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as the argument is disobedient; for it does not keep to the proper course, like hot and spirited colts being carried away by the blasphemies of our opponents to the absurdities of the hypothesis. Therefore, he must be reined in when he runs wild beyond measure towards the construction of absurdities. The fair-minded hearer will certainly pardon what has been said, not attributing to us the absurdity arising from the examination, but to those who propose evil principles. But we must shift our consideration to another of the things 3.10.46 said. For he says that 20he makes God composite for us by positing the light as common, but separates the one from the other by certain properties and various differences. For that which is brought together in one commonality, but separated by certain differences and concurrences of properties, is no less composite20. To these things our response is brief and easy. For what he charges against our doctrines, if he does not establish it through his own words, we confess the charge against ourselves. For let us examine what has been written by him. He calls the Lord true light, and the Father unapproachable light. Therefore, he himself has confessed the commonality in respect to light, 3.10.47 by so naming each. And since the appellations are fittingly applied to the realities, as he has defined in many places, we do not understand the word "light" to be spoken of the divine nature as a bare sound without any meaning, but to be predicated of some subject. Therefore, by the commonality in name they also confess the identity of the things signified, since they have declared that things which have the same names do not have different natures. Since, then, the thing signified by "light" is one, the addition of "unapproachable" and "true" according to the argument of the heresy distinguishes what is common by what is particular, so that the light of the Father is understood as one thing, and that of the Son another, being distinguished from each other by their properties. Either, then, let him overturn his own words, so that he may not through them construct a composite deity, or let him not accuse us of these things, 3.10.48 which he sees in his own arguments. For the argument in no way harms the simplicity through these things, since commonality and property are not substance, so that the concurrence of these proves the subject to be composite. But the substance in itself remains whatever it is by nature, being that which it is; but that these things are among those conceived and contemplated about it, anyone partaking of reason would say, since even for us men it is possible to perceive something common of the divine nature, but not for this reason is divinity 3.10.49 humanity, or humanity divinity. For believing God to be good, we know that this name is also applied to man by the scripture. But the particular in the meaning of each divides the commonality that arises from the homonymy. For the one, being the source of goodness, is named from it, while the other, partaking of goodness, also partakes of the name; and God is not for this reason composite, because He shares with man the appellation of "good." Therefore from these things it is clearly confessed that the principle of commonality is one thing, and the principle of substance another, and no more for this reason is any composition and multiplicity constructed around the simple and unquantified nature, if any of the things contemplated should be seen in particularity or have its meaning in respect to something common. 3.10.50 But let us pass on, if you please, to another of the things said, bidding farewell to the intervening nonsense, with which, by diligently harping on the Aristotelian division of beings, he has worked out for our argument genera and species and differences and individuals and has brought forward all the technical jargon in the categories for the slander of our doctrines. Leaving these things, then, let us proceed to what is weighty and hard to contend with in his argument. For having invigorated his own argument with Demosthenic passion another Paeanian from Oltiseris has appeared to us, imitating the acrimony of the orator in the contest against us. And I will set forth the very words of the speech-writer word 3.10.51 for word. 20Yes20, he says,

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ὑπατακτοῦντος τοῦ λόγου· οὐ γὰρ ἐπιμένει τῷ καθήκοντι δρόμῳ, κατὰ τοὺς θερμούς τε καὶ θυμώδεις τῶν πώλων ταῖς τῶν ἀνταγωνιστῶν βλασφημίαις συνεκφερόμενος πρὸς τὰ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἄτοπα. οὐκοῦν καθεκτέον αὐτὸν πέρα τοῦ μέτρου πρὸς κατασκευὴν τῶν ἀτόπων ἀφηνιάζοντα. συγγνώσεται δὲ πάντως ὁ εὐγνώμων ἀκροατὴς ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, οὐχ ἡμῖν τὴν ἀνακύπτουσαν ἐκ τῆς ἐξετάσεως ἀτοπίαν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τὰς πονηρὰς ὑπο τιθεμένοις ἀρχὰς λογιζόμενος. ἡμῖν δὲ πρὸς ἕτερόν τι τῶν 3.10.46 εἰρημένων μετακτέον τὴν θεωρίαν. φησὶ γὰρ ὅτι 20καὶ σύνθετον ἡμῖν τὸν θεὸν ἀπεργάζεται τῷ κοινὸν μὲν ὑποθέσθαι τὸ φῶς, ἰδιότησι δέ τισι καὶ ποικίλαις διαφοραῖς θατέρου χωρίζειν θάτε ρον. σύνθετον γὰρ οὐδὲν ἧττον τὸ κοινότητι μιᾷ συνενηνεγμένον, διαφοραῖς δέ τισι καὶ συνδρομαῖς ἰδιωμάτων χωριζόμενον20. πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ βραχὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος καὶ εὐαπάλλακτος. ὃ γὰρ τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἐπεγκαλεῖ δόγμασιν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τῶν ἰδίων κατα σκευάζει λόγων, καθ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸ ἔγκλημα. σκεψώμεθα γὰρ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένα. φῶς ἀλη θινὸν ὀνομάζει τὸν κύριον, ἀπρόσιτον δὲ φῶς τὸν πατέρα. οὐκοῦν τὴν κατὰ τὸ φῶς κοινωνίαν καὶ αὐτὸς ὡμολόγησεν, 3.10.47 οὕτως ὀνομάσας ἑκάτερον. τῶν δὲ προσηγοριῶν προσφυῶς τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐφηρμοσμένων, καθὼς πολλαχῇ διωρίσατο, οὐ ψιλὴν νοοῦμεν τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν φωνὴν δίχα τινὸς διανοίας ἐπὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως λέγεσθαι, ἀλλά τινος ὑποκειμένου κατηγορεῖσθαι. οὐκοῦν τῇ κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα κοινωνίᾳ καὶ τὴν τῶν σημαινομένων ὁμολογοῦσι ταὐτότητα, ἐπείπερ ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα τὰ αὐτά, τούτων ἀπεφήναντο μηδὲ τὰς φύσεις ἑτέρως ἔχειν. ἑνὸς τοίνυν ὄντος τοῦ κατὰ τὸ φῶς σημαι νομένου ἡ τοῦ ἀπροσίτου καὶ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ προσθήκη κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως λόγον τὸ κοινὸν διορίζει τοῖς ἰδιάζουσιν, ὡς ἄλλο μὲν τὸ τοῦ πατρὸς φῶς, ἕτερον δὲ τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ νοηθῆναι, τοῖς ἰδιώμασιν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διακρινόμενα. ἢ τοίνυν ἀνατρεψάτω τὰ ἴδια, ἵνα μὴ σύνθετον δι' ὧν λέγει κατασκευάσῃ τὸ θεῖον, ἢ μηδὲ ἡμῶν ταῦτα κατηγορείτω, 3.10.48 ἅπερ ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις βλέπει λόγοις. οὐδὲν γὰρ τὴν ἁπλότητα διὰ τούτων ὁ λόγος λυμαίνεται, ἐπειδὴ κοινότης τε καὶ ἰδιότης οὐσία οὐκ ἔστιν, ὥστε τὴν συνδρομὴν τούτων σύν θετον ἀποδεικνύειν τὸ ὑποκείμενον. ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν οὐσία καθ' ἑαυτὴν ὅ τι ποτὲ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἐστὶ διαμένει, ἐκεῖνο οὖσα ὅπερ ἐστί· ταῦτα δὲ τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν νοουμένων τε καὶ θεωρουμένων εἶναι πᾶς τις ἂν εἴποι διανοίας μετέχων, ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔστι τι κοινὸν τῆς θείας φύσεως κατανοῆσαι, ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἀνθρωπότης 3.10.49 τὸ θεῖον ἢ θεότης ἐστὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. ἀγαθὸν γὰρ τὸν θεὸν εἶναι πιστεύοντες οἴδαμεν καὶ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπου τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα παρὰ τῆς γραφῆς τεταγμένον. ἀλλὰ διαιρεῖ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὁμωνυμίας κοινότητα τὸ ἰδιάζον ἐφ' ἑκατέρου τῆς ση μασίας. ὁ μὲν γὰρ πηγὴ τῆς ἀγαθότητος ὢν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὀνομάζεται, ὁ δὲ μετέχων τῆς ἀγαθότητος συμμετέχει καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος· καὶ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο σύνθετος ὁ θεός, ὅτι κοι νωνεῖ πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ προσηγορίας. οὐκοῦν φανερῶς ἐκ τούτων ὁμολογεῖται ὅτι ἄλλος ὁ τῆς κοινότητος καὶ ἄλλος ὁ τῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ λόγος, καὶ οὐδὲν μᾶλλον διὰ τοῦτο σύνθεσίς τις καὶ πολυμέρεια περὶ τὴν ἁπλῆν τε καὶ ἄποσον κατασκευάζεται φύσιν, εἴ τι τῶν ἐπιθεωρουμένων ἢ ἐν ἰδιότητι βλέποιτο ἢ κατὰ κοινοῦ τινος τὴν σημασίαν ἔχοι. 3.10.50 Ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἕτερον, εἰ δοκεῖ, τῶν εἰρημένων μετέλθωμεν τὸν διὰ μέσου λῆρον χαίρειν ἐάσαντες, ᾧ φιλοπόνως τὴν Ἀριστοτελικὴν τῶν ὄντων διαίρεσιν ἐπιθρυλῶν τῷ ἡμετέρῳ λόγῳ ἐξείργασται γένη καὶ εἴδη καὶ διαφορὰς καὶ ἄτομα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν ταῖς κατηγορίαις τεχνολογίαν ἐπὶ δια βολῇ τῶν ἡμετέρων δογμάτων προεχειρίσατο. ταῦτα τοίνυν ἐάσαντες ἐπὶ τὸ βαρὺ καὶ δυσανταγώνιστον αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ μετέλθωμεν. ∆ημοσθενικῷ γὰρ θυμῷ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λόγον τονώσας ἄλλος τις ἡμῖν ἐξ Ὀλτισήριδος Παιανιεὺς ἀνα πέφηνε, τὸ δριμὺ τοῦ ῥήτορος ἐν τῷ καθ' ἡμῶν ἀγῶνι μιμούμενος. ἐκθήσομαι δὲ κατὰ λέξιν αὐτὰ τοῦ λογο 3.10.51 γράφου τὰ ῥήματα. 20ναί20, φησίν,