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20Therefore, just as they do not think that either, namely, to place human beings, although they are the last of God's creations, before their own conception.20 For the argument would <ἂν> indeed have great force, if someone out of madness or insanity were to declare 2.1.172 God to be a conception. But if this argument neither exists nor has ever been made (for who would be driven to such a point of derangement, as to say that the one who truly is and who brought all other existing things into being, does not exist in his own hypostasis, but to declare him a conception of a name?) why does he fight shadows in vain, 2.1.173 fighting against positions that have not been put forward? Or is the cause of this mindless contentiousness obvious, that being ashamed for those who were deceived by the sophism concerning unbegottenness, since the name has been fully proven to be separate from the meaning of substance, he willingly creates confusion in his words, shifting the battle from the name to the things themselves, so that the ignorant might easily be misled by such confusion, thinking either that God has been called a conception by us, or secondary to the invention of human names, and for this reason, having left our argument unrefuted, 2.1.174 does he transfer the battle to other things? For our point was, 2.1.174 as has been said, that the name of 20unbegottenness20 does not indicate the nature, but is applied to the nature by conception, through which it is signified that he subsists without cause. But the point being constructed by them was that the term is indicative of the substance itself. Where, then, has it been established 2.1.175 that the power of the name is such? But these things have surely been reserved somewhere for other arguments, and all his effort has been spent on the point that God subsists unbegottenly; just as if someone had asked him clearly about these things, what thought he had concerning the name of unbegottenness, whether as something conceived for indicating that the first cause is without beginning, or as something declarative of the substance itself, and he had replied very solemnly and authoritatively that he does not doubt that God is the maker of heaven and earth. 2.1.176 Therefore, as this argument is discordant with what was proposed and is not connected to it, in the same way you would find also in the battle elegantly written by him against us its disconnection from the objective. But let us consider it this way. 2.1.177 They say that God is Unbegotten; with this we also agree. But also that 20unbegottenness20 is substance; to this there is an objection from us. For we say this is a name indicative of God subsisting unbegottenly, not that unbegottenness is God. He professes to refute our argument; what, then, is the refutation? That before the creation of men, 2.1.178 he says, He was unbegottenly. What has this to do with the question? This man professes to show that the name is the same as the subject. For he defines 20unbegottenness20 to be substance. What, then, is the proof? To show that God pre-existed those who use speech? O, what an irrefutable and marvelous proof. This is the logical subtlety from the dialectical art, against which who <ἂν> could look, 2.1.179 of those uninitiated in the secret teaching? But solemnly for us in the distinctions concerning conception he utterly ridicules the very name of conception. 20For of things thus spoken of by conception,20 he says, 20some have their existence only in their utterance as things that signify nothing, but others according to a particular thought; and of these, some by way of augmentation, as in the case of colossal things, others by way of diminution, as in the case of pygmies, others by way of addition, as in the case of the many-headed, or by way of composition, as in the case of 2.1.180 hybrid beasts.20 Do you see into what this wise man has chopped up conception for us, not deigning that its power should proceed any further? He says that conception is insignificant, unintelligible, devising things contrary to nature, or mutilating or exceeding the defined measures of nature, or composing things from different kinds, or creating monsters with strange additions. Having mocked the name of conception with these things, he proves it, in his view, to be useless and 2.1.181 unprofitable for life. From where, then, of the

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20ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο φρονούντων, τὸ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καί περ ὅντας ὑστάτους τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δημιουργη μάτων, προτάττειν τῆς σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐπινοίας.20 μεγάλην γὰρ <ἂν> τῷ ὄντι τὴν ἰσχὺν ὁ λόγος εἶχεν, εἴπερ τις ἐκ μανίας ἢ παραφροσύνης ἐπίνοιαν εἶναι τὸν θεὸν ἀπε 2.1.172 φαίνετο. εἰ δὲ οὗτος μὲν ὁ λόγος οὔτε ἔστιν οὔτε μὴν γεγένηται (τίς γὰρ ἂν εἰς τοῦτο παραπληξίας ἐλάσειεν, ὥστε τὸν ὄντως ὄντα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ὅσα ἔστιν εἰς γένεσιν ἀγαγόντα, τοῦτον μὴ καθ' ὑπόστασιν ἰδίαν εἶναι λέγειν, ἀλλ' ἐπίνοιαν ὀνόματος αὐτὸν ἀποφαίνεσθαι;) τί μάτην σκια 2.1.173 μαχεῖ τοῖς οὐ τεθεῖσι μαχόμενος; ἢ πρόδηλος ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἀδιανοήτου ταύτης φιλονεικίας, ὅτι τοὺς ἐξαπατηθέντας διὰ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἀγεννησίαν σοφίσματος αἰσχυνόμενος, ἐπειδὴ διηλέγχθη πάμπολυ τῆς κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν σημασίας κεχω ρισμένον τὸ ὄνομα, ἑκὼν ποιεῖται τῶν λεγομένων τὴν σύγχυσιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἐπὶ τὰ πράγματα μεταβιβάζων τὴν μάχην, ὡς τοὺς ἀνεπιστάτους εὐκόλως διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης παρα κρουσθῆναι συγχύσεως, νομίζοντας ἢ ἐπίνοιαν τὸν θεὸν παρ' ἡμῶν εἰρῆσθαι ἢ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ὀνομάτων εὑρέσεως δεύτερον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καταλιπὼν ἀνέλεγκτον τὸ ἡμέτερον 2.1.174 πρὸς ἕτερα μεταφέρει τὴν μάχην; τὸ γὰρ παρ' ἡμῶν ἦν, 2.1.174 καθὼς εἴρηται, τὸ τῆς 20ἀγεννησίας20 ὄνομα μὴ τὴν φύσιν ἐνδείκνυσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐπινοίας ἐφαρμόζειν τῇ φύσει, δι' ἧς τὸ ἄνευ αἰτίας αὐτὸν ὑφεστάναι σημαίνεται. τὸ δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν κατασκευαζόμενον ἦν αὐτῆς εἶναι τῆς οὐσίας ἐν δεικτικὴν τὴν φωνήν. ποῦ τοίνυν κατεσκευάσθη τὸ οὕτως 2.1.175 ἔχειν τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος δύναμιν; ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἑτέροις που πάντως τεταμίευται λόγοις, ὁ δὲ πᾶς αὐτῷ πόνος εἰς τὸ ὑφεστάναι τὸν θεὸν ἀγεννήτως ἠσχόληται· ὅμοιον ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις σαφῶς αὐτὸν περὶ τούτων ἤρετο, τίνα περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς ἀγεννησίας ἔχοι διάνοιαν, εἴτε ὡς ἐπινοου μένου πρὸς ἔνδειξιν τοῦ ἀνάρχως εἶναι τὸ πρῶτον αἴτιον εἴτε καὶ ὡς αὐτῆς δηλωτικοῦ τῆς οὐσίας, ὁ δὲ μάλα σεμνῶς καὶ ἐπιστατικῶς ἀπεκρίνατο τὸ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς 2.1.176 τὸν θεὸν ποιητὴν εἶναι μὴ ἀμφιβάλλειν. ὡς τοίνυν οὗτος ὁ λόγος ἀπᾴδει τοῦ προταθέντος καὶ οὐ συνήρτηται, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον εὕροις ἂν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς καλλιγραφηθείσης αὐτῷ καθ' ἡμῶν μάχης τὸ πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν ἀσυνάρτητον. οὑτωσὶ δὲ σκοπήσωμεν. 2.1.177 Ἀγέννητόν φασι τὸν θεὸν εἶναι· τούτῳ καὶ ἡμεῖς συντιθέμεθα. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν 20ἀγεννησίαν20 οὐσίαν εἶναι· πρὸς τοῦτο παρ' ἡμῶν ἀντίρρησις. ὄνομα γὰρ τοῦτό φαμεν ἐνδεικτικὸν εἶναι τοῦ ἀγεννήτως τὸν θεὸν ὑφεστάναι, οὐ τὴν ἀγεννησίαν εἶναι θεόν. ἐλέγχειν ἐπαγγέλλεται τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον· τίς οὖν ὁ ἔλεγχος; ὅτι πρὸ τῆς τῶν ἀν 2.1.178 θρώπων συστάσεως ἦν, φησίν, ἀγεννήτως. τί τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ ζητούμενον; δείξειν οὗτος κατεπαγγέλλεται ταὐτὸν εἶναι τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ τὸ ὄνομα. οὐσίαν γὰρ εἶναι τὴν 20ἀγεννη σίαν20 ὁρίζεται. τίς οὖν ἡ ἀπόδειξις; τὸ δεῖξαι προϋφε στῶτα τῶν φωνῇ κεχρημένων τὸν θεόν; ὢ τῆς ἀναντιρρήτου καὶ θαυμαστῆς ἀποδείξεως. αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ τῆς διαλε κτικῆς τέχνης λογικὴ λεπτουργία, πρὸς ἣν τίς <ἂν> ἀντιβλέ 2.1.179 ψειε τῶν ἀμυήτων τῆς ἀπορρήτου παιδεύσεως; ἀλλὰ σεμνῶς ἡμῖν ἐν ταῖς περὶ τῆς ἐπινοίας διαστολαῖς αὐτὸ διακωμῳδεῖ τῆς ἐπινοίας τὸ ὄνομα. 20τῶν γὰρ οὕτω κατ' ἐπί νοιαν λεγομένων20 φησὶ 20τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν προφορὰν ἔχειν μόνην τὴν ὕπαρξιν ὡς τὰ μηδὲν σημαίνοντα, τὰ δὲ κατ' ἰδίαν διάνοιαν· καὶ τούτων τὰ μὲν κατὰ αὔξησιν ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν κολοσσιαίων, τὰ δὲ κατὰ μείω σιν ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν πυγμαίων, τὰ δὲ κατὰ πρόσθεσιν ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν πολυκεφάλων ἢ κατὰ σύνθεσιν ὡς ἐπὶ 2.1.180 τῶν μιξοθήρων20. ὁρᾷς εἰς τί τὴν ἐπίνοιαν ἡμῖν ὁ σοφὸς διακερματίσας περαιτέρω τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς προελθεῖν οὐκ ἠξίωσεν. ἀσήμαντον εἶναί φησι τὴν ἐπίνοιαν, ἀδιανόητον, τὰ παρὰ φύσιν σοφιζομένην ἢ διακολοβοῦσαν ἢ ὑπερτείνουσαν τὰ ὡρισμένα μέτρα τῆς φύσεως ἢ ἐξ ἑτεροφυῶν συντιθεῖσαν ἢ τερατευομένην ταῖς ἀλλοκότοις προσθήκαις. ἐν τούτοις καταπαίξας τοῦ τῆς ἐπινοίας ὀνόματος ἄχρηστον αὐτὴν καὶ 2.1.181 ἀνόνητον τῷ βίῳ τὸ κατ' αὐτὸν ἀποδείκνυσιν. πόθεν οὖν τῶν