§Zenon.3.1Ἄδύνατόν φησιν εἶναι, εἴ τι ἔστι, γενέσθαι, τοῦτο λέγων ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, Ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἤτοι ἐξ ὁμοίων ἢ ἐξ ἀνομοίων γενέσθαι τὸ γενόμενον.
He says that it is impossible, if anything exists, for it to come to be, saying this with reference to God. For it is necessary that what comes to be does so either from likes or from unlikes.
Δυνατὸν δὲ οὐδέτερον.
But neither is possible.
Οὔτε γὰρ ὅμοιον ὑφʼ ὁμοίου προσήκειν τεκνωθῆναι μᾶλλον ἢ τεκνῶσαι (ταὐτὰ γὰρ ἅπαντα τοῖς γε ἴσοις ἢ ὁμοίοις ὑπάρχειν πρὸς ἄλληλα) οὔτʼ ἂν ἐξ ἀνομοίου τὸ ἀνόμοιον γενέσθαι.
For it is no more fitting for a like to be begotten by a like than to beget it (for all the same things belong to equals or likes in relation to one another), nor could unlike come to be from unlike.
§Zenon.3.2Εἰ γὰρ γίγνοιτο ἐξ ἀσθενεστέρου τὸ ἰσχυρότερον ἢ ἐξ ἐλάττονος τὸ μεῖζον ἢ ἐκ χείρονος τὸ κρεῖττον, ἢ τοὐναντίον τὰ χείρω ἐκ τῶν κρειττόνων, τὸ οὐκ ὂν ἐξ ὄντος ἂν γενέσθαι· ὅπερ ἀδύνατον.
For if the stronger came to be from the weaker, or the greater from the smaller, or the better from the worse, or conversely the worse from the better, the non-existent would come to be from the existent; which is impossible.
Αΐδιον μὲν οὖν διὰ ταῦτʼ εἶναι τὸν θεόν.
Therefore, God is eternal for these reasons.
Εἰ δ' ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς ἁπάντων κράτιστον, ἕνα φησὶν αὐτὸν προσήκειν εἶναι.
And if God is the most powerful of all things, he says that it is fitting for Him to be one.
§Zenon.3.3Εἰ γὰρ δύο ἢ ἔτι πλείους εἶεν, οὐκ ἂν ἔτι κράτιστον καὶ βέλτιστον αὐτὸν εἶναι πάντων.
For if there were two or even more, He would no longer be the most powerful and the best of all.
Ἔκαστος γὰρ ἂν θεὸς τῶν πολλῶν ὅμοιος ὢν τοιοῦτος εἴη.
For each of the many, being like the others, would be of such a kind.
Τοῦτο γὰρ θεὸν καὶ θεοῦ δύναμιν εἶναι, κρατεῖν, ἀλλὰ μὴ κρατεῖσθαι, καὶ πάντα κρατεῖσθαι εἶναι, Ὤστε καθὸ μὴ κρείττων, κατὰ τοσοῦτον οὐκ εἶναι θεόν.
For this is God and the power of God, to rule but not to be ruled, and to rule all things; so that in so far as He is not more powerful, to that extent He is not God.
§Zenon.3.4Πλειόνων οὖν ὄντων, εἰ μὲν εἶεν τὰ μὲν ἀλλήλων κρείττους τὰ δὲ ἥττους, οὐκ ἂν εἶναι θεούς· πεφυκέναι γὰρ θεὸν μὴ κρατεῖσθαι.
Therefore, if there were many, and if some were more powerful than others and some weaker, they would not be gods; for it is the nature of God not to be ruled.
Ἴσων δὲ ὄντων, οὐκ ἂν ἔχειν θεὸν φύσιν δεῖν εἶναι κράτιστον· τὸ δὲ ἴσον οὔτε βέλτιον οὔτε χεῖρον εἶναι τοῦ ἴσου.
But if they were equal, God would not have the nature of being the most powerful; for equals are neither better nor worse than equals.
Ὤστʼ εἴπερ εἴη τε καὶ τοιοῦτον εἴη θεός, ἔνα μόνον εἶναι τὸν θεόν.
So that if God indeed exists and is of such a nature, God is one alone.
Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ πάντα δύνασθαι ἂν ἃ βούλοιτο.
For otherwise, He would not even be able to do all things that He wishes.
§Zenon.3.5Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν δύνασθαι πλειόνων ὄντων ἕνα εἶναι μόνον.
For He would not be able to be one alone if there were many.
Ἔνα δ' ὄντα ὅμοιον εἶναι πάντῃ, ὁρᾶν τε καὶ ἀκούειν, τάς τε ἄλλας αἰσθήσεις ἔχοντα πάνῃ.
And being one, He is similar in every way, seeing and hearing, and having the other senses in every way.
Εἰ γὰρ μή, κρατεῖν ἂν καὶ κρατεῖσθαι ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων τὰ μέρη θεοῦ ὄντα· ὅπερ ἀδύνατον.
For if not, the parts of God, being parts, would rule and be ruled by one another; which is impossible.
Πάντῃ δʼ ὅμοιον ὄντα σφαιροειδῆ εἶναι· οὐ γὰρ τῇ μὲν τῇ δʼ οὐ τοιοῦτον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ πάντη.
And being similar in every way, He is spherical; for He is not of such a kind in one part and not in another, but in every way.
Αΐδιον δʼ ὄντα καὶ ἕνα καὶ σφαιροειδῆ οὔτʼ ἄπειρον οὔτε πεπεράσθαι.
And being eternal, one, and spherical, He is neither infinite nor limited.
Ἄπειρον ὃ μὴ ὄν εἶναι· τοῦτο γὰρ οὔτε μέσον οὔτʼ ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος οὔτʼ ἄλλο μέρος οὐδὲν ἔχειν, τοιοῦτον δʼ εἶναι τὸ ἄπειρον.
For the infinite is the non-existent; for this has neither a middle, nor a beginning and end, nor any other part, and the infinite is of such a kind.
Οἶον δὲ τὸ μὴ ὅν, οὐκ ἂν εἶναι τὸ ὄν, περαίνειν δὲ πρὸς ἄλληλα, εἰ πλείω εἶεν.
But the existent cannot be like the non-existent; and they would limit one another, if they were many.
§Zenon.3.7Τὸ δὲ ἓν οὔτε τῷ οὐκ ὄντι οὔτε τοῖς πολλοῖς ὁμοιοῦσθαι· ἓν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει πρὸς ὅ τι περανεῖ.
But the one is similar neither to the non-existent nor to the many; for being one, He has nothing against which He will limit.
Τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον ὂν ἕν, ὃν τὸν θεὸν εἶναι λέγει, οὔτε κινεῖσθαι οὔτε κινητὸν εἶναι.
And the existent being one in this way, which He says is God, neither moves nor is movable.
Ἀκίνητον μὲν γὰρ εἶναι τὸ μὴ ὄν.
For the non-existent is motionless.
Οὔτε γὰρ ἂν εἰς αὐτὸ ἕτερον οὔτε ἐκεῖνο εἰς ἄλλο ἐλθεῖν, §Zenon.3.8Κινεῖσθαι δὲ τὰ πλείω ὄντα ἑνός.
For neither could another thing come into it, nor could it go into another, but many things, being more than one, move.
Ἔτερον γὰρ εἰς ἕτερον δεῖν κινεῖσθαι.
For one thing must move into another.
Εἰς μὲν οὖν τὸ μὴ ὂν οὐδὲν ἂν κινηθῆναι· τὸ γὰρ μὴ ὂν οὐδαμῇ εἶναι.
Now, nothing could move into the non-existent; for the non-existent is nowhere.
Εἰ δὲ εἰς ἄλληλα μεταβάλλοι, πλείω αὐτὸν εἶναι ἑνός.
But if they change into one another, He would be more than one.
Διὰ ταῦτα δὴ κινεῖσθαι μὲν ἂν τὰ δύο ἢ πλείω ἑνός, ἠρεμεῖν δὲ καὶ ἀκίνητον εἶναι τὸ οὐδέν.
For these very reasons, two or more than one would move, but nothingness is at rest and motionless.
§Zenon.3.9Τὸ δὲ ἓν οὔτε ἀτρεμεῖν οὔτε κινεῖσθαι· οὔτε γὰρ τῷ μὴ ὄντι οὔτε τοῖς πολλοῖς ὅμοιον εἶναι.
But the one neither is at rest nor moves; for He is similar neither to the non-existent nor to the many.
Κατὰ πάντα δὲ οὕτως ἔχειν τὸν θεόν, ἀΐδιόν τε καὶ ἕνα, ὅμοιόν τε καὶ σφαιροειδῆ ὄντα, οὔτε ἄπειρον οὔτε πεπερασμένον, οὔτε ἠρεμεῖν οὔτε ἀκίνητον εἶναι.
And God is in this way in all respects, being eternal and one, similar and spherical, being neither infinite nor limited, and neither being at rest nor being motionless.