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the mind of those who hear, they leave to the hearer the 2.1.57 conclusion of the catastrophe. For having said that the only-begotten God is not the same in substance as the true Father, and having sophistically concluded this through the opposition of the unbegotten to the begotten, they achieve their result by being silent about what follows from this, with the impiety being automatically established by what follows. And just as the poisoner makes the poison easily acceptable, sweetening the destruction for the one being plotted against with honey, and he has only given it, but it, having been mixed in the entrails, works destruction without the poisoner doing anything further, something similar also 2.1.58 happens with these men; for having coated the destructive dogma with the cleverness of their sophisms as with a kind of honey, when they pour the deceit into the soul of the hearer concerning the only-begotten God not being true God, they have accomplished all other things along with this, even while being silent. For upon being persuaded that he is not truly God, it follows that none of the other things said about him in a manner befitting God are said in truth; for if he is neither Son nor God in truth, but each of these by an improper use of the term, it is certain that the remaining names, by which he is named by the divine scripture, 2.1.59 are also separated from the truth. For indeed one thing will not be said of him truly, while another lacks truth, but certainly all things will follow one another, so that if he were truly God, he would also be judge and king and each of the things said, as it is said; but if the divinity were a falsehood, then nothing else about him would be true. Therefore, when the deceived were persuaded that the title of divinity is falsely named upon the Only-begotten, the conclusion was also reached not to worship nor to revere nor at all to render the honor owed to God. 2.1.60 So that, therefore, their attack against the Savior might be effective, they devised this method of blasphemy. They advise that one should not examine the commonality in the other names, by which the equality of the Son's dignity with the Father is signified, but to deduce the difference of nature from the opposition of the unbegotten to the begotten; for this is the divine nature, 2.1.61 which the name of unbegottenness signifies. Then, while all men who have sense reckon it impossible for the ineffable nature to be declared by any power of words, since neither does our knowledge extend so far as to reach what is beyond the things that are known, nor has the service of words been allotted such power in us as to be sufficient to declare what is thought, if indeed anything lofty and divine should come to mind at all, again these wise men, condemning the great foolishness and inexperience in the science of logic of the many, both affirm that they themselves know these things and that they are able to instill the knowledge of these things in whomever they wish. 2.1.62 And for this reason they say that the divine nature is nothing other than 20unbegottenness20 itself, and calling this 20most proper and the highest20 they enclose the entire majesty of the Godhead in this word; so that from this it is established that if unbegottenness is the most proper aspect of the substance and the rest of the names befitting God are connected to it, divinity, incorruptibility, power, and all the rest, if then these and such things are 20unbegottenness20, certainly if anything is not called this, it will not be 2.1.63 those things either. For just as being rational and capable of laughter and receptive of knowledge is proper to man, and if something is not a man, it will certainly not be found in the properties of the nature, so too if 20unbegottenness20 is the true divinity, for whatever does not possess this name, nothing else that characterizes the divinity will be found in it. Since, therefore, unbegottenness is not predicated of the Son, it has been established that none of the other lofty and God-befitting names 2.1.64 are properly predicated of him either. This, then, they define as the comprehension of the divine mysteries, that the divinity of the Son is set aside, all but openly crying out to everyone who lends an ear that it is possible for you to be perfect in knowledge, by not believing in the only-begotten God, that he is truly God, by not honoring the Son as the Father is honored, by considering him not a Son but a creature by nature, not lord, not master, but a slave and a subordinate. For to this end looks the goal of their counsel, even if the blasphemy is veiled in other words. 2.1.65 For these reasons, in various ways according to the previous treatise, dancing a war-dance with the turn of sophisms and treating of the unbegotten with different arts, he steals away the mind of the easily deceived, in what he says: 20Therefore, if neither by conception nor by privation nor as a part, for he is without parts, nor in himself

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τῶν ἀκουόντων διάνοιαν, τῷ ἀκροατῇ τὸ 2.1.57 πέρας τῆς καταστροφῆς καταλείπουσιν. εἰπόντες γὰρ μὴ εἶναι ταὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν τῷ ἀληθινῷ πατρὶ καὶ τοῦτο σοφιστικῶς συμπεράναντες διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀγεννήτου πρὸς τὸ γεννητὸν ἀντιθέσεως τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου σιωπῶντες ἐργάζονται, αὐτομάτως διὰ τοῦ ἀκολούθου τῆς ἀσεβείας κρατυνομένης. καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ δηλητήριον ὁ φαρ μακεὺς εὐπαράδεκτον ποιεῖ, τῷ ἐπιβουλευομένῳ μέλιτι κατα γλυκάνας τὸν ὄλεθρον, καὶ ὁ μὲν ἔδωκε μόνον, τὸ δὲ ἐγ καταμιχθὲν τοῖς σπλάγχνοις οὐδὲν ἔτι πραγματευομένου τοῦ φαρμακέως τὴν φθορὰν κατεργάζεται, ὅμοιόν τι καὶ 2.1.58 παρὰ τούτων γίνεται· ταῖς γὰρ κομψείαις τῶν σοφισμάτων τὸ φθοροποιὸν δόγμα οἷόν τινι μέλιτι καταχρώσαντες, ἐπει δὰν ἐγχέωσι τὴν ἀπάτην τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ ἀκούοντος τὴν περὶ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι θεὸν ἀληθινὸν τὸν μονογενῆ θεόν, τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τούτῳ καὶ σιωπῶντες συγκατειργάσαντο. τῷ γὰρ πεισθῆναι μὴ ἀληθῶς εἶναι θεὸν ἐπακολουθεῖ τὸ μηδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ θεοπρεπῶς λεγομένων ἐν ἀληθείᾳ λέγεσθαι· εἰ γὰρ οὔτε υἱὸς οὔτε θεὸς ἐξ ἀληθείας, ἀλλ' ἐκ καταχρήσεως τούτων ἑκάτερον, πάντως ὅτι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων, οἷς παρὰ τῆς θείας γραφῆς ὀνομά 2.1.59 ζεται, τῆς ἀληθείας κεχώρισται. οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ μὲν ἀλη θῶς ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ῥηθήσεται, τὸ δὲ ἀμοιρήσει τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλὰ πάντως ἀλλήλοις ἀκολουθήσει τὰ πάντα, ὥστε εἰ μὲν ἀληθῶς εἴη θεός, καὶ κριτὴν καὶ βασιλέα καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν λεγομένων εἶναι ὡς λέγεται, εἰ δὲ ἡ θεότης ψεύδοιτο, μηδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀληθεύειν. πεισθέντων τοίνυν τῶν ἠπατημένων τὸ ψευδώνυμον ἐπὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς εἶναι τὴν τῆς θεότητος κλῆσιν, τὸ μηδὲ λα τρεύειν μηδὲ σεβάζεσθαι μηδὲ ὅλως τὴν θεῷ χρεωστου μένην ἀπονέμειν τιμὴν συγκατεσκευάσθη. 2.1.60 Ἵνα τοίνυν ἐνεργὸς αὐτοῖς ἡ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπι χείρησις γένηται, ταύτην εὕραντο τῆς βλασφημίας τὴν μέθοδον. συμβουλεύουσι μὴ δεῖν τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ὀνό μασι κοινωνίαν ἐπισκοπεῖν, δι' ὧν τὸ ὁμότιμον τῆς ἀξίας τοῦ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα διασημαίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἀγεννήτου πρὸς τὸ γεννητὸν ἀντιθέσεως τὸ παρηλλαγμένον τῆς φύσεως συλλογίζεσθαι· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶναι τὴν θείαν φύσιν, 2.1.61 ὅπερ σημαίνει τὸ τῆς ἀγεννησίας ὄνομα. εἶτα πάντων ἀν θρώπων τῶν γε νοῦν ἐχόντων ἀμήχανον εἶναι λογιζομένων δυνάμει τινὶ ῥημάτων τὴν ἄφραστον φύσιν ἐξαγγελθῆναι, οὔτε τῆς γνώσεως ἡμῶν τοσοῦτον ἐκτεινομένης, ὡς εἰς τὰ ὑπερέκεινα τῶν γινωσκομένων φθάνειν, οὔτε τῆς τῶν λόγων ὑπηρεσίας τοσαύτην δύναμιν ἐν ἡμῖν κεκληρωμένης, ὡς ἱκανὴν εἶναι τὸ νοηθὲν ἐξαγγεῖλαι, εἴπερ τι καὶ ὅλως ὑψηλόν τε καὶ θεῖον ἐπὶ νοῦν ἔλθοι, πάλιν οἱ σοφοὶ οὗτοι πολλὴν ἀβελτερίαν καὶ τῆς λογικῆς ἐπιστήμης ἀπειρίαν τῶν πολλῶν καταψηφιζόμενοι αὐτοί τε εἰδέναι διαβεβαιοῦνται ταῦτα καὶ οἷς ἂν ἐθέλωσι δύνασθαι τὴν περὶ τούτων ἐμ 2.1.62 ποιῆσαι γνῶσιν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λέγουσι μηδὲν ἕτερον εἶναι τὴν θείαν φύσιν πλὴν τὴν 20ἀγεννησίαν20 αὐτήν, καὶ ταύ την 20κυριωτάτην καὶ ἀνωτάτω20 προσαγορεύοντες ἅπαν τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς θεότητος τῇ φωνῇ ταύτῃ ἐγκατακλείουσιν· ὡς ἐκ τούτου κατασκευάζεσθαι, εἰ ἡ ἀγεννησία τὸ κυριώ τατον τῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν θεοπρεπῶν ὀνο μάτων ταύτῃ συνήρτηται, ἡ θεότης, ἡ ἀφθαρσία, ἡ δύνα μις καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, εἰ οὖν ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἡ 20ἀγεννησία20 ἐστί, πάντως εἴ τι τοῦτο μὴ λέγεται, οὐδὲ 2.1.63 ἐκεῖνα ἔσται. ὡς γὰρ τὸ λογικὸν καὶ τὸ γελαστικὸν καὶ τὸ ἐπιστήμης δεκτικὸν ἴδιον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν, εἰ δέ τι μή ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἰδιώμασι πάντως ἔσται τῆς φύσεως, οὕτως εἴπερ 20ἀγεννησία20 ἐστὶν ἡ ἀληθινὴ θεότης, ᾧ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο μὴ πρόσεστιν, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν τὴν θεότητα χαρακτηριζόντων τούτῳ πάντως ἐφευρεθήσεται. τῆς οὖν ἀγεννησίας περὶ τὸν υἱὸν μὴ λεγομένης, τὸ μηδὲ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα τῶν ὑψηλῶν τε καὶ θεοπρεπῶν ὀνομάτων 2.1.64 ἐπ' αὐτοῦ κυρίως λέγεσθαι κατεσκευάσθη. τοῦτο οὖν εἶναι τὴν κατάληψιν τῶν θείων μυστηρίων ὁρίζονται, τὸ ἀθε τεῖσθαι τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν θεότητα, μονονουχὶ φανερῶς ἐμβοῶντες παντὶ τῷ τὴν ἀκοὴν ὑπέχοντι ὅτι σοὶ ἔξεστι τελείῳ κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν εἶναι, μὴ πιστεύοντι τῷ μονογενεῖ θεῷ, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἀληθῶς θεός, μὴ τιμῶντι τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμᾶται ὁ πατήρ, μὴ υἱὸν ἀλλὰ κτίσμα κατὰ τὴν φύσιν εἶναι νομίζοντι, μὴ κύριον, μὴ δεσπότην, ἀλλὰ δοῦλον καὶ ὑποχείριον. πρὸς τοῦτο γὰρ βλέπει τὸ πέρας τῆς συμβουλῆς, κἂν ἑτέροις ῥήμασιν ἡ βλασφημία περικαλύπτηται. 2.1.65 ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ποικίλως κατὰ τὴν προτέραν λογογραφίαν ἐμπυρ ριχίζων τῇ τῶν σοφισμάτων στροφῇ καὶ διαφόρως τεχνολογῶν τὸ ἀγέννητον, ἐκκλέπτει τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν εὐεξαπατήτων, ἐν οἷς φησιν· 20οὐκοῦν εἰ μήτε κατ' ἐπίνοιαν μήτε κατὰ στέρησιν μήτε ἐν μέρει, ἀμερὴς γάρ, μήτε ἐν αὐτῷ