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being formed. And while his argument would have had force against the Arians, who consider the Son of God and the Holy Spirit created, so also later, by the Arians themselves, I mean those around Eudoxius and Menophilus and others, having been excommunicated, he argued before the emperor at that time, that “As they hold, I hold, as they all do; but what is true in me, they hide, and what I brilliantly reveal and confess, they all say the same things, but they hide it,” while the emperor at that time was not opposed to the Arian dramaturgy, but was supposedly considered pious. For refusing to confess the Son of God a creature, he was indignant and consigned him to exile, as has been indicated above. 4. From this the beginning of the heresy came to be and from one proposition the man, being lifted up in his mind into a great rush of evils, terribly wounded his own soul and the souls of those persuaded by him. For later he was inspired to say, both he and those who had been discipled by him, that, “Thus,” he says, “I know God most brilliantly and I know and understand him so much, that I do not know myself more than I know God.” And other things which we have heard concerning this, how terribly the devil contrived through him to destroy the souls of men who were enticed. For they are not concerned with solemnity of life, nor with fasts, nor with God’s commandments, nor with anything else of the things commanded by God for the life of men, but only their argument is at hand to grasp the whole by one saying; as if someone, having thrown overboard and made a complete ejection of the entire cargo from a ship, should hold on to one of the things loaded in the vessel, a piece of pottery I mean or something else, as if able to swim across the whole sea with one vessel 3.345 and procure salvation for himself, but when such a man slips and does not find the outcome he supposed concerning the vessel in his hand, later becoming submerged, so as to lose the whole enterprise and salvation; so also this Aetius and the Anomoeans from him, bringing forth the saying spoken by the Lord in the gospel, they relate the letter, but not holding its power correctly, he is deceived and they are deceived. For whenever someone meets them and reminds them about the commandments, they say this, as the saying said, that there is nothing else that God seeks from us, but that we should know him alone, as Christ also said, he says, when he said, “Give them, Father, to have life in themselves. And this is life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” For we have also heard some say that they heard clearly from him, as some were accused of being caught in an offense with a woman and were condemned by them. But he was not troubled about this, but even mocked it in vain, saying that such a thing is nothing; for the need and the service are of the body. For just as, he says, we are itchy around the ear, and I myself am ashamed to say all the things that that unclean man related, but taking, he says, a feather or a stalk, we scratch the ear and so we cease from the itchiness around the hearing, so also this, he says, happens according to nature, and if someone performs it, he does not sin. 5. And all such things the man, relating everything in a watery and evil manner, taught, so that from his very works it might be seen what he is, and that the Lord’s words might clearly illuminate for us, as he said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do they gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?” So also his audacity of foolishness in all things is refuted from here and there. As he raised his mouth with unbridled tongue against his own master, to blaspheme his own lord

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ἐκτυπούμενον. καὶ ὡς μὲν πρὸς Ἀρειανοὺς τοὺς κτιστὸν νομίζοντας τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἴσχυσεν ἂν ὁ τούτου λόγος, οὕτως καὶ ὕστερον ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν Ἀρειανῶν, φημὶ δὲ τῶν περὶ Εὐδόξιον καὶ Μηνόφιλον καὶ ἄλλους, καὶ ἀποσύνακτος γενόμενος διήλεγχεν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τότε, ὅτι «ὁποίως αὐτοὶ ἔχουσιν, ἐγὼ ἔχω, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ πάντες· ἀλλ' ὃ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀληθές, αὐτοὶ κρυπτάζουσι, καὶ ὃ ἐγὼ τηλαυγῶς ὑποφαίνω καὶ ὁμολογῶ, οὗτοι πάντες τὰ αὐτὰ λέγουσι, κρυπτάζονται δέ», τοῦ τότε βασιλέως οὐκ ἐναντίως ἔχοντος πρὸς τὴν Ἀρειανὴν δραματουργίαν, ἀλλὰ δῆθεν εὐσεβεῖν νομίζοντος. τὸ μὲν γὰρ κτίσμα ὁμολογεῖν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ παραιτούμενος ἠγανάκτει καὶ εἰς ὑπερορισμὸν αὐτὸν κατέταξεν, ὡς ἄνω προδεδήλωται. 4. Ἐντεῦθεν ἀρχὴ τῆς αἱρέσεως γεγένηται καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μιᾶς ὑποθέσεως εἰς πολλὴν κακῶν φορὰν ἀρθεὶς ὁ ἀνὴρ τὴν διάνοιαν, δεινῶς κατέτρωσεν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν αὐτῷ πεισθέντων. ἐφαντασιάσθη γὰρ οὗτος ὕστερον εἰπεῖν, αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μεμαθητευμένοι, ὅτι «οὕτως, φησί, τὸν θεὸν ἐπίσταμαι τηλαυγέστατα καὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτὸν ἐπίσταμαι καὶ οἶδα, ὥστε μὴ εἰδέναι ἐμαυτὸν μᾶλλον ὡς θεὸν ἐπίσταμαι». ἄλλα δὲ ὅσα περὶ τούτου ἀκηκόαμεν, καθὼς δεινῶς ὁ διάβολος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐμηχανήσατο ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων δελεασθέντων ἀπολέσαι. καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἄγεται αὐτοῖς περὶ βίου σεμνότητος, οὐ περὶ νηστειῶν, οὐ περὶ ἐνταλμάτων θεοῦ, οὐ περί τινος ἑτέρου τῶν εἰς ζωὴν ἀνθρώποις ἐκ θεοῦ προστεταγμένων, ἢ μόνον πρόχειρος αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος δι' ἑνὸς ῥήματος τὸ πᾶν κατασχεῖν· ὡς εἴ τις ἀπὸ νηὸς ῥίψας καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ παντὸς φόρτου ποιήσας, κατάσχῃ δὲ ἕν τι τῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ἐμβεβλημένων, κεράμου δέ φημι ἤ τινος ἑτέρου, ὡς δύνασθαι δι' ἑνὸς σκεύους τὸν πάντα πόντον 3.345 διανήξασθαι καὶ σωτηρίαν ἑαυτῷ προσπορίσασθαι, σφαλέντος δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου καὶ οὐχ ὡς ὑπελάμβανε περὶ τοῦ μετὰ χεῖρα σκεύους τὸ πέρας εὑρόντος, ὕστερον ὑποβρυχίου γεγονότος, ὡς ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς πάσης πραγματείας τε καὶ σωτηρίας· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ὁ Ἀέτιος καὶ οἱ ἐξ αὐτοῦ Ἀνόμοιοι εἰς μέσον φέροντες τὸ ῥητὸν τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ εἰρημένον τὴν μὲν λέξιν ὑφηγοῦνται, τὴν δὲ αὐτῆς δύναμιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς κατέχοντες σφάλλεται καὶ σφάλλονται. ὅταν γὰρ αὐτοῖς περιτύχοι τις καὶ περὶ ἐντολῶν ὑπομνήσειε, τοῦτο φάσκουσιν ὡς ἔφη τὸ ῥητὸν ὅτι οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ὃ ζητεῖ θεὸς παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἵνα γινώσκωμεν αὐτὸν μόνον, ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔφη, φησίν, ἐν τῷ λέγειν αὐτόν «δὸς αὐτοῖς, πάτερ, ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ζωήν. αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν». ἀκηκόαμεν γὰρ καί τινων λεγόντων ὡς παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐναργῶς ἀκηκόασιν, ὥς τινες κατηγοροῦντο ἐπὶ ἀτοπήματι γυναικὸς ἁλόντες καὶ κατεγινώσκοντο ὑπ' αὐτῶν. ὁ δὲ οὐδὲ περὶ τούτου χαλεπῶς ἔφερεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάτην ἐχλεύαζε, φάσκων μηδὲν εἶναι τὸ τοιοῦτον· σωματικὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ χρεία καὶ ἡ ὑπηρεσία. ὥσπερ γάρ, φησί, περὶ τὸ οὖς κνηθόμεθα καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν αἰδοῦμαι λέγειν ὅσαπερ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀκάθαρτος διηγήσατο, λαβόντες δέ, φησί, πτερὸν ἢ κάρφος τὸ οὖς κνηθόμεθα καὶ οὕτω παυόμεθα τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀκοὴν κνησμονῆς, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο, φησί, συμβαίνει κατὰ φύσιν καὶ εἴ τις ἐπιτελέσειεν, οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει. 5. Καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα ὁ ἀνὴρ διηγούμενος ὑδαρῶς τὰ πάντα καὶ κακῶς ἐδίδασκεν, ἵνα ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ὀφθῇ, τί μὲν οὗτός ἐστιν, οἱ δὲ τοῦ κυρίου λόγοι σαφῶς ἡμῖν καταυγάσωσιν, ὡς ἔλεγε «προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρπαγες. ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς. μή τι συλλέγουσιν ἀπὸ ἀκανθῶν σταφυλὰς ἢ ἀπὸ τριβόλων σῦκα;» οὕτω καὶ ἡ τούτου κατὰ πάντα τῆς ἀνοησίας τόλμα ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν διελέγχεται. ὡς μὲν κατὰ τοῦ δεσπότου αὐτοῦ ἀνέτεινε τὸ στόμα ἀθυρογλωττῶν, εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ κύριον βλασφημεῖν