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May the indictment against us be well-remembered, to which it is necessary to make a defense, and we might resolve each of the accusations in order and sequence. He says that we are ashamed of the cross of Christ and speak evil of the saints and say that a man was emptied into a man and think that the Lord had the form of a servant before his coming in the flesh and attribute redemption to a man and speak of two Christs and Lords in our doctrine, or if not this, that we do not say the only-begotten was Christ and Lord before the passion. 3.3.27 Therefore, in order that we might flee this blasphemy, he says it is necessary to confess that the substance of the Son is created, as the apostle Peter also confirms such a doctrine with his own voice. These are the main points of the accusation; for all the things he has diligently composed for reviling us, I will pass over in silence as contributing nothing to the purpose. For perhaps such an invective, according to some technical theory, is customary for orators, devised for a greater weight of accusation. 3.3.28 Therefore let the sophist be insolent for the sake of his art and let him flourish in his reproaches against us, making a show with his invectives in the midst of his contests: let him call us 20triflers20, let him call us 20the most indolent of all20 and 20the most pitiable of all, full of confusion and absurdity20 and whatever else he wishes. Let him disparage us with impunity, and we will bear it; for shame for one who has sense is not to hear a reviler, but to retort to what was said, and perhaps it also has something useful, that he should use his nature against us; for perhaps by busying his slanderous tongue against us he will make at least a small truce in his battle against 3.3.29 God. Therefore let him have his fill of insults with impunity, and there will be no one to speak against it. For not even if someone should emit a foul and fetid odor due to a bodily imbalance or some pestilential and intractable sickness, would he provoke a healthy person to jealousy of his misfortune, so that one would choose to defend himself from the unpleasantness of the stinking one with an equal evil through a disease of his own. For our common nature advises us to pity, not to imitate, such people. Therefore, passing over all such things that he has earnestly mixed into his discourse by mocking, complaining, being indignant, and reviling, let us examine only the argument concerning the doctrines. Therefore, taking up from the beginning in turn, we will stand against each of the accusations. 3.3.30 The beginning of the accusation was that we are ashamed of the cross of him who accepted the passion on our behalf. Will he not also accuse us of holding the doctrine of unlikeness in substance? For the accusation of contriving to hold the cross in shame would be more fitting for those who have turned aside to such an opinion. For if the economy of the passion is believed in similarly by both sides, but we think it necessary to honor the God revealed through the cross just as the Father is honored, while for them the passion becomes an obstacle to glorifying the only-begotten God equally with the Father who begot him, then the accusations are turned back upon the sophist, and through the things with which he thinks to accuse us, he publicizes his own impiety against the doctrines. 3.3.31 For it is clear that for this reason he places the Father above the Son and extols him with greater honors, because the shame of the cross is not seen in his case, and for this reason he maintains that the nature of the Son has been changed for the worse, because the reproach of the cross is referred to him alone, not touching the Father. And let no one think that I say these things following only the logical consequence of the argument. 3.3.32 For having gone through his argument beforehand, all the blasphemy diligently composed in it, I found hereafter clearly this blasphemy set forth by him in plain language. And if it seems good, in the sequence of my arguments I will set alongside what was written by him, which runs thus. For he says, 20If indeed one can show the God over all, who is unapproachable light, having become in flesh or being able to become, to come under authority, to obey commands, to laws

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εὐμνημόνευτος ἡ καθ' ἡμῶν εἴη γραφή, πρὸς ἣν ἀπολογήσασθαι χρή, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν τάξει καὶ ἀκολουθίᾳ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἕκαστον δια λύσαιμεν. ἐπαισχύνεσθαί φησιν ἡμᾶς τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χρι στοῦ καὶ κακηγορεῖν τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ ἄνθρωπον εἰς ἄνθρωπον κεκενῶσθαι λέγειν καὶ πρὸ τῆς διὰ σαρκὸς παρουσίας τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφὴν ἔχειν τὸν κύριον οἴεσθαι καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ ἀνατιθέναι τὴν λύτρωσιν καὶ δύο Χριστούς τε καὶ κυρίους ἐν τῷ δόγματι λέγειν, ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, πρὸ τοῦ πάθους μὴ 3.3.27 λέγειν εἶναι τὸν μονογενῆ Χριστόν τε καὶ κύριον. ὡς ἂν οὖν φύγοιμεν τὴν βλασφημίαν ταύτην, πεποιῆσθαί φησι δεῖν τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν ὁμολογεῖν, ὡς καὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου τὸ τοιοῦτο δόγμα τῇ ἰδίᾳ βεβαιοῦντος φωνῇ. ταῦτα τῆς κατηγορίας ἐστὶ τὰ κεφάλαια· τὰ γὰρ ὅσα πρὸς τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν αὐτῷ λοιδορίαν πεφιλοπόνηται ὡς οὐδὲν συντε λοῦντα πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν σιωπήσομαι. τάχα γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη τῶν λόγων καταφορὰ κατά τινα τεχνικὴν θεωρίαν συνήθης ἐστὶ τοῖς ῥητορεύουσι, πρὸς μείζονα κατηγορίας ὄγκον ἐξευ 3.3.28 ρημένη. ὑβριζέτω τοίνυν διὰ τὴν τέχνην ὁ σοφιστὴς καὶ τοῖς καθ' ἡμῶν ὀνείδεσιν ἐνακμαζέτω, μεταξὺ τῶν ἀγώνων ταῖς καταφοραῖς ἐμπομπεύων καλείτω 20λήρους20, καλείτω 20πάντων ῥᾳθυμοτάτους20 καὶ 20πάντων ἐλεεινοτά τους, ταραχῆς τε καὶ ἀτοπίας πλήρεις20 καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι βούλεται· φαυλιζέτω κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνεξόμεθα· αἰσχύνη γάρ ἐστι τῷ γε νοῦν ἔχοντι οὐ τὸ λοιδοροῦντος ἀκούειν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ῥηθὲν ἐπιστρέφεσθαι, ἔχει δέ τι καὶ χρήσιμον ἴσως τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν αὐτὸν κε χρῆσθαι τῇ φύσει· τάχα γὰρ τὴν κακήγορον αὐτοῦ γλῶσσαν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀσχολήσας μικρὰν γοῦν ἐκεχειρίαν τῆς κατὰ τοῦ 3.3.29 θεοῦ μάχης ποιήσεται. οὐκοῦν ἐμφορείσθω κατ' ἐξουσίαν τῶν ὕβρεων, καὶ ὁ ἀντιλέγων οὐκ ἔσται. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἴ τις ἄτοπον καὶ δυσῶδες πνέοι κατὰ σωματικὴν δυσκρασίαν ἢ κατά τινα λοιμώδη καὶ δύστροπον ἀρρωστίαν, προκαλέσαιτο ἂν τὸν ὑγιαίνοντα πρὸς ζῆλον τοῦ δυστυχήματος, ὡς ἑλέσθαι τινὰ τῷ ἴσῳ κακῷ δι' οἰκείας νόσου τὴν τοῦ ὀδωδότος ἀηδίαν ἀμύνεσθαι. ἐλεεῖν γάρ, οὐ μιμεῖσθαι τοὺς τοιού τους ἡ κοινὴ συμβουλεύει φύσις. οὐκοῦν παρέντες ὅσα τοιαῦτα κατὰ σπουδὴν τῷ λόγῳ κατέμιξε σκώπτων, σχε τλιάζων, ἀγανακτῶν, λοιδορούμενος, μόνον τὸν περὶ τῶν δογμάτων ἐπισκεψώμεθα λόγον. ἀναλαβόντες τοίνυν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν μέρει πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν ἐγκλημάτων στησόμεθα. 3.3.30 Ἀρχὴ τῆς κατηγορίας ἦν τὸ ἐπαισχύνεσθαι ἡμᾶς τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καταδεξαμένου τὸ πάθος. ἆρα μὴ καὶ τὸ κατ' οὐσίαν ἀνόμοιον πρεσβεύειν ἡμᾶς αἰτιάσεται; τῶν γὰρ πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην παρατραπέντων ὑπόληψιν οἰκει ότερον ἂν εἴη τὸ ἔγκλημα τοῦ κατασκευάζειν ἐν αἰσχύνῃ τὸν σταυρὸν ποιεῖσθαι. εἰ γὰρ ὁμοίως μὲν παρ' ἀμφοτέρων ἡ κατὰ τὸ πάθος οἰκονομία πεπίστευται, ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ φανερωθέντα θεὸν οὕτως τιμᾶν οἰόμεθα δεῖν καθὼς τιμᾶται ὁ πατήρ, τοῖς δὲ τὸ πάθος ἐμπόδιον γί νεται πρὸς τὸ δοξάζειν τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν ἐπίσης τῷ γεγεν νηκότι πατρί, ἄρα περιτρέπεται πρὸς τοὐναντίον τῷ σοφιστῇ τὰ ἐγκλήματα, καὶ δι' ὧν κατηγορεῖν ἡμῶν οἴεται, τὴν 3.3.31 ἰδίαν δημοσιεύει κατὰ τῶν δογμάτων ἀσέβειαν. δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι τούτου χάριν ὑπερτίθησι τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸν πατέρα καὶ ταῖς μείζοσιν ἀποσεμνύνει τιμαῖς, ὅτι ἡ κατὰ τὸν σταυρὸν αἰσχύνη περὶ αὐτὸν οὐχ ὁρᾶται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον παρ ηλλάχθαι τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν φύσιν διϊσχυρίζεται, ὅτι τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ ὄνειδος εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναφέρεται μόνον, τοῦ πατρὸς οὐχ ἁπτόμενον. καὶ μηδεὶς οἰέσθω με μόνῃ τῇ κατὰ τὸν νοῦν ἀκολουθίᾳ τῆς λογογραφίας ἑπόμενον ταῦτα λέγειν. 3.3.32 προδιελθὼν γὰρ τοῦ λόγου πᾶσαν τὴν φιλοπόνως συγκει μένην ἐν αὐτῷ βλασφημίαν ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα σαφῶς εὗρον γυμνῇ τῇ λέξει ταύτην ἐκτεθεῖσαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν βλασφημίαν. καὶ εἰ δοκεῖ παραθήσομαι τῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένα ἔχοντα οὕτως. φησὶ γὰρ 20εἰ μὲν ἔχει δεικνύναι καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων θεόν, ὅσπερ ἐστὶν ἀπρόσιτον φῶς, ἐν σαρκὶ γενόμενον ἢ γενέσθαι δυνάμενον ὑπ' ἐξουσίαν ἐλθεῖν, προστάγ μασιν ὑπακοῦσαι, νόμοις