Πότε οὖν ταῦτα; ὑπὲρ τὸ πότε ταῦτα. εἰ δὲ δεῖ τι καὶ νεανικῶς εἰπεῖν, ὅτε ὁ πατήρ. πότε δὲ ὁ πατήρ; οὐκ ἢν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν. τοῦτο οὖν καὶ ὁ υἱός, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. πάλιν ἐρώτα με, καὶ πάλιν ἀποκρινοῦμαί σοι. πότε ὁ υἱὸς γεγέννηται; ὅτε ὁ πατὴρ οὐ γεγέννηται. πότε δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκπεπόρευται; ὅτε ὁ υἱὸς οὐκ ἐκπεπόρευται, ἀλλὰ γεγέννηται ἀχρόνως καὶ ὑπὲρ λόγον· εἰ καὶ μὴ δυνάμεθα τὸ ὑπὲρ χρόνον παραστῆσαι, θέλοντες χρονικὴν ἐκφυγεῖν ἔμφασιν· τὸ γὰρ ὅτε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦδε, καὶ μετὰ 1 θαρρήσωμεν ab II 3 ὑπερερρύη] ὑπερρύη dfg || 4 πέρι] + τῆς f || IO om καὶ f 3. 13 πνεῦμα] + τὸ ἄγιον c ’Colb. I’ || 17 ει] + μὴ ’Coisl. 3’ 3. οἷον κρατήρ τις] The simile is used by Plato Tim. 41 D; but, as Jahn points out in his annotations Elias, in a different connexion. Gr. prob. refers to some Neoplatonic author. 7. ἐπὶ τῶν ἠμ’. ὄρων] keeping to consecrated by Christian usage; cp. i 5. 9. ὥς πού φησιν] John xv 26. 3. The acts thus described are above and before time, although it is impossible to divest ourselves of ternporal notions in attenmpting to illustrate them. The Second and Third Persons are not posterior to the First point of time, though Their being springs out of His. 11. ταῦτα] sc. τὸ γεννητόν and τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον. This is shewn by ὅτε ὁ πατήρ in the next line, ib. ὑπὲρ τὸ πότε] above and be yond a ’when.’ 13. οὐκ ἢν ὅτε οὐκ ἢν] He replies with the phrase so well known at the beginning of the Arian controlanguage versy. ib. τοῦτο] sc. what is implied in οὐκ ἢν ὁτε οὐκ ἢν, eternal. 19. ἔμφασιν] ’an image.’ In order to convey any notion of what is above time, it is impossible to avoid the employment of temporal imagery. Ἔμφασις is, however, used in rhetoric for an innuendo, a sugin gestion of something beyond what the words express; and this may be Gr.'s meaning here. ταῦτα, καὶ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, οὐκ ἄχρονα, κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα βιαζώμεθα· πλὴν εἰ τὸ παρεκτεινόμενον τοῖς ἀιδίοις διάστημα τὸν αἰῶνα λαμβάνοιμεν, τὸ μὴ κινήσει τινὶ μηδὲ ἡλίου φορᾷ μεριζόμενον καὶ μετρούμενον, ὅπερ ὁ χρόνος. πῶς οὖν οὐ συνάναρχα, εἰ συναίδια; ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ μετ’ ἐκεῖνο. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄναρχον, καὶ ἀίδιον· τὸ ἀίδιον δέ, οὐ πάντως ἄναρχον, ἕως ἂν εἰς ἀρχὴν ἀναφέρηται τὸν πατέρα. οὐκ ἄναρχα οὖν τῷ αἰτίῳ· δῆλον δὲ τὸ αἴτιον ὡς οὐ πάντως πρεσβύτερον τῶν ὧν αἴτιον· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦ φωτὸς ἥλιος. καὶ ἄναρχά πὼς τῷ χρόνῳ, κἂν σὺ μορ- μολύττῃ τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους· οὐ γὰρ ὑπὸ χρόνον τὰ ἐξ ὧν ὁ χρόνος.