Chapter V.—Proof that God is one and not many.

We have, then, adequately demonstrated that there is a God, and that His essence is incomprehensible. But that God is one48    Various reading, but that He is one. and not many is no matter of doubt to those who believe in the Holy Scriptures. For the Lord says in the beginning of the Law: I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me49    Exod. xx. 2, 3.. And again He says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord50    Deut. vi. 4.. And in Isaiah the prophet we read, For I am the first God and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God. Before Me there was not any God, nor after Me will there be any God, and beside Me there is no God51    Isai. xliii. 10.. And the Lord, too, in the holy gospels speaketh these words to His Father, And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee the only true God52    St. John xvii. 3.. But with those that do not believe in the Holy Scriptures we will reason thus.

The Deity is perfect53    See Thomas Aquin. I. quæst. 11, Art. 4; also cf. Book iv., c. 21 beneath. The question of the unity of the Deity is similarly dealt with by those of the Fathers who wrote against the Marcionites and the Manichæans, and by Athenagoras., and without blemish in goodness, and wisdom, and power, without beginning, without end, everlasting, uncircumscribed54    Or, infinite; ἀπερίγραπτον., and in short, perfect in all things. Should we say, then, that there are many Gods, we must recognise difference among the many. For if there is no difference among them, they are one rather than many. But if there is difference among them, what becomes of the perfectness? For that which comes short of perfection, whether it be in goodness, or power, or wisdom, or time, or place, could not be God. But it is this very identity in all respects that shews that the Deity is one and not many55    Infr. lib. iv. c. 21..

Again, if there are many Gods, how can one maintain that God is uncircumscribed? For where the one would be, the other could not be56    Greg. Nyss., Prol. Catech..

Further, how could the world be governed by many and saved from dissolution and destruction, while strife is seen to rage between the rulers? For difference introduces strife57    Greg. Naz., Orat. 35.. And if any one should say that each rules over a part, what of that which established this order and gave to each his particular realm? For this would the rather be God. Therefore, God is one, perfect, uncircumscribed, maker of the universe, and its preserver and governor, exceeding and preceding all perfection.

Moreover, it is a natural necessity that duality should originate in unity58    Cf. Dionys., De div. nom., c. 5, 13..

Ἀπόδειξις, ὅτι εἷς ἐστι θεὸς καὶ οὐ πολλοί

Ὅτι μέν ἐστι θεός, ἱκανῶς ἀποδέδεικται, καὶ ὅτι ἀκατάληπτός ἐστιν ἡ αὐτοῦ οὐσία. Ὅτι δὲ εἷς ἐστι καὶ οὐ πολλοί, τοῖς μὲν τῇ θείᾳ πειθομένοις γραφῇ οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλεται. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἐν τῇ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἀρχῇ: «Ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός σου ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ», καὶ πάλιν: «Ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ: Κύριος ὁ θεός σου κύριος εἷς ἐστι», καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου: «Ἐγὼ γάρ, φησί, θεὸς πρῶτος καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστι θεός. Ἔμπροσθέν μου οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄλλος θεὸς καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστι», καὶ ὁ κύριος δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις οὕτω φησὶ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα: «Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν».

Τοῖς δὲ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ μὴ πειθομένοις οὕτω διαλεξόμεθα. Τὸ θεῖον τέλειόν ἐστι καὶ ἀνελλιπὲς κατά τε ἀγαθότητα κατά τε σοφίαν κατά τε δύναμιν, ἄναρχον, ἀτελεύτητον, ἀίδιον, ἀπερίγραπτον καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν κατὰ πάντα τέλειον. Εἰ οὖν πολλοὺς ἐροῦμεν θεούς, ἀνάγκη διαφορὰν ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς θεωρεῖσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ οὐδεμία διαφορὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἷς μᾶλλόν ἐστι καὶ οὐ πολλοί. Εἰ δὲ διαφορὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ποῦ ἡ τελειότης; Εἴτε γὰρ κατὰ ἀγαθότητα, εἴτε κατὰ δύναμιν, εἴτε κατὰ σοφίαν, εἴτε κατὰ χρόνον, εἴτε κατὰ τόπον ὑστερήσει τοῦ τελείου, οὐκ ἂν εἴη θεός. Ἡ δὲ διὰ πάντων ταυτότης ἕνα μᾶλλον δείκνυσι καὶ οὐ πολλούς. Πῶς δὲ καὶ πολλοῖς οὖσι τὸ ἀπερίγραπτον φυλαχθήσεται; Ἔνθα γὰρ ἂν εἴη ὁ εἷς, οὐκ ἂν εἴη ὁ ἕτερος. Πῶς δὲ ὑπὸ πολλῶν κυβερνηθήσεται ὁ κόσμος καὶ οὐ διαλυθήσεται καὶ διαφθαρήσεται μάχης ἐν τοῖς κυβερνῶσι θεωρουμένης; Ἡ γὰρ διαφορὰ ἐναντίωσιν εἰσάγει. Εἰ δὲ εἴποι τις, ὅτι ἕκαστος μέρους ἄρχει, τί τὸ τάξαν καὶ τὴν διανομὴν αὐτοῖς ποιησάμενον; Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἂν εἴη μᾶλλον θεός. Εἷς τοίνυν ἐστὶ θεός, τέλειος, ἀπερίγραπτος, τοῦ παντὸς ποιητὴς συνοχεύς τε καὶ κυβερνήτης, ὑπερτελὴς καὶ προτέλειος.

Πρὸς δὲ καὶ φυσικὴ ἀνάγκη μονάδα εἶναι δυάδος ἀρχήν.