John of Damascus, On Heresies

slandering her commendable doctrines, but pursuing some of her reprehensible ones as if they were good. 97 Misinterpreters, who misinterpret certain chapters of the divine scriptures of both the Old and New Testament and manipulate these for their own purpose; being contentiously disposed against the many accurate and blameless interpretations, suffering this from a certain ignorance and lack of discernment, and thereby unknowingly confirming even some of the heretical doctrines. 98 Lampetians, so called after a certain Lampetius, who permit each of those wishing to live together and to pass their time in monasteries to pursue whatever way of life he wishes and approves, and to wear whatever habit he chooses; for, he says, a Christian must not do anything under compulsion, because it is written: “I will sacrifice to you willingly,” and again: “Of my own will I will confess to him.” They also permit, as some say, giving way to natural passions and not resisting them, as nature so requires; and they are said to hold certain other similar opinions to those called Aerians. 99 Monothelites, who took their beginning from Cyrus of Alexandria, and were confirmed by Sergius of Constantinople. These profess two natures in Christ and one hypostasis, but they dogmatize one will and one energy, thereby abolishing the duality of natures and strongly claiming the doctrines of Apollinarius. 100βις ιν υω ινσερ. ξαπ., θυοδ απυδ λεθυιεν-μιγνε νυμερατυρ ξ. 100· 100 (omitted in ω) Autoproskoptai, who are indeed orthodox in all things (τυγχάν] ὑπάρχοντες V), but who fearlessly cut themselves off from the catholic church and communion for the sake of some trivial pretext (τινος omitted in V), if it should happen (εἰ τύχοι omitted in V). Pretending to seek canonical rules, being neither bishops nor leaders of the people at all (οὔτε-προεστῶτες omitted in ω), but being certain common folk, they nevertheless stumble in the very things of which they accuse others. For they openly live with wives, and cohabit with women living with them unmarried (συνάγουσιν V), and they engage (βονται V) in business and avarice and the other affairs of life, living irrationally (τε added in V), destroying by their deeds those things which they claim to establish by word, being transgressors according to the apostolic declaration; for honoring God in word, they dishonor him in deed, being monks and counted among the clergy. And those follow them who (ὡς οἱ V) are bewildered and proceed in their own simplicity. But the nurslings of the church respect the sacred canons, and yielding those things that pertain to them to bishops and leaders, they themselves treat them with great care and in deed (τε omitted in V) honor them highly through good order. And there is the people-deceiving religion of the Ishmaelites, which prevails to this day, being a forerunner of the antichrist. It is descended from Ishmael, who was born to Abraham by Hagar; for this reason they are called Hagarenes and Ishmaelites. They call them Saracens as if 'empty of Sarah' (ek tēs Sarras kenous), because of what was said by Hagar to the angel: "Sarah has sent me away empty." These, then, were idolaters and worshipped the morning star and Aphrodite, whom they even called Chabar in their own language, which means "great." Until the time of Heraclius, then, they were openly idolaters, from which time to the present a false prophet has arisen among them named Mamed, who, having encountered the Old and New Testament, and likewise having conversed with a supposedly Arian monk, established his own heresy. And having won over the people with a pretext of seeming piety, from heaven

μὲν δόγματα αὐτῆς ἐπαινετὰ ὑπάρχοντα διαβάλλοντες, τινὰ δὲ ψεκτὰ ὄντα ὡς χρηστὰ μετιόντες. 97 Παρερμηνευταί, οἵ τινα κεφάλαια τῶν θείων γραφῶν τῆς τε παλαιᾶς καὶ νέας διαθήκης παρερμηνεύοντες καὶ πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον σκοπὸν ταῦτα μεθοδεύοντες· ἐμφιλονείκως δὲ παρὰ τὰς πολλὰς τῶν ἀκριβῶν καὶ ἀνεπιλήπτων ἑρμηνειῶν διακείμενοι, ἐξ ἰδιωτείας τινὸς καὶ ἀδιακρισίας τοῦτο πάσχοντες, βεβαιοῦν δὲ ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔνια τῶν αἱρετικῶν δογμάτων μὴ ἐπιστάμενοι. 98 Λαμπετιανοί, οἱ ἀπὸ Λαμπετίου τινὸς οὕτω προσαγορευόμενοι, οἵτινες τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ζῆν καὶ ἐν κοινοβίοις διάγειν ἐπιτρέπουσιν ἑκάστῳ, οἵαν ἐθέλει καὶ δοκιμάζει πολιτείαν, ταύτην μετιέναι καί, ὃ προαιρεῖται σχῆμα, ἀμφιέννυσθαι· οὐ δεῖ γάρ, φησίν, ἠναγκασμένως ποιεῖν τι τὸν χριστιανόν, ὅτι γέγραπται· «Ἑκουσίως θύσω σοι», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐκ θελήματός μου ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ.» Ἐπιτρέπουσι δέ, ὥς φασί τινες, καὶ φυσικοῖς πάθεσι χώραν διδόναι καὶ μὴ ἀνθίστασθαι αὐτοῖς ὡς τῆς φύσεως οὕτως ἀπαιτούσης· καὶ ἕτερά τινα παραπλησίως τῶν ὀνομαζομένων Ἀεριανῶν λέγονται φρονεῖν. 99 Μονοθελῆται, οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀλεξανδρείας Κύρου τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰληφότες, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Σεργίου βεβαιωθέντες. Οὗτοι δύο μὲν ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ φύσεις πρεσβεύουσι καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν, ἓν δὲ θέλημα καὶ μίαν ἐνέργειαν δογματίζουσιν, ἀναιροῦντες διὰ τούτου τὴν τῶν φύσεων δυάδα καὶ τοῖς Ἀπολιναρίου δόγμασιν ἰσχυρῶς ἀντιποιούμενοι. 100βις ιν υω ινσερ. ξαπ., θυοδ απυδ λεθυιεν-μιγνε νυμερατυρ ξ. 100· ρʹ (ομ. ω) Αὐτοπροσκόπται, πάντα μὲν ὀρθόδοξοι τυγχάνοντες (τυγχάν] ὑπάρχοντες υ), ἀδεῶς δὲ τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ κοινωνίας, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς προφάσεώς τινος (τινος ομ. υ) εὐτελοῦς ἕνεκα, εἰ τύχοι (εἰ τύχοι ομ. υ), ἀποκόπτοντες. Κανονικοὺς δὲ θεσμοὺς δῆθεν ἐπιζητοῦντες, οὔτε ἐπίσκοποι οὔθ' ὅλως λαοῦ προεστῶτες (οὔτε-προεστῶτες ομ. ω), ἀλλά τινες ἀγελαῖοι ὄντες, ὅμως αὐτοὶ προσκόπτουσιν, ἐν οἷς ἐγκαλοῦσι. Συνοικοῦσι γὰρ γυναιξὶ προφανῶς, καὶ παρεισάκτοις συνδιάγουσι (συνάγουσιν υ), πραγματείαις τε καὶ πλεονεξίαις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐντρίβοντες (βονται υ) βιωτικοῖς πράγμασιν, Ἀλόγως (αδδ. τε υ) βιωτεύουσιν ἐκεῖνα ἔργῳ καταλύοντες, ἅπερ λόγῳ συνιστᾶν ἰσχυρίζονται, παραβάται ὄντες κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἀπόφασιν· λόγῳ γὰρ τιμῶντες ἔργῳ τὸν θεὸν ἀτιμάζουσι, μοναχοὶ καὶ ὑπὸ κλῆρον ταττόμενοι. Ἕπονται δὲ αὐτοῖς, ὅσοι (ὡς οἱ υ) τεθαμβωμένοι καὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἁπλότητι πορευόμενοι. Οἱ δέ γε τρόφιμοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοὺς μὲν ἱεροὺς σέβουσι κανόνας, τὰ δὲ τούτοις συντείνοντα ἐπισκόποις καὶ προεστῶσι παραχωροῦντες, αὐτοὶ μάλα περιέπουσιν ἔργῳ τε (τε ομ. υ) τούτους δι' εὐταξίας ὑπερτιμῶσιν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν κρατοῦσα λαοπλανὴς θρησκεία τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν πρόδρομος οὖσα τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου. Κατάγεται δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ τοῦ ἐκ τῆς Ἄγαρ τεχθέντος τῷ Ἀβραάμ· διόπερ Ἀγαρηνοικαὶ Ἰσμαηλῖται προσαγορεύονται. Σαρακηνοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς καλοῦσιν ὡς ἐκ τῆς Σάρρας κενοὺς διὰ τὸ εἰρῆσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς Ἄγαρ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ· Σάρρα κενήν με ἀπέλυσεν. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν εἰδωλολατρήσαντες καὶ προσκυνήσαντες τῷ ἑωσφόρῳ ἄστρῳ καὶ τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ, ἣν δὴ καὶ Χαβὰρ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἐπωνόμασαν γλώσσῃ, ὅπερ σημαίνει μεγάλη. Ἕως μὲν οὖν τῶν Ἡρακλείου χρόνων προφανῶς εἰδωλολάτρουν, ἀφ' οὗ χρόνου καὶ δεῦρο ψευδοπροφήτης αὐτοῖς ἀνεφύη Μάμεδ ἐπονομαζόμενος, ὃς τῇ τε παλαιᾷ καὶ νέᾳ διαθήκῃ περιτυχών, ὁμοίως ἀρειανῷ προσομιλήσας δῆθεν μοναχῷ ἰδίαν συνεστήσατο αἵρεσιν. Καὶ προφάσει τὸ δοκεῖν θεοσεβείας τὸ ἔθνος εἰσποιησάμενος, ἐξ οὐρανοῦ