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in substance and divinity, as in the case of "unwrathful," not because of not being angry, but because of being unwrathful-in-itself, and "unbegotten" because of being unbegotten-in-itself, and even if the son is begotten from the unbegotten, the word based on privation being applied in vain to the incomparable one in relation to others, according to the mind of this one who suggests it. For neither are other things made equal to the one who has been begotten, nor does the unbegotten one impart consubstantiality to created things, not with the impossible being predicated of the possible, but with impossible things not being extended to the possible one, because of the preeminence of the one God and of his only-begotten Son from him, with the Holy Spirit. 37. ˉκ. If privations are removals of states, then "unbegotten" in God is either a privation of a state or a state of privation. But if it is a privation of a state, how could that which is not present be numbered with God as if it were present? And if "unbegotten" is a state, it is necessary to presuppose a begotten substance, so that in this way, having acquired a state, it may be called unbegotten. And if the begotten shared in unbegotten substance, having undergone the loss of a state, it has been deprived of unbegottenness. Therefore, the substance would be begotten, and "unbegotten" a state. And if what is begotten is indicative of a coming into being, it is clear that it is significant of a state, whether it has been refashioned from some substance, or whether this is what is called begotten. Refutation. Now, having already allied himself greatly on the hypothesis of privation with those who are alien to the faith, Aetius himself, just like them, has armed himself against the faith, saying nothing from faith nor remembering the saying against those who utter empty words from themselves 3.388 and do not hold fast to the beginning of the faith, as the word says refutingly to them: "I said in my ecstasy, 'Every man is a liar,'" along with "I was greatly humbled." But now, being occupied again with the same things, putting forward a burden of the naming of privation and of state and of syllogisms of fallible human supposition, and being spiritually discerned, he refrains from checking his own impulse that comes from human * cunning, from which he attempts to say what he wishes about God. But he compels even us, although we have discussed much about privatives, to persist again in the same things and to be occupied in the refutations against him. And indeed the refutation before this one was sufficient, being able to be brought against both on account of the consistency and homonymy of his syllogistic argument. But since it is necessary neither to leave an iron-mouthed horse unbridled, even if it is carried toward chasms, nor even if it has already been checked from its impulse, nor to concede to a man saying the same things against the faith and not to speak against him, we will say again in response to the point that, "if privations are removals of states, then 'unbegotten' in God is either a privation of a state or a state of privation," and again "if it is a privation of a state, how could that which is not present be numbered with God as if it were present?" And if you think about God in this way or that *, O Aetius, and conjecture states concerning God, your thought will be deprived. For whatever things ascend in your heart to ascribe to God, except only to believe and to wonder exceedingly and to glorify with the whole mind, you will be convicted of being unable to reason about God or his Son or his Holy Spirit, lest God convict you and you become a liar, according to what is written. For in us both states and wills and thoughts are fallible, since we are of such a nature and substance. But the nature and substance of God is spoken of, and it is not right, because we hear "nature" and "nature," and "substance" and "substance," to compare the incomparable God to our nature. So also in all things that you might say about God, O Aetius, he is wholly uncompounded, incomparable, perfect in himself, in need of nothing; for he is self-perception and self-will. Therefore, having incomparably begotten an incomparable only-begotten Son, he neither deprived himself of his own 3.389 substance nor did he deprive of his own worth

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οὐσίᾳ τε καὶ θεότητι, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀόργητος οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ὀργίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ αὐτοαόργητον, καὶ τὸ ἀγέννητος διὰ τὸ αὐτοαγέννητον, κἄν τε ὁ υἱὸς γεννητὸς εἴη ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγεννήτου, τῆς κατὰ στέρησιν λέξεως ματαίως κειμένης ἐπὶ τῷ ἀσυγκρίτῳ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους κατὰ τὸν νοῦν τούτου τοῦ ὑποβάλλοντος. οὔτε γὰρ τὰ ἄλλα τῷ γεγεννημένῳ ἰσάζεται οὔτε ὁ ἀγέννητος τοῖς κεκτισμένοις τὸ ὁμοούσιον μεταδίδωσιν οὐκ ἀδυνάτου τοῦ δυνατοῦ κατηγορουμένου, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀδυνάτων πρὸς τὸν δυνατὸν μὴ ἐπεκτεινομένων, διὰ τὸ ἐξαίρετον τοῦ ἑνὸς θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. 37. 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. Ἀνατροπή. Ἤδη μὲν οὖν περὶ στερητικῆς ὑποθέσεως πολλὰ συμμαχεσάμενος ὁ Ἀέτιος τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως ἀλλοτρίοις καὶ αὐτὸς ἴσα ἐκείνων κατὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐξωπλίσατο, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ πίστεως λέγων οὐδὲ μεμνημένος τοῦ ῥητοῦ τοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν κενοφωνοῦντας 3.388 καὶ οὐ κρατοῦντας τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς πίστεως, ὡς πρὸς αὐτοὺς διελεγκτικῶς ὁ λόγος φησίν «εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου, πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης» μετὰ καὶ τοῦ «ἐταπεινώθην σφόδρα». νῦν δὲ αὖθις τοῖς αὐτοῖς κατατριβόμενος, στερήσεως ὀνομασίας τε καὶ ἕξεως καὶ συλλογισμῶν ἀνθρωπίνης σφαλερᾶς ὑπονοίας φόρτον προβαλλόμενος καὶ πνευματικῶς ἀνακρινόμενος ἑαυτοῦ φείδεται ἀνακόψαι τὸ ἴδιον ὅρμημα τῆς ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης * πανουργίας, ἀφ' ἧς περὶ θεοῦ λέγειν ἐπιχειρεῖ ἃ βούλεται. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς καίπερ πολλὰ περὶ στερητικῶν διαλεχθέντας ἀναγκάζει πάλιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐμμένειν καὶ ἐν ταῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνατροπαῖς κατατρίβεσθαι. καὶ ἦν μὲν ἱκανὴ ἡ πρὸ ταύτης ἀνατροπή, δυναμένη διὰ τὸ ὁμόρροπον καὶ ὁμώνυμον τοῦ συλλογιστικοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου κατὰ τῶν ἀμφοτέρων φέρεσθαι. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ δεῖ μήτε ἵππον σιδηρόστομον ἀχαλίνωτον ἐᾶν, κἄν τε κατὰ βαράθρων φέρηται, κἄν τε ἀπὸ τοῦ ὁρμήματος ἤδη ἀνεκρούσθη, οὔτε ἀνδρὶ κατὰ τῆς πίστεως τὰ αὐτὰ λέγοντι συγχωρεῖν καὶ μὴ πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγειν, αὖθις ἐροῦμεν πρὸς τὸ ὅτι, «εἰ μὲν αἱ στερήσεις ἕξεών εἰσιν ἀφαιρέσεις, τὸ ἐπὶ θεοῦ ἀγέννητον ἤτοι στέρησίς ἐστιν ἕξεως ἢ ἕξις στερήσεως», καὶ πάλιν «εἰ μὲν στέρησίς ἐστιν ἕξεως, πῶς ἂν τὸ μὴ προσὸν ὡς προσὸν τῷ θεῷ συναριθμηθήσεται;» Καὶ εἰ τοιούτως ἢ τοιούτως * περὶ θεοῦ σε διανοεῖσθαι, ὦ Ἀέτιε, καὶ ἕξεις περὶ τὸν θεὸν τοπάζειν, ἔσται σοὶ μὲν ἡ διάνοια στερισκομένη. ὅσα γὰρ δ' ἂν ἐπαναβῇ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου πρὸς θεὸν ἀποτίθεσθαι, πλὴν μόνου τοῦ πιστεύειν καὶ ὑπερθαυμάζειν καὶ ἐξ ὅλης διανοίας δοξάζειν, ἐλεγχθήσῃ θεὸν μὲν μὴ δυνάμενος συλλογίζεσθαι μήτε τὸν αὐτοῦ υἱὸν μήτε τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα, ἵνα μή σε ὁ θεὸς ἐλέγξῃ καὶ ψεύστης γένῃ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. ἐν ἡμῖν γὰρ καὶ ἕξεις καὶ τὰ θελήματα καὶ αἱ διάνοιαι σφαλεραί, ἐπειδὴ φύσεώς ἐσμεν καὶ οὐσίας τοιαύτης. φύσις δὲ λέγεται καὶ οὐσία θεοῦ, καὶ οὐ παρὰ τὸ φύσιν καὶ φύσιν ἡμᾶς ἀκούειν καὶ οὐσίαν καὶ οὐσίαν χρὴ τὸν ἀσύγκριτον θεὸν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ συγκρίνειν φύσει. οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐὰν εἴπῃς περὶ θεοῦ, ὦ Ἀέτιε, αὐτὸ ὅλον ἐστὶν ἀσύμπλοκον, ἀσύγκριτον, τέλειον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, μὴ ἐπιδεόμενόν τινος· αὐτοαίσθησις γάρ ἐστι καὶ αὐτοθέλημα. διὸ ἀσύγκριτον μονογενῆ υἱὸν ἀσυγκρίτως γεννήσας οὔτε αὐτὸς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐστέρηται 3.389 οὐσίας οὔτε τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀξίας ἐστέρησε