Athanasius Oratio quarta contra Arianos [Sp.] 26

26. Ἄτοπα μὲν οὖν ταῦτα. Ὅτι δὲ ὁ Υἱὸς οὐκ ἀρχὴν ἔχει τοῦ εἶναι, ἀλλʼ ἀεὶ καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως παρὰ τῷ Πατρί ἐστι, δηλοῖ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἐπιστολῇ, λέγων οὕτως, ‘Ὃ ἦν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεντοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ¹ ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ Λόγουτῆς ζωῆς· καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἑωράκαμεν, καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ ἀπαγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον, ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡμῖν.᾿ Ἐνταῦθα λέγων, ὅτι ἡ ζωὴ οὐ γέγονεν, ἀλλʼ ‘ἦν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα,ʼ ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τὸν Υἱὸν εἶναί φησι τὴν ζωήν· γράφει δʼ οὖν· ‘Καί ἐσμεν ἐν τῷ ² ἀληθινῷ, ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ³ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς, καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος.᾿ Εἰ δὲ ὁ Υἱός ἐστιν ἡ ζωὴ, καὶ αὕτη πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ εἰ ὁ Υἱὸς ἦν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, λέγει δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς, ‘καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν,ʼ ὁ Υἱὸς ἂν ⁴ εἴη ὁ Λόγος, ὁ ἀεὶ ὢν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα. Ὡσπερ δὲ ὁ Υἱὸς Λόγος ἐστὶν, οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ὁ αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη ὁ Πατήρ. Ὁ μέντοι Υἱὸς κατὰ τὸν᾿ Ἰωάννην ‘Θεὸςʼ οὐχ ἀπλῶς, ἀλλʼ ‘ἀληθινὸς Θεόςʼ ἐστι. Καὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τοῦτον, ‘καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος·᾿ ⁵ ἔλεγέ τε ὁ Υἱὸς, ‘ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή.᾿ Οὐκοῦν ὁ Υἱὸς Λόγος ἐστὶ ⁶ καὶ ζωὴ ἡ οὖσα παρὰ τῷ Πατρί. Πάλιν δὲ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ εἰρημένον, ‘ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός,᾿ ⁷ δείκνυσι τὸν Υἱὸν ἀεὶ εἶναι. Ὃν γὰρ λέγει ὁ Ἰωάννης ‘Υἱὸν,᾿ τοῦτον ‘χεῖραʼ ὁ Δαβὶδ ψάλλει λέγων· ‘Ἱνατί ἀποστρέφεις τὴν ⁸ χεῖρά σου καὶ τὴν δεξιάν σου ἐκ μέσου τοῦ κόλπου σου;’ Οὐκοῦν εἰ ἡ χεὶρ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ἐν κόλπῳ, ὁ Υἱὸς ἂν εἴη ἡ χεὶρ, καὶ ἡ χεὶρ ἂν εἴη ὁ Υἱὸς, διʼ οὗ ἐποίησε τὰ πάντα ὁ ⁹ Πατήρ. ‘Ἡ χείρ σουʼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ‘ἐποίησε ταῦτα πάντα,ʼ καὶ, ¹⁰ ‘τῇ χειρὶ ἐξήγαγε τὸν λαόν·ʼ οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ¹¹ ‘αὕτη ἡ ἀλλοίωσις τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ ὑψίστου,ʼ καὶ πάλιν, ‘εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, ᾠδὴ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦʼ ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἄρα ἐστὶν ἡ χεὶρ ἀλλοιωθεῖσα, περὶ οὗ καὶ λέγει ἡ θεία φωνή· ‘Οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός,᾿ Ἴσον ἄρα ¹² ἐστὶν ‘ αὕτη ἡ χείρ μου᾿ τῷ ‘ οὗτος ὁ Υἱός μου.᾿