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let him fulfill the definition for each of the things spoken of; and if you are asked the meaning of “judge,” answer with the interpretation of “ingenerateness,” and if you must give the definition of “justice,” let “incorporeal” be ready for your answer, and what “incorruptibility” means, you will surely say is what the meaning of “mercy” 2.1.473 or that of “judgment” presents. Thus let all individual things also pass over to one another, with no particular significance distinguishing the one from the other. And if Eunomius legislates these things, why in vain do the scriptures invoke the divine nature with many names, naming God judge, just, mighty, long-suffering, true, merciful, and 2.1.474 many other such things? For if none of the names is understood with any particular meaning, but all are muddled together through the confusion of their signification, it would be futile to use many appellations for the same thing, with no difference in signification distinguishing the names from one another. 2.1.475 But who is so stupefied as to be ignorant that the divine nature, whatever it is in essence, is one, simple, uniform, and uncompounded, and in no way conceived in any varied composition, while the human soul, lying on the ground and buried in this earthly life, because it is unable to perceive clearly what is sought, reaches for the ineffable nature with many conceptions, in many ways and in many parts, not hunting for the hidden thing 2.1.476 with any single thought? For comprehension would have been easy, if some one approach to divine knowledge had been allotted to us; but as it is, through the wisdom manifest in the universe we have understood that which presides over the universe is wise, and through the magnificence of miracles we have received an indication of power, and to believe that everything is derived from him becomes a proof that there is no cause of his own existence. 2.1.477 Again, by considering the abhorrence of evil, we apprehend his immutability and unmixedness with evil, and considering the corruption of death to be the worst of evils, we have named him immortal and incorruptible who is alien to every such notion, not dividing the subject of these concepts, but, believing that whatever he is in essence is one, we have supposed that what is conceived is fittingly related to all such 2.1.478 assumptions. For the names do not conflict with each other according to the nature of opposites, as if, should the one exist, the other could not be contemplated with it, just as it is not possible for life and death to be conceived of at the same time concerning the same thing, but the significance of each of the things said of the divine nature is such that even if it is particular in its meaning, it has no opposition to what is named with it. 2.1.479 For what in “just” is opposed to “incorporeal,” even if the words do not agree with each other in concept? And what conflict does “goodness” have with “invisible”? Thus neither is the eternity of the divine life, which is known by double names and concepts, “endless” and “without beginning,” cut in two by the difference of the names; and neither is the one the same as the other in meaning (for the one showed the alienation from a beginning, the other from an end), nor has the difference of the concepts contemplated in it produced any division of the subject. 2.1.480 These then are our points, but those of our opponent, in their very phrasing, are such as to have no support from reason, as he strangely spews out such bombastic and unintelligible utterances in the form of clauses and periods at random. But the aim of his words is this: that there is no difference in significance among the various names. 2.1.481 But it seems entirely necessary to set forth his saying word for word, so that we may not seem to be slanderously attributing to him something that does not belong to him. 20For true20 he says 20words, taking their judgment from the underlying and signified realities, and of some things to others

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τὸν περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν λεγομένων ὅρον ἀποπληρούτω· κἂν ἐρω τηθῇς τὸ τοῦ κριτοῦ σημαινόμενον, τὴν τῆς ἀγεννησίας ἑρμηνείαν ἀπόκριναι, κἂν τῆς δικαιοσύνης δέῃ τὸν ὁρισμὸν ἀποδοῦναι, τὸ ἀσώματόν σοι πρόχειρον εἰς τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ἔστω, τί δὲ σημαίνει ἡ ἀφθαρσία, ὅπερ ἡ τοῦ ἐλέου πάν 2.1.473 τως ἐρεῖς ἢ ἡ τῆς κρίσεως σημασία παρίστησιν. οὕτω καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστα πάντα πρὸς ἄλληλα μεταχωρείτω, μηδεμιᾶς ἰδιαζούσης ἐμφάσεως τὸ ἕτερον τοῦ ἑτέρου δια στελλούσης. καὶ εἰ ταῦτα νομοθετεῖ ὁ Εὐνόμιος, τί μάτην αἱ γραφαὶ πολυωνύμως τὴν θείαν φύσιν ἀνακαλοῦσιν, θεὸν κριτὴν δίκαιον ἰσχυρὸν μακρόθυμον ἀληθινὸν ἐλεήμονα καὶ 2.1.474 ἄλλα πολλὰ τοιαῦτα κατονομάζουσαι; εἰ γὰρ οὐδὲν τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπί τινος ἰδιαζούσης ἐννοίας καταλαμβάνεται, πάντα δὲ ἀλλήλοις διὰ τῆς κατὰ τὸ σημαινόμενον συγχύ σεως ἀναπέφυρται, μάταιον ἂν εἴη πολλαῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ταῖς ἐπωνυμίαις κεχρῆσθαι, μηδεμιᾶς τῆς κατὰ τὸ σημαι νόμενον διαφορᾶς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τὰ ὀνόματα διαστελλούσης. 2.1.475 ἀλλὰ τίς οὕτως ἀπόπληκτος ὡς ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι ἡ μὲν θεία φύσις, ὅ τι ποτὲ κατ' οὐσίαν ἐστί, μία ἐστὶν ἁπλῆ τις καὶ μονοειδὴς καὶ ἀσύνθετος καὶ κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον ἐν ποικίλῃ τινὶ συνθέσει θεωρουμένη, ἡ δὲ ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχὴ χαμαὶ κειμένη καὶ ἐν τῷ γηίνῳ τούτῳ βίῳ κατορωρυγμένη διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τηλαυγῶς κατιδεῖν τὸ ζητούμενον πολλαῖς ἐν νοίαις τῆς ἀφράστου φύσεως πολυτρόπως καὶ πολυμερῶς ἐπορέγεται, οὐ κατὰ μίαν τινὰ διάνοιαν τὸ κεκρυμμένον 2.1.476 θηρεύουσα; ἦ γὰρ ἂν εὔκολος ἦν ἡ κατάληψις, εἰ μία τις ἡμῖν ἔφοδος πρὸς τὴν θείαν ἀποκέκριτο γνῶσιν· νυνὶ δὲ διὰ μὲν τῆς ἐμφαινομένης τῷ παντὶ σοφίας σοφὸν εἶναι τὸ τοῦ παντὸς ἐπιστατοῦν ἐνοήσαμεν, διὰ δὲ τῆς τῶν θαυ μάτων μεγαλουργίας δυνάμεως ἔμφασιν ἐδεξάμεθα, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἐκείνου πᾶν ἐξῆφθαι πιστεύειν τοῦ μηδεμίαν αὐτοῦ τῆς ὑπάρξεως αἰτίαν εἶναι τεκμήριον γίνεται. 2.1.477 Πάλιν τὸ βδελυκτὸν τῆς κακίας νοήσαντες τὸ ἀναλ λοίωτον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀμιγὲς πρὸς κακίαν καταλαμβάνομεν τήν τε τοῦ θανάτου διαφθορὰν κακῶν ἔσχατον εἶναι νομί σαντες ἀθάνατόν τε καὶ ἄφθαρτον τὸν ἀλλότριον παντὸς τοιούτου νοήματος ὠνομάσαμεν, οὐ τὸ ὑποκείμενον ταῖς ἐννοίαις ταύταις συνδιασχίζοντες, ἀλλ' ὅ τι ποτὲ κατ' οὐσίαν ἐστίν, ἓν εἶναι πεπιστευκότες πρὸς πάσας τὰς τοιαύτας 2.1.478 ὑπολήψεις οἰκείως ἔχειν τὸ νοηθὲν ὑπειλήφαμεν. οὐ γὰρ μάχεται πρὸς ἄλληλα τὰ ὀνόματα κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀντιθέτων φύσιν, ὡς εἰ τὸ ἓν ὑπάρχοι, μὴ ἂν αὐτῷ συνθεωρηθῆναι τὸ ἕτερον, ὡς οὐκ ἐνδέχεται ζωὴν ἅμα καὶ θάνατον περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν νοηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ τοιαύτη ἐστὶν ἑκάστου τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως λεγομένων ἡ ἔμφασις, ὥστε κἂν ἰδιάζῃ τῷ σημαινομένῳ, μηδεμίαν ἴσχειν πρὸς τὸ συνονομαζόμενον 2.1.479 ἐναντίωσιν. τί γὰρ ἐναντιοῦται τῷ ἀσωμάτῳ τὸ δίκαιον, κἂν μὴ συμβαίνῃ κατὰ τὴν ἔννοιαν ἀλλήλοις τὰ ῥήματα; ποίαν δὲ μάχην ἡ ἀγαθότης ἔχει πρὸς τὸ ἀόρατον; οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸ ἀΐδιον τῆς θείας ζωῆς διπλοῖς ὀνόμασί τε καὶ νοήμασι γνωριζόμενον, τῷ ἀτελευτήτῳ καὶ τῷ ἀνάρχῳ, τῇ διαφορᾷ τῶν ὀνομάτων συνδιατέμνεται· καὶ οὔτε ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ ἑτέρῳ κατὰ τὴν σημασίαν τὸ ἕτερον (τὸ μὲν γὰρ τὴν τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸ δὲ τὴν τοῦ τέλους ἀλλοτρίωσιν ἔδειξεν) οὔτε μερισμόν τινα τοῦ ὑποκειμένου ἡ τῶν ἐπιθεωρουμένων αὐτῷ νοημάτων διαφορὰ παρεσκεύασε. 2.1.480 Τὰ μὲν δὴ παρ' ἡμῶν ταῦτα, τὰ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ πολε μοῦντος ἡμῖν κατ' αὐτὴν μὲν τὴν τῆς λέξεως σύμφρασιν τοιαῦτά ἐστιν, ὡς μηδεμίαν τὴν ἐκ τῶν λογισμῶν συμμα χίαν ἔχειν, ἀλλοκότως αὐτοῦ τὰς τοιαύτας στομφώδεις καὶ ἀδιανοήτους φωνὰς ἐν κώλων καὶ περιόδων σχήματι πρὸς τὸ συμβὰν ἀποπτύοντος. ὁ δὲ σκοπὸς τῶν λεγομένων οὗτός ἐστι, τὸ μηδεμίαν εἶναι τῶν ποικίλων ὀνομάτων κατὰ τὰς 2.1.481 ἐμφάσεις διαφοράν. ἀνάγκη δὲ πᾶσα, ὡς ἔοικεν, αὐτὴν ἐπὶ λέξεως παραθέσθαι τὴν ῥῆσιν, ὡς ἂν μὴ συκοφαντικῶς ἐπιφέρειν αὐτῷ τι τῶν οὐ προσόντων δοκοίημεν. 20τῶν γὰρ ἀληθῶν20 φησι 20λόγων ἐκ τῶν ὑποκειμένων καὶ δηλουμένων πραγμάτων λαμβανόντων τὴν ἐπί κρισιν καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων ἑτέροις