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in the Jordan river by John, a holy man and greater than all the prophets. And when he was baptized, a voice came from heaven from God the Father, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove came down upon him. And from that time he began to perform great and wonderful signs, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, driving out demons, healing the deaf and lame, cleansing lepers, and in every way renewing our old nature, by deed and word training and teaching the way of virtue, leading away from corruption, and guiding toward eternal life. From where also he chose twelve disciples, whom he also called apostles; and he permitted them to preach the heavenly citizenship, which he came to the earth to demonstrate, and by his dispensation to make heavenly us who are humble and earthly. But out of envy of his wonderful and godlike way of life and of his countless miracles, the chief priests 94 and leaders of the Jews, where indeed he spent his time, went mad, and forgetting all the aforementioned wonderful signs and wonders which he had performed for them, they condemned him to death, having seized one of his disciples for betrayal; and, having seized him, they delivered the life of all to the gentiles, he having accepted these things by his own will. For he came to suffer all things for us, in order that he might free us from passions. And having shown many things against him, they finally condemned him to the cross. And he endured all things in the nature of the flesh, which he took from us, his divine nature remaining without suffering. For existing in two natures, both the divine and that which he took on from us, the human nature suffered, but the divinity remained without suffering and immortal. Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified in the flesh, being without sin. For he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, and he was not subject to death; for through sin, as I said before, death entered into the world; but for our sake he died in the flesh, that he might redeem us from the tyranny of death. He descended into Hades, and having shattered it, he freed the souls that had been shut up there from ages past. Placed in a tomb, on the third day he rose again, having conquered death and granted us the victory over it, and, the provider of incorruption having made the flesh incorruptible, he appeared to the disciples, granting them peace and through them to the whole race of men. And after forty days he went up 96 to heaven, and so sits at the right hand of the Father, who is also to come again to judge the living and the dead, and to give to each according to his works. And after his glorious ascension into heaven, he sent the all-holy Spirit upon his holy disciples in the form of fire, and they began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. From there, therefore, by his grace they were scattered to all the nations, and they preached the orthodox faith, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the commands of the Savior. Therefore they enlightened the nations that were in error, and they abolished the superstitious error of idols, even if the enemy, not bearing his defeat, even now raises up wars against us the faithful, persuading the foolish and witless to still cling to idolatry, but his power has become weak, and his swords have utterly failed by the power of Christ. Behold, I have made known to you in a few words my Master and God and Savior; but you will know him more perfectly if you receive his grace in your soul and are deemed worthy to become his servant.

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Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου, ἀνδρὸς ἁγίου καὶ πάντων τῶν προφητῶν ὑπερκειμένου. βαπτισθέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, φωνὴ ἠνέχθη οὐρανόθεν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός, λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα. καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς κατῆλθεν ἐπ' αὐτόν. καὶ ἀποτότε ἤρξατο σημεῖα ποιεῖν μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστά, νεκροὺς ἀνιστῶν, τυφλοὺς φωτίζων, δαίμονας ἀπελαύνων, κωφοὺς καὶ κυλλοὺς θεραπεύων, λεπροὺς καθαρίζων, καὶ πανταχόθεν ἀνακαινίζων τὴν παλαιωθεῖσαν ἡμῶν φύσιν, ἔργῳ τε καὶ λόγῳ παιδεύων καὶ διδάσκων τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδόν, τῆς μὲν φθορᾶς ἀπάγων, πρὸς δὲ τὴν ζωὴν ποδηγῶν τὴν αἰώνιον. ὅθεν καὶ μαθητὰς ἐξελέξατο δώδεκα, οὓς καὶ ἀποστόλους ἐκάλεσε· καὶ κηρύττειν αὐτοῖς ἐπέτρεψε τὴν οὐράνιον πολιτείαν, ἣν ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνδείξασθαι, καὶ οὐρανίους τοὺς ταπεινοὺς ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπιγείους τῇ αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίᾳ τελέσαι. Φθόνῳ δὲ τῆς θαυμαστῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ θεοπρεποῦς πολιτείας καὶ τῶν ἀπείρων θαυμάτων οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς 94 καὶ ἀρχηγοὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἔνθα δὴ καὶ τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποιεῖτο, μανέντες, οἷσπερ τὰ προειρημένα θαυμαστὰ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα πεποιήκει, ἀμνημονήσαντες πάντων, θανάτῳ αὐτὸν κατεδίκασαν, ἕνα τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς προδοσίαν συναρπάσαντες· καί, κρατήσαντες αὐτόν, τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔκδοτον τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἁπάντων ἐποιήσαντο, ἑκουσία βουλῇ ταῦτα καταδεξαμένου αὐτοῦ. ἦλθε γὰρ δι' ἡμᾶς πάντα παθεῖν, ἵν' ἡμᾶς τῶν παθῶν ἐλευθερώσῃ. πολλὰ δὲ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐνδειξάμενοι, σταυρῷ τὸ τελευταῖον κατεδίκασαν. καὶ πάντα ὑπέμεινε τῇ φύσει τῆς σαρκός, ἧς ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀνελάβετο, τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ φύσεως ἀπαθοῦς μεινάσης. δύο γὰρ φύσεων ὑπάρχων, τῆς τε θείας καὶ ἧς ἐξ ἡμῶν προσανελάβετο, ἡ μὲν ἀνθρωπεία φύσις ἔπαθεν, ἡ δὲ θεότης ἀπαθὴς διέμεινε καὶ ἀθάνατος. ἐσταυρώθη οὖν τῇ σαρκὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὢν ἀναμάρτητος. ἁμαρτίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐχ ὑπέκειτο θανάτῳ· διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας γάρ, ὡς καὶ προεῖπον, ὁ θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον· ἀλλὰ δι' ἡμᾶς ἀπέθανε σαρκὶ ἵν' ἡμᾶς τῆς τοῦ θανάτου λυτρώσηται τυραννίδος. κατῆλθεν εἰς ᾅδου, καὶ τοῦτον συντρίψας, τὰς ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἐγκεκλεισμένας ἐκεῖσε ψυχὰς ἠλευθέρωσε. τεθεὶς ἐν τάφῳ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐξανέστη, νικήσας τὸν θάνατον καὶ ἡμῖν τὴν νίκην δωρησάμενος κατ' αὐτοῦ, καί, ἀφθαρτίσας τὴν σάρκα ὁ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας πάροχος, ὤφθη τοῖς μαθηταῖς, εἰρήνην αὐτοῖς δωρούμενος καὶ δι' αὐτῶν παντὶ τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Μεθ' ἡμέρας δὲ τεσσαράκοντα εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀν 96 εφοίτησε, καὶ οὕτως ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς καθέζεται, ὃς καὶ μέλλει πάλιν ἔρχεσθαι κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάληψιν, ἀπέστειλε τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς ἐν εἴδει πυρός, καὶ ἤρξαντο ξέναις γλώσσαις λαλεῖν, καθὼς τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐδίδου ἀποφθέγγεσθαι. ἐντεῦθεν οὖν τῇ χάριτι αὐτοῦ διεσπάρησαν εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ἐκήρυξαν τὴν ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρός, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, διδάσκοντες τηρεῖν πάσας τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Σωτῆρος. ἐφώτισαν οὖν τὰ ἔθνη τὰ πεπλανημένα, καὶ τὴν δεισιδαίμονα πλάνην τῶν εἰδώλων κατήργησαν, κἂν μὴ φέρων ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ἧτταν πολέμους καὶ νῦν καθ' ἡμῶν τῶν πιστῶν ἐγείρει, πείθων τοὺς ἄφρονας καὶ ἀσυνέτους ἔτι τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἀντέχεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀσθενὴς ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ γέγονε, καὶ αἱ ῥομφαῖαι αὐτοῦ εἰς τέλος ἐξέλιπον τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δυνάμει. ἰδού σοι τὸν ἐμὸν ∆εσπότην καὶ Θεὸν καὶ Σωτῆρα δι' ὀλίγων ἐγνώρισα ῥημάτων· τελεώτερον δὲ γνωρίσεις, εἰ τὴν χάριν αὐτοῦ δέξῃ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ δοῦλος αὐτοῦ καταξιωθῇς γενέσθαι.