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The divine John, having delighted in all his writings in the divinely-fitting words of our savior Jesus Christ, in the present writing dwells more on his humanly-fitting [words], so that he might not seem to know him from the more divine [aspects], but not also from the human ones. For a sign of pure theology is, just as to believe that the divine Word was begotten from God the Father before every age and temporal interval, co-eternal and consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit, and co-rules the ages, and all creation, both intelligible and sensible, according to what was said by the most wise Paul in the epistle to the Colossians, that in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, the invisible and the visible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created through him and for him, and he is the head of the body and of the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have pre-eminence; so to believe him 32 in the last [days] for us and for our salvation? and to have become man, not by an alteration of divinity, but by the assumption of human flesh, ensouled with a rational soul, so that Emmanuel is understood as joined from two natures, both of divinity and of humanity, which are perfectly possessed according to their proper principle and the natural property and difference according to quality, with neither of those things which ran together into unity being confused, nor indeed being divided after the ineffable and unimaginable union. For both Nestorius and Eutyches are equally abominable; evils opposite and diametrically opposed. So that therefore the dogma of our savior might be precise and polished for him, having dwelt on the other divine matters, as has been said of the Lord, here he used human words and thoughts; however, neither in those [writings] did he set forth the divine things without the human, nor here the human things without the divine. but he made use of the writings by more and less. hence, when he said "revelation," it was given on the one hand from the Father to the Son; and it was given on the other hand from the Son to us his servants. And having called the saints servants of Christ, he preserved for him that which is divinely fitting. for whose would men be, except the maker and creator of men? and who is the creator of men and of all creation? none other than the only-begotten Word and Son of God. for "all things were made through him," says the present author in the Gospels. And what does he mean by adding "what must soon take place"? and yet the things that are to be have not yet been accomplished, though a very long time has already passed since these things were said, more than five hundred 33 years. Because all the ages in the eyes of the unending eternal God are reckoned as nothing; for "a thousand years," says the prophet, "in your sight, O Lord, are as yesterday which has passed and a watch in the night." for this reason, therefore, he added "soon," not looking to the measure of the times of the fulfillment of what is to come, but to the power and eternity of God. for in reality, every temporal extension, even if it is very long and very great, is something small when compared to that which is unending. "Jesus Christ," he says, therefore, "signified to me what must take place." not appearing himself and saying it, but initiating me through his angel. you see the love of truth of this divine man, having confessed that it was revealed to him through an angel and he did not hear it from the mouth of the Lord; "who," says John, "bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even all that he saw." he also used this figure in the Gospels, preserving for himself the credibility of a teacher. he said, "This is he who testifies about these things and who wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true." and now he says he is a witness of the divine word which appeared to him. and he speaks of the present revelation and of the testimony given from Christ, that is, "through testimony I am a witness and an author." blessed is he who reads and he who hears the words of the

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πάσαις ταῖς αὐτοῦ συγγραφαῖς ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἰωάννης ἐμφιλοχωρήσας τοῖς θεοπρεπέσι λόγοις τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν τῷ παρόντι συγγράμματι τοῖς ἀνθρωποπρεπέσιν αὐτοῦ διατρίβει μᾶλλον ὅπως μὴ δόξειεν ἐκ τῶν θειοτέρων μὲν αὐτὸν ἐπιγινώσκων, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων. δεῖγμα γὰρ τῆς ἀκραιφνοῦς θεολογίας ὥσπερ τὸ πιστεύειν ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ὁ θεῖος λόγος πρὸ παντὸς αἰῶνος καὶ χρονικοῦ γεγέννηται διαστήματος, συναΐδιός τε καὶ ὁμοούσιος τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι, καὶ συγκατάρχει τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ πάσης κτίσεως νοητῆς τε καὶ αἰσθητῆς, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον τῷ σοφωτάτῳ Παύλῳ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κολασσαεῖς ἐπιστολῇ, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ἀόρατα καὶ τὰ ὁρατά, εἴτε θρόνοι, εἴτε κυριότητες, εἴτε ἀρχαί, εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας· ὅς ἐστιν ἀπαρχὴ πρωτότοκος ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων· οὕτω πιστεύειν αὐτὸν 32 ἐπ' ἐσχάτων δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν; καὶ ἄνθρωπον γεγονέναι, οὐκ ἐκστάσει θεότητος, ἀλλὰ προσλήψει σαρκὸς ἀνθρωπίνης, ἐψυχωμένης νοερῶς, ἵν' ἐκ δύο φύσεων νοεῖται συνημμένος ὁ Ἐμμανουήλ, θεότητός τε καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος, τελείως ἐχουσῶν κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον λόγον καὶ τὴν κατὰ ποιότητα φυσικὴν ἰδιότητα καὶ διαφοράν, οὔτε συγχυθέντων τῶν εἰς ἑνότητα συνδεδραμηκότων, οὔτε μὴν διαιρουμένων μετὰ τὴν ἄφραστον καὶ ἀφαντασίαστον ἕνωσιν. βδελυκτοὶ γὰρ ὁμοίως ἀμφότεροι Νεστόριος τε καὶ Εὐτυχής· τὰ ἐναντία καὶ ἐκ διαμέτρου κακά. ὅπως οὖν εἴη τὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δόγμα ἀκριβὲς καὶ ἀποξεσμένον αὐτῷ, ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς θείοις ἐνδιατρίψας, ὡς εἴρηται τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐνταῦθα τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις κατεχρήσατο ῥήμασί τε καὶ διανοήμασι· πλὴν οὔτε ἐν ἐκείνοις τὰ θεῖα δίχα τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, οὔτε ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα δίχα τῶν θείων ἐξέδωκεν. παρὰ τὸ πλέον δὲ καὶ ἧττον ταῖς συγγραφαῖς κατεχρήσατο. ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῷ τῷ εἰπεῖν ἀποκάλυψις, δέδοται μὲν παρὰ τοῦ πάτρος τῷ υἱῷ· δέδοται δὲ παρὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἡμῖν τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ. δούλους δὲ Χριστοῦ τοὺς ἁγίους εἰπών, ἐφύλαξεν αὐτῷ τὸ θεοπρεπές. τίνος γὰρ ἂν εἴησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, πλὴν τοῦ ποιητοῦ καὶ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων; τίς δὲ ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πάσης κτίσεως δημιουργός; οὐδεὶς παρὰ τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον καὶ υἱόν. πάντα γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετό φησιν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ παρὼν συγγραφεύς. τί δὲ βούλεται αὐτῷ τὸ προσθεῖναι ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει; καίτοι τῶν μελλόντων ἔσεσθαι οὔπω τετελεσμένων, ἤδη πλείστου δεδραμηκότος χρόνου ἐξ οὗ ταῦτα εἴρηται, ἐτῶν πλειόνων ἢ πεντακο 33 σίων. ὅτι πάντες οἱ αἰῶνες ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ ἀτελευτήτου αἰωνίου Θεοῦ εἰς οὐδέν εἰσι λελογισμένοι· χίλια γὰρ ἔτη, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σοῦ, Κύριε, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ ἐχθὲς ἥτις διῆλθεν καὶ φυλακὴ ἐν νυκτί. διὰ τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν τὸ ἐν τάχει προσέθηκεν οὐ πρὸς τὸ μέτρον ἀπιδὼν τῶν χρόνων τῆς τῶν γενησομένων συμπληρώσεως, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὸ αἰώνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. τῷ ὄντι γὰρ πᾶσα χρονικὴ παράτασις κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα πλείστη τέ ἐστι καὶ μεγίστη μικρά τίς ἐστι πρὸς τὸ ἀτελεύτητον συγκρινομένη. Ἰησοῦς οὖν φησιν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐσήμανέν μοι ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι. οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐπιφανεὶς καὶ εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ μυσταγωγήσας με. ὁρᾶς τὸ φιλάληθες τοῦ θεσπεσίου τούτου, ὁμολογήσαντος ὡς δι' ἀγγέλου αὐτῷ ἀποκεκάλυπται καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ στόματος ἤκουσεν τοῦ Κυρίου· ὅστις, φησὶν Ἰωάννης, ἐμαρτύρησεν τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὅσα εἶδεν. τούτῳ τῷ σχήματι καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις κέχρηται, τὴν διδασκαλικὴν ἀξιοπιστίαν ἑαυτῷ φυλαττόμενος. εἶπεν οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ τούτων καὶ γράψας ταῦτα· καὶ οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀληθὴς ἡ μαρτυρία αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. καὶ νῦν φησιν μάρτυς ἐστὶν τοῦ ὀφθέντος αὐτῷ θείου λόγου. λέγει δὲ τοῦ τῆς παρούσης ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ τῆς δοθείσης παρὰ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίας, τοῦτ' ἔστι, διὰ μαρτυρίας μάρτυς εἰμὶ καὶ συγγραφεύς. μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ ἀκούων τοὺς λόγους τῆς