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They will look on him whom they pierced and will mourn for themselves as for a beloved one. Therefore they are unbelievers no less than those who crucified him. But I do not have my hopes in appearance on him who died for me, but in reality; for falsehood is foreign to truth. Truly, therefore, Mary gave birth to a body having God as its indweller, and truly God the Word was born of the virgin, clothed in a body of like passions with us; truly he was in the womb who forms all men in the womb, and he made for himself a body from the seeds of the virgin, except without the intercourse of a man. He was carried in the womb as we are for a period of months, and was truly born as we are, and was truly nourished with milk and partook of common food and drink as we also do. And having lived for three decades of years, he was baptized by John, truly and not in appearance; and having preached the gospel for three years and performed signs and wonders, by the Pseudo-Jews and Pilate the governor the judge was judged, was scourged, was struck on the cheek, was spat upon, wore a crown of thorns and a purple robe, was condemned, was crucified truly, not in appearance, not in fantasy, not in deceit. He died truly and was buried and was raised from the dead, as he somewhere prayed, saying: But you, Lord, raise me up, and I will repay them. And the Father who always hears him, answering, says: Arise, O God, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all the nations. The Father, therefore, who raised him, will also raise us through him, without whom no one will have true life; for he says, I am the life; he who believes in me, though he die, shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me, though he die, shall live forever. Flee, therefore, the godless heresies; for they are inventions of the devil, of the serpent, the author of evil, who through the woman deceived Adam the father of our race.

Flee also his evil offshoots, Simon his firstborn son and Menander and Basilides and all his whole rabble of wickedness, the men-worshippers, the Ebionites, whom also Jeremiah the prophet calls accursed. Flee also the impure Nicolaitans, the falsely-named, the lovers of pleasure, the slanderers; for Nicolas, one of the apostles, was not such a man. Flee also the offspring of the evil one, Theodotus and Cleobulus, who bear death-bearing fruit, of which if anyone tastes, he dies immediately, not the temporary death, but the eternal. These are not the planting of the Father, but accursed offspring. But every plant, says the Lord, which my heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up. For if they were branches of the Father, they would not be enemies of the cross of Christ, but of those who killed the Lord of glory; but now by denying the cross and being ashamed of the passion they cover up the lawlessness of the Jews, the god-fighters, the lord-slayers; for it is a small thing to say prophet-slayers. But Christ calls you to his own incorruption through his passion and resurrection, since you are his members.

I greet you from Smyrna, together with the churches of God that are present with me, whose leaders have refreshed me in every way, both in flesh and in spirit. My bonds exhort you, which for the sake of Jesus Christ I bear, asking to obtain God; continue in your concord with one another and in prayer; for it is fitting for you, one by one, and especially the presbyters, to refresh the bishop, to the honor of the Father and to the honor of Jesus Christ and of the apostles. I pray you to hear me in love, so that I may not be a testimony against you by having written. And pray also for me, who am in need of your love in the mercy of God, that I may be counted worthy of the lot which I am set to obtain, so that I may not be found disapproved. The love of the Smyrnaeans and Ephesians greets you. Remember <in your prayers> the in Syria

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Ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν καὶ κόψονται ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς ὡς ἐπὶ ἀγαπητῷ. οὐκοῦν ἄπιστοι αὐτοὶ οὐχ ἧττον τῶν σταυρωσάντων αὐτόν. ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ τὸ δοκεῖν ἔχω τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐπὶ τῷ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ ἀποθανόντι, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι· ἀληθείας γὰρ ἀλλότριον τὸ ψεῦδος. ἀληθῶς τοίνυν ἐγέννησεν Mαρία σῶμα θεὸν ἔνοικον ἔχον καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐγεννήθη ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐκ τῆς παρθένου σῶμα ὁμοιοπαθὲς ἡμῖν ἠμφιεσμένος· ἀληθῶς γέγονεν ἐν μήτρᾳ ὁ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἐν μήτρᾳ διαπλάττων, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ σῶμα ἐκ τῶν τῆς παρθένου σπερμάτων, πλὴν ὅσον ἄνευ ὁμιλίας ἀνδρός. ἐκυοφορήθη ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς χρόνων περιόδοις, καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐτέχθη ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς, καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐγαλακτοτροφήθη καὶ τροφῆς κοινῆς καὶ ποτοῦ μετέσχεν ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς. καὶ τρεῖς δεκάδας ἐτῶν πολιτευσάμενος ἐβαπτίσθη ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου ἀληθῶς καὶ οὐ δοκήσει· καὶ τρεῖς ἐνιαυτοὺς κηρύξας τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ ποιήσας σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ὑπὸ τῶν Ψευδοϊουδαίων καὶ Πιλάτου τοῦ ἡγεμόνος ὁ κριτὴς ἐκρίθη, ἐμαστιγώθη, ἐπὶ κόρρης ἐραπίσθη, ἐνεπτύσθη, ἀκάνθινον στέφανον καὶ πορφυροῦν ἱμάτιον ἐφόρησεν, κατεκρίθη, ἐσταυρώθη ἀληθῶς, οὐ δοκήσει, οὐ φαντασίᾳ, οὐκ ἀπάτῃ. ἀπέθανεν ἀληθῶς καὶ ἐτάφη καὶ ἠγέρθη ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, καθώς που προσηύχετο λέγων· Σὺ δὲ κύριε ἀνάστησόν με, καὶ ἀνταποδώσω αὐτοῖς. καὶ ὁ πάντοτε ἐπακούων αὐτῷ πατὴρ ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει· Ἀνάστα, ὁ θεός, κρῖνον τὴν γῆν, ὅτι σὺ κατακληρονομήσεις ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. ὁ τοίνυν ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν πατὴρ καὶ ἡμᾶς δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγερεῖ, οὗ χωρὶς τὸ ἀληθινῶς ζῆν οὐχ ἕξει τις· λέγει γάρ, ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή· ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. φεύγετε οὖν τὰς ἀθέους αἱρέσεις· τοῦ διαβόλου γάρ εἰσιν ἐφευρέσεις, τοῦ ἀρχεκάκου ὄφεως τοῦ διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀπατήσαντος Ἀδὰμ τὸν πατέρα τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν.

Φεύγετε δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς κακὰς παραφυάδας, Σίμωνα τὸν πρωτότοκον αὐτοῦ υἱὸν καὶ Mένανδρον καὶ Bασιλίδην καὶ ὅλον αὐτοῦ τὸν ὀρυγμαδὸν τῆς κακίας, τοὺς ἀνθρωπολάτρας, τοὺς Ἐβιωναίους, οὓς καὶ ἐπικαταράτους λέγει Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης. φεύγετε καὶ τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους Nικολαΐτας, τοὺς ψευδωνύμους, τοὺς φιληδόνους, τοὺς συκοφάντας· οὐ γὰρ ἦν τοιοῦτος ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων Nικόλαος. φεύγετε καὶ τὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἔγγονα Θεόδοτον καὶ Kλεόβουλον, τὰ γεννῶντα καρπὸν θανατηφόρον, οὗ ἐάν τις γεύσηται, παραυτίκα ἀποθνήσκει οὐ τὸν πρόσκαιρον θάνατον, ἀλλὰ τὸν αἰώνιον.οὗτοι οὔκ εἰσι φυτεία πατρός, ἀλλ' ἔγγονα κατηραμένα. πᾶσα δέ, φησὶν ὁ κύριος, φυτεία, ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ ἐπουράνιος, ἐκριζωθήτω. εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν τοῦ πατρὸς κλάδοι, οὐκ ἂν ἦσαν ἐχθροὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀποκτεινάντων τὸν τῆς δόξης κύριον· νῦν δὲ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀρνούμενοι καὶ τὸ πάθος ἐπαισχυνόμενοι καλύπτουσι τὴν Ἰουδαίων παρανομίαν, τῶν θεομάχων, τῶν κυριοκτόνων· μικρὸν γὰρ εἰπεῖν προφητοκτόνων. ὑμᾶς δὲ παρακαλεῖ Χριστὸς εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀφθαρσίαν διὰ τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ὄντας μέλη αὐτοῦ.

Ἀσπάζομαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ Σμύρνης ἅμα ταῖς συμπαρούσαις μοι ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ θεοῦ, ὧν οἱ ἡγούμενοί με κατὰ πᾶν ἀνέπαυσαν σαρκί τε καὶ πνεύματι. παρακαλεῖ ὑμᾶς τὰ δεσμά μου, ἃ ἕνεκεν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ περιφέρω, αἰτούμενος θεοῦ ἐπιτυχεῖν· διαμένετε ἐν τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ τῇ προσευχῇ· πρέπει γὰρ ὑμῖν τοῖς καθ' ἕνα, ἐξαιρέτως καὶ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις, ἀναψύχειν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον εἰς τιμὴν πατρὸς καὶ εἰς τιμὴν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων. εὔχομαι ὑμᾶς ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἀκοῦσαί μου, ἵνα μὴ εἰς μαρτύριον ὦ ὑμῖν γράψας. καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ δὲ προσεύχεσθε τῆς ἀφ' ὑμῶν ἀγάπης χρῄζοντος ἐν τῷ ἐλέει τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ καταξιωθῆναί με τοῦ κλήρου, οὗ περίκειμαι ἐπιτυχεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἀδόκιμος εὑρεθῶ. Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἀγάπη Σμυρναίων καὶ Ἐφεσίων. μνημονεύετε <ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς> ὑμῶν τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ