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was begotten, but from a substance that gave it subsistence. For no pious reason permits the same substance to be both begotten and unbegotten. ˉ. If the unbegotten was begotten, what prevents the begotten from having become unbegotten? For every nature hastens from what is alien to what is proper to itself. ˉζ. If God is not wholly unbegotten, nothing prevents him from having begotten substantially. But if he is wholly unbegotten, he was not divided substantially into generation, but by his power he gave subsistence to an offspring. ˉη. If the unbegotten God is wholly generative, the begotten was not begotten substantially, since his whole substance has the property of begetting, but not of being begotten. But if the substance of God, having been transformed, is called offspring 3.354, his substance is not immutable, since the change effected the specific formation of the Son. But if the substance of God is both immutable and superior to generation, that which concerns the Son will be confessed as a mere appellation. ˉθ. If the offspring was seminally in the unbegotten God, after the generation, having received something from without, one might say it was made mature. The Son, therefore, is perfect not from that out of which he was begotten, but from that which he received. For things that receive congenitally, as though composed of them, are naturally disposed to accept the name of "perfect" in different ways. ˉι. If the offspring was perfect, it is an offspring in a begotten being and not from that out of which the unbegotten begot it. For it is not possible for a begotten nature to be in an unbegotten substance. For the same thing cannot both be and not be. For an unbegotten offspring does not exist, and being unbegotten it was not an offspring, since the concept of dissimilar parts in God implies a form of blasphemy and insolence. ˉιˉα. If God the Almighty, being of an unbegotten nature, does not know himself to be of a begotten nature, but the Son, being of a begotten nature, knows himself to be what he is, how would "consubstantial" not be a falsehood, since the one knows himself as unbegotten, and the other as begotten? ˉιˉβ. If "unbegotten" does not represent the hypostasis of God, but the incomparable name is a human concept, God is grateful to those who conceived it on account of the concept of "unbegotten," not bearing the superiority of the name in his substance. ˉιˉγ. If "unbegotten" is ascribed to God from without, those who ascribed it are better than the one to whom it was ascribed, having provided for him a name better than his nature. 3.355 ˉιˉδ. If the unbegotten nature does not yield to generation, this is what is said; but if it does yield to generation, the properties of generation would be better than the hypostasis of God. ˉιˉε. If the offspring is immutable in nature on account of the one who begot him, the unbegotten is an immutable substance, not by will, but by the dignity in its substance. ˉιˉ. If "unbegotten" is indicative of substance, it is reasonably contrasted with the substance of the offspring; but if "unbegotten" signifies nothing, much more does "offspring" indicate nothing. But how could nothing be contrasted with nothing? But if the utterance "unbegotten" is contrasted with the utterance "begotten," with silence succeeding the utterance, it follows that the hope of the Christians comes to be and ceases to be, since it lies in a different utterance, and not in natures that are such as the meaning of the names intends. ˉιˉζ. If "unbegotten" confers nothing more for the superiority of substance in relation to the offspring, the Son, being surpassed only in utterance, will know those who addressed him to be better than himself, not the one addressed as his God and Father. ˉιˉη. If the unbegotten substance is superior to generation, having its superiority from itself, it is unbegotten self-substance. For it is not by willing that it is superior to generation because it wills it, but because it is so by nature. Therefore God, being unbegotten substance itself, by no reason permits one to conceive of generation against himself, pushing every examination and every reasoning to be brought † against † begotten things. ˉιˉθ. If "unbegotten" is indicative of a privation in God, 3.356 and the unbegotten were nothing, what reason would take nothing away from that which is not? But if it signifies something that is, who would separate

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ἐγεννήθη, ἀλλ' ἐξ οὐσίας ὑποστησάσης αὐτό. τὴν γὰρ αὐτὴν οὐσίαν καὶ γεννητὴν εἶναι καὶ ἀγέννητον οὐδεὶς λόγος εὐσεβὴς ἐπιτρέπει. ˉ. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον ἐγεννήθη, τί κωλύει τὸ γεννητὸν ἀγέννητον γεγονέναι; μᾶλλον γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνοικείου ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτῆς οἰκεῖον ἐπείγεται πᾶσα φύσις. ˉζ. Εἰ μὴ ὅλος ὁ θεὸς ἀγέννητός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν κωλύει γεγεννηκέναι οὐσιωδῶς. εἰ δὲ ὅλος ἐστὶν ἀγέννητος, οὐκ οὐσιωδῶς εἰς γένεσιν διέστη, ἐξουσίᾳ δὲ ὑπέστησε γέννημα. ˉη. Εἰ ὅλος ἐστὶ γεννητικὸς ὁ ἀγέννητος θεός, οὐκ οὐσιωδῶς τὸ γεννηθὲν ἐγεννήθη, ὅλης ἐχούσης τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ τὸ γεννᾶν, ἀλλ' οὐ τὸ γεννᾶσθαι. εἰ δὲ μετασχηματισθεῖσα ἡ οὐσία τοῦ θεοῦ γέννημα 3.354 λέγεται, οὐκ ἀμετάβλητος ἡ οὐσία αὐτοῦ, τῆς μεταβολῆς ἐργασαμένης τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ εἰδοποίησιν. εἰ δὲ εἴη καὶ ἀμετάβλητος καὶ γενέσεως κρείττων ἡ οὐσία τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ κατὰ τὸν υἱὸν ἕως ψιλῆς προσηγορίας ὁμολογηθήσεται. ˉθ. Εἰ σπερματικῶς ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ θεῷ τὸ γέννημα, μετὰ τὴν γέννησιν ἔξωθεν προσλαβὸν ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις ἠνδρώθη. τέλειος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς οὐκ ἐξ ὧν ἐγεννήθη, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὧν προσέλαβε. τὰ γὰρ συγγενικῶς προσλαμβάνοντα ὡς ἐξ ἐκείνων συνεστῶτα τὸ τοῦ τελείου ὄνομα διαφόρως προσίεσθαι πέφυκεν. ˉι. Εἰ τέλειον ἦν τὸ γέννημα, ἐν γεννητῷ γέννημά ἐστι καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ὧν ὁ ἀγέννητος αὐτὸ ἐγέννησεν. γεννητὴν γὰρ φύσιν ἐν ἀγεννήτῳ οὐσίᾳ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται εἶναι. τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ εἶναί τε οὐκ ἔστι καὶ μὴ εἶναι. γέννημα γὰρ ἀγέννητον οὐκ ἔστι, καὶ ἀγέννητον ὂν γέννημα οὐκ ἦν, τοῦ ἀνομοιομεροῦς ἐπὶ θεοῦ βλασφημίας τύπον καὶ ὕβριν ἐπέχοντος. ˉιˉα. Εἰ ἀγεννήτου φύσεως ὑπάρχων θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ γεννητῆς φύσεως οὐκ οἶδεν ἑαυτόν, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς γεννητῆς φύσεως ὑπάρχων τοῦτο γινώσκει ἑαυτὸν ὅπερ ἐστί, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὸ ὁμοούσιον ψεῦδος, τοῦ μὲν γινώσκοντος ἑαυτὸν ἀγέννητον, τοῦ δὲ γεννητόν; ˉιˉβ. Εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀγέννητον τὴν ὑπόστασιν τοῦ θεοῦ παρίστησιν, ἀλλ' ἐπινοίας ἐστὶν ἀνθρωπίνης τὸ ἀσύγκριτον ὄνομα, χάριν τοῖς ἐπινοήσασι γινώσκει ὁ θεὸς διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀγεννήτου ἐπίνοιαν, τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος οὐ φέρων ἐν οὐσίᾳ. ˉιˉγ. Εἰ ἔξωθεν ἐπιθεωρεῖται τῷ θεῷ τὸ ἀγέννητον, οἱ ἐπιθεωρήσαντες τοῦ ἐπιθεωρηθέντος εἰσὶν ἀμείνους, κρεῖττον ὄνομα τῆς φύσεως αὐτῷ πορισάμενοι. 3.355 ˉιˉδ. Εἰ μὴ εἴκει ἡ ἀγέννητος φύσις γενέσει, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὃ λέγεται· εἰ δὲ εἴκει γενέσει, τὰ τῆς γενέσεως πάθη τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ θεοῦ εἴη ἀμείνω. ˉιˉε. Εἰ τὸ γέννημα ἄτρεπτον τὴν φύσιν ἐστὶ διὰ τὸν γεννήσαντα, τὸ ἀγέννητον οὐσία ἐστὶν ἄτρεπτος, οὐ διὰ γνώμην, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἐν οὐσίᾳ ἀξίωμα. ˉιˉ. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον οὐσίας ἐστὶ δηλωτικόν, εἰκότως πρὸς τὴν τοῦ γεννήματος οὐσίαν ἀντιδιαστέλλεται· εἰ δὲ μηδὲν σημαίνει τὸ ἀγέννητον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οὐδὲν δηλοῖ τὸ γέννημα. μηδενὶ δὲ μηδὲν πῶς ἂν ἀντιδιασταλείη; εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀγέννητος προφορὰ πρὸς τὴν γεννητὴν προφορὰν ἀντιδιαστέλλεται, σιωπῆς τὴν προφορὰν διαδεχομένης, γίνεσθαι συμβαίνει καὶ ἀπογίνεσθαι τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐλπίδα, ἐν διαφόρῳ προφορᾷ κειμένην, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν φύσεσιν οὕτως ἐχούσαις ὡς ἡ τῶν ὀνομάτων βούλεται σημασία. ˉιˉζ. Εἰ μηδὲν πλέον νέμει εἰς ὑπεροχὴν οὐσίας τὸ ἀγέννητον πρὸς τὸ γέννημα, προφορᾷ μόνον ὑπερεχόμενος ὁ υἱὸς βελτίους ἑαυτοῦ γνώσεται τοὺς προσαγορεύσαντας, οὐ τὸν προσαγορευθέντα θεὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ πατέρα. ˉιˉη. Εἰ ἡ ἀγέννητος οὐσία κρείττων ἐστὶ γενέσεως, οἴκοθεν ἔχουσα τὸ κρεῖττον, αὐτοουσία ἐστὶν ἀγέννητος. οὐ γὰρ βουλόμενος ὅτι βούλεται γενέσεώς ἐστι κρείττων, ἀλλ' ὅτι πέφυκεν. αὐτὸ οὖν ὑπάρχουσα οὐσία ἀγέννητος ὁ θεὸς οὐδενὶ λόγῳ ἐπιτρέπει καθ' ἑαυτῆς γένεσιν ἐπινοῆσαι, ὠθοῦσα φέρεσθαι † κατὰ † τῶν γεννητῶν πᾶσαν ἐξέτασιν καὶ πάντα λογισμόν. ˉιˉθ. Εἰ στερήσεώς ἐστι δηλωτικὸν ἐπὶ θεοῦ τὸ ἀγέννητον, 3.356 μηδὲν δὲ εἴη τὸ ἀγέννητον, ποῖος λόγος ἂν ἀφαιρήσειε τοῦ μὴ ὄντος τὸ μηδέν; εἰ δὲ ὂν σημαίνει, τίς ἂν χωρίσειεν