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Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. V: Dogmatic Treatises.: Defence of S. Basil's statement, attacked by Eunomius, that the terms 'Father' and 'The Ungenerate' can have the same meaning.

Christian DogmaticsGregory of NyssaNicene and Post-Nicene Fathers

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Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. V: Dogmatic Treatises.: A notice of Aetius, Eunomius' master in heresy, and of Eunomius himself, describing the origin and avocations of each. Shares 2 topics Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. V: Dogmatic Treatises.: His peculiar caricature of the bishops, Eustathius of Armenia and Basil of Galatia, is not well drawn. Shares 2 topics Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. V: Dogmatic Treatises.: Eunomius displays much folly and fine writing, but very little seriousness about vital points. Shares 2 topics Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. V: Dogmatic Treatises.: We see nothing remarkable in logical force in the treatise of Eunomius, and so embark on our Answer with a just confidence. Shares 2 topics
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This is a patristic theological polemic, likely a section from Gregory of Nyssa's *Against Eunomius*, defending his brother Basil of Caesarea against attacks by the heretic Eunomius. The core argument concerns whether Christians should use the term "Ungenerate" (Agennetos) to describe God the Father: Basil argued the word should be suppressed in favor of "Father," since "Father" implies the same meaning (one who derives from no prior cause) while denying Eunomian heretics a weapon they used to subordinate the Son. Gregory defends this position against Eunomius's charge that Basil's reasoning was sloppy and dishonest, arguing that inner theological understanding matters more than the precise vocabulary used to express it — invoking Jesus's saying "from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." The text makes a distinctive pastoral-pragmatic argument: just as Paul forbade eating meat sacrificed to idols not because the food was impure but to avoid scandalizing weak believers, Basil rightly counseled avoiding a term that, however theologically legitimate in itself, had become a tool of heresy. The piece is notably combative in tone, devoting significant space to mocking Eunomius's rhetorical pretensions while defending Basil's intellectual and spiritual credentials. It will interest readers studying fourth-century Trinitarian controversy, the Cappadocian Fathers' theological method, or early Christian arguments about the relationship between language, doctrine, and pastoral responsibility.

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