Oratio III contra Arianos (2-3)

2. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰ τοῦ συνηγόρου τῆς αἱρέσεως Ἀστερίου τοῦ σοφιστοῦ· γέγραφε γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς, εἰς τοῦτο ζηλώσας τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ταῦτα· Ἑὔδηλον γὰρ, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκεν ἑαυτὸν [*] μὲν ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, ἐν ἑαυτῷ δὲ πάλιν τὸν Πατέρα, ἐπεὶ μήτε τὸν λόγον, ὃν διεξήρχετο, ἑαυτοῦ φησιν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, μήτε οἰκεῖα τὰ ἔργα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς δεδωκότος τὴν δύναμιν.’ Τοῦτο δὲ εἰ καὶ παιδάριον ἦν ἁπλῶς εἰρηκὸς, συγγνώμην εἶχεν ἐκ τῆς ἡλικίας· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ καλούμενος ‘σοφιστὴς,’ καὶ πάντα γινώσκειν ἐπαγγελλόμενος, ἔστιν ὁ γράψας, πόσης ἄξιος καταγνώσεως ὁ τοιοῦτος; πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἀλλότριον ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλου δείκνυσιν, ἐπαιρόμενος ἐν ‘πειθοῖς σοφίας λόγοις,’ [*] καὶ νομίζων ἐν τούτοις ἐξαπατᾶν δύνασθαι, ‘μὴ νοῶν αὐτὸς ἃ [*] λέγει, μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦται;’ Ἃ γὰρ ὁ Υἱὸς ἴδια καὶ

ἁρμόζοντα μόνῳ Υἱῷ, Λόγῳ καὶ Σοφίᾳ ὄντι, καὶ εἰκόνι τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας εἴρηκε, ταῦτα οὗτος εἰς πάντα τὰ κτίσματα καταφέρει, καὶ κοινὰ τῷ τε Υἱῷ καὶ τούτοις ταῦτα ποιεῖ· τὴν δὲ δύναμιν τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγει λαμβάνειν δύναμιν ὁ παράνομος, ἵνα ἀκολουθήσῃ τῇ δυσσεβείᾳ αὐτοῦ εἰπεῖν ὅτι καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ἐν Υἱῷ υἱοποιήθη, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἔλαβε Λόγου ἐξουσίαν· καὶ οὐκ ἔτι μὲν αὐτὸν, ὡς Υἱὸν, θέλει εἰρηκέναι ταῦτα, ὡς δὲ μαθόντα καὶ αὐτὸν ὁμοίως συντάσσει πᾶσι τοῖς ποιήμασιν. Εἰ γὰρ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἃ διεξήρχετο, ἀλλʼ ὅτι τοῦ Πατρὸς ἧν, καὶ τὰ ἔργα, ἔλεγεν, ‘ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί·’ καὶ ὁ μὲν [*] Δαβὶδ λέγει, ‘Ἀκούσομαι τί λαλήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεός·’ ὁ [*] δὲ Σολομὼν, Ὁἱ ἐμοὶ λόγοι εἴρηνται ὑπὸ Θεοῦ·’ καὶ ὁ μὲν Μωσῆς τοὺς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διηκόνει λόγους, ἕκαστος δὲ τῶν προφητῶν οὐ τὰ ἴδια, ἀλλὰ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἕλεγε, ‘Τάδε λέγει Κύριος·’ καὶ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐποίουν οἱ ἅγιοι, οὐκ ἴδια, ἀλλὰ τοῦ δεδωκότος τὴν δύναμιν Θεοῦ ἔλεγον εἶναι· ὡς ὁ μὲν Ἡλίας καὶ Ἐλισσαῖος ἐπικαλούμενοι τὸν Θεὸν, ἵνα τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτὸς ἐγείρῃ· ὅτεκαὶ τῷ Ναιεμὰν λέγει ὁ Ἐλισσαῖος, καθαρίσας αὐτὸν [*] ἀπὸ τῆς λέπρας, ‘ἵνα γνῷς, ὅτι ἐστὶ Θεὸς ἐν Ἰσραήλ·’ ὁ δὲ Σαμουὴλ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμέραις θερισμοῦ ηὔχετο τὸν Θεὸν ‘δοῦναι ὑετόν·’ οἵ τε ἀπόστολοι ἔλεγον, οὐκ ‘ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει’ ποιεῖν τὰ σημεῖα, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ Κυρίου χάριτι· δῆλον ὅτι κατʼ αὐτὸν κοινὴ ἂν εἴη πάντων καὶ ἡ τοιαύτη φωνὴ, ὥστε καὶ ἕκαστον λέγειν δύνασθαι, ‘ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί·’ καὶ λοιπὸν μηκέτι ἕνα εἶναι τοῦτον Υἱὸν Θεοῦ καὶ Λόγον καὶ Σοφίαν, ἀλλ’ ἐκ πολλῶν ἕνα καὶ τοῦτον τυγχάνειν.

3. Ἀλλʼ εἴπερ ἦν οὕτως ὁ Κύριος εἰρηκὼς, ἔδει μὴ εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν, ‘ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί·’ ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον, ‘κἀγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐμοί ἐστιν,’ ἵνα μηδὲ ἴδιον καὶ ἐξαίρετον ἔχῃ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ὡς Υἱὸς, κοινὴν δὲ μετὰ πάντων ἔχῃ τὴν αὐτὴν χάριν. Ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὡς [*] νομίζουσιν ἐκεῖνοι· μὴ φρονοῦντες γὰρ Υἱὸν εἶναι γνήσιον ἐκ Πατρὸς, καταψεύδονται τοῦ γνησίου, ᾧ μόνῳ ἁρμόζει λέγειν, ‘ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί.’ Ἔστι γὰρ ὁ Υἱὸς ‘ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ,’ ὥς γε νοεῖν ἔξεστιν, ἐπειδὴ σύμπαν τὸ εἶναι τοῦ Υἱοῦ, τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας ἴδιόν ἐστιν, ὡς ἐκ φωτὸς

ἀπαύγασμα, καὶ ἐκ πηγῆς ποταμὸς, ὥστε τὸν ὁρῶντα τὸν Υἱὸν ὁρᾷν τὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἴδιον, καὶ νοεῖν ὅτι τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὸ εἶναι, ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὂν, οὕτως ἐν τῷ Πατρί ἐστιν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὁ [*] Πατὴρ ‘ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ,’ ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἴδιον, τοῦτο ὁ Ὑἱὸς τυγχάνει ὢν, ὡς ἐν τῷ ἀπαυγάσματι ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ ὁ νοῦς, καὶ ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ ἡ πηγή· οὕτω γὰρ ὁ θεωρῶν τὸν Υἱὸν [*] θεωρεῖ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας τὸ ἴδιον, καὶ νοεῖ ὅτι ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ ἐστι. Τοῦ γὰρ εἴδους καὶ τῆς θεότητος τοῦ Πατρὸς οὔσης τὸ εἶναι τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἀκολούθως ὁ Υἱὸς ἐν τῷ Πατρί ἐστι, [*] καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ. Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ εἰκότως εἰρηκὼς πρότερον, ‘ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν,’ ἐπήγαγε τὸ ‘ἐγὼ ἐν [*] τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί·’ ἵνα τὴν μὲν ταὐτότητα τῆς [*] θεότητος, τὴν δὲ ἑνότητα τῆς οὐσίας δείξῃ.