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of one who has been testified to, worthy to be called blessed, may it be mine to be found under his footsteps, when I attain to God, who in every epistle makes mention of you in Christ Jesus. Be diligent therefore to come together more frequently for the Eucharist of God and for glory. For when you frequently come together in the same place, the powers of Satan are overthrown, and his destruction is undone by the concord of your faith. Nothing is better than peace, in which every war of heavenly and earthly beings is abolished. None of these things escape your notice, if you have perfect faith and love toward Jesus Christ, which are the beginning and end of life; the beginning is faith, "and the end is love". But the two, having become in unity, are God, and all other things are attendant upon righteousness.

No one who professes faith sins, nor does one who has acquired love hate. "The tree is known by its fruit;" so those who profess to be of Christ will be seen by what they do. For the work is not a matter of present profession, but in the power of faith, if one is found so to the end. It is better to be silent and to be, than to speak and not to be. It is a good thing to teach, if he who speaks also does. There is therefore one teacher, who "spoke, and it came to pass;" and the things which he has done in silence are worthy of the Father. He who has truly possessed the word of Jesus is able to hear his silence also, so that he may be perfect, that he may act through what he speaks and be known through what he is silent. Nothing escapes the Lord's notice, but even our secret things are near to him. Let us therefore do all things as if he were dwelling in us, that we may be his temples and he our God in us, which indeed he is and will be made manifest before our face, from which things we justly love him. "Be not deceived, my brethren;" corrupters of families "will not inherit the kingdom of God". If, then, those who do these things according to the flesh have died, how much more, if one corrupts the faith of God by evil teaching, for which Jesus Christ was crucified? Such a one, having become defiled, will go into the unquenchable fire, likewise also he who listens to him. For this reason the Lord received ointment on his head, that he might breathe incorruption on the church. Do not be anointed with the bad odor of the teaching of the prince of this age, lest he take you captive from the life set before you. But why do we not all become prudent, having received the knowledge of God, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we foolishly perish, by ignoring the gift which the Lord has truly sent? My spirit is an offscouring for the cross, which is a "stumbling block" to unbelievers, but to us salvation and eternal life. "Where is the wise man? Where is the debater?" Where is the boasting of those who are called intelligent? For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to the dispensation of God, "of the seed" of "David," but of the Holy Spirit; who was born and was baptized, that by his passion he might purify the water. And hidden from the prince of this age were the virginity of Mary and her giving birth, likewise also the death of the Lord; three mysteries of a cry, which were wrought in the silence of God. How then was he manifested to the ages? A star shone in heaven above all the stars, and its light was inexpressible and its newness caused astonishment. All the other stars, together with the sun and moon, became a chorus to the star, and it surpassed them all in its light. And there was confusion as to whence came this new thing, unlike them. From this every magic was dissolved and every bond of wickedness vanished; ignorance was destroyed, the old kingdom was ruined, when God was manifested in human form for newness of eternal life. And a beginning was made of that which was perfected by God. From that point all things were stirred up, because the abolition of death was being planned.

If Jesus Christ should count me worthy through your prayer, and it be his will, in a second little book which I intend to write to you, I will further set forth to you the dispensation of which I have begun, concerning the new man, Jesus Christ, in his faith and in his love, in his passion and resurrection. Especially if the Lord should reveal to me that you all, man by man, together come together in grace, by name, in one faith and in Jesus

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μεμαρτυρημένου, ἀξιομακαρίστου οὗ γένοιτό μοι ὑπὸ τὰ ἴχνη εὑρεθῆναι, ὅταν θεοῦ ἐπιτύχω, ὃς ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ μνημονεύει ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Σπουδάζετε οὖν πυκνότερον συνέρχεσθαι εἰς εὐχαριστίαν θεοῦ καὶ εἰς δόξαν. Ὅταν γὰρ πυκνῶς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ γίνεσθε, καθαιροῦνται αἱ δυνάμεις τοῦ σατανᾶ, καὶ λύεται ὁ ὄλεθρος αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως. Oὐδέν ἐστιν ἄμεινον εἰρήνης, ἐν ᾗ πᾶς πόλεμος καταργεῖται ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων. Ὧν οὐδὲν λανθάνει ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν τελείως εἰς Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἔχητε τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ ζωῆς καὶ τέλος· ἀρχὴ μὲν πίστις, «τέλος δὲ ἀγάπη». Tὰ δὲ δύο ἐν ἑνότητι γενόμενα θεός ἐστιν, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα εἰς καλοκἀγαθίαν ἀκόλουθά ἐστιν.

Oὐδεὶς πίστιν ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἁμαρτάνει, οὐδὲ ἀγάπην κεκτημένος μισεῖ. «Φανερὸν τὸ δένδρον ἀπὸ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ» οὕτως οἱ ἐπαγγελλόμενοι Χριστοῦ εἶναι δι' ὧν πράσσουσιν ὀφθήσονται. Oὐ γὰρ νῦν ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει πίστεως ἐάν τις εὑρεθῇ εἰς τέλος. Ἄμεινόν ἐστιν σιωπᾶν καὶ εἶναι, ἢ λαλοῦντα μὴ εἶναι. Kαλὸν τὸ διδάσκειν, ἐὰν ὁ λέγων ποιῇ. Eἷς οὖν διδάσκαλος, ὃς «εἶπεν, καὶ ἐγένετο»· καὶ ἃ σιγῶν δὲ πεποίηκεν, ἄξια τοῦ πατρός ἐστιν. Ὁ λόγον Ἰησοῦ κεκτημένος ἀληθῶς δύναται καὶ τῆς ἡσυχίας αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν, ἵνα τέλειος ᾖ, ἵνα δι' ὧν λαλεῖ πράσσῃ καὶ δι' ὧν σιγᾷ γινώσκηται. Oὐδὲν λανθάνει τὸν κύριον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κρυπτὰ ἡμῶν ἐγγὺς αὐτῷ ἐστιν. Πάντα οὖν ποιῶμεν ὡς αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικοῦντος, ἵνα ὦμεν αὐτοῦ ναοὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὅπερ καὶ ἔστιν καὶ φανήσεται πρὸ προσώπου ἡμῶν, ἐξ ὧν δικαίως ἀγαπῶμεν αὐτόν. «Mὴ πλανᾶσθε, ἀδελφοί μου»· οἱ οἰκοφθόροι «βασιλείαν θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν». Eἰ οὖν οἱ κατὰ σάρκα ταῦτα πράσσοντες ἀπέθανον, πόσῳ μᾶλλον, ἐὰν πίστιν θεοῦ ἐν κακῇ διδασκαλίᾳ φθείρῃ, ὑπὲρ ἧς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐσταυρώθη; ὁ τοιοῦτος, ·υπαρὸς γενόμενος, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον χωρήσει, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ ἀκούων αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μύρον ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος, ἵνα πνέῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀφθαρσίαν. Mὴ ἀλείφεσθε δυσωδίαν τῆς διδασκαλίας τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, μὴ αἰχμαλωτίσῃ ὑμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ προκειμένου ζῆν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐ πάντες φρόνιμοι γινόμεθα λαβόντες θεοῦ γνῶσιν, ὅ ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός; τί μωρῶς ἀπολλύμεθα, ἀγνοοῦντες τὸ χάρισμα ὃ πέπομφεν ἀληθῶς ὁ κύριος; Περίψημα τὸ ἐμὸν πνεῦμα τοῦ σταυροῦ, ὅ ἐστιν «σκάνδαλον» τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν, ἡμῖν δὲ σωτηρία καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος. «Ποῦ σοφός; ποῦ συζητητής»; ποῦ καύχησις τῶν λεγομένων συνετῶν; Ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκυοφορήθη ὑπὸ Mαρίας κατ' οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ «ἐκ σπέρματος» μὲν «∆αυίδ», πνεύματος δὲ ἁγίου· ὃς ἐγεννήθη καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη, ἵνα τῷ πάθει τὸ ὕδωρ καθαρίσῃ. Kαὶ ἔλαθεν τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἡ παρθενία Mαρίας καὶ ὁ τοκετὸς αὐτῆς, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ κυρίου· τρία μυστήρια κραυγῆς, ἅτινα ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ θεοῦ ἐπράχθη. Πῶς οὖν ἐφανερώθη τοῖς αἰῶσιν; ἀστὴρ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔλαμψεν ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς ἀστέρας, καὶ τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ ἀνεκλάλητον ἦν καὶ ξενισμὸν παρεῖχεν ἡ καινότης αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πάντα ἄστρα ἅμα ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ χορὸς ἐγένετο τῷ ἀστέρι, αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὑπερβάλλων τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ πάντα· ταραχή τε ἦν, πόθεν ἡ καινότης ἡ ἀνόμοιος αὐτοῖς. Ὅθεν ἐλύετο πᾶσα μαγεία καὶ πᾶς δεσμὸς ἠφανίζετο κακίας· ἄγνοια καθῃρεῖτο, παλαιὰ βασιλεία διεφθείρετο θεοῦ ἀνθρωπίνως φανερουμένου εἰς καινότητα ἀϊδίου ζωῆς· ἀρχὴν δὲ ἐλάμβανεν τὸ παρὰ θεῷ ἀπηρτισμένον. Ἔνθεν τὰ πάντα συνεκινεῖτο διὰ τὸ μελετᾶσθαι θανάτου κατάλυσιν.

Ἐάν με καταξιώσῃ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ ὑμῶν καὶ θέλημα ᾖ, ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ βιβλιδίῳ ὃ μέλλω γράφειν ὑμῖν, προσδηλώσω ὑμῖν, ἧς ἠρξάμην οἰκονομίας εἰς τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ πίστει καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγάπῃ, ἐν πάθει αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναστάσει. Mάλιστα ἐὰν ὁ κύριός μοι ἀποκαλύψῃ ὅτι οἱ κατ' ἄνδρα κοινῇ πάντες ἐν χάριτι ἐξ ὀνόματος συνέρχεσθε ἐν μιᾶ πίστει καὶ ἐν Ἰησοῦ