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But having considered the remaining parts of the treatise, I hesitate to advance the argument further, since a certain shudder from what is said strikes my heart. For he wishes to show the Son to be something other than the eternal life, which if it were not contemplated in the only-begotten, our faith will be shown to be vain, our preaching empty, our baptism superfluous, the labors of the martyrs for nothing, and the toils of the apostles useless and unprofitable for the life of men. 3.8.14 For why did they preach Christ, in whom, according to Eunomius, there is not the power of eternal life? And for what purpose do they name by the name of Christ those who have believed, if not through him they were meant to partake of eternal life? 20For the mind20, he says, 20of those who have believed in the Lord, having stooped over every sensible and intelligible being, is not of a nature to stop even at the generation of the Son, but rushes beyond this too, eager with a longing for the eternal 3.8.15 life to encounter the first.20 What should I lament more among the things said, that the wretched men think the eternal life is not in the Son, or that they see the hypostasis of the only-begotten as so low and earthly, that having set foot on his beginning with their reasonings, they imagine themselves in their own thought 20stooping over20 above the life of the Son and, leaving the generation of the Lord somewhere below, rush beyond this with a longing for eternal life? For what has been said has this meaning, that the human mind, searching out the knowledge of existing things and having raised itself above both sensible and intelligible creation, will, in the same way as the rest, leave behind, as lower than itself, the God who is the Word in the beginning, and where God the Word was not, in that place it itself comes to be, through the meddling of the mind, treading upon what is above the life of the Son, searching there for the eternal life where the only-begotten God is not. 3.8.16 For with a longing for eternal, he says, life it is carried by the mind to what is beyond the Son, as if it had certainly not found in the Son what it was seeking. If, then, eternal life is not in the Son, will he who said, "I am the life," be found a liar, or is he life, but not eternal? But that which is not eternal is surely temporary, and such a kind of life is common also to the irrational creatures. Where, then, is the majesty of the true life, if irrational nature also partakes of it? And how will the Word be the same as the life, if he should dwell in irrational nature through 3.8.17 temporary life? For if according to the great John the Word is life, but this life is temporary and not eternal, as it seems to the heresy, and the temporary life is also in other things, what is concluded as a consequence? Either that irrational beings are rational, or that the Word is confessed to be irrational. Do we still need words for the refutation of their most accursed and wicked blasphemy? For are not the things said of such a kind as to have a hidden design of denying the 3.8.18 Lord? For if the Apostle plainly says that what is not eternal is temporary, and these men see eternal life in the substance of the Father alone, and alienating the Son from the nature of the Father, they also cut him off from eternal life, what else is this but a manifest denial and a rejection of faith in the Lord, since the Apostle clearly says that those who have hoped in Christ in this life only are of all men most miserable? If, then, the Lord is life, but not eternal, the life is surely temporary and for a day, active in the present time, <in> which the Apostle pities those who hope, as having missed the true life. 3.8.19 But indeed, having passed over this one, the enlightened followers of Eunomius are carried by their reasonings to what is beyond the Son, seeking the eternal life in that which is contemplated outside the only-begotten. What else should one say in the face of such evils, except what calls forth lamentation and tears. O how we might groan over this wretched and pitiable generation, which has brought forth a crop of such evils? Jeremiah the zealous once lamented the Israelite people, when with Jeconiah who led them in idolatry they joined in evil, and instead of the transgression against their religion the one against the Assyrians

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Ἀλλὰ τὰ λειπόμενα τῆς λογογραφίας ἐπισκεψάμενος ὀκνῶ προαγαγεῖν περαιτέρω τὸν λόγον, φρίκης τινὸς ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων τὴν καρδίαν ὑποδραμούσης. βούλεται γὰρ ἄλλο τι δεῖξαι παρὰ τὴν αἰωνίαν ζωὴν τὸν υἱὸν ὄντα, ἥτις εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ μονογενεῖ θεωροῖτο, ματαία μὲν ἡ πίστις ἀπο δειχθήσεται, κενὸν δὲ τὸ κήρυγμα, περιττὸν δὲ τὸ βάπτισμα, εἰς οὐδὲν δὲ τῶν μαρτύρων οἱ πόνοι, ἄχρηστοι δὲ καὶ ἀνό νητοι τῇ ζωῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἱδρῶτες. 3.8.14 τί γὰρ κατήγγειλαν τὸν Χριστόν, ἐν ᾧ τῆς αἰωνίας ζωῆς κατ' Εὐνόμιον οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ δύναμις; εἰς τί δὲ τῷ ὀνόματι Χριστοῦ τοὺς πεπιστευκότας κατονομάζουσιν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τούτου τῆς αἰωνίας μέλλοιεν μετέχειν ζωῆς; 20ὁ γὰρ νοῦς20, φησί, 20τῶν εἰς τὸν κύριον πεπιστευκότων πᾶσαν αἰσθητὴν καὶ νοητὴν οὐσίαν ὑπερκύψας οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ γεννήσεως ἵστασθαι πέφυκεν, ἐπέκεινα δὲ καὶ ταύτης ἵεται, πόθῳ τῆς αἰω 3.8.15 νίου ζωῆς ἐντυχεῖν τῷ πρώτῳ γλιχόμενος20. τί τῶν εἰρημένων πλέον ὀδύρωμαι, τὸ μὴ εἶναι τὴν αἰωνίαν ζωὴν ἐν τῷ υἱῷ τοὺς δειλαίους νομίζειν ἢ τὸ χθαμαλὴν οὕτω καὶ πρόσγειον βλέπειν τὴν τοῦ μονογενοῦς ὑπόστασιν, ὥστε τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐπιβάντας 20ὑπερ κύπτειν20 ἄνω τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ ζωῆς τῇ ἑαυτῶν διανοίᾳ φαν τάζεσθαι καὶ καταλιπόντας κάτω που τοῦ κυρίου τὴν γέν νησιν ἐπέκεινα ταύτης ἵεσθαι πόθῳ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς; ταύτην γὰρ τὰ εἰρημένα τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχει, ὅτι ὁ ἀνθρώ πινος νοῦς τὴν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν διερευνώμενος καὶ τῆς αἰσθητῆς τε καὶ νοητῆς κτίσεως ἑαυτὸν ὑπεράρας καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν λοιπῶν κατώτερον ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὄντα λόγον θεὸν καταλείψει, καὶ ἐν ᾧ οὐκ ἦν ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ἐν ἐκείνῳ αὐτὸς γίνεται, διὰ τῆς πολυπραγμοσύνης τοῦ νοῦ τοῖς ὑπερκειμένοις τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ ζωῆς ἐμβατεύων, ἐκεῖ τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν ἐρευνώμενος ὅπου ὁ μονογενὴς θεὸς οὐκ 3.8.16 ἔστιν. πόθῳ γὰρ τῆς αἰωνίας, φησί, ζωῆς εἰς τὰ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ υἱοῦ τῷ νῷ φέρεται, ὡς ἐν τῷ υἱῷ πάντως μὴ εὑρὼν τὸ ζητούμενον. εἰ οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ υἱῷ ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἆρα ψευδὴς ἁλώσεται ὁ εἰπὼν ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή, ἢ ζωὴ μὲν ἐστίν, οὐκ αἰώνιος δέ; ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ αἰώνιον πρόσ καιρον πάντως, τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτο τῆς ζωῆς εἶδος κοινὸν καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ἐστίν. ποῦ τοίνυν τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς, εἰ μετέχοι ταύτης καὶ ἡ ἄλογος φύσις; πῶς δὲ ταὐτὸν ἔσται τῇ ζωῇ ὁ λόγος, εἰ τῇ ἀλόγῳ φύσει διὰ τῆς 3.8.17 προσκαίρου ζωῆς εἰσοικίζοιτο; εἰ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν μέγαν Ἰωάννην ζωὴ μὲν ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος, πρόσκαιρος δὲ αὕτη καὶ οὐκ αἰώνιος, καθὼς τῇ αἱρέσει δοκεῖ, γίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἡ πρόσκαιρος, τί κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον συμ περαίνεται; ἢ λογικὰ εἶναι τὰ ἄλογα ἢ ἄλογον ὁμολογεῖσθαι τὸν λόγον. ἆρ' ἔτι λόγων πρὸς ἔλεγχον τῆς ἐξαγίστου καὶ πονηρᾶς αὐτῶν βλασφημίας δεόμεθα; μὴ γὰρ τοιαῦτα τὰ λεγόμενα, ὡς κεκρυμμένην ἔχειν τὴν συμβουλὴν τῆς τοῦ 3.8.18 κυρίου ἀρνήσεως; εἰ γὰρ φανερῶς μὲν ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει τὸ μὴ αἰώνιον πρόσκαιρον, οὗτοι δὲ ἐν μόνῃ τῇ οὐσίᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν αἰώνιον ὁρῶσι ζωήν, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν τῆς τοῦ πα τρὸς φύσεως ἀλλοτριοῦντες συναποτέμνουσι καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, τί ἄλλο καὶ οὐχὶ ἄρνησίς ἐστιν περιφανὴς καὶ ἀθέτησις τῆς εἰς τὸν κύριον πίστεως, σαφῶς τοῦ ἀποστόλου λέγοντος τοὺς ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ μόνον ἐν Χριστῷ ἠλπι κότας ἐλεεινοτάτους ἁπάντων εἶναι; εἰ οὖν ζωὴ μὲν ὁ κύ ριος, οὐκ αἰώνιος δέ, πρόσκαιρος πάντως ἐστὶν ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἐφήμερος ἡ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα χρόνον ἐνεργουμένη, <ἐν> ᾗ τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ὁ ἀπόστολος κατοικτίζεται ὡς τῆς ἀλη θινῆς ἀφαμαρτόντας ζωῆς. 3.8.19 Ἀλλὰ μὴν τοῦτον διαβάντες οἱ κατ' Εὐνόμιον πεφω τισμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῖς λογισμοῖς φέρονται, ἐν τῷ ἔξω τοῦ μονογενοῦς θεωρουμένῳ τὴν αἰώνιον ἀναζη τοῦντες ζωήν. τί χρὴ λέγειν ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων κακῶν ἄλλο πλὴν εἴ τι θρῆνον ἐκκαλεῖται καὶ δάκρυον. ὢ πῶς ἂν ἐπιστενάξαιμεν τῇ δειλαίᾳ ταύτῃ καὶ ἐλεεινῇ γενεᾷ, τοιούτων δὲ κακῶν ἐξενεγκούσῃ φοράν; ἐθρήνησέ ποτε τὸν Ἰσραηλίτην λαὸν ὁ ζηλωτὴς Ἰερεμίας, ὅτε τῷ Ἰεχονίᾳ τῆςεἰδωλολατρείας καθηγουμένῳ πρὸς τὸ κακὸν συνεφρόνησαν καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς εἰς τὴν θρῃσκείαν παρανομίας τὴν εἰς Ἀσ συρίους