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of the right and of the Holy Spirit teaching all sons of truth not to hold this in wonder of themselves, but to know it according to what is required and is inherent in himself of right reasoning towards piety concerning God. But if, because he is unbegotten, and this is confessed by us, * but not having from scripture the confirmation of the term’s designation, but from itself through right reasonings piety * knows this to be so. For what division of substance will there be of the unbegotten from the begotten, if in truth from being begotten he has the name by some natural and ineffable way, befitting God and the one begotten from him timelessly and without beginning in truth and not by some improper supposition? Hence we do not say the substance is created, nor alien as a maker, but begotten substantially and not different from the one who has begotten. Wherefore also he remains uncreated and not made, but begotten from the same substance of God, not subject to time. For the one who begot in truth was not subject to time, that he should bring into being a temporal substance. For of what kind is the offspring, such is the begetter, and of what kind is the begetter, such also is the one who has been begotten. 23. ˉ. If the unbegotten was begotten, what prevents the begotten from having become unbegotten? For every nature hastens rather from the alien to its own proper state. Refutation. If the unbegotten made the begotten and did not beget him, while the designation is assigned to a single identity and the one term is not extended to the other because of the true distinction, the force of the relationship stands in the difference of the other, communicating nothing to the one except only according to authority and the pre-eminent nature being the cause for all that was created by it. But since between the maker and the made and the created and the being-created there is some other designation, approaching the 3.371 unbegotten name, but being distant from the created name, it is impossible to confuse everything, O Aetius, and to abolish from yourself the communication of the perfect designation of the Son, who is always existing and uncreated in true relation to the Father. For it is impossible for the unbegotten and uncreated nature ever to become created, and from having been created, changing its mind again, to run back to its own unbegottenness, even if you weave for us ten thousand Aristotelian questions, having abandoned the simple and pure teaching of the Holy Spirit from above. 24. ˉζ. If God is not wholly unbegotten, nothing prevents him from having begotten substantially. But if he is wholly unbegotten, he was not divided into generation substantially, but by authority he established an offspring. Refutation. Both God is wholly unbegotten and uncreated, and the one begotten from him is uncreated and his Holy Spirit which is belittled by you, O carnal Aetius and soulish one who are judged spiritually, having in a unique way what is exceptional from him, not being compared to the many, those created from him and through him and by him. Therefore he will neither share in all things nor would anyone share in his dignity. For everything flies past and withdraws, and leaves every syllogistic cause * to the teaching word from divine scripture, to the “no one knows the Son, except the Father, nor the Father, except the Son, and to whomever he may reveal him.” And he reveals through the Holy Spirit not to those who reason about him, but to those who have genuinely and perfectly believed in him. For you would be able to neither “search out his judgments” nor “will you trace his ways,” according to what is written, even if you come to us chattering ten thousand times, you pitiful little man in my opinion. 25. 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 an offspring, his substance is not immutable, since the change effected the formation of the Son; but if it were also immutable

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τῆς ὀρθῆς καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου διδάσκοντος πάντας υἱοὺς ἀληθείας ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν μὴ ἐν θαυμασμῷ τοῦτο ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ἀπαιτούμενον καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὑπάρχον τοῦ ὀρθοῦ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν λογισμοῦ περὶ θεοῦ εἰδέναι. εἰ δὲ διὰ τὸ ἀγέννητον αὐτὸν εἶναι, συνομολογεῖσθαι δὲ ἀφ' ἡμῶν τοῦτο, * ἀπὸ γραφῆς δὲ μὴ ἔχειν τῆς ὀνομασίας τοῦ λόγου τὴν σύστασιν, ἀλλ' ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς διὰ τῶν ὀρθῶν λογισμῶν τὴν εὐσέβειαν * ταύτην εἰδέναι τὸ οὕτως εἶναι. εἰς τί γὰρ οὐσίας ἔσται διάστασις τοῦ ἀγεννήτου πρὸς τὸ γεννηθέν, εἰ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἐκ τοῦ γεγεννῆσθαι ἔχει τὸ ὄνομα φυσικῇ τινι καὶ ἀρρήτῳ, συμπρεπούσῃ τῷ θεῷ καὶ τῷ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγεννημένῳ ἀχρόνως καὶ ἀνάρχως ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ οὐ καταχρηστικῇ τινι ὑπονοίᾳ; ἐντεῦθεν οὐ κτιστήν φαμεν τὴν οὐσίαν, οὐδὲ ἀλλοτρίαν ὡς ποιητήν, ἀλλὰ γεννητὴν οὐσιωδῶς καὶ οὐκ ἀλλοίαν παρὰ τὸν γεγεννηκότα. διὸ καὶ ἄκτιστος διαμένει καὶ οὐ ποιηθεῖσα, ἀλλὰ γεννηθεῖσα ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας θεοῦ, οὐ χρόνῳ ὑποπίπτουσα. οὐ γὰρ ὁ γεννήσας ἐν ἀληθείᾳ χρόνῳ ὑπέπεσεν, ἵνα χρονικὴν ὑποστήσεται οὐσίαν. ὁποῖον γάρ ἐστι τὸ γέννημα, τοιοῦτος ὁ γεννήτωρ, καὶ ὁποῖος ὁ γεννήτωρ, τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ γεγεννημένος. 23. ˉ. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον ἐγεννήθη, τί κωλύει τὸ γεννητὸν ἀγέννητον γεγονέναι; μᾶλλον γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνοικείου ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτῆς οἰκεῖον ἐπείγεται πᾶσα φύσις. Ἀνατροπή. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον τὸ γεννητὸν ἐποίησε καὶ οὐκ ἐγέννησεν, ἐπὶ τῆς μιᾶς ταυτότητος ταττομένης τῆς ὀνομασίας καὶ θατέρου θατέρῳ μὴ παρεκτεινομένου διὰ τὴν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀντωνυμίαν, ἡ δύναμις τῆς σχέσεως ἐπὶ θατέρου διαφωνίᾳ ἕστηκε μηδὲν πρὸς τὸ ἕτερον ἐπικοινωνοῦντος ἢ μόνον κατὰ τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τῆς προκριτέας φύσεως αἰτίου οὔσης πρὸς πᾶν τὸ ὑπ' αὐτῆς κεκτισμένον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ποιητικοῦ καὶ ποιουμένου καὶ κτιστοῦ καὶ κτιζομένου ἄλλη τίς ἐστιν ὀνομασία, ἐγγίζουσα μὲν τῷ 3.371 ἀγεννήτῳ ὀνόματι, μακρυνομένη δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ κτιστοῦ ὀνόματος, ἀδύνατόν ἐστι πάντα συγχέειν, ὦ Ἀέτιε, καὶ ἀφανίζειν ἀπὸ σαυτοῦ τῆς τελείας κατὰ ἀληθινὴν σχέσιν υἱοῦ πρὸς πατέρα ἀεὶ ὄντος καὶ ἀκτίστου ὀνομασίας ἐπικοινωνίαν. ἀδύνατον γάρ ἐστι τὴν ἀγέννητον καὶ ἄκτιστον φύσιν κτιστήν ποτε γενέσθαι, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ κεκτίσθαι πάλιν μεταμεληθεῖσαν ἀναδραμεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτῆς ἀγεννησίαν, κἄν τε μυρία ἡμῖν πλέκῃς Ἀριστοτελικὰ ζητήματα, καταλείψας τὴν ἄνωθεν ἁπλῆν καὶ ἁγνὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἁγίου διδασκαλίαν. 24. 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. Ἀνατροπή. Καὶ ὅλος θεὸς ἀγέννητος καὶ ἄκτιστος, καὶ ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγεννημένος ἄκτιστος καὶ τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα τὸ παρὰ σοῦ σμικρυνόμενον, σαρκικὲ Ἀέτιε καὶ ψυχικὲ πνευματικῶς ἀνακρινόμενε, μονοειδῶς ἔχον τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξαίρετον, μὴ ἀπεικαζόμενον τοῖς πολλοῖς, τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κεκτισμένοις. διὸ οὔτε κοινωνήσει τοῖς πᾶσιν οὔτε τις αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀξιώματι ἐπικοινωνήσειεν. πάντα γὰρ παρίπταται καὶ ὑποχωρεῖ, καὶ καταλιμπάνει πᾶσαν αἰτίαν συλλογιστικὴν * τῷ ἀπὸ τῆς θείας γραφῆς διδασκαλικῷ λόγῳ, τῷ «οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὸν υἱόν, εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ, οὐδὲ τὸν πατέρα, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός, καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν ἀποκαλύψῃ». ἀποκαλύπτει δὲ δι' ἁγίου πνεύματος οὐ τοῖς αὐτὸν συλλογιζομένοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν γνησίως καὶ τελείως πεπιστευκόσι. καὶ γὰρ οὔτε «τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ ἐρευνῆσαι» δυνηθείης οὐδὲ «τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐξιχνιάσεις», κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, κἄν τε μυρία ἡμῖν ἔλθῃς φλυαρῶν, ἐλεεινὸν κατ' ἐμὲ ἀνθρωπάριον. 25. 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 λέγεται, οὐκ ἀμετάβλητος ἡ οὐσία αὐτοῦ, τῆς μεταβολῆς ἐργασαμένης τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ εἰδοποίησιν· εἰ δὲ εἴη καὶ ἀμετάβλητος