ὄντα οὖν γεγέννηκεν, ἢ οὐκ ὄντα; τῶν ληρημάτων· περὶ ἐμὲ καὶ σὲ ταῦτα, οἳ τὸ μέν τι ἦμεν, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ ὀσφύι τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ Λευὶ, τὸ δὲ γεγόναμεν’ ὥστε ἐξ ὄντων τρόπον τινὰ τὸ ἡμέτερον, καὶ οὐκ ὄντων· ἐναντίως περὶ τὴν ἀρχέγονον ὕλην ὑποστᾶσαν σαφῶς ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων, κἄν τινες ἀγένητον ἀναπλάττωσιν. ἐνταῦθα δὲ σύνδρομον τῷ εἶναι τὸ γεγεννῆσθαι, καὶ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς· ὥστε ποῦ θήσεις τὸ ἀμφίκρημνον τοῦτο ἐρώτημα; τί γὰρ τοῦ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς πρεσβύτερον, ἵν ἐκεῖ θῶμεν τὸ εἶναί ποτε τοῦ υἱοῦ, ἢ τὸ μὴ εἶναι; ἀμφοτέρως γὰρ τὸ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς λυθήσεται. εἰ μή σοι καὶ ὁ πατήρ, πάλιν ἐρωτώντων ἡμῶν, ἐξ ὄντων, ἢ ἐξ 9. 1 τῶν] ω τῶν e || 6 ἀγένητον] ἀγέννητον def ΙΙ ἀναπλάττουσιν e || 7 τὼ εἶναι τὸ] τὸ εἶναι τὼ ‘Reg.’ a’ 9 η τὸ μὴ] om τὸ cd 1. ὄντα] Α fresh difficulty: was the Son already in existence when He was begotten, or not? Gr. admits that the question might have some meaning in regard to human generation. In one sense we already existed τὸ μέν τι); in another, we then began to be (λγλόναμεν practically=ἐγενήθημεν). 3. ὁ Λευί] Heb. vii 10. 4. τὸ ἡμέτερον] = ἡμεῖς. 6. κἄν τινες ἂγ. ἀναπλ.] The reference is to ’s Timaeus. ib. σύνδρομον τῷ εἰ. τὸ γ.] ’In this ’ of the Eternal Son, ‘generation is coincident with existence, and is from all eternity.’ 7. ποῦ θήσεις] Where will you find a place, a date, for your question to apply to? ‘Already in existence when He was begotten ’ implies a time before the begetting; but there was no such time. He was begotten from the beginning. What was there before ’the begin- ning, ’ that we may say whether the Son then existed or not? In either case, whether we affirm or deny His existence, it is clear that that subsequent moment at which we suppose Him to have been begotten cannot really have been the beginning. 10. εἰ μή σοι κ. ὁ π.] If you still press your question, we will once more ask you about the Father, whether His existence is derived from elements that were beforehand or from elements that were not. Perhaps then you will make out that both propositions are true, and that He has two modes or stages of existence, one before and the other after the absorption of those elements. Or you will choose the latter alternative, and say of Him, as you say of the Son, that He comes into being from nothingness. If you are ready to admit this of the Father (such is the force of the εἰ μή), there is some consistency in what you affirm of the Son. οὐκ ὄντων, κινδυνεύσειεν ἢ δὶς εἶναι, ὃ μὲν προών, ὃ δὲ ὤν, ἢ ταὐτὸν τῷ υἱῷ παθεῖν, ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εἶναι, διὰ τὰ σὰ τῶν ἐρωτημάτων παίγνια, καὶ τὰς ἐκ ψάμμων οἰκοδομάς, αἱ μηδὲ αὔραις ἵστανται. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὐδέτερον τούτων δέχομαι, καὶ τὴν ἐρώτησίν φημι τὸ ἄτοπον ἔχειν, οὐχὶ τὸ ἄπορον τὴν ἀπάντησιν. εἰ δέ σοι φαίνεται ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τὸ ἕτερον ἀληθεύειν ἐπὶ παντός, κατὰ τὰς σὰς δια- λεκτικὰς ὑπολήψεις, δέξαι μού τι μικρὸν ἐρώτημα. ὁ χρόνος ἐν χρόνῳ, ἢ οὐκ ἐν χρόνῳ; εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐν χρόνῳ, IO τίνι τούτῳ; καὶ τί παρὰ τοῦτον ὄντι; καὶ πῶς περιέχοντι; εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐν χρόνῳ, τίς ἢ περιττὴ σοφία χρόνον εἰσάγειν ἄχρονον; τοῦ δέ, Νῦν ἐγὼ ψεύδομαι, δὸς τὸ ἕτερον, ἢ ἀληθεύεσθαι μόνον, ἢ ψεύδεσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἀμφότερα δώ- σομεν. ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται. ἢ γὰρ ψευδόμενος ἀληθεύσει, ἢ ἀληθεύων ψεύσεται· πᾶσα ἀνάγκη. τί οὖν θαυμαστόν, ὥσπερ ἐνταῦθα συμβαίνει τὰ ἐναντία, οὕτως ἐκεῖσε ἀμφότερα ψεύδεσθαι, καὶ οὕτω σοι τὸ σοφὸν ἠλίθιον ἀναφανήσεται; ἓν ἔτι μοι λῦσον τῶν αἰνιγμάτων· σεαυτῷ δὲ γεννωμένῳ παρῆς; πάρει δὲ νῦν; ἢ οὐδέτερον; εἰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ παρῆς, καὶ πάρει, ὡς τίς, καὶ τίνι; καὶ πῶς ὁ εἷς ἄμφω γεγόνατε; εἰ δὲ μηδέτερον τῶν εἰρημένων, πῶς 3 ἐκ ψάμμων] εξ ἄμμων a || οἰκοδομίας ac || 12 om η ’duo Reg.’ 1. ö μὲν πρ., δ δὲ ὤν] For this use of δ (here accus.) cp. Matt. xiii 8. 4. μ. αὔραις ἵστανται] ‘cannot even stand a puff of wind’; a natural use of ἴστ’. but difficult to parallel. ib. τούτων] of the two alternatives, ὄντα ἢ οὐκ ὄντα γεγέννηκεν. 5. τὸ ἄπορον τὴν ἀπ’.] Α chiasm: ἀπάντ. corresponds to ἐρώτ., as τὸ ἄπορον to τὸ ἄτοπον. It is not that the encounter presents a difficulty, but the question presents an ab- surdity. 10. τί παρὰ τοῦτον ὄντι] ’what is it besides the time which is in it? and how does it contain that ?’ 12. τοῦ δέ, Νῦν ἐγὼ ψ.] Α well-known puzzle. ’"I am now telling a lie." One thing or the other; is the statement true or false? We will not admit that it is both. you answer, it is impossible to adopt the one alternative to the exclusion of the other, for if he is lying, he speaks the truth, and if he speaks the truth, he lying.’ 15. τί οὖν θαυμαστόν] As, in the case of the ψευδόμενος, contradictories are reconciled, so we need not be surprised if, in the proposed dilemma of ὄντα ἢ οὐκ ὄντα, both alternatives are false. 17. ἠλίθιον] ‘silly.’ σεαυτοῦ χωρίζῃ; καὶ τίς ἡ αἰτία τῆς διαζεύξεως; ἀλλ’ ἀπαίδευτον περὶ τοῦ ἑνός, εἰ ἑαυτῷ πάρεστιν, ἢ μή, πολυπραγμονεῖν. ταῦτα γὰρ ἐπ’ ἄλλων, οὐχ ἑαυτοῦ λέγεται. ἀπαιδευτότερον, εὖ ἴσθι, τὸ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς γεγεννημένον, εἰ ἢν πρὸ τῆς γεννήσεως, ἢ οὐκ ἦν, διευθύνεσθαι. οὗτος γὰρ περὶ τῶν χρόνῳ διαιρετῶν ὁ λόγος.