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by the Word of God. For to this end the Word became man, and the Son of God the Son of man, that man, by receiving the Word and accepting the adoption, might become the son of God. 29 For as He was man that He might be tempted, so also was He the Word that He might be glorified; the Word remaining quiescent while He was being tempted and crucified and dying, but co-existing with the man in His conquering and enduring and being gracious and rising and being taken up. 30 God, then, was made man, and the Lord Himself saved us, giving the sign of the virgin. But not as some of those who now dare to interpret the Scripture say: "Behold, the young woman shall conceive and bear a son," as Theodotion the Ephesian and Aquila of Pontus, both Jewish proselytes, have interpreted; whom the Ebionites following, assert that He was begotten of Joseph. 31 For before the Romans established their empire, while the Macedonians still held Asia, Ptolemy the son of Lagus, being ambitious to adorn the library he had built in Alexandria with the writings of all men, whatsoever were of worth, requested from the people of Jerusalem to have their Scriptures translated into the Greek language. And they, for they were still at that time subject to the Macedonians, sent to Ptolemy seventy elders, the most experienced they had in the Scriptures and in both languages, God having done what He willed. But he, wishing to test them in his own way, and fearing lest they might by agreement conceal the truth in the Scriptures by their interpretation, separated them from one another and commanded them all to write the same interpretation, and this he did for all the books. But when they came together in the same place before Ptolemy and compared their respective interpretations, God was glorified, and the Scriptures were recognized as truly divine, for all of them had declared the same things in the same words and with the same names from beginning to end, so that even the Gentiles present knew that the Scriptures had been interpreted by the inspiration of God. And it is no wonder that God should have done this, who also, during the captivity of the people under Nebuchadnezzar, when the Scriptures had been corrupted, and after seventy years the Jews had returned to their own land, then in the times of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians, inspired Ezra the priest of the tribe of Levi to arrange all the words of the former prophets and to restore to the people the legislation of Moses. 32 And in his saying, "Hear ye, O house of David," it was signified that the everlasting King whom God promised to David that He would raise up from the fruit of his loins, is He who was born of the virgin of Davidic descent. 33 If, then, the first Adam had a human father and was born of seed, it would have been reasonable for them to say that the second Adam was begotten of Joseph. But if he was taken from the earth, and his Maker was God, it was necessary that He who recapitulates in Himself the man formed by God should have the same likeness of birth as he. Why then did God not take dust again, but worked the formation from Mary? That there might not be another creation, nor something different that was being saved, but that that same man might be recapitulated, the likeness being preserved. Therefore, those who say that He took nothing from the virgin fall exceedingly, in order that they may cast out the inheritance of the flesh and reject the likeness. 34 Since His descent into Mary was also superfluous. For why did He descend into her, if He was to take nothing from her? And further, if He had taken nothing from Mary, He would not have accepted the foods taken from the earth, by which the body taken from the earth is nourished; nor after fasting for forty days, like Moses and Elijah, would He have been hungry, His body seeking its proper food; nor would John His disciple, writing of Him, have said: "But Jesus, being wearied from the journey, sat down"; nor would the

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Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Λόγος ἄνθρωπος καὶ Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα ὁ ἄνθρωπος χωρήσας τὸν Λόγον καὶ τὴν υἱοθεσίαν λαβὼν γένηται υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. 29 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἦν ἄνθρωπος ἵνα πειρασθῇ, οὕτω καὶ Λόγος ἵνα δοξασθῇ, ἡσυχάζοντος μὲν τοῦ Λόγου ἐν τῷ πειράζεσθαι καὶ σταυροῦσθαι καὶ ἀποθνῄσκειν, συγγινομένου δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ νικᾶν καὶ ὑπομένειν καὶ χρηστεύεσθαι καὶ ἀνίστασθαι καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεσθαι. 30 Ὁ Θεὸς οὖν ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο καὶ αὐτὸς Κύριος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς, δοὺς τὸ τῆς παρθένου σημεῖον. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἔνιοί φασιν τῶν νῦν τολμώντων μεθερμηνεύειν τὴν γραφήν· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ νεᾶνις ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν», ὡς Θεοδοτίων ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Ἐφέσιος καὶ Ἀκύλας ὁ Ποντικός, ἀμφότεροι Ἰουδαῖοι προσήλυτοι· οἷς κατακολουθήσαντες οἱ Ἐβιωναῖοι ἐξ Ἰωσὴφ αὐτὸν γεγεννῆσθαι φάσκουσιν. 31 Πρὸ τοῦ γὰρ Ῥωμαίους κρατῦναι τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῶν, ἔτι τῶν Μακεδόνων τὴν Ἀσίαν κατεχόντων, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Λάγου, φιλοτιμούμενος τὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατεσκευασμένην βιβλιοθήκην ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ κοσμῆσαι τοῖς πάντων ἀνθρώπων συγγράμμασιν ὅσα γε σπουδαῖα ὑπῆρχεν, ᾐτήσατο παρὰ τῶν Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν εἰς τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν διάλεκτον σχεῖν αὐτῶν μεταβεβλημένας τὰς γραφάς. Οἳ δέ, ὑπήκουον γὰρ ἔτι τοῖς Μακεδόσι τότε, τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐμπειροτάτους τῶν γραφῶν καὶ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν διαλέκτων ἑβδομήκοντα πρεσβυτέρους ἔπεμψαν Πτολεμαίῳ, ποιήσαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅπερ ἠβούλετο. Ὃ δὲ ἰδίᾳ πεῖραν αὐτῶν λαβεῖν θελήσας εὐλαβηθείς τε μήτι ἄρα συνθέμενοι ἀποκρύψωσι τὴν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς διὰ τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἀλήθειαν, χωρίσας αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ἐκέλευσε τοὺς πάντας τὴν αὐτὴν ἑρμηνείαν γράφειν, καὶ τοῦτ' ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν βιβλίων ἐποίησεν. Συνελθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ παρὰ τῷ Πτολεμαίῳ καὶ συναντιβαλόντων ἑκάστου τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἑρμηνείαν, ὁ μὲν Θεὸς ἐδοξάσθη, αἱ δὲ γραφαὶ ὄντως θεῖαι ἐγνώσθησαν, τῶν πάντων τὰ αὐτὰ ταῖς αὐταῖς λέξεσιν καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὀνόμασιν ἀναγορευσάντων ἀπ' ἀρχῆς μέχρι τέλους, ὥστε καὶ τὰ παρόντα ἔθνη γνῶναι ὅτι κατ' ἐπίπνοιαν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν ἡρμηνευμέναι αἱ γραφαί. Καὶ οὐδέν γε θαυμαστὸν τὸν Θεὸν τοῦτο ἐνηργηκέναι, ὅς γε καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ διαφθαρεισῶν τῶν γραφῶν καὶ μετὰ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀνελθόντων εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν, ἔπειτα ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις Ἀρταξέρξου τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως ἐνέπνευσεν Ἔσδρᾳ τῷ ἱερεῖ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Λευὶ τοὺς τῶν προγεγονότων προφητῶν πάντας ἀνατάξασθαι λόγους καὶ ἀποκαταστῆσαι τῷ λαῷ τὴν διὰ Μωϋσέως νομοθεσίαν. 32 Καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν· «Ἀκούσατε δή, οἶκος ∆αυίδ», σημαίνοντος ἦν ὅτι ὃν ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ ∆αυὶδ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ αἰώνιον ἀναστήσειν Βασιλέα, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐκ τῆς δαυιτικῆς παρθένου γεννώμενος. 33 Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ πρῶτος Ἀδὰμ ἔσχε πατέρα ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἐκ σπέρματος ἐγεννήθη, εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ τὸν δεύτερον Ἀδὰμ λέγειν αὐτοὺς ἐξ Ἰωσὴφ γεγεννῆσθαι. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐκ γῆς ἐλήφθη, Πλάστης δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ Θεός, ἔδει καὶ τὸν ἀνακεφαλαιούμενον εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πεπλασμένον ἄνθρωπον τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνῳ τῆς γεννήσεως ἔχειν ὁμοιότητα. Εἰς τί οὖν πάλιν οὐκ ἔλαβε χοῦν ὁ Θεός, ἀλλ' ἐκ Μαρίας ἐνήργησε τὴν πλάσιν γενέσθαι; Ἵνα μὴ ἄλλη πλάσις γένηται μηδὲ ἄλλο τὸ σῳζόμενον ᾖ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀνακεφαλαιωθῇ, τηρουμένης τῆς ὁμοιότητος. Ἄγαν οὖν πίπτουσιν οἱ λέγοντες αὐτὸν μηδὲν ἀνειληφέναι ἐκ τῆς παρθένου, ἵν' ἐκβάλωσι τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς κληρονομίαν καὶ ἀποβάλωνται τὴν ὁμοιότητα. 34 Ἐπεὶ περισσὴ καὶ ἡ εἰς τὴν Μαρίαν αὐτοῦ κάθοδος. Τί γὰρ καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν κατῄει, εἰ μηδὲν ἔμελλε λήψεσθαι παρ' αὐτῆς; Ἔτι τε εἰ μηδὲν εἰλήφει παρὰ τῆς Μαρίας, οὐκ ἂν τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς εἰλημμένας προσίετο τροφάς, δι' ὧν τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ληφθὲν τρέφεται σῶμα· οὐδ' ἂν εἰς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ὁμοίως Μωϋσῇ καὶ Ἠλίᾳ νηστεύσας ἐπείνησε, τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιζητοῦντος τροφήν· οὐδ' ἂν Ἰωάννης ὁ μαθητὴς αὐτοῦ περὶ αὐτοῦ γράφων εἰρήκει· «Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κεκοπιακὼς ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἐκαθέζετο»· οὐδ' ἂν ὁ