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I will omit; for you have taken up a truceless war against them. But I will show you the mind of the all-renowned teachers of the church concerning the divine incarnation, so that you may know what they thought concerning the nature that was assumed. You have surely heard of that Ignatius, who through the right hand of the great Peter received the grace of the high priesthood, and having guided the church of the Antiochenes, bound on the crown of martyrdom; and Irenaeus, who enjoyed the teaching of Polycarp, and became a light of the western Gauls; and Hippolytus and Methodius, the high priests and martyrs, and the others, to whose teachings I will attach their names. {ERAN.} You will also bring these testimonies to me who desires them. {ORTH.} Hear then the men who bring forth the apostolic teaching. Of Saint Ignatius, bishop of Antioch and martyr. From the epistle to the Smyrnaeans. being truly fully convinced about our Lord, who was of the family of David according to the flesh, the Son of God according to the Godhead and power of God, truly born of a virgin, baptized by John, that all righteousness might be fulfilled by him, truly nailed for us in the flesh under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch. 96 Of the same, from the same epistle. For what does it profit me, if someone praises me, but blasphemes my Lord by not confessing him as a bearer of flesh? He who does not say this has completely denied him, being a bearer of a corpse. Of the same, from the same epistle. For if these things were done by our Lord in appearance only, then I am also bound in appearance only. And why have I given myself up to death, to fire, to the sword, to the wild beasts? But he who is near the sword is near God; he who is among the wild beasts is among God. Only in the name of Jesus Christ, so that I may suffer with him, I endure all things, he strengthening me, the perfect man, whom some in their ignorance deny. Of the same, from the epistle to the Ephesians. For our God, Jesus Christ, was carried in the womb by Mary according to the economy of God, of the seed of David, but of the Holy Spirit; who was born and was baptized, that our mortal nature might be cleansed. Of the same, from the same epistle. if you all individually and collectively come together in grace, by name, in one faith, and in one Jesus Christ, who according to the flesh was of the family of David, the son of man and Son of God. Of the same, from the same epistle. There is one physician, both fleshly and spiritual, begotten of the unbegotten, God in man, true life in death, both of Mary and of God, first passible and then impassible, Jesus Christ our Lord. Of the same, from the epistle to the Trallians. Be deaf, therefore, when anyone speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ, of the family of David, of Mary, who was truly born, both ate and drank truly, was persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died, in the sight of those on earth and in heaven and under the earth. Of Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons. From the third book of Against Heresies. 97 And for what reason did they add 'in the city of David,' if not to proclaim that the promise made by God to David was fulfilled, that from the fruit of his loins there is an eternal king, a promise which the creator of this universe had made? Of the same, from the same book. And in saying, 'Hear now, O house of David,' it was signifying that God promised to David that he would raise up an eternal king from the fruit of his loins. This is he who was born of the virgin of David. Of the same, from the same book. If, then, the first Adam had a human father, and was born of seed, it would have been likely to say that the second Adam was also born of Joseph. But if that one was taken from the earth, and God was his fashioner, it was necessary also for the man recapitulated in him, fashioned by God, to have the same likeness of birth as that one. Why then did he not again take dust, the

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παραλείψω· ἄσπονδον γὰρ κατ' αὐτῶν ἀνεδέξασθε πόλεμον. Ἐπιδείξω δέ σοι τῶν πανευ φήμων τῆς ἐκκλησίας διδασκάλων τὸ περὶ τῆς θείας ἐνανθρωπήσεως φρόνημα, ἵνα γνῷς τίνα περὶ τῆς ληφθείσης ἐδόξασαν φύσεως. Ἀκήκοας δὲ πάντως Ἰγνάτιον ἐκεῖνον, ὃς διὰ τῆς τοῦ μεγάλου Πέτρου δεξιᾶς τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης τὴν χάριν ἐδέξατο, καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν Ἀντιοχέων ἰθύνας τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου στέφανον ἀνεδήσατο· καὶ Εἰρηναῖον, ὃς τῆς Πολυκάρπου διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυσεν, Γαλατῶν δὲ τῶν ἑσπερίων ἐγεγόνει φωστήρ· καὶ Ἱππόλυτον καὶ Μεθόδιον, τοὺς ἀρχιερέας καὶ μάρτυρας, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, ὧν ταῖς διδασκαλίαις τὰς προσηγορίας συνάψω. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ποθοῦντί μοι καὶ τάσδε προσοίσεις τὰς μαρτυρίας. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἄκουσον οὖν τῶν ἀνδρῶν τὴν ἀποστολικὴν προφερόντων διδασκαλίαν. Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰγνατίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀντιοχείας καὶ μάρτυρος. Ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Σμυρναίους ἐπιστολῆς. Πεπληροφορημένους ἀληθῶς εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν, ὄντα ἐκ γένους ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα, υἱὸν θεοῦ κατὰ θεότητα καὶ δύναμιν θεοῦ, γεγεννη μένον ἀληθῶς ἐκ παρθένου, βεβαπτισμένον ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου, ἵνα πληρωθῇ πᾶσα δικαιοσύνη ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου καὶ Ἡρώδου τετράρχου καθηλωμένον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σαρκί. 96 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιστολῆς. Τί γάρ με ὠφελεῖ, εἴπερ με ἐπαινεῖ τις, τὸν δὲ κύριόν μου βλασφημεῖ μὴ ὁμολογῶν αὐτὸν σαρκοφόρον; Ὁ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ λέγων, τελείως αὐτὸν ἀπήρνηται ὢν νεκροφόρος. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιστολῆς. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ δοκεῖν ταῦτα ἐπράχθη ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, κἀγὼ τῷ δοκεῖν δέδεμαι. Τί δὲ καὶ ἐμαυτὸν ἔκδοτον δέδωκα τῷ θανάτῳ, πρὸς πῦρ, πρὸς μάχαιραν, πρὸς θηρία; Ἀλλ' ὁ ἐγγὺς μαχαίρας, ἐγγὺς θεοῦ, ὁ μεταξὺ θηρίων, μεταξὺ θεοῦ. Μόνον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸ συμπαθεῖν αὐτῷ πάντα ὑπομένω, αὐτοῦ με ἐνδυναμοῦντος, τοῦ τελείου ἀνθρώπου, ὅν τινες ἀγνοοῦντες ἀρνοῦνται. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ἐφεσίους ἐπιστολῆς. Ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐκυοφορήθη ὑπὸ Μαρίας κατ' οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ, ἐκ σπέρματος μὲν ∆αβίδ, ἐκ πνεύματος δὲ ἁγίου, ὃς ἐγεννήθη καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη, ἵνα τὸ θνητὸν ἡμῶν καθαρισθῇ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιστολῆς. Εἴ τι οἱ κατ' ἄνδρα κοινῇ πάντες ἐν τῇ χάριτι ἐξ ὀνόματος συνέρχεσθε ἐν μιᾷ πίστει, καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ τῷ κατὰ σάρκα ἐκ γένους ∆αβίδ, τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιστολῆς. Εἷς ἰατρός ἐστι σαρκικὸς καὶ πνευματικός, γεννητὸς ἐξ ἀγεννήτου, ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ θεός, ἐν θανάτῳ ζωὴ ἀληθινή, καὶ ἐκ Μαρίας καὶ ἐκ θεοῦ, πρῶτον παθητὸς καὶ τότε ἀπαθής, Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Τραλλιανοὺς ἐπιστολῆς. Κωφώθητε οὖν, ὅταν χωρὶς Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑμῖν λαλῇ τις, τοῦ ἐκ γένους ∆αβίδ, τοῦ ἐκ Μαρίας, ὃς ἀληθῶς ἐγεννήθη, ἔφαγέ τε καὶ ἔπιεν ἀληθῶς, ἐδιώχθη ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου, ἀληθῶς ἐσταυρώθη καὶ ἀπέθανε, βλεπόντων τῶν ἐπιγείων καὶ ἐπουρανίων καὶ καταχθονίων. Εἰρηναίου ἐπισκόπου Λουγδούνου. Ἐκ τοῦ τρίτου λόγου τῶν εἰς τὰς αἱρέσεις. 97 Εἰς τί δὲ καὶ τὸ "ἐν πόλει ∆αβὶδ" προσέθηκαν, εἰ μὴ ἵνα τὴν ὑπὸ θεοῦ γεγενημένην τῷ ∆αβὶδ ὑπόσχεσιν, ὅτι ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ αἰώνιός ἐστι βασιλεύς, πεπληρωμένην εὐαγγελίσωνται, ἣν ὁ δημιουργὸς τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς πεποίητο ἐπαγγελίαν; Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν, "Ἀκούσατε δή, οἶκος ∆αβίδ," σημαίνοντος ἦν ὅτι ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ ∆αβὶδ ὁ θεὸς ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ αἰώνιον ἀναστήσειν βασιλέα. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐκ τῆς ∆αβὶδ παρθένου γενόμενος. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ πρῶτος Ἀδὰμ ἔσχε πατέρα ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐκ σπέρματος ἐγεννήθη, εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ τὸν δεύτερον Ἀδὰμ λέγειν αὐτὸν ἐξ Ἰωσὴφ γεγεννῆσθαι. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐκ γῆς ἐλήφθη, πλάστης δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ θεός, ἔδει καὶ τὸν ἀνακεφαλαιούμενον εἰς αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πεπλασμένον ἄνθρωπον, τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνῳ τῆς γεννήσεως ἔχειν ὁμοιότητα. Εἰς τί οὖν πάλιν οὐκ ἔλαβε χοῦν ὁ