De Filio (Orat. 30)
Gregory, of Nazianzus
Gregorius Nazianzenus, The Five Theological Orations, Mason, Cambridge, 1899
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?’)