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one who draws near to God and is deemed worthy of the all-blessed friendship through piety based on knowledge would be well in soul 1.1.6 and body and all external things alike. This good and saving friendship of men toward God, the Word of God, sent down from above from the All-Good, like a ray of light of infinite magnitude, proclaims as good news to all men, urging them not from here or from elsewhere, but from everywhere, from all nations, to come and hasten to the God of all and to receive the gift with all readiness of soul, Greeks and barbarians alike, men together with women and children, poor and rich, wise and unlearned, not even scorning 1.1.7 the race of servants in this calling, because indeed their Father, having constituted one substance and nature for all, rightly deemed all of them worthy again of one and the same great gift, bestowing the knowledge of and friendship with Himself on all who are willing to obey and who readily embrace the grace. 1.1.8 The Word of Christ came proclaiming as good news to the whole world this friendship toward his Father; “for God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them,” as the divine oracles teach, “And having come,” it says, “he preached peace to those who were far off, peace to those who were near.” 1.1.9 These things long ago the divinely inspired children of the Hebrews prophesied to the whole world, one crying out, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him, for the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he rules over the nations;” and again; “Say among the nations that the Lord has reigned; for he has established the world, which shall not be shaken;” and another saying, “The Lord will appear among them and will destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth, and they shall worship him, each one from his own place.” 1.1.10 These things, which were laid down long ago in divine oracles, have now been made manifest to us ourselves through the teaching of our Savior Jesus Christ, so that it is fitting for the Word recently present from heaven to proclaim to us the knowledge of God for all nations, long ago proclaimed and expected by those not ignorant of these things, showing that the results through deeds concur with the voices of the ancients. 1.1.11 But why must I hasten, getting ahead of the sequence of the intermediate arguments in my eagerness, when it is necessary to take up from the beginning and resolve all obstacles? For since some have supposed that Christianity preserves no reason, but that those who desire the name ratify what they believe by irrational faith and unexamined assent, saying that no one can furnish clear proof of the truth in what is professed, but that they require those who approach to attend to faith alone, on account of which they are also called "faithful," because of their uncritical and unexamined faith—for this reason it is fitting, as I embark on this treatise of the Gospel Demonstration, as a preparation for the whole subject, that I think it necessary to state briefly beforehand about those things which would reasonably be asked of us both by Greeks and by those of the circumcision and by anyone who investigates our affairs with exact scru1.1.12 tiny. For in this way, I think the argument will proceed in order to the more perfect teaching of the Gospel Demonstration and to the understanding of the deeper doctrines, if the matters of preparation should come before us on the way, occupying the place of an elementary lesson and introduction and being suitable for those from the nations who are just now approaching. But the things after these will deliver to those who have passed beyond this point and have already prepared their disposition for the reception of better things the accurate knowledge of the most essential matters of the mystical economy concerning our Savior and Lord Jesus Chr1.1.13 ist of God. Let us begin, then, with the preparation, bringing forward the things that would reasonably be said against us both by Greeks and by those of the circumcision and by anyone who investigates our affairs with exact scrutiny. 1.2.1

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θεῷ πλησιάζων καὶ τῆς παμμακαρίου φιλίας διὰ τῆς ἐπιστημονικῆς εὐσεβείας ἠξιωμένος ὁμοῦ καὶ ψυχῆς 1.1.6 καὶ σώματος καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς ἁπάντων εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. ταύτην δὴ τοίνυν τὴν ἀγαθὴν καὶ σωτήριον πρὸς θεὸν ἀνθρώπων φιλίαν ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ παναγάθου καταπεμφθεὶς θεοῦ λόγος, ὥσπερ τις ἀπειρομεγέθους φωτὸς αὐγή, πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις εὐαγγελίζεται, οὐκ ἐνθένδε ποθὲν οὐδ' ἑτέρωθεν, ἀλλὰ πανταχόθεν ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐθνῶν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν παρορμῶν ἥκειν σπεύδειν τε καὶ πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ ψυχῆς τὸ δῶρον ὑποδέχεσθαι, Ἕλληνας ὁμοῦ καὶ βαρβάρους, ἄνδρας ἅμα γυναιξὶ καὶ νηπίοις, πένητάς τε καὶ πλουσίους, σοφοὺς καὶ ἰδιώτας, οὐδὲ τὸ οἰκετικὸν γένος ὑπερφρονῶν 1.1.7 τῆς κλήσεως, ὅτι δὴ μίαν τὴν πάντων οὐσίαν τε καὶ φύσιν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν συστησάμενος μιᾶς εἰκότως καὶ τῆς ἴσης πάλιν τοὺς πάντας μεγαλοδωρεᾶς ἠξίωσε, τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν γνῶσίν τε καὶ φιλίαν ἅπασι τοῖς ὑπακούειν ἐθέλουσι καὶ τὴν χάριν εὐμαρῶς ἀσπαζομένοις δωρούμενος. 1.1.8 ταύτην ὁ Χριστοῦ λόγος ἧκε τὴν πρὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα φιλίαν τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον εὐαγγελιούμενος· «θεὸς γὰρ ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ, μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώματα,» ᾗ τὰ θεῖα διδάσκει λόγια, «ἐλθών τε, φησίν, εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην τοῖς μακράν, εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς.» 1.1.9 ταῦτα πρόπαλαι παῖδες Ἑβραίων θεοφορούμενοι τῷ σύμπαντι κόσμῳ προεθέσπιζον, ὁ μέν τις βοῶν «μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅτι τοῦ κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν·» καὶ πάλιν· «εἴπατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὅτι κύριος ἐβασίλευσε· καὶ γὰρ κατώρθωσε τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἥτις οὐ σαλευθήσεται·» ὁ δὲ φάσκων «ἐπιφανήσεται κύριος ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει πάντας τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ ἕκαστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ.» 1.1.10 ταῦτα πρόπαλαι θείοις χρησμοῖς ἀνακείμενα νῦν εἰς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας πέφηνεν, ὡς τὴν πάλαι κηρυττομένην τε καὶ τοῖς μὴ τούτων ἀπείροις προσδοκωμένην τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων θεογνωσίαν εἰκότως ἡμῖν τὸν ἔναγχος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ παρόντα λόγον εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, ταῖς τῶν παλαιῶν φωναῖς τὰ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀποτελέσματα συντρέχειν ἐπιδεικνύμενον. 1.1.11 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τί χρὴ σπεύδειν φθάνοντα τῇ προθυμίᾳ τὴν τῶν διὰ μέσου λόγων ἀκολουθίαν, ἀναλαβεῖν ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς δέον καὶ τὰ ἐμποδὼν ἅπαντα διαλύσασθαι; ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν χριστιανισμόν τινες οὐδένα λόγον ἀποσῴζειν, ἀλόγῳ δὲ πίστει καὶ ἀνεξετάστῳ συγκαταθέσει τοὺς τῆς προσηγορίας ἐφιεμένους τὸ δόξαν κυροῦν ὑπειλήφασι, μηδένα φάσκοντες δύνασθαι δι' ἀποδείξεως ἐναργοῦς παρέχειν τεκμήριον τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἐπαγγελλομένοις ἀληθείας, πίστει δὲ μόνῃ προσέχειν ἀξιοῦν τοὺς προσ ιόντας, παρ' ὃ καὶ πιστοὺς χρηματίζειν, τῆς ἀκρίτου χάριν καὶ ἀβασανίστου πίστεως, εἰκότως ἐπὶ τήνδε καθεὶς τὴν πραγματείαν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως, εἰς προκατασκευὴν τῆς ὅλης ὑποθέσεως ἡγοῦμαι δεῖν βραχέα προδιαλαβεῖν περὶ τῶν ζητηθέντων ἂν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εὐλόγως ὑπό τε Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς παντός τε τοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβοῦς ἐξετά1.1.12 σεως τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς διερευνωμένου. ταύτῃ γάρ μοι δοκῶ τὸν λόγον ἐν τάξει χωρήσειν εἰς τὴν ἐντελεστέραν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως διδασκαλίαν εἴς τε τὴν τῶν βαθυτέρων δογμάτων κατανόησιν, εἰ τὰ τῆς προπαρασκευῆς ἡμῖν πρὸ ὁδοῦ γένοιτο, στοιχειώσεως καὶ εἰσαγωγῆς ἐπέχοντα τόπον καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἄρτι προσιοῦσιν ἐφαρμόττοντα· τὰ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα τοῖς ἐνθένδε διαβεβηκόσι καὶ τὴν ἕξιν ἤδη παρεσκευασμένοις εἰς τὴν τῶν κρειττόνων παραδοχὴν τὴν ἀκριβῆ γνῶσιν παραδώσει τῶν συνεκτικωτάτων τῆς κατὰ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χρι1.1.13 στὸν τοῦ θεοῦ μυστικῆς οἰκονομίας. ἀρξώμεθα δὴ τῆς προπαρασκευῆς, τὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς εὐλόγως ὑπό τε Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς παντός τε τοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβοῦς ἐξετάσεως τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς διερευνωμένου λεχθησόμενα προσάγοντες. 1.2.1