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proclaiming in the argument, that He is not incorruptible by energy, but Father 2.1.372 and Creator is named from energies. If, therefore, it is the same thing for Him to be called both Father and Creator, because the energy is for him the cause of both names, it is absolutely necessary that the results of the energies also be homogeneous with each other in virtue of being similarly from energy. And to what limit of blasphemy this is carried by its consequence, is clear to everyone who knows how to look to the logical conclusion. But what things I reason concerning these matters, I wish to add to the joint examination of the arguments. It is not possible for an energy productive of some thing to subsist by itself, without something receiving the motion of the energy, for instance, we say the smith is acting, but that 2.1.373 the matter set before him is being acted upon by the craft. Therefore, these necessarily have a certain relation to each other, the active and the passive power, and if one of these were separated in argument, the remaining one could not subsist by itself. For if that which is acted upon did not exist, that which acts would not exist. What then is constructed from this? If an energy productive of some thing does not subsist by itself, without a subject that is acted upon, and the Father, as these men say, is nothing other than energy, then through these arguments the only-begotten Son is shown to be passible, being formed 2.1.374 by the motion of the energy that gives him substance. For just as we say that the creator of the universe, having subjected to himself a certain passible and pliable matter, made his creative essence active, in the case of sensible things skillfully imposing on the subject matter varied and multiform qualities for the production of each of the things that come to be, and in the case of intelligible things, in another manner, not by qualities but by volitional impulses shaping the subject matter, so necessarily, if one were to define fatherhood as an energy, he will not otherwise demonstrate the hypostasis of the Son, 2.1.375 unless it be as having been wrought in some passible matter. For if he were considered impassible, his impassibility will surely become resistant to the one who acts, and with the energy being hindered, that which is being acted upon will surely not exist. So it is one of two things, either they will, by these arguments, make the substance of the Only-begotten passible, in order that it might receive the energy, or, shrinking from this on account of its manifest impiety, they will argue that it does not exist at all. 2.1.376 For that which is naturally unable to be acted upon, certainly does not admit a productive energy upon itself. He therefore who names the Son the result of some energy defines him as one of those passible things which have had their procession through energy, or if he should deny the passion, he will also deny his hypostasis along with the passion. But since in each of the alternatives appearing in the dilemma the impiety is clear—both to say that he is not and to suppose him passible—manifest is 2.1.377 the truth, which is revealed through the refutation of absurdities. For if he both truly exists and is not passible, it is clear that he is not from energy, but as it is fitting for true God to be from the true God the Father, impassibly from eternity having been shone forth and having radiated. But 20according to His very substance20, he says, 20God is incorruptible20. And what other of the divinely fitting concepts does not belong to the very substance of the Son: righteousness, goodness, eternality, incapability of receiving any evil, being unlimited 2.1.378 in everything conceived according to goodness? Is there anyone who says that any of the good things is acquired by the divine nature, and not that everything whatsoever is good both originates from there and is contemplated in it, as the prophet says: For if anything is beautiful, it is His, and if anything is good, it is from Him? And he connects to this the statement 20and 2.1.379 to be unbegotten according to substance20. But I, if he says this meaning that the substance of the Father exists unbegottenly, I agree with what is said and do not oppose the doctrine; for not one of the pious supposes the Father of the Only-begotten to be begotten; but if he indicates this in the form of his argument, but argues that 20unbegottenness20 itself is substance, this, I say, must not be passed over unexamined, as

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διαγορεύων τῷ λόγῳ, ὅτι ἄφθαρτος μὲν οὐκ ἐνεργείᾳ ἐστί, πατὴρ δὲ 2.1.372 καὶ δημιουργὸς ἐξ ἐνεργειῶν ὀνομάζεται. εἰ τοίνυν ταὐτόν ἐστι πατέρα τε καὶ δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν λέγεσθαι, τῷ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἀμφοτέρων αὐτῷ γίνεσθαι τῶν ὀνομάτων αἰτίαν, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα καὶ τὰ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν ἀποτελέσματα ὁμογενῶς ἔχειν ἀλλήλοις κατ' αὐτὸ τὸ ἐξ ἐνεργείας ὁμοίως εἶναι. τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς ποῖον βλασφημίας πέρας διὰ τῆς ἀκολου θίας ἐκφέρεται, παντὶ δῆλόν ἐστι τῷ ἐπισταμένῳ βλέπειν πρὸς τὸ ἀκόλουθον. ἐγὼ δ' ὅσα περὶ τούτων λογίζομαι, βούλομαι προσθεῖναι τῇ συνεξετάσει τῶν λόγων. οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνέργειαν ἀπεργαστικήν τινος πράγματος αὐτὴν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς συστῆναι, μή τινος ὑποδεχομένου τῆς ἐνεργείας τὴν κίνη σιν, οἷον ἐνεργεῖν τί φαμεν τὸν χαλκεύοντα, ἐνεργεῖσθαι δὲ 2.1.373 τὴν ἐκκειμένην ὕλην τῇ τέχνῃ. οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαίως ἔχει σχέσιν τινὰ ταῦτα πρὸς ἄλληλα, ἡ ἐνεργητικὴ καὶ ἡ παθη τικὴ δύναμις, ὧν εἰ χωρισθείη τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἕτερον, οὐκ ἂν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ συσταίη καὶ τὸ λειπόμενον. εἰ γὰρ μὴ τὸ πάσχον εἴη, τὸ ἐνεργοῦν οὐκ ἔσται. τί οὖν ἐκ τούτου κατα σκευάζεται; εἰ οὐ συνίσταται καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἡ ἐνέργεια ἡ ἀποτελεστική τινος πράγματος, μὴ ὑποκειμένου τοῦ πάσχον τος, ὁ πατὴρ δέ, καθὼς οὗτοί φασιν, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ ἐνέργεια, παθητὸς ἄρα διὰ τούτων ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ἀπο δείκνυται πρὸς τὴν κίνησιν τῆς ὑφιστώσης αὐτὸν ἐνεργείας 2.1.374 τυπούμενος. ὡς γὰρ τὸν τοῦ παντὸς δημιουργόν φαμεν παθητικήν τινα καὶ εὔεικτον ὕλην ὑποβαλόμενον ἐνεργὸν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν δημιουργικὴν οὐσίαν ποιῆσαι, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αἰσθη τῶν τὰς ποικίλας τε καὶ πολυειδεῖς τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ποι ότητας πρὸς τὴν ἑκάστου τῶν γινομένων ἀπεργασίαν τεχνι κῶς ἐπιβάλλοντα, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν νοητῶν ἕτερον τρόπον οὐχὶ ποιότησιν, ἀλλὰ προαιρετικαῖς ὁρμαῖς διαμορφοῦντα τὸ ὑπο κείμενον, οὕτως ἐξ ἀνάγκης εἰ ἐνέργειάν τις ὁρίζοιτο τὴν πατρότητα, οὐκ ἄλλως ἀποδείξει τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν ὑπόστασιν, 2.1.375 μὴ κατά τινα παθητικὴν πάντως ἀπεργασθεῖσαν ὕλην. εἰ γὰρ ἀπαθὴς νομισθείη, ἀντίτυπος πάντως ἡ ἀπάθεια τῷ ἐνεργοῦντι γενήσεται, κωλυομένης δὲ τῆς ἐνεργείας οὐκ ἔσται πάντως τὸ ἐνεργούμενον. ὡς δυοῖν θάτερον, ἢ παθη τὴν διὰ τούτων τοῦ μονογενοῦς τὴν οὐσίαν ποιήσουσιν, ἵνα τὴν ἐνέργειαν δέξηται, ἢ τοῦτο διὰ τὸ προφανὲς τῆς ἀσε βείας ὀκνοῦντες τὸ μηδὲ ὅλως αὐτὴν εἶναι κατασκευάσουσιν. 2.1.376 ὃ γὰρ παθεῖν ἀποπέφυκεν, οὐδὲ τὴν ποιητικὴν ἐνέργειαν ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ πάντως προσίεται. ὁ τοίνυν ἐνεργείας τινὸς ἀποτέλεσμα τὸν υἱὸν ὀνομάζων ἕν τι καὶ τοῦτον τῶν παθη τῶν διορίζεται ὅσα δι' ἐνεργείας ἔσχε τὴν πρόοδον, ἢ εἴπερ ἀρνοῖτο τὸ πάθος, καὶ τὴν ὑπόστασιν αὐτοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πάθους ἀρνήσεται. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καθ' ἑκάτερον τῶν κατὰ τὸ διλήμματον προφαινομένων σαφὴς ἡ ἀσέβεια καὶ τὸ μὴ εἶναι λέγειν καὶ τὸ παθητὸν αὐτὸν οἴεσθαι, πρόδηλος ἡ 2.1.377 ἀλήθεια διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀτόπων ἀναιρέσεως ἀναφαινομένη. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀληθῶς ἔστι καὶ παθητὸς οὐκ ἔστι, δῆλον ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ἐνεργείας ἐστίν, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰκὸς ἀληθινὸν εἶναι θεὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀπαθῶς ἐξ ἀϊδίου ἀπαυ γασθέντα τε καὶ ἐκλάμψαντα. ἀλλὰ 20κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν οὐσίαν20, φησίν, 20ἄφθαρτός ἐστιν ὁ θεός20. τί δὲ ἄλλο τῶν θεοπρεπῶν νοημάτων οὐκ αὐτῆς ἔχεται τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς οὐσίας, τὸ δίκαιον, τὸ ἀγαθόν, τὸ ἀΐδιον, τὸ τοῦ κακοῦ παντὸς ἀνεπίδεκτον, τὸ ἐν παντὶ τῷ κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν νοου 2.1.378 μένῳ ἀπεριόριστον; ἆρά τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων ἐπίκτητόν τι τῶν καλῶν εἶναι τῇ θείᾳ φύσει καὶ οὐ πᾶν ὅτιπέρ ἐστι καλὸν ἐκεῖθέν τε ἀφορμᾶσθαι καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ θεωρεῖσθαι, οὕτω τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Ὅτι εἴ τι καλόν, αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴ τι ἀγαθόν, παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐστι; συνάπτει δὲ τούτῳ τὸ 20καὶ 2.1.379 ἀγέννητον κατ' οὐσίαν εἶναι20. ἐγὼ δέ, εἰ μὲν οὕτω νοῶν τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἀγεννήτως ἔστι τοῦ πατρὸς ἡ οὐσία, συντίθεμαι τῷ λεγομένῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀντιβαίνω τῷ δόγματι· οὐδὲ γάρ τις ὅλως τῶν εὐσεβούντων γεννητὸν εἶναι τὸν πατέρα τοῦ μονογενοῦς ὑποτίθεται· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο μὲν ἐνδεί κνυται κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ λόγου, κατασκευάζει δὲ τὸ αὐτὴν 20τὴν ἀγεννησίαν20 οὐσίαν εἶναι, τοῦτό φημι δεῖν μὴ παραδραμεῖν ἀνεξέταστον, ὡς