254

he might maintain that "the incorruptible" and "the unbegotten" are equivalent to one another, each of the names, so that there is no difference between them, because the same meaning is inherent in each, and he might say that the concept of "the incorruptible" and "the unbegotten" is one, that which is one of these is 2.1.560 certainly also the other. But indeed, that the Son is incorruptible is not disputed even by these men; therefore, according to the argument of Eunomius, he is also unbegotten, if indeed "the incorruptible" means the same as "unbegottenness". So one of two things must be the case, either he will agree that "the unbegotten" means something other than "incorruptibility" or, by persisting in his opinions, he will blaspheme in many ways against the only-begotten God, either making him corruptible so that he may not say he is unbegotten, or establishing that he is unbegotten so that he may not prove him to be corruptible. 2.1.561 But I do not know what I ought to do, whether to go through all the matters before us in sequence, or to limit the battle against these vanities to these points. For just as with those who sell poisons, a small sample guarantees to the buyers the destructive power of the whole drug, and no one, having learned through a certain test of the corruption from a part, doubts that the whole thing being sold is a drug of destruction, so I think it is necessary that this poisonous concoction of argument, having been exposed through the points examined, should no longer be doubtful to those who have sense, that it is of such a character throughout as it has been proven to be by the preceding points, and for this reason I consider it preferable 2.1.562 not to prolong by dwelling on vanities. But since the champions of deceit find plausibility for themselves from many sources, and there is a fear that the overlooking of any of their labored points might become a specious pretext for slander against us, as if we had omitted the stronger point, for this reason I have asked those who share our zeal, not to condemn any idle talk, to follow eagerly the argument as it necessarily brings itself out everywhere against the attacks of falsehood. 2.1.563 Since, then, he has at last with difficulty ceased from fabricating in deep sleep the dream concerning "concept," arming himself with those feeble and unintelligible arguments, he transfers the argument to another dream, much more foolish than the preceding fantasy. It is possible to know the futility of his labor by considering his technical discussion 2.1.564 about 20privation20. But to engage with all his nonsense would be characteristic of Eunomius himself and those like him, who have undertaken no care for the more serious matters. But we shall briefly run over the main points of what he has said, so that nothing culpable may be omitted, nor any of the vanities may draw out the argument to an unprofitable length. 2.1.565 For, being about to add his technical discussion concerning privative names, he has promised 20to show the absurdity of our20 20doctrines20, as he himself says, 20incurable and a certain feigned and reprehensible piety20. So this is his promise; but what is the proof of the accusations? 20When some said20, he says, 20that God is unbegotten by privation of generation, we said, for their refutation, that neither this term nor this concept is in any way appropriate to God.20 2.1.566 Let him point out the champion of this argument, if anyone from the time men came to be until now, whether among barbarians or among Greeks, is shown to have uttered such a thing, and we will be silent. But no one of the men who have lived in all time could be convicted of having said such a thing, unless he were mad. For who is so delirious from drunkenness, who is so out of his mind from madness or frenzy, as to say this, that for the unbegotten God, generation is natural, but having been deprived of what is natural, from being previously generated he afterwards became 2.1.567 unbegotten? But these are the tricks of rhetoric, to escape the shame of refutation in matters where they are being refuted by the contrivance of certain fictitious persons. Thus he has also made his defense concerning that other defense, attributing to judges and accusers of the

254

τὸ ἄφθαρτον καὶ τὸ ἀγέννητον καὶ ἰσοδυναμεῖν ἀλλήλοις ἑκάτερα τῶν ὀνομάτων διϊσχυρίζοιτο, ὡς μηδεμίαν ἐπ' αὐτῶν εἶναι διαφορὰν τῷ ταὐτὸν ἑκατέροις ἐγκεῖσθαι τὸ σημαινόμενον, καὶ μίαν λέγοι τοῦ ἀφθάρτου καὶ τοῦ ἀγεννήτου τὴν ἔννοιαν, ὁ τὸ ἓν τούτων ὢν καὶ τὸ 2.1.560 ἕτερον πάντως ἐστίν. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἄφθαρτος ὁ υἱὸς εἶναι καὶ παρὰ τούτων οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλεται· ἀγέννητος ἄρα κατὰ τὸν Εὐνομίου λόγον καὶ οὗτός ἐστιν, εἴπερ ταὐτὸν σημαίνει τῇ ἀγεννησίᾳ τὸ ἄφθαρτον. ὥστε δυοῖν θάτερον, ἢ ἄλλο τι παρὰ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν τὸ ἀγέννητον σημαίνειν συνθήσεται ἢ ἐπιμένων τοῖς δεδογμένοις πολλαχῶς περὶ τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν βλασφημήσει, ἤτοι φθαρτὸν αὐτὸν ποιῶν ἵνα μὴ ἀγέν νητον λέγῃ, ἢ ἀγέννητον εἶναι κατασκευάζων ἵνα μὴ φθαρ τὸν ἀποδείξῃ. 2.1.561 Ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδ' ὅ τι προσήκει πράττειν, εἴτε δι' ἀκολου θίας ἐπεξιέναι πᾶσι τοῖς προκειμένοις εἴτε καὶ τούτοις περιορίσαι τὴν πρὸς τὰ μάταια μάχην. καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ δηλητήρια πωλούντων ἡ ἐν ὀλίγῳ πεῖρα παντὸς τοῦ φαρμάκου τὴν πρὸς τὸν ὄλεθρον δύναμιν τοῖς ὠνου μένοις κατεγγυᾶται, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀμφιβάλλει τὴν ἐκ τοῦ μέρους διαφθορὰν διά τινος πείρας καταμαθὼν μὴ ὅλον εἶναι τὸ πωλούμενον ὀλέθρου φάρμακον, οὕτως οἶμαι δεῖν καὶ τὴν δηλητηριώδη ταύτην φαρμακείαν τοῦ λόγου διὰ τῶν ἐξητασμένων ἐπιδειχθεῖσαν μηκέτι ἀμφίβολον εἶναι τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι τὸ διὰ παντὸς εἶναι τοιαύτην οἵα διὰ τῶν φθασάντων ἐλήλεγκται, καὶ τούτου χάριν τὸ μὴ προάγειν εἰς μῆκος τοῦ τοῖς ματαίοις ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν αἱρετώτερον εἶναι 2.1.562 λογίζομαι. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλαχόθεν τὸ πιθανὸν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ προστάται τῆς ἀπάτης εὑρίσκουσι καὶ δέος μὴ τὸ παρο φθῆναί τι τῶν πεπονημένων αὐτοῖς εὐπρόσωπος καθ' ἡμῶν γένηται διαβολῆς ἀφορμή, ὡς τὸ ἰσχυρότερον ἐλλελοιπότων, τούτου χάριν παρῃτησάμην τοὺς καθομιλοῦντας ἡμῶν τῇ σπουδῇ μηδεμίαν καταγνόντας ἀδολεσχίαν ἕπεσθαι προθύ μως τῷ λόγῳ πανταχοῦ κατ' ἀνάγκην πρὸς τὰς τοῦ ψεύ 2.1.563 δους ἐπιχειρήσεις ἑαυτὸν ἀντεξάγοντι. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν μόγις ποτὲ τὸν περὶ τῆς ἐπινοίας ὄνειρον ἐν βαθεῖ τῷ ὕπνῳ δια πλάσσων ἐπαύσατο, τοῖς ἀτόνοις ἐκείνοις καὶ ἀδιανοήτοις τῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων ἑαυτὸν καθοπλίζων μετάγει τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ ἕτερον ὄνειρον πολὺ τῆς προλαβούσης φαντασίας ἀνοη τότερον. ἔξεστι δὲ γνῶναι τοῦ πόνου τὸ μάταιον τὴν περὶ τῆς 20στερήσεως20 αὐτοῦ τεχνολογίαν κατανοή 2.1.564 σαντας. ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν πάσῃ τῇ φλυαρίᾳ συμπλέκεσθαι αὐτοῦ ἂν εἴη τοῦ Εὐνομίου καὶ τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν τῶν μηδε μίαν πρὸς τὰ σπουδαιότερα τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναδεδεγμένων φροντίδα. ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ συντομίας ἐπὶ κεφαλαίῳ τοῖς εἰρη μένοις ἐπιδραμούμεθα, ὡς ἂν μήτε τι τῶν ὑπαιτίων παρα λειφθείη μήτε τι τῶν ματαίων εἰς ἀνόνητον μῆκος προαγάγοι τὸν λόγον. 2.1.565 Μέλλων γὰρ προσθήσειν τὴν περὶ τῶν στερητικῶν ὀνομάτων τεχνολογίαν ἐπήγγελται 20δείξειν τῶν20 ἡμετέ ρων 20δογμάτων ἀτοπίαν20, ὡς αὐτός φησιν, 20ἀνήκε στον καὶ εὐλάβειάν τινα προσποίητον καὶ ἐπί ληπτον20. ἡ μὲν οὖν ὑπόσχεσις αὕτη· ὁ δὲ τῶν ἐγκλη μάτων ἔλεγχος τίς; 20εἰπόντων20, φησί, 20τινῶν στερήσει γεννήσεως εἶναι τὸν θεὸν ἀγέννητον, ἡμεῖς ἐπ' ἐλέγχῳ τούτων μηδαμῶς ἁρμόζειν τῷ θεῷ μήτε τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην μήτε τὴν ἔννοιαν εἴπο 2.1.566 μεν20. δειξάτω τὸν προστάτην τοῦ λόγου εἴ τις τῶν ἀφ' οὗ γεγόνασιν ἄνθρωποι μέχρι τοῦ νῦν εἴτε παρὰ βαρβάροις εἴτε παρ' Ἕλλησι τὸ τοιοῦτον παραφθεγξάμενος δείκνυται, καὶ ἡμεῖς σιωπήσομεν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἐλεγχθείη τῶν ἐν παντὶ χρόνῳ γεγενημένων ἀνθρώπων οὐδεὶς τὸ τοιοῦτον εἰπὼν πλὴν εἴ τις μαίνοιτο. τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἐκ μέθης παράφορος, τίς οὕτως ὑπὸ μανίας ἢ φρενίτιδος ἐξεστηκὼς τὴν διάνοιαν, ὡς τοῦτον εἰπεῖν τὸν λόγον, ὅτι τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ θεῷ κατὰ φύσιν μὲν ἐστὶν ἡ γέννησις, στερηθεὶς δὲ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἐκ γεννητοῦ τοῦ πρόσθεν γέγονε μετὰ ταῦτα 2.1.567 ἀγέννητος; ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τῆς ῥητορικῆς τὰ τεχνάσματα, τὸ ἐν οἷς ἐλέγχονται προσώπων τινῶν ὑποβολαῖς τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἐλέγχων αἰσχύνην διαδιδράσκειν. οὕτω καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀπο λογίας ἐκείνης ἀπολελόγηται, δικασταῖς καὶ κατηγόροις ἀνατιθεὶς τῆς