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to have the wine that is begotten 3.1.98 from it. For from that liquid comes this liquid, and one could not state another cause for the liquid quality of wine, except for the moisture naturally inherent in the vine branches. But the differences of the qualities do not produce any variation in the liquid, but of some property distinguishing the liquid in the wine from that in the vine branch † of astringency or sweetness or moisture † one of these accompanying it, so that in the underlying subject it is the same, but it differs in the differences of the qualities. 3.1.99 Therefore, just as, having heard from scripture the only-begotten God called Son of man, we have learned through the relation of the name the kinship with the true man, so also, even if the Son is called an 20offspring20 according to the argument of the opponents, we learn no less also through this his essential kinship to the one who begot him, because the wine, being called the offspring of the vine, is not found to be alien, according to the principle of liquid, from the power naturally 3.1.100 inherent in the vine. But if one should examine soundly the things said by our opponents, they look toward our own doctrine, but their thought speaks against their own arguments, since they are contentious everywhere to establish what is alien in substance. And yet it is altogether difficult to conjecture from where they were led to such 3.1.101 suppositions. For if the title of Son does not simply signify being from something, but particularly represents the natural kinship through what is signified, as Eunomius himself says, and wine is not called an offspring of an oak, and the offspring of vipers, as the Gospel says somewhere, are snakes and not sheep, it is clear that in the case of the only-begotten, the title of Son and of offspring 3.1.102 would not have kinship with what is of a different kind. But if, according to the argument of the opponents, he is also called 20offspring20 and, as they confess, the title of Son is according to nature, he is in every way the Son of the substance of the one who begot him, not of something else considered outside of that nature. But if he is truly from there, he is in no way estranged from that from which he is, as was also shown in other places, that everything which has subsisted by being begotten from something is in every way of the same kind as that from which it has come to be. 3.1.103 But if someone should demand some interpretation and sketch and explanation of the divine substance, we will not deny that we are ignorant of such wisdom, confessing only this much, that what is indefinite by nature cannot be comprehended by any contrivance of words. For prophecy cries out that the divine greatness has no limit, proclaiming explicitly that of the magnificence of the glory of his holiness there is no 3.1.104 end. But if the things concerning him are without limit, much more is he himself in substance, whatever he is, not comprehended by any limit in any part. If, therefore, the interpretation through nouns and verbs somehow defines the subject by its meaning, but the indefinite cannot be comprehended, no one could reasonably blame our ignorance, for not being presumptuous concerning things not to be ventured upon. For by what name shall I comprehend the incomprehensible? By what utterance shall I proclaim the ineffable? 3.1.105 Since, therefore, the divine is better and higher than nominal meaning, we have learned to honor in silence the things beyond speech and thought; and if one who thinks more highly than he ought to think should trample on this reverence of speech, making a mockery of our ignorance concerning incomprehensible things, and of that which is without shape and indefinite and without size and without quantity—I speak of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit—he should recognize a variation according to unlikeness and bring this forward as a refutation of our ignorance, which is continually proposed by the disciples of deceit: "You worship what you do not know," if we do not know the substance of the one being worshipped, 3.1.106 we will not, according to the counsel of the prophet, fear the reproach of fools, nor because of their disparagement will we speak rashly about the ineffable things, making Paul, who was unskilled in speech, our teacher of the mysteries beyond knowledge, who

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οἶνον τὸν ἐξ 3.1.98 αὐτῆς ἀπογεννώμενον ἔχειν. ἐξ ἐκείνου γὰρ τοῦ ὑγροῦ τὸ ὑγρὸν τοῦτο, καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις ἑτέραν τῆς τοῦ οἴνου ὑγρότητος αἰτίαν εἴποι, εἰ μὴ τὴν φυσικῶς ἐγκειμένην ταῖς κληματίσι νοτίδα. αἱ δὲ τῶν ποιοτήτων διαφοραὶ οὔ τινα κατὰ τὸ ὑγρὸν παραλλαγὴν ἐμποιοῦσιν, ἀλλά τινος ἰδιότητος τὸ ἐν τῷ οἴνῳ ὑγρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ κλήματι διακρινούσης † στύ ψεως ἢ γλυκύτητος ἢ ὑγρότητος † θατέρῳ τούτων παρο μαρτούσης, ὥστε τῷ μὲν ὑποκειμένῳ ταὐτὸν εἶναι, ταῖς δὲ τῶν ποιοτήτων διαφοραῖς ἐξαλλάσσειν. 3.1.99 Οὐκοῦν ὥσπερ υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν παρὰ τῆς γραφῆς ἀκηκοότες διὰ τῆς τοῦ ὀνόματος σχέσεως τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἄνθρωπον οἰκειότητα μεμαθήκαμεν, οὕτω κἂν 20γέννημα20 κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῶν ὑπεναντίων ὁ υἱὸς λέγηται, οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ διὰ τούτου τὸ κατ' οὐσίαν οἰκεῖον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα μανθάνομεν, διὰ τὸ καὶ τὸν οἶνον γέννημα τῆς ἀμπέλου λεγόμενον μὴ ἀλλότριον εὑρεθῆναι κατὰ τὸν τῆς ὑγρότητος λόγον τῆς φυσικῶς 3.1.100 ἐγκειμένης τῇ ἀμπέλῳ δυνάμεως. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν λεγόμενα παρὰ τῶν ὑπεναντίων εἴ τις ὑγιῶς ἐξετάζοι, πρὸς τὸ ἡμέ τερον δόγμα βλέπει, ἡ δὲ διάνοια ταῖς ἰδίαις αὐτῶν κα τασκευαῖς ἀντιφθέγγεται, πανταχοῦ τὸ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀλλότριον κατασκευάζειν φιλονεικούντων. καίτοι γε παντά πασιν ἄπορόν ἐστι καταστοχάσασθαι, ὅθεν πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας 3.1.101 ὑπολήψεις ὑπήχθησαν. εἰ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ υἱοῦ προσηγορία οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὸ ἔκ τινος εἶναι σημαίνει, ἀλλ' ἰδίως τὴν κατὰ φύσιν οἰκείωσιν διὰ τοῦ σημαινομένου παρίστησιν, ὡς αὐτός φησιν ὁ Εὐνόμιος, καὶ γέννημα δρυὸς οἶνος οὐ λέγεται, καὶ γεννήματα τῶν ἐχιδνῶν, καθώς φησί που τὸ εὐαγγέ λιον, ὄφεις εἰσὶ καὶ οὐ πρόβατα, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἥ τε τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ γεννήματος προσηγορία 3.1.102 οὐκ ἂν πρὸς τὸ ἑτερογενὲς ἔχοι τὴν οἰκειότητα. ἀλλ' εἴπερ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῶν ὑπεναντίων καὶ 20γέννημα20 λέγεται καὶ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν, ὡς ὁμολογοῦσιν, ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ υἱοῦ κλῆσις, τῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ πάντως τοῦ γεγεννηκότος υἱός, οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν ἔξω θεωρουμένων τῆς φύσεως. εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖθεν ἀληθῶς ἐστιν, οὐκ ἀπεξένωται πάντως τοῦ ὅθεν ἐστίν, ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐδείχθη, ὅτι πᾶν τὸ γεννητῶς ἔκ τινος ὑποστὰν ὁμογενές ἐστι πάντως τῷ ἐξ οὗ γέγονεν. 3.1.103 Εἰ δέ τις ἀπαιτοίη τῆς θείας οὐσίας ἑρμηνείαν τινὰ καὶ ὑπογραφὴν καὶ ἐξήγησιν, ἀμαθεῖς εἶναι τῆς τοιαύτης σοφίας οὐκ ἀρνησόμεθα, τοσοῦτον ὁμολογοῦντες μόνον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τὸ ἀόριστον κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἐπινοίᾳ τινὶ ῥημάτων διαληφθῆναι. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἔχειν ὅρον τὴν θείαν μεγαλω σύνην ἡ προφητεία βοᾷ, διαρρήδην κηρύσσουσα ὅτι τῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας τῆς δόξης τῆς ἁγιωσύνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι 3.1.104 πέρας. εἰ δὲ τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν ἀπεράτωτα, πολὺ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος κατ' οὐσίαν ὅ τι ποτὲ καὶ ἐστὶν οὐδενὶ ὅρῳ κατ' οὐδὲν μέρος διαλαμβάνεται. εἰ οὖν ἡ διὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων τε καὶ ῥημάτων ἑρμηνεία διαλαμβάνει πως τῇ σημασίᾳ τὸ ὑποκείμενον, τὸ δὲ ἀόριστον περιληφθῆναι οὐ δύναται, οὐκ ἄν τις εἰκότως τὴν ἀμαθίαν ἡμῶν αἰτιάσαιτο, μὴ θρασυ νομένων κατὰ τῶν ἀτολμήτων. τίνι γὰρ ὀνόματι διαλάβω τὸ ἀπερίληπτον; διὰ ποίας φωνῆς ἐξαγγείλω τὸ ἀνεκφώ 3.1.105 νητον; ἐπεὶ οὖν κρεῖττόν ἐστι καὶ ὑψηλότερον τῆς ὀνομα στικῆς σημασίας τὸ θεῖον, σιωπῇ τιμᾶν τὰ ὑπὲρ λόγον τε καὶ διάνοιαν μεμαθήκαμεν· κἂν ἐπεμβαίνῃ τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ ταύτῃ τοῦ λόγου ὁ ὑπερφρονῶν παρ' ὃ δεῖ φρονεῖν, ἐν γέ λωτι τὴν ἀμαθίαν ἡμῶν τὴν περὶ τῶν ἀκαταλήπτων ποι ούμενος, καὶ τοῦ ἀσχηματίστου καὶ ἀορίστου καὶ ἀμεγέθους καὶ ἀπόσου, πατρός τε λέγω καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου, τὴν κατὰ τὸ ἀνόμοιον ἐπιγινώσκῃ παραλλαγὴν καὶ προφέρῃ τοῦτο πρὸς ἔλεγχον τῆς ἀμαθίας ἡμῶν, ὃ συνεχῶς παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν τῆς ἀπάτης προτείνεται, τὸ Ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε, εἰ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ προσκυνουμένου οὐκ οἴδαμεν, 3.1.106 οὐ φοβηθησόμεθα κατὰ τὴν συμβουλὴν τοῦ προφήτου τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τῶν ἀφρόνων οὐδὲ διὰ τὸν φαυλισμὸν αὐτῶν κατὰ τῶν ἀνεκφωνήτων θρασυστομήσομεν, τὸν ἰδιώτην τῷ λόγῳ Παῦλον διδάσκαλον τῶν ὑπὲρ γνῶσιν μυστηρίων ποι ούμενοι, ὃς