§19. His acknowledgment that the Divine Being is ‘single’ is only verbal.

“Each Being has, in fact and in conception, a nature unmixed, single, and absolutely one as estimated by its dignity; and as the works are bounded by the energies of each operator, and the energies by the works, it is inevitable that the energies which follow each Being are greater in the one case than the other, some being of the first, others of the second rank.” The intention that runs through all this, however verbosely expressed, is one and the same; namely, to establish that there is no connexion between the Father and the Son, or between the Son and the Holy Ghost, but that these Beings are sundered from each other, and possess natures foreign and unfamiliar to each other, and differ not only in that, but also in magnitude and in subordination of their dignities, so that we must think of one as greater than the other, and presenting every other sort of difference.

It may seem to many useless to linger over what is so obvious, and to attempt a discussion of that which to them is on the face of it false and abominable and groundless: nevertheless, to avoid even the appearance of having to let these statements pass for want of counter-arguments, we will meet them with all our might. He says, “each being amongst them is unmixed, single, and absolutely one, as estimated by its dignity, both in fact and in conception.” Then premising this very doubtful statement as an axiom and valuing his own ‘ipse dixit’ as a sufficient substitute for any proof, he thinks he has made a point. “There are three Beings:” for he implies this when he says, ‘each being amongst them:’ he would not have used these words, if he meant only one. Now if he speaks thus of the mutual difference between the Beings in order to avoid complicity with the heresy of Sabellius, who applied three titles to one subject, we would acquiesce in his statement: nor would any of the Faithful contradict his view, except so far as he seems to be at fault in his names, and his mere form of expression in speaking of ‘beings’ instead of ‘persons:’ for things that are identical on the score of being will not all agree equally in definition on the score of personality. For instance, Peter, James, and John are the same viewed as beings, each was a man: but in the characteristics of their respective personalities, they were not alike. If, then, he were only proving that it is not right to confound the Persons, and to fit all the three names on to one Subject, his ‘saying’ would be, to use the Apostle’s words, ‘faithful, and worthy of all acceptation58    1 Timothy i. 15..’ But this is not his object: he speaks so, not because he divides the Persons only from each other by their recognized characteristics, but because he makes the actual substantial being of each different from that of the others, or rather from itself: and so he speaks of a plurality of beings with distinctive differences which alienate them from each other. I therefore declare that his view is unfounded, and lacks a principle: it starts from data that are not granted, and then it constructs by mere logic a blasphemy upon them. It attempts no demonstration that could attract towards such a conception of the doctrine: it merely contains the statement of an unproved impiety, as if it were telling us a dream. While the Church teaches that we must not divide our faith amongst a plurality of beings, but must recognize no difference of being in three Subjects or Persons, whereas our opponents posit a variety and unlikeness amongst them as Beings, this writer confidently assumes as already proved what never has been, and never can be, proved by argument: maybe he has not even yet found hearers for his talk: or he might have been informed by one of them who was listening intelligently that every statement which is made at random, and without proof, is ‘an old woman’s tale,’ and powerless to prove the question, in itself, unaided by any plea whatever fetched from the Scriptures, or from human reasonings. So much for this.

But let us still scrutinize his words. He declares each of these Beings, whom he has shadowed forth in his exposition, to be single and absolutely one. We believe that the most boorish and simple-minded would not deny that the Divine Nature, blessed and transcendent as it is, was ‘single.’ That which is viewless, formless, and sizeless, cannot be conceived of as multiform and composite. But it will be clear, upon the very slightest reflection, that this view of the supreme Being as ‘simple,’ however finely they may talk of it, is quite inconsistent with the system which they have elaborated. For who does not know that, to be exact, simplicity in the case of the Holy Trinity admits of no degrees. In this case there is no mixture or conflux of qualities to think of; we comprehend a potency without parts and composition; how then, and on what grounds, could any one perceive there any differences of less and more. For he who marks differences there must perforce think of an incidence of certain qualities in the subject. He must in fact have perceived differences in largeness and smallness therein, to have introduced this conception of quantity into the question: or he must posit abundance or diminution in the matter of goodness, strength, wisdom, or of anything else that can with reverence be associated with God: and neither way will he escape the idea of composition. Nothing which possesses wisdom or power or any other good, not as an external gift, but rooted in its nature, can suffer diminution in it; so that if any one says that he detects Beings greater and smaller in the Divine Nature, he is unconsciously establishing a composite and heterogeneous Deity, and thinking of the Subject as one thing, and the quality, to share in which constitutes as good that which was not so before, as another. If he had been thinking of a Being really single and absolutely one, identical with goodness rather than possessing it, he would not be able to count a greater and a less in it at all. It was said, moreover, above that good can be diminished by the presence of evil alone, and that where the nature is incapable of deteriorating, there is no limit conceived of to the goodness: the unlimited, in fact, is not such owing to any relation whatever, but, considered in itself, escapes limitation. It is, indeed, difficult to see how a reflecting mind can conceive one infinite to be greater or less than another infinite. So that if he acknowledges the supreme Being to be ‘single’ and homogenous, let him grant that it is bound up with this universal attribute of simplicity and infinitude. If, on the other hand, he divides and estranges the ‘Beings’ from each other, conceiving that of the Only-begotten as another than the Father’s, and that of the Spirit as another than the Only-begotten, with a ‘more’ and ‘less’ in each case, let him be exposed now as granting simplicity in appearance only to the Deity, but in reality proving the composite in Him.

But let us resume the examination of his words in order. “Each Being has in fact and conception a nature unmixed, single, and absolutely one, as estimated by its dignity.” Why “as estimated by its dignity?” If he contemplates the Beings in their common dignity, this addition is unnecessary and superfluous, and dwells upon that which is obvious: although a word so out of place might be pardoned, if it was any feeling of reverence which prompted him not to reject it. But here the mischief really is not owing to a mistake about a phrase (that might be easily set right): but it is connected with his evil designs. He says that each of the three beings is ‘single, as estimated by its dignity,’ in order that, on the strength of his previous definitions of the first, second, and third Being, the idea of their simplicity also may be marred. Having affirmed that the being of the Father alone is ‘Supreme’ and ‘Proper,’ and having refused both these titles to that of the Son and of the Spirit, in accordance with this, when he comes to speak of them all as ‘simple,’ he thinks it his duty to associate with them the idea of simplicity in proportion only to their essential worth, so that the Supreme alone is to be conceived of as at the height and perfection of simplicity, while the second, in proportion to its declension from supremacy, receives also a diminished measure of simplicity, and in the case of the third Being also, there is as much variation from the perfect simplicity, as the amount of worth is lessened in the extremes: whence it results that the Father’s being is conceived as of pure simplicity, that of the Son as not so flawless in simplicity, but with a mixture of the composite, that of the Holy Spirit as still increasing in the composite, while the amount of simplicity is gradually lessened. Just as imperfect goodness must be owned to share in some measure in the reverse disposition, so imperfect simplicity cannot escape being considered composite.

« Πάλιν δ' αὖ ἑκάστης τούτων οὐσίας εἰλικρινῶς ἁπλῆς καὶ πάντη μιᾶς οὔσης τε καὶ νοουμένης κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν, συμπεριγραφομένων δὲ τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν ἐνεργειῶν, καὶ τῶν ἔργων ταῖς τῶν ἐργασαμένων ἐνεργείαις παραμετρουμένων, ἀνάγκη δήπου πᾶσα καὶ τὰς ἑκάστῃ τῶν οὐσιῶν ἑπομένας ἐνεργείας ἐλάττους τε καὶ μείζους εἶναι, καὶ τὰς μὲν πρώτην, τὰς δὲ δευτέραν τάξιν ἐπέχειν ». ἡ μὲν διάνοια διὰ πάντων τῶν εἰρημένων, κἂν ἐν πλήθει ῥημάτων [ὁ λόγος] αὐτῷ συμπεραίνηται, μία ἐστί, τὸ κατασκευάσαι μηδεμίαν συνάφειαν εἶναι τῷ πατρὶ πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἢ πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν πάλιν τῷ πνεύματι, ἀλλ' ἀπεσχίσθαι τὰς οὐσίας ἀπ' ἀλλήλων εἰς ἀπεξενωμένην τινὰ φύσιν καὶ ἀσύμφυλον ἀλλοτριότητα διασπωμένας, καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πηλικότητι καὶ ἀξιωμάτων ὑφέσει διαφερούσας, ὥστε « τὰς μὲν μείζους », καθὼς αὐτός φησι, « τὰς δὲ μικροτέρας νοεῖσθαι » καὶ κατὰ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα τὴν παραλλαγὴν ἔχειν.
Ἡμεῖς δὲ κἂν περιττὸν τοῖς πολλοῖς εἶναι δοκῇ τὸ τοῖς προδήλοις ἐνδιατρίβειν καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον διελέγχειν πειρᾶσθαι, ὅσα παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς αὐτόθεν ψευδῆ καὶ βδελυκτὰ καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἰσχὺν ἔχειν νομίζεται, ὅμως ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν δι' ἀπορίαν ἐλέγχων ἀνεξέταστόν τι παρορᾶν τῶν παρ' ἐκείνου ῥηθέντων, κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ τούτοις ἐπελευσόμεθα. « ἑκάστην φησὶ τούτων οὐσίαν εἰλικρινῶς ἁπλῆν καὶ πάντη μίαν εἶναί τε καὶ νοεῖσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν ». πάλιν ἐνταῦθα ὡς ὁμολογούμενα τὰ ἀμφιβαλλόμενα προτεινόμενος οἴεταί τι λέγειν, ἀντὶ πάσης ἀποδείξεως ἐξαρκεῖν νομίζων τὸ αὐτὸς ἀποφήνασθαι. τρεῖς οὐσίας φησί: τοῦτο γὰρ ἐνδείκνυται τῷ εἰπεῖν « ἑκάστης τούτων οὐσίας ». οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν οὕτως εἶπεν, εἰ μίαν ᾤετο.
Εἰ μὲν οὖν οὕτω λέγει τὴν τῶν οὐσιῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλας διαφοράν, ὡς μὴ δοκεῖν τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ τοῦ Σαβελλίου συμφέρεσθαι ἑνὶ τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ τρεῖς ἐφαρμόζοντος προσηγορίας, καὶ ἡμεῖς συντιθέμεθα καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν εὐσεβούντων ἀντιλέγει τῷ δόγματι, πλὴν ὅσον μόνοις τοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ τῇ προφορᾷ τοῦ λόγου πλημμελεῖν δοκεῖ, ”οὐσίας„ ἀντὶ „ὑποστάσεων” ὀνομάζων. οὐ γὰρ ὅσα τὸν τῆς οὐσίας λόγον τὸν αὐτὸν ἔχει, ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποστάσει τῇ ἀποδόσει τοῦ λόγου συνενεχθήσεται. Πέτρος γὰρ καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης ἐν μὲν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς οὐσίας οἱ αὐτοὶ ἦσαν ἀλλήλοις (ἄνθρωπος γὰρ τούτων ἕκαστος), ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἰδιώμασι τῆς ἑκάστου αὐτῶν ὑποστάσεως ἀλλήλοις οὐ συνεφέροντο. οὐκοῦν εἰ μὲν τοῦτο κατεσκεύαζε, τὸ μὴ δεῖν φύρειν τὰς ὑποστάσεις καὶ ἑνὶ προσώπῳ τὰς τρεῖς ἐφαρμόζειν προσηγορίας, πιστὸς ἂν ἦν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀποστόλου μαρτυρίαν ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐ πρὸς τοῦτο βλέπει οὐδὲ τὰς ὑποστάσεις ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τοῖς ἐπιθεωρουμένοις ἰδιώμασι διακρίνων ταῦτά φησιν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν τὴν ὑποκειμένην οὐσίαν ἀλλοτρίως πρὸς τὴν ἑτέραν, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἔχειν κατασκευάζει καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολλὰς οὐσίας ὀνομάζει, ὡς ἑκάστης ἰδιάζουσαν ἐχούσης τινὰ τὴν πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας ἀλλοτριότητα, διὰ τοῦτό φημι ἄναρχον αὐτῷ καὶ ἀκέφαλον εἶναι τὸν λόγον, ἀπὸ οὐδενὸς ὁμολογουμένου κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον τὴν βλασφημίαν κατασκευάζοντα. οὐ γὰρ ὅπως ἄν τις προσαχθείη τῇ τοιαύτῃ τοῦ δόγματος ὑπολήψει τὴν κατασκευὴν ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπ' ὀνείρου διηγήσεως ψιλὴν καὶ ἀκατάσκευον ἐμπεριέχει τῆς ἀσεβείας τὴν ἔκθεσιν. τῆς γὰρ ἐκκλησίας δογματιζούσης μὴ εἰς πλῆθος οὐσιῶν διασχίζειν τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλ' ἐν τρισὶ προσώποις καὶ ὑποστάσεσι μηδεμίαν τὴν κατὰ τὸ εἶναι διαφορὰν πιστεύειν, τῶν δὲ ἐναντίων ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς οὐσίαις τὴν παραλλαγὴν καὶ τὴν ἀνομοιότητα τιθεμένων, οὗτος τὸ μηδενὶ λόγῳ μήτε δειχθὲν μήτε δειχθῆναι δυνάμενον ὡς προκατεσκευασμένον θαρσῶν ἀποφαίνεται, τάχα οὐδέπω καὶ νῦν εἰς ἀκουόντων ὦτα λαλήσας. ἦ γὰρ ἂν ἐδιδάχθη παρὰ τῶν συνετῶς ἀκροωμένων ὅτι πᾶς λόγος, ἕως ἂν κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἀναπόδεικτος φέρηται, τὸ λεγόμενον γραῶν ὕθλος ἐστὶν οὐδεμίαν ἰσχὺν ἔχων πρὸς τὸ δεῖξαι δι' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ζητούμενον, ὅταν μηδεμία συνηγορία μήτε ἐκ τῶν θείων φωνῶν μήτε ἐκ λογισμῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τοῖς λεγομένοις ἐπάγηται. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον.
Ἡμεῖς δὲ τὰ εἰρημένα διασκεψώμεθα. « ἁπλῆν εἶναι καὶ πάντη μίαν » φησὶ « τούτων ἑκάστην τῶν οὐσιῶν », ἃς τῷ λόγῳ ἀνετυπώσατο. ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἁπλῆν εἶναι τὴν θείαν τε καὶ μακαρίαν καὶ πάντα νοῦν ὑπεραίρουσαν φύσιν οὐδὲ τοὺς ἄγαν κτηνώδεις καὶ ταπεινοὺς τὴν διάνοιαν ἀντιλέγειν οἰόμεθα. τὴν γὰρ ἀειδῆ τε καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον πηλικότητός τε πάσης καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ μεγέθει ποσότητος κεχωρισμένην πῶς ἄν τις πολυειδῆ καὶ σύνθετον ὑπολάβοι; ὅτι δὲ οὐ συμβαίνει τῷ παρ' αὐτῶν κατασκευαζομένῳ δόγματι τὸ ἁπλῆν εἶναι τὴν ὑπερκειμένην οὐσίαν οἴεσθαι, κἂν τῷ λόγῳ χαριεντίζωνται, φανερὸν ἔσται τῷ καὶ μικρὸν ἐπιστήσαντι. τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον λόγον ἡ ἁπλότης ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος τὸ μᾶλλόν τε καὶ ἧττον οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται; περὶ ἣν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι μίξιν τινὰ ποιοτήτων καὶ συνδρομὴν ἐννοῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἀμερῆ τινα καὶ ἀσύνθετον δύναμιν καταλαμβάνει ἡ ἔννοια, πῶς ἄν τις καὶ κατὰ τίνα λόγον τὴν παρὰ τὸ πλέον καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον διαφορὰν καταμάθοι; ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶσα τὸν παρηλλάχθαι ταῦτα διοριζόμενον ποιοτήτων τινῶν ἐμπτώσεις περὶ τὸ ὑποκείμενον ἐννοεῖν: ἤτοι γὰρ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν καὶ ἐλάττωσιν τὸ διάφορον ἐν τούτοις ἐπινοεῖ καὶ διὰ τούτου τὴν τῆς πηλικότητος ἔννοιαν ἐπεισάγει τῷ ζητουμένῳ, ἢ κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ δυνατὸν καὶ σοφὸν καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο περὶ τὸ θεῖον εὐσεβῶς νοεῖται πλεονάζειν ἢ ὑποβεβηκέναι κατασκευάζει: καὶ οὕτω τὸν τῆς συνθέσεως λόγον οὐ διαφεύξεται. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐλλιπῶς κατὰ σοφίαν ἢ δύναμιν ἢ κατ' ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔχει ᾧ μὴ ἐπίκτητόν ἐστι τὸ ἀγαθόν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ καθό ἐστι τοιοῦτον πέφυκεν: ὥστε ὁ λέγων ἐλάττους τε καὶ μείζους ἐν τῇ θείᾳ φύσει καταλαμβάνειν τὰς οὐσίας λέληθεν ἑαυτὸν σύνθετον ἐξ ἀνομοίων κατασκευάζων τὸ θεῖον, ὡς ἄλλο μέν τι νοεῖν εἶναι τὸ ὑποκείμενον, ἕτερον δὲ πάλιν τὸ μετεχόμενον, οὗ κατὰ μετουσίαν ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ γίνεσθαι τὸ μὴ τοιοῦτον ὄν. εἰ δὲ ἀληθῶς « ἁπλῆν καὶ πάντη μίαν » ἐνενόει τὴν οὐσίαν, αὐτὸ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀγαθὸν οὖσαν, οὐ γινομένην ἐξ ἐπικτήσεως, οὐκ ἂν τὸ μεῖζον καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον περὶ αὐτὴν ἐλογίζετο. εἴρητο γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, ὅτι μόνῃ τῇ τοῦ κακοῦ παρουσίᾳ τὰ ἀγαθὰ κατασμικρύνεται. ἐφ' ὧν δὲ ἡ φύσις ἀνεπίδεκτός ἐστι τοῦ χείρονος, ὅρος οὐκ ἐπινοεῖται τῆς ἀγαθότητος: τὸ δὲ ἀόριστον οὐ τῇ πρὸς ἕτερον σχέσει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ νοούμενον ἐκφεύγει τὸν ὅρον. ἄπειρον δὲ ἀπείρου πλέον καὶ ἔλαττον λέγειν οὐκ οἶδα πῶς ὁ λελογισμένος συνθήσεται. ὥστε εἰ « ἁπλῆν » ὁμολογεῖ τὴν ὑπερκειμένην οὐσίαν καὶ οἰκείως ἔχειν αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτήν, συντιθέσθω τῇ κατὰ τὸ ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἄπειρον κοινωνίᾳ συναπτομένην. εἰ δὲ διΐστησι καὶ ἀποξενοῖ τὰς οὐσίας ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ἄλλην τοῦ μονογενοῦς παρὰ τὸν πατέρα, ἑτέραν δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος παρὰ τὴν τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἐννοῶν, καὶ τὸ πλέον καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον ἐπ' αὐτῶν λέγει, μὴ λανθανέτω τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν τὸ ἁπλοῦν χαριζόμενος, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ κατασκευάζων τὸ σύνθετον.
Πάλιν δὲ τὸν ῥηθέντα παρ' αὐτοῦ λόγον καθεξῆς ἀναλάβωμεν. « εἰλικρινῶς », φησίν, « ἁπλῆς τῆς οὐσίας καὶ πάντη μιᾶς οὔσης τε καὶ νοουμένης κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν ». τί βούλεται τὸ « κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν »; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν κοινότητι τῆς ἀξίας θεωρεῖ τὰς οὐσίας, περισσὴ μὲν καὶ οὕτως ἦν καὶ παρέλκουσα ἡ προσθήκη τοῦ λόγου τοῖς ὁμολογουμένοις ἐνδιατρίβουσα, πλὴν ἀλλ' εἶχέ τι συγγνωστὸν ἴσως ἡ ἀκαιρία τῆς λέξεως, τῆς εὐσεβεστέρας ἐννοίας οὐκ ἀπόβλητον ποιούσης τὸ μάταιον καὶ περιρρέον τοῦ λόγου. νῦν δὲ οὐ μέχρι τῆς τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῷ διαμαρτίας ἐστὶν ὁ κίνδυνος (ἦ γὰρ ἂν εὐίατον ἦν τὸ ἀρρώστημα), ἀλλ' ἔτι τῶν πονηρῶν ἔχεται τεχνασμάτων. « ἁπλῆν » γὰρ λέγει τῶν τριῶν οὐσιῶν « ἑκάστην κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν », ἵνα τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ῥηθεῖσιν αὐτῷ διορισμοῖς περὶ τῆς πρώτης τε καὶ δευτέρας καὶ τρίτης οὐσίας καὶ ὁ τῆς ἁπλότητος συγκακουργῆται λόγος. ὥσπερ γὰρ μόνην « ἀνωτάτω » καὶ μόνην « κυρίαν » τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς προσηγόρευσεν οὐσίαν, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος ὁμολογήσας, οὔτε τὴν ἄνω φωνὴν οὔτε τὴν « κυριωτάτην », κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον καὶ ἁπλᾶς προσειπὼν τὰς οὐσίας κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐπιθεωρουμένης ἑκάστῃ ἀξίας καὶ τὴν τῆς ἁπλότητος ἔννοιαν ἐφαρμόζειν οἴεται χρῆναι, ὡς τῆς μὲν κυριωτάτης καὶ πρώτης ἐν τῇ ἄκρᾳ καὶ τελείᾳ θεωρουμένης ἁπλότητι, τῆς δὲ δευτέρας ἀναλόγως κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς τῶν πρωτείων ὑφέσεως καὶ τὸν τῆς ἁπλότητος λόγον ὑποστελλούσης, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τελευταίας ὡσαύτως τοσοῦτον ὑποκαταβαίνει τῆς τελείας ἁπλότητος, ὅσον καὶ ἡ ἀναλογία τοῦ ἀξιώματος ἐπὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων κατασμικρύνεται: ὡς ἐκ τούτου συμβαίνειν τὴν μὲν τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίαν ἁπλῆν καθαρῶς ὑπονοεῖσθαι, τὴν δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ μὴ ἀκριβῶς ἁπλῆν, ἀλλά τι καὶ τῆς συνθέτου φύσεως αὐτῇ παραμεμίχθαι, τοῦ δὲ ἁγίου πνεύματος πλεονάζειν ἐν τῷ συνθέτῳ τὴν φύσιν, τοῦ τῆς ἁπλότητος λόγου κατ' ὀλίγον ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἐλαττουμένου. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ μὴ τελείως ἀγαθὸν μέρει τινὶ τῆς ἐναντίας ἕξεως μετέχειν ὁμολογεῖται, οὕτως ὃ μὴ παντελῶς ἐστιν ἁπλοῦν, οὐ διαφεύγει τὸ μὴ σύνθετον εἶναι δοκεῖν.