413

these things having happened and the peoples in the open country, so many myriads, still enduring affliction up to now, and for the sake of the blessed Constantius himself, who was led astray by them and was ignorant of the faith of orthodoxy and yielded to them as to priests through ignorance, being ignorant of the error of blindness and evil faith in them, which came from the devil's contrivance. 13. A second time, still, this serpentine workshop of theirs was strengthened through Eudoxius who crept in and again corrupted the hearing of Valens, the God-fearing, most pious, and God-loving emperor. For since he received the bath from him, through such a pretext these men were able to stand. Otherwise, they would have long ago been refuted even by women and children—I do not speak of the more perfect who know the whole precision of piety and right faith, but even by those who know some part of the truth, even if by chance—and being refuted they were persecuted by the ancients, as blasphemers of the Master and a kind of second deicides and rejecters of the divine perfection of our Lord Jesus; but through the protection of the emperor, which is their defense, * so as to attempt all the evils that have happened and still happen through them in Alexandria and in Nicomedia, in Mesopotamia, in Palestine by the protection of the same present emperor. 14. From this saying, therefore, which is written in the Proverbialist that "the Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works," from that point on everything is devised by them; they gather from the scriptures whatever can be consonant with the saying and in balance and can harmonize with it, though neither the saying itself nor the other words concerning the divinity of the Son of God affirm any such thing. But then, whatever is similar to these, what is written in the Apostle, "Consider the high priest of our confession, 3.164 who was faithful to him who made him," and what is written in the Gospel according to John, that "This is he of whom I said to you, 'He who comes after me has been before me'," and what is written in the Acts, that "Let it be known to you, all the house of Israel, that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ," and other things similar to these, † for wherever it is for observation, it is for defense against enemies. For they are truly enemies and treacherous. For perhaps about them and those like them it is written that "Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered." And they seem to be of the household, but no one is worse than household enemies, "for a man's enemies are all the men of his own house." And perhaps this too is fulfilled concerning these men. 15. For they leap up like rabid dogs for defense against enemies and he says: "How do you speak concerning the Son of God?" For these are their tricks for the introduction of their poison to the simple. And "What is there after this, after saying Son of God?" O "you who are wise in your own eyes and discerning in your own sight," and seem to be knowledgeable. What more could one add to the name of Jesus, unless he should say he is a genuine Son, being from the Father and not changed? Then immediately they leap up mockingly, saying: "How can he be from God?" And being asked: "Is he not a Son?", they confess "Son" in name, but deny it in power and thought, wishing to call him altogether illegitimate and not true. For if, he says, he is from God and God begot a Son from himself—that is to say, from his own hypostasis by nature or from his own substance—then did he swell or undergo cutting or in begetting expand or contract or suffer any of the things that happen according to bodily passions. And in everything they are mocking, reasoning about God from their own experiences and wishing to liken God to themselves. For in God there is nothing of such things; "for God is spirit," and from himself he begot the only-begotten 3.165 ineffably and incomprehensibly and purely. How then, he says, if from the

413

αὐτῶν γεγενημένων καὶ τῶν λαῶν τῶν ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ ἔτι δεῦρο τοσούτων μυριάδων θλῖψιν ὑπομενουσῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ μακαρίτου Κωνσταντίου τοῦ ὑπ' αὐτῶν πεπλανημένου καὶ ἀγνοήσαντος τὴν πίστιν τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας καὶ ὑπείξαντος αὐτοῖς ὡς ἱερεῦσι κατὰ ἄγνοιαν, ἀγνοήσαντος τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς πλάνην τῆς τυφλώσεως καὶ κακοπιστίας γενομένην ἐκ διαβόλου παρασκευῆς. 13. ∆εύτερον ἔτι ἐνίσχυσε τὸ τούτων ἑρπετῶδες ἐργαστήριον δι' Εὐδοξίου τοῦ ὑπεισδύντος καὶ παραφθείραντος τὴν ἀκοὴν πάλιν Οὐάλεντος τοῦ θεοσεβοῦς βασιλέως καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου καὶ θεοφιλοῦς. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ λουτρὸν ἐκομίσατο, διὰ τοιαύτης ὑποθέσεως ἠδυνήθησαν οὗτοι στῆναι. ἐπεὶ ἂν ἔκπαλαι καὶ ὑπὸ γυναικῶν καὶ παιδαρίων, οὐ λέγω περὶ τῶν ἐντελεστέρων τῶν τὴν πᾶσαν ἀκρίβειαν τῆς θεοσεβείας καὶ πίστεως τῆς ὀρθῆς ἐπιγινωσκόντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τι ἀπὸ μέρους κἂν τὸ τυχὸν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπισταμένων ἐλέγχοντο καὶ ἐλεγχόμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν παλαιῶν ἐδιώκοντο, ὡς βλάσφημοι δεσπότου καὶ δεύτεροι κυριοκτόνοι τινὲς καὶ ἀθετηταὶ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ ἐνθέου τελειότητος· διὰ δὲ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως προστασίας, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὑπερασπισμὸς αὐτῶν, * εἰς τὸ ἐπιχειρεῖν πάντα τὰ κακὰ ὅσα γέγονε καὶ ἔτι δι' αὐτῶν γίνεται ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ, ἐν Μεσοποταμίᾳ, ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ τῇ τοῦ αὐτοῦ παρόντος βασιλέως προστασίᾳ. 14. Ἐκ ταύτης οὖν τῆς λέξεως τῆς ἐν τῷ παροιμιαστῇ γεγραμμένης ὅτι «κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ», λοιπὸν τὰ πάντα αὐτοῖς ἐπινοεῖται· ὅσα τε δύναται σύμφωνα τῷ λόγῳ εἶναι καὶ ἰσορροπῆ καὶ δύναται συνᾴδειν ἐκ τῶν γραφῶν συνάγουσιν, οὔτε αὐτοῦ τοῦ λόγου οὔτε τῶν ἄλλων ῥημάτων περὶ τῆς θεότητος τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοιοῦτόν τι φασκόντων. ἀλλὰ λοιπὸν ὅσα ἐστὶ τούτοις ὅμοια, τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀποστόλῳ γεγραμμένον τὸ «δέξασθε τὸν ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν, 3.164 πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν», καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίῳ γεγραμμένον ὅτι «οὗτός ἐστι περὶ οὗ εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονε», καὶ τὸ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι γεγραμμένον ὅτι «γνωστὸν ὑμῖν ἔστω πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὃν ἐσταυρώσατε, καὶ κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησε» καὶ ἄλλα τούτοις ὅμοια, † ὅπου γὰρ εἰς παρατήρησιν, εἰς ἐχθρῶν ἄμυναν. ἐχθροὶ γάρ εἰσιν ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἐπίβουλοι. τάχα γὰρ περὶ αὐτῶν γέγραπται καὶ τῶν αὐτοῖς ὁμοίων ὅτι «ἀναστήτω ὁ θεὸς, καὶ διασκορπισθήτωσαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ». δοκοῦσι δὲ καὶ οἰκειακοὶ εἶναι οὐδεὶς δὲ χείρων οἰκειακῶν ἐχθρῶν «ἐχθροὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἅπαντες οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ». καὶ τοῦτο τάχα καὶ περὶ τούτων πληροῦται. 15. Ἀναπηδῶσι γὰρ ὡς λυσσητῆρες κύνες εἰς ἐχθρῶν ἄμυναν καί φησι· «πῶς λέγεις περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ;» ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστι τὰ τεχνάσματα τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς τοῦ δηλητηρίου αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἀφελεῖς. καὶ «τί ἔνι μετὰ ταῦτα, μετὰ τὸ λέγειν υἱὸν θεοῦ;» ὦ «συνετοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπιγνώμονες ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν» καὶ ἐπιστήμονες δοκοῦντες εἶναι. τί ἔτι προσθείη τις τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ, εἰ μὴ ὅτι υἱὸν γνήσιον λέγοι, ἐκ πατρὸς ὄντα καὶ οὐκ ἠλλοιωμένον; εἶτα εὐθὺς χλευαστικῶς ἀναπηδῶσι λέγοντες· «πῶς δύναται εἶναι ἐκ θεοῦ;» ἐρωτώμενοι δὲ ὅτι· «οὐκ ἔστιν υἱός;» τὸ μὲν υἱὸς ὀνόματι ὁμολογοῦσι, τῇ δὲ δυνάμει καὶ διανοίᾳ ἀρνοῦνται, νόθον αὐτὸν παντάπασι βουλόμενοι λέγειν καὶ οὐκ ἀληθινόν. εἰ γάρ, φησίν, ἐκ θεοῦ ἐστι καὶ ἐγέννησεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὁ θεὸς υἱόν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐξ ἰδίας ὑποστάσεως φύσει ἢ ἐκ ἰδίας οὐσίας, οὐκοῦν ὠγκώθη ἢ τομὴν ἐδέξατο ἢ ἐν τῷ γεννᾶν ἐπλατύνθη ἢ συνεστάλη ἤ τι τῶν κατὰ τὰ πάθη τὰ σωματικὰ ὑπέστη. καὶ τὸ πᾶν εἰσὶ χλευαζόμενοι, τὰ ἑαυτῶν εἰς τὸν θεὸν ἀναλογοῦντες καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν εἰκάσαι τὸν θεὸν βουλόμενοι. ἐν γὰρ θεῷ οὐδὲν ἔνι τῶν τοιούτων· «πνεῦμα γὰρ ὁ θεός», καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐγέννησε τὸν μονογενῆ 3.165 ἀρρήτως καὶ ἀκαταλήπτως καὶ ἀχράντως. πῶς οὖν, φησίν, εἰ ἐκ τῆς