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the substance of the Son from the Father. Not put forth by extension, not torn away by flux or division from the connaturality of the one who begot, not perfected by growth, not formed by alteration, but having received being by the will of the begetter alone20. For who among those whose soul’s senses are not completely shut does not know [from these things], that through the things 3.2.29 said by Eunomius the Son is constructed to be a part of creation? For what prevents us from saying all these things, just as they are, word for word, also about each of the other things observed in creation? And if it seems good, let us apply the argument to one of the things that appear in creation, and if it does not have the same logical sequence, we shall cast our vote against ourselves as examining the argument spitefully and not with the care befitting the truth. Therefore, substituting the name of the Son, 3.2.30 we shall read the whole statement word for word. 20For we say the substance of the earth has been begotten by the Father, not torn away by extension or division from the connaturality of the one who begot, nor perfected by growth, not put forth by alteration, but having received being by the will of the begetter alone20. Is there any incongruity in what has been said with respect to the hypostasis of the earth? 3.2.31 I think no one would say so; for God did not put forth the earth by being extended, nor did he give it its substance by flowing or by cutting himself from his own connaturality, nor did he perfect it from small to great through gradual growth, nor was he formed into the shape of the earth by undergoing some change or alteration, but his will was sufficient for the hypostasis of the substance of things that have come to be. For He spoke, and they were made, so that even the name of ‘generation’ is not inconsistent with the hypostasis of the earth. If, then, it is true to say these things about the 3.2.32 parts of the world, what doubt is still left concerning the dogma of our opponents, that by naming the Son in words only, they construct him to be one of the things that have come to be through creation, set before the others only by the 3.2.33 prerogatives of rank? Just as in the blacksmith's art, it is possible to say that all things made of iron come from it, but that the instrument of the tongs and the hammer came to be before the working of the other things, by which the iron is shaped for its use, yet, because this precedes the others, there is not at all any difference in matter between the shaping instrument and the iron being shaped by the instrument (for both this and that are iron), but the one shape is prior to the other. Such is the heresy’s theology concerning the Son, to think that the Lord himself and the things made by him differ in no way according to substance, except for the difference in rank. 3.2.34 Who, then, of those who are in any way numbered among Christians will agree that the definition of the substance of the parts of the world and of the one who made the world is the same? For I shudder at the blasphemy, knowing that of things whose definition is the same, the nature is in no way different. For just as for Peter and John and the rest of humanity the definition of the substance is common and the nature one, in the same way, if the Lord were likewise in nature with the parts of the world, they will of necessity confess that he too is subject 3.2.35 to whatever they perceive in them. But indeed the world will not remain forever; therefore, according to them, the Lord will also pass away with the heaven and the earth, if he were of the same nature as the world. But if he himself is confessed to be eternal, it is absolutely necessary to think that the world is not without a share in the divine nature, if, that is, the Only-begotten is to be placed in the same category as the creation. Do you see where the argument leads through this fine chain of reasoning, like a stone broken off a mountain peak and driven downhill by its own weight. For it is necessary either that the elements of the world seem worthy of reverence, according to the vanity of the Greeks, or that the Son 3.2.36 not be worshipped. Let us consider it thus. We say that creation has come to be from non-being, both the intelligible
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τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν. οὐ κατὰ ἔκτασιν προβλη θεῖσαν, οὐ κατὰ ῥεῦσιν ἢ διαίρεσιν τῆς τοῦ γεννήσαντος συμφυΐας ἀποσπασθεῖσαν, οὐ κατὰ αὔξησιν τελειωθεῖσαν, οὐ κατὰ ἀλλοί ωσιν μορφωθεῖσαν, μόνῃ δὲ τῇ βουλήσει τοῦ γεννήσαντος τὸ εἶναι λαχοῦσαν20. τίς γὰρ ἀγνοεῖ [διὰ τούτων] τῶν μὴ παντελῶς μεμυκότων τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αἰσθητήρια, ὅτι μέρος τῆς κτίσεως ὁ υἱὸς εἶναι διὰ τῶν 3.2.29 εἰρημένων παρὰ τοῦ Εὐνομίου κατασκευάζεται; τί γὰρ κωλύει ταῦτα πάντα, καθώς ἐστιν, ἐπὶ λέξεως καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἑκάστου τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει θεωρουμένων εἰπεῖν; καὶ εἰ δοκεῖ, συναρμόσωμέν τινι τῶν κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν φαι νομένων τὸν λόγον, κἂν μὴ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἔχῃ, καθ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐξοίσομεν ὡς ἐπηρεαστικῶς καὶ οὐ μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης τῇ ἀληθείᾳ φροντίδος ἐξετα ζόντων τὸν λόγον. ὑπαλλάξαντες τοίνυν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ 3.2.30 τὸν ὅλον ἐπὶ λέξεως ἀναγνωσόμεθα λόγον. 20φαμὲν γὰρ γεγεννῆσθαι παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τῆς γῆς τὴν οὐσίαν, οὐ κατ' ἔκτασιν ἢ διαίρεσιν τῆς τοῦ γεννήσαντος συμφυΐας ἀποσπασθεῖσαν, οὐδὲ κατὰ αὔξησιν τελειωθεῖσαν, οὐ κατὰ ἀλλοίω σιν προβληθεῖσαν, μόνῃ δὲ τῇ βουλήσει τοῦ γεννήσαντος τὸ εἶναι λαχοῦσαν20. μή τίς ἐστι τῶν εἰρημένων πρὸς τὴν τῆς γῆς ὑπόστασιν ἀναρμοστία; 3.2.31 οὐδένα ἂν οἶμαι τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· οὔτε γὰρ ἐκταθεὶς ὁ θεὸς τὴν γῆν προεβάλετο οὔτε ῥυεὶς ἢ τεμὼν ἑαυτὸν τῆς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συμφυΐας τὴν οὐσίαν ταύτης ὑπέστησεν οὔτε ἐκ μικροῦ πρὸς μέγεθος διὰ τῆς κατ' ὀλίγον αὐξήσεως ἐτε λείωσεν οὔτε τινὰ τροπὴν ἢ ἀλλοίωσιν ὑποστὰς εἰς τὸ τῆς γῆς εἶδος διεμορφώθη, ἀλλ' ἤρκεσεν αὐτῷ πρὸς ὑπόστασιν τῆς τῶν γεγονότων οὐσίας ἡ βούλησις· Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπε, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν, ὥστε καὶ τὸ τῆς γεννήσεως ὄνομα μὴ ἀπᾴδειν τῆς κατὰ τὴν γῆν ὑποστάσεως. εἰ οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν 3.2.32 μορίων τοῦ κόσμου ταῦτα λέγειν ἀληθές ἐστι, τίς ἔτι λεί πεται περὶ τοῦ δόγματος τῶν ἐναντίων ἀμφιβολία, ὅτι μέχρι ῥημάτων τὸν υἱὸν ὀνομάζοντες ἓν τῶν διὰ κτίσεως γεγονό των εἶναι κατασκευάζουσι, μόνοις τοῖς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν πρε 3.2.33 σβείοις προτεταγμένον τῶν ἄλλων; καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῆς χαλ κευτικῆς ἔστιν εἰπεῖν πάντα μὲν ἐκ ταύτης εἶναι τὰ ἐκ σιδήρου κατασκευάσματα, προγεγενῆσθαι δὲ τῆς τῶν λοιπῶν ἀπεργασίας τό τε τῆς πυράγρας καὶ τὸ τῆς σφύρας ὄρ γανον, δι' ὧν τυποῦται πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ὁ σίδηρος, οὐ μὴν ἐπειδὴ προτερεύει τοῦτο τῶν ἄλλων, ἤδη τις καὶ διαφορὰ κατὰ τὴν ὕλην ἐστὶ τοῦ τε ἐκτυποῦντος ὀργάνου καὶ τοῦ σχηματιζομένου σιδήρου κατὰ τὸ ὄργανον (σίδηρος γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο), τὸ δὲ σχῆμα προγενέστερον τοῦ ἑτέρου τὸ ἕτερον· τοιαύτη τῆς αἱρέσεως ἡ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ θεολογία, τὸ μηδὲν οἴεσθαι διαφέρειν κατ' οὐσίαν αὐτόν τε τὸν κύριον καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γεγονότα πλὴν τῆς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν διαφορᾶς. 3.2.34 Τίς τοίνυν τῶν καὶ ὁπωσοῦν εἰς Χριστιανοὺς συντελούν των τῶν τε μορίων τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὸν κόσμον τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι τῆς οὐσίας λόγον συνθήσεται; ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ φρίττω τὴν βλασφημίαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὧν ὁ λόγος ὁ αὐτός, τούτων πάντως οὐδὲ ἡ φύσις διάφορος. ὡς γὰρ Πέτρου καὶ Ἰωάννου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅ τε λόγος τῆς οὐσίας κοινὸς καὶ ἡ φύσις μία, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον εἰ ὡσαύτως ἔχοι κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ὁ κύριος τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου μέρεσιν, ἅπερ ἂν ἐν ἐκείνοις κατανοήσωσι, τούτοις ὑπο 3.2.35 κεῖσθαι καὶ τοῦτον κατ' ἀνάγκην ὁμολογήσουσιν. ἀλλὰ μὴν ὁ κόσμος οὐκ εἰσαεὶ διαμενεῖ· ἄρα κατ' αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁ κύριος μετὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς παρελεύσεται, εἴπερ ὁμογενῶς ἔχοι τῷ κόσμῳ. εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς ἀΐδιος ὁμολο γεῖται, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα μηδὲ τὸν κόσμον τῆς θείας φύσεως ἄμοιρον οἴεσθαι, εἴπερ τῷ μονογενεῖ κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν συμ βαίνοι. ὁρᾷς πρὸς ὅ τι φέρεται διὰ τῆς καλῆς ταύτης ἀκολουθίας ὁ λόγος, οἷόν τις λίθος ἀπορραγεὶς ἀκρωρείας καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ πρανὲς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου βάρους συνελαυνόμενος. ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἢ καὶ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου στοιχεῖα κατὰ τὴν Ἑλ ληνικὴν ματαιότητα σεβάσμια φαίνεσθαι ἢ μηδὲ τὸν υἱὸν 3.2.36 προσκυνεῖσθαι. οὑτωσὶ δὲ σκοπήσωμεν. ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γεγενῆσθαι τὴν κτίσιν φαμὲν τήν τε νοητὴν