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having understood, from all these and such things, receiving other concepts about the divine, we interpret with our own names each of the concepts that arise in us, following the counsel of wisdom, which says that from the greatness and beauty of created things 2.1.584 the creator of all should be contemplated by analogy. We call the maker of mortals "Creator," and "Powerful" the one who has mastery over so great a creation, for whom power was sufficient to make his will substance. And having considered the good of our life, we accordingly name the one who guides it by the appellation of "the Good," and having been taught by the divine Scripture the incorruptibility of the coming judgment, we call him "Judge" and "Just" through these things; and to say all in sum, the concepts arising in us concerning the divine nature we transform into the form of names, so that no title is spoken of the divine 2.1.585 nature without some particular concept. But we have also understood that the word "theos" (God) has prevailed from the activity of overseeing. For believing that the divine is present to all, sees all, and passes through all, we signify such a thought by this name, being led to this by the holy voice. For he who said, "My God, attend to me," and "See, O God," and "God knows the secrets of the heart," clearly interprets the meaning inherent in this word, that from 2.1.586 seeing (theasthai) he is named God (theos). For it makes no difference to say "attend" and "see" and "behold." Since, therefore, the one who beholds sees what is beheld, the beholder is reasonably called God of what is seen. So that, having been taught through this some partial activity of the divine nature, we have not come into a conception of its essence itself through this word; certainly not, because we are at a loss for a proper name, do we suppose that the divine is in any way diminished in 2.1.587 glory. For the inability to utter the unutterable, while accusing the poverty of our nature, holds a greater proof of the glory of God, teaching us, as the apostle says, that the only proper name of God is to believe that he is above every name. For his transcending every movement of thought and being found outside the grasp of names becomes for men a proof of his ineffable majesty. 2.1.588 Concerning, then, the names uttered of God in whatsoever manner, this is what we know; the exposition of which we have set forth unadorned and simple for the more fair-minded of our hearers, judging it both shameful and unseemly for us to eagerly oppose the feeble battles of Eunomius on these matters. For what could one say to the one who says that we 20make the form of names more authoritative20 than the worth of the things named, granting to names the privilege over things and to unequal things equal 2.1.589 honor20? These things were thus spoken by his voice. But let him who is prepared to judge, judge, if the vehement accusation of the slanderer has anything pertinent against us, for which it is also worthwhile to make a defense, namely that 20we grant to names the privilege over things20, it being obvious to all that none of the names has an essential subsistence in itself, but every name becomes some characteristic and sign of some substance and concept, itself neither 2.1.590 existing nor being conceived of on its own. But how is it possible to bestow gifts on that which does not subsist? Let him who claims to use nouns and verbs properly teach this to the disciples of deceit. I would not have mentioned these things at all, if it were not necessary through them to make the demonstration of the feebleness of the writer in both mind and expression. And as many things from the divinely inspired Scripture he drags in unfittingly and not to the purpose, contriving a difference in the immortality of angels and men—I do not know with what aim and what he is constructing through this—these things also I will pass over (for the immortal, as long as it is immortal, 2.1.591 does not comparatively admit of "more" and "less"; for if any diminution according to

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κατανοήσαντες, ἐκ πάντων τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἄλλα νοήματα περὶ τὸ θεῖον λαμβάνοντες ἰδίοις ὀνόμασιν ἕκαστον τῶν ἐγγινομένων ἡμῖν νοημάτων διερμηνεύομεν, ἀκολου θοῦντες τῇ συμβουλῇ τῆς σοφίας, ἥ φησιν ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως δεῖν τὸν τῶν πάντων γενε 2.1.584 σιουργὸν θεωρεῖσθαι. δημιουργὸν μὲν τὸν ποιητὴν τῶν θνητῶν προσαγορεύομεν, δυνατὸν δὲ τὸν τῆς τοσαύτης περι κρατήσαντα κτίσεως, ᾧ ἐξήρκεσεν ἡ δύναμις οὐσίαν ποιῆσαι τὴν βούλησιν. τό τε τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἀγαθὸν ἐννοήσαντες ἀκολούθως τὸν ταύτης καθηγησάμενον τῇ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ προσηγορίᾳ κατονομάζομεν, τῆς τε μελλούσης κρίσεως τὸ ἀδέκαστον παρὰ τῆς θείας παιδευθέντες γραφῆς κριτὴν αὐτὸν καὶ δίκαιον διὰ τούτων προσαγορεύομεν· καὶ πάντα συνελόντι φάναι, τὰ περὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἐγγινόμενα ἡμῖν νοήματα εἰς ὀνομάτων τύπον μεταλαμβάνομεν, ὡς μηδεμίαν κλῆσιν δίχα τινὸς ἰδιαζούσης ἐννοίας ἐπὶ τῆς θείας λέγεσθαι 2.1.585 φύσεως. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν θεὸς φωνὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐποπτικῆς ἐν εργείας κεκρατηκέναι κατελαβόμεθα. πᾶσι γὰρ παρεῖναι τὸ θεῖον καὶ πάντα θεᾶσθαι καὶ διὰ πάντων ἥκειν πεπι στευκότες τὴν τοιαύτην διάνοιαν τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ δια σημαίνομεν, πρὸς τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας ὁδηγηθέντες φωνῆς. ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν ὅτι Ὁ θεός μου πρόσσχες μοι καὶ Ἴδε ὁ θεός καὶ τὸ Ὁ θεὸς γινώσκει τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας, σαφῶς τὴν ἐγκειμένην τῇ φωνῇ ταύτῃ διάνοιαν ἑρμηνεύει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ 2.1.586 θεᾶσθαι θεὸς ὀνομάζεται. διαφέρει γὰρ οὐδὲν Πρόσσχες εἰπεῖν καὶ Ἴδε καὶ Θέασαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ θεατὸν ὁ θεώ μενος βλέπει, θεὸς εἰκότως τοῦ ὁρωμένου ὁ θεώμενος λέ γεται. ὥστε καὶ διὰ τούτου μερικήν τινα τῆς θείας φύ σεως ἐνέργειαν διδαχθέντες τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς ἐν περινοίᾳ διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης οὐκ ἐγενόμεθα· οὐ μὴν ἐπειδὴ ὀνό ματος προσφυοῦς ἀποροῦμεν, ζημιοῦσθαί τι τὸ θεῖον εἰς 2.1.587 δόξαν ὑπολαμβάνομεν. ἡ γὰρ ἀδυναμία τῆς τῶν ἀνεκφω νήτων ἐξαγορεύσεως κατηγοροῦσα τῆς κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν πτωχείας μείζονα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δόξης τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει διδάσκουσα ἡμᾶς, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὅτι μόνον ἐστὶ θεοῦ προσφυὲς ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν αὐτὸν εἶναι πι στεύειν ὄνομα. τὸ γὰρ ὑπερβαίνειν αὐτὸν πᾶσαν διανοίας κίνησιν καὶ ἐξώτερον εὑρίσκεσθαι τῆς ὀνοματικῆς περι λήψεως τεκμήριον τῆς ἀφράστου μεγαλειότητος τοῖς ἀν θρώποις καθίσταται. 2.1.588 Περὶ μὲν δὴ τῶν ὀνομάτων τῶν ἐπὶ θεοῦ καθ' ὃν δή ποτε τύπον ἐκφωνουμένων ταῦτα γινώσκομεν· ὧν τὴν ἔκ θεσιν ἀκατάσκευόν τε καὶ ἁπλῆν τοῖς εὐγνωμονεστέροις τῶν ἀκροατῶν παρεθέμεθα, πρὸς τὰς ἀτόνους τοῦ Εὐνομίου περὶ τούτων μάχας αἰσχρὸν ἅμα καὶ ἀπρεπὲς ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς κρίναντες ἐκθύμως ἀντικαθίστασθαι. τί γὰρ ἄν τις εἴποι τῷ λέγοντι 20τὸν τύπον τῶν ὀνομάτων κυριώτερον20 ἡμᾶς 20ποιεῖσθαι τῆς τῶν ὀνομαζομένων ἀξίας, τοῖς ὀνόμασι τὴν κατὰ τῶν πραγμάτων δω ρουμένους προνομίαν καὶ τοῖς ἀνίσοις ἰσο 2.1.589 τιμίαν20; ταῦτα οὕτως εἴρηται παρὰ τῆς ἐκείνου φωνῆς. κρινέτω δὲ ὁ κρίνειν ἐπεσκεμμένος, εἴ τι καίριον ἡ σφοδρὰ τοῦ συκοφάντου κατηγορία καθ' ἡμῶν ἔχει, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ἀπολογήσασθαι ἄξιον, ὅτι 20δωρούμεθα τοῖς ὀνόμασι τὴν κατὰ τῶν πραγμάτων προνομίαν20, πᾶσιν ὄντος προδήλου, ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν ὀνομάτων οὐσιώδη καθ' ἑαυτὸ τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἔχει, ἀλλὰ γνώρισμά τι καὶ σημεῖον οὐσίας τινὸς καὶ διανοίας γίνεται πᾶν ὄνομα, αὐτὸ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ μήτε 2.1.590 ὑπάρχον μήτε νοούμενον. τῷ δὲ μὴ ὑφεστηκότι πῶς ἔστι νέμειν τὰς δωρεάς, διδασκέτω τοὺς μαθητὰς τῆς ἀπάτης ὁ προσφυῶς κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς ὀνόμασιν ἀξιῶν καὶ τοῖς ῥήμασιν. τούτων δὲ οὐδ' ἂν ἐπεμνήσθην ὅλως, εἰ μὴ δι' αὐτῶν ἔδει τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς κατὰ τὸν νοῦν τε καὶ τὴν λέξιν ἀτονίας τοῦ λογογράφου ποιήσασθαι. καὶ ὅσα τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς ἀναρμόστως καὶ οὐ κατὰ σκοπὸν ἐπισύρεται, δια φορὰν ἀθανασίας ἀγγέλων τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων τεχνολογῶν, οὐκ οἶδα πρὸς ὅ τι βλέπων καὶ τί διὰ τούτου κατασκευάζων, καὶ ταῦτα παρήσω (τὸ γὰρ ἀθάνατον, ἕως ἀθάνατον ᾖ, 2.1.591 τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον συγκριτικῶς οὐ προσδέχεται· εἰ γὰρ ὑποστολήν τινα κατὰ