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our concern; for through your words the absurdity has been refuted and it has become completely clear to all, that we in truth direct the argument and that your conception about the only-begotten God is such as it is also about the rest of created things. 3.6.60 What was the dispute about? Was it not about the only-begotten Son of God, the creator of all creation, whether he always was or came to be for the Father later? What then does the teacher's voice say about this? That what is good by nature, it is not pious not to believe to be always in God. For one sees no reason for which it is likely for the good not to be present with the good, neither through a lack of power nor through weakness of will. What does he who fights against these statements say to this? That if you grant God the Word to be believed to be from eternity, you will also grant the same concerning created things. 3.6.61 Oh, how he knows how to distinguish in his argument the nature of created things and the divine majesty, how he understands what is fitting for each, both what it is pious to think concerning God and what concerning creation. 20If the Creator20, he says, 20begins creation from a time20; for it is not possible to mark the beginning of things that have come into being in any other way, unless one sets beginnings and ends for things that come to be within their own interval of time. 3.6.62 For this reason he says that the maker of times must also begin to be from a similar beginning. But while creation has the ages for its beginning, what beginning will you conceive for the maker of the ages? For if one were to speak of the one in the Gospel, the Father is what is signified there, with whom the confession of the Son is also revealed conjointly, and it is not possible for him who is in the Father, as the Lord says, to have begun to be in him from some point. But if someone were to speak of another beginning besides that one, let him say the name by which such a beginning is marked, since nothing is apprehended 3.6.63 before the constitution of the ages. Therefore such an argument will in no way move us from our pious conception concerning the only-begotten God, even if the old women applaud it as a strong proposition. For we remain upon what has been known from the beginning, having our argument established upon the truth that whatever the argument of piety proposes to say concerning the only-begotten God has no kinship with creation, but the characteristics of the one who made all things and of his works are separated by a great interval. If then in some other respects the Son had some communion with creation, it would certainly be necessary to say that he was not different even in the manner of his existence; 3.6.64 but if creation is without a share in such things as we have learned concerning the Son, it is absolutely necessary to say that it does not have communion in this respect either. For creation was not in the beginning, nor was it with God, nor was it God, not life, not light, not resurrection, nor the rest of the names befitting God, such as truth, righteousness, sanctification, righteous judge, maker of all, existing before the ages, reigning for ever and for ever and still more, creation is not the radiance of glory, not the character of the hypostasis, not the image of goodness, not grace, not power, not truth, not salvation, not redemption, nor is anything at all of such a kind among the things said by Scripture for the glory of the only-begotten either existing or said of creation, that we may pass over the loftier utterances, "I am in the Father and the Father is in me," and "He who has seen me has seen the Father," and "No one 3.6.65 knows the Son except the Father." If, therefore, the argument had such and so great things to testify about creation, he would rightly think it necessary to apply what is observed concerning it to the conceptions about the only-begotten as well, the comparison being made from things of the same nature to what is related; but if all such concepts and names have communion with the Father, but are beyond the notion of creation, will not the wise and clever man sink with shame, discoursing on the Lord of creation through what is observed in creation, not yet understanding that the characteristics <of the divine nature are different from those> of creation? 3.6.66 For of all existing things the highest division is into the

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ἡμῶν σπουδαζόμενον· ἀπελήλεγκται γὰρ διὰ τῶν σῶν λόγων τὸ ἄτοπον καὶ πᾶσι γέγονε κατα φανές, ὅτι τε ἡμεῖς ἐν ἀληθείᾳ τὸν λόγον εὐθύνομεν καὶ ὅτι σοὶ ἡ περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς θεοῦ ὑπόληψις τοιαύτη ἐστὶν οἵα καὶ περὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν κτισμάτων. 3.6.60 Περὶ τίνος ἡ ἀμφισβήτησις ἦν; οὐ περὶ τοῦ μονο γενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ δημιουργοῦ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως, εἴτε ἀεὶ ἦν εἴτε ὕστερον τῷ πατρὶ προσεγένετο; τί οὖν περὶ τούτου φησὶν ἡ τοῦ διδασκάλου φωνή; ὅτι τὸ τῇ φύσει καλὸν οὐκ εὐαγές ἐστι μὴ ἀεὶ ἐν τῷ θεῷ πιστεύειν εἶναι. μηδὲ γὰρ αἰτίαν ὁρᾶν τινα, καθ' ἣν εἰκός ἐστι τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῷ ἀγαθῷ μὴ παρεῖναι, μήτε κατὰ δυνάμεως ἔλλειψιν μήτε κατὰ τὴν τῆς βουλῆς ἀτονίαν. τί πρὸς ταῦτά φησιν ὁ τοῖς εἰρημένοις μαχόμενος; ὅτι ἐὰν τὸν θεὸν λόγον δῷς ἐξ ἀϊδίου πιστεύεσθαι, καὶ περὶ τῶν δημιουργημάτων τὸ ἴσον 3.6.61 δώσεις. ὢ πῶς οἶδε διακρίνειν τῷ λόγῳ δημιουργημάτων φύσιν καὶ θείαν μεγαλειότητα, πῶς ἐπίσταται περὶ ἑκατέρου τὰ πρόσφορα, ὅσα τε περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὅσα περὶ τῆς κτί σεως εὐσεβές ἐστιν οἴεσθαι. 20εἰ ὁ δημιουργός20, φησίν, 20ἀπὸ χρόνου τῆς δημιουργίας ἄρχεται20· οὐ γὰρ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τὴν τῶν γεγονότων ἀρχὴν ἔστι σημειώσασθαι, μὴ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ διαστήματι τοῦ χρόνου τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰ τέλη 3.6.62 τοῖς γινομένοις ὁρίζοντος. διὰ τοῦτό φησι δεῖν καὶ τὸν ποιητὴν τῶν χρόνων ἀπὸ τῆς ὁμοίας ἀρχῆς τοῦ εἶναι ἄρ ξασθαι. ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν κτίσις ἀρχὴν τοὺς αἰῶνας ἔχει, τοῦ δὲ ποιητοῦ τῶν αἰώνων ποίαν ἐπινοήσεις ἀρχήν; εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τις λέγοι, ὁ πατήρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖ τὸ δηλούμενον, ᾧ συνημμένως καὶ ἡ τοῦ υἱοῦ ὁμολογία συν αναδείκνυται, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τὸν ἐν τῷ πατρὶ ὄντα, καθώς φησιν ὁ κύριος, ἀπό τινος σημείου τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ εἶναι ἄρ ξασθαι. εἰ δὲ ἄλλην τις ἀρχὴν παρ' ἐκείνην λέγοι, εἰπάτω τὸ ὄνομα ᾧ σημειοῦται τὴν τοιαύτην ἀρχήν, μηδενὸς κατα 3.6.63 λαμβανομένου πρὸ τῆς τῶν αἰώνων συστάσεως. οὐκοῦν οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς παρακινήσει τῆς εὐσεβοῦς περὶ τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν ὑπολήψεως ὁ τοιοῦτος λόγος, κἂν ἐπικροτῶσιν αἱ γρᾶες ὡς ἰσχυρῷ τῷ προβλήματι. μένομεν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐγνωσμένων ἐρηρεισμένον ἔχοντες ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλη θείας τὸν λόγον ὅτι, ὅσα περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς θεοῦ λέγειν ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑποτίθεται λόγος, οὐδεμίαν ἔχει πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν τὴν οἰκειότητα, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ τῷ μέσῳ διώρισται τοῦ τε πάντα πεποιηκότος καὶ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ τὰ γνωρίσματα. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐν ἑτέροις τισὶν εἶχέ τινα κοινωνίαν ὁ υἱὸς πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν, ἔδει πάντως μηδὲ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ὑπάρξεως 3.6.64 τρόπον παρηλλάχθαι λέγειν· εἰ δὲ ἄμοιρος ἡ κτίσις τῶν τοιούτων ἐστὶ τῶν ὅσα περὶ τὸν υἱὸν μεμαθήκαμεν, ἀναγ καῖον πάντως μηδὲ κατὰ τοῦτο λέγειν τὴν κοινωνίαν ἔχειν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ἡ κτίσις οὔτε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἦν οὔτε θεὸς ἦν, οὐ ζωή, οὐ φῶς, οὐκ ἀνάστασις, οὐ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν θεοπρεπῶν ὀνομάτων οἷον ἀλήθεια, δικαιοσύνη, ἁγιασμός, κριτὴς δίκαιος, ποιητὴς τοῦ παντός, ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, βασιλεύων τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐπ' αἰῶνα καὶ ἔτι, οὐκ ἀπαύγασμα δόξης ἡ κτίσις, οὐ χαρακτὴρ ὑποστάσεως, οὐκ ἀγαθότητος εἰκών, οὐ χάρις, οὐ δύναμις, οὐκ ἀλήθεια, οὐ σωτηρία, οὐκ ἀπολύτρωσις, οὐδέ τι τοιοῦτον ὅλως τῶν εἰς δόξαν τοῦ μονογενοῦς παρὰ τῆς γραφῆς λεγομένων οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως οὔτε ἔστιν οὔτε λέγεται, ἵνα τὰς ὑψηλο τέρας παρῶμεν φωνάς, τὸ Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα, καὶ Οὐδεὶς 3.6.65 οἶδε τὸν υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ. εἰ μὲν οὖν εἶχε τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα προσμαρτυρεῖν ὁ λόγος τῇ κτίσει, καλῶς ἂν τὸ περὶ ταύτην θεωρούμενον καὶ ταῖς περὶ τοῦ μονο γενοῦς ὑπολήψεσιν ἐφαρμόζειν ᾤετο δεῖν, ἐκ τῶν ὁμοφύλων πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς γινομένης τῆς παραθέσεως· εἰ δὲ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα νοήματά τε καὶ ὀνόματα πρὸς μὲν τὸν πατέρα τὴν κοινωνίαν ἔχει, τῆς δὲ περὶ τὴν κτίσιν ὑπονοίας ὑπέρ κειται, ἆρ' οὐ καταδύσεται ὑπ' αἰσχύνης ὁ σοφὸς καὶ ἀγχί νους διὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει θεωρουμένων φυσιολογῶν τὸν τῆς κτίσεως κύριον, οὔπω συνιεὶς ὅτι ἄλλα <τῆς θείας φύσεως καὶ ἄλλα> τῆς κτίσεώς ἐστι τὰ γνωρίσματα. 3.6.66 Τῶν γὰρ ὄντων πάντων ἡ ἀνωτάτω διαίρεσις εἰς τὸ