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believed to have been begotten, we have not been taught from the meaning of being begotten and not being begotten. For by saying that this one either has been begotten or has not been begotten, we impress a twofold concept through what is said, on the one hand looking to the subject through the demonstrative aspect of the statement, and on the other, by 'has been begotten' or 'has not been begotten,' being taught what is contemplated in addition to the subject, so that we think one thing about the being, 3.5.57 and another thing about what is observed in addition to the being. But also with every name spoken concerning the divine nature, 'is' is always implicitly understood, for example, just, incorruptible, and immortal and unbegotten, and whatever else is said; and even if this verb does not happen to accompany it in speech, yet the mind of both the speaker and the hearer always completes the name with 'is,' so that if this were not added, the appellation would fall upon a void. For example (for it is better to present the argument with an example), when David said that God is a judge, just and mighty and longsuffering, if 'is' were not implicitly understood with each of the enumerated names, the enumeration of appellations would seem vain and insubstantial, resting on no subject; but when 'is' is implicitly understood with each of the names, what is said, being contemplated concerning the Being, will certainly have force. 3.5.58 Just as, therefore, by saying that He is a judge, we conceived a certain activity concerning him through 'judgement,' and through 'is' we applied our mind to the subject, being clearly taught by these things not to consider the principle of being to be the same as the activity, so also from saying that he is begotten or unbegotten, we divide our thought into a twofold conception, through 'is' understanding the subject, and through 'begotten' or 'unbegotten' comprehending what pertains to the 3.5.59 subject. Just as, therefore, having been taught by David that God is a judge or longsuffering, we did not learn the divine essence, but something of what is contemplated concerning it, so also here, having heard 'not to have been begotten,' we did not know the subject through the negative statement, but we were guided as to what one must not think concerning the subject, while what it is in essence remains no less obscure, just as Holy Scripture predicates the other divine names of the Being, but delivered the Being itself to Moses as unnameable. Therefore, let him who unveils the nature of the Being not explain the things concerning the Being, but 3.5.60 let him reveal to us the nature itself through what he says. For whatever name you might say is about the Being, it is not that Being itself; good, 20unbegotten20, incorruptible; but 'is' is not lacking from each of these. Therefore, anyone who promises to give an account of this Being that is good and is 20unbegotten20, insofar as it is, would be foolish, speaking of the things observed about it, but being silent about the very essence which he professes to interpret in his discourse. For to be unbegottenly is one of the things observed about the Being, and the account of being is one thing, and the account of being in a certain way is another; which, from what has been said, remains until now unutterable and uninterpreted. Therefore, let him first reveal to us the names of the essence, and then let him divide the nature by the difference of the appellations; but as long as that which is sought remains unexpressed, his technical arguments about the names are in vain, since the names do not exist. 3.5.61 Such, then, is the 20stronger20 of Eunomius's grips against the truth, with many dogmas in this part of his treatise being passed over in silence. For it seems to me fitting for those who are running this race in arms against the enemies of the truth to arm themselves against those who are in some way fortified by the plausibility of falsehood, and not to defile our discourse with concepts that are dead and stinking. For the idea that 20all things that are united by the principle of essence must necessarily exist in bodies and be yoked with corruption20 (for he says this in this part), I will willingly pass over as a cadaverous stench, since I think anyone with sense is able to see readily the dead 3.5.62 and decayed state of the argument. For who does not know that while the multitude of human souls is infinite, one essence underlies them all and the consubstantiality

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γεγεννῆσθαι πεπιστευμένος, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ γεννη θῆναι καὶ μὴ γεννηθῆναι σημασίας οὐκ ἐδιδάχθημεν. εἰπόντες γὰρ ὅτι οὗτος ἢ γεγέννηται ἢ οὐ γεγέννηται, δι πλῆν ἐντυπούμεθα διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων διάνοιαν, τῷ μὲν δεικτικῷ τοῦ λόγου πρὸς τὸ ὑποκείμενον βλέποντες, τῷ δὲ γεγέννηται ἢ οὐ γεγέννηται τὸ τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ προσθεω ρούμενον διδασκόμενοι, ὡς ἄλλο μέν τι περὶ τοῦ ὄντος νοεῖν, 3.5.57 ἄλλο δέ τι περὶ τοῦ ἐπιθεωρουμένου τῷ ὄντι. ἀλλὰ καὶ παντὶ ὀνόματι τῷ περὶ τὴν θείαν λεγομένῳ φύσιν τὸ ἐστὶ πάντως συνυπακούεται, οἷον δίκαιος ἄφθαρτος ἀθάνατός τε καὶ ἀγέννητος καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον λέγεται· κἂν μὴ τῇ φωνῇ συμπαρομαρτοῦν τύχῃ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἡ διάνοια πάντως τοῦ φθεγγομένου καὶ τοῦ ἀκούοντος τῷ ἐστί προσ απαρτίζει τὸ ὄνομα, ὡς εἰ μὴ τοῦτο προσκέοιτο, κατὰ κενοῦ τὴν προσηγορίαν πίπτειν. οἷον (κρεῖττον γὰρ ἐν ὑποδείγματι παραστῆσαι τὸν λόγον) εἰπόντος τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς κριτὴς δίκαιος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος, εἰ μὴ συν υπακούοιτο τῶν κατειλημμένων ὀνομάτων ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἐστί, ματαία δόξει καὶ ἀνυπόστατος ἡ τῶν προσηγοριῶν ἀπαρίθ μησις, πρὸς οὐδὲν ὑποκείμενον ἐρειδομένη· συνυπακουομένου δὲ τοῦ ἐστὶν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὀνομάτων, ἰσχύσει πάντως τὰ 3.5.58 εἰρημένα περὶ τὸ ὂν θεωρούμενα. ὥσπερ τοίνυν εἰπόντες ὅτι κριτής ἐστι διὰ μὲν τῆς κρίσεως ἐνέργειάν τινα περὶ αὐτὸν ἐνοήσαμεν, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἐστὶ τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ τὸν νοῦν ἐπεβάλομεν, σαφῶς διδασκόμενοι διὰ τούτων μὴ τὸν αὐτὸν νομίζειν τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τὸν τοῦ εἶναι λόγον, οὕτως καὶ ἐκ τοῦ εἰπεῖν ὅτι γεννητὸς ἢ ἀγέννητός ἐστι μερίζομεν πρὸς διπλῆν ὑπόληψιν τὴν διάνοιαν, διὰ μὲν τοῦ ἐστί νοοῦντες τὸ ὑπο κείμενον, διὰ δὲ τοῦ γεννητὸς ἢ ἀγέννητος τὸ προσὸν τῷ 3.5.59 ὑποκειμένῳ καταλαμβάνοντες. καθάπερ τοίνυν κριτὴν ἢ μακρόθυμον παρὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εἶναι τὸν θεὸν διδαχθέντες οὐ τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν, ἀλλά τι τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν θεωρουμένων ἐμάθομεν, οὕτως καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ μὴ γεγεννῆσθαι ἀκού σαντες οὐ τὸ ὑποκείμενον διὰ τῆς ἀπεμφάσεως ἔγνωμεν, ἀλλὰ τί οὐ χρὴ περὶ τὸ ὑποκείμενον νοεῖν ὡδηγήθημεν, τὸ δὲ κατ' οὐσίαν ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστιν οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐν ἀδήλῳ μένει, οὕτω καὶ τῆς ἁγίας γραφῆς τὰ μὲν λοιπὰ τῶν θείων ὀνομάτων κατὰ τοῦ ὄντος κατηγορούσης, αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ὂν ἀκατονόμαστον τῷ Μωϋσῇ παραδούσης. ὁ τοίνυν τοῦ ὄντος ἐκκαλύπτων τὴν φύσιν μὴ τὰ περὶ τὸ ὂν διεξίτω, ἀλλ' 3.5.60 αὐτὴν ἡμῖν φανερούτω δι' ὧν λέγει τὴν φύσιν. πᾶν γὰρ ὅτιπερ ἂν εἴπῃς ὄνομα περὶ τὸ ὄν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν, ἀγαθὸς 20ἀγέννητος20 ἄφθαρτος· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐστὶν ἑκάστῳ τούτων οὐκ ἀπολείπεται. τούτου τοίνυν τοῦ ὄντος ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ὄντος 20ἀγεννήτου20, καθὸ ἔστι, τὸν λόγον τις ἀπο δώσειν ἐπαγγειλάμενος μάταιος ἂν εἴη τὰ μὲν ἐπιθεωρού μενα λέγων, αὐτὴν δὲ σιωπῶν τὴν οὐσίαν ἣν ἑρμηνεύειν τῷ λόγῳ κατεπαγγέλλεται. τὸ γὰρ ἀγεννήτως εἶναι ἓν τῶν ἐπιθεωρουμένων ἐστὶ τῷ ὄντι, ἄλλος δὲ τοῦ εἶναι καὶ ἄλλος τοῦ πως εἶναι ὁ λόγος· ὃ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἄρρητόν τε καὶ ἀνερμήνευτον ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐστίν. οὐκοῦν φανερωσάτω πρότερον ἡμῖν τὰ τῆς οὐσίας ὀνόματα, καὶ τότε τῇ παραλ λαγῇ τῶν προσηγοριῶν διατεμνέτω τὴν φύσιν· ἕως δ' ἂν τὸ ζητούμενον ἀνεκφώνητον μένῃ, μάτην αὐτῷ τὰ περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων τετεχνολόγηται, τῶν ὀνομάτων οὐκ ὄντων. 3.5.61 Ἡ μὲν οὖν 20ἰσχυροτέρα20 τῶν Εὐνομίου κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας λαβὴ τοιαύτη, πολλῶν κατὰ τὸ μέρος τοῦτο τῆς λογογραφίας σιωπηθέντων δογμάτων. δοκεῖ γάρ μοι πρέ πειν τοῖς τὸν ἐνόπλιον τοῦτον κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῆς ἀλη θείας τρέχουσι δρόμον πρὸς τοὺς πεφραγμένους ποσῶς τῇ πιθανότητι τοῦ ψεύδους ὁπλίζεσθαι, τοῖς δὲ νεκροῖς καὶ ὀδωδόσι τῶν νοημάτων μὴ ἐμμολύνειν τὸν λόγον. τὸ γὰρ οἴεσθαι 20πάντα ὅσα τῷ τῆς οὐσίας ἥνωται λόγῳ πάντως ἐν σώμασιν εἶναι καὶ φθορᾷ συνεζεῦ χθαι20 (τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ φησίν) ὡς νεκρώδη δυσωδίαν ἑκὼν ὑπερβήσομαι, παντὸς οἶμαι τοῦ γε νοῦν ἔχοντος ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου κατιδεῖν δυναμένου τὸ τεθνηκός 3.5.62 τε καὶ διαπεπτωκὸς τοῦ λόγου. τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι πλῆ θος μὲν ἄπειρον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐστὶ ψυχῶν, οὐσία δὲ πάσαις ὑπόκειται μία καὶ τὸ ὁμοούσιον