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being God, which is he of himself? 20. If privations are removals of states, then 'unbegotten' in the case of God is either a privation of a state or a state of privation. But if it is a privation of a state, how can that which is not present be counted with God as if it were present? But if 'unbegotten' is a state, it is necessary to presuppose a begotten substance, so that in this way, having acquired a state, it might be called unbegotten. But if the begotten participated in unbegotten substance, having undergone the loss of a state, it is deprived of unbegottenness. The substance, then, would be begotten, and 'unbegotten' a state. But if 'offspring' indicates a transition, it is clear that it signifies a state, whether it has been transformed from some substance, or whether this is what is called offspring. 21. If 'unbegotten' is a state and 'begotten' is a state, then substances are prior to states, but states, although secondary to substances, are nevertheless more honorable. But if the unbegotten is the cause of the begotten, the offspring, signifying being and contributing the cause to its own substance, is indicative of substance and not of a state; and since the unbegotten nature contributes nothing to itself, how could the unbegotten nature not be a substance, but a state? 3.357 22. If every substance is unbegotten, like that of God the Almighty, how could one call one passible and the other impassible? But if by apportionment of an unbegotten nature one remains superior to quantity and quality and, simply put, all change, while the other is subject to passions, and having been conceded to have the unchangeable as its substance by the spontaneous allowance of the loving one according to what was said before, it would at least follow to call the creating one unbegotten, and the changing one begotten. 23. If the unbegotten nature is the cause of that which has come to be, but the unbegotten were nothing, how could nothing be the cause of that which has come to be? 24. If 'unbegotten' is a privation, and privation is the loss of a state, and the loss either perishes completely or is transferred to another, how is it possible for the substance of God to be named by the appellation 'unbegotten', which is a state that is being transferred or perishing? 25. If 'unbegotten' denotes a privation not belonging to God, how do we say that he is unbegotten, but not that he is not begotten? 20. If 'unbegotten' is a mere name in the case of God, but the mere utterance exalts the hypostasis of God above all begotten things, then human utterance is more honorable than the hypostasis of the Almighty, having adorned God the Almighty with an incomparable superiority. 27. If a cause is associated with every begotten thing, but the unbegotten nature is uncaused, 'unbegotten' does not indicate a cause, but signifies a hypostasis. 3.358 28. If everything that has come to be has come to be from another, but the unbegotten hypostasis has come to be neither from itself nor from another, 'unbegotten' must indicate substance. 29. If the unbegotten hypostasis is implied as cause in the substance of the offspring, possessing unchangeableness over every cause, it is an incomparable self-substance, not implying the unapproachable from without, but being itself incomparable and unapproachable, since it is also unbegotten. 30. If the Almighty transcends all nature, he transcends it because he is unbegotten, which is the cause of permanence for begotten things. But if 'unbegotten' is not indicative of substance, whence would the nature of begotten things have its preservation? 31. If nothing of the invisible things pre-exists itself seminally, but abides in an allotted nature, how does the unbegotten God, being free from allotment, now see his own substance as secondary in an offspring, and now as primary in the unbegotten, according to the order of first and second? 32. If God abides in an unbegotten nature, let the knowledge of himself in generation and unbegottenness be taken away. But if it is granted that he extends his own substance in the unbegotten and the begotten, he is ignorant of his own substance, being led about by generation and unbegottenness. But if the begotten has also partaken of the participation of the unbegotten, and abides endlessly in a begotten nature, in which nature it continues

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ὄντος θεόν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν αὐτὸν ἑαυτοῦ; ˉκ. Εἰ αἱ στερήσεις ἕξεών εἰσιν ἀφαιρέσεις, τὸ ἐπὶ θεοῦ ἀγέννητον ἤτοι στέρησίς ἐστιν ἕξεως ἢ ἕξις στερήσεως. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν στέρησίς ἐστιν ἕξεως, πῶς ἂν τὸ μὴ προσὸν ὡς προσὸν τῷ θεῷ συναριθμηθήσεται; εἰ δὲ ἕξις ἐστὶ τὸ ἀγέννητον, ἀνάγκη προϋποθέσθαι γεννητὴν οὐσίαν, ἵν' οὕτως ἕξιν προσλαβοῦσα ἀγέννητος ὀνομάζηται. εἰ δὲ ἡ γεννητὴ ἀγεννήτου οὐσίας μετέσχεν, ἕξεως ὑπομείνασα ἀποβολὴν ἀγεννησίας ἐστέρηται. εἴη ἂν οὖν οὐσία μὲν γεννητή, τὸ δὲ ἀγέννητον ἕξις. εἰ δὲ τὸ γέννημα παρόδου ἐστὶ δηλωτικόν, δῆλον ὅτι ἕξεώς ἐστι σημαντικόν, ἄν τε μεταπέπλασται ἐξ οὐσίας τινός, ἄν τε τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ λέγεται, γέννημα. ˉκˉα. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον ἕξις καὶ τὸ γεννητὸν ἕξις, αἱ μὲν οὐσίαι τῶν ἕξεων πρῶται, αἱ δὲ ἕξεις τῶν οὐσιῶν, εἰ καὶ δεύτεραι, ἀλλ' οὖν γε προτιμότεραι. εἰ δὲ τὸ ἀγέννητον τοῦ γεννητοῦ αἴτιόν ἐστι, τὸ εἶναι σημαῖνον τὸ γέννημα συνεισφέρον τῇ ἑαυτοῦ οὐσίᾳ τὸ αἴτιον, οὐσίας ἐστὶ δηλωτικὸν τὸ γέννημα, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἕξεως· τῆς δ' ἀγεννήτου φύσεως οὐδὲν ἑαυτῇ συνεισαγούσης, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴη οὐσία, ἀλλ' ἕξις ἡ ἀγέννητος φύσις; 3.357 ˉκˉβ. Εἰ πᾶσα οὐσία ἐστὶν ἀγέννητος, οἷα ἡ θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος, πῶς ἂν τὴν μὲν παθητὴν ἐρεῖ τις, τὴν δὲ ἀπαθῆ; εἰ δὲ φύσεως ἀποκληρώσει ἀγεννήτου ἡ μὲν διαμένει ποσότητος καὶ ποιότητος καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν πάσης μεταβολῆς ἀμείνων, ἡ δὲ παθῶν ἐστιν ὑπεύθυνος, συγχωρηθεῖσα δὲ τὸ ἀπαράλλακτον εἰς οὐσίαν ἔχειν τῷ αὐτομάτως ἐπιτρέψαι τὸν φιλοῦντα κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα, ἦν τὸ γοῦν ἀκόλουθον τὴν μὲν ποιοῦσαν ἀγέννητον εἰπεῖν, γεννητὴν δὲ τὴν μεταβαλλομένην. ˉκˉγ. Εἰ τῆς γενομένης ἡ ἀγέννητος φύσις ἐστὶν αἰτία, τὸ δὲ ἀγέννητον μηδὲν εἴη, πῶς ἂν εἴη αἴτιον τὸ μηδὲν τοῦ γεγονότος; ˉκˉδ. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον στέρησις, ἡ δὲ στέρησις ἕξεως ἀποβολή ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ ἀποβολὴ παντελῶς ἀπόλλυται ἢ μεθίσταται ἐφ' ἕτερον, πῶς οἷόν τε ἕξει μεθισταμένῃ ἢ ἀπολλυμένῃ κατονομάζεσθαι τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, τῇ τοῦ ἀγεννήτου προσηγορίᾳ; ˉκˉε. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον δηλοῖ στέρησιν μὴ προσοῦσαν τῷ θεῷ, πῶς αὐτὸν ἀγέννητον εἶναι λέγομεν, γεννητὸν δὲ μὴ εἶναι; ˉκˉ. Εἰ ψιλὸν ὄνομά ἐστιν ἐπὶ θεοῦ τὸ ἀγέννητον, ἡ δὲ ψιλὴ προφορὰ τὴν ὑπόστασιν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαίρει κατὰ πάντων τῶν γεννητῶν, τιμιωτέρα ἄρα ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνθρώπων προφορὰ τῆς τοῦ παντοκράτορος ὑποστάσεως, ἀσυγκρίτῳ ὑπεροχῇ καλλωπίσασα θεὸν τὸν παντοκράτορα. ˉκˉζ. Εἰ παντὶ γεννητῷ αἰτία συγκεκλήρωται, ἀναίτιος δὲ ἡ ἀγέννητος φύσις, οὐκ αἰτίαν δηλοῖ τὸ ἀγέννητον, ἀλλ' ὑπόστασιν σημαίνει. 3.358 ˉκˉη. Εἰ πᾶν τὸ γεγονὸς ὑφ' ἑτέρου γέγονεν, ἡ δὲ ἀγέννητος ὑπόστασις οὔτε ὑφ' ἑαυτῆς οὔτε ὑφ' ἑτέρας γέγονεν, ἀνάγκη οὐσίαν δηλοῦν τὸ ἀγέννητον. ˉκˉθ. Εἰ τῇ τοῦ γεννήματος οὐσίᾳ συνεμφαίνεται ὡς αἰτία ἡ ἀγέννητος ὑπόστασις, κατὰ πάσης αἰτίας τὸ ἀπαράλλακτον ἔχουσα, αὐτοουσία ἐστὶν ἀσύγκριτος, οὐκ ἔξωθεν συνεμφαίνουσα τὸ ἀπρόσιτον, αὐτὴ δὲ ὑπάρχουσα ἀσύγκριτος καὶ ἀπρόσιτος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἀγέννητος. ˉλ. Εἰ ὑπεράγει πάσης φύσεως ὁ παντοκράτωρ, διὰ τὸ ἀγέννητον ὑπεράγει, ὅπερ ἐστὶν αἴτιον τοῖς γεννητοῖς διαμονῆς. εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔστιν οὐσίας δηλωτικὸν τὸ ἀγέννητον, πόθεν ἂν ἡ τῶν γεννητῶν φύσις ἕξει τὸ διασῴζεσθαι; ˉλˉα. Εἰ οὐδὲν τῶν ἀοράτων αὐτὸ ἑαυτοῦ σπερματικῶς προϋπάρχει, διαμένει δὲ ἐν φύσει ἀποκεκληρωμένῃ, πῶς ὁ ἀγέννητος θεός, ἐλεύθερος ἀποκληρώσεως ὑπάρχων, νῦν μὲν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οὐσίαν δευτέραν ἐν γεννήματι ὁρᾷ, νῦν δὲ προτέραν ἐν ἀγεννήτῳ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πρώτου καὶ δευτέρου τάξιν; ˉλˉβ. Εἰ διαμένει ἐν φύσει ἀγεννήτῳ ὁ θεός, τὸ ἐν γενέσει καὶ ἀγεννησίᾳ ἑαυτὸν εἰδέναι ἀφῃρήσθω. συγχωρουμένου δὲ ἐν ἀγεννήτῳ καὶ γεννητῷ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οὐσίαν παρατείνειν, αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ ἀγνοεῖ τὴν οὐσίαν, περιαγόμενος ὑπὸ γενέσεως καὶ ἀγεννησίας. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ γεννητὸν μετείληφε μετουσίας ἀγεννήτου, ἐν δὲ γεννητοῦ φύσει ἀτελευτήτως διαμένει, ἐν ᾗ μὲν διατελεῖ φύσει