Athanasius of Alexandria, On Holy Trinity

Aetius. And He was not first and then was begotten, nor was He begotten from not being, but He is a co-eternal offspring like a radiance from an eternal light. And a begotten nature and an unbegotten nature do not have their difference in nature, but in being begotten and not being begotten. For behold, Adam was not begotten through a woman, but we have been begotten, and we do not have the difference in nature, but in being begotten and not being begotten through a woman. Anomoean. If God the Almighty, being of an unbegotten nature, does not know Himself to be of a begotten nature, but the Son, being of a begotten nature, knows Himself to be this very thing that He is, how would the *homoousion* not be a falsehood, with one knowing Himself to be unbegotten, and the other begotten? Orthodox. If you consider the unbegotten and the begotten to be natures, and Gabriel also knows himself to be of a begotten nature, how would Gabriel not also be consubstantial with the Son? But if Gabriel, being of a begotten nature, does not know himself to be consubstantial with the Son, then the begotten is not a nature. And if the begotten is not a nature, neither is the unbegotten a nature. [But do not call the Son created, the creator of all things, but say begotten as it is written. For begotten is that which has a father, but created is that which has a creator.] Therefore, God is our creator through the Son, but of the Son He is Father and no longer creator, for no one is the creator of his own son, since he would no longer be a father, but a creator. A creator is one who brings something into being from outside, but a father is one who begets from himself. But when you hear of God as creator, do not imagine toil and labor, and when you hear of Him as father, do not seek an emission, but think in a manner worthy of God, that you may become a god and not die as a man. Anomoean. If 'unbegotten' does not represent the hypostasis of God, but is a human concept, the incomparable name, God is grateful to those who conceived it, since He does not bear the pre-eminence of the name in His essence through being unbegotten. Orthodox. If 'the unbegotten' represents the hypostasis of God and this is the incomparable name of God, how is it that the divine scriptures have not taught us this? But Paul, the chosen vessel, was mistaken, having taught that the incorruptible and the invisible belong to Him alone, and not the unbegotten. But since you m28.1185 wish to be wiser than the divine scriptures, tell me if the incorruptible and the invisible and the true do not represent the hypostasis of God. For if they do not represent it, he was mistaken in saying 'to the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God'. For if He does not have the incomparable in these things, He is not alone incorruptible and invisible; but if He alone has the incorruptible and the invisible, in these things is the incomparable and not in your concept. Anomoean. If 'the unbegotten' is externally ascribed to God, those who ascribed it are better than the one to whom it was ascribed, having procured for Him a name better than His nature. Orthodox. Do not exalt yourself as if you have found the name of God, lest you hear: 'And you, Capernaum, if you are exalted to heaven, you will be brought down to Hades'. And that you are prouder than this is clear from the fact that the God-inspired scripture says God has spoken: 'I appeared,' He says, 'to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob as their God, and My name I did not declare to them,' but you say that you have found it. But that 'the unbegotten' is not the name of God is clear from the Lord saying 'Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,' for whatever you say is the name of the Father, this you will be compelled to give also to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; for if there is one for the Father and another for the Son and another for the Holy Spirit, and you have found that of the Father, as you supposed, say also that of the Son, and if you say that of the Son, say also that of the Holy Spirit, so that then you may hear, 'professing to be wise, you became a fool'; for what the scripture has not said, you will not find. But if you think that 'the unbegotten' belongs to the Father and 'the begotten' to the Son, which of these then will you give to the Spirit? Anomoean. Even if the offspring is immutable in nature, it is so on account of the one who begot Him; but the unbegotten is an immutable essence, not

Ἀέτιε. καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἦν καὶ τότε ἐγεννήθη οὐδὲ μὴ ὢν γεγέννηται, ἀλλὰ συναΐδιόν ἐστι γέννημα ὡς ἀπαύγασμα φωτὸς ἀϊδίου. γεννητὴ δὲ φύσις καὶ ἀγέννητος φύσις οὐκ ἐν τῇ φύσει ἔχει τὸ διάφορον, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ γεγεννῆσθαι καὶ μὴ γεγεννῆσθαι. ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ οὐ γε γέννηται διὰ γυναικός, ἡμεῖς δὲ γεγεννήμεθα καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ φύσει ἔχομεν τὸ διάφορον, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ γεγεννῆσθαι καὶ μὴ γεγεννῆσθαι διὰ γυναικός. Ἀνόμ. Εἰ ἀγεννήτου φύσεως ὑπάρχων ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ γεννητῆς φύσεως οὐκ οἶδεν ἑαυτόν, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς γεννητῆς φύσεως ὑπάρχων τοῦτο γινώσκει ἑαυτόν, ὅπερ ἐστί, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὸ ὁμοούσιον ψεῦδος τοῦ μὲν γινώσκοντος ἑαυτὸν ἀγέννητον, τοῦ δὲ γεννητόν; Ὀρθ. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον καὶ τὸ γεννητὸν νομίζεις εἶναι τὰς φύσεις, οἶδε δὲ ἑαυτὸν καὶ Γαβριὴλ γεννητῆς φύσεως, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴη καὶ Γαβριὴλ ὁμοούσιος τῷ υἱῷ; εἰ δὲ γεννητῆς φύσεως ὢν ὁ Γαβριὴλ οὐκ οἶδεν ἑαυτὸν ὁμοούσιον τῷ υἱῷ, οὐκ ἔστι τὸ γεννητὸν φύσις. εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔστι τὸ γεννητὸν φύσις, οὐδὲ τὸ ἀγέννητόν ἐστι φύσις. [γενητὸν δὲ μὴ λέγε τὸν υἱὸν, τὸν γενε σιουργὸν τῶν ἁπάντων, ἀλλὰ γεννητὸν εἰπὲ ὡς γέ γραπται. γεννητὸν γάρ ἐστι τὸ πατέρα ἔχον, γενητὸν δὲ τὸ γενεσιουργὸν ἔχον.] ἡμῶν οὖν γενεσιουργὸς ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ, τοῦ δὲ υἱοῦ πατὴρ οὐκέτι δὲ γενεσιουργός, οὐδεὶς γὰρ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ υἱοῦ γενεσιουργός ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι πατήρ, ἀλλὰ γενεσιουργός. γενεσιουργὸς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἔξωθέν τι εἰς γένεσιν ἄγων, πατὴρ δὲ ὁ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ γεννῶν. γενεσιουργὸν δὲ ἀκούων τὸν θεὸν μὴ ὑπονόει κόπον καὶ μόχθον, καὶ πατέρα ἀκούων μὴ ζήτει ῥεῦσιν, ἀλλὰ θεοπρεπῶς νόει, ἵνα θεὸς γένῃ καὶ μὴ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀποθάνῃς. Ἀνόμ. Εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀγέννητον τὴν ὑπόστασιν τοῦ θεοῦ παρίστησιν, ἀλλ' ἐπίνοιά ἐστιν ἀνθρωπίνη τὸ ἀσύγκριτον ὄνομα, χάριν τοῖς ἐπινοήσασι γινώσκει ὁ θεὸς διὰ τὸ ἀγέννητον τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος οὐ φέρων ἐν οὐσίᾳ. Ὀρθ. Εἰ τὸ ἀγέννητον τὴν ὑπόστασιν τοῦ θεοῦ παρίστησι καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἀσύγκριτον τοῦ θεοῦ ὄνομα, πῶς οὐκ ἐδίδαξαν ἡμᾶς τοῦτο αἱ θεῖαι γραφαί; ἀλλ' ἐσφάλη Παῦλος, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς, τὸ ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀόρατον αὐτῷ μόνῳ προσ εῖναι διδάξας καὶ μὴ τὸ ἀγέννητον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ σὺ μ28.1185 σοφώτερος θέλεις εἶναι τῶν θείων γραφῶν, εἰπὲ εἰ μὴ τὸ ἄφθαρτον καὶ τὸ ἀόρατον καὶ τὸ ἀψευδὲς τὴν ὑπόστασιν τοῦ θεοῦ παρίστησιν. εἰ γὰρ οὐ παρίστησιν, ἐσφάλη εἰρηκὼς "ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ μόνῳ σοφῷ θεῷ". εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἀσύγκριτον, οὐκ ἔστι μόνος ἄφθαρτος καὶ ἀόρατος· εἰ δὲ μόνος ἔχει τὸ ἄφθαρτον καὶ τὸ ἀόρατον, ἐν τούτοις τὸ ἀσύγκριτον καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ σῇ ἐπινοίᾳ. Ἀνόμ. Εἰ ἔξωθεν ἐπιθεωρεῖται τῷ θεῷ τὸ ἀγέννητον, οἱ ἐπιθεωρήσαντες τοῦ ἐπιθεωρηθέντος εἰσὶν ἀμείνους κρεῖττον ὄνομα τῆς φύσεως αὐτῷ πορισάμενοι. Ὀρθ. Μὴ ὑψοῦ ὡς εὑρηκὼς τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὄνομα, μήποτε ἀκούσῃς· "καὶ σὺ Καπερναοὺμ, ἐὰν ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὑψωθῇς, ἀλλ' ἕως ᾅδου κατα βιβασθήσῃ". ὅτι δὲ ὑπὲρ ταύτην ὑψηλοφρονεῖς, ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ τὴν μὲν θεόπνευστον γραφὴν λέγειν εἰρηκέναι τὸν θεόν· "ὤφθην φησὶ πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ θεὸς ὢν αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ ὄνομά μου οὐκ ἐδήλωσα αὐτοῖς", σὲ δὲ λέγειν εὑρηκέναι αὐτό. ὅτι δὲ τὸ ἀγέννητον οὐκ ἔστιν ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ, δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ λέγειν τὸν κύριον "πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος", ὃ γὰρ ἐὰν εἴπῃς ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς εἶναι, τοῦτο καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀναγκασθήσῃ δοῦναι· εἰ γὰρ ἄλλο τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ ἄλλο τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ ἄλλο τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, εὗρες δὲ τὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ὡς ἐνόμισας, εἰπὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ, κἂν εἴπῃς τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ, εἰπὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἵνα τότε ἀκούσῃς φάσκων εἶναι σοφὸς ἐμωράνθης· ὃ γὰρ οὐκ εἶπεν ἡ γραφὴ οὐχ εὑρήσεις. εἰ δὲ νομίζεις τοῦ πατρὸς εἶναι τὸ ἀγέννητον καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ γεννητὸν, ποῖον ἆρα τούτων τῷ πνεύματι δώσεις; Ἀνόμ. Εἰ καὶ τὸ γέννημα ἄτρεπτόν ἐστι τὴν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν γεννήσαντα· τὸ δὲ ἀγέννητον οὐσία ἐστὶν ἄτρεπτος οὐ