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Paul also once had an accusation from the Athenians, being accused by those very men of proclaiming strange divinities, when he was refuting the error concerning the demons of the idol-mad and leading them by the hand to the truth, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection. These things now the new Stoics and Epicureans bring against the imitator of Paul, who have leisure for nothing else, as the history says concerning the Athenians, 3.2.164 than to say or hear something new. For what could be found newer than these things: a son of an activity and a father of a creature and a recent god springing up from non-being and a good altered from a good? These are they who by saying that he is not that which is the nature of the one who begot him, pretend to honor him with the appropriate honors. Is Eunomius ashamed of the form of such an honor, if someone should say that he is not related to the Father by nature, 3.2.165 but has fellowship with something of a different kind? For if he who makes the Lord of creation common with creation determines in these things to honor him, let this one also be honored by being made common with the irrational or insensible according to nature; but if for him fellowship with the inferior is difficult and insolent, how for the one who rules in his dominion of the age, as the prophet says, is it an honor to be ranked with the subject and servile nature? But enough of these things. 3.3.1 But concerning the saying of Peter the apostle, it would be time to examine more diligently the things said about this both by Eunomius himself and by our father. But if the precise consideration should extend the argument to great length, the well-disposed hearer will surely forgive, not accusing us of being garrulous, but referring the cause back to the one who gave the occasion. And let it be permitted me to go through some brief preliminaries of the proposed examination, these too perhaps not being discordant with the aim of the matters under consideration. 3.3.2 The divine word legislated that nothing that has come into being through creation is to be revered by men, so that one can learn such a thing from nearly all of the divinely inspired scripture. Moses, the tablets, the law, the prophets in succession, the gospels, the doctrines of the apostles, all alike forbid looking to creation. And it would be a long task to set forth in order the particular passages that bear upon this; but even if we should set forth a few testimonies of the divinely inspired scripture from among many, the argument will in any case equally have its credibility, because each of the divine things has an equal power for the manifestation 3.3.3 of truth, even if it be the smallest. For since the conception of beings is divided in two, into creation and into the uncreated nature, if that which is now earnestly asserted by our opponents should prevail, namely to say that the Son of God is a creature, it is altogether necessary either for the evangelical proclamation to be set aside and for the Word who was in the beginning, God, not to be worshipped because it is not right to offer worship to creation, or if the miracles in the gospels should put one to shame, through which we are led to revere and worship the one revealed in them, to bring the created and the uncreated to equal honor, if indeed according to the doctrine of our opponents the created God is also to be worshipped, having no preeminence in nature over the rest of creation; and if this should prevail, the doctrines of 3.3.4 piety will be transformed into a kind of complete anarchy and democratic autonomy. For whenever men do not believe that the worshipped nature is one, but are carried away in their thoughts to different deities, there is nothing that will stop the conception of the divine from proceeding through creation, but what is considered divine in creation will become an occasion for the same conception for that which is observed after it, and that for the next, and through all things from this sequence the error will be carried through, as the first deceit proceeds through the adjacent things to the very last. 2.1.153 a name. What then? Will he who thinks himself above the prophets not also condemn David, because by the things through which he conceived God, by these he named him, or will he also contend against him, putting forward that solemn saying as if from a tragedy, that 20he adorns the most blessed life of God with names from his own conception, which rejoices in itself alone even before the birth of those who conceive it 2.1.154? For he who speaks on behalf of the prophet will certainly say, that the divine nature rejoices in itself alone and before the birth of those who conceive it, but the human mind, being taught by the activities as much as it can comprehend, utters so much. For from the greatness and beauty of created things, Wisdom says, the maker of all things is seen by analogy; but to the divine and which surpasses all mind

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ἔσχε καὶ Παῦλος αἰτίαν παρ' Ἀθηναίοις ποτέ, πρὸς αὐτῶν ἐκείνων κατηγορούμενος ὡς ξένα καταγγέλλων δαιμόνια, ὅτε τὴν περὶ τοὺς δαίμονας πλάνην τῶν εἰδωλομανούντων διήλεγχε καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλή θειαν ἐχειραγώγει, καταγγέλλων ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ τὴν ἀνά στασιν. ταῦτα καὶ νῦν οἱ νέοι Στωϊκοὶ καὶ Ἐπικούρειοι τῷ μιμητῇ τοῦ Παύλου προφέρουσιν, οἱ εἰς οὐδὲν ἕτερον εὐκαιροῦντες, καθὼς περὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἡ ἱστορία φησίν, 3.2.164 ἢ εἰς τὸ λέγειν τι καὶ ἀκούειν καινότερον. τί γὰρ ἂν εὑρεθείη τούτων καινότερον· υἱὸς ἐνεργείας καὶ πατὴρ κτίσματος καὶ θεὸς πρόσφατος ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος ἀναφυό μενος καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἀγαθοῦ παρηλλαγμένον; οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ διὰ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸν λέγειν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ γεννή σαντος φύσις, τιμᾶν προσποιούμενοι ταῖς καθηκούσαις τιμαῖς. ἆρ' αἰδεῖται τὸ εἶδος τῆς τοιαύτης τιμῆς ὁ Εὐνόμιος, εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα λέγοι τις αὐτὸν ᾠκειῶσθαι τῇ φύσει, 3.2.165 ἀλλὰ πρός τι τῶν ἑτερογενῶν τὴν κοινωνίαν ἔχειν; εἰ γὰρ ὁ πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν κοινοποιῶν τὸν τῆς κτίσεως κύριον τιμᾶν ἐν τούτοις αὐτὸν διορίζεται, τιμάσθω καὶ οὗτος πρὸς τὸ ἄλογον ἢ ἀναίσθητον κατὰ τὴν φύσιν κοινοποιούμενος· εἰ δὲ τούτῳ χαλεπὸν καὶ ἐφύβριστον ἡ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρόν ἐστι κοινωνία, πῶς τῷ δεσποτεύοντι ἐν τῇ δυναστείᾳ αὐτοῦ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καθώς φησιν ὁ προφήτης, τιμή ἐστι τὸ τῇ ὑπο χειρίῳ καὶ δουλευούσῃ φύσει συγκατατάττεσθαι; ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον. 3.3.1 Περὶ δὲ τῆς Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου φωνῆς καιρὸς ἂν εἴη φιλοπονώτερον διεξετάσαι τὰ εἰρημένα αὐτῷ τε τῷ Εὐ νομίῳ καὶ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ πατρὶ περὶ τούτου. εἰ δὲ εἰς πλῆθος ἐκτείνοι τὸν λόγον ἡ ἀκριβὴς θεωρία, συγγνώσεται πάντως ὁ εὐγνώμων ἀκροατής, οὐχ ἡμᾶς ἀδολεσχεῖν αἰτιώμενος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν τὴν ἀφορμὴν δεδωκότα τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπαναφέρων. καί μοι συγκεχωρήσθω βραχέα τινὰ προδιεξελθεῖν τῆς τῶν προκειμένων ἐξετάσεως, οὐδὲ ταῦτα τυχὸν τοῦ σκοποῦ τῶν σπουδαζομένων ἀπᾴδοντα. 3.3.2 Οὐδὲν τῶν διὰ κτίσεως γεγονότων σεβάσμιον εἶναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ θεῖος ἐνομοθέτησε λόγος, ὡς ἐκ πάσης μικροῦ δεῖν ἔστι τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς τὸ τοιοῦτο μαθεῖν. ὁ Μωϋσῆς, αἱ πλάκες, ὁ νόμος, οἱ καθεξῆς προφῆται, τὰ εὐ αγγέλια, τῶν ἀποστόλων τὰ δόγματα, πάντες ἐπίσης ἀπαγο ρεύουσι τὸ πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν βλέπειν. καὶ μακρὸν ἂν εἴη τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ἐφεξῆς παρατίθεσθαι τῶν εἰς τοῦτο φε ρόντων· ἀλλὰ κἂν ὀλίγας τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς μαρτυ ρίας ἐκ πολλῶν παραθώμεθα, ἐπίσης πάντως ὁ λόγος τὸ ἀξιόπιστον ἔχει, διότι τῶν θείων ἕκαστον εἰς φανέρωσιν 3.3.3 ἀληθείας τὸ ἴσον ἔχει, κἂν ἐλάχιστον ᾖ. διχῇ γὰρ διῃρη μένης τῆς περὶ τῶν ὄντων ὑπολήψεως, εἴς τε τὴν κτίσιν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἄκτιστον φύσιν, ἐὰν ἐπικρατήσῃ τὸ παρὰ τῶν ἐναντίων νῦν σπουδαζόμενον, ὥστε κτιστὸν εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λέγειν, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα ἢ ἀθετεῖσθαι τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα καὶ μὴ προσκυνεῖσθαι τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὄντα λόγον θεὸν διὰ τὸ μὴ δεῖν προσάγειν τὴν λατρείαν τῇ κτίσει, ἢ εἴπερ δυσωποίη τὰ ἐν εὐαγγελίοις θαύματα, δι' ὧν πρὸς τὸ σέβεσθαι καὶ προσκυνεῖν τὸν ἐν ἐκείνοις δηλούμενον ἐναγόμεθα, εἰς ὁμοτιμίαν ἄγειν τὸ κτιστὸν καὶ τὸ ἄκτιστον, εἴπερ κατὰ τὸ δόγμα τῶν ὑπεναντίων καὶ ὁ κτιστὸς προσ κυνοῖτο θεός, οὐδεμίαν ἐν τῇ φύσει τὴν προτίμησιν ἔχων τῆς ἄλλης κτίσεως· καὶ εἰ τοῦτο κρατήσειεν, εἰς ἀναρχίαν τινὰ πάντη καὶ δημοκρατικὴν αὐτονομίαν τὰ δόγματα τῆς 3.3.4 εὐσεβείας μετενεχθήσεται. ὅταν γὰρ μὴ μίαν εἶναι τὴν προσκυνουμένην φύσιν πιστεύσωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλ' εἰς διαφόρους θεότητας ταῖς ἐννοίαις ἀπενεχθῶσιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὃ στήσει τὴν περὶ τὸ θεῖον ὑπόληψιν προϊοῦσαν διὰ τῆς κτίσεως, ἀλλὰ τὸ νομισθὲν ἐν τῇ κτίσει θεῖον ἀφορμὴ πρὸς τὴν ἴσην ὑπόληψιν τῷ μετ' ἐκεῖνο θεωρουμένῳ γενή σεται κἀκεῖνο τῷ ἐφεξῆς, καὶ διὰ πάντων ἐκ τῆς ἀκολου θίας ταύτης ἡ πλάνη διενεχθήσεται, τῆς πρώτης ἀπάτης διὰ τῶν παρακειμένων μέχρι τῶν ἐσχάτων διεξιούσης. 2.1.153 ὄνομα. τί οὖν; ἆρα μὴ καὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καταγνώσεται ὁ ὑπὲρ τοὺς προφήτας φρονῶν, ὅτι δι' ὧν ἐνόησε τὸν θεόν, διὰ τούτων ὠνόμασεν, ἢ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ζυγομαχήσει τὴν σεμνὴν ἐκείνην ὥσπερ ἐκ τραγῳδίας προτείνων ῥῆσιν, ὅτι 20τὴν μακαριωτάτην τοῦ θεοῦ ζωὴν τοῖς παρὰ τῆς ἐπινοίας ἀγάλλει ὀνόμασι, τὴν ἐφ' ἑαυτῇ μόνῃ καὶ πρὸ τῆς τῶν ἐπινοούντων γεννήσεως 2.1.154 ἀγαλλομένην20; ἐρεῖ γὰρ πάντως ὁ ὑπὲρ τοῦ προφήτου λέ γων, ὅτι ἡ μὲν θεία φύσις ἐφ' ἑαυτῇ μόνῃ ἀγάλλεται καὶ πρὸ τῆς τῶν ἐπινοούντων γεννήσεως, ὁ δὲ ἀνθρώπινος νοῦς, ὅσον χωρεῖ διὰ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν διδασκόμενος, τοσοῦτον φθέγγεται. ἐκ γὰρ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ἡ σοφία φησὶ τὸν πάντων γενεσιουργὸν θεωρεῖσθαι· τῇ δὲ θείᾳ καὶ ὑπερεχούσῃ πάντα νοῦν