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created and uncreated has the division, the one as the cause of what has come into being, the other as having come into being from it. Therefore, since both the created nature and the divine substance are divided and have no intermixture according to their distinguishing properties, it is altogether necessary not to conceive of each through similar things, nor to seek the same characteristics for things that are distinct according to the 3.6.67 principle of their nature. Therefore, since the nature in creation, as the word of all-virtuous wisdom says somewhere, shows in itself a beginning and an end and a middle point of times, and is co-extensive with all temporal intervals, we take this property as a kind of mark of the subject, in that we absolutely see some beginning of its constitution, and look to the middle, and are extended in our hopes toward the end. For we have learned that neither were the heaven and the earth from eternity, nor will they be for eternity, so that from this it is clear that existing things both began from some beginning and will certainly come to some end. But the divine nature, being limited in no part, but everywhere in its indefinability traversing every limit, is far 3.6.68 removed from the signs found in creation. For the power that is without interval, without quantity, and uncircumscribable, holding in itself the ages and all the creation in them, and on all sides surpassing the infinity of the ages by the eternity of its own nature, either has no sign that indicates its nature, or certainly something other than what creation has. Since, therefore, it is a property of creation to have a beginning, the property of creation would be foreign to the uncreated nature. For if one should presume to suppose the existence of the only-begotten, after the likeness of creation, as being apprehended from some beginning, he will of absolute necessity also apply the consequence of the remaining things 3.6.69 to the doctrine of the Son. For it is not possible, when the beginning is granted, not to also confess what follows. For just as if someone were to grant that a certain one is a man, he has connected all the properties of that nature with this confession, saying that he is both an animal and rational and whatever else is conceived concerning man; in the same way, if we were to perceive one of the properties of creation in the divine substance, it will no longer be in our power not to apply the remaining list of things observed in it to the undefiled nature; for the beginning will forcibly and necessarily seek 3.6.70 what follows after it. For the beginning so conceived is the beginning of the things after it, so that if those things exist, this also exists, but if the connected things are done away, the preceding thing does not remain either. Since, therefore, wisdom adds both a middle and an end to the beginning, if we should take for the nature of the only-begotten some beginning of his subsistence defined from some point, as the heresy teaches, wisdom will by no means allow us not 3.6.71 to connect both the end and the middle to the beginning. But if this should happen, the theologian will be found by us proving the divine to be mortal by his arguments. For if the end necessarily follows the beginning according to the principle of wisdom, and the middle is observed in the limits, he who granted the one has in effect also constructed the others, defining measures and a limit of life for the indefinable nature. But if this is both impious and absurd, worthy of an equal or even greater charge is the granting of a beginning to the argument that ends in impiety; and the beginning of such absurdity was shown to be the belief that the Son's life is circumscribed 3.6.72 in some beginning. So that one of two things: either 3.6.72 they will change to the sound doctrine, being compelled by what has been said, and will contemplate him who is from him with the Father's eternity; or if they should not wish this, they will limit the Son's eternity at both ends, by the beginning and the end leading his infinite life into non-existence. 3.6.73 But if the nature both of souls and of angels is endless and is in no way hindered from proceeding into eternity on account of its being both created and having had the beginning of its constitution from some point, so that through this our opponents could also say the same about Christ, as being neither from eternity nor extending into the endless, let him who brings these things forward also consider this, by how much <the>

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κτιστὸν καὶ ἄκτιστον τὴν τομὴν ἔχει, τὸ μὲν ὡς αἴτιον τοῦ γεγονότος, τὸ δὲ ὡς ἐκεῖθεν γενόμενον. διῃρημένης τοίνυν τῆς τε κτιστῆς φύσεως καὶ τῆς θείας οὐσίας καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐπιμιξίαν ἐχούσης κατὰ τὰς γνωριστικὰς ἰδιό τητας, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα μὴ διὰ τῶν ὁμοίων ἑκατέραν νοεῖν μηδὲ τὰ αὐτὰ γνωρίσματα τῶν διεστηκότων κατὰ τὸν τῆς 3.6.67 φύσεως λόγον ἀναζητεῖν. τῆς τοίνυν ἐν τῇ κτίσει φύσεως, καθώς φησί που τῆς παναρέτου σοφίας ὁ λόγος, ἀρχήν τε καὶ τέλος καὶ μεσότητα χρόνων ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς δεικνυούσης καὶ πᾶσι συμπαρατεινομένης τοῖς χρονικοῖς διαστήμασι, ταύτην τὴν ἰδιότητα οἷόν τινα χαρακτῆρα τοῦ ὑποκειμένου λαμβάνομεν ἐν τῷ πάντως καὶ ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ τινα τῆς συ στάσεως βλέπειν καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέσον ὁρᾶν καὶ πρὸς τὸ πέρας ταῖς ἐλπίσι συμπαρατείνεσθαι. μεμαθήκαμεν γὰρ ὅτι οὔτε ἐξ ἀϊδίου ἦν ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ οὔτε εἰς τὸ ἀΐδιον ἔσται, ὡς ἐκ τούτου δῆλον εἶναι ὅτι καὶ ἀπὸ ἀρχῆς τινος τὰ ὄντα ἤρξατο καὶ εἴς τι πάντως καταλήξει πέρας. ἡ δὲ θεία φύσις κατ' οὐδὲν μέρος περατουμένη, ἀλλὰ παντα χόθεν [ἐν] τῷ ἀορίστῳ πάντα περασμὸν διαβαίνουσα πόρρω 3.6.68 θέν ἐστι τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως εὑρισκομένων σημείων. ἡ γὰρ ἀδιάστατος καὶ ἄποσος καὶ ἀπερίγραπτος δύναμις ἐν ἑαυτῇ τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν τούτοις ἔχουσα κτίσιν καὶ πανταχόθεν τῆς τῶν αἰώνων ἀπειρίας τῇ ἀϊδιότητι τῆς ἰδίας ὑπερεκπίπτουσα φύσεως ἢ οὐδὲν ἔχει σημεῖον τὸ καταμηνύον τὴν φύσιν ἢ ἄλλο τι πάντως καὶ οὐχ ὅπερ ἡ κτίσις ἔχει. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἴδιον τῆς κτίσεως τὸ ἀρχὴν ἔχειν, ἀλλότριον ἂν εἴη τῆς ἀκτίστου φύσεως τὸ τῆς κτίσεως ἴδιον. εἰ γὰρ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῆς κτίσεως καὶ τὴν τοῦ μονογενοῦς ὕπαρξιν ἔκ τινος καταλαμβανομένης ἀρχῆς ὑποτίθεσθαί τις ἀξιώσειε, κατ' ἀνάγκην πάντως καὶ τὴν τῶν λοιπῶν ἀκο 3.6.69 λουθίαν τῷ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ λόγῳ συνεφαρμόσει. οὐ γὰρ ἔστι τῆς ἀρχῆς δοθείσης μὴ συνομολογῆσαι καὶ τὸ ἑπόμενον. ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ἄνθρωπον εἶναι δοίη τινά, πάντα τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἴδια τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ταύτῃ συνήρτησε, καὶ ζῷον αὐτὸν καὶ λογικὸν εἶναι λέγων καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο νοεῖται περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον εἰ ἕν τι τῶν περὶ τὴν κτίσιν ἰδιωμάτων ἐπὶ τῆς θείας οὐσίας κατανοήσαιμεν, οὐκέτ' ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἔσται τὸν λοιπὸν κατάλογον τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς θεωρουμένων μὴ ἐφαρμόσαι τῇ ἀκηράτῳ φύσει· ἡ γὰρ ἀρχὴ βιαίως τε καὶ ἀναγκαίως τὸ μεθ' ἑαυτὴν ἀκόλουθον 3.6.70 ἑπιζητήσει. ἡ γὰρ οὕτω νοουμένη ἀρχὴ τῶν μετ' αὐτήν ἐστιν ἀρχή, ὥστε εἰ ἐκεῖνα εἴη, καὶ ταύτην εἶναι, εἰ δὲ ἀναιροῖτο τὰ συνημμένα, μηδὲ τὸ προηγούμενον μένειν. τῆς τοίνυν σοφίας καὶ μεσότητα καὶ τέλος τῇ ἀρχῇ προστι θείσης, εἰ λάβοιμεν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ μονογενοῦς φύσεως ἀρχήν τινα ἀπό τινος σημείου ὁριζομένην τῆς ὑποστάσεως, καθὼς δογματίζει ἡ αἵρεσις, οὐ συγχωρήσει πάντως ἡ σοφία μὴ 3.6.71 καὶ τὸ πέρας καὶ τὸ μέσον τῇ ἀρχῇ συναρτῆσαι. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο γένοιτο, εὑρεθήσεται ἡμῖν ὁ θεολόγος θνητὸν τοῖς ἐπιχειρήμασιν ἀποδεικνύων τὸ θεῖον. εἰ γὰρ τῇ ἀρχῇ τὸ τέλος κατὰ τὸν τῆς σοφίας λόγον ἀναγκαίως ἐφέπεται καὶ τὸ μέσον ἐνθεωρεῖται τοῖς πέρασιν, ὁ τὸ ἓν δοὺς τῇ δυνάμει καὶ τὰ ἄλλα συγκατεσκεύασε, μέτρα καὶ πέρας ζωῆς ὁρίζων τῇ ἀορίστῳ φύσει. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀσεβές τε καὶ ἄτοπον, τῆς ἴσης ἢ καὶ μείζονος ἄξιον κατηγορίας ἐστὶ τὸ ἀρχὴν δοῦναι τῷ λόγῳ τῷ εἰς ἀσέβειαν λήγοντι· ἀρχὴ δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀτοπίας ἐφάνη τὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ τινι περιγεγραμ 3.6.72 μένην τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν ζωὴν νομίσαι. ὥστε δυοῖν θάτερον, ἢ 3.6.72 μεταθήσονται πρὸς τὸν ὑγιαίνοντα λόγον ὑπὸ τῶν εἰρη μένων ἀναγκαζόμενοι καὶ τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀϊδιότητι τὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου συνθεωρήσουσιν, ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο βούλοιντο, καθ' ἑκάτερον περατώσουσι τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ ἀΐδιον, τῇ ἀρχῇ καὶ τῷ τέλει τὸ ἄπειρον αὐτοῦ τῆς ζωῆς εἰς τὸ ἀνύπαρκτον ἄγοντες. 3.6.73 εἰ δὲ ἀτελεύτητος καὶ τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ φύσις καὶ οὐδὲν κωλύεται εἰς τὸ ἀΐδιον προϊέναι διὰ τοῦ καὶ κτιστὴ εἶναι καὶ ἀπό τινος τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς συστάσεως ἐσχη κέναι, ὡς διὰ τούτου δύνασθαι ἂν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ ἴσον τοὺς ὑπεναντίους εἰπεῖν, ὡς μήτε ἐξ ἀϊδίου ὄντος καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀτελεύτητον παρατείνοντος, ὁ ταῦτα προφέρων κἀ κεῖνο λογιζέσθω, ὅσῳ <τῷ>