225
to look to the truth of the subjects and to testify to each according to its worth and to name them from the things themselves. “Come,” he says, “you blessed ones,” and “Depart, you cursed ones,” neither honoring the one worthy of a curse with the name of blessing nor, conversely, sending away the one who stored up blessing for himself with the most accursed. 2.1.329 But what does the writer mean by what has been said, and to what aim does his discourse look? For let no one suppose this, that through a lack of words, as he might seem especially to extend his discourse at length, he has extended his nonsense, stammering out some unintelligible things. But the 2.1.330 foolishness of what has been said also has something suspicious with regard to the heresy. For to say that 20the most honorable of names are also applied to the weakest20, even if they happen not to share equally according to the nature of the dignity, is a certain construction for him secretly preparing the way for his blasphemy; so that those who learn his doctrines might learn this from him, that even if the only-begotten is called God and Wisdom and Power and Light and Truth and Judge and King and God over all and Great God and Prince of Peace and Father of the age to come and all 2.1.331 such things, the honor is in name only. For he does not also share in the worth which the power of the names signifies. And what the wise Daniel did to the Babylonians, correcting their error concerning idols, so that they would not worship the bronze or the dragon, revering the name of god that was applied to them by the foolish, and he showed clearly through what he did that the lofty name of divinity does not correspond both to the reptilian beast and to the form into which the bronze had been shaped, these things to the contrary the enemy of God also strives to construct through his doctrines concerning the only-begotten God, shouting this through all his proposed speech: ‘Do not look to the names of the Lord which he has shared, so as from these to reckon the ineffable and lofty nature of his essence;’ for many other of the weakest things have been honored with preeminent titles, whose designation has loftiness, but whose nature is not 2.1.332 transformed to the greatness of the appellation. For this reason he says that the participation in honor from God for inferiors happens only up to bare names, with the equality according to worth not accompanying the designation, so that having learned all things concerning the Son, as many as are of lofty significance, one should think that the honor in the words is testified to him up to the name only, but that he is without a share in the 20equality of portion20 according to worth, according to the artifice in what has been said. 2.1.333 But by busying myself with foolish things, I seem to be secretly granting something to our adversaries. For by setting the truth against the vanities of what has been said, I seem to wear out those who are conversing with this discourse before the battle <for> the more crucial matters. Therefore these things, however they may be, must be left to the more attentive of the listeners, but we must transfer our discourse to the matters 2.1.334 before us. And let that which is immediately added to what has been examined be passed over in silence, namely that: 20These things, however, have been arranged in this manner, not by the conception of men having obtained the authority over names20—for who says this, that what is not contemplated as having its own subsistence is in the authority of some thing? For only for those things governed by some choice of their own is it possible to do something according to authority, but conception is an activity of our mind and depends on the choice of those who are speaking, not subsisting in itself, but having its subsistence in the 2.1.335 impulse of those who are conversing—20but of himself20, he says, 20of God who created all things, fitting the appellations suitably to each of the things named by measures and laws of relation and activity and proportion20. But these things either have no sense at all or are contrary to what was previously set forth. For if he now testifies that God fits the names suitably to their subjects, how in the preceding parts does he represent God as applying to the
225
πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν ὑποκειμένων ὁρᾶν καὶ τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ προσμαρτυρεῖν καὶ ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων κατονομάζειν. ∆εῦτε; φησίν, οἱ εὐλογημένοι, καὶ Πορεύεσθε οἱ κατηραμένοι, οὔτε τὸν κατάρας ἄξιον τῷ τῆς εὐλογίας τιμήσας ὀνόματι οὔτε τὸ ἔμπαλιν τὸν τὴν εὐλογίαν ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίσαντα μετὰ τῶν ἐξαγίστων ἀποπεμψάμενος. 2.1.329 Ἀλλὰ τί βούλεται τῷ λογογράφῳ τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ πρὸς τίνα βλέπει σκοπὸν ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ; μὴ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτό τις ὑπονοείτω ὅτι δι' ἀπορίαν ῥημάτων, ὡς ἂν μάλιστα δόξειεν εἰς πλάτος ἐκτείνειν τὸν λόγον, ἀδιανοήτοις τισὶν ἐμβατταρίζων τὴν φλυαρίαν ἐξέτεινεν. ἀλλ' ἔχει τι καὶ τὸ 2.1.330 ἀνόητον τῶν εἰρημένων ὡς πρὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν ὕποπτον. τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν 20τὰ τιμιώτατα τῶν ὀνομάτων καὶ τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις20 ἐπιλέγεσθαι, κἂν μὴ ἰσομοιροῦντα τύχῃ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ ἀξιώματος, κατασκευή τίς ἐστιν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ λεληθὸς τῇ βλασφημίᾳ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ὑπευτρε πίζουσα· ὡς ἂν τοῦτο παρ' αὐτοῦ μάθοιεν οἱ τὰ ἐκείνου μανθάνοντες, ὅτι κἂν θεὸς ὁ μονογενὴς ὀνομάζηται καὶ σοφία καὶ δύναμις καὶ φῶς καὶ ἀλήθεια καὶ κριτὴς καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς καὶ μέγας θεὸς καὶ ἄρχων εἰρήνης καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος καὶ πάντα τὰ 2.1.331 τοιαῦτα, μέχρις ὀνόματος μόνον ἐστὶν ἡ τιμή. οὐ γὰρ συμμετέχει καὶ τῆς ἀξίας ἣν ἐμφαίνει τῶν ὀνομάτων ἡ δύναμις. καὶ ὅπερ ἐποίει τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις ὁ σοφὸς ∆ανιὴλ διορθούμενος αὐτῶν τὴν περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνην, ὡς ἂν μὴ τὸν χαλκὸν ἢ τὸν δράκοντα σέβοιεν, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ παρὰ τῶν ματαίων αὐτοῖς ἐπιπεφημισμένον αἰδούμενοι, καὶ σαφῶς δι' ὧν ἐποίησεν ἔδειξεν ὅτι οὐ συμ βαίνει τὸ ὑψηλὸν τῆς θεότητος ὄνομα πρός τε τὸ ἑρπετὸν θηρίον καὶ πρὸς τὸ σχῆμα ᾧ ὁ χαλκὸς ἐτετύπωτο, ταῦτα πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον καὶ ὁ ἐχθρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ μονο γενοῦς θεοῦ κατασκευάζειν διὰ τῶν δογμάτων φιλονεικεῖ, τοῦτο βοῶν διὰ πάσης τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ ῥήσεως ὅτι μὴ πρὸς τὰ ὀνόματα τοῦ κυρίου βλέπετε ὧν μετείληφεν, ὡς ἐκ τούτων τὸ ἄφραστον αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑψηλὸν τῆς οὐσίας λογίζεσθαι· πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα τῶν ἀσθενεστάτων ταῖς ὑπερεχούσαις ἐπωνυμίαις τετίμηται, ὧν ἡ μὲν κλῆσις τὸ ὑψηλὸν ἔχει, ἡ δὲ φύσις πρὸς τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς προσηγορίας 2.1.332 οὐκ ἐξαλλάσσεται. διὰ τοῦτο λέγει μέχρις ὀνομάτων ψιλῶν γίνεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς ὑποβεβηκόσι τὴν τῆς τιμῆς μετουσίαν, μὴ συνακολουθούσης τῇ κλήσει τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἰσότητος, ὥστε πάντα περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ μαθόντας, ὅσα τῆς ὑψηλῆς ἐστι σημασίας, μέχρις ὀνόματος οἴεσθαι τὴν ἐν ταῖς φωναῖς τιμὴν προσμαρτυρεῖσθαι αὐτῷ, τῆς δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν 20ἰσομοιρίας20 ἀμέτοχον εἶναι κατὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις τεχνολογίαν. 2.1.333 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐνσχολάζων τοῖς ἀνοήτοις ἔοικά τι κατὰ τὸ λεληθὸς τοῖς ἐναντίοις χαρίζεσθαι. πρὸς γὰρ τὰ μάταια τῶν εἰρημένων ἀντιτιθεὶς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀποκναίειν μοι δοκῶ τοὺς καθομιλοῦντας τῷ λόγῳ πρὸ τῆς <ὑπὲρ> τῶν καιριω τέρων μάχης. οὐκοῦν ταῦτα μέν, ὅπως ἂν ἔχῃ, τοῖς ἐπι στατικωτέροις τῶν ἀκροατῶν ἐατέον, ἡμῖν δὲ πρὸς τὰ προ 2.1.334 κείμενα μετενεκτέον τὸν λόγον. σιγάσθω δὲ καὶ τὸ προσ εχῶς τοῖς ἐξητασμένοις προσκείμενον ὅτι· 20ταῦτα μέντοι τοῦτον διατέτακται τὸν τρόπον, οὐ τῆς ἐπι νοίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαχούσης τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν ὀνομάτων20-τίς γὰρ τοῦτό φησι, τὸ μὴ κατ' ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν θεωρούμενον ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ πράγματος εἶναί τινος; μόνων γὰρ τῶν οἰκείᾳ τινὶ προαιρέσει διοικουμένων τὸ κατ' ἐξουσίαν τι πράττειν ἐστίν, ἡ δὲ ἐπίνοια τῆς ἡμε τέρας διανοίας ἐστὶν ἐνέργεια καὶ τῆς τῶν φθεγγομένων ἤρτηται προαιρέσεως, οὐ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ὑφεστῶσα, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ 2.1.335 τῶν διαλεγομένων ὁρμῇ τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἔχουσα-20ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ20, φησί, 20τοῦ τὰ πάντα δημιουργήσαντος θεοῦ σχέσεως τε καὶ ἐνεργείας καὶ ἀναλογίας μέτροις καὶ νόμοις προσφυῶς ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὀνο μαζομένων τὰς προσηγορίας συναρμόζοντος20. ταῦτα δὲ ἢ καθόλου νοῦν οὐκ ἔχει ἢ ὑπεναντίως τοῖς προ εκτεθεῖσιν ἔχει. εἰ γὰρ προσφυῶς ἁρμόζειν τοῖς ὑποκει μένοις μαρτυρεῖ νῦν τῷ θεῷ τὰ ὀνόματα, πῶς ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέροις κατασκευάζει τὸν θεὸν τοῖς