τούτων δὲ πάντων ἐκτὸς τὸ παντελῶς ἀδύνατον καὶ ἀνεπίδεκτον, ὡς ὂ νῦν ἐξετάζομεν. ὡς γὰρ ἀδύνατον εἶναι λέγομεν πονηρὸν εἶναι θεόν, ἢ μὴ εἶναι· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀδυναμίας ἂν εἴη μᾶλλον θεοῦ, ἤπερ δυνάμεως· ἢ τὸ μὴ ὂν εἶναι, ἢ τὰ δὶς δύο καὶ τέσσαρα εἶναι καὶ δέκα· οὕτως ἀδύνατον καὶ ἀνεγχώρητον ποιεῖν τι τὸν υἱόν, ὧν οὐ ποιεῖ ὁ πατήρ. πάντα γὰρ ὅσα ἔχει ὁ πατήρ, τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐστίν· ὡς ἔμπαλιν τὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρός. οὐδὲν οὖν ἴδιον, ὅτι κοινά. ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ εἶναι κοινὸν καὶ ὁμότιμον, εἰ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ παρὰ τοῦ πατρός. καθ’ ὂ καὶ λέγεται καὶ τό· Ἐγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα· οὐχ ὡς ἐκεῖθεν αὐτῷ τοῦ ζῆν καὶ τοῦ εἶναι συνεχομένου, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἐκεῖθεν ὑπάρχοντος ἀχρόνως καὶ ἀναιτίως. βλέπει δὲ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα πῶς, καὶ 11. 5 δύο καὶ] om καὶ df || τέσσαρα εἶναι] τεσσαρις b (om εἶναι) || 7 om ἐστιν f || 10 καθ’ ο καὶ] om καὶ c2e 11. And sometimes ‘cannot’ denotes what is unthinkable, α logical absurdity. It denotes ’νθ’ limitation of power to say that God cannot οἱ evil. This is what the text means. He does not see the Father act and then imitate His action, making for example α world apiece. His action is not similar, but identical, to that of the Father, only the initiative rests with the Father. The sustaining of what is already created is α part of this common action of Father and Son. 2. ἀνεπίδεκτον] ‘ inadmissible ’ or ‘ unthinkable ’ ; almost ’ impossible in the sense of unthinkable.’ 3. ἢ μὴ εἶναι] ‘ or not to exist.’ ib. τοῦτο γὰρ ἀδυναμίας ἂν εἴη] See Petavius de Deo Deique Propr. v 7, and the passages there cited. 7. πάντα γὰρ δσα] John xvi 15. 8. ὡς ξμπαλιν κτλ.] John xvii 10. 9. αὐτὸ τὸ elvai κοινόν] ’ Their very being is common and equal, although the Son has it from the Father.’ 10. ἐγὼ ζῶ δ. τ. π. ] John vi 57. 12. συνεχομνοο] ‘ kept from ’ It seems a slight difficulty that in John vi 57 our Lord seems to refer not so much to the origination of His being as to something which may be compared to the continual sustenance of life καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κἀκεῖνος ζήσει δι’ ἐμέ). But on the other hand, so far as we know, the distinction between the original gift and the maintenance of life does not exist in the case of the Eternal Son, but belongs only to temporal existence. With Him nasci and pasci are the same. On the whole this interpretation is better than to translate συνεχ. ’restricted,’ ‘confined.’ 12 ὑπάρχ. ἀχρόνως] instead of being sustained by a succession of temporal acts. 13 καὶ ἀναιτίως] It is difficult to assign a meaning to the word in this connexion. Gr. has frequently affirmed that the Father is the αἰτία of the Son. It must therefore mean ‘ without any intermediate or secondary cause.’ ib. βλέπει δὲ...πῶς λ́τλ.] ‘ In what sense docs He see the Father doing, and do likewise?’ οὕτω ποιεῖ; ἆρα ὡς οἱ τὰς μορφὰς γράφοντες καὶ τὰ γράμματα, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τῆς ἁληθείας ἄλλως ἐπιτυχεῖν, εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον βλέποντας, κἀκεῖθεν χειραγω- γουμένους ; καὶ πῶς ἡ σοφία δεῖται τοῦ διδάξοντος, ἢ οὐ ποιήσει τι μὴ διδασκομένη ; ποιεῖ δὲ πῶς ὁ πατήρ, ἢ πεποίηκεν ; ἆρα ἄλλον προυπέστησε κόσμον ἀντὶ τοῦ παρόντος, καὶ ὑποστήσει τὸν μέλλοντα, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα βλέπων ὁ υἱός, τὸν μὲν ὑπέστησε, τὸν δὲ ὑποστήσει; τέσσαρες οὖν κόσμοι κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, οἱ μὲν πατρός, οἱ δὲ υἱοῦ ποιήματα. τῆς ἀλογίας. καθαίρει δὲ λέπρας, καὶ δαιμόνων καὶ νόσων ἀπαλλάττει, καὶ ζωοποιεῖ νεκρούς, καὶ ὑπὲρ θαλάσσης ὁδεύει, καὶ τἄλλα ποιεῖ ὅσα πεποίηκεν, ἐπὶ τίνος ἢ πότε τοῦ πατρὸς ταῦτα προενεργήσαντος ; ἢ δῆλον ὅτι τῶν αὐτῶν πραγμάτων τοὺς τύπους ἐνσημαίνεται μὲν ὁ πατήρ, ἐπιτελεῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, οὐ δουλικῶς, οὐδὲ ἀμαθῶς, ἀλλ’ ἐπιστημονικῶς τε καὶ δεσποτικῶς, καὶ οἰκειό- τερον εἰπεῖν, πατρικῶς ; οὕτω γὰρ ἐγὼ δέχομαι τὸ ἅπερ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς γίνεται, ταῦτα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ὁμοίως ποιεῖν· οὐ κατὰ τὴν τῶν γινομένων ὁμοίωσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τῆς ἐξουσίας ὁμοτιμίαν. καὶ τοῦτο ἂν εἴη τὸ ἕως ἄρτι καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἐργάζεσθαι, καὶ τὸν υἱόν· οὐ μόνον δέ, ἁλλὰ 3 εἰ μὴ] om εἰ df || βλεποντας] τες ’Reg. ’ et χειραγωγούμενοι || 9 oυv] + οἱ be || Reg. ’ Ἴ’ 10 ttjs] ω τῆς bf || 1 1 om ἀπαλλάττει aceg ’ Reg. ’ || 13 προσενερηγσαντος a || 19 ἄλλα κάτα] om κάτα e ’Reg. a’ 3. κἀκεῖθεν χεὶρ.] ‘ guided by it from moment to moment? 4. ἢ σοφία] The Eunomian has already allowed the identification of Wisdom with Christ, ἑ 2. 6. ἀντὶ τοῦ παρόντος] 'corresponding to the present one.’ 13. ἐπὶ τίνος] like ἐπὶ πάντων, ἐφ’ ἑκάστων ; ‘ on what occasion, and at what time?’ 14. τῶν αὐτ’. πραγμάτων] There are not two sets of things ; they are the selfsame things which are done or made by the Father and the Son, the Father indicating the form and the Son giving it expression. 16. ἀμαθῶς] ’ unintclli gently 1 like one who copies a pattern mechani- cally. The adverbs are arranged in a chiasm. ib. οἰκ. εἰπεῖν, πατρ] ‘ to speak with more exact appropriateness, in the same manner ἃς the Father? 18. ὁμοίως ποιεῖν] John v 19. 20. ἕως ἄρτι] John v 17. καὶ τὴν ὧν πεποιήκασιν οἰκονομίαν τε καὶ συντήρησιν, ὡς δηλοῖ τὸ ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα· καὶ θεμελιοῦσθαι τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῆς· ἅπαξ ἡδρασμένα τε καὶ γενόμενα· καὶ στερεοῦσθαι βροντήν, καὶ κτίζεσθαι πνεῦμα, ὧν ἅπαξ μὲν ὁ λόγος ὑπέστη, συνεχὴς δὲ καὶ νῦν ἡ ἐνέργεια.