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to think that, in accounts of the divine nature, the humble and lowly is more suitable than the lofty and great. 3.1.137 Therefore, if they are discovering some conception more magnificent than this, so that it seems unworthy to think of the Only-begotten as being from the nature of the Father, let them say if they know, according to their secret wisdom, anything loftier than the paternal nature, so that by raising the only-begotten God to that, we may elevate him above his relation to the Father. But if the majesty of the divine nature is above every height and surpasses every power of wonder, what reasoning is left that would carry the interpretation of the 3.1.138 appellation "Son" to something greater? Since, therefore, it is agreed that every significant word concerning the Only-begotten, even if it is named from common usage below, is spoken properly when transferred in its concepts to what is more majestic, and it is shown that no one can find a more magnificent concept for the title of "Son" than this one, which presents his genuineness in relation to the one who begot him, I think it is not necessary to dwell longer on this topic, since it has been sufficiently demonstrated by what has been said that it is not fitting for the title of "Son" to be reinterpreted in the same way as other names. 3.1.139 But we must bring our consideration back again to the book. It is not for the same people to not refuse to call what is begotten a 20begotten thing20 (for I will use their own words), 20with the begotten substance itself and the title of "Son" claiming such a relationship of names20, and then again to transfer the natural designations to tropical metaphors; so that one of two things is true: either their former argument has failed them and they resort in vain to the natural order for the establishment of the need to call what is begotten a 20begotten thing20, or, if this is said properly, the other argument will be refuted by what has been previously established. For he who is called a 20begotten thing20 according to them because he was begotten, for this very reason 3.1.140 does not have the nature to be called a 20made thing20 and a 20created thing20. For surely the meaning of each of the names differs very greatly, and it is fitting for one who uses words rationally to use terms with a view to the subject, so that we may not suffer any confusion concerning the concepts, by interchanging words inappropriately to the things signified. For this reason we name the product crafted by art the work of an artisan, but we call the one who is born from a man the son of a man, and no one of sound mind would call the work a son, nor the son a work; for it belongs to one who confuses and muddies the 3.1.141 true meaning by a misguided use of names. Thus, it is necessary that one of these two things be true of the Only-begotten: if he is Son, he is not to be called a 20created thing20; but if he is created, he is to be estranged from the title of Son, just as heaven and earth and sea and all individual things, being creations, do not take on the name of son. But since Eunomius testifies that the only-begotten God is begotten, and the testimony of enemies is stronger for the establishment of the truth, he has also in every way testified that he is not created by saying that he is begotten. But concerning these things, so much. For since many arguments are flowing in on us, so that their multitude may not fall into excess, we shall be content with these concerning the matters proposed. 3.2.1 It would be time also to examine in our discourse the natural science of the begotten thing, which has been carefully philosophized by him. He says, then (and I will speak word for word the argument finely written by him against the truth): 20For who is so careless and unobservant of the nature of things as to be ignorant that of bodies, as many as on earth are in begetting and being begotten, when examined as to acting and being acted upon, both those that beget impart of their own substance and those that are begotten are by nature to partake of the same, since the material cause and the supply flowing in from without are common, and those that are begotten are begotten by passion, and those that beget by nature do not have a pure activity on account of the all

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τῆς θείας φύσεως λόγοις τὸ ταπεινὸν καὶ χαμαί ζηλον τῶν ὑψηλῶν τε καὶ μεγάλων ἁρμοδιώτερον οἴεσθαι. 3.1.137 οὐκοῦν εἰ μέν τινα ταύτης μεγαλοφυεστέραν διάνοιαν ἐξευ ρίσκουσιν, ὡς ἀνάξιον εἶναι δοκεῖν περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς νοεῖν τὸ ἐκ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτὸν εἶναι, εἰπάτωσαν εἴ τι γινώσκουσι κατὰ τὴν ἀπόρρητον αὐτῶν σοφίαν τῆς πατρικῆς φύσεως ὑψηλότερον, ὥστε πρὸς ἐκεῖνο τὸν μονο γενῆ θεὸν ἐπάραντας τῆς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα σχέσεως αὐτὸν ὑπερᾶραι· εἰ δὲ παντὸς ὕψους ὑπέρκειται καὶ πᾶσαν δύ ναμιν θαυμαστικὴν ὑπερβαίνει τῆς θείας φύσεως τὸ μεγα λεῖον, τίς ὑπολείπεται λόγος ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον φέρων τῆς τοῦ 3.1.138 υἱοῦ κλήσεως τὴν ἑρμηνείαν; ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁμολογεῖται πᾶσαν περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς σημαντικὴν λέξιν, κἂν ἐκ τῆς κάτω συνηθείας ὀνομάζηται, πρὸς τὸ μεγαλειότερον ταῖς ἐννοίαις μετατεθεῖσαν κυρίως λέγεσθαι, δείκνυται δὲ μὴ δύνασθαί τινα μεγαλοφυεστέραν ἔννοιαν τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ προση γορίας εὑρεῖν ταύτης, ἣ τὸ γνήσιον πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα παρίστησι, οὐδὲν οἶμαι χρῆναι πλέον ἐπιδιατρίβειν τῷ τόπῳ, ἱκανῶς διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ἀποδειχθέντος ὅτι οὐ προσήκει καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν λοιπῶν ὀνομάτων καὶ τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ προσηγορίαν μεθερμηνεύεσθαι. 3.1.139 Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ βιβλίον πάλιν ἐπανακτέον τὴν θεωρίαν. οὐκ ἔστι τῶν αὐτῶν τὸν γεννητὸν 20γέννημα λέγειν μὴ παραιτεῖσθαι20 (τοῖς γὰρ ἐκείνων χρήσομαι ῥήμασιν), 20τῆς γεννηθείσης αὐτῆς οὐσίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ προσηγορίας τὴν τοιαύτην τῶν ὀνομάτων οἰ κειουμένης σχέσιν20, καὶ πάλιν μετατιθέναι τὰς προσ φυεῖς ὀνομασίας εἰς τροπικὰς μεταλήψεις· ὥστε δυοῖν θάτε ρον, ἢ τὸ πρότερον τῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων αὐτοῖς διαπέπτωκε καὶ μάτην καταφεύγουσι πρὸς τὴν ἐκ φύσεως τάξιν εἰς κατα σκευὴν τοῦ δεῖν 20γέννημα20 τὸν γεννηθέντα προσαγορεύειν, ἢ εἰ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ προσῆκον λέγεται, ὁ ἕτερος λόγος ὑπὸ τῶν προκατεσκευασμένων διαλυθήσεται. ὁ γὰρ διὰ τὸ γεν νηθῆναι 20γέννημα20 κατ' ἐκείνους λεγόμενος δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο 3.1.140 20ποίημα20 καὶ 20κτίσμα20 λέγεσθαι φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει. πλεῖστον γὰρ δήπου διενήνοχεν ἑκατέρου τῶν ὀνομάτων τὸ σημαινό μενον, καὶ προσήκει τὸν λελογισμένως ταῖς φωναῖς κεχρη μένον πρὸς τὸ ὑποκείμενον βλέποντα κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς ῥή μασιν, ὡς ἂν μή τινα σύγχυσιν περὶ τὰς ἐννοίας πάθοιμεν, ἀνοικείως τοῖς σημαινομένοις τὰς φωνὰς ἐπαλλάσσοντες. διὰ τοῦτο τεχνίτου μὲν ἔργον τὸ διὰ τῆς τέχνης ἀπεργασθὲν ὀνομάζομεν, υἱὸν δὲ ἀνθρώπου τὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου φύντα προσ αγορεύομεν, οὔτε δὲ τὸ ἔργον υἱὸν οὔτε τὸν υἱὸν ἔργον τῶν σωφρονούντων εἴποι τις ἄν· συγχέοντος γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἀνα θολοῦντος ἐν τῇ πεπλανημένῃ τῶν ὀνομάτων χρήσει τὴν 3.1.141 ἀληθῆ σημασίαν. ὥστε τῶν δύο τούτων τὸ ἕτερον ἐπὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἀληθεύειν ἐπάναγκες, εἰ μὲν υἱός ἐστιν, 20κτίσμα20 μὴ λέγεσθαι, εἰ δὲ κτιστός, τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ προσηγορίας ἀλ λοτριοῦσθαι, καθάπερ καὶ οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ καὶ θάλασσα καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον πάντα κτίσματα ὄντα τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ κλῆσιν οὐχ ὑποδύεται. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μαρτυρεῖ γεννητὸν εἶναι τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν ὁ Εὐνόμιος, ἰσχυροτέρα δὲ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας σύστασιν ἡ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μαρτυρία, καὶ τὸ μὴ κτιστὸν εἶναι πάντως διὰ τοῦ τὸ γεννητὸν εἰπεῖν εἶναι συνεμαρτύρησεν. ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τοσαῦτα. πολλῶν γὰρ ἡμῖν λόγων ἐπιρρεόντων, ὡς ἂν μὴ τὸ πλῆθος εἰς ἀμετρίαν ἐκπέσοι, τούτοις περὶ τῶν προτεθέντων ἀρ κεσθησόμεθα. 3.2.1 Καιρὸς δ' ἂν εἴη καὶ τὴν περὶ τοῦ γεννήματος φυσιο λογίαν τὴν ἐπιμελῶς αὐτῷ φιλοσοφηθεῖσαν ἐξετάσαι τῷ λόγῳ. φησὶ τοίνυν (ἐρῶ δὲ κατὰ λέξιν τὸν καλλιγραφη θέντα λόγον αὐτῷ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας)· 20τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἀμελὴς καὶ τῆς τῶν ὄντων φύσεως ἀνεπίσκε πτος, ὡς ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι τῶν σωμάτων, ὅσα περὶ γῆν ἐν τῷ γεννᾶν καὶ γεννᾶσθαι, ποιεῖν τε καὶ πάσχειν ἐξεταζόμενα τά τε γεννῶντα μεταδί δωσι τῆς ἰδίας οὐσίας καὶ τὰ γεννώμενα τῆς αὐτῆς μεταλαμβάνειν πέφυκεν, ἅτε κοινῆς οὔσης τῆς ὑλικῆς αἰτίας καὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπιρρεούσης χορηγίας, τά τε γεννώμενα γεν νᾶται κατὰ πάθος καὶ τὰ γεννῶντα κατὰ φύσιν οὐ καθαρὰν ἴσχει τὴν ἐνέργειαν διὰ τὸ παν