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Epistula ad Alexandrum Alexandrinum

1 With how much agony and with how much care I have come to these writings; 2 Your letters accuse them of saying that the Son came into being from non-existence, as one of all things. But they have brought forward a document of their own, which they have made for you, in which, setting forth their own faith, they confessed these things in these very words: "the God of the Law and the Prophets and the New Testament, who begot an only-begotten Son before eternal times, through whom He also made the ages and all things, having begotten Him not in appearance, but in truth, having established Him by His own will, unchangeable and unalterable, a perfect creature of God, but not as one of the creatures". If, then, their letter tells the truth, and it is certainly also in your possession, in which they confess the Son of God, before eternal times, through whom He also made the ages, to be unchangeable and a perfect creature of God, but not 3 as one of the creatures. But your epistle accuses them as if saying that the Son came into being as one of the creatures. Since they do not say this, but clearly defined that "not as one of the creatures," see if an opportunity is not immediately given to them again to take hold and to set about slandering as much as they wish. 4 Again I accused them of saying that "He who is begot him who is not." But I wonder if anyone can say otherwise. For if there is one who is, it is clear that from Him has come into being everything whatsoever that is after Him; but if He is not the only one who is, but the Son was also He who is, then how did He who is beget him who is? For so there would be two who are.

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Epistula ad Alexandrum Alexandrinum

1 Μεθ' ὅσης μὲν ἀγωνίας καὶ μεθ' ὅσης φροντίδος ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἦλθον τὰ γράμματα· 2 Κατηγορεῖ αὐτῶν τὰ σὰ γράμματα ὡς λεγόντων, ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος γέγονεν ὡς εἷς τῶν πάντων. οἱ δὲ προήνεγκαν ἑαυτῶν γραμματεῖον, ὃ πρὸς σὲ πεποιήκασιν, ἐν ᾧ τὴν ἑαυτῶν πίστιν ἐκθέμενοι αὐτοῖς ῥήμασιν τάδε ὡμολόγουν· "τὸν νόμου καὶ προφητῶν καὶ καινῆς διαθήκης θεὸν γεννήσαντα υἱὸν μονογενῆ πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων, δι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ τὰ πάντα πεποίηκε, γεννήσαντα δὲ οὐ δοκήσει, ἀλλὰ ἀληθείᾳ, ὑποστήσαντα ἰδίῳ θελήματι, ἄτρεπτον καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον, κτίσμα τοῦ θεοῦ τέλειον, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἓν τῶν κτισμάτων". εἰ δὴ οὖν τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν γράμματα ἀληθεύει, πάντως δὲ καὶ παρὰ σοὶ φέρεται, ἐν ᾧ ὁμολογοῦσι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων, δι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας πεποίηκεν, εἶναι ἄτρεπτον καὶ κτίσμα τοῦ θεοῦ τέλειον, ἀλλ' οὐχ 3 ὡς ἓν τῶν κτισμάτων. ἡ δὲ σὴ ἐπιστολὴ κατηγορεῖ αὐτῶν ὡς ἂν λεγόντων, ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς γέγονεν ὡς ἓν τῶν κτισμάτων. αὐτῶν τοῦτο μὴ λεγόντων, ἀλλὰ σαφῶς διορισαμένων, ὅτι "οὐχ ὡς ἓν τῶν κτισμάτων", ὅρα εἰ μὴ εὐθὺς πάλιν αὐτοῖς ἀφορμὴ δίδοται εἰς τὸ 4 ἐπιλαβέσθαι καὶ διαβάλλειν ὁρμᾶσθαι ὅσα καὶ θέλουσι. πάλιν αὐτοὺς ᾐτιῶ λέγοντας ὅτι "ὁ ὢν τὸν μὴ ὄντα ἐγέννησε". θαυμάζω δέ, εἰ δύναταί τις ἄλλως εἰπεῖν. εἰ γὰρ εἷς ἐστιν ὁ ὤν, δῆλον ὅτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ γέγονε πᾶν ὅ, τι καὶ ἔστι μετ' αὐτόν· εἰ δὲ μὴ μόνος αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ὤν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἦν ὁ ὤν, καὶ πῶς τὸν ὄντα ὁ ὢν ἐγέννησεν; οὕτως γὰρ ἂν δύο εἴη τὰ ὄντα.