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the one who contradicts? You would have laid hold of a great tyranny, if you were to establish this authority for yourself, so that it would be permitted for you alone to do these things which you forbid in others, and to bar 2.1.312 others from these things which you yourself dare to do by your authority. By a command you reject that these names are applied to Christ by way of *epinoia*, because none of the saints ordained that it must be said so. How then do you legislate that the divine essence is to be characterized by the term 20unbegotten20, which no one of the saints is shown to have handed down? For if this is the standard of correctness for expressions, to utter only those things which the divinely inspired word of scripture has suggested, the term 20unbegotten20 should be erased from your writings, since none of the saints 2.1.313 20legislated20 this term. But on account of the meaning 2.1.313 inherent in this appellation you accept the word. And we likewise, on account of the inherent concept, have accepted the term of *epinoia*. Therefore, we shall either remove both from usage, or neither. And whatever of these happens, we shall be victorious through either course. For if 20unbegottenness20 is completely silenced, every utterance of our opponents against the truth will be extinguished along with it, and <the> glory fitting for the only-begotten God will shine forth from all, since there would be no name that diminishes the majesty of the Lord by way of contradistinction. 2.1.314 But if both remain, even so the truth will prevail with us, with the name of 20unbegottenness20 transferred from essence to *epinoia*. But as long as he does not remove the term 'unbegotten' from his own arguments, let the Pharisee among us admonish himself not to look at the speck in our eye first, before he has cast out the beam from his own eyes. 2.1.315 20But God20, he says, 20has imparted to the weakest things on earth the most honorable of names, without also imparting an equal share of their dignities, and to the most sovereign things the most common names, without their natural lowliness being transferred along with the names20. These things have been said in the very words; so it has been written down by them as by us. If it has some meaning hidden in its depth which escapes us, let those speak who have comprehended things far beyond our ken, those initiated 2.1.316 by him into the inner and secret mystery; but if they interpret nothing more than what is readily understood, I do not know which of the two one might consider more pitiable, those who say such things or those who lend their ears to such things. 20To the weakest things20, he says, 20on earth he has imparted the most honorable of names, without also imparting an equal share of their dignities20. Therefore let us examine the meaning 2.1.317 of what has been said. The weakest things, he says, are deemed worthy of the mere appellation of honorable things, not being in their nature what they are named, and he says that this is the work of God, to misrepresent the inferior nature with the more honorable name. And conversely, he says God applies the less honorable terms to those who are superior by nature, without the nature being transferred 2.1.318 along with the name. So that what is being said may become most clear to us, the absurdity will be shown by actual examples. If someone were to call a man renowned for every virtue 'intemperate,' or conversely, call a man notorious for equal vice 'good' and 'orderly,' would such a person be considered by those who have sense to be of sound mind or to have any concern for the truth, by applying appellations exchanged for their opposites, when the nature does not bear witness to the meaning of the names? 2.1.319 I for one do not think so. This man, then, says that these things are done by God, things which agree neither with common concepts nor with the testimonies of scripture. For in the custom of our life, it is characteristic only of those who are delirious from drunkenness or madness to be mistaken about names and not to use terms for things according to their meaning, but to call a man a dog, as it may happen, and again to apply to a dog a man's

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τὸν ἀντιλέγοντα; μεγάλης τἂν εἴης τυραννίδος ἐπειλημμένος, εἰ ταύτην σεαυτῷ τὴν ἐξουσίαν κρατύνειας, ὡς ἅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων κωλύεις, σοὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἐξεῖναι μόνῳ καὶ ἅπερ αὐτὸς κατ' ἐξουσίαν τολμᾷς, τούτων ἀπείρ 2.1.312 γειν τοὺς ἄλλους. διὰ προστάγματος ἀθετεῖς τὸ κατ' ἐπί νοιαν ἐπιλέγεσθαι ταῦτα τῷ Χριστῷ τὰ ὀνόματα, ὅτι μηδεὶς τῶν ἁγίων τὸ δεῖν οὕτω λέγεσθαι διετάξατο. πῶς οὖν τῇ τοῦ 20ἀγεννήτου20 φωνῇ νομοθετεῖς τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν χα ρακτηρίζεσθαι, ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἁγίων παραδεδωκὼς ἐπιδεί κνυται; εἰ γὰρ οὗτος ὅρος τῆς τῶν ῥημάτων ὀρθότητος, τὸ μόνον ἐκεῖνα φθέγγεσθαι, ἅπερ ἂν ὁ θεόπνευστος λόγος τῆς γραφῆς ὑφηγήσηται, ἐξαλειπτέον ἂν εἴη τῶν συγγραμ μάτων σου τὸ 20ἀγέννητον20, μηδενὸς τῶν ἁγίων τὴν φωνὴν 2.1.313 ταύτην 20θεσμοθετήσαντος20. ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ἐγκείμενον 2.1.313 τῷ προσρήματι τούτῳ νοῦν παραδέχῃ τὴν λέξιν. καὶ ἡμεῖς ὡσαύτως διὰ τὴν ἐγκειμένην ἔννοιαν τὴν φωνὴν τῆς ἐπι νοίας παρεδεξάμεθα. οὐκοῦν ἢ τὰ δύο τῆς χρήσεως ἐξαι ρήσομεν ἢ οὐθέτερον, ὅ τι δ' ἂν γένηται τούτων, δι' ἑκα τέρων νικήσομεν. σιωπηθείσης μὲν γὰρ καθόλου τῆς 20ἀγεννησίας20, πᾶσα συγκατεσβέσθη τῶν ἐναντίων κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας φωνὴ καὶ <ἡ> πρέπουσα τῷ μονογενεῖ θεῷ δόξα παρὰ πάντων ἐκλάμψει, μηδενὸς ὄντος ὀνόματος τοῦ ἐξ ἀντιδιαιρέσεως τὸ μεγαλεῖον τοῦ κυρίου κατασμικρύνοντος. 2.1.314 εἰ δὲ μένοι ἀμφότερα, καὶ οὕτως ἐπικρατήσει μεθ' ἡμῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια, εἰς τὴν ἐπίνοιαν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας μετατεθέντος τοῦ τῆς 20ἀγεννησίας20 ὀνόματος. ἀλλ' ἕως οὐκ ἐξαιρεῖ τῶν ἰδίων λόγων τὴν τοῦ ἀγεννήτου φωνήν, νουθετησάτω ἑαυτὸν ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς Φαρισαῖος μὴ πρότερον πρὸς τὸ ἡμέτερον διαβλέπειν κάρφος, πρὶν τὴν ἐγκειμένην αὐτῷ δοκὸν ἀπο βαλεῖν τῶν ὀμμάτων. 2.1.315 20Ἀλλ' ὁ θεός20, φησί, 20καὶ τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις τῶν περὶ γῆν τῶν τιμιωτάτων μεταδέδωκεν ὀνομάτων, μὴ συμμεταδοὺς τῆς τῶν ἀξιωμά των ἰσομοιρίας, καὶ τοῖς κυριωτάτοις τῶν εὐτελεστάτων, μὴ συμμεταφερομένης ὑπὸ τῶν ὀνομάτων τῆς φυσικῆς εὐτελείας20. ταῦτα κατ' αὐτὴν εἴρηται τὴν λέξιν· οὕτω παρ' αὐτῶν ὡς παρ' ἡμῶν ἀναγέγραπται. εἰ μέν τινα κατὰ τὸ βάθος ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἔχει διάνοιαν τὴν ἡμᾶς διαφεύγουσαν, λεγόντων οἱ κατει ληφότες τὰ πόρρω τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπόψεως, οἱ μεμυημένοι 2.1.316 παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐσωτερικήν τε καὶ ἀπόρρητον μύησιν· εἰ δὲ πλέον οὐδὲν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου νοουμένων διερμη νεύουσιν, οὐκ οἶδα ποτέρους ἄν τις ἐλεεινοτέρους τῶν ἑτέ ρων λογίσαιτο, τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγοντας ἢ τοὺς τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῖς τοιούτοις ὑπέχοντας. 20τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις20, φησί, 20τῶν περὶ γῆν τῶν τιμιωτάτων μεταδέδωκεν ὀνομάτων, μὴ συμμεταδοὺς τῆς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἰσομοιρίας20. οὐκοῦν σκοπήσωμεν τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων διά 2.1.317 νοιαν. τὰ ἀσθενέστατα, φησί, ψιλῆς ἀξιοῦται τῆς τῶν τιμίων προσηγορίας, οὐκ ὄντα τὴν φύσιν ἅπερ κατονομάζεται, καὶ τοῦτο ἔργον εἶναι λέγει θεοῦ, τὸ διαψεύδεσθαι τῇ τι μιωτέρᾳ κλήσει τὴν χείρονα φύσιν. καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν τὰς ἀτιμοτέρας φωνὰς τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν προέχουσι τὸν θεὸν ἐφαρμόζειν λέγει, μὴ συμμετατιθεμένης τῇ κλήσει τῆς φύ 2.1.318 σεως. ὡς δ' ἂν μάλιστα καταφανὲς ἡμῖν τὸ λεγόμενον γένοιτο, ἐπ' αὐτῶν δειχθήσεται τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ ἀτοπία. εἴ τις τὸν διὰ πάσης ἀρετῆς εὐδόκιμον ἀκόλαστον λέγοι ἢ ἀναστρέψας τὸν ἴσῃ κακίᾳ διαβεβλημένον ἀγαθὸν εἴποι καὶ κόσμιον, ἆρα σωφρονεῖν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἤ τινα τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχειν φροντίδα παρὰ τοῖς νοῦν ἔχουσι νομισθήσεται, ἐπηλ λαγμένας πρὸς τοὐναντίον τὰς προσηγορίας ποιούμενος, μὴ συμμαρτυρούσης τῇ σημασίᾳ τῶν ὀνομάτων τῆς φύσεως; 2.1.319 ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶμαι. ταῦτα τοίνυν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γίνεσθαί φησιν οὗτος, ἃ οὔτε ταῖς κοιναῖς τῶν ἐννοιῶν οὔτε ταῖς γραφικαῖς μαρτυρίαις συμβαίνει. ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡμῶν συνηθείᾳ μόνων τῶν ἐκ μέθης ἢ φρενίτιδος παραπαιόντων ἐστὶ τὸ διαπλανᾶσθαι πρὸς τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὸ σημαινόμενον ταῖς ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων κεχρῆ σθαι φωναῖς, ἀλλὰ κύνα μὲν λέγειν, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κυνὶ δὲ πάλιν ἐφαρμόζειν ἀνθρώπου