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But let us also dismiss that sharp argument that God by nature is unsusceptible of death, as if there were someone holding the contrary opinion about these things; for we think that in antitheses it makes no difference whether we say a thing is this or that its contrary is not; just as in the present argument, by saying that God is life, we by this confession effectively forbid thinking of death in connection with him, even if we do not declare it with our voice; and when we confess that he is unsusceptible of death, by the same reasoning we have established that he is life. 2.1.596 But 20I do not see20, he says, 20how God could be superior to his own creatures by things he does not possess20. and on the basis of this wise argument he calls the great Basil 20impiously foolish20 for daring to use such words; to whom I would say that he should not use insults too unsparingly against those who say these things, lest he somehow unwittingly insult himself with the same things. For perhaps not even he would deny that the greatness of the divine nature is recognized in this, in its having no 2.1.597 communion with these things, of which the nature below is shown to partake. For if it were in any of these things, it would not have the superiority, but would be altogether the same as each of those that share in the property. But if it is above these things, clearly by not having these things it transcends those that have them, just as we say that the sinless one is better than those who are in sins; for being separated from evil becomes proof of being rich in the best things. But let the insolent man use his nature; but we, having briefly noted some of the things said in this part, will move our argument on to 2.1.598 the matters at hand. 20Likewise20, he says, 20he is superior to mortals as immortal, to corruptible things as incorruptible, and to generated things as ungenerated20. Is the God-fighter's construction of impiety plain to all, or must we uncover the wickedness with argument? Who does not know that things which are exceeded by the same measure are in every way equal to each other? If, therefore, the corruptible and the generated are surpassed by God in like manner, and the Lord is also generated, let Eunomius draw the conclusion of the impiety that arises from 2.1.599 what has been stated. For it is clear that he considers generation the same as corruption and death, just as in the preceding arguments he declared the ungenerated to be the same as the incorruptible. If therefore he regards corruption and generation as equal and says that God is similarly removed from both, and the Lord is generated, let no one demand from us that the consequence of the argument be added, but let him deduce the conclusion for himself, if indeed the nature of God is equally and in the same way removed from the generated and the corruptible. But 20it is not20, he says, 20by the absence of death and corruption that we call him incorruptible and 2.1.600 immortal20. Let those who are led by the nose and turned about to whatever seems best to each be persuaded by what has been said, and let them say that corruption and death are present to God, so that he may be called immortal and incorruptible. For if the privative appellations of these things do not signify the absence of death and corruption, as Eunomius says, then by this artifice it is surely established that the contrary and alien things are present to him. 2.1.601 For each of the things conceived either is certainly absent from something or is not absent, for example light, darkness, life, death, health, sickness, and all such things; concerning which, if someone were to say that one of the two conceived things is absent, he will certainly establish the presence of the other. If, therefore, he says that 20God is not called immortal by the absence of death20, he would clearly be establishing the presence of death to him and through this denying 2.1.602 the immortality of the God of all. For how could he still be truly immortal and incorruptible, of whom he says corruption and death are not absent? But perhaps someone will say that we are attacking the argument too contentiously; for no one would be so mad as to argue that God is not immortal. But no man has knowledge of the things conceived by some in secret, but through what is said 2.1.603 the

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ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δριμεῖαν ἐκείνην κατασκευὴν τοῦ φύσει τὸν θεὸν ἀν επίδεκτον εἶναι θανάτου, ὥσπερ ὄντος τοῦ τὴν ἐναντίαν περὶ τούτων ἔχοντος δόξαν, χαίρειν ἐάσωμεν· ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀντιθέτοις οὐδὲν διαφέρειν ἡγούμεθα ἢ τόδε λέγειν τι εἶναι ἢ τὸ ἐναντίον μὴ εἶναι· οἷον δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος λόγου ζωὴν εἰπόντες τὸν θεὸν εἶναι ἀπαγορεύομεν τῇ δυ νάμει διὰ τῆς ὁμολογίας ταύτης τὸ θάνατον περὶ αὐτὸν ἐννοεῖν, κἂν μὴ διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ἐξαγγέλλωμεν· καὶ ὅταν ἀνεπίδεκτον αὐτὸν θανάτου ὁμολογήσωμεν, τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ τὸ ζωὴν αὐτὸν εἶναι κατεσκευάσαμεν. 2.1.596 Ἀλλ' 20οὐχ ὁρῶ20, φησί, 20πῶς ἂν ἐκ τῶν μὴ προσ όντων ὑπερέχοι τῶν αὑτοῦ ποιημάτων ὁ θεός20. καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σοφῷ τούτῳ ἐπιχειρήματι 20μετὰ ἀσεβείας ἠλίθιον20 ὀνομάζει τὸν μέγαν Βασίλειον τὸν τοῖς τοιού τοις ἐπιτολμήσαντα λόγοις· πρὸς ὃν εἴποιμι ἂν μὴ λίαν ἀφειδῶς κατὰ τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων κεχρῆσθαι ταῖς ὕβρεσι, μή πῃ καὶ ἑαυτὸν λάθῃ τοῖς αὐτοῖς καθυβρίζων. τάχα γὰρ οὐδ' ἂν αὐτὸς ἀντείποι ἐν τούτῳ τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς θείας γνωρίζεσθαι φύσεως, ἐν τῷ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν πρὸς ταῦτα 2.1.597 κοινωνίαν, ὧν ἡ κάτω φύσις μετέχουσα δείκνυται. εἰ γὰρ ἔν τινι τούτων εἴη, οὐδ' ἂν τὸ πλέον ἔχοι, ἀλλὰ ταὐτὸν ἂν εἴη πάντως ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐπικοινωνούντων τοῦ ἰδιώματος. εἰ δὲ ὑπὲρ ταῦτά ἐστι, τῷ μὴ ἔχειν δηλαδὴ ταῦτα τῶν ἐχόν των ὑπερανέστηκε, καθάπερ φαμὲν κρείττονα τῶν ἐν ἁμαρ τίαις ὄντων εἶναι τὸν ἀναμάρτητον· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ κακοῦ κε χωρίσθαι τοῦ πλουτεῖν ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἀπόδειξις γίνεται. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ὑβριστὴς κεχρήσθω τῇ φύσει· ἡμεῖς δὲ μικρόν τι παρασημηνάμενοι τῶν ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ ῥηθέντων πρὸς 2.1.598 τὰ προκείμενα τὸν λόγον μετάξομεν. 20ὁμοίως20 φησὶν 20αὐτὸν ὑπερέχειν τῶν μὲν θνητῶν ὡς ἀθάνατον, τῶν δὲ φθαρτῶν ὡς ἄφθαρτον, τῶν δὲ γεννητῶν ὡς ἀγέννητον20. ἆρα πᾶσίν ἐστι πρόδηλος ἡ τοῦ θεομάχου τῆς ἀσεβείας κατασκευή, ἢ λόγῳ προσήκει διανακαλύψαι τὴν πονηρίαν; τίς οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι τὰ τῷ αὐτῷ μέτρῳ ὑπερ εχόμενα ἴσα πάντως ἀλλήλοις ἐστίν; εἰ οὖν ὁμοίως ὑπερέχεται παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ φθαρτὸν καὶ γεννητόν, γεννητὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ κύριος, Εὐνόμιος συμπερανάτω τὸ ἐκ 2.1.599 τῶν τεθέντων ἀνακύπτον ἀσέβημα. δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ταὐτὸν ἡγεῖται τῇ φθορᾷ καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ τὴν γέννησιν, ὡς ταὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτου λόγοις [ἐν] τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ τὸ ἀγέννητον ἀπεφήνατο. εἰ οὖν ἐν ἴσῳ βλέπει τὴν φθορὰν καὶ τὴν γέννησιν καὶ ὁμοίως λέγει τὸν θεὸν ἀφεστάναι τῶν δύο, γεννητὸς δὲ ὁ κύριος, μηδεὶς παρ' ἡμῶν ἀπαιτείτω προσ τεθῆναι τὸ ἐκ τοῦ λόγου ἀκόλουθον, ἀλλ' ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ συλλογισάσθω τὸ πέρας, εἴπερ ἐπίσης καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον τοῦ γεννητοῦ καὶ τοῦ φθαρτοῦ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ φύσις ἀφέστηκεν. ἀλλ' 20οὐκ ἔστι20, φησίν, 20ἀπουσίᾳ θανά του καὶ φθορᾶς λέγειν ἄφθαρτον αὐτὸν καὶ 2.1.600 ἀθάνατον20. πειθέσθωσαν τοῖς εἰρημένοις οἱ τῶν ῥινῶν ἑλκόμενοι καὶ πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν ἑκάστῳ περιαγόμενοι καὶ λεγέτωσαν παρεῖναι τῷ θεῷ τὴν φθορὰν καὶ τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα ἀθάνατός τε καὶ ἄφθαρτος λέγηται. εἰ γὰρ οὐχὶ τὴν ἀπουσίαν τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῆς φθορᾶς, καθώς φησιν ὁ Εὐνόμιος, αἱ ἀφαιρετικαὶ τούτων προσηγορίαι σημαί νουσι, πάντως τὸ παρεῖναι αὐτῷ τὰ ἐναντία τε καὶ ἀλ 2.1.601 λότρια διὰ τῆς τεχνολογίας ταύτης κατασκευάζεται. ἕκα στον γὰρ τῶν νοουμένων ἢ ἄπεστι πάντως τινὸς ἢ οὐκ ἄπεστιν, οἷον φῶς σκότος ζωὴ θάνατος ὑγεία νόσος καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ἐφ' ὧν εἰ τὸ ἕτερόν τις τῶν νοουμένων ἀπεῖναι λέγοι, τὴν τοῦ ἑτέρου πάντως παρουσίαν κατα σκευάσει. εἰ οὖν φησὶ 20μὴ τοῦ θανάτου ἀπουσίᾳ τὸν θεὸν ἀθάνατον λέγεσθαι20, δῆλος ἂν εἴη παρου σίαν αὐτῷ θανάτου κατασκευάζων καὶ διὰ τούτου τὴν 2.1.602 ἀθανασίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἀρνούμενος. πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἔτι ἀθάνατος ἀληθῶς εἴη καὶ ἄφθαρτος, οὗ μὴ ἀπεῖναι λέγει τὴν φθορὰν καὶ τὸν θάνατον; ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις ἡμᾶς ἐπηρεαστικώτερον τῷ λόγῳ προσφύεσθαι· μὴ γὰρ ἂν οὕτω μανῆναί τινα ὡς κατασκευάσαι τὸν θεὸν μὴ εἶναι ἀθάνατον. ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τισι νοουμένων οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχει, διὰ δὲ τῶν λεγομένων 2.1.603 ὁ