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being applied, so that the name of the Father's essence should be called 20unbegottenness20? For Adam would have said this, and all those in succession from him, if such a thing had been sown by God in nature. 2.1.549 For just as things now growing from the earth continue forever from the spermatic succession from the first creation, and no seed is innovated in the present by nature, so also this word, if it were, as you say, sown in nature from God, would have sprouted forth with the first voice of the first-formed and would have passed through in the succession of those who came after. But since this was not present at the first (for no one of the first men before you up to now has uttered such a thing), it is clear that something spurious and counterfeit has sprung up from the weedy sowing, not from those good seeds which God, to speak evangelically, cast upon the field 2.1.550 of nature. For whatever things are certainly in the common nature do not now have the beginning of their being, but appeared together with nature from the first constitution, such as the activity of the senses and the disposition to desire or be averse to certain human things, and if anything else of this sort is confessed to be common to nature, of which life has innovated nothing in succeeding generations, but in the same properties humanity is preserved throughout from the first to the last, with nature neither casting off any of the things belonging to it from the beginning nor 2.1.551 acquiring any of the things not belonging to it. And just as seeing is confessed to be common to nature, but seeing technically comes through practice to those who have devoted themselves to the sciences (for scientific understanding through a lens or the demonstrative theory of geometrical lines or anything else of that sort does not belong to all, in which not the seeing, but the using of sight for a certain purpose has been invented by art), so also one might say that to be rational is common to human essence and a property from above co-essentialized with nature, but that to invent certain significant appellations for existing things belongs to humans who possess the rational power from God within themselves, who are always inventing certain words indicative of things for the clarity of what is signified, according to what pleases them. 2.1.552 But 20if these things prevail, one of two things20, he says, is established, either that the conception of those who conceive it is more ancient, or that the appellations belonging to God by nature and pre-existing all things are posterior to the genesis of men20. Is it really necessary to contend against such things and to grapple in argument with such manifest folly? And who is so paltry as to be harmed by such things and to think, if the words were believed to belong to the rational power, either to confess that the sounds of the words are more ancient than those who speak them, or to suppose that one sins against the divine, when men, as far as they are able after becoming men, 2.1.553 name the divine? For that the transcendent nature has no need of words impressed by voice and tongue has already been said, and it would be superfluous to burden the argument with the same things. For that which is by nature without need and perfect and without superfluity neither lacks any of the things it needs nor has any of the things it does not need. Since, therefore, that it has no need of nominal appellation has been demonstrated from the preceding arguments and is confessed by the common consent of those who have sense, no one would deny that it is the height of impiety to attribute to God the things he does not need. 2.1.554 But I think one ought not to dwell on these and similar things, nor to refute what has been said in succession with precision; for to the more attentive, the very argument labored by the adversary will appear as an advocate for the dogmas of piety. For he says 20that the essence itself 2.1.555 is incorruptibility and immortality likewise20. But as for me, whether these things are added to the divine nature or whether the essence is these very things according to their meaning, I think I ought not to contend with him at all; for whatever of the things said he should establish, it will by all means support our argument. For if it were added to the essence not to

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ἐγκείμενος, ὥστε ὄνομα τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας τὴν 20ἀγεννησίαν20 κλη θῆναι; εἶπε γὰρ ἂν τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ καὶ οἱ καθεξῆς ἀπ' ἐκείνου πάντες, εἴπερ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ φύσει τὸ τοι 2.1.549 οῦτον κατέσπαρτο. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ νῦν ἐκ τῆς γῆς φυόμενα ἐκ τῆς σπερματικῆς διαδοχῆς ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης κτίσεως εἰς ἀεὶ διαμένει καὶ οὐδὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι σπέρμα καινοτομεῖται παρὰ τῆς φύσεως, οὕτως καὶ ὁ λόγος οὗτος, εἴπερ ἦν, καθὼς σὺ φῄς, θεόθεν κατεσπαρμένος τῇ φύσει, τῇ πρώτῃ ἂν τῶν πρωτοπλάστων φωνῇ συνεβλάστησε καὶ τῇ διαδοχῇ τῶν ἐπιγινομένων συνδιεξήρχετο. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο παρὰ τὴν πρώτην οὐκ ἦν (οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν πρώτων μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἀνθρώπων πρὸ σοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐφθέγξατο), δῆλον ὅτι νόθον τι καὶ παρευρημένον ἐκ τῆς ζιζανιώδους ἀνεφύη σπορᾶς, οὐκ ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἐκείνων σπερμάτων ἃ τῷ ἀγρῷ 2.1.550 τῆς φύσεως, εὐαγγελικῶς εἰπεῖν, ὁ θεὸς κατεβάλετο. ὅσα γὰρ ἐν τῇ κοινῇ φύσει πάντως ἐστίν, οὐ νῦν τοῦ εἶναι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς πρώτης συστάσεως συνανεφάνη τῇ φύσει, ὡς ἥ τε τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἐνέργεια καὶ τὸ πρός τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐπιθυμητικῶς ἢ ἀλλοτρίως ἔχειν καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τοιοῦτον κοινὸν ὁμολογεῖται τῆς φύσεως, ὧν οὐδὲν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις ὁ βίος ἐκαινοτόμησεν, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἰδιώμασι ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων μέχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων συνδιατηρεῖται διὰ παντὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, οὐδὲν τῆς φύ σεως οὔτε τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προσόντων ἀποβαλλούσης οὔτε 2.1.551 τῶν μὴ προσόντων προσλαμβανούσης. ὥσπερ δὲ τὸ μὲν ὁρᾶν κοινὸν ὁμολογεῖται τῆς φύσεως, τὸ δὲ τεχνικῶς ὁρᾶν ἐξ ἐπιτηδεύσεως τοῖς ἐσπουδακόσι περὶ τὰς ἐπιστήμας προσγίνεται (οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἐστὶν ἡ διὰ τῆς διόπτρας ἐπι στημονικὴ κατανόησις ἢ τῶν γεωμετρικῶν γραμμῶν ἡ ἀπο δεικτικὴ θεωρία ἢ εἴ τι τοιοῦτον ἕτερον, ἐφ' ὧν οὐ τὸ βλέπειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρός τι κεχρῆσθαι τῷ βλέπειν παρὰ τῆς τέχνης ἐφεύρηται), οὕτω καὶ τὸ λογικὸν μὲν εἶναι κοινὸν ἄν τις εἴποι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης οὐσίας καὶ ἴδιον ἄνωθεν συγκατουσιωμένον τῇ φύσει, τὸ δὲ τοῖς οὖσι σημαντικάς τινας ἐφευρίσκειν προσηγορίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἶναι τῶν τὴν λογικὴν δύναμιν θεόθεν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κεκτημένων, τῶν ἀεὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀρέσκον αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὴν τῶν δηλουμένων σαφήνειαν λέξεις τινὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐμφαντικὰς ἐφευ 2.1.552 ρισκόντων. ἀλλ' 20ἐὰν ταῦτα κρατῇ, δυοῖν20 φησι κατασκευάζεσθαι θάτερον, ἢ τῶν ἐπινοούντων τὴν ἐπίνοιαν πρεσβυτέραν ἢ τὰς τῷ θεῷ κατὰ φύσιν προσηκούσας προσηγορίας καὶ πάντων προϋπαρχούσας τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γενέσεως ὑστέρας20. ἆρα καὶ πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα διαμάχεσθαι χρὴ καὶ πρὸς τὴν οὕτως ἔκδηλον ἄνοιαν διὰ τοῦ λόγου συμ πλέκεσθαι; καὶ τίς οὕτως εὐτελής, ὡς διὰ τῶν τοιούτων βλαβῆναι καὶ νομίσαι, εἰ τῆς λογικῆς δυνάμεως εἶναι πι στευθείη τὰ ῥήματα, ἢ πρεσβυτέρας τῶν λαλούντων ὁμο λογεῖν εἶναι τὰς τῶν ῥημάτων φωνὰς ἢ πλημμελεῖν εἰς τὸ θεῖον οἴεσθαι, τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καθὼς χωροῦσι μετὰ τὸ 2.1.553 γενέσθαι ἄνθρωποι, τὸ θεῖον ὀνομαζόντων; τὸ γὰρ μὴ δεῖσθαι τὴν ὑπερέχουσαν φύσιν ῥημάτων διὰ φωνῆς καὶ γλώττης ἐκτυπουμένων ἤδη τε εἴρηται καὶ περιττὸν ἂν εἴη διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ὄχλον ἐντιθέναι τῷ λόγῳ. τὸ γὰρ ἀπροσ δεὲς τῇ φύσει καὶ τέλειον καὶ ἀπέριττον οὔτε τι τῶν δεόν των οὐκ ἔχει οὔτε τῶν μὴ δεόντων τι ἔχει. ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ μὴ δεῖν αὐτῷ τῆς ὀνοματικῆς κλήσεως ἐκ τῶν φθασάντων ἀποδέδεικται λόγων καὶ ἐκ τῆς κοινῆς τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων συγκαταθέσεως ὁμολογεῖται, οὐδεὶς ἂν ἀντείποι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀσεβείας εἶναι τὸ προσμαρτυρεῖν τῷ θεῷ τὰ μὴ δέοντα. 2.1.554 Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν οἶμαι χρῆναι τούτοις καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐνδιατρίβειν οὐδὲ τὰ καθεξῆς εἰρημένα δι' ἀκριβείας ἐλέγ χειν· ἱκανῶς γὰρ τοῖς ἐπιστατικωτέροις αὐτὸς ὁ τῷ ἀντι δίκῳ πονηθεὶς λόγος συνήγορος τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας δογμά των ἀναφανήσεται. φησὶ γὰρ 20τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτὴν 2.1.555 ἀφθαρσίαν εἶναι καὶ ἀθανασίαν ὡσαύτως20. ἐγὼ δὲ εἴτε πρόσεστι ταῦτα τῇ θείᾳ φύσει εἴτε αὐτὰ ταῦτα κατὰ τὸ σημαινόμενον ἡ οὐσία ἐστίν, οὐδὲν οἶμαι χρῆναι πρὸς αὐτὸν διαμάχεσθαι· ὅ τι γὰρ ἂν νικήσῃ τῶν εἰρη μένων, τὸν ἡμέτερον πάντως συστήσει λόγον. εἰ μὲν γὰρ προσείη τῇ οὐσίᾳ τὸ μὴ