344

the divinity is distinguished 3.6.74 from creation by its properties. For the property of the divinity is to be in need of no concept considered with respect to the good, but creation comes to be in the good by participation in the better, which not only began to be, but is also always apprehended as beginning to be in the good through increase toward the greater. Because it never rests at what has been attained, but everything created becomes through participation a beginning of the ascent to what is greater and according to the voice of Paul, it never ceases from stretching forward to what is ahead and forgetting what is behind. 3.6.75 Since, therefore, the divinity is life itself, and God the only-begotten God is also life and truth and every concept that is lofty and befitting of God, but creation receives its supply of good things from there, it would be clear from these things that if indeed it is in living by participating in life, if it should cease from participation, it will also certainly cease from being in life. If, then, they dare to say these things also about the only-begotten God, which it is true to say about creation, let them also say this among all things, that like creation he both begins to be and continues in life in the same way as souls. 3.6.76 But if he is life itself and does not need to have life in himself as something brought in from without, but all other things are not life, but become partakers of life, what necessity is there to deny the eternity of the Son through the things seen in creation? For that which is always the same according to nature is not susceptible to its contrary and does not admit of change to something else; but for those whose nature is on a borderline, the inclination wavers toward either, inclining by will to what is according to judgment. If, therefore, true life is contemplated in the divine and transcendent nature, the fall from this will in all likelihood end up 3.6.77 in its opposite. But the concept of life and death is of many meanings and not understood in the same way. For in the case of the flesh, the activity and motion of the bodily senses is called life, and conversely, their extinction and dissolution is named death; but in the case of the intelligible nature, fellowship with the divine is true life, and the falling away from this has the name of death. Wherefore also the archetypal evil, the devil, is called both death and the inventor of death, but he is also said by the apostle 3.6.78 to have the power of death. Therefore, as has been said, the meaning of death being understood from the scriptures as twofold, he who is truly unchangeable and unalterable alone has immortality and dwells in a light inaccessible and unapproachable to the darkness of evil; but as many as partake of death, becoming far from immortality through the inclination toward the contrary *** but if it should be cut off from participation in the good, it would, through the changeableness of its nature, accept fellowship with what is worse, which is nothing other than death, having a certain analogy to 3.6.79 bodily death. For as here the extinction of the operations of nature is called death, so also in the case of the intelligible substance, immobility toward the good is death and a withdrawal of life; so that what is understood concerning the incorporeal creation does not conflict with the argument that refutes the heretical absurdity. For the death appropriate to the intelligible nature, that is, the separation from God, whom we name life, is not separated from the power even of this nature. For the passage from non-being indicates the changeableness of nature. But that to which alteration is akin is kept from participation in the contrary by the grace of the one who strengthens it; it does not remain in the good by the power of its own nature; and such 3.6.80 a thing is not eternal. If, therefore, he also speaks truly in saying that one must not reason about the divine substance and created nature through the same things, nor delimit the being of the Son by any beginning, lest, this being granted, the other properties of creation should also be brought in along with the confession of this one, the absurdity of him who separates the only-begotten God from the Father's eternity through what is said about creation is manifestly refuted. For just as nothing else of the characteristics of creation is seen in the creator of creation, so neither

344

μεταξὺ τῆς κτίσεως ἡ θεότης 3.6.74 διέστηκε τοῖς ἰδιώμασι. τῆς μὲν γὰρ θεότητος ἴδιον τὸ ἀνενδεὲς παντὸς τοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν θεωρουμένου νοή ματος, ἡ δὲ κτίσις ἐκ μετοχῆς τοῦ βελτίονος ἐν τῷ καλῷ γίνεται, ἥτις οὐ μόνον τοῦ εἶναι ἤρξατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἐν τῷ καλῷ εἶναι πάντοτε διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἐπαυξή σεως ἐν τῷ ἄρχεσθαι καταλαμβάνεται. διότι οὐδέποτε ἐπὶ τοῦ κατειλημμένου ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τὸ κτισθὲν διὰ τῆς μετουσίας ἀρχὴ τῆς πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἀνόδου γίνεται καὶ κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνὴν οὐδέποτε παύεται τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινομένη καὶ λήθην ποιουμένη τῶν ὄπισθεν. 3.6.75 Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ μὲν θεότης αὐτοζωή ἐστι, θεὸς δὲ ὁ μονογενὴς θεὸς καὶ ζωὴ καὶ ἀλήθεια καὶ πᾶν εἴ τι ὑψηλὸν καὶ θεοπρεπές ἐστι νόημα, ἡ δὲ κτίσις ἐκεῖθεν τῶν ἀγαθῶν λαμβάνει τὴν χορηγίαν, φανερὸν ἐκ τούτων ἂν εἴη ὅτι εἴπερ μετέχουσα τῆς ζωῆς ἐν τῷ ζῆν ἐστι, καὶ εἰ παύσαιτο τῆς μετουσίας, καὶ τοῦ ἐν τῷ ζῆν εἶναι παύσεται πάντως. εἰ μὲν οὖν καὶ περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς θεοῦ ταῦτα λέγειν τολ μῶσιν, ὅσα περὶ τῆς κτίσεως ἀληθές ἐστι λέγειν, καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ πάντων λεγέτωσαν, ὅτι ὁμοίως τῇ κτίσει καὶ τοῦ εἶναι ἄρχεται καὶ ἐν τῷ ζῆν καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν ψυχῶν διαμένει. 3.6.76 εἰ δὲ ὁ μὲν αὐτοζωή ἐστι καὶ τοῦ ἐπείσακτον ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ζωὴν οὐ προσδέεται, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα οὐχὶ ζωή ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μεθεκτικὰ τῆς ζωῆς γίνεται, τίς ἀνάγκη διὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει βλεπομένων παραγράφεσθαι τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ ἀΐδιον; τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἔχον ἀπαράδεκτόν ἐστι τοῦ ἐναντίου καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἕτερον μεταβολῆς ἀνεπίδεκτον· οἷς δὲ ἡ φύσις μεθόριος, τούτοις ἐπαμφοτερίζει πρὸς ἑκάτερον ἡ ῥοπή, κατ' ἐξουσίαν τοῖς κατὰ γνώμην προσκλινομένη. εἰ οὖν ἡ ὄντως ζωὴ ἐν τῇ θείᾳ τε καὶ ὑπερκειμένῃ θεωρεῖται φύσει, ἡ ἀπόπτωσις ταύτης πρὸς τὸ ἀντικείμενον πάντως κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς κατα 3.6.77 λήξει. πολύσημος δὲ τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ἔννοια καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν νοουμένη τρόπον. ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς σαρκὸς ἡ τῶν σωματικῶν αἰσθήσεων ἐνέργειά τε καὶ κί νησις ζωὴ λέγεται καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν ἡ σβέσις αὐτῶν καὶ διάλυσις θάνατος ὀνομάζεται· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς νοερᾶς φύσεως ἡ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον οἰκείωσις ἡ ἀληθής ἐστι ζωὴ καὶ ἡ τού του ἀπόπτωσις θάνατον ἔχει τὸ ὄνομα. διὸ καὶ τὸ ἀρ χέγονον κακὸν ὁ διάβολος καὶ θάνατος λέγεται καὶ εὑρετὴς θανάτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ κράτος ἔχειν θανάτου παρὰ τοῦ ἀπο 3.6.78 στόλου λέγεται. οὐκοῦν διπλῆς, καθὼς εἴρηται, τῆς τοῦ θανάτου σημασίας ἐκ τῶν γραφῶν νοουμένης, ὁ μὲν ἀλη θῶς ἄτρεπτός τε καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος μόνος ἔχει τὴν ἀθα νασίαν καὶ φῶς οἰκεῖ τῷ ζόφῳ τῆς κακίας ἀπρόσιτόν τε καὶ ἀπροσπέλαστον· ὅσα δὲ τοῦ θανάτου μετέχει, τῆς ἀθανασίας διὰ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἐναντίον ῥοπῆς πόρρω γινόμενα *** εἰ δὲ ἀπορρυείη τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μετουσίας, δέξαιτο ἂν τῷ τρεπτῷ τῆς φύσεως τὴν κοινωνίαν τοῦ χείρονος, ὅπερ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ θάνατος, ἀναλογίαν τινὰ πρὸς τὸν 3.6.79 σωματικὸν θάνατον ἔχων. ὡς γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τῶν τῆς φύ σεως ἐνεργημάτων ἡ σβέσις θάνατος κέκληται, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς νοερᾶς οὐσίας ἡ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀκινησία θάνατός ἐστι καὶ ζωῆς ἀναχώρησις· ὡς μὴ ἀντιπίπτειν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ τὴν αἱρετικὴν ἀτοπίαν ἐλέγχοντι τὸ περὶ τὴν ἀσώματον κτίσιν νοούμενον. ὁ γὰρ κατάλληλος τῇ νοερᾷ φύσει θά νατος τουτέστιν ὁ χωρισμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃν ζωὴν ὀνομάζομεν, οὐδὲ ταύτης τῆς φύσεως τῇ δυνάμει κεχώρισται. ἡ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος πάροδος τὸ τρεπτὸν καταμηνύει τῆς φύ σεως. ᾧ δὲ συγγενὴς ἡ ἀλλοίωσις, τοῦτο χάριτι τοῦ ἐνι σχύοντος τῆς τοῦ ἐναντίου μετουσίας ἀπείργεται, οὐχὶ δυνάμει τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ μένει· τὸ δὲ τοι 3.6.80 οῦτον οὐκ ἀΐδιον. εἰ οὖν καὶ ἀληθεύει λέγων μὴ δεῖν διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν καὶ τὴν κτιστὴν φύσιν ἀνα λογίζεσθαι μηδὲ διά τινος ἀρχῆς περιγράφειν τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ εἶναι, ὡς ἂν μὴ τούτου δοθέντος καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἴδια τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ὁμολογίᾳ συμπαρεισέλθοι, ἐλέγχεται προ δήλως ἡ ἀτοπία τοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν διὰ τῶν περὶ τῆς κτίσεως λεγομένων τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἀϊδιότητος ἀποσχίζοντος. ὡς γὰρ οὐδὲν ἄλλο τῶν χαρακτηριζόντων τὴν κτίσιν περὶ τὸν ποιητὴν καθορᾶται τῆς κτίσεως, οὕτως οὐδὲ