Ἠὼς οὖν οὐκ ἐμπαθὴς ἡ γέννησις; ὅτι ἀσώματος. εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἐνσώματος ἐμπαθής, ἀπαθὴς ἡ ἀσώματος. ἐγὼ δέ σε ἀντερήσομαι· πῶς θεός, εἰ κτίσμα; οὐ γὰρ θεὸς τὸ κτιζό- μένον· ἵνα μὴ λέγω, ὅτι κἀνταῦθα πάθος, ἂν σωματικῶς 2 συμπαρεκτεινόμενον c ‘Reg. Cypr.’ || 3 λαμβάνομεν b II 6 ἐκεῖνον def τὸ ’δε ἀίδιον def || 9 ὢν] + ἐστιν bdf 2. πλὴν εἰ κτλ.) The only way, Gr. says, is to adopt the standard of Eternity. Eternity does indeed suggest a kind of temporal duration; that cannot be helped; but we use it to denote ’an interval or ’ commensurate with things of a supra-temporal order, not measured by any measurement known to time. It seems best to connect the πλὴν with εἰ καἰ μὴ δυνάμεθα, and to treat the intervening sentence (in accordance with Gr.s manner) as parenthetical. 5. ἐκεῖθεν] sc. ἐκ τοῦ πατρός. 9. τοῦ φωτὸς ἤλως] The simile is, of course, unscientific; but it serves its purpose. 10. ἄναρχά πὼς τῷ χρ.] In a sense, so far as time is concerned, that which is Begotten and that which Proceeds are without a beginning, as no date can be assigned, prior to which They had not begun. ib. μορμολύττῃ] ‘to scare’ with μορμώ, or bugbear. 4. If difficulty is felt about the ‘generation’ of the Son by the Father, the difficulty is not got rid rid by making the Son a ‘creature’ instead. It only arises from a carnal notion of what is meant by generation, as if there could be no higher hind of generation. 15. πῶς θεός] which the Eunomians acknowledged, though with an interpretation of their own. 16. κἀνταῦθα] i.e. ἐν τῷ κτίζειν. Α work of creation (lit. ‘founding’) as known to man involves time in which to work it out, desire for the accomplishment, the formation of a mental ideal, thought as to the mode of execution, etc. Gr.'s objeel is to shew that the thought of creation on ’s part involves as many difficulties as that of generation. λαμβάνηται, οἷον χρόνος, ἔφεσις, ἀνατύπωσις, φροντίς, ἐλπίς, λύπη, κίνδυνος, ἀποτυχία, διόρθωσις· ἃ πάντα καὶ πλείω τούτων περὶ τὴν κτίσιν, ὡς πᾶσιν εὔδηλον. θαυμάζω δέ, ὅτι μὴ καὶ τοῦτο τολμᾷς, συνδυασμούς τινας ἐννοεῖν, καὶ χρόνους κυήσεως, καὶ κινδύνους ἀμβλώσεως, ὡς οὐδὲ γεννᾷν ἐγχωροῦν, εἰ μὴ οὕτω γεγέννηκεν· ἢ πάλιν πτηνῶν τινὰς καὶ χερσαίων καὶ ἐνύδρων γεννήσεις ἀπαριθμούμενος, τούτων τινὶ τῶν γεννήσεων ὑπάγειν τὴν θείαν καὶ ἀνεκλά- λῆτον, ἢ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἀναιρεῖν ἐκ τῆς καινῆς ὑποθέσεως. καὶ οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνο δύνασαι συνιδεῖν, ὅτι ᾧ διάφορος ἡ κατὰ σάρκα γέννησις, — ποῦ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς σοῖς ἔγνως θεοτόκον παρθένον; — τούτῳ καὶ ἡ πνευματικὴ γέννησις ἐξαλλάττουσα· μᾶλλον δέ, ᾧ τὸ εἶναι μὴ ταὐτόν, τούτῳ καὶ τὸ γεννᾷν διάφορον.