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in comparison the other of the parts set beside it should have a place in the account of immortality, it is altogether necessary that such a thing not be named immortal; for how could that still properly be called immortal whose mortality the juxtaposition by comparison has accused?) and that subtle precision, 20not20 20to command20 20that the concept of privation be indifferent and intermediate, but to call the separation from better things a privation, while the removal from worse things should not be signified by this name20, so that, if these things were to prevail, the apostolic voice would no longer be true according to him, which says that He alone has immortality and provides it to others. 2.1.592 For what does the saying he has brought forward have in common with the preceding argument, it is possible for neither us nor any others who have sense to understand. And since we were not strong enough to discern these wise and subtle things, he names us 20ignorant20 20both of the judgment of things and of the 2.1.593 use of names20, writing in these very words. And all such things, as having no force against the truth, I will pass by without examination, and his slandering of the meaning of 'incorruptible' and 'incorporeal' set forth by us, as if of these two appellations, the one signifies that which is without dimension, in which the three-fold dimension of bodies is not observed, and the other that which is incapable of corruption, and his saying in these very words, that 20we do not think it right for the form of the names to fall into unfitting concepts20, and <not> supposing each of these to be significant of not being or not belonging, but of being itself, and judging these things to be worthy of silence and deep oblivion, I will leave it to the readers to detect for themselves the impiety mixed with folly; who deems it right that the corruptible not be contrasted with the incorruptible, nor that the privative signification mean a removal from the worse, but 2.1.594 that being itself is signified through the subject. If, therefore, the signification of 'incorruptible' is not considered by him who idly speculates on these things to be privative of corruption, the form of such a name will by all means, by every necessity, indicate the contrary. For if incorruptibility is not an alienation from corruption, it is by all means an affirmation of what is odious; for this is the nature of opposites, that with the removal of the one, 2.1.595 the position of its contrary comes in its place. But that sharp argument that God is by nature incapable of death, as if there were someone holding the contrary opinion about these things, let us bid farewell; for we think it makes no difference in opposites whether we say that a thing is this or that its contrary is not; for example, in the present argument, when we say that God is life, we forbid in effect, through this confession, the thought of death concerning him, even if we do not declare it with our voice; and when we confess him to be incapable of death, by the same reasoning we have established that he is life. 2.1.596 But 20I do not see20, he says, 20how God could be superior to his own creations by means of things he does not possess20. And on the basis of this wise argument he names the great Basil 20foolish with impiety20, who dared to use such words; to whom I would say not to use insults too unsparingly against those who say these things, lest he somehow unwittingly insult himself with the same things. For perhaps not even he himself would deny that the greatness of the divine nature is known in this, in its having no communion with these things, 2.1.597 in which the nature below is shown to participate. For if He were in any of these things, He would not have the advantage, but would be altogether the same as each of those who share in the property. But if He is above these things, it is clearly by not having them that he stands above those who have them, just as we say that the sinless one is better than those who are in sins; for being separated from evil becomes a proof of being rich in the best things. But let the insolent man make use of his nature; but we, having noted some small thing among what was said in this part, will move our discourse on to the matters before us. 2.1.598 20similarly20 he says 20that he is superior to mortals as

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σύγκρισιν τὸ ἕτερον τῶν παρα τεθειμένων μέρος ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀθανασίας ἔχοι λόγῳ, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα μηδὲ ἀθάνατον τὸ τοιοῦτον κατονομάζεσθαι· πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἔτι κυρίως λέγοιτο ἀθάνατον οὗ τὸ θνητὸν ἡ διὰ συγκρίσεως ἀντιπαράθεσις κατηγόρησε;) καὶ τὴν λεπτὴν ἐκείνην ἀκρίβειαν, τὸ 20μὴ20 κελεύειν 20ἀδιάφορον εἶναι καὶ μέσην τὴν τῆς στερήσεως ἔννοιαν, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν τῶν κρειττόνων χωρισμὸν στέρησιν λέγειν, τὴν δὲ τῶν χειρόνων ἀπόστασιν μὴ δεῖν τῷ ὀνό ματι τούτῳ διασημαίνειν20, ὡς, εἰ ταῦτα κρατήσειε, μηκέτι κατ' αὐτὸν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἀληθευούσης φωνῆς, ἥ φησι μόνον αὐτὸν ἔχειν ἀθανασίαν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις παρέ 2.1.592 χειν. τί γὰρ ἔχει κοινὸν ἡ ἐπαχθεῖσα ῥῆσις αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν προάγοντα λόγον, οὔτε ἡμῖν οὔτε ἄλλοις τισὶν τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων δυνατὸν ἐννοῆσαι. καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰ σοφὰ ταῦτα καὶ λεπτὰ κατιδεῖν οὐκ ἰσχύσαμεν, 20ἀνεπιστήμονας20 ὀνομάζει 20καὶ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων κρίσεως καὶ τῆς τῶν 2.1.593 ὀνομάτων χρήσεως20, οὑτωσὶ τοῖς ῥήμασι γράφων. καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἔχοντα κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἰσχὺν παραδραμοῦμαι ἀνεξετάστως, καὶ τὸ διαβάλλειν αὐτὸν τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν παρ' ἡμῶν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου τε καὶ ἀσωμάτου διάνοιαν, ὡς ἑκατέρας τῶν προσηγοριῶν τούτων τῆς μὲν τὸ ἀδιάστατον, ᾧ ἡ τριμερὴς τῶν σωμάτων οὐκ ἐνθεωρεῖται διάστασις, τῆς δὲ τὸ φθορᾶς ἀνεπίδεκτον σημαινούσης, καὶ τὸ λέγειν αὐτὸν οὑτωσὶ τοῖς ῥήμασι, ὅτι 20οὐ δικαιοῦμεν τὸν τῶν ὀνομάτων τύπον εἰς ἀναρμόστους ἐκ πεσεῖν ἐννοίας20, καὶ <τὸ μὴ> τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἢ μὴ προσ εῖναι σημαντικὸν ὑπολαμβάνειν τούτων ἕκαστον, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ εἶναι, καὶ ταῦτα σιγῆς ἄξια καὶ βαθείας λήθης εἶναι κρίνας παρήσω τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν φωρᾶσαι τὴν μεμιγμένην μετὰ τῆς ἀνοίας ἀσέβειαν· ὃς ἀξιοῖ μὴ ἀντιδιαστέλλεσθαι τὸ φθαρτὸν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ μηδὲ ἀπόστασιν σημαίνειν τοῦ χείρονος τὴν ἀφαιρετικὴν σημασίαν, ἀλλ' 2.1.594 αὐτὸ τὸ εἶναι διὰ τοῦ ὑποκειμένου σημαίνεσθαι. εἰ τοίνυν οὐκ ἀφαιρετικὴ φθορᾶς ἡ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου σημασία παρὰ τοῦ κενῶς ταῦτα τεχνολογοῦντος νομίζεται, τοὐναντίον πάν τως κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀνάγκην ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐνδείξεται τοῦ ὀνό ματος τύπος. εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι φθορᾶς ἀλλοτρίωσις ἡ ἀφθαρσία, συγκατάθεσίς ἐστι πάντως τοῦ ἀπεμφαίνοντος· αὕτη γὰρ τῶν ἀντιθέτων ἡ φύσις, ὡς τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀφαι 2.1.595 ρέσει τὴν τοῦ ἀντικειμένου θέσιν ἀντεισιέναι. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δριμεῖαν ἐκείνην κατασκευὴν τοῦ φύσει τὸν θεὸν ἀν επίδεκτον εἶναι θανάτου, ὥσπερ ὄντος τοῦ τὴν ἐναντίαν περὶ τούτων ἔχοντος δόξαν, χαίρειν ἐάσωμεν· ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀντιθέτοις οὐδὲν διαφέρειν ἡγούμεθα ἢ τόδε λέγειν τι εἶναι ἢ τὸ ἐναντίον μὴ εἶναι· οἷον δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος λόγου ζωὴν εἰπόντες τὸν θεὸν εἶναι ἀπαγορεύομεν τῇ δυ νάμει διὰ τῆς ὁμολογίας ταύτης τὸ θάνατον περὶ αὐτὸν ἐννοεῖν, κἂν μὴ διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ἐξαγγέλλωμεν· καὶ ὅταν ἀνεπίδεκτον αὐτὸν θανάτου ὁμολογήσωμεν, τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ τὸ ζωὴν αὐτὸν εἶναι κατεσκευάσαμεν. 2.1.596 Ἀλλ' 20οὐχ ὁρῶ20, φησί, 20πῶς ἂν ἐκ τῶν μὴ προσ όντων ὑπερέχοι τῶν αὑτοῦ ποιημάτων ὁ θεός20. καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σοφῷ τούτῳ ἐπιχειρήματι 20μετὰ ἀσεβείας ἠλίθιον20 ὀνομάζει τὸν μέγαν Βασίλειον τὸν τοῖς τοιού τοις ἐπιτολμήσαντα λόγοις· πρὸς ὃν εἴποιμι ἂν μὴ λίαν ἀφειδῶς κατὰ τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων κεχρῆσθαι ταῖς ὕβρεσι, μή πῃ καὶ ἑαυτὸν λάθῃ τοῖς αὐτοῖς καθυβρίζων. τάχα γὰρ οὐδ' ἂν αὐτὸς ἀντείποι ἐν τούτῳ τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς θείας γνωρίζεσθαι φύσεως, ἐν τῷ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν πρὸς ταῦτα 2.1.597 κοινωνίαν, ὧν ἡ κάτω φύσις μετέχουσα δείκνυται. εἰ γὰρ ἔν τινι τούτων εἴη, οὐδ' ἂν τὸ πλέον ἔχοι, ἀλλὰ ταὐτὸν ἂν εἴη πάντως ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐπικοινωνούντων τοῦ ἰδιώματος. εἰ δὲ ὑπὲρ ταῦτά ἐστι, τῷ μὴ ἔχειν δηλαδὴ ταῦτα τῶν ἐχόν των ὑπερανέστηκε, καθάπερ φαμὲν κρείττονα τῶν ἐν ἁμαρ τίαις ὄντων εἶναι τὸν ἀναμάρτητον· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ κακοῦ κε χωρίσθαι τοῦ πλουτεῖν ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἀπόδειξις γίνεται. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ὑβριστὴς κεχρήσθω τῇ φύσει· ἡμεῖς δὲ μικρόν τι παρασημηνάμενοι τῶν ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ ῥηθέντων πρὸς 2.1.598 τὰ προκείμενα τὸν λόγον μετάξομεν. 20ὁμοίως20 φησὶν 20αὐτὸν ὑπερέχειν τῶν μὲν θνητῶν ὡς