Chapter 16

16. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ποίημα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς, καλῶς ἂν ὕστερον Πατὴρ καὶ ἐπʼαὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ οὐ ποίημα ὁ Υἱὸς, ἀεὶ ἄρα ὁ Πατὴρ, ἀεὶ καὶ ὁ Υἱός. Εἰ δὲ ἀεὶ ὁ Υἱὸς, αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη ὁ λόγος. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ Υἱὸς εἴη ὁ Λόγος, καὶ τοῦτό τις ἀποτολμῶν εἴποι, ἢ τὸν Λόγον ‘Πατέραʼ λέγει, ἢ τὸν Υἱὸν κρείττονα τοῦ λόγου. Τοῦ γὰρ Υἱοῦ ‘ἐν κόλποις ὄντος τοῦ Πατρὸς,’ ἀνάγκη ἢ μὴ εἶναι πρὸ Υἱοῦ τὸν Λόγον· οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστι πρὸ τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῷ Πατρί· ἢ εἰ ὁ Λόγος ἄλλος ἐστὶ παρὰ τὸν Υἱὸν, ὁ Λόγος ἂν εἴη ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Λόγος Πατὴρ, ἀλλὰ λόγος, ἐκτὸς ἂν εἴη ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὄντος τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρός. Οὐ γὰρ ἀμφότερα, ὅ τε Λόγος καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς, ἐν τοῖς κόλποις, ἀλλʼ ἕνα εἶναι δεῖ, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν Υἱὸν, ὅς ἐστι μονογενής. Καὶ πάλιν, εἰ ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ Υἱὸς, κρείττων εὑρεθήσεται ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Λόγου· ‘οὐδεὶς γὰρ γινώσκει τὸν Πατέρα, εἰ μὴ ὁ Υἱὸς,’ οὐχ ‘ὁ Λόγος.’ Ἢ τοίνυν οὐκ οἶδεν ὁ Λόγος, ἢ εἰ οἶδε, ψεῦδος τὸ ‘οὐδεὶς γινώσκει. Τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ‘ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ, ‘ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν Υἱοῦ γάρ εἰσι φωναὶ, καὶ οὐ Λόγου κατ᾿ αὐτούς· δῆλον δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν εὐαγγελίων. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸν Ἰωάννην, λέγοντος τοῦ Κυρίου, ‘Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν, ἐβάστασαν λίθους οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἵνα λιθάσωσιν αὐτόν. Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Πολλὰ ἔργα καλὰ ἔδειξα ὑμῖν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός· διὰ ποῖον αὐτῶν ἔργον ἐμὲ λιθάζετε; Ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Περὶ καλοῦ ἔργου οὐ λιθάζομέν σε, ἀλλὰ περὶ βλασφημίας, καὶ ὅτι σὺ, ἄνθρωπος ὢν, ποιεῖς σεαυτὸν Θεόν· Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Οὐκ ἔστι γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ‘‘ἐγὼ εἶπα, θεοί ἐστε; ᾿᾿εἰ ἐκείνους εἶπε θεοὺς, πρὸς οὓς ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ γραφὴ, ὃν ὁ Πατὴρ ἡγίασε καὶ ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὑμεῖς λέγετε, ὅτι “βλασφημεῖς,” ὅτι εἶπον, Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰμι ; εἰ οὐ ποιῶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Πατρὸς, μὴ πιστεύετέ μοι· εἰ δὲ ποιῶ, κἂν ἐμοὶ μὴ πιστεύητε, τοῖς ἔργοις πιστεύσατε, ἵνα γνῶτε καὶ γινώσκητε ὅτι ἐν ἐμοὶ ὁ Πατὴρ, κἀγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρί·’ Καίτοι, ὅσον ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς δεῖ νοεῖν, οὔθʼ ὅτι ‘Θεός εἰμι,’ οὐδʼ ὅτι ‘Υἱὸς Θεοῦ εἰμι,᾿ εἶπεν, ἀλλʼ, ‘ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. ᾿