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the teacher having given the slanderer an opportunity in the things that were said, this one, having distorted the statements to suit his own opinion, brought this childish game of sophistry to its conclusion. 2.1.506 But so that it might become more manifest to all who encounter it, I will both read that again word for word and I will set against these the words of Eunomius. "1Incorruptible, says the teacher, and unbegotten we say the God of all is, using these names according to different applications; for when we look back to the ages that are past, finding the life of God to fall outside all circumscription, we call him unbegotten; but when we turn our mind to the ages to come, that which is indefinite and infinite and comprehended by no 2.1.507 end we have named incorruptible. As, therefore, the endlessness of his life is 'incorruptible,' so also its beginninglessness was named 'unbegotten,' as we contemplate these things by conception."2 This is the teacher's statement, teaching us this through what was said, that the divine life, being one by nature and continuous with itself, neither begins from some beginning nor is circumscribed by any end, and that it is possible to make manifest through certain names 2.1.508 the concepts contemplated in this life. For we declare that he is not from any cause through the term 'without beginning' and 'unbegotten', and that he is circumscribed by no end nor dissolved into corruption, this the term 'incorruptible' and 'endless' signifies; and by this it is determined that, in the case of the divine life, one must call not having a beginning 'to be unbegottenly,' and name being endlessly 'incorruptible,' since everything that has ceased to be is certainly in annihilation, and hearing 'annihilation of that which is,' we understood 'the corruption of that which subsists.' He says, therefore, that the one who never ceases to be and is alien to dissolution by corruption is to be called incorruptible. 2.1.509 What then does Eunomius say to these things? 20If according to the endlessness20, he says, 20of his life alone he is incorruptible, and according to his beginninglessness alone he is unbegotten, in that respect in which he is not incorruptible, he will be corruptible, and in that respect in which he is not unbegotten, he will be begotten20. Who has given you these ideas, O Eunomius, that incorruptibility is not to be contemplated with the whole life of God? Who, having divided the divine life in two, names each of the halves with special terms, so that to whichever part this name belongs, 2.1.510 one says the other does not also belong to it? This is the cleverness of your dialectic, to say that the life that is without beginning is corruptible and that beginninglessness is not contemplated with the incorruptible; just as if someone were to say that man is both rational and receptive of intellect and knowledge, applying each of these names to the subject according to a different application and concept, and then were to be ridiculed by such a person rehearsing similar arguments, that if man is receptive of intellect and knowledge, in this respect he cannot be rational, but in that respect in which he is receptive of knowledge, this alone he will be, and his nature will not admit the other, and again if one were to define man as rational, one would no longer grant to him being receptive of 2.1.511 intellect. For in that respect in which he is rational, he will be shown to be without a share of intelligence. But if in these examples the ridiculous and foolish aspect is clear to everyone, it is not at all doubtful in that case either. For if you read the teacher's statement, you will find the game of sophistry to be a shadow. For neither in the example concerning man is receptivity to knowledge hindered by reason, nor is reason by receptivity to intelligence, nor does the eternity of the divine life lack incorruptibility if it is without beginning, nor, if someone should testify to its 2.1.512 incorruptibility, will its being without beginning be taken away. But he who by the art of dialectical sagacity seeks the truth, having inserted into our argument from his own ideas what he wanted, fights against himself and overturns himself, without touching upon our points. For our point was nothing other than to say that the life that is without beginning is called 'unbegotten' by conception—is called, not becomes—and to signify by the name 'incorruptible' that which proceeds into the indefinite, not to make 2.1.513

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ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις δεδωκότος τοῦ διδασκάλου τῷ συκοφάντῃ λαβήν, παραποιήσας οὗτος πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν τὰ εἰρημένα τὴν μειρακιώδη ταύτην τοῦ σοφίσματος παιδιὰν συνεπέρανεν. 2.1.506 πλὴν ὡς ἂν ἐκδηλότερον πᾶσι γένοιτο τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν, ἐκεῖνό τε πάλιν ἐπὶ λέξεως ἀναγνώσομαι καὶ ἀντιπαραθήσω τούτοις τοῦ Εὐνομίου τὰ ῥήματα. "1ἄφθαρτον, φησὶν ὁ δι δάσκαλος, καὶ ἀγέννητον τὸν θεὸν τῶν ὅλων λέγομεν κατὰ διαφόρους ἐπιβολὰς τοῖς ὀνόμασι τούτοις χρώμενοι· ὅταν μὲν γὰρ εἰς τοὺς κατόπιν αἰῶνας ἀποβλέψωμεν, ὑπερεκπί πτουσαν πάσης περιγραφῆς εὑρίσκοντες τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγέννητον αὐτὸν λέγομεν· ὅταν δὲ τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις αἰῶσι τὸν νοῦν ἐπιβάλωμεν, τὸ ἀόριστον καὶ ἄπειρον καὶ οὐδενὶ 2.1.507 τέλει καταληπτὸν προσηγορεύσαμεν ἄφθαρτον. ὡς οὖν τὸ ἀτελεύτητον τῆς ζωῆς ἄφθαρτον, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἄναρχον αὐτῆς ἀγέννητον ὠνομάσθη, τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ ἐνθεωρούντων ἡμῶν ταῦτα."2 οὗτος τοῦ διδασκάλου ὁ λόγος, τοῦτο παιδεύων ἡμᾶς διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅτι μία οὖσα τῇ φύσει καὶ συνεχὴς πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἡ θεία ζωὴ οὔτε ἀπὸ ἀρχῆς τινος ἄρχεται οὔτε πέρατί τινι περιγράφεται, καὶ ὅτι τὰς ἐπιθεωρουμένας τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἐννοίας ἔξεστι δι' ὀνομάτων τινῶν φανερὰς 2.1.508 καταστῆσαι. τό τε γὰρ μὴ ἐξ αἰτίας εἶναί τινος διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀνάρχου τε καὶ ἀγεννήτου φωνῆς ἐξαγγέλλομεν, καὶ τὸ μηδενὶ περιγράφεσθαι τέλει μηδὲ εἰς φθορὰν διαλύεσθαι, τοῦτο ἡ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου τε καὶ ἀτελευτήτου διασημαίνει λέξις· καὶ τούτῳ διορίζεται τὸ δεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς θείας ζωῆς τὸ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν μὴ ἔχειν ἀγεννήτως εἶναι λέγειν, τὸ δὲ ἀτελευτήτως εἶναι ἄφθαρτον κατονομάζειν, ἐπειδὴ πᾶν τὸ τοῦ εἶναι παυσάμενον ἐν ἀφανισμῷ γίνεται πάντως, ἀφανισμὸν δὲ τοῦ ὄντος ἀκούσαντες τὴν τοῦ συνεστῶτος φθορὰν ἐνοήσαμεν. τὸν οὖν μηδέποτε τοῦ εἶναι παυόμενον ἀλλότριόν τε τῆς κατὰ φθορὰν διαλύσεως ὄντα ἄφθαρτον ὀνομάζεσθαι λέγει. 2.1.509 Τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Εὐνόμιος; 20εἰ κατὰ τὸ ἀτε λεύτητον20, φησί, 20τῆς ζωῆς μόνον ἐστὶν ἄφθαρτος καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἄναρχον μόνον ἀγέννητος, καθ' ὃ μή ἐστιν ἄφθαρτος, φθαρτὸς ἔσται, καὶ καθ' ὃ μή ἐστιν ἀγέννητος, γεννητὸς ἔσται20. τίς ταῦτά σοι δέδωκεν, ὦ Εὐνόμιε, ὡς μὴ πάσῃ συνθεωρεῖσθαι τῇ ζωῇ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν; τίς διελὼν εἰς δύο τὴν θείαν ζωὴν ἰδιαζούσαις φωναῖς ἐπονομάζει τῶν ἡμιτόμων ἑκάτερον, ὥστε ᾧπερ ἂν τμήματι τοῦτο προσῇ τὸ ὄνομα, 2.1.510 μὴ προσεῖναι λέγειν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ἕτερον; τῆς σῆς αὕτη διαλεκτικῆς ἡ δριμύτης, τὸ τὴν ἀνάρχως οὖσαν ζωὴν φθαρτὴν εἰπεῖν εἶναι καὶ τῇ ἀφθάρτῳ μὴ συνθεωρεῖσθαι τὸ ἄναρχον· ὅμοιον ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις λογικόν τε καὶ νοῦ καὶ ἐπιστήμης δεκτικὸν τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι λέγοι, ἑκάτερον ἐφαρμόζων τούτων τῶν ὀνομάτων τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ κατὰ διά φορον ἐπιβολήν τε καὶ ἔννοιαν, ἔπειτα παρά τινος τοιούτου καταχλευάζοιτο διεξιόντος τὰ ὅμοια, ὅτι εἰ δεκτικὸς νοῦ καὶ ἐπιστήμης ὁ ἄνθρωπος, λογικὸς κατὰ τοῦτο εἶναι οὐ δύναται, ἀλλὰ καθ' ὃ δεκτικός ἐστιν ἐπιστήμης, τοῦτο μόνον ἔσται, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον οὐ χωρήσει ἡ φύσις, καὶ πάλιν εἰ λογικὸν ὁρίζοι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐκέτι αὐτῷ τὸ δεκτικὸν τοῦ 2.1.511 νοῦ συγχωρήσει. καθ' ὃ γὰρ λογικός ἐστιν, ἀμέτοχος δια νοίας ἀναδειχθήσεται. εἰ δὲ πρόδηλον ἐν τούτοις ἐστὶ παντὶ τὸ γελοῖόν τε καὶ ἀνόητον, οὐδὲ ἐπ' ἐκείνου πάντως ἀμφίβολον. ἀναγνοὺς γὰρ τοῦ διδασκάλου τὴν ῥῆσιν σκιὰν εὑρήσεις τὴν παιδιὰν τοῦ σοφίσματος. οὔτε γὰρ ἐν τῷ κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὑποδείγματι τὸ δεκτικὸν τῆς ἐπιστήμης ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου κωλύεται ἢ ὑπὸ τοῦ δεκτικοῦ τῆς διανοίας ὁ λόγος, οὔτε τὸ ἀΐδιον τῆς θείας ζωῆς ἢ τὸ ἄφθαρτον οὐκ ἔχει, ἐὰν ἄναρχον ᾖ, ἢ εἴπερ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν τις αὐτῇ 2.1.512 μαρτυρήσειε, τὸ ἀνάρχως εἶναι ἀφαιρεθήσεται. ἀλλ' ὁ τῇ τέχνῃ τῆς διαλεκτικῆς ἀγχινοίας ἀναζητῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων τῷ ἡμετέρῳ λόγῳ παρενθεὶς ἃ ἐβούλετο ἑαυτῷ μάχεται καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀνατρέπει, τῶν ἡμετέρων οὐ προσ απτόμενος. τὸ γὰρ παρ' ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν ἢ τὸ τὴν ἀνάρχως οὖσαν ζωὴν ἀγέννητον δι' ἐπινοίας ὀνομάζεσθαι λέγειν, ὀνομάζεσθαι, οὐχὶ γίνεσθαι, καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸ ἀόριστον προϊοῦσαν τῇ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου σημαίνειν προσηγορίᾳ, οὐ ποιεῖν 2.1.513