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and those who are willing and care for their own salvation are able to learn the preaching of the truth. 6 But also the church in Ephesus, founded indeed by Paul, but with John having remained with them until the times of Trajan, is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles. 7 For Valentinus indeed came to Rome in the time of Hyginus; and he flourished in the time of Pius and remained until Anicetus. And Cerdon, the one before Marcion, also himself in the time of Hyginus, who was the ninth bishop, having come into the church and confessing, continued thus, at one time teaching secretly, at another time again confessing, and at another time being refuted for what he taught wrongly and separating from the assembly of the brothers. 8 Whom the Lord will slay with the spirit of his mouth and will destroy with the manifestation of his coming, whose coming is according to the working of Satan. For it does not say the coming of Christ is to happen according to the working of Satan, but the coming of the lawless one, whom we call Antichrist. 9 Furthermore Matthew says concerning the baptism; “The heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And behold a voice from heaven, saying: You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” For Christ did not then descend into Jesus, nor was Christ one and Jesus another, but the Word of God the Savior of all and ruler of heaven and earth, he is Jesus, as we have taught before, having taken on flesh and been anointed by the Father with the Spirit, became Christ Jesus, as Isaiah says. 10 And for what purpose did they add "in the city of David," if not that they might announce as fulfilled the promise made by God to David, that from the fruit of his loins there would be an eternal King? Which the Creator of this universe had made as a promise. 11 For what reason then are the Gospels neither more nor less in number? For since there are four regions of the world in which we are and four catholic spirits, and the church is scattered over all the earth, and the pillar and support of the church is the Gospel and the Spirit of life, it is fitting that it should have four pillars from all sides breathing out incorruptibility and reviving men. From which things it is manifest that the Word, the Artificer of all things, who sits upon the Cherubim and holds all things together, having been manifested to men has given us the Gospel in fourfold form, but held together by one Spirit. As David, asking for his coming, says: “You who sit upon the Cherubim, appear.” For also the Cherubim were four-faced and their faces were images of the dispensation of the Son of God. “For the first living creature,” it says, “was like a lion,” signifying his effective, and princely, and royal character; “the second was like a calf,” manifesting his sacrificial and priestly order; “the third had the face of a man,” most clearly describing his coming as a man; “and the fourth was like a flying eagle,” making plain the gift of the Spirit hovering over the church. And therefore the Gospels are in accord with these, in which Christ is enthroned. For that according to John recounts his princely and glorious generation from the Father, saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And that according to Luke, since it is of a priestly character, began from Zacharias the priest offering incense to God; for already the fatted calf was being prepared, about to be sacrificed for the finding of the younger son. And that according to Matthew preaches his birth as a man, saying: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” And that according to Mark made its beginning from the prophetic Spirit, which comes upon men from on high, saying: “The beginning of the Gospel, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet.” And the Word of God himself to the patriarchs before Moses indeed spoke according to his divine and glorious nature, but to those under the law he assigned a priestly order; and after these things, having become man, the

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καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα τῆς ἀληθείας οἱ βουλόμενοι καὶ φροντίζοντες τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας δύνανται μαθεῖν. 6 Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐκκλησία ὑπὸ Παύλου μὲν τεθεμελιωμένη, Ἰωάννου δὲ παραμείναντος αὐτοῖς μέχρι τῶν Τραϊανοῦ χρόνων, μάρτυς ἀληθής ἐστιν τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων παραδόσεως. 7 Οὐαλεντῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἦλθεν εἰς Ῥώμην ἐπὶ Ὑγίνου· ἤκμασε δὲ ἐπὶ Πίου καὶ παρέμεινεν ἕως Ἀνικήτου. Κέρδων δὲ ὁ πρὸ Μαρκίωνος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ Ὑγίνου, ὃς ἦν ἔνατος ἐπίσκοπος, εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐλθὼν καὶ ἐξομολογούμενος οὕτως διετέλεσε, ποτὲ μὲν λαθροδιδασκαλῶν, ποτὲ δὲ πάλιν ἐξομολογούμενος, ποτὲ δὲ ἐλεγχόμενος ἐφ' οἷς ἐδίδασκε κακῶς καὶ ἀφιστάμενος τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν συνοδίας. 8 Ὃν ὁ Κύριος ἀνελεῖ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ καταργήσει τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Σατανᾶ. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγει κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Σατανᾶ γίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ ἀνόμου, ὃν Ἀντίχριστον λέγομεν. 9 Ἔτι φησὶν ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ὁ Ματθαῖος· «Ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ εἶδε Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν καὶ ἐρχόμενον εἰς αὐτόν. Καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ λέγουσα· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα.» Οὐ γὰρ τότε κατῆλθεν ὁ Χριστὸς εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν, οὐδὲ ἄλλος μὲν ὁ Χριστὸς ἄλλος δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀλλ' ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ Σωτὴρ πάντων καὶ κυριεύων οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, οὗτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς, καθὼς προεδιδάξαμεν, προσλαβόμενος σάρκα καὶ χρισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῷ Πνεύματι, Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ἐγίνετο, καθὼς Ἠσαΐας φησίν. 10 Εἰς τί δὲ καὶ τὸ «ἐν πόλει ∆αυὶδ» προσέθηκαν, εἰ μὴ ἵνα τὴν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γεγενημένην τῷ ∆αυὶδ ὑπόσχεσιν, ὅτι ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ αἰώνιος ἔσται Βασιλεύς, πεπληρωμένην εὐαγγελίσωνται; Ἣν ὁ ∆ημιουργὸς τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς πεποίητο ἐπαγγελίαν. 11 Τί δήποτε οὔτε πλείονα οὔτε ἐλάττονα τὸν ἀριθμόν εἰσι τὰ εὐαγγέλια; Ἐπεὶ γὰρ τέσσαρα κλίματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐν ᾧ ἐσμὲν καὶ τέσσαρα καθολικὰ πνεύματα, κατέσπαρται δὲ ἡ ἐκκλησία ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς, στῦλος δὲ καὶ στήριγμα ἐκκλησίας τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ Πνεῦμα ζωῆς, εἰκότως τέσσαρας ἔχειν αὐτὴν στύλους πανταχόθεν πνέοντας τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ ἀναζωπυροῦντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Ἐξ ὧν φανερὸν ὅτι ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων Τεχνίτης Λόγος, ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβὶμ καὶ συνέχων τὰ πάντα, φανερωθεὶς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τετράμορφον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἑνὶ δὲ Πνεύματι συνεχόμενον. Καθὼς ὁ ∆αυὶδ αἰτούμενος αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν φησίν· «Ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβίμ, ἐμφάνηθι.» Καὶ γὰρ τὰ Χερουβὶμ τετραπρόσωπα καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν εἰκόνες τῆς πραγματείας τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. «Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον ζῷον», φησίν, «ὅμοιον λέοντι», τὸ ἔμπρακτον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡγεμονικὸν καὶ βασιλικὸν χαρακτηρίζον· «τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ὅμοιον μόσχῳ», τὴν ἱερουρ γικὴν καὶ ἱερατικὴν τάξιν ἐμφαῖνον· «τὸ δὲ τρίτον ἔχον πρόσωπον ἀνθρώπου», τὴν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν φανερώτατα διαγράφον· «τὸ δὲ τέταρτον ὅμοιον ἀετῷ πετωμένῳ», τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐφιπταμένου δόσιν σαφηνίζον. Καὶ τὰ εὐαγγέλια οὖν τούτοις σύμφωνα, ἐν οἷς ἐγκαθέζεται Χριστός. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ Ἰωάννην τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἡγεμονικὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔνδοξον γενεὰν ἐκδιηγεῖται, λέγων· «Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος.» Τὸ δὲ κατὰ Λουκᾶν, ἅτε ἱερατικοῦ χαρακτῆρος ὑπάρχων, ἀπὸ Ζαχαρίου τοῦ ἱερέως θυμιῶντος τῷ Θεῷ ἤρξατο· ἤδη γὰρ ὁ σιτευτὸς ἡτοιμάζετο μόσχος, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνευρέσεως τοῦ νεωτέρου παιδὸς μέλλων θύεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ κατὰ Ματθαῖον τὴν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῦ γέννησιν κηρύττει, λέγων· «Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ ∆αυίδ, υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ.» Τὸ δὲ κατὰ Μάρκον ἀπὸ τοῦ προφητικοῦ Πνεύματος, τοῦ ἐξ ὕψους ἐπιόντος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐποιήσατο λέγων· «Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, ὡς γέγραπται ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ.» Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς μὲν πρὸ Μωϋσέως πατριάρχαις κατὰ τὸ θεϊκὸν καὶ ἔνδοξον ὡμίλει, τοῖς δὲ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἱερατικὴν τάξιν ἀπένειμεν· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος, τὴν