199

let us examine the emphasis of the word by itself, so that through the interpretation of the term the 3.2.139 blasphemy might be more fully revealed. Therefore, in the common misuse of the term, the word for 'alteration' is used of bodies, whenever some member is diverted from its natural harmony by paralysis or some other affliction; for from the comparison of the afflicted part with the healthy, we call the diversion toward the worse of that which has received the affliction an 'alteration'; but in the case of those differing in character according to virtue and vice, whenever an intemperate life is compared with a pure and temperate one, or the unjust with the just, or the irascible and contentious and one who is unsparing in his anger with the meek and peaceable and quiet man, and absolutely everything which by comparison with the better is accused of vice, is said to be 'altered', because the characteristics of both do not correspond with one another, I mean of the good and of the worse. 3.2.140 Further, we say that the qualities observed in the elements are also 'altered', as many as are opposite to one another in opposition, having a destructive power against each other, such as the hot and the cold, or the dry and the moist, or whatever in general is set opposite to the other in opposition; and the incompatibility in these things we interpret by the word 'alteration', and absolutely everything that is discordant with another in its observed characteristics belongs to things 'altered', as health is to sickness, and life to death, and war to peace, and virtue to vice, and as many things as are of a similar kind to these. 3.2.141 Since these things have been so clearly explained by us, let us consider in the case of the writer, how 20he says that the substances of the Father and the Son are altered from one another20. What does he mean by this? Is it that the Father exists according to nature, 3.2.142 but the Son is altered from that nature? Or does he by this word interpret a deviation of virtue, separating by the name of alteration the evil from the better, so as to see this substance in the good, but the other in the contrary? Or does he maintain that, according to the principle of the opposition of the elements, the divine substance of the one has been altered from the other? Or, as war is to peace and life to death, does he in such a way perceive a conflict in the substances with respect to all such things, so that they cannot coexist with one another, since the mixture of opposites has a destructive power against the things mixed, just as the proverbial wisdom says of such a doctrine, that 'Water and fire will not say, It is enough,' interpreting through this riddle the equally matched and counterbalanced nature of opposites and their mutual destruction? Or does he say that the alteration in those substances 3.2.143 is to be seen according to none of these? Then let him state what is meant besides these. But he could not say, even if he says the usual things, that the Son is altered with respect to the one who begot him; for by this the absurdity of his statements is all the more refuted. For what is so naturally and fittingly implanted in and harmonized with another as the relational meaning of the Son with respect to the Father? And the proof of this is that even if these two names are not spoken, the one implies the other which is omitted; so is the one inherent and fitted to the other, and in the one both are seen, so that one of these could not be conceived of by itself 3.2.144 without the other. But that which is 'altered' is conceived and spoken of as the complete opposite of that which is 'harmonious', just as a rope is harmonious with a straight line, but a crooked thing placed beside a straight one does not harmonize, and it is customary for musicians to call the symphony of tones a 'harmony', but what is out of tune and discordant, 'inharmonious'. Therefore, to say 'altered' and 'inharmonious' is the same thing. 3.2.145 If, then, according to the argument of the heresy, the nature of the only-begotten God is altered with respect to the substance of the Father, it is in no way harmonious; but that which is inharmonious could not be 3.2.146 in that with which it cannot be harmonized. For just as there is one form on both the wax and the engraving in the seal-ring, when the impression

199

αὐτὴν τὴν τῆς λέξεως ἔμφασιν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ἐξετάσωμεν, ὡς ἂν μᾶλλον διὰ τῆς τοῦ ῥήματος ἑρμηνείας ἐκκαλυφθείη τὸ 3.2.139 βλάσφημον. λέγεται τοίνυν ἐν τῇ καταχρήσει τῆς συνη θείας τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς παραλλαγῆς ἐπὶ σωμάτων μέν, ὅταν ἐκ παραλύσεως ἤ τινος ἑτέρου πάθους παρατραπῇ τι μέλος τῆς φυσικῆς ἁρμονίας· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ὑγιαῖνον τοῦ πεπονθότος ἀντιπαραθέσεως τὴν πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον παρα τροπὴν τοῦ παραδεξαμένου τὸ πάθος παραλλαγὴν ὀνομά ζομεν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν ἤθει κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ κακίαν διαφε ρόντων, ὅταν ὁ ἀκόλαστος βίος ἀντιπαρατιθέμενος τῷ καθαρῷ τε καὶ σώφρονι ἢ τῷ δικαίῳ ὁ ἄδικος ἢ πρὸς τὸν πρᾷόν τε καὶ εἰρηνικὸν καὶ ἡσύχιον ὁ θυμώδης τε καὶ πολεμικὸς καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀταμίευτος καὶ πᾶν ὅλως τὸ τῇ παραθέσει τοῦ κρείττονος ἐν κακίᾳ κατηγορούμενον παρ ηλλάχθαι λέγεται, τῷ μὴ συμβαίνειν ἀλλήλοις τὰ ἐπ' ἀμφοτέρων γνωρίσματα, τοῦ τε καλοῦ φημὶ καὶ τοῦ χεί 3.2.140 ρονος. ἔτι παρηλλάχθαι φαμὲν καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν στοι χείων θεωρουμένας ποιότητας, ὅσαι κατὰ τὸ ἐναντίον ἀντι στοιχοῦσιν ἀλλήλαις, φθαρτικὴν κατ' ἀλλήλων ἔχουσαι δύναμιν, οἷον τὸ θερμόν τε καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἢ τὸ ξηρόν τε καὶ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἢ ὅλως εἴ τι τῷ ἑτέρῳ πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον ἀντικαθέστηκε καὶ τὸ ἐν τούτοις ἀσύμβατον τῷ τῆς παραλ λαγῆς διερμηνεύομεν ῥήματι, καὶ πᾶν ὅλως τὸ διαφωνοῦν πρὸς τὸ ἕτερον ἐν τοῖς ἐπιθεωρουμένοις γνωρίσμασι τῶν παρηλλαγμένων ἐστίν, ὡς ὑγίεια πρὸς νόσον καὶ πρὸς θά νατον ἡ ζωὴ καὶ πρὸς εἰρήνην ὁ πόλεμος καὶ ἀρετὴ πρὸς κακίαν καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἐστὶν ὁμοιότροπα. 3.2.141 Τούτων δὲ ἡμῖν οὕτω διευκρινηθέντων, κατανοήσωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ λογογράφου, πῶς 20παρηλλάχθαι λέγει τὰς οὐσίας ἀλλήλων20 ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρός τε καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ. τί τοῦτο λέγων; ἆρ' ὡς τοῦ πατρὸς μὲν ὄντος κατὰ φύσιν, 3.2.142 τοῦ δὲ υἱοῦ παρηλλαγμένου τῆς φύσεως; ἢ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς παρατροπὴν τῷ ῥήματι τούτῳ διερμηνεύει, χωρίζων τῷ τῆς παραλλαγῆς ὀνόματι τὸ κακὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος, ὡς ταύτην μὲν ἐν τῷ καλῷ τὴν οὐσίαν βλέπειν, ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐναντίῳ τὴν ἄλλην; ἢ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς τῶν στοιχείων ἐναντιώσεως καὶ τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν παρηλλάχθαι τὴν ἑτέραν ἐκ τῆς ἑτέρας διϊσχυρίζεται; ἢ ὡς ἔχει πρὸς εἰρήνην ὁ πόλεμος καὶ πρὸς θάνατον ἡ ζωὴ καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὰ τοι αῦτα πάντα τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ μάχην ἐνορᾷ ταῖς οὐσίαις, ὡς μὴ αὐτὰς μετ' ἀλλήλων συμβῆναι, τῷ τὴν μίξιν τῶν ἐναντίων δαπανητικὴν κατὰ τῶν μιγνυμένων ἔχειν τὴν δύ ναμιν, καθώς φησι περὶ τοῦ τοιούτου δόγματος ἡ παροι μιώδης σοφία ὅτι Ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ οὐ μὴ εἴπωσιν Ἀρκεῖ, τὴν ἰσοπαλῆ τε καὶ ἰσοστάσιον τῶν ἐναντίων φύσιν καὶ τὴν κατ' ἀλλήλων φθορὰν διὰ τοῦ αἰνίγματος ἑρμηνεύουσα; ἢ κατ' οὐδὲν τούτων εἶναι λέγει τὴν ἐν ταῖς οὐσίαις ἐκείναις παρ 3.2.143 αλλαγὴν καθορᾶν; οὐκοῦν εἰπάτω τὸ παρὰ ταῦτα νοού μενον. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν εἰπεῖν ἔχοι, κἂν τὰ συνήθη λέγῃ, ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα παρήλλακται· τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ μᾶλλον ἡ ἀτοπία τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων ἐλέγχεται. τί γὰρ οὕτω προσφυῶς τε καὶ ἁρμοδίως ἄλλο ἄλλῳ ἐμφύεταί τε καὶ ἐναρμόζεται ὡς ἡ σχετικὴ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τοῦ υἱοῦ σημασία; ἀπόδειξις δὲ τούτου ὅτι κἂν μὴ τὰ δύο ῥηθῇ ταῦτα ὀνόματα, τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ τὸ παρεθὲν συσσημαίνεται· οὕτως ἔγκειται καὶ ἐνήρμοσται τῷ ἑτέρῳ τὸ ἕτερον καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ καθορᾶται ἀμφότερα, ὡς μὴ ἂν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ νοη 3.2.144 θῆναι τούτων τι χωρὶς τοῦ ἄλλου. τὸ δὲ παρηλλαγμένον ἐξ ἐναντίου τῷ ἁρμόζοντι πάντως καὶ νοεῖται καὶ λέγεται, οἷον ἡ σπάρτος πρὸς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ἁρμοδίως ἔχει, τὸ δὲ σκολιὸν τῷ εὐθεῖ παρατιθέμενον οὐχ ἁρμόζεται, καὶ τοῖς μουσικοῖς σύνηθες τὴν συμφωνίαν τῶν τόνων ἁρμονίαν προσαγορεύειν, ἀνάρμοστον δὲ τὸ ἔκτροπόν τε καὶ ἀπρόσ χορδον. οὐκοῦν ταὐτόν ἐστι παρηλλαγμένον τε εἰπεῖν καὶ ἀνάρμοστον. 3.2.145 Εἰ οὖν παρήλλακται κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως λόγον πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίαν ἡ τοῦ μονογενοῦς θεοῦ φύσις, οὐδὲ ἁρμόζεται πάντως· τὸ δὲ ἀνάρμοστον οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο 3.2.146 ἐν ἐκείνῳ ᾧ ἐναρμοσθῆναι οὐ δύναται. ὥσπερ γὰρ μιᾶς οὔσης μορφῆς ἐπί τε τοῦ κηροῦ καὶ τῆς ἐν τῇ σφενδόνῃ γλυφίδος, ὅταν ἐντεθῇ πάλιν τῇ σφενδόνῃ ὁ ἐκτυπωθεὶς