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manifestation; and he did not venture upon the preaching of the word, before the truth was revealed to him through a certain appearance.

For as he was once considering by night the doctrine of the faith, and stirring up all sorts of reasonings; for there were indeed at that time certain men who adulterated the pious teaching, by the persuasiveness of their arguments, often making the truth doubtful even to the prudent; on behalf of which, as he was then lying awake and pondering, there appeared to him in a vision someone in human form, aged in appearance, of priestly dignity in the arrangement of his garment, signifying great virtue by the grace about his 46.912 face and by the composure of his figure. And being astonished at the sight, he rose from his bed and begged to learn who he was, and for what reason he had come. And when that one had calmed the disturbance of his mind with a quiet voice, and said that he had appeared to him by a divine command on account of the matters he was doubting, so that the truth of the pious faith might be revealed; he both took courage at the word, and looked at him with a certain joy and astonishment. Then, as that one stretched forth his hand straight out, and as if pointing out to him by the straightness of his fingers the one appearing from the side, he turned his own gaze along with the straightness of the hand, and saw opposite him another sight in the form of a woman, greater than human; and being again astonished, he both bowed his face down, and was at a loss at the sight, not bearing the appearance with his eyes (for indeed the marvel of the vision was especially in this, that though it was deep night, a light shone out together with those who appeared to him, as if from some bright lamp being lit). Since therefore he was not able to bear the appearance with his eyes, he heard through the speech of those who appeared to him, as they discussed with one another the doctrine which was being sought; through which not only was he instructed in the true knowledge of the faith, but he also recognized those who had appeared by their names, as each of them called the other by his own appellation. For he is said to have heard the one who appeared in the form of a woman asking John the Evangelist to reveal to the young man the mystery of piety; and that he said he was ready to grant this also to the mother of the Lord, since this was pleasing to her; and so having spoken the doctrine, well-proportioned and clearly defined, they again departed from his sight. And he immediately marked down that divine instruction in writing, and thereafter preached the word in the church according to it, and left that God-given teaching to those who came after, like some inheritance; by which her people are instructed even to this day, having remained untouched by any heretical wickedness. And the words of the instruction are these: One God, Father of a living Word, of subsistent wisdom and power, and of an eternal image, perfect, begetter of a perfect one; Father of an only-begotten Son. One Lord, only from only, God from God, image and likeness of the Godhead, an active Word, wisdom that embraces the constitution of all things, and power that creates all creation, true Son of a true Father, invisible of invisible, and incorruptible of incorruptible, and immortal of immortal, and eternal of eternal. And one Holy Spirit, having existence from God; and revealed through the Son, that is to men, a perfect image of the perfect Son, life, 46.913 cause of the living, holy fount, holiness, supplier of sanctification; in whom is revealed God the Father, who is over all and in all; and God the Son, who is through all; A perfect Trinity, in glory and eternity and sovereignty not divided, nor estranged. Therefore there is nothing created, or servile in the Trinity, nor anything brought in, as if not existing before but entering later. Therefore the Son has never been wanting to the Father, nor the Spirit to the Son; but the same Trinity is always changeless and unalterable. And whoever desires to be persuaded concerning this, let him hear the Church, in which he preached the word,

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φανέρωσιν· καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἐπεθάρσησε τῷ τοῦ λό γου κηρύγματι, πρὶν διά τινος ἐμφανείας ἐκκαλυ φθῆναι αὐτῷ τὴν ἀλήθειαν.

Σκοπουμένῳ γὰρ αὐτῷ ποτε ἐννύχιον περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς πίστεως, καὶ παν τοίους ἀνακινοῦντι λογισμούς· ἦσαν γὰρ δὴ καὶ τότε τινὲς, οἱ τὴν εὐσεβῆ διδασκαλίαν παραχαράττοντες, διὰ τῆς πιθανότητος τῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων, ἀμφίβολον ποιοῦντες πολλάκις καὶ τοῖς συνετοῖς τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ὑπὲρ ἧς τότε διαγρυπνοῦντι αὐτῷ καὶ φροντίζοντι φαίνεταί τις καθ' ὕπαρ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῳ τῷ σχήματι, γηραλέος τὸ εἶδος, ἱεροπρεπὴς τῇ καταστολῇ τοῦ ἐν δύματος, πολλὴν ἐπισημαίνων τὴν ἀρετὴν τῇ περὶ τὸ 46.912 πρόσωπον χάριτι, καὶ τῇ καταστάσει τοῦ σχήματος. Τὸν δὲ καταπλαγέντα τῇ ὄψει, διαναστῆναι μὲν τῆς εὐνῆς καὶ ὅστις εἴη μαθεῖν ἐδεῖτο, καὶ ὑπὲρ τίνος ἥκοι. Ἐκείνου δὲ καταστείλαντος αὐτοῦ τὴν ταρα χὴν τῆς διανοίας ἐν ἠρεμαίᾳ φωνῇ, καὶ εἰπόντος θείῳ προστάγματι πεφηνέναι αὐτῷ τῶν ἀμφισβητου μένων παρ' αὐτοῦ χάριν, ὡς ἂν ἐκκαλυφθείη τῆς εὐ σεβοῦς πίστεως ἡ ἀλήθεια· θαρσῆσαί τε πρὸς τὸν λό γον, καὶ βλέψαι πρὸς αὐτὸν μετά τινος χαρᾶς καὶ ἐκπλήξεως. Εἶτα ἐκείνου κατ' εὐθὺ τὴν χεῖρα προ τείναντος, καὶ οἷον ὑποδεικνύντος αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς τῶν δακτύλων εὐθείας τὸ ἐκ πλαγίου φαινόμενον, συμ περιαγαγεῖν τοῦτον τῇ εὐθείᾳ τῆς χειρὸς τὸ ἴδιον βλέμμα, καὶ ἰδεῖν ἀντιπρόσωπον ἕτερον θέαμα τῷ ὀφθέντι, ἐν γυναικείῳ τῷ σχήματι, κρεῖττον ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον· πάλιν δὲ καταπλαγέντα, συγκλιθῆναί τε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τῷ προσώπῳ, καὶ ἀμηχανεῖν τῷ θεά ματι, μὴ φέροντα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὴν ἐμφάνειαν (καὶ γὰρ δὴ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ὀπτασίας ἐν τούτῳ μάλιστα ἦν, ὅτι νυκτὸς οὔσης βαθείας, φῶς τοῖς ὀφθεῖσιν αὐτῷ συνεξέλαμψεν, ὥσπερ τινὸς λαμπρᾶς ἐξαπτομένης λαμπάδος). Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν φέρειν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὴν ἐμφάνειαν, ἤκουσε διὰ λόγου τινὸς τῶν ὀφθέντων αὐτῷ, πρὸς ἀλλήλους τὸν περὶ τοῦ ζητουμένου λόγον διεξιόντων· δι' ὧν οὐ μό νον ἐπαιδεύθη τὴν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων τοὺς ἐπιφανέντας ἐγνώρισεν, ἑκατέρου αὐτῶν διὰ τῆς οἰκείας προσηγορίας ἀνακα λοῦντος τὸν ἕτερον. Ἀκοῦσαι γὰρ λέγεται παρὰ τῆς ἐν γυναικείῳ φανείσης τῷ σχήματι παρακαλούσης τὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν Ἰωάννην, φανερῶσαι τῷ νέῳ τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· ἐκεῖνον δὲ εἰπεῖν, ἑτοίμως ἔχειν καὶ τοῦτο τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ Κυρίου χαρίσασθαι, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο φίλον αὐτῇ· καὶ οὕτως εἰπόντα τὸν λό γον σύμμετρόν τε καὶ εὐπερίγραπτον, πάλιν μετ αναστῆναι τῶν ὄψεων. Τὸν δὲ παραχρῆμα τὴν θείαν ἐκείνην μυσταγωγίαν γράμμασιν ἐνσημήνασθαι, καὶ κατ' ἐκείνην μετὰ ταῦτα κηρύσσειν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὸν λόγον, καὶ τοῖς ἐφεξῆς, ὥσπερ τινὰ κλῆρον τὴν θεόσδοτον ἐκείνην διδασκαλίαν καταλιπεῖν· δι' ἧς μυσταγωγεῖται μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ὁ ἐκείνης λαὸς, πάσης αἱρετικῆς κακίας διαμείνας ἀπείρατος. Τὰ δὲ τῆς μυσταγωγίας ῥήματα, ταῦτά ἐστιν· Εἷς Θεὸς Πατὴρ Λόγου ζῶντος, σοφίας ὑφεστώ σης καὶ δυνάμεως, καὶ χαρακτῆρος ἀϊδίου, τέ λειος, τελείου γεννήτωρ· Πατὴρ Υἱοῦ μονογε νοῦς. Εἷς Κύριος, μόνος ἐκ μόνου, Θεὸς ἐκ Θεοῦ, χαρακτὴρ καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς θεότητος, Λόγος ἐνεργὸς, σοφία τῆς τῶν ὅλων συστάσεως περιεκτικὴ, καὶ δύναμις τῆς ὅλης κτίσεως ποιητικὴ, Υἱὸς ἀληθι νὸς ἀληθινοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀόρατος ἀοράτου, καὶ ἄφθαρτος ἀφθάρτου, καὶ ἀθάνατος ἀθανάτου, καὶ ἀΐδιος ἀϊδίου. Καὶ ἓν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ἐκ Θεοῦ τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἔχον· καὶ δι' Υἱοῦ πεφηνὸς, δηλαδὴ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, εἰκὼν τοῦ Υἱοῦ τελείου τελεία, ζωὴ 46.913 ζώντων αἰτία, πηγὴ ἁγία, ἁγιότης ἁγιασμοῦ χορ ηγός· ἐν ᾧ φανεροῦται Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσι· καὶ Θεὸς ὁ Υἱὸς, ὁ διὰ πάν των· Τριὰς τελεία, δόξῃ καὶ ἀϊδιότητι καὶ βασι λείᾳ μὴ μεριζομένη, μηδὲ ἀπαλλοτριουμένη. Οὔτε οὖν κτιστόν τι, ἢ δοῦλον ἐν τῇ Τριάδι, οὔτε ἐπείσακτόν τι, ὡς πρότερον μὲν οὐχ ὑπάρχον, ὕστε ρον δὲ ἐπεισελθόν. Οὔτε οὖν ἐνέλιπέ ποτε Υἱὸς Πα τρὶ, οὔτε Υἱῷ Πνεῦμα· ἀλλ' ἄτρεπτος καὶ ἀναλ λοίωτος ἡ αὐτὴ Τριὰς ἀεί. Ὅτῳ δὲ φίλον περὶ τούτου πεισθῆναι, ἀκουέτω τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐν ᾗ τὸν λόγον ἐκήρυττεν,