380 NOV ATI AN THE ROMAN PRESBYTER
equal,He would have shown forthtwo Invisibles,andthus
alsoHe would have proved them to be two Gods. Ifincom
prehensible,if alsowhatever other attributesbelong tothe
Father,reasonablywe say,He would have given risetothe
allegationof two Gods, as these people feign. But now,
whatever He is,He is not of Himself,because He isnot
unborn ; but He is of the Father,because He isbegotten,
whether as being the Word, whether as being the Power,or
as being the Wisdom, or as being the Light,or as beingthe
Son ; and whatever of theseHe is,in thatHe isnotfromany
othersource,as we have alreadysaid before,than fromthe
Father,owing His originto His Father,He could notmake
a disagreementin the divinityby the number of two Gods,
sinceHe gatheredHis beginningby being born of Him who
isone God. In which kind,being both as wellonly-begotten
as first-begottenof Him who has no beginning,He isthe
only one,of allthingsboth Source and Head. And there
foreHe declaredthatGod is one, in thatHe provedHim
to be from no source nor beginning,but rather thebegin
ning and source of allthings. Moreover, the Son does
nothing of His own will,nor does anything of His own
determination; nor does He come from Himself, but obeys
allHis Father'scommands and precepts; so that,although
birthprovesHim to be a Son, yet obedienceeven to death
declaresHim the ministerof the willof His Father,ofwhom
He is. Thus making Himself obedientto His Father inall
things,although He alsoisGod, yet He shows the oneGod
the Father by His obedience,from whom alsoHe drewHis
beginning. And thus He couldnot make two Gods, because
He did not make two beginnings,seeingthat from Him who
has no beginningHe receivedthesourceofHis nativitybefore
alltime. For sincethat is the beginningto othercreatures
which isunborn (which God theFatheronlyis,beingbeyond
a beginningof whom He iswho was born),while He whois
born of Him reasonablycomes from Him who has no begin
ning,provingthatto be the beginningfrom which He Him
selfis,even althoughHe isGod who isborn,yet He shows
Him to be one God whom He who was born proved tobe