De Filio (Orat. 29)

τίς ἔτι λόγος αὐτοῖς τῶν ἀφύκτων; τάχα ἂν ἐπ’ ἐκεῖνο καταφύγοιεν τελευταῖον· ὡς εἰ μὲν οὐ πέπαυται τοῦ γεννᾷν ὁ θεός, ἀτελὴς ἡ γέννησις, καί ποτε παύσεται. εἰ πέπαυται δέ, πάντως καὶ ἤρξατο. πάλιν οἱ σωματικοὶ τὰ σωματικά. ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ μὲν ἀίδιον αὐτῷ τὸ γεννᾶσθαι, ἢ μή, οὔπω λέγω, ἕως ἂν τὸ Πρὸ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾶ με ἀκριβῶς ἐπισκέψωμαι. οὐχ ὁρῶ δὲ τίς ἡ ἀνάγκη τοῦ λόγου. εἰ γὰρ ἦρκται κατ’ αὐτοὺς τὸ παυσόμενον, οὐκ ἦρκται πάντως τὸ μὴ παυσόμενον. τί τοίνυν ἀποφανοῦνται περὶ ψυχῆς, ἢ τῆς ἀγγελικῆς φύσεως; εἰ μὲν ἦρκται, καὶ παύσεται· εἰ δὲ οὐ παύσεται, δῆλον ὅτι κατ’ αὐτοὺς οὐδὲ ἦρκται. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἦρκται, καὶ οὐ παύσεται. οὐκ ἄρα ἦρκται κατ’ αὐτοὺς τὸ παυσόμενον. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἡμέτερος λόγος· ὥσπερ ἵππου, καὶ βοός, καὶ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ὑπὸ τὸ αὐτὸ εἶδος, εἷς λόγος ἐστί, καὶ ὂ μὲν ἂν μετέχῃ τοῦ λόγου, τοῦτο καὶ κυρίως λέγεσθαι, ὃ δ’ ἂν μὴ μετέχῃ, τοῦτο ἢ μὴ λέγεσθαι, ἢ μὴ κυρίως λέγεσθαι, οὕτω δὲ καὶ θεοῦ μίαν οὐσίαν εἶναι, καὶ φύσιν, καὶ κλῆσιν, κἂν [*](13. 4 εἰ ’δε πέπαυται df || 15 λογος] ὄρος ’tres Colb.’ II 16 om καὶ c 17 μὴ λέγεσθαι] μηδὲ λ. df) [*](1. τῶν ἀφύκτων] i.e. which they consider to be so.) [*](3. καί ποτε παύσεται] ‘and some day He will stop,’ viz. when τελεία ἡ γέννησις. This is more pointed than to make πότε interrogative.) [*](6. π,ρὸ πάντων β.] Prov. viii 25.) [*](9. ἀποφανοῦνται] ’will they shew to be the case.’) [*](12. οὐκἄραἢρκται κ.αὐτοὐςτὸπ.] Therefore the thing which zuill one day stop can never according to them have had a beginning.’ So Gr. turns their logic against them.) [*](13. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἠμ’. λ.] sc. λέγει.) [*](15. εἷς λόγος ἐστί] ’one ’ or ‘principle of existence’; and so, from the observer’s point of view, ‘definition.’ What is implied may be seen by the corresponding words in the apodosis, οὐσίαν κ. φύσιν κ. κλῆσιν. The meaning is not the same as in ὁ ἡμέτερος λ. just before, nor has it any relation to λέγεσθαι directly after.) [*](ib. ὃ μὲν ἂν μετέχῃ τ. λ.] ‘what. ever shares that characteristic principle, is rightly called by that name.’ Tοῦτο, however, is grammatically the subject of λῆ., not the predicate.) [*](17. οὕτω δέ] The ‘apodotic’ force of δέ is well known. It recurs again in the next section.)

ἐπινοίαις τισὶ διαιρουμέναις συνδιαιρῆται καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα. καὶ ὃ μὲν ἂν κυρίως λέγηται, τοῦτο καὶ εἶναι θεόν· ὃ δ’ ἂν ἦ κατὰ φύσιν, τοῦτο καὶ ἀληθῶς ὀνομάζεσθαι· εἴπερ μὴ ἐν ὀνόμασιν, ἀλλ’ ἐν πράγμασίν ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἢ ἀλήθεια. οἱ δέ, ὥσπερ δεδοικότες μὴ πάντα κινεῖν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, θεὸν μὲν εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν, ὅταν βιασθῶσι τῶ λόγῳ καὶ ταῖς μαρτυρίαις, ὁμώνυμον δὲ καὶ μόνης κοινω- νοῦντα τῆς κλήσεως.