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homonymous, even if one exceeds the other. For there is one who has made both and allotted to each, not a variation of name, but of substance. For in all created things the name of the creature is servile, not free. And if in one part the servile is worshipped, the worship will in no way differ from the other part, even if it is inferior; for it is equal to the highest, being related to the creature which has been allotted being from non-being by the one who is. Hence "unbegotten" is fitting for God and "God" for the unbegotten. Therefore we say the offspring is not a work nor a creation, but an offspring substantially and purely begotten from the Father, of one substance with the Father and worshipped with him, and the Holy Spirit from him and it is not alien, and therefore is also worshipped with them. But to any other of the created things the name "God" is not uttered jointly because it has been changed from unbegottenness, for it has been allotted being from non-being. But the Trinity possesses eternal being, and "God" is not one thing and "unbegotten" another. But you, Aetius, confess that the Son was begotten from the Father with irony, and not in truth. For everything that is begotten is not created, and what is created is not begotten. But if the begotten is created, it is created in another way, as for example, humans beget humans, but do not create them, while they themselves have been created from above by God; therefore by them what is begotten is begotten, but all things have been created by God. But since God is uncreated, having begotten a Son for himself and not created one, he does not beget something other than his own substance. How then will the offspring from him be created, when the Father is uncreated? But if the offspring is created by him, it is no longer called an offspring. And there is much contradiction against such a suspicion of absurdity. And it is unfitting for God to have ever been without a Son, and later to be called Father with a Son; and it is unfitting for the Son for there to be a time before him; for time will be greater than his majesty. But it is fitting3.409 for the Father always to have what is unfailing and eternal in the identity of their dignities. And that before God there was nothing, this is clear. Therefore "God", as Aetius said, and "unbegotten" signify the same thing, and somehow weaving for himself he accuses rather than establishes. For if "God" is with God, as indeed it is, "unbegotten" also accepts the begotten Son; for it contains "God" inclusively. But with the Father, from "God", is uttered jointly also "uncreated" and, honored with the Father, God the Word, even if this is not apparent to Aetius, since all creatures worship the Son and "every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is to the glory of God the Father," to whom be glory, to the Father in the Son with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. From Aetius, the farewell at the end. 54. 37. May God who is self-begotten, who for this reason alone was called the true God by the one who was sent, Jesus Christ, who truly existed before the ages and is truly of a begotten substance, keep you, men and women, in good health and away from impiety, in Christ Jesus our savior, through whom be all glory to God the Father, both now and always and for ever and ever. Amen. Refutation. And at the end Aetius, writing to his own company, whom he called "male and female athletes," did not abandon such wickedness of words, but even in his farewell demonstrated the alien character of his teaching. For he says, "May God who is self-begotten keep you in good health," not perceiving that in one word he has dissolved the whole of his implanted problem. For having spoken in the chapters above about the unbegotten God, he did not foresee * and that he did not make himself, here introducing to us a self-begotten. But every evil thought comes to be in forgetfulness of itself, so that it may be detected. Then he says, "who for this reason alone was called the true God." But according to his own word and thought, he either abolishes the 3.410 being of the Son as God, and slanders the name in vain,

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ὁμώνυμον, κἄν τε ὑπερτεταλάντισται τὸ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου. εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τὰ ἀμφότερα ποιήσας καὶ ἀποκληρώσας ἑκάστῳ, οὐκ ὀνόματος παραλλαγήν, ἀλλ' οὐσίας. ἐν ἅπασι γὰρ τοῖς κεκτισμένοις τὸ δοῦλόν ἐστι τοῦ κτίσματος τὸ ὄνομα, ἀλλ' οὐ τὸ ἐλεύθερον. καὶ εἰ ἐν ἑνὶ μέρει τὸ δοῦλον προσκυνεῖται, οὐδὲν διοίσει πρὸς τὸ ἄλλο μέρος ἡ προσκύνησις, κἄν τε ὑποβέβηκεν· ἴσον γάρ ἐστι τῷ ἀνωτάτω, συγγενειάζον τῷ κτίσματι τῷ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων παρὰ τοῦ ὄντος τὸ εἶναι κεκληρωμένῳ. ἐντεῦθεν τὸ ἀγέννητος συμπρέπει θεῷ καὶ τὸ θεὸς τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ. διὸ τὸ γέννημα οὐκ ἔργον φαμὲν οὐδὲ ποίημα, ἀλλὰ γέννημα οὐσιωδῶς ἀπὸ πατρὸς ἀχράντως γεγεννημένον, ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ καὶ συμπροσκυνητόν, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἀλλότριον, διὸ καὶ συμπροσκυνητόν. ἑτέρῳ δὲ τῶν κεκτισμένων τὸ θεὸς ὄνομα οὐ συνεκφωνεῖται διὰ τὸ μετηλλάχθαι τῆς ἀγεννησίας, ὅτι ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων κεκλήρωται τὸ εἶναι. ἡ δὲ τριὰς ἔχει τὸ ἀεὶ εἶναι καὶ οὐχ ἕτερον τὸ θεὸς καὶ ἕτερον τὸ ἀγέννητος. Συνομολογεῖς δέ, Ἀέτιε, τὸν υἱὸν ἐκ πατρὸς γεγεννῆσθαι εἰρωνείᾳ, καὶ οὐκ ἀληθείᾳ. πᾶν γὰρ τὸ γεννητὸν οὐ κτιστὸν καὶ τὸ κτιστὸν οὐ γεννητόν. εἰ δὲ τὸ γεννητὸν κτιστόν, κατ' ἄλλον τρόπον ἐστὶ κτιστόν, ὡς οἷόν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν, ἄνθρωποι γεννῶσιν ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλ' οὐ κτίζουσιν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἄνωθεν ἐκ θεοῦ εἰσι κεκτισμένοι· διὸ αὐτοῖς τὰ μὲν γεννώμενα γεγέννηται, παρὰ θεοῦ δὲ τὰ πάντα κέκτισται. θεοῦ δὲ ὄντος ἀκτίστου, γεννήσαντος δὲ ἑαυτῷ υἱὸν καὶ οὐ κτίσαντος, οὐχ ἕτερον γεννᾷ παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ οὐσίαν. πῶς οὖν ἔσται τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γέννημα κτιστόν, τοῦ πατρὸς ἀκτίστου ὑπάρχοντος; εἰ δὲ κτιστὸν παρ' αὐτῷ τὸ γέννημα, οὐκέτι γέννημα καλεῖται. καὶ πολλή ἐστι πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην τῆς ἀτοπίας ὑπόνοιαν ἀντιλογία. ἀπρεπὲς δὲ καὶ θεῷ τὸ εἶναί ποτε ἄνευ υἱοῦ, ὕστερον δὲ καλεῖσθαι πατέρα μετὰ υἱόν· καὶ ἀπρεπὲς τῷ υἱῷ τὸ εἶναι πρὸ αὐτοῦ χρόνον· ἔσται γὰρ ὁ χρόνος μείζων τῆς αὐτοῦ μεγαλειότητος. συμπρε3.409 πόντως δὲ πατρὶ τὸ ἀεὶ ἔχειν ἐν ταυτότητι τῶν ἀξιωμάτων τὸ ἀνέκλειπτον καὶ ἀΐδιον. καὶ ὅτι πρὸ θεοῦ οὐδὲν ἦν, δῆλον τοῦτο. τὸ θεὸς τοίνυν, ὡς ἔφη Ἀέτιος, καὶ τὸ ἀγέννητος ταυτόν ἐστι δηλοῦν, καί πως ἑαυτοῦ καταπλέκων κατηγορεῖ μᾶλλον δὲ ἤπερ συνίσταται. εἰ γὰρ σὺν θεῷ τὸ θεός, ὡς καὶ ἔστι, καὶ τὸ ἀγέννητος προσίεται τὸν γεννητὸν υἱόν· ἔχει γὰρ συμπεριειλημμένως τὸ θεός. συνεκφωνεῖται δὲ τῷ πατρὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεὸς καὶ ἄκτιστος καὶ σὺν πατρὶ τιμώμενος θεὸς λόγος, κἄν τε τῷ Ἀετίῳ τοῦτο μὴ παρίσταται, τῶν πάντων κτισμάτων υἱῷ προσκυνούντων καὶ «πάσης γλώσσης ἐξομολογουμένης ὅτι Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πατρός», ᾧ ἡ δόξα, πατρὶ ἐν υἱῷ σὺν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. Τοῦ Ἀετίου ἐν τῷ τέλει τὸ ἐρρῶσθαι. 54. ˉλˉζ. Ἐρρωμένους καὶ ἐρρωμένας ὑμᾶς ὁ ὢν αὐτογέννητος θεός, ὁ καὶ μόνος διὰ τοῦτο ἀληθινὸς θεὸς προσαγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποσταλέντος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὑποστάντος τε ἀληθῶς πρὸ αἰώνων καὶ ὄντος ἀληθῶς γεννητῆς ὑποστάσεως, διατηρήσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ πᾶσα δόξα τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί, καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. Ἀνατροπή. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τέλει ὁ Ἀέτιος γράφων τῷ ἑαυτοῦ θιάσῳ, οἷς ἔφη «ἀθληταῖς τε καὶ ἀθλητρίαις», οὐκ ἀπελίπετο τῆς τοιαύτης τῶν λόγων μοχθηρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐρρῶσθαι ἀπέδειξεν αὐτοῦ τῆς διδασκαλίας τὸ ἀλλότριον. φάσκει γὰρ «ἐρρωμένους ὑμᾶς ὁ ὢν αὐτογέννητος θεός», οὐ συνιδὼν ὅτι ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ ἔλυσε τὸ πᾶν τῆς αὐτοῦ ὑποσπορᾶς τοῦ ζητήματος. φήσας γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτάτω κεφαλαίοις περὶ ἀγεννήτου θεοῦ, οὐ προεῖδε * καὶ ὅτι οὔτε ἑαυτὸν ἐποίει, ἐνταῦθα αὐτογέννητον ἡμῖν παρεισάγων. πᾶσα δὲ κακὴ διάνοια ἐν λήθῃ ἑαυτῆς γίνεται, ὅπως φωραθείη. εἶτά φησιν, «ὁ καὶ μόνος διὰ τοῦτο ἀληθινὸς θεὸς προσαγορευθείς». κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτοῦ λόγον καὶ διάνοιαν ἢ ἀναιρεῖ τὸ 3.410 εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τὸ θεός, καὶ μάτην συκοφαντεῖ τὸ ὄνομα,