καὶ ἀγωνιστικῶς διατιθέντας κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων τὸν λόγον. ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρω πίνων πολέμων οἱ μὲν ἀνδρείᾳ τε καὶ δυνάμει τῶν λοιπῶν 2.1.10 διαφέροντες, καὶ κατησφαλισμένοι τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους μελέταις τὴν τοῦ πολεμεῖν ἐμπειρίαν προσειλη φότες ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου τῆς φάλαγγος ἵστανται τῶν κατὰ τὸ βάθος ἐπιτεταγμένων προκινδυνεύοντες, ὁ δὲ λοιπὸς ὅμιλος εἰς μόνην φαντασίαν πλήθους συντείνοντες αὐτῷ τῷ συνασπισμῷ δοκοῦσί τι κέρδος τῷ κοινῷ συνεισφέρειν, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀγώνων ὁ μὲν γενναῖος τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιώτης καὶ σφοδρὸς κατὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἀγωνιστής, ὁ μέγας τοῦ πνεύματος ὁπλίτης Βασίλειος, ὁ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν πανοπλίαν ἐνδεδυκὼς καὶ τῷ θυρεῷ κατησφαλισμένος τῆς πίστεως τό τε ἀμυντήριον ὅπλον, τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος λέγω μάχαιραν, ἀεὶ προβαλλόμενος, οὗτος μὲν προπολεμεῖ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου στρατιᾶς ἐν τῷ πονηθέντι κατὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως λόγῳ ζῶν τε καὶ ἀμυνόμενος καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀρι στεύων, ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τῷ θυρεῷ τοῦ προμάχου τῆς πίστεως ἑαυτοὺς ὑποκρύψαντες, καθ' ὅπερ ἂν προηγῆται πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους ὁ στρατηγός, τῶν κατὰ δύναμιν ἀγώνων οὐκ ἀφεξόμεθα. 2.1.11 Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν διελέγχων ἐκεῖνος τὴν ἠπατημένην τῆς αἱρέσεως καὶ ἀνυπόστατον φαντασίαν οὐδαμῶς ἄλλως τὴν προσηγορίαν τῆς ἀγεννησίας ἢ κατ' ἐπίνοιάν φησιν ἐπιλέγε σθαι τῷ θεῷ καὶ τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἐπήγαγε ταῖς τε κοιναῖς ἐννοίαις καὶ ταῖς γραφικαῖς μαρτυρίαις ἠσφαλισμένας, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀπάτης εὑρετὴς Εὐνόμιος οὔτε συντίθεται τοῖς εἰρη μένοις οὔτε ἀνατρέπειν δυνατῶς ἔχει, συνεχόμενος δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὅσῳ τηλαυγέστερον διαλάμπει τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸ δόγμα, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον κατὰ τὰ νυκτινόμα τῶν ζῴων πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἀμβλυώττων καὶ οὐδὲ τὰς συνήθεις τῶν σο φισμάτων καταδύσεις εὑρίσκων μάτην διαπλανᾶται καὶ πρὸς τὸ τοῦ ψεύδους ἀδιεξόδευτον εἰσιὼν περὶ τὰ αὐτὰ συνειλεῖται καὶ πᾶς αὐτῷ σχεδὸν περὶ τὴν φλυαρίαν ταύτην ὁ δεύτερος κατησχόληται πόνος, διὰ τοῦτο καλῶς ἔχει καὶ ἡμῖν ἐν τούτῳ γενέσθαι τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους μάχην, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὁ πρόμαχος ἡμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου καθηγήσατο λόγου. 2.1.12 πρῶτον δέ φημι χρῆναι πᾶσαν ἐπὶ κεφαλαίῳ τὴν ἡμετέραν περὶ τῶν δογμάτων ὑπόληψιν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐχθρῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαφωνίαν ἐπιδραμεῖν, ὡς ἂν γένοιτο καθ' ὁδὸν ἡμῖν ἡ τῶν προκειμένων ἐξέτασις. ἔστι τοίνυν τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν εὐσεβείας τὸ πιστεύειν τὸν μονογενῆ θεόν, ὅς ἐστιν ἀλήθεια καὶ φῶς ἀληθινὸν καὶ δύναμις θεοῦ καὶ ζωή, ἀληθῶς πάντα εἶναι ἃ λέγεται, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ταῦτα· θεὸν καὶ ἀλήθειαν, τουτέστι θεὸν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀεὶ ὄντα ὅπερ νοεῖται καὶ ὀνομάζεται καὶ οὔτε ποτὲ μὴ ὄντα οὔτε ποτὲ μὴ ἐσόμενον, οὗ τὸ εἶναι ὅ τι ποτὲ κατ' οὐσίαν ἐστὶ πᾶσαν ἐκφεύγει καταληπτικὴν ἔφοδον 2.1.13 καὶ πολυπραγμοσύνην· ἡμῖν δέ, καθώς πού φησι τῆς σο φίας ὁ λόγος, ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων κατά τινα τῶν γινωσκομένων ἀναλογίαν εἰς γνῶσιν ἔρχεται τοῦ εἶναι, μόνον τὴν πίστιν διὰ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν, οὐ τὴν γνῶσιν 2.1.14 τοῦ τί ἐστι χαριζόμενος. ταύτης τοίνυν τῆς διανοίας παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς κεκρατηκυίας τοῖς γε τῆς ἐπωνυμίας ταύτης ἀληθῶς ἀξίοις, ἐκείνοις φημὶ οἳ προσκυνεῖν παρὰ τοῦ νόμου μεμαθηκότες μηδέν, ὃ μὴ ἔστιν ἀληθινὸς θεός, αὐτῷ τῷ προσκυνεῖν τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν ἐν ἀλη θείᾳ καὶ οὐ ψευδώνυμον εἶναι θεόν, ἦλθεν ἡ φθοροποιὸς ἐρυσίβη τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡ ἀχρειοῦσα τὰ εὐσεβῆ τῆς πίστεως σπέρματα, ἡ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀπάτης συνήγορος, ἔχουσά τι 2.1.15 καὶ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς ἀθεΐας. τῷ μὲν γὰρ κτιστὸν ἀναπλάσ σειν θεὸν τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀπάτης συνήγορος γίνεται, τῷ δὲ μὴ παραδέχεσθαι τὸν υἱὸν τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν συνίστησι πλάνην. αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ αἵρεσις ἡ παραγραφομένη τὴν ἀλη θινὴν τοῦ κυρίου θεότητα καὶ κατασκευάζουσα κτιστὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι δεῖν ὑπολαμβάνειν, καὶ μὴ ἐκεῖνο ὅπερ κατ' οὐσίαν καὶ δύναμιν καὶ ἀξίαν ἐστὶν ὁ πατήρ, ἐπειδὴ παντα χόθεν τῆς ἀληθείας