Ἃ μὲν οὖν εἴποι τις ἂν ἐπικόπτων τὴν περὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτῶν ἑτοιμότητα καὶ ταχύτητα, καὶ τὸ τοῦ τάχους ἐπισφαλὲς ἐν πᾶσι μὲν πράγμασι, μάλιστα δὲ ἐν τοῖς περὶ θεοῦ λόγοις, ταῦτά ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ μὲν ἐπιτιμᾷν οὐ μέγα· ῥᾷστον γὰρ καὶ τοῦ βουλομένου παντός· τὸ δὲ ἀντεισάγειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην ἀνδρὸς εὐσεβοῦς καὶ νοῦν ἔχοντος· φέρε, τῷ ἁγίῳ θαρρήσαντες πνεύματι, τῷ παρ’ αὐτῶν μὲν ἀτιμαζομένῳ, παρ’ ἡμῶν δὲ προσκυνουμένῳ, τὰς ἡμετέρας περὶ τῆς θεότητος ὑπολήψεις, αἵ τινές ποτέ εἰσιν, ὥσπερ τινὰ τόκον εὐγενῆ τε καὶ ὥριμον εἰς φῶς προενέγκωμεν· οὐδὲ ἄλλοτε μὲν σιωπήσαντες, τοῦτο γὰρ μόνον ἡμεῖς νεανικοί τε καὶ μεγαλόφρονες, νῦν δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον 1. Ι ἐπικόπτων] ἐπισκώπτων b ΙΙ ’τον λόγον] τῶν λόγων b II 3 ἐν τοῖς] om ἐν c ΙΙ 7 πνεύματι θαρρήσαντες cde || 8 ἤμων] ἥμιν b ΙΙ 10 προσενεγκωμεν f 1. We have stated our objections to the hasty theology of the Euuomians; but it is a harder task to set forth our own. I will endeavour to do so with the aid of the Holy Spirit, — as indeed I have done before, but it is more necessary now than ever, — as briefly ἃς I can. 1. ἐπικόπτων] ’by way of check- ’ Αὐτῶν, the Eunomians. 2. τὸ...ἐπισφαλές] ’the danger.’ 4. τὸ μὲν ἐπισφαλές] κτλ.] taken from Demosth. Olynth. i 7. 6. ἀντεισάγειν] not merely ‘to state in opposition,’ but to ‘instate,’ to ‘substitute.’ 8. προσκυνουμένῳ] This does not compel us to suppose that Gr. used or was acquainted with the last part of our present ‘ Nicene ’ Creed. See the quotations in Hort Two Diss, p. 88. 11. τοῦτο γὰρ μόνον] The verb omitted would prob. have to be expressed by perf. and pres. together; ’have been and are.’ Gr. refers to former outspoken sermons of his such as Orat. XX. For νέαν. cp. i 2. παρρησιαζόμενοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἵνα μὴ τῇ ὑποστολῇ, καθὼς γέγραπται, τὸ μὴ εὐδοκεῖσθαι κατακριθῶμεν. διττοῦ δὲ ὄντος λόγου παντός, τοῦ μὲν τὸ οἰκεῖον κατασκευάζοντος, τοῦ δὲ τὸ ἀντίπαλον ἀνατρέποντος, καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐκθέμενοι πρότερον, οὕτω τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἀνατρέψαι πειρασόμεθα· καὶ ἀμφότερα ὡς οἷόν τε διὰ βραχέων, ἵν εὐσύνοπτα γένηται τὰ λεγόμενα, ὥσπερ ὃν αὐτοὶ λόγον εἰσαγωγικὸν ἐπενόησαν πρὸς ἐξαπάτην τῶν ἁπλουστέρων ἢ εὐηθεστέρων, καὶ μὴ τῷ μήκει τοῦ λόγου διαχεθῇ τὰ νοούμενα, καθάπερ ὕδωρ οὐ σωλῆνι σφιγγόμενον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πεδίου χεόμενον καὶ λυόμενον.