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thinking of natural generation, to reckon it as passion? 3.2.62 Moreover, let us examine this in addition to what has been said. If because of the passion related to the flesh they disbelieve in the impassibility of the divine generation, then from the same examples, I mean those in us, let them not believe that God creates impassibly either. For if they judge the divine by our standards, they will confess that God neither begets nor creates; for 3.2.63 neither of these is effected impassibly in us. Either, then, let them separate both from the divine nature, creation and generation, so that by means of both they may preserve impassibility for God, and let them entirely cast out faith in the Only-begotten from their dogma, so that the Father might be kept outside of passion, neither toiling in creating nor being defiled in begetting; or if they concede that one is effected impassibly by the divine power, let them not dispute about the other; for if he creates without toil and matter, then 3.2.64 he surely begets without toil and defilement. I have again Eunomius himself advocating for me in this argument. I will state his nonsense concisely in a few words, running through his whole thought in brief, that 20men do not manufacture the materials for us, but only apply form to the matter by art20; this is the meaning 3.2.65 of what was said by him with much nonsense. If, then, in the lower generation, by thinking of conception and formation, he for this reason rejects the pure concept of generation, let him, consistently with his own argument, since creation here toils over form but is unable to provide matter along with the form, for this reason also reject the idea that the Father is a creator. But if he does not wish to conceive of creation in God's case according to the human measure of power, let him not slander the divine generation based on human examples. 3.2.66 But so that the precision and careful consideration in his words might become more apparent, I will repeat a little of what was said by him again. For he says, 20that which acts and that which is acted upon have a communion of nature with each other20, and after generation from bodies, he sets forth 20the artistic creations upon materials20. Let the discerning hearer consider, therefore, how through these things he falls short of his own purpose, being led astray by whatever happens to come to hand. He sees that which acts and that which is acted upon in things generated through the flesh as being of the same substance, as one 3.2.67 imparts the substance, and the other partakes of it. He knows so precisely how to see the truth in the nature of things that he separates from the substance the one who imparts and the one who partakes, and says that each of these is something else in itself, apart from the substance. For the one partaking or imparting is surely other than that which is partaken of and given, so that one must first be conceived of in oneself, seen in one's own hypostasis, and then one can speak about him as either 3.2.68 giving what he has or receiving what he does not have. And having so laughably spat out this argument, the wise man does not perceive that in what follows he again refutes himself. For indeed he who shapes the underlying matter by his art to his liking surely makes something through his action, and the matter, by being acted upon by the one employing the art, receives the formation; for matter does not receive the form from the art by remaining 3.2.69 impassive and resistant. If, therefore, even in things effected by art, nothing could come to be unless passion and action concurred with each other for the thing being made, how is it possible to suppose that the writer stands by his own words through these things, who, by declaring a communion of substance in passion and action, risks not only testifying in some way to the common substance of the one begotten with the one who begot him, but also making all creation consubstantial with its maker, if indeed he defines that which acts and that which is acted upon as being of the same nature with each other? 3.2.70 Therefore, by the means with which he constructs what he wants, he overturns what he is zealous for, making the doctrine of the "1homoousios"2 stronger by his own fight. For if generation from someone imparts the substance of the one who begot in the one begotten
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φύσεως γέννησιν ἐννοή σαντα πάθος ὑπολογίζεσθαι; 3.2.62 Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς εἰρημένοις προσεξετάσωμεν. εἰ διὰ τὸ περὶ τὴν σάρκα πάθος ἀπιστοῦσι τῇ ἀπαθείᾳ τῆς θείας γεννήσεως, ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ὑποδειγμάτων, τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν λέγω, μηδὲ δημιουργεῖν ἀπαθῶς τὸν θεὸν πιστευέτω σαν. εἰ γὰρ πρὸς τὰ ἡμέτερα τὸ θεῖον κρίνουσιν, οὔτε γεννᾶν τὸν θεὸν οὔτε κτίζειν ὁμολογήσουσι· τούτων γὰρ 3.2.63 οὐθέτερον ἐν ἡμῖν ἀπαθῶς ἐνεργεῖται. ἢ οὖν ἀμφότερα τῆς θείας φύσεως χωριζέτωσαν, τὴν κτίσιν τε καὶ τὴν γέννησιν, ἵνα δι' ἑκατέρων τῷ θεῷ τὴν ἀπάθειαν φυλά ξωσι, καὶ καθόλου τὴν εἰς τὸν μονογενῆ πίστιν ἐκ τοῦ δόγματος αὐτῶν ἐκβαλλέτωσαν, ὡς ἂν ἔξω πάθους ὁ πατὴρ φυλάσσοιτο, μήτε κάμνων ἐν τῷ κτίζειν μήτε ἐν τῷ γεννᾶν μολυνόμενος· ἢ εἰ τὸ ἕτερον ἀπαθῶς ἐνεργεῖσθαι συγχω ροῦσι παρὰ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, μηδὲ περὶ τοῦ ἄλλου ζυγομαχείτωσαν· εἰ γὰρ κτίζει δίχα πόνου καὶ ὕλης, καὶ 3.2.64 γεννᾷ πάντως δίχα πόνου καὶ ῥύσεως. ἔχω δὲ πάλιν καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον τὸν λόγον συνηγοροῦντά μοι τὸν Εὐνόμιον. λέξω δὲ συντεμὼν ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὴν φλυαρίαν αὐτοῦ, πᾶσαν διὰ βραχέων ἐπιδραμὼν τὴν διάνοιαν ὅτι 20οἱ ἄν θρωποι οὐ τὰς ὕλας ἡμῖν κατασκευάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶδος μόνον ἐπιτεχνῶνται τῇ ὕλῃ20· αὕτη τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντων διὰ πολλῆς φλυαρίας ἐστὶν 3.2.65 ἡ διάνοια. εἰ οὖν ἐν τῇ κάτω γεννήσει σύλληψιν καὶ διάπλασιν ἐννοῶν ἀπαγορεύει διὰ τοῦτο τὴν καθαρὰν τῆς γεννήσεως ἔννοιαν, ἀκολούθως κατὰ τὸν αὑτοῦ λόγον τῆς ὧδε κτίσεως περὶ τὸ εἶδος πονούσης, ὕλην δὲ συνεκπορίζειν τῷ εἴδει μὴ δυναμένης, ἀπαγορευέτω διὰ τοῦτο καὶ δη μιουργὸν εἶναι τὸν πατέρα οἴεσθαι. εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλεται κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον τῆς δυνάμεως μέτρον ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν κτίσιν νοεῖν, μηδὲ τὴν θείαν γέννησιν ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων διαβαλλέτω. 3.2.66 Ὡς δ' ἂν μᾶλλον αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀκριβές τε καὶ περιεσκεμμένον ἐν τοῖς λεγομένοις φανερὸν κατασταίη, μικρόν τι τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντων πάλιν ἐπαναλήψομαι. φησὶ γὰρ 20τὰ ποιοῦντα καὶ πάσχοντα κοινωνεῖν ἀλλήλοις τῆς φύσεως20, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ σωμάτων γέννησιν 20τὰς τεχνικὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ὑλῶν δημιουργίας20 ἐκτίθεται. σκεψάσθω τοίνυν ὁ ἀγχίνους ἀκροατὴς διὰ τούτων πῶς ἐκπίπτει τοῦ ἰδίου σκοποῦ, τοῖς ἀεὶ κατὰ τὸ συμβὰν παρευ ρισκομένοις ἐπιπλανώμενος. τὸ ποιοῦν καὶ πάσχον ἐν τοῖς διὰ σαρκὸς γινομένοις ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὁρᾷ, ὡς τοῦ 3.2.67 μὲν μεταδιδόντος τῆς οὐσίας, τοῦ δὲ μετέχοντος. οὕτως οἶδε δι' ἀκριβείας ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων φύσει ὁρᾶν τὴν ἀλή θειαν, ὥστε χωρίζειν τῆς οὐσίας τὸν μεταδιδόντα καὶ τὸν μετέχοντα καὶ ἄλλον ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ δίχα τῆς οὐσίας εἶναι λέγειν τούτων ἑκάτερον. ὁ γὰρ μεταλαμβάνων ἢ μεταδι δοὺς ἕτερος πάντως ἐστὶ παρὰ τὸ μετεχόμενον τε καὶ διδό μενον, ὡς δεῖν πρότερον ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ νοεῖσθαί τινα καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἰδίαν ὁρώμενον, εἶθ' οὕτω λέγειν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἢ 3.2.68 διδόναι ὃ ἔχει ἢ ὃ μὴ ἔχει προσίεσθαι. καὶ τοῦτον οὕτως ἐπιγελάστως ἐκπτύσας τὸν λόγον τῷ ἐφεξῆς πάλιν ἑαυτὸν ἀνατρέπων ὁ σοφὸς οὐκ αἰσθάνεται. καὶ γὰρ ὁ τὴν ὑπο κειμένην ὕλην διὰ τῆς τέχνης πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν σχηματίζων ποιεῖ τι πάντως διὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας, καὶ ἡ ὕλη παρὰ τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος τὴν τέχνην ἐν τῷ πάσχειν τὸν σχηματισμὸν ἀναδέχεται· οὐ γὰρ ἀπαθὴς καὶ ἀντίτυπος ἡ ὕλη μένουσα 3.2.69 τὴν ἐκ τῆς τέχνης μορφὴν παραδέχεται. εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ τέχνην ἐνεργουμένων οὐκ ἄν τι γένοιτο μὴ πά θους καὶ ἐνεργείας συνδεδραμηκότων ἀλλήλοις πρὸς τὸ γι νόμενον, πῶς ἔστι διὰ τούτων ἐφεστάναι τοῖς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ λεγομένοις τὸν λογογράφον οἴεσθαι, ὃς ἐν πάθει καὶ ἐνερ γείᾳ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς οὐσίας ἀποφαινόμενος κινδυνεύει μὴ μόνον τῷ γεννηθέντι προσμαρτυρεῖν πως πρὸς τὸν γε γεννηκότα τὸ κοινὸν τῆς οὐσίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν τῷ πεποιηκότι ποιεῖν ὁμοούσιον, εἴπερ τὸ ποιοῦν καὶ τὸ πάσχον ὁμογενῶς ἔχειν ἀλλήλοις κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ὁρί 3.2.70 ζεται. οὐκοῦν δι' ὧν κατασκευάζει ὃ βούλεται, διὰ τούτων ἀνατρέπει τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, ἰσχυροτέραν τῇ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ μάχῃ ποιῶν τὴν τοῦ "1ὁμοουσίου"2 δόξαν. εἰ γὰρ ἡ μὲν ἔκ τινος γέννησις τὴν τοῦ γεγεννηκότος οὐσίαν ἐν τῷ γεν