265

teaching the purified heart beyond reason through the ineffable 3.1.17 illumination of thoughts. If, then, Paul proclaims these things, that creation is in bondage, and the only-begotten God is truly Lord and God over all, and John testifies that all creation came to be through him, how can anyone who is in any way numbered among Christians still endure through this incoherent and illogical artifice, seeing Eunomius dragging down the power that is above every rule and authority and lordship to the lowliness of creation through a homonymy with what is in bondage? 3.1.18 But if he claims to have some of the saints who called him a slave or created or made or any of the lowly and slavish names, behold, the Scriptures are at hand; let him or someone else on his behalf produce one such statement, and we will be silent. 3.1.19 But if there is no such word, nor could any such thought ever be found in the trusted, divinely inspired Scriptures which becomes an advocate for this impiety, why is it necessary to contend further about what is agreed upon with one who not only slanders the sayings of the saints, 3.1.20 but also wrestles with his own definitions? For if the order of nature, as this man himself admits, attests the name to the Son because he was begotten, and thus the conjunction of the name comes about through the relation of the one begotten to the one who begot, how, by detaching the meaning of ‘Son’ from its natural affinity, does he change the relation to that of a product and a maker? which it is true to say not only of the elements of the world, but even if one should speak of a buzzing insect and an ant, inasmuch as each of these is a product, the relation of the name to the maker holds equally. 3.1.21 The blasphemy, therefore, along with many other things, is clear also through what has been said; but the usage from the saints, which this man claims to follow in saying these things, is nowhere apparent. But perhaps that part of the proverb might be brought forward to us by them, which the champions of the heresy are accustomed to adduce as a testimony that the Lord was created, namely, "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works." For because this saying was spoken by Wisdom, and the Lord was named Wisdom by the great Paul, they propose this statement, as if the only-begotten God himself, through the name of Wisdom, were confessing that he was created by the one who made all 3.1.22 things. But I consider the pious meaning of this saying to be clear to the more attentive and diligent, so that no harm comes to the word of faith for those who have been instructed in the riddles of the proverb; nevertheless, I think it necessary to discuss this matter briefly, so that when the meaning of this saying has been more clearly uncovered, the argument of the heresy may have no confidence from any quarter, as if it had testimony from the divinely inspired 3.1.23 Scripture. For it is agreed by all in scriptural usage that the name 'proverb' is not applied to a plain meaning, but is spoken of some hidden meaning, as the Gospel calls enigmatic and obscure sayings proverbs, so that a proverb is, if one were to define the interpretation of this name, a saying which, through some things understood at face value, indicates something else in a hidden way, or a saying not showing the aim of its meaning directly, but imparting its teaching obliquely 3.1.24 through indirect signification. And to this book in particular such a name has been inscribed, and the meanings of this title have been distinguished right in the introductions by the wise Solomon. For he did not name the sayings in this book maxims nor counsels nor clear teaching, but 'proverbs', adding the interpretation of what the meaning of this name intends: "To know," he says, "wisdom and instruction," not placing instruction before wisdom according to the common custom in other subjects, but from a wise

265

ὑπὲρ λόγον τὴν κεκαθαρμένην καρδίαν διὰ τῆς ἀλαλήτου τῶν νοημάτων 3.1.17 ἐλλάμψεως ἐκδιδάσκουσα. εἰ οὖν ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Παῦλος βοᾷ, ὅτι ἡ κτίσις δουλεύει, ὁ δὲ μονογενὴς θεὸς ἀληθῶς ἐστι κύριος καὶ θεὸς ἐπὶ πάντων, Ἰωάννης δὲ τὸ πᾶσαν δι' αὐτοῦ τῶν γεγονότων εἶναι τὴν κτίσιν μαρτύρεται, πῶς ἔτι ὁ καὶ ὁπωσοῦν ἐν Χριστιανοῖς ἀριθμούμενος ἀνέξεται διὰ τῆς ἀσυστάτου ταύτης καὶ ἀνακολούθου τεχνολογίας ὁρῶν τὸν Εὐνόμιον εἰς τὴν τῆς κτίσεως ταπεινότητα τὴν ὑπερ κειμένην πάσης ἀρχῆς τε καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ κυριότητος δύναμιν διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ δουλεῦον ὁμωνυμίας καθέλκοντα; 3.1.18 εἰ δέ φησιν ἔχειν τινὰς τῶν ἁγίων οἳ δοῦλον αὐτὸν ἀνεῖπον ἢ κτιστὸν ἢ ποιητὸν ἤ τι τῶν ταπεινῶν τε καὶ δουλοπρεπῶν ὀνομάτων, ἰδοὺ πάρεισιν αἱ γραφαί· δότω μίαν ἢ αὐτὸς ἢ ἄλλος τις ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου τοιαύτην φωνήν, καὶ ἡμεῖς σιωπή 3.1.19 σομεν. εἰ δὲ οὔτε ἔστι τοιαύτη λέξις οὔτ' ἂν εὑρεθείη ποτὲ ἐν ταῖς πεπιστευμέναις θεοπνεύστοις γραφαῖς διάνοιά τις τοιαύτη, ἥτις τῆς ἀσεβείας ταύτης συνήγορος γίνεται, τί χρὴ περαιτέρω περὶ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων διαγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς τὸν οὐ μόνον τὰς τῶν ἁγίων συκοφαντοῦντα φωνάς, 3.1.20 ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις διορισμοῖς προσπαλαίοντα; εἰ γὰρ ἡ τῆς φύσεως τάξις, καθὼς αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁμολογεῖ, τῷ υἱῷ τὸ ὄνομα διὰ τὸ γεννηθῆναι προσμαρτυρεῖ, καὶ οὕτω γίνεται διὰ τῆς γεννηθέντος πρὸς τὸν γεννήσαντα σχέ σεως ἡ τοῦ ὀνόματος συζυγία, πῶς ἀποσπάσας τῆς φυσικῆς οἰκειότητος τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ σημαινόμενον μεταβάλλει τὴν σχέσιν ἐπὶ τὸ ποίημά τε καὶ τὸν ποιήσαντα; ὅπερ οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῶν στοιχείων τοῦ κόσμου ἀληθές ἐστι λέγειν, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐπὶ βομβυλιοῦ τις εἴπῃ καὶ μύρμηκος, καθὸ ποίημα τού των ἐστὶν ἑκάτερον, ὁμοίως πρὸς τὸν ποιήσαντα ἡ τοῦ ὀνό ματος σχέσις τὸ ἴσον ἔχει. 3.1.21 Τὸ μὲν οὖν βλάσφημον μετὰ πολλῶν ἑτέρων καὶ διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων δῆλόν ἐστιν· ἡ δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων χρῆσις, ᾗ φησιν οὗτος ἀκολουθῶν ταῦτα λέγειν, φανερὰ μέν ἐστιν οὐδεμία. τάχα δ' ἂν ἡμῖν ἐκεῖνο προενεχθείη παρ' αὐτῶν τῆς παροιμίας τὸ μέρος ὅπερ οἱ πρόμαχοι τῆς αἱρέσεως εἰς μαρτυρίαν τοῦ ἐκτίσθαι τὸν κύριον προφέρειν εἰώθασι, τὸ Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ. διὰ γὰρ τὸ παρὰ τῆς σοφίας εἰρῆσθαι τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, σοφίαν δὲ παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου κατωνομάσθαι τὸν κύριον, ὡς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μονογενοῦς θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ τῆς σοφίας ὀνόματος ὁμολογοῦντος τὸ ἐκτίσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ τὰ πάντα ποιή 3.1.22 σαντος τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην προτείνονται. ἐγὼ δὲ φανερὰν μὲν ἡγοῦμαι τοῖς προσεχεστέροις τε καὶ φιλοπονωτέροις τὴν εὐσεβῆ τοῦ ῥητοῦ τούτου διάνοιαν, ὡς μηδεμίαν γενέσθαι βλάβην κατὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς πίστεως τοῖς πεπαιδευμένοις τὰ τῆς παροιμίας αἰνίγματα· πλὴν δι' ὀλίγων οἶμαι δεῖν τὸν περὶ τούτου λόγον διαλαβεῖν, ὡς ἂν φανερώτερον τῆς τοῦ ῥητοῦ τούτου διανοίας ἐκκαλυφθείσης μηδαμόθεν ἔχοι παρρησίαν ὁ τῆς αἱρέσεως λόγος, ὡς ἐκ τῆς θεοπνεύστου 3.1.23 γραφῆς τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἔχων. ὁμολογεῖται μὲν γὰρ παρὰ πάντων ἐν τῇ γραφικῇ καταχρήσει τὸ τῆς παροιμίας ὄνομα μὴ κατὰ φανεροῦ τετάχθαι νοήματος, ἀλλ' ἐπί τινος κε κρυμμένης λέγεσθαι διανοίας, οὕτω τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τὰς αἰνιγματώδεις τε καὶ ἀσαφεῖς ῥήσεις παροιμίας κατονομά ζοντος, ὡς εἶναι τὴν παροιμίαν, εἴ τις ὅρῳ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου διαλαμβάνοι, λόγον δι' ἑτέρων τῶν κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον νοουμένων ἕτερόν τι κατὰ τὸ κρυπτὸν ἐνδεικνύμενον, ἢ λόγον οὐκ ἐπ' εὐθείας τὸν τοῦ νοήματος σκοπὸν προδεικνύοντα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ λοξὸν τὴν διδασκαλίαν 3.1.24 ποιούμενον διὰ πλαγίας ἐμφάσεως. τῷ δὲ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ κατ' ἐξαίρετον τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐπιγέγραπται ὄνομα, καὶ τῆς προσηγορίας ταύτης αἱ ἐμφάσεις εὐθὺς ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις παρὰ τοῦ σοφοῦ Σολομῶντος διῄρηνται. οὐ γὰρ γνώμας οὐδὲ συμβουλὰς οὐδὲ διδασκαλίαν σαφῆ τοὺς ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ λόγους, ἀλλὰ παροιμίας ὠνόμασεν, ἐπαγαγὼν τὴν ἑρμηνείαν, τί βούλεται τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου τὸ σημαινό μενον· Γνῶναι γάρ, φησί, σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων μαθημάτων συνήθειαν προτάξας τῆς σοφίας τὴν παίδευσιν, ἀλλὰ σοφὸν ἐκ