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to pre-exist, nor did he, perceiving the absurdity in the argument, that what comes to be not for its own sake, but for the sake of something else, is in every way less honorable than that for which it comes to be, just as we use an agricultural tool for the sake of life, yet the plow 3.2.122 is not honored equally with life. So then, if the Lord is for the sake of the world, and not all things for His sake, all things for whose sake they say He came to be would be more honorable than the Lord. This they now construct through their argument, by which they strongly affirm that the Son has an unmediated relationship to the one who created and made him. 3.2.123 But he shows kindness to what follows and says 20to be compared to none of the things that came to be through her and after her20. Such gifts do the enemies of the truth bear to the Lord, through which their blasphemy is more clearly constructed. For what, tell me, of the rest of things, as many as are in creation, can be compared with another, since the property appearing in each thing does not at all admit of communion with things of a different kind? There is no comparison of heaven to earth, nor of this to the stars, nor of the stars to the seas, nor of water to stone, nor of animals to trees, nor of land animals to birds, nor of four-footed beasts to swimming creatures, nor of 3.2.124 rational to irrational beings. And why should one spend time speaking about each particular thing, showing that it is possible to say the same thing of each of the things observed in creation, which was cast at the Only-begotten as something exceptional, namely, to have no comparison with any of the things that have come to be after him and through him? For it is clear that everything, whatever you may conceive of by itself, is incomparable both to the whole and to particulars; and that which can be truly said of any given creature as sufficient, this is allotted by the enemies of the truth as adequate for the honor and glory of the only-begotten God. 3.2.125 And having constructed such things, again in what follows he glorifies him with empty honors, calling him Lord and Only-begotten; but lest any pious thought should arise in the hearers through these names, he immediately mixes blasphemies with the more significant terms. The text is as follows. 20Since indeed20, he says, 20neither does the begotten substance leave room for communion with any other, for he is only-begotten; nor is the 3.2.126 energy of the maker considered common20. O, the insolence! As if speaking among irrational or foolish beings, who have no understanding, he leads the argument around at will through contradictions, or rather, he suffers the same thing as those deprived of sight, since they too often act unseemly in the eyes of those who see, because, not seeing themselves, they suppose they are not seen. 3.2.127 For who cannot perceive the contradiction in what has been said? Because he was begotten, he says, his substance leaves no room for communion with others; for he is only-begotten. And having said this, as if in truth either not seeing himself or not thinking he is seen, he adds things that have no communion as if they corresponded with what was said, applying the energy of the one who made 3.2.128 to the substance of the Only-begotten. For the one who is begotten is in every way consequently referred to the one who has begotten, and the Only-begotten to the Father, and he who looks to the truth sees not the energy of a maker, but the nature of a begetter in correspondence with the Son. 3.2.129 But he, as if mentioning plants or seeds or some other thing of creation, places the energy of the maker alongside the hypostasis of the Only-begotten. For if a stone or wood or some other such thing were set forth for consideration, it would be logical to preconceive the energy of the one who made it; but if it is confessed even by our opponents that the only-begotten God is both Son and subsisted by generation, how do the same expressions fit both him and the least parts of creation, and how do they think it pious to say 3.2.130 about the Lord what can truly be said about the ant or the gnat? For if one were to study the nature of the ant, in what ways it is peculiar in relation to the other animals, one would not be outside the truth to say the energy of the one who made it 3.2.131 is common in relation to the others

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προϋποστήσασθαι, οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος συνιδὼν ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἄτοπον, ὅτι τὸ μὴ ἑαυτοῦ χάριν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἄλλο τι γινόμενον ἀτιμότερόν ἐστι πάντως τοῦ δι' ὃ γίνεται, ὡς τὸ γεωργικὸν ἐργαλεῖον τῆς ζωῆς χάριν ἐπιτηδεύομεν, οὐ μὴν ἐπίσης τιμᾶται τῇ ζωῇ 3.2.122 καὶ τὸ ἄροτρον. οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ εἰ διὰ τὸν κόσμον ὁ κύριος, καὶ οὐχὶ δι' ἐκεῖνον τὰ πάντα, προτιμότερα ἂν εἴη τοῦ κυρίου τὰ πάντα ὧν χάριν ἐκεῖνον γενέσθαι λέγουσι. τοῦτο καὶ νῦν διὰ τοῦ λόγου κατασκευάζουσι, δι' ὧν ἀμεσί τευτον ἔχειν τὸν υἱὸν τὴν πρὸς τὸν κτίσαντα καὶ πεποιηκότα σχέσιν διϊσχυρίζονται. 3.2.123 Ἀλλὰ φιλανθρωπεύεται τοῖς ὑπολοίποις καί φησιν 20οὐδενὶ τῶν δι' αὐτῆς καὶ μετ' αὐτὴν γενομένων συγκρίνεσθαι20. τοιαῦτα δωροφοροῦσιν οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὶ τῷ κυρίῳ, δι' ὧν περιφανέστερον ἡ βλασφημία κατασκευάζεται. τί γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν ὑπολοίπων, ὅσα κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν ἐστί, τὴν πρὸς ἑκάτερον σύγκρισιν ἔχει, καθόλου τῆς ἐν ἑκάστῳ φαινομένης ἰδιότητος οὐ προσιεμένης τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἑτερογενῆ κοινωνίαν; οὐκ οὐρανῷ πρὸς γῆν ἐστιν ἡ σύγκρισις, οὐ ταύτῃ πρὸς τοὺς ἀστέρας, οὐ πρὸς τὰ πελάγη τοῖς ἄστροις, οὐ πρὸς τὸν λίθον τῷ ὕδατι, οὐ πρὸς τὰ δένδρα τοῖς ζῴοις, οὐ πρὸς τὰ πτηνὰ τοῖς χερ σαίοις, οὐ πρὸς τὰ νηκτὰ τοῖς τετράποσιν, οὐ πρὸς τὰ 3.2.124 λογικὰ τοῖς ἀλόγοις. καὶ τί ἄν τις περὶ τῶν καθ' ἕκαστον λέγων διατρίβοι, δεικνὺς ὅτι ταὐτὸν ἔστιν ἐφ' ἑκάστου τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει θεωρουμένων εἰπεῖν, ὅπερ ὡς ἐξαίρετον τῷ μονογενεῖ προσερρίφη, τὸ πρὸς μηδὲν τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων τὴν σύγκρισιν ἔχειν; φανερὸν γάρ ἐστιν ὅτι πᾶν, ὅπερ ἂν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ νοήσῃς, ἀσύγκριτόν ἐστι τῷ παντί τε καὶ τοῖς καθ' ἕκαστον· καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ τυ χόντος κτίσματος ἀληθῶς ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὡς ἱκανόν ἐστι, τοῦτο καὶ αὔταρκες εἰς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν τῷ μονογενεῖ θεῷ 3.2.125 παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποκληροῦται. καὶ τοι αῦτα κατασκευάσας πάλιν ἐν τοῖς ὑπολοίποις ταῖς δια κένοις αὐτὸν ἀποσεμνύνει τιμαῖς, κύριον καὶ μονογενῆ προσειπών· ἀλλ' ὡς ἂν μή τις εὐσεβὴς διάνοια διὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων τοῖς ἀκηκοόσιν ἐγγένοιτο, εὐθὺς κατα μίγνυσι τοῖς εὐσημοτέροις τὰ βλάσφημα. ἔχει δὲ οὕτως ἡ λέξις. 20ἅτε δή20, φησί, 20μήτε τῆς γεννηθείσης οὐ σίας ἑτέρῳ τινὶ χώραν εἰς κοινωνίαν καταλι πούσης· μονογενὴς γάρ· μήτε τῆς τοῦ ποιή 3.2.126 σαντος ἐνεργείας κοινῆς θεωρουμένης20. ὢ τῆς ὕβρεως· ὡς ἐν ἀλόγοις ἢ ἀνοήτοις δημηγορῶν, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σύνεσις, κατ' ἐξουσίαν διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων περιάγει τὸν λόγον, μᾶλλον δὲ ταὐτὸν πάσχει τοῖς ἐστερημένοις τῶν ὄψεων, ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖνοι πολλάκις ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν βλεπόν των ἀσχημονοῦσι, διὰ τὸ μὴ βλέπειν αὐτοὶ τὸ μηδὲ ὁρᾶσθαι 3.2.127 ὑποτιθέμενοι. τίνος γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν συνιδεῖν τὴν ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐναντιότητα; διὰ τὸ γεννηθῆναι, φησίν, ἡ οὐσία χώραν εἰς κοινωνίαν ἑτέροις οὐ καταλείπει· μονογενὴς γάρ. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπών, ὡς κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἢ μὴ βλέπων αὐτὸς ἢ μὴ νομίζων ὁρᾶσθαι τὰ μηδεμίαν ἔχοντα κοινωνίαν ὡς συστοιχοῦντα τοῖς εἰρημένοις προστίθησι, τῇ τοῦ μονογε 3.2.128 νοῦς οὐσίᾳ τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἐνέργειαν ἐφαρμόσας. ὁ γὰρ γεννηθεὶς πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα καὶ ὁ μονογενὴς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον πάντως τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει, καὶ ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν βλέπων οὐ πεποιηκότος ἐνέργειαν, ἀλλὰ γεννήσαντος φύσιν ἐν τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ θεωρεῖ συστοιχίᾳ. 3.2.129 Ὁ δὲ καθάπερ φυτῶν ἢ σπερμάτων ἤ τινος ἄλλου τῶν κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν ἐπιμνησθεὶς τὴν τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἐνέρ γειαν τῇ ὑποστάσει τοῦ μονογενοῦς παρατίθησιν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ λίθος ἢ ξύλον ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον τῇ θεωρίᾳ προέκειτο, ἀκόλουθον ἦν προεπινοεῖν τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἐνέργειαν· εἰ δὲ ὁμολογεῖται καὶ παρὰ τῶν ὑπεναντίων ὁ μονογενὴς θεὸς υἱός τε εἶναι καὶ γεννητῶς ὑποστῆναι, πῶς ἁρμό ζουσιν αἱ αὐταὶ φωναὶ τούτῳ καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις τῶν μορίων τῆς κτίσεως, καὶ ὅπερ περὶ τοῦ μύρμηκος ἢ τοῦ κώνωπος ἀληθῶς ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου λέγειν 3.2.130 εὐσεβὲς εἶναι νομίζουσιν; εἰ γάρ τις καταμάθοι τὴν τοῦ μύρμηκος φύσιν οἷς ἰδιάζει πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ζῴων, οὐκ ἂν ἔξω τῆς ἀληθείας εἴποι τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὸν 3.2.131 ἐνέργειαν κοινὴν πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα