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of concepts will receive notation through letters, but what is insubstantial will be deprived of notation in letters; 2.1.47 for it is possible for anything whatever that comes to mind, whether it subsists according to understanding or is otherwise, to be set down in writing by one's own authority, and sound is the same as writing for the manifestation of thought; for equally through either of them we 2.1.48 report what is thought. With what in view, then, he dissolves the concept along with the voice alone, I cannot understand. For of every word that is uttered through some sound, the breath which conveyed the voice makes its transition to what is akin to it, but the meaning of what was said is engraved through hearing on the memory of the hearer's soul, whether 2.1.49 it happens to be true or mistaken. Therefore the speechwriter offers us this frigid interpretation of this concept, characterizing and defining it by the dissolution of the voice. And for this reason that discerning hearer, as Isaiah says, rejects this unintelligible natural philosophy of the concept, having shown it to be truly dissoluble and insubstantial according to this one's argument, and he treats systematically the power inherent in the word, bringing the argument to the theory of the doctrines through familiar 2.1.50 examples. To whom Eunomius, extolling himself through this solemn speechwriting, attempts to analyze the things articulated about the concept in this way. But perhaps it is better, before straightening out what has been written, to examine his purpose: what he intends by avoiding ascribing 'unbegotten' to God by concept. A common dogma has prevailed among all who have accepted the word of piety: that one must have all hope of salvation in Christ, as it is not possible to be among the good otherwise, unless faith in Christ 2.1.51 provides what is sought. And while this thought is firmly fixed in the souls of the believers and all honor and worship and glory is ascribed by all to the only-begotten God as the author of life, who does the works of the Father, as the Lord himself says in the gospel, and who is not diminished by any excess in the whole conception of a good thing, I do not know from where, moved by hostility and envy of the Lord's honor, as if judging the worship given by believers to the only-begotten God to be a loss to themselves, they rise up against the divine honors and attempt to persuade, that 2.1.52 nothing of what is said about him is truly said. For he is neither God, even if he is somehow so named by Scripture, a true God, nor, being called Son, does he have a nature that corresponds to the appellation, nor is there any communion of worth or nature for him with the Father. For it is not possible for the one who has been begotten to be of equal honor with the one who made him in worth or power or nature, because for the one life is undefined and existence is from eternity, but for the Son life is in a way circumscribed, with the beginning according to which he came to be limiting his progression upwards in life and preventing him from being co-extensive with the Father's 2.1.53 eternity; so that by this his life is considered deficient and the Father is not always what he now is and is called, but being something else before, afterwards willed to become a Father, or rather, not to become, but to be called; for he was not named Father of a Son in truth, but of a creature submitted to the title of 2.1.54 Son. But in every way, they say, what is later in generation than what is older, and what is defined than what is eternal, and what is begotten by the will of the maker, is of necessity inferior to the maker himself in power and worth and nature and in the dignities of time and in all 2.1.55 honors. But for whom perfection is absent in the more divine conceptions, how could one reasonably glorify this one with the honors of the true God? so that from this it is established by them that one who is imperfect in power, deficient in the perfection of life, subject to the one who has dominion, and doing nothing of himself except what is legislated by the command of the one who rules, one must believe that this one exists in no God-befitting honor or conception, but while calling him God, to carry the name empty of all magnificent 2.1.56 meaning. And since these things, said in this way without the clothing of arguments, somehow provoke to anger and make the hearer shudder at their strangeness (for who accepts an evil counselor who advises the overthrow of Christ's majesty nakedly and unadorned?), for this reason, having covered this wicked ambush of their argument with certain plausible diversions and deceptions by external concepts, they mislead the foolish among their hearers. For having constructed the other things, through which it would be possible for the

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τῶν νοημάτων τὴν διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων σημείωσιν δέξεται, τὸ δὲ ἀσύστατον ἀμοιρήσει τῆς ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι σημειώσεως· 2.1.47 ἔξεστι γὰρ πᾶν, ὅτιπερ ἂν ἐπὶ νοῦν ἔλθῃ, κἂν ὑφεστήκῃ κατὰ τὴν σύνεσιν κἂν ὡς ἑτέρως ἔχῃ, κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἐν αποθέσθαι τῷ γράμματι, ταὐτὸν δὲ εἰς φανέρωσιν διανοίας ὁ φθόγγος ἐστὶ τῷ γράμματι· ἐπίσης γὰρ δι' ἑκατέρων τὸ 2.1.48 νοηθὲν ἐξαγγέλλομεν. πρὸς τί τοίνυν ὁρῶν μόνῃ συνδιαλύει τῇ φωνῇ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν, συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἔχω. παντὸς γὰρ λόγου τοῦ διά τινος ἤχου προφερομένου τοῦ μὲν πνεύματος τοῦ τὴν φωνὴν διαπορθμεύσαντος πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς ἡ μετα χώρησις γίνεται, ὁ δὲ τῶν ῥηθέντων νοῦς διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς τῷ μνημονικῷ τῆς τοῦ ἀκούοντος ψυχῆς ἐγχαράσσεται, εἴτε 2.1.49 ἀληθὴς εἴτε διεσφαλμένος τύχοι. οὐκοῦν ψυχρὰν τῆς ἐπι νοίας ταύτης ὁ λογογράφος ἡμῖν τὴν ἑρμηνείαν ταύτην προ τείνεται, τῇ διαλύσει τῆς φωνῆς χαρακτηρίζων καὶ ὁριζό μενος. καὶ τούτου χάριν ὁ συνετὸς ἀκροατὴς ἐκεῖνος, καθ ώς φησιν Ἡσαΐας, παραγράφεται μὲν τὴν ἀδιανόητον ταύ την τῆς ἐπινοίας φυσιολογίαν, ὄντως διαλυτὴν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀνυπόστατον ἀποδείξας κατὰ τὸν τούτου λόγον, τεχνολογεῖ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐγκειμένης τῇ λέξει δυνάμεως, διὰ τῶν γνωρί μων ὑποδειγμάτων τῇ περὶ τῶν δογμάτων θεωρίᾳ προσβιβά 2.1.50 ζων τὸν λόγον. πρὸς ὃν ὁ Εὐνόμιος διὰ τῆς σεμνῆς ταύ της λογογραφίας ἑαυτὸν ἀντεπαίρων ἀναλύειν ἐπιχειρεῖ τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐπινοίας διηρθρωμένα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον. ἄμεινον δὲ ἴσως πρὶν διευθῦναι τὰ γεγραμμένα τὸν σκοπὸν ἐξετάσαι, τί βουλόμενος ἀποφεύγει τὸ κατ' ἐπίνοιαν ἐπιλέγεσθαι τῷ θεῷ τὸ ἀγέννητον. ∆όγμα κοινὸν ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν παραδεδεγμένων τὸν λόγον τῆς εὐσεβείας κεκράτηκε τὸ πᾶσαν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας δεῖν ἔχειν, ὡς οὐκ ἐνδεχόμενον ἄλλως ἐν ἀγαθοῖς γενέσθαι, μὴ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως 2.1.51 παρεχομένης τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. ταύτης δὲ τῆς διανοίας παγίως ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐνερηρεισμένης καὶ πάσης τιμῆς τε καὶ λατρείας καὶ δόξης τῷ μονογενεῖ θεῷ παρὰ πάντων ὡς ἀρχηγῷ τῆς ζωῆς ἀνακειμένης τῷ ποιοῦντι τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἔργα, καθὼς αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ φησί, καὶ μηδεμιᾶς κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀγαθοῦ πράγ ματος ἔννοιαν ὑπερβολῆς ἐλαττουμένῳ, οὐκ οἶδα πόθεν παρακινηθέντες δυσμενείᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου τιμῆς, καθάπερ ζημίαν ἑαυτοῖς κρίνοντες τὴν γινομένην τῷ μονο γενεῖ θεῷ παρὰ τῶν πεπιστευκότων προσκύνησιν, ἀνταί ρουσι ταῖς θείαις τιμαῖς καὶ πείθειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ὡς 2.1.52 οὐδὲν τῶν περὶ αὐτῶν λεγομένων ἀληθῶς λέγεται. οὔτε γὰρ θεός, κἂν ὀνομάζηταί πως ὑπὸ τῆς γραφῆς, ἀληθινός ἐστι θεός, οὔτε υἱὸς λεγόμενος ἐπαληθεύουσαν ἔχει τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τὴν φύσιν οὔτε ἀξίας οὔτε φύσεως αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἔστι τις κοινωνία. μηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι δυνατὸν τῷ γεγεννημένῳ πρὸς τὸν ποιήσαντα τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἢ τὴν δύναμιν ἢ τὴν φύσιν ὑπάρχειν ὁμότιμον, διότι τῷ μὲν ἀόριστος ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἐξ ἀϊδίου ἡ ὕπαρξις, τῷ δὲ υἱῷ τρόπον τινὰ περιγέγραπται ἡ ζωή, τῆς ἀρχῆς καθ' ἣν γέγονε περατούσης ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω τῆς ζωῆς τὴν πρόοδον καὶ τῇ τοῦ 2.1.53 πατρὸς ἀϊδιότητι συμπαρατείνεσθαι κωλυούσης· ὥστε καὶ τούτῳ τὴν ζωὴν ἐλλιπῆ νομίζεσθαι καὶ τὸν πατέρα μὴ ἀεὶ εἶναι, ὅπερ νῦν ἐστί τε καὶ λέγεται, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τι πρότερον ὄντα μετὰ ταῦτα βουλεύσασθαι γενέσθαι πατέρα, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχὶ γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ κληθῆναι· μηδὲ γὰρ υἱοῦ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ὀνομασθῆναι πατέρα, ἀλλὰ κτίσματος εἰς 2.1.54 υἱοῦ κλῆσιν ὑποβληθέντος. πάντως δέ, φασί, τὸ μετα γενέστερον τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου καὶ τὸ ὡρισμένον τοῦ ἀϊδίου καὶ τὸ κατὰ βούλησιν τοῦ πεποιηκότος γεγεννημένον αὐτοῦ τοῦ πεποιηκότος δυνάμει τε καὶ ἀξίᾳ καὶ φύσει καὶ τοῖς ἐκ χρόνου πρεσβείοις καὶ ἅπασι τοῖς τιμίοις ἐξ ἀνάγκης 2.1.55 ἠλάττωται. οὗ δὲ τὸ τέλειον ἐν ταῖς θειοτέραις τῶν ὑπο λήψεων ἄπεστι, πῶς ἄν τις τοῦτο ταῖς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ τιμαῖς εὐλόγως ἀποσεμνύνειεν; ὡς ἐκ τούτου κατασκευά ζεσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν τὸν ἀτελῆ μὲν κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν, ἐλ λιπῆ δὲ κατὰ τὴν τῆς ζωῆς τελειότητα, ὑποχείριον δὲ τῷ δυναστεύοντι, ποιοῦντα δὲ μηδὲν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ πλὴν εἴ τι νομοθετεῖται τῷ τοῦ κρατοῦντος προστάγματι, τοῦτον ἐν μηδεμιᾷ θεοπρεπεῖ τιμῇ τε καὶ ὑπολήψει πιστεύειν <δεῖν> εἶναι, ἀλλὰ θεὸν μὲν ὀνομάζειν, κενὸν δὲ πάσης μεγαλο πρεποῦς ἐννοίας περιφέρειν τὸ ὄνομα. 2.1.56 Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα οὑτωσὶ λεγόμενα δίχα τῆς τῶν λο γισμῶν περιβολῆς παροξύνει πως εἰς ὀργὴν καὶ φρίττειν ποιεῖ τῷ ξενισμῷ τὸν ἀκούοντα (τίς γὰρ δέχεται πονηρὸν σύμβουλον γυμνῶς καὶ ἀκατασκεύως τὴν καθαίρεσιν τῆς μεγαλειότητος τοῦ Χριστοῦ συμβουλεύοντα;), διὰ τοῦτο παραγωγαῖς τισι πιθαναῖς καὶ ἀπάταις τὴν πονηρὰν ταύτην ἐνέδραν τοῦ λόγου περικαλύψαντες ταῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπινοίαις τοὺς ἀνοήτους τῶν ἀκροατῶν παρακρούονται. τὰ γὰρ ἄλλα κατασκευάσαντες, δι' ὧν ἂν ᾗ δυνατὸν αὐτομάτως ἐπὶ ταῦτα κατασυρῆναι τὴν