The Arians fundamentally err, Athanasius asserts, in limiting their thinking and speaking about God to what seems possible from a human perspective. Athanasius concedes that if the Scripture were describing a human man or relationship, the Arians would be correct. “Now if they are discussing a man, then they may argue about his word and his son on the human level. But if they are talking of God, man’s creator, they must not think of him on the human level.”

This, Athanasius contends, is the Arian’s fundamental mistake. Human procreation does take place in time and space. Human fathers are both older and separate from their children. Begetting does involve division and separation. Not so, however, with God. The Arians have forgotten who the subject of the discussion actually is: “The character of the parent determines the character of the offspring. Man is begotten in time and begets in time; he comes into being from non-existence.” The same is true of human speech: “his word ceases and does not remain. A human word is a combination of syllables, and has no independent life or activity; it merely signifies the speaker’s meaning, and just issues and passes away and disappears, since it had no existence at all before it was uttered; therefore a man’s word has no independent life and activity; in short it is not a man.

The Arians are guilty of a serious category error. They have applied human categories to God in an inappropriate and illogical fashion. “God,” Athanasius insists, “is not like man.” Rather, “he is ‘he who exists’ and exists forever.” Furthermore, “his Word is ‘that which exists,’ and exists eternally with the Father, as radiance from a light. But God’s word is not merely ‘emitted,’ as one might say, nor is it just an articulate noise; nor is ‘the Son of God’ just a synonym for ‘the command of God,’ but he is the perfect offspring of the perfect.” God’s divine Word [Jesus, the Christ] is, indeed, utterly unique.

We see that Athanasius argues quite forcefully again Arius’ teachings and truly asserts that Jesus, although begotten by the Father, is eternal with the Father.