of those who have lived rightly will go away into paradise, but those of the unrepentant wicked and faithless into punishment. And the paradise of the saints and their enjoyment is in heaven, but the punishment 454 of the wicked is on the earth. And the enjoyment of the saints is nothing other than when such souls will be perfected in knowledge and then they will behold the mysteries of God, which now they do not know except through the faith of Jesus Christ.

Interpretation: Ch. 13. Text: Why was it necessary for the Word of God, and God, to be incarnate? There are necessary and many reasons; and whenever there is need, we are ready to give them also. But beyond those reasons, these seven things assure us of the truth of our faith:

Interpretation: Ch. 14. Text: That the prophets of the Jews, whom we also cherish, prophesied about Jesus and all that He did and all that happened concerning Him and all that His disciples later did by His power. Likewise, by the permission of God, the oracles of the Greeks and the astronomers of the Persians and the Greeks also prophesied, and all these things with great praise of Jesus. And that we are able to show that all these prophecies are unalterable;

Interpretation: Ch. 15. Text: That all the scriptures of our faith are in agreement in all things, because those who wrote them had one teacher, the grace of God, for otherwise they would have disagreed in some things;

Interpretation: Ch. 10. Text: That people everywhere received this faith, being new and strange, with zeal and with many dangers, and not only the unlearned and ignorant, but also the prudent and the wise. And for this reason the deceit of the demons was completely destroyed;

Interpretation: Ch. 17. Text: That this faith contains nothing impossible, nothing dissonant, nothing corporeal, but all things in spirit; and it is a way that brings the souls of men to the love of God and of the future eternal life;

Interpretation: Ch. 18. Text: That as many as received this faith and lived virtuously according to the law of Jesus, received great gifts from God and performed many mighty works in the name of Jesus, which would not have been, if this faith were contrary to the truth.

Interpretation: Ch. 19. Text: That whatever some may say against this faith, we are able to refute easily and reasonably;

Interpretation: Ch. 20. Text: That the kings of that time and their prefects in the whole world, being polytheists and idolaters, fought against this faith for three hundred and eighteen years with many punishments and murders, and they prevailed not at all, but the faith conquered and remains until now; and when the Lord comes, He will find it. And if this faith were not from the will of God, it would have been easily dissolved then. To Him our Lord Jesus be glory; amen.

Interpretation: Ch. 21. Text: These things we say briefly concerning our faith. Interpretation: And after these things, many things A.

πολιτευομένων ἀπελεύσονται εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, τῶν δὲ ἀμετανοήτων πονηρῶν καὶ ἀπίστων εἰς τὴν κόλασιν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν παράδεισος τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἡ ἀπόλαυσίς ἐστι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἡ δὲ κόλασις 454 τῶν πονηρῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ. Καὶ ἡ ἀπόλαυσις τῶν ἁγίων οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, εἰ μὴ ὅτε τελειωθήσονται αἱ τοιαῦται ψυχαὶ εἰς τὴν γνῶσιν καὶ τότε θεωρήσουσι τὰ μυστήρια τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἃ νῦν οὐ γινώσκουσιν εἰ μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. ιγʹ. Κείμενον· ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἦν ἀναγκαῖον σαρκωθῆναι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Θεόν; Εἰσὶν ἀναγκαῖοι καὶ πολλοὶ λόγοι· καὶ ὅταν ᾖ χρεία, ἐσμὲν ἕτοιμοι δοῦ-ναι καὶ αὐτούς. Ἐπέκεινα δὲ ἐκείνων τῶν λόγων πληροφοροῦσιν ἡμᾶς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν τὰ ἑπτὰ ταῦτα·

Ἑρμήνεια· Κφ. ιδʹ. Κείμενον· Ὅτι ἐπροφήτευσαν οἱ προφῆται τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οὓς στέργομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ὅσα ἐποίησε καὶ ὅσα ἐγένοντο ἐπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅσα ἐποίησαν ὕστερον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ. Ὁμοίως ἐπροφήτευσαν καὶ τὰ μαντεῖα τῶν Ἑλλήνων συγχωρήσει Θεοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀστρονόμοι τῶν Περσῶν καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα μετὰ εὐφημείας μεγάλης τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ ὅτι πᾶσαι αὗται αἱ προφητεῖαί εἰσιν ἀπαράγραπτοι ἔχομεν δεῖξαι·

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. ιεʹ. Κείμενον· Ὅτι αἱ γραφαὶ πᾶσαι τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν συμφωνοῦσιν ἐν πᾶσι, διότι εἶχον οἱ γράψαντες αὐτὰς ἕνα διδάσκαλον, τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἄλλως γὰρ ἔμελλον ἔν τισι διαφωνεῖν·

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. ιʹ. Κείμενον· Ὅτι ἐδέξαντο ταύτην τὴν πίστιν, νέαν οὖσαν καὶ παράδοξον, οἱ ἄνθρωποι πανταχοῦ μετὰ σπουδῆς καὶ μετὰ κινδύνων πολλῶν, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἰδιῶται καὶ ἀμαθεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ φρόνιμοι καὶ οἱ σοφοί. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατελύθη τελείως ἡ πλάνη τῶν δαιμόνων·

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. ιζʹ. Κείμενον· Ὅτι ἡ πίστις αὔτη οὐδὲν περιέχει ἀδύνατον, οὐδὲν ἀσύμ-φωνον, οὐδὲν σωματικόν, ἀλλὰ πάντα πνεύματι· καὶ ἔστιν ὁδὸς φέρουσα τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς μελλούσης αἰωνίου ζωῆς·

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. ιηʹ. Κείμενον· Ὅτι ὅσοι ἔλαβον ταύτην τὴν πίστιν καὶ ἐπολιτεύσαντο ἐνα-ρέτως κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ νόμον, ἔλαβον μεγάλα χαρίσματα ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ δυνάμεις ἐποίησαν πολλὰς ἐν ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ, ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν ἦν, εἰ ἡ πίστις αὕτη ἦν ἐναντία τῇ ἀληθείᾳ.

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. ιθʹ. Κείμενον· Ὅτι ὅσα λέγουσί τινες κατὰ τῆς πίστεως ταύτης, δυνάμεθα λύειν εὐκόλως καὶ εὐλόγως·

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. κʹ. Κείμενον· Ὅτι τῇ πίστει ταύτῃ ἐπολέμησαν διὰ πολλῶν τιμωρίων καὶ φόνων οἱ βασιλεῖς τότε καὶ οἱ ἔπαρχοι αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ τριακοσίους δέκα ὀκτὼ χρόνους πολύθεοι ὄντες καὶ εἰδωλολάτραι καὶ οὐδὲν ἴσχυσαν, ἀλλὰ ἐνίκησεν ἡ πίστις καὶ διαμένει μέχρι τοῦ νῦν· καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ Κύριος εὑρήσῃ αὐτήν. Καὶ εἰ μὴ ἦν ἡ πί-στις αὔτη ἐκ θελήματος τοῦ Θεοῦ, διελύθη ἂν τότε εὐκόλως. Αὐτῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ δόξα· ἄμην.

Ἑρμηνεία· Κφ. καʹ. Κείμενον· Ταῦτα λέγομεν ἡμεῖς περὶ πίστεως ἡμῶν συντόμως. Ἑρμη-νεία· Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πολλὰ Α.