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lest he escape the notice of those who are easily deceived into assenting to the blasphemy, pretending 2.1.380. That therefore the concept of unbegottenness is one thing, and the account of the divine substance is another, the refutation comes from the very things said by him. 20"In respect to substance itself,"20 he says, 20"he is incorruptible and unbegotten, it being unmixed and pure from all otherness and difference."20 He says these things about God, whose substance he says is both incorruptibility and unbegottenness. Therefore he has spoken three names concerning God: substance, the 2.1.381 incorruptible, the unbegotten. If the concept of these three names concerning God is one, the Godhead is by all means these three things; just as if someone, wishing to characterize man, were to say that he is rational and laughing and having broad nails; in which cases, because there is no difference in nature in each, we say that the names are equivalent to one another and that the three are one in the subject, the humanity 2.1.382 described by means of these names. If, therefore, the Godhead is this, unbegottenness and incorruptibility and substance, by all necessity in the removal of one of these † the Godhead is also destroyed. For just as one would not call someone who is not rational or laughing a man, so also in the case of these three names, I mean the unbegotten and the incorruptible and the substance, if the Godhead is characterized by these, whenever one of the three does not exist, the account of the God- 2.1.383 head is entirely cancelled by what is lacking. Therefore let him answer what opinion he has concerning the only-begotten God. Does he think he is begotten or unbegotten? He will certainly say begotten, if he does not fight with his own words. If, then, substance and the incorruptible are the same as the unbegotten, by which the Godhead is known, from whom the unbegotten is absent, from him has certainly been taken away both the substance and the incorruptible, and these not being present, the Godhead also will by all necessity be removed. Therefore the argument has arrived at a twofold conclusion of their 2.1.384 blasphemous sequence. For if substance and incorruptibility and the unbegotten are said of God with the same meaning, it is clearly demonstrated that this new god-maker knows the Son created by him to be corruptible because he does not know him to be unbegotten, and not only this, but also completely without substance because he is not able to see him in the Godhead, in whom is not contemplated the unbegotten and incorruptible, if indeed he thinks the unbegotten 2.1.385 and incorruptible are the same as the substance. But since destruction is manifest in these things, let someone advise the wretches to turn in their argument to what is left and not to fight openly against the truth, but to agree that the meaning of each of these names is distinct, which one might better understand through their contrasting definitions. 2.1.386 For we discover the unbegotten by contrast to the begotten, and the incorruptible is known by comparison with the corruptible, and substance is contemplated by its difference from that which is without substance. For just as what was not begotten is called unbegotten and what is not corrupted, incorruptible, so also we name what is not non-existent, substance, and conversely, just as we say the begotten is not unbegotten and we name the corruptible not incorruptible, so also we do not say that substance is non-existent. Therefore substance is understood in being something, while the corruptible or the incorruptible is understood in being of a certain quality, and the begotten or unbegotten in being in a certain way. Therefore the account of being is one thing, and another is that which clarifies through itself "how" or "of what quality." 2.1.387 And it seems good to me, having passed over the intervening nausea (for thus I think one must call his foolish attempts against "conception") to dwell upon the concept before us. For all the things that have been vomited forth like some phlegmatic humour by the speechwriter for the overthrow of the things contemplated by our teacher concerning "conception," are such as to present no danger to those who encounter them, even if one happens to be very foolish and easily led astray. 2.1.388 For who is so out of his mind as to the things said by way of example concerning the

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ἂν μὴ λάθοι τοὺς εὐεξα πατήτους πρὸς τὴν συγκατάθεσιν τῆς βλασφημίας ὑποποιού 2.1.380 μενος. ὅτι τοίνυν ἄλλο τι τῆς ἀγεννησίας ἐστὶ τὸ νόημα καὶ ἄλλος τῆς θείας οὐσίας ὁ λόγος, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων ἐστὶν ὁ ἔλεγχος. 20Κατ' αὐτήν20, φησί, 20τὴν οὐσίαν ἄφθαρτός ἐστι καὶ ἀγέννητος ἀμιγῆ καὶ καθαρὰν οὖσαν πάσης ἑτερότητος καὶ διαφορᾶς20. περὶ θεοῦ ταῦτα λέγει, οὗ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀφθαρσίαν τε καὶ ἀγεννησίαν εἶναί φησι. τρία τοίνυν ἐπὶ θεοῦ εἶπεν ὀνόματα, τὴν οὐσίαν, τὸ ἄ 2.1.381 φθαρτον, τὸ ἀγέννητον. εἰ μία τῶν τριῶν τούτων ὀνομά των ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν ἡ ἔννοια, ἡ θεότης ταῦτα τὰ τρία πάντως ἐστίν· ὡς εἴ τις λέγοι τὸν ἄνθρωπον χαρακτηρίσαι βουλόμενος λογικὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι γελαστικόν τε καὶ πλατυώ νυχον· ἐφ' ὧν, διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἐν ἑκάστῳ διαφορὰν εἶναι, ἰσοδυναμεῖν τε ἀλλήλοις τὰ ὀνόματα λέγομεν καὶ ἓν εἶναι τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ τὰ τρία, τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα τὴν 2.1.382 διὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων ὑπογραφεῖσαν. εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ θεότης, ἡ ἀγεννησία τε καὶ ἡ ἀφθαρσία καὶ ἡ οὐσία, κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀνάγκην ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς τούτων ἀφαι ρέσει † συναναιρεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν θεότητα. ὡς γὰρ τὸν μὴ λογικὸν οὐδὲ γελαστικὸν προσείποι τις ἂν οὐδὲ ἄν θρωπον, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν τριῶν ὀνομάτων, τοῦ τε ἀγεννήτου φημὶ καὶ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου καὶ τῆς οὐσίας, εἰ διὰ τούτων ἡ θεότης χαρακτηρίζεται, ὅταν ἕν τι τῶν τριῶν μὴ ὑπάρχῃ, διεγράφη πάντως τῷ λείποντι καὶ ὁ τῆς θεό 2.1.383 τητος λόγος. οὐκοῦν ἀποκρινάσθω τίνα περὶ τοῦ μονο γενοῦς θεοῦ ἔχει τὴν δόξαν. γεννητὸν αὐτὸν ἢ ἀγέννητον οἴεται; γεννητὸν ἐρεῖ πάντως, εἴπερ τοῖς ἰδίοις μὴ μάχοιτο. εἰ οὖν ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ ἡ οὐσία τε καὶ τὸ ἄφθαρ τον, δι' ὧν ἡ θεότης γνωρίζεται, ᾧ μὴ πρόσεστι τὸ ἀγέν νητον, συναφῄρηται τούτου πάντως ἡ οὐσία τε καὶ τὸ ἄφθαρ τον, ὧν μὴ παρόντων καὶ ἡ θεότης κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀνάγκην ἐξαιρεθήσεται. οὐκοῦν εἰς διπλοῦν πέρας τῆς κατὰ τὸ 2.1.384 βλάσφημον αὐτῶν ἀκολουθίας ὁ λόγος κατήντησεν. εἰ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ σημαινόμενον λέγεται ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ οὐσία τε καὶ ἡ ἀφθαρσία καὶ τὸ ἀγέννητον, σαφῶς ἀποδείκνυται ὁ καινὸς οὗτος θεοποιὸς τὸν παρ' αὐτοῦ κτισθέντα υἱὸν φθαρτόν τε γινώσκων διὰ τὸ μὴ γινώσκειν ἀγέννητον, καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παντελῶς ἀνυπόστατον διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν ἐν θεότητι βλέπειν, ᾧ οὐκ ἐνθεωρεῖται τὸ ἀγέννητόν τε καὶ ἄφθαρτον, εἴπερ ταὐτὸν τὸ ἀγέννητόν τε 2.1.385 καὶ ἄφθαρτον τῇ οὐσίᾳ οἴεται. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πρόδηλος ἐν τούτοις ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπώλεια, συμβουλευσάτω τις τοῖς δειλαίοις ἐπὶ τὸ λειπόμενον τραπῆναι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ μὴ ζυγομαχεῖν ἐκ τοῦ προδήλου πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλὰ συντίθεσθαι ἴδιον ἑκάστου τούτων εἶναι τῶν ὀνομάτων τὸ σημαινόμενον, ὅπερ μᾶλλον ἄν τις διὰ τῶν ἀντιδιαστελλομένων νοήσειε. 2.1.386 τό τε γὰρ ἀγέννητον τῇ πρὸς τὸ γεννητὸν ἀντιδιαστολῇ ἐξευρίσκομεν καὶ τὸ ἄφθαρτον τῇ πρὸς τὸ φθαρτὸν παρα θέσει γνωρίζεται καὶ ἡ οὐσία τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἀνυπόστατον παραλλαγῇ θεωρεῖται. ὡς γὰρ ὃ μὴ ἐγεννήθη ἀγέννητον λέγεται καὶ ὃ μὴ φθείρεται ἄφθαρτον, οὕτως καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀνύπαρκτον οὐσίαν κατονομάζομεν, καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν ὡς τὸ γεννητὸν οὐκ ἀγέννητον λέγομεν καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν οὐκ ἄφθαρτον ὀνομάζομεν, οὕτω καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀνύπαρκτον εἶναι οὐ λέγομεν. οὐκοῦν οὐσία μὲν ἐν τῷ εἶναί τι κατα νοεῖται, τὸ δὲ φθαρτὸν ἢ τὸ ἄφθαρτον ἐν τῷ ποδαπὸν εἶναι, τὸ δὲ γεννητὸν ἢ ἀγέννητον ἐν τῷ πῶς εἶναι. ἄλλος οὖν ὁ τοῦ εἶναι λόγος καὶ ἕτερος ὁ τὸ πῶς ἢ τὸ ποῖον δι' ἑαυτοῦ σαφηνίζων. 2.1.387 Καί μοι δοκεῖ καλῶς ἔχειν ὑπερβάντι τὴν διὰ μέσου ναυτίαν (οὕτω γὰρ οἶμαι χρῆναι τὰς ἀνοήτους αὐτοῦ κατὰ τῆς ἐπινοίας ἐπιχειρήσεις κατονομάζειν) τῷ προκειμένῳ ἡμῖν ἐμφιλοχωρῆσαι νοήματι. τὰ γὰρ ὅσα πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν τῶν περὶ τῆς ἐπινοίας τῷ διδασκάλῳ τεθεωρημένων ὑπὸ τοῦ λογογράφου καθάπερ τις χυμὸς φλεγματώδης ἐξήμεσται, τοιαῦτά ἐστιν ὡς μηδένα κίνδυνον παρέχειν τοῖς ἐντυγχά νουσι, κἂν σφόδρα τις ἠλίθιος ὢν καὶ εὐπαράγωγος τύχῃ. 2.1.388 τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἔξω διανοίας ἐστὶν ὥστε τὰ ὑποδειγματικῶς περὶ τοῦ