De Filio (Orat. 30)

Ὅγδοόν ἐστιν αὐτοῖς τό· Ἵνα γινώσκωσι σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν χριστόν· καὶ τό· Οὐδεὶς ἂγαθός, εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πάντῃ ῥᾴστην ἔχειν τὴν λύσιν μοι φαίνεται. εἰ γὰρ τὸ μόνον ἀληθινὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς θήσεις, ποῦ θήσεις τὴν αὐτοαλήθειαν ; καὶ γὰρ εἰ τῷ μόνῳ σοφῷ θεῷ, ἢ τῷ μόνῳ ἔχοντι ἀθανασίαν, φῶς οἰκοῦντι ἀπρόσιτον, ἢ Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ σοφῷ θεῷ νοήσεις οὕτως, οἰχήσεταί σοι θάνατον κατακριθεὶς ὁ υἱός, ἢ σκότος, ἢ τὸ μὴ σοφὸς εἶναι, μηδὲ βασιλεύς, μηδὲ ἀόρατος, μηδὲ ὅλως θεός, ὂ τῶν εἰρημένων κεφάλαιον. πῶς δὲ οὐκ [*](1 om τὸ a ΙΙ 5 νοης] διανοῇς cf: νόεις d ΙΙ νογσεις] νόεις d ’Or. 1’ 13. 15 ἀοράτῳ] + καὶ f || 18 πὼς δάι d) [*](1. τὸν λόγον τὸν ἅκ.] John xiv 24. The ἐπεὶ carries us somewhat abruptly back to the main thesis of the section, οὐχ ὡς ὄντος κτλ.) [*](6. καὶ παντὸς τοῦ εὐγν] sc. ὁ λόγος. This is the usual interpretation of the fathers.) [*](13. ’λθ’. 8. — Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, and There is none good but one, that is, God. There are other instances where similar language does not exclude the Son. Here, it is used to exclude the false gods, and it is the common Godhead of the Father and of the which is addressed as the only true God. The other text is an answer to one who, thinking Him to be only a man, called Him ‘good’; whereas the goodness was that of the Godhead. If this argument does not satisfy them., we can find them a text which, on their principles, would prove the Son alone to be God.) [*](8. ἵνα γινώσκωσι σέ] John xvii 3.) [*](10. οὐδεὶς ἀγαθός] Mark x 18.) [*](12. τὴν αὐτοαλήθειαν] viz. Christ, who says, “ I am the Truth.") [*](13. τῷ μόνῳ σοφῷ θεῶ Rom. xvi 27.) [*](ib. τῷ μόνῳ ἔχ. ἀθ’.] 1 Tim. vi 16. Gr. turns the words into the ascriptive form.) [*](14. βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰ.] 1 Tim. i 17.) [*](15. νοήσεις] The foregoing quotations form the object, or accusative, to the verb : ‘If you so underSon stand τῷ μόνῳ σ. θ.‘ Usually in such cases we have τὸ τῷ μόνῳ κτλ.) [*](16. οἰχήσεταί σοι] ‘you condemn the Son to death, to darkness and He must go.’) [*](18. οὐκ ἀπολεῑ] ‘How can He help losing?’)

ἀπολεῖ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τὴν ἀγαθότητα, ἢ μάλιστα μόνου θεοῦ ; ἀλλ’ οἶμαι τὸ μέν· Ἵνα γινώσκωσι σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν, ἐπ’ ἀναιρέσει λέγεσθαι τῶν οὐκ ὄντων μὲν θεῶν, λεγομένων δέ. οὐ γὰρ ἂν προσέκειτο· Καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν χριστόν, εἰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀντιδιῄρητο τὸ μόνον ἀληθινόν, ἁλλὰ μὴ κατὰ κοινοῦ τῆς θεότητος ἦν ὁ λόγος. τὸ δέ, Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθός, ἀπάντησιν ἔχει πρὸς τὸν πειράζοντα νομικόν, ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ τὴν ἀγαθότητα μαρτυρήσαντα. τὸ γὰρ ἄκρως ἀγαθόν, φησι, μόνου θεοῦ, κἂν τοῦτο καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὀνομάζηται, ὡς τό· Ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ προβάλλει τὸ ἀγαθόν· καί, δώσω τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ ἀγαθῷ ὑπὲρ σέ, τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν Σαοὺλ περὶ τοῦ Δαβὶδ λέγοντος· καὶ τό· Ἀγάθυνον, κύριε, τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς· καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα λέγεται περὶ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐπαινουμένων, ἐφ’ οὓς ἡ ἀπόρροια τοῦ πρώτου καλοῦ καὶ κατὰ δεύτερον λόγον ἔφθασεν. εἰ μὲν οὖν πείθομεν τοῦτο, ἄριστον· εἰ δὲ μή, τί φήσεις πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας ἑτέρωθι, τὸν υἱὸν μόνον εἰρῆσθαι θεὸν κατὰ τὰς σὰς ὑποθέσεις ; ἐν τίσι τοῖς ῥήμασιν ; ἐν ἐκείνοις· Οὗτός σου θεός, οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ μετ’ ὀλίγα· Μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις [*](5 εκεινον] τοῦτον b || 6 om τὸ g ΙΙ 12 θεοῦ] + λογος df || 17 πείθοιμεν a || 19 οὕτος ο θεὸς bcf2 ’duo Reg.' ΙΙ 20 θεος] + καὶ cdf) [*](5. εἰ πρὸς ἐκ. ἀντιδιῄρητο] ‘If the words " only true" were used to distinguish God from Him,’ ‘to exclude Him.' Cp. § 4.) [*](6. κατὰ κοίνου] Something like ἀπὸ κοινοῦ in § 12, ‘ in general.' Of course τῆς θεότ. depends upon ἢν, not upon κατὰ κ. Gr. does not perceive what difficulties he is landed in, if he makes ’Jesus Christ' address the Godhead in general as His sender. Both Nestorianism and Sabellianism are near at hand. ἀπάντησιν ἔχει πρός] ‘is intended ἃς an answer to? Gr. has confused the Rich Young Ruler with the Lawyer who tempted Christ.) [*](9. καλ’ τοῦτο] sc. ἀγαθός.) [*](10. ὁ ἂγ. ἄνθρωπος] Matt, xii 35.) [*](11. δώσω τὴν β.] 1 Sam. xv 28.) [*](13. ἀγάθυνον] Ps. exxiv (exxv) 4.) [*](15. ἐφ’ οὒς ἡ ἀπόρρ. ] ‘upon whom the outflotv of the First Fair has come, even in a secondary sense.’) [*](17. πείθομεν τοῦτο] ’persuade you of this.’) [*](19. οὗτός σου θεός] Baruch iii 35 foll.) συνανεστράφη. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ οὐ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀλλὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ λεγόμενον, ἡ προσθήκη σαφῶς παρίστησιν. οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ σωματικῶς ὁμιλήσας ἡμῖν, καὶ μετὰ τῶν κάτω γενόμενος. εἰ δὲ νικήσειε κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς λέγεσθαι τοῦτο, μὴ τῶν νομιζομένων θεῶν, ἡττήμεθα τὸν πατέρα, δι’ ὧν τοῦ υἱοῦ κατεσπουδάσαμεν. τί ἃν τῆς νίκης ταύτης γένοιτο ἀθλιώτερον ἢ ζημιωδέστερον ;