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to strip [him] of the pretense of the letter, and to show to all through the testimony of his own words what sort of man he was who presided over the church of Christ, holding the opinion that the Son of God did not exist, nor pre-exist, nor ever exist at all before he was born through the virgin, but asserting that he was only the Word, of the same nature as God, eternally existing with him and united, just as is the word in man. 2.1.2 For he himself uses this example, saying that the Word is within 2.1.2 God himself, sometimes being at rest, sometimes acting meaningfully, and proceeding forth from the Father by activity alone, just as we also, when we command something, would act in speaking and talking. But that no one would thus say that the meaningful and active word is the son is clear to everyone. But he, having posited this concerning God, says I know not how that the non-subsistent Word assumed flesh and acted in 2.1.3 it and then became Christ and Jesus and King and image of God and beloved and glorified Son, and indeed also firstborn of all creation, not existing before, then came to be, although not subsisting. But the paradox of the argument, is that all these things began not even four hundred full years ago and again these will cease all at once after the time of judgment, with the Word being united to God, so as to be nothing other than God, and the flesh which he assumed being left desolate by the Word, so that then neither the Son of God would subsist, nor the son of man whom he assumed. 2.1.4 And indeed he brings it to this conclusion, as if he were deafened and heard neither the angel Gabriel, announcing the good news to the Theotokos clearly and explicitly concerning the one who was to be born from her and saying he would come forth "from the seed of David according to the flesh": "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end," nor understood the words of Daniel the great prophet, who sealed these very things by what he prophesied in the divine Spirit, saying: "And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days; and before 2.1.5 him he was brought. And to him was given the dominion and the honor and the kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom is one that shall not be destroyed." But neither did Isaiah persuade him, who also himself prophe2.1.6sied thus concerning the unending kingdom of the son of man: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, whose dominion is on his shoulder, and his name is called Angel of Great Counsel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Potentate, Prince of Peace, Father of the age to come. For I will bring peace and health 2.1.7 to him. Great is his dominion, and of his peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with judgment and with justice, from now on 2.1.8 and forever." In harmony with these, then, were also the things which Gabriel announced to the virgin, saying that the one from her would reign "forever" and "of his kingdom" there would be no end. But how Marcellus dared to write contrary things to all these, you might learn from his own words, through which he denied at once the divinity and the humanity of the Son of God in a newer way than any godless 2.1.9 heresy. For some of the heretics, asserting that the Son of God did not pre-exist nor pre-subsist, supposing him to be a man from a man, like the rest, said that he was honored by adoption, and this granting to him immortal and unending honor and glory and kingship

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ἐπιστολῆς προσχήματος ἀπογυμνῶσαι, δεῖξαί τε τοῖς πᾶσιν διὰ τῆς τῶν αὐτοῦ φωνῶν μαρτυρίας οἷός τις ὢν τῆς Χριστοῦ καθηγεῖτο ἐκκλησίας ἄνθρωπος, μήτε εἶναι μήτε προϋφεστάναι μήτε ὅλως πώποτε υἱὸν ὑπάρξαι τῷ θεῷ πρὸ τοῦ τεχθῆναι διὰ τῆς παρθένου δοξάζων, αὐτὸ δὲ μόνον εἶναι λόγον φάσκων, συμφυᾶ τῷ θεῷ, ἀιδίως αὐτῷ συνόντα καὶ ἡνωμένον, οἷος ἂν εἴη καὶ ὁ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ λόγος. 2.1.2 τούτῳ γὰρ αὐτὸς χρῆται τῷ παραδείγματι, λόγον εἶναι φήσας ἔνδον 2.1.2 ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ, ποτὲ μὲν ἡσυχάζοντα, ποτὲ δὲ σημαντικῶς ἐνερ γοῦντα, μόνῃ τε ἐνεργείᾳ προϊόντα τοῦ πατρός, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς τι προστάττοντες ἐν τῷ λέγειν τι καὶ λαλεῖν ἐνεργήσαιμεν. ὅτι δ' οὐκ ἄν τις οὕτω γε εἴποι υἱὸν εἶναι τὸν σημαντικὸν καὶ ἐνεργητικὸν λόγον παντί τῳ δῆλον. ὁ δὲ τοῦτο δοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως τὸν μὴ ὑφεστῶτα λόγον τὴν σάρκα ἀνειληφέναι καὶ ἐνεργῆσαι ἐν 2.1.3 αὐτῇ φησιν καὶ τότε Χριστὸν γενέσθαι καὶ Ἰησοῦν καὶ βασιλέα καὶ εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀγαπητὸν καὶ υἱὸν δεδοξασμένον, καὶ δὴ καὶ πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως, μὴ ὄντα πρότερον, τότε γενέσθαι καίπερ οὐχ ὑφεστῶτα· τὸ δὲ παράδοξον τοῦ λόγου, ἄρξασθαί γε ἀπὸ τετρακοσίων οὐδὲ ὅλων ἐτῶν τούτων ἁπάντων καὶ πάλιν τούτων ἀθρόως παυθήσεσθαι μετὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως καιρόν, τοῦ μὲν λόγου ἑνουμένου τῷ θεῷ, ὡς μηδὲν ἕτερον εἶναι πλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, τῆς δὲ σαρκὸς ἧς ἀνείληφεν ἐρήμου καταλειφθησομένης ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου, ὡς μήτε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τότε ὑφεστάναι, μήτε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὃν ἀνείληφεν. 2.1.4 καὶ δὴ εἰς τοῦτο τέλους καταστρέφει, ὥσπερ κεκωφωμένος καὶ μήτε τοῦ ἀγγέλου Γαβριὴλ ἀκούων, εὐαγγελιζομένου τὴν θεοτόκον σαφῶς τε καὶ διαρρήδην περὶ τοῦ ἐξ αὐτῆς τεχθησομένου καὶ «ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα» προελευσομένου φάσκοντος «ἰδοὺ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. οὗτος ἔσται μέγας καὶ υἱὸς ὑψίστου κληθήσεται, καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν θρόνον ∆αυὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος», μήτε ∆ανιὴλ τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου τὰς φωνὰς συνιείς, αὐτὰ ταῦτα ἐπισφραγιζομένου δι' ὧν ἐν θείῳ πνεύματι προεφώνει λέγων «καὶ ἰδοὺ μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος ἦν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἔφθασεν· καὶ ἔμπροσθεν 2.1.5 αὐτοῦ προσηνέχθη. καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόθη ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ πάντες οἱ λαοί, φυλαί, γλῶσσαι αὐτῷ δουλεύσουσιν· ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐξουσία αἰώνιος ἥτις οὐ παρελεύσεται, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ οὐ διαφθαρήσεται». ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Ἡσαΐας αὐτὸν ἔπεισεν, περὶ τῆς ἀτελευτήτου βασιλείας τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὧδε καὶ αὐτὸς θε2.1.6 σπίζων «ὅτι παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς ἐξουσιαστής, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. ἄξω γὰρ εἰρήνην καὶ ὑγίειαν 2.1.7 αὐτῷ. μεγάλη ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος, ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ∆αυὶδ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, τοῦ κατορθῶσαι αὐτὴν καὶ ἀντιλαβέσθαι ἐν κρίματι καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν 2.1.8 καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας». τούτοις γοῦν σύμφωνα ἦν καὶ ἅπερ ὁ Γαβριὴλ τὴν παρθένον εὐηγγελίζετο, «εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας» βασιλεύσειν τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς λέγων «καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ» μὴ ἔσεσθαι τέλος. Μάρκελλος δὲ ὅπως τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐναντία γράφειν ἐτόλμα, μάθοις ἂν ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ φωνῶν, δι' ὧν ὁμοῦ τὴν θεότητα καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἠρνεῖτο καινότερον ἢ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἄθεον 2.1.9 αἵρεσιν. τῶν γὰρ ἑτεροδόξων οἱ μὲν μὴ προεῖναι μηδὲ προϋπάρχειν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φάντες, ἄνθρωπον εἶναι αὐτὸν τοῖς λοιποῖς ὅμοιον ὑποθέμενοι ἐξ ἀνθρώπου, υἱοθεσίᾳ τετιμῆσθαι αὐτὸν ἔφασαν, καὶ τοῦτο δόντες ἀθάνατον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον αὐτῷ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ βασιλείαν