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to take up flesh 20that which came down "in the last days"20, as he himself has written, 20and that which was born of the virgin20? was nothing other than the Word. 2.2.2 Then, proceeding, he says that he is eternal, thus defining him as unbegotten. And he writes thus: you hear, therefore, the harmony of the Holy Spirit, testifying through many and various persons to the Word's 2.2.3 eternity. And for this reason he begins from the eternity of the Word, saying, "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Using three successive testimonies he wishes to show the eternity of the Word. And after other things he adds: For before, as I have often said, he was nothing other than the Word. 2.2.4 And he adds that he was not even the "image of the invisible God," saying: Therefore it is evident that before the assumption of our body, the Word in himself was not the image of the invisible God. And again after other things he adds: What then was 20this which came down20 before the incarnation? He surely says: Spirit. For if he should wish to say anything besides this, the angel who said to the virgin, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you," will not allow him. But if he should say it is Spirit, hear the Savior saying, "God is Spirit." 2.2.5 Hence, since the Savior clearly said concerning the Father, "God is Spirit," Marcellus is refuted for saying that the Father himself became incarnate. But he strives even more, writing thus: And let him learn then that the Word of God has come, not 20a Word so named improperly20, as they say, but being a true Word. 2.2.6 And again he adds these things to what has been said: For if the examination were of the Spirit alone, he would reasonably appear to be one and the same with God; but if the addition according to the flesh in the Savior were examined, the Godhead seems to be expanded by activity alone; so that it is reasonably a truly indivisible monad. 2.2.7 And he establishes this even more through what he writes in the following sections thus: Therefore, to say 20that he was begotten before the ages20, seems to have been said consistently; for the offspring that has come forth is of the Father who sent it forth. But the other has no longer been soundly or pious2.2.8ly accepted by him. For to say that the one who came forth from him is not the Word, and that this is the true manner of begetting, but simply 20only a Son20, is accustomed to give to the hearers some impression of a human form. And in these things indeed, with bare head, he denied the Son, but it is clear from what he adds, saying, that he introduces a mere Word as some command of things to be done. 2.2.9 which all the divine scriptures thus proclaim. For David says concerning him, "by the word of the Lord the heavens were made firm," and again the same, "he sent forth his word and healed them." And Solomon, "the wicked will seek me, and they will not find me. For they hated wisdom, and did not choose the word of the Lord." And Isaiah said, "for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word 2.2.10 of the Lord from Jerusalem." And again Jeremiah says, "The wise have been ashamed, and were dismayed and taken, because they rejected the word of the Lord." And Hosea the prophet said, "they hated him who reproves in the gates, and they abhorred a holy word." And Micah likewise, he too mentioning the Word, said, "out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." 2.2.11 Having collected so many sayings about the commanding Word, Marcellus says that the God Word who was "in the beginning with God" is also some such thing. Therefore he adds, saying: But the holy apostle and disciple of the Lord, John, clearly and explicitly teaching at the beginning of the gospel, as something previously unknown among men, calling him the Word of the Almighty, thus said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Not using one testimony does he signify the eternity of the Word. 2.2.12 And he adds to these things, saying:

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ἀναλαβεῖν σάρκα 20τὸ κατελθὸν «ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμε ρῶν»20, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς γέγραφεν, 20καὶ τὸ γεννηθὲν ἐκ τῆς παρθένου20; οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν ἢ λόγος. 2.2.2 εἶτα προϊὼν ἑξῆς ἀίδιον αὐτὸν λέγει, ἀγένητον αὐτὸν οὕτως ὁριζόμενος. γράφει δὲ οὕτως ἀκούεις τοίνυν τῆς συμφωνίας τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, διὰ πολλῶν καὶ διαφόρων προσώπων τῇ τοῦ λόγου μαρτυρούσης 2.2.3 ἀιδιότητι. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἄρχεται μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀιδιότητος τοῦ λόγου, «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος» λέγων «καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος». τρισὶν ἐπαλλήλοις μαρτυρίαις χρώ μενος τὴν ἀιδιότητα τοῦ λόγου δεικνύναι βούλεται. καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει πρότερον γάρ, ὥσπερ πολλάκις ἔφην, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ λόγος ἦν. 2.2.4 καὶ προστίθησιν, ὅτι οὐδὲ «εἰκὼν» ἦν «τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου», φάσκων οὐκοῦν πρόδηλον, ὅτι πρὸ τῆς τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος ἀναλήψεως ὁ λόγος καθ' ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἦν εἰκὼν τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ. καὶ αὖθις μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιφέρει τί τοίνυν ἦν 20τὸ κατελθὸν20 τοῦτο πρὸ τοῦ ἐνανθρωπῆσαι; πάντως πού φησιν· πνεῦμα. εἰ γάρ τι παρὰ τοῦτο ἐθέλοι λέγειν, οὐ συγχωρήσει αὐτῷ ὁ πρὸς τὴν παρθένον εἰρηκὼς ἄγγελος «πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπί σε». εἰ δὲ πνεῦμα εἶναι φήσει, ἄκουε τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγοντος «πνεῦμα ὁ θεός». 2.2.5 σαφῶς ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ σωτῆρος περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς εἰρηκότος «πνεῦμα ὁ θεός», ἐλέγχεται Μάρκελλος αὐτὸν τὸν πατέρα ἐνηνθρωπηκέναι εἰπών. ὁ δ' ἔτι μᾶλλον φιλοτιμεῖται, γράφων ὧδε καὶ μανθανέτω τοίνυν θεοῦ λόγον ἐληλυθέναι, οὐ 20λόγον καταχρηστικῶς ὀνομασθέντα20, ὡς αὐτοί φασιν, ἀλλ' ἀληθῆ ὄντα λόγον. 2.2.6 καὶ αὖθις προστίθησιν ταῦτα τοῖς εἰρημένοις εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐξέτασις γίγνοιτο μόνη, ἓν καὶ ταὐτὸν εἰκότως εἶναι τῷ θεῷ φαίνοιτο· εἰ δὲ ἡ κατὰ σάρκα προσθήκη ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐξετάζοιτο, ἐνεργείᾳ ἡ θεότης μόνῃ πλατύνεσθαι δοκεῖ· ὥστε εἰκότως μονὰς ὄντως ἐστὶν ἀδιαίρετος. 2.2.7 καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τοῦτο κατασκευάζει δι' ὧν ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς οὕτω γράφει τὸ μὲν οὖν 20πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων αὐτὸν γεγεννῆσθαι20 φῆσαι, ἀκολούθως εἰρηκέναι δοκεῖ· γέννημα γὰρ τὸ προελθὸν τοῦ προεμένου γίγνεται πατρός. θάτερον δ' οὐκέτι ὑγιῶς οὐδ' εὐσε2.2.8 βῶς αὐτῷ παρείληπται. τὸ γὰρ μὴ λόγον εἶναι φῆσαι τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προελθόντα καὶ τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν τῆς γεννήσεως ἀληθῆ τρόπον, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς 20υἱὸν μόνον20, ἔμφασίν τινα τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ἀνθρωπίνης ὄψεως παρέχειν εἴωθεν. καὶ ἐν τούτοις μὲν γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ τὸν μὲν υἱὸν ἠρνήσατο, ψιλὸν δὲ λόγον ὥσπερ τινὰ προστακτικὸν τῶν ποιητέων εἰσάγων δῆλός ἐστιν ἐξ ὧν ἐπιφέρει λέγων 2.2.9 ὃν οὕτω πᾶσαι αἱ θεῖαι κηρύττουσιν γραφαί. ∆αυὶδ μὲν γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγει «τῷ λόγῳ κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν», αὖθίς τε ὁ αὐτὸς «ἐξαπέστειλεν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτούς». Σολομὼν δὲ «ζητήσουσίν με κακοί, καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσουσιν. ἐμίσησαν γὰρ σοφίαν, τὸν δὲ λόγον κυρίου οὐ προείλαντο». Ἡσαΐας τε «ἐκ γὰρ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται» ἔφη «νόμος, καὶ λόγος 2.2.10 κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ». καὶ αὖθις Ἱερεμίας «ᾐσχύνθησαν σοφοὶ» φησὶν «καὶ ἐπτοήθησαν καὶ ἑάλωσαν, ὅτι τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου ἀπεδοκίμασαν». καὶ Ὡσηὲ δὲ ὁ προφήτης «ἐμίσησαν» ἔφη «ἐν πύλαις ἐλέγχοντα, καὶ λόγον ὅσιον ἐβδελύξαντο». Μιχαίας τε ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸς περὶ τοῦ λόγου μνημονεύων «ἐκ Σιὼν» ἔφη «ἐξελεύσεται νόμος, καὶ λόγος κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ». 2.2.11 τοσαῦτα συνάγων περὶ τοῦ προστακτικοῦ λόγου ῥητὰ Μάρκελλος τοιοῦτόν τινα εἶναί φησιν καὶ τὸν «ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν» θεὸν λόγον. διὸ ἐπάγει φάσκων ὁ δὲ ἱερὸς ἀπόστολός τε καὶ μαθητὴς τοῦ κυρίου Ἰωάννης σαφῶς καὶ διαρρήδην ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διδάσκων, ὡς ἀγνοούμενον ἐν ἀνθρώποις πρότερον, λόγον αὐτὸν τοῦ παντοκρά τορος ὀνομάζων, οὕτως ἔφη «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος». οὐ μιᾷ μαρτυρίᾳ χρώ μενος τὴν ἀιδιότητα τοῦ λόγου σημαίνει. 2.2.12 καὶ προστίθησιν τούτοις ἐπιλέγων