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let us dispel the stench, as if it were some Chalastraean soda, and we will offer as a fragrant ointment the truth of the evangelical doctrines, and we will show every heresy to be an adversary to the teaching of the divine oracles. I have, however, collected the fables of the ancient heresies from the ancient teachers of the Church: from Justin the philosopher and martyr, and Irenaeus who both tilled and enlightened the Celtic nations, and Clement, who was surnamed Stromateus, and Origen, and Eusebius, both the Palestinian and the Phoenician, and Adamantius, and Rhodon, and Titus, and Diodorus, and Georgius, and the others, who armed their tongues against falsehood. And what was written by them sporadically, I will put together in order; but what was said at length, I will state briefly. For I have not undertaken to contradict them at present; for against those that still exist even now I have already arrayed myself in writing; but I was commanded to show the variety of their fables. The name, for the collection of abominable heresies, is *An Epitome of Heretical Fables*; and for the teaching of the truth, *An Epitome of Divine Doctrines*; and the common title for both of these, *A Diagnosis of Falsehood and Truth*. But I beseech those who will read this to compare each of the heretical doctrines with the teaching of the truth; for it was for this reason that I also wrote the fifth book. For he will see that the one follows the oracles of the divine Spirit, while the others are the inventions of an utterly wicked mind. And may he who clearly finds the power of the truth in the labors of others, reward with prayers both the one who labored and the one who requested the writing; because, though wearing a cloak and a belt, and entrusted with a military command, and forced by this to attend at the imperial court, he prefers above all things the knowledge of divine things and the learning of the truth, and cries out with the prophet: "How I have loved your law, O Lord! It is my meditation all the day." OF HERETICAL FABLES BOOK ONE. Prologue. 1. Concerning Simon Magus. 83.341 2. Concerning Menander. 3. Concerning Saturnilus. 4. Concerning Basilides and Isidore. 5. Concerning Carpocrates and Epiphanes. 6. Concerning Prodicus. 7. Concerning Valentinus. 8. Concerning Secundus and the others. 9. Concerning Marcus the magician. 10. Concerning the Ascodrytae, or Ascodrupitae. 11. Concerning the Archontics. 12. Concerning the Colorbasians. 13. Concerning the Barbeliotes, that is, the Borborians. 14. Concerning the Sethians, or Ophianians, or Ophites. 15. Concerning the Cainites. 16. Concerning the Antitactae. 17. Concerning the Peratae. 18. Concerning Monoimus. 19. Concerning Hermogenes. 20. Concerning Tatian, and the Hydroparastatae, or Encratites. 21. Concerning Severus. 22. Concerning Bardesanes and Harmonius. 23. Concerning Florinus and Blastus. 24. Concerning Cerdo and Marcion. 25. Concerning Apelles, Potitus, Prepon, and the others. 26. Concerning Manes. PROLOGUE. The all-wise God of all entrusted the cultivation of the uncultivated world to a few men, and these fishermen and tax collectors, and to one tent-maker. But the all-wicked demon, the avenger of men, seeing them pulling up by the roots the thorns of polytheistic error, and himself being stripped of his subjects, being a contriver of schemes and a craftsman of wickedness, devised other inventions of plots. For having selected men worthy of his own energy, and having put upon them, as a sort of mask, the name of Christians, and having smeared the mouth of the cup, as it were, with some honey, he offered to men the poisonous drug of falsehood. Thirsting for the destruction of men, he did not wait for the preaching of the apostles to be established, and then the deceit

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ἀπαλλάξωμεν δυσοδμίας, καθάπερ τι Χαλαστραῖον, καὶ μύρον εὐῶδες προσοίσομεν τὴν τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν δογμάτων ἀλήθειαν, καὶ πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν τῆς τῶν θείων λογίων διδασκαλίας ἀντίπαλον ἐπιδείξομεν. Τοὺς μέντοι τῶν παλαιῶν αἱρέσεων μύθους ἐκ τῶν παλαιῶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδασκάλων συνέλεξα, Ἰουστίνου τοῦ φιλοσόφου καὶ μάρτυρος, καὶ Εἰρηναίου τοῦ τὰ Κελτικὰ καὶ γεωργήσαντος καὶ φωτίσαντος ἔθνη, καὶ Κλήμεντος, ὃς ἐπίκλην Στρω ματεὺς προσηγόρευται, καὶ Ὠριγένους, καὶ Εὐσε βίου, τοῦ τε Παλαιστινοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Φοίνικος, καὶ Ἀδαμαντίου, καὶ Ῥόδωνος, καὶ Τίτου, καὶ ∆ιοδώ- ρου, καὶ Γεωργίου, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, οἳ κατὰ τοῦ ψεύδους τὰς γλώττας καθώπλισαν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν σπο ράδην ἐκείνοις συγγεγραμμένα κατὰ τάξιν συνθήσω· τὰ δὲ διὰ πλάτους εἰρημένα, συντόμως ἐρῶ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀντιλέγειν αὐταῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀνεδεξάμην· πρὸς γὰρ δὴ τὰς ἔτι καὶ νῦν συνεστώσας ἐγγράφως ἤδη παρεταξάμην· ἀλλ' ἐπιδεῖξαι τὴν τῶν μύθων αὐτῶν ἐπετάχθην διαφοράν. Ὄνομα δὲ, τῇ μὲν συν αγωγῇ τῶν μυσαρῶν αἱρέσεων, Αἱρετικῆς κακομυ θίας Ἐπιτομή· τῇ δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας διδασκαλίᾳ, Θείων δογμάτων Ἐπιτομή· τούτων δὲ κἀκείνων κοινὸν, Ψεύδους καὶ ἀληθείας διάγνωσις. Παρακαλῶ δὲ τοὺς ἐντευξομένους, ἕκαστον τῶν αἱρετικῶν δογμάτων τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας παρεξετάσαι διδασκαλίᾳ· τούτου γὰρ δὴ χάριν καὶ τὸ πέμπτον βιβλίον συν έγραψα. Ὄψεται γὰρ ταύτην μὲν τοῖς τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἑπομένην λογίοις, ἐκεῖνα δὲ παμπονήρου διανοίας εὑρέματα. Ὁ δὲ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις πόνοις ἐναρ γῶς εὑρίσκων τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ κράτος, εὐχαῖς ἀμει βέσθω, καὶ τὸν πεπονηκότα, καὶ τὸν τὴν συγγραφὴν ᾐτηκότα· ὅτι χλανίδι καὶ ζώνῃ κεχρημένος, καὶ στρατηγίαν πεπιστευμένος, καὶ βασιλείοις προσ εδρεύειν διὰ ταύτην ἠναγκασμένος, πάντων ὁμοῦ προτιμᾷ τῶν θείων τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν μάθησιν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ προφήτου βοᾷ· "Ὡς ἠγά πησα τὸν νόμον σου, Κύριε! ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελέτη μού ἐστιν. ΑΙΡΕΤΙΚΗΣ ΚΑΚΟΜΥΘΙΑΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ. Πρόλογος. αʹ Περὶ Σίμωνος τοῦ Μάγου. 83.341 βʹ Περὶ Μενάνδρου. γʹ Περὶ Σατορνίλου. δʹ Περὶ Βασιλίδου καὶ Ἰσιδώρου. εʹ Περὶ Καρποκράτους καὶ Ἐπιφάνους. ϛʹ Περὶ Προδίκου. ζʹ Περὶ Βαλεντίνου. ηʹ Περὶ Σεκούνδου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων. θʹ Περὶ Μάρκου τοῦ γόητος. ιʹ Περὶ τῶν Ἀσκοδρυτῶν, ἢ Ἀσκοδρου πιτῶν. ιαʹ Περὶ τῶν Ἀρχοντικῶν. ιβʹ Περὶ Κολορβασίων. ιγʹ Περὶ Βαρβηλιωτῶν, ἤγουν Βορβοριανῶν. ιδʹ Περὶ Σηθιανῶν, ἢ Ὀφιανῶν, ἢ Ὀφιτῶν. ιεʹ Περὶ Καϊνῶν. ιϛʹ Περὶ Ἀντιτακτῶν. ιζʹ Περὶ Περατῶν. ιηʹ Περὶ Μονοΐμου. ιθʹ Περὶ Ἑρμογένους. κʹ Περὶ Τατιανοῦ, καὶ τῶν Ὑδροπαραστα τῶν, ἢ Ἐγκρατιτῶν. καʹ Περὶ Σευήρου. κβʹ Περὶ Βαρδισάνου καὶ Ἁρμονίου. κγʹ Περὶ Φλωρίνου, καὶ Βλάστου. κδʹ Περὶ Κέρδωνος καὶ Μαρκίωνος. κεʹ Περὶ Ἀπελλοῦ, Ποτίτου, Πρέπονος, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων. κϛʹ Περὶ Μάνεντος. ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ. Ὁ μὲν πάνσοφος τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἀνδράσιν ὀλίγοις, καὶ τούτοις ἁλιεῦσι καὶ τελώναις, καὶ ἑνὶ σκηνοῤ ῥάφῳ, τὴν τῆς κεχερσωμένης οἰκουμένης ἐν εχείρισε γεωργίαν. Ὁ δὲ παμπόνηρος δαίμων, ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλάστωρ, τούτους ἰδὼν τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης τὰς ἀκάνθας προῤῥίζους ἀνασπῶντας, καὶ ἑαυτὸν τῶν ὑπηκόων γυμνούμενον, μηχανοῤῥάφος ὣν καὶ πονηρίας τεχνίτης, ἑτέρας ἐξεῦρεν ἐπιβου λῶν ἐπινοίας. Ἐκλεξάμενος γὰρ ἀνθρώπους τῆς οἰ κείας ἐνεργείας ἀξίους, καὶ καθάπερ τι προσωπεῖον τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐπίκλησιν αὐτοῖς ἐπιθεὶς, καὶ οἷόν τινι μέλιτι περιχρίσας τὸ στόμα τῆς κύλικος, τὸ δηλητήριον τοῦ ψεύδους τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προσενή νοχε φάρμακον. ∆ιψῶν δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν ὄλεθρον, οὐκ ἔμεινε κρατυνθῆναι τῶν ἀποστόλων τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ τότε τὴν ἐξαπάτην