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and Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity being neither a confusion nor divided from its own identity, but a Father who truly begot a Son, and a Son truly begotten of the Father, in-person, without beginning and without time, and a Holy Spirit truly from the Father and the Son, of the same Godhead, 2.396 proceeding from the Father and receiving from the Son, ever in-person, «one God, the first and the one after these things». But again, for the sake of another economy and from the person of Christ himself it is sung thus, since long ago our Lord Jesus Christ often appeared in the prophets and announced that his own coming would be, but some did not receive him, expecting another in his place; and toward the superstitious ones of the idols and those who introduced polytheism to the world, so that the sons of Israel, being dismayed and turned aside, would not worship the idols of the Amorites and Hittites and Canaanites and Perizzites and Hivites and Girgashites and Jebusites and Arkites and Asanites, as was also prophesied to them. For they worshipped Baal-peor and Chemosh and Astarte and Mazuroth and Neastho and Baal-zebath and the other idols of the nations. Wherefore the Lord also said to them «I am the first and the one after these things», so that he might turn them away from the error of the gentile myths of those who worship polytheism. And since they were about to reject the coming of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, he said to the Jews «I am the first and the one after these things», the first having come in the flesh and the one after these things coming to judge the living and the dead, having suffered on the cross and been buried and risen, having been taken up in glory in that very body, which was united to his Godhead in glory and made radiant, no longer falling under touch now, no longer partaking of death; «for Christ is risen», as the scripture says; «for death no longer has dominion over him», says the apostle. And see how precision guides man, so that he may not fall away from either of the parts of the truth, so that, whenever the 2.397 mind wishes to practice polytheism, it may hear that «the Lord your God is one Lord»; and when the sons of Israel expect another Christ besides the one who came, they may hear «I the first and the one after these things» and «I am the Alpha and the Omega», the Alpha looking down and the Omega looking up, so that what was said might be fulfilled «He who descended is the same one who also ascended far above all rule and authority and dominion and every name that is named». And so that when someone might think, because he has said «I am the first and the one after these things» and «I am the Alpha and I am the Omega» and «the Lord your God is one Lord» and that «I am who I am» *, so that no one may deny the Son and the Holy Spirit, for this reason he says «my Father is greater than I» and «that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent»; not that the Son is not true God, but so that he might lead the naming of the Trinity into one unity and shut off the mind of men from polytheism to one Godhead. 8. But if Arius, being deceived in his mind, should think that the one alone is called true God, that is the Father, and that the Son is God, but not true God, again he refutes such a one in another way, saying «I am the true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world», but concerning the Father that «God is light»; and he did not say «true light», so that from «true God» and «true light» we might understand the equal Godhead of the Father to the Son and of the Son to the Father, and * from the Father being light and the Son being God, 'true' is not added here. For there was no need to say it, there being no dispute; for from «God» and «light» the one perfection of the same genuineness, of the Father to the Son and of the Son to the Father, has been clearly declared; and all your 2.398 mind-damaging error is dissolved.

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καὶ υἱὸς καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, οὐ συναλοιφὴ οὖσα ἡ τριὰς οὐδὲ διῃρημένη· τῆς ἑαυτῆς ταυτότητος, ἀλλὰ πατὴρ γεννήσας ἀληθῶς υἱὸν καὶ υἱὸς ἀληθῶς γεννηθεὶς ἐκ πατρὸς ἐνυπόστατος ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀχρόνως καὶ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἀληθῶς ἐκ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ, τῆς αὐτῆς θεότητος, ἐκ 2.396 πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ λαμβάνον, ἐνυπόστατον ἀεί, «εἷς θεὸς ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα». ἄλλης δὲ πάλιν ἕνεκα οἰκονομίας καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ᾄδεται οὕτως, ἐπειδὴ πάλαι πολλάκις ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς πέφηνεν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις καὶ κατήγγειλε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίαν ἔσεσθαι, τινὲς δὲ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐδέξαντο, προσδοκῶντες ἕτερον ἀντ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς δεισιδαίμονας τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ πολυθεΐαν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰσαγηοχότας, ἵνα μὴ ἐκπλαγέντες οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐκτραπέντες τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν Ἀμορραίων καὶ Χετταίων καὶ Χαναναίων καὶ Φερεζαίων καὶ Εὐαίων καὶ Γεργεσαίων καὶ Ἰεβουσαίων καὶ Ἀρουκαίων καὶ Ἀσαναίων προσκυνήσωσιν, ὡς καὶ αὐτοῖς προεφητεύετο. προσεκύνησαν γὰρ τῷ Βεελφεγὼρ καὶ τῷ Χαμῶς καὶ τῇ Ἀστάρτῃ καὶ τοῖς Μαζουρὼθ καὶ τοῖς Νεασθὼ καὶ τῷ Βααλζεβὰθ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς εἰδώλοις τῶν ἐθνῶν. διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα», ἵνα αὐτοὺς ἀποστρέψῃ τῆς τῶν ἐθνομύθων πλάνης τῶν προσκυνούντων τὴν πολυθεΐαν. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλον τὴν παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀπωθεῖσθαι, τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἔφη πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα», ὁ πρῶτος ἐν σαρκὶ ἐπιδημήσας καὶ ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐρχόμενος κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς, ἐπὶ τῷ σταυρῷ πεπονθὼς καὶ ταφεὶς καὶ ἀναστάς, ἐν δόξῃ μὲν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σώματι ἀναληφθείς, τῇ αὐτοῦ θεότητι εἰς δόξαν δὲ ἑνωθέντι καὶ φαιδρυνθέντι, μηκέτι ὑπὸ ἁφὴν ἐμπίπτοντι νυνί, μηκέτι θανάτου μετέχοντι· «ἀνέστη γὰρ Χριστός», ὥς φησιν ἡ γραφή· «θάνατος γὰρ αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κυριεύει», φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος. καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἡ ἀκρίβεια ὁδηγεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα μὴ ἐκπέσῃ κατὰ θάτερον τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας μερῶν, ἵνα, ὅταν μὲν βου2.397 ληθείη ὁ νοῦς πολυθεΐαν ἐξεργάσασθαι, ἀκούσῃ ὅτι «κύριος ὁ θεός σου κύριος εἷς ἐστιν»· ὅταν δὲ Χριστὸν ἕτερον παρὰ τὸν ἐλθόντα οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ προσδοκήσωσιν, ἀκούσωσιν «ἐγὼ ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα» καί «ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ», τὸ ἄλφα τὸ κάτω βλέπον καὶ τὸ ὦ τὸ ἄνω βλέπον, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ εἰρημένον «ὁ καταβὰς αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ κυριότητος καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου». καὶ ἵνα ὅταν τὶς νομίσῃ διὰ τὸ εἰρηκέναι «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα» καί «ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ ἄλφα καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ ὦ» καί «κύριος ὁ θεός σου κύριος εἷς ἐστι» καὶ ὅτι «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν» *, ἵνα μή τις ἀρνήσηται τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, διὰ τοῦτό φησιν «ὁ πατήρ μου μείζων μου ἐστί» καί «ἵνα σὲ γινώσκωσι τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν»· οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ υἱὸς ἀληθινὸς θεός, ἀλλ' ἵνα εἰς μίαν ἑνότητα ἀγάγῃ τὴν τῆς τριάδος ὀνομασίαν καὶ ἐκκλείσῃ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπὸ πολυθεΐας εἰς μίαν θεότητα. 8. Ἐὰν δὲ νομίσῃ ὁ πλανηθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν Ἄρειος τὸν ἕνα μόνον λέγεσθαι ἀληθινὸν θεὸν τουτέστι τὸν πατέρα, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν θεὸν μὲν εἶναι, οὐκ ἀληθινὸν δέ, πάλιν ἑτέρως τὸν τοιοῦτον διελέγχει, λέγων «ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον», περὶ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ὅτι «φῶς ὁ θεός»· καὶ οὐκ εἶπε «φῶς ἀληθινόν», ἵνα ἐκ τοῦ «θεὸν ἀληθινόν» καὶ «φῶς ἀληθινόν» τὴν ἴσην θεότητα πατρὸς πρὸς υἱὸν καὶ υἱοῦ πρὸς πατέρα νοήσωμεν καὶ * ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν πατέρα φῶς εἶναι καὶ τὸν υἱὸν θεὸν εἶναι, μὴ ἐπικεῖσθαι δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἀληθινόν. οὐ γὰρ ἦν χρεία εἰπεῖν, μηδεμιᾶς ἀμφιλογίας οὔσης· ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ «θεός» καὶ «φῶς» ἡ μία τελειότης τῆς αὐτῆς γνησιότητος, πατρὸς πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν καὶ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, σαφῶς ἀπεφάνθη· καὶ διαλέλυταί σου ἡ πᾶσα 2.398 τῆς πλάνης φρενοβλάβεια.