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neither changing their color nor their size according to the perfected nature of each, not comparing whatever things were most imperfect, or maimed, or damaged in the sowing. Of Saint Irenaeus. We therefore also that bodies are raised, etc. TITLE 75. -Concerning holy angels; and that they live in celebrated gladness and ineffable blessedness, ministering to the adorable Trinity. Of Antipater, bishop of Bostra, from the works against the ill-named Origen. What Moses, or Paul, or any other of the prophets or apostles was able so accurately to set forth or teach concerning all things before the world and above heaven with all authority? No one at all. For even if someone were to teach that his word was so with authority, yet he attributed the authority of what was said to another. But not so the proclaimers of the aforementioned doctrines, but instead of all proof they thought it sufficient to have said it themselves. And they doubt concerning Paul, from where he received it that he enumerates the different orders of the heavenly powers; then if someone more zealous should approach and say, that we, on the one hand, are by no means ignorant from where Paul received it when he speaks; but you, from where have you received it that you recount so many mysteries, both how they were before this, and how the minds began to be moved, and how they fell into different bodies, and have become different orders, both of heavenly and of earthly beings? What will you say? For you cannot say that you received the starting points from the Old or New Testament; for it has been said before that the Holy Spirit has said nothing of the sort. But if it now seems good to be reminded of some of our words, listen. For yours is the saying, that they do not know the name of "incorporeal", not only the many, but not even Scripture; and again that in the preaching, both that there are certain angels and superior ministering powers for the salvation of men has been handed down; but when these were created, and what things concern them, no one has clarified at all? And after a little; Therefore, with this precise understanding being contained in the ecclesiastical preaching, how will you say that you have comprehended, but rather know with all precision, dogmatizing with all authority that God did not begin to create, and the minds, and how they partook of order and of knowledge, and how they were changed, and into how many differences they were divided? not even using the expression, "Thus says the Lord," or, "The Lord said to us," or, "We have heard the voice of the Lord," and whatever is the custom for those beginning certain doctrines, for the establishment of their own reasonings both from divine Scripture, and from its other 96.504 nurslings. But it is also for us to marvel, just as in the case of the Master it happened that those hearing were astonished, that your word is with authority. But since the preaching does not contain these things, you appear to know so precisely that having fallen away from their former blessedness because of the first defeat that happened among them, they became from minds angels, archangels, and so forth. But having fallen away, according to the new Scripture that has come to be, from the unity of God, having received by lot both to rule and to be lords over those who were more shaken, and being sent for service for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation, they themselves having been shaken from this, and being in need of the one who will restore them. To whom one might rightly say, taking thought for them: Physician, heal thyself; what things you procure for me, first acquire them yourself. For even if I happened to have strayed more, yet we are both in the same judgment; but that such things are indeed foreign to the evangelical preaching has been sufficiently shown and, with God, has been confessed; but let us see, then, what the Spirit has delivered to us concerning them, which is also brought forth in the ecclesiastical word, Bless, it says, the Lord, all you his angels. you mighty in strength who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his words. Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, his ministers, who do his will. If therefore they are mighty in strength to do his will, and have mightily in strength to

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οὔτε τὴν χρόαν, οὔτε τὸ μέγεθος ἀμεῖβον κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου ἀπηρτισμένην φύσιν, μὴ παραβαλλόντων ὅσα ἐν τῷ σπείρεσθαι ἀτελέστατα, ἢ λελωβημένα, ἢ βεβλαμμένα ὑπῆρχεν. Τοῦ ἁγίου Εἰρηναίου. Ἡμεῖς οὖν καὶ σώματα ἀνίστασθαι, κ. τ. ἑ. ΤΙΤΛ. ΟΕʹ. -Περὶ ἁγίων ἀγγέλων· καὶ ὅτι ἐν ἀοιδίμῳ εὐφροσύνῃ, καὶ ἀῤῥήτῳ μακαριότητι διάγουσι λειτουργοῦντες τῇ σεβασμίῳ Τριάδι. Ἀντιπάτρου ἐπισκόπου Βοστρῶν, ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τοῦ δυσωνύμου Ὠριγένους. Ποῖος, Μωϋσῆς, ἢ Παῦλος, ἢ ἕτερός τις τῶν προφητῶν, ἢ ἀποστόλων οὕτως ἀκριβῶς περὶ πάντων τῶν πρὸ κόσμου, καὶ ὑπὲρ οὐρανὸν μετὰ πάσης αὐθεντίας ἐκθέσθαι, ἢ διδάξαι ἠδύνατο; Οὐδεὶς οὐδαμῶς. Εἴτε γὰρ καὶ διδάξαι τις οὕτως κατ' ἐξουσίαν εἶναι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἑτέρῳ τὴν αὐθεντίαν τῶν λεγομένων ἀνέθηκεν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως οἱ τῶν προκειμένων δογμάτων καταγγελταὶ, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ πάσης ἀποδείξεως ἐξαρκεῖν ᾠήθησαν τὸ αὐτοῖς εἰρηκέναι. Καὶ περὶ Παύλου ἀμφιβάλλουσι, τὸ πόθεν λαβὼν διάφορα καταριθμεῖ τάγματα τῶν οὐρανίων δυνάμεων· εἶτα εἴ τις θερμότερος προσελθὼν εἴπῃ, ὅτι Ἡμεῖς μὲν πόθεν λαβὼν Παῦλος ἀποφαίνεται, οὐδαμῶς ἀγνοοῦμεν· ὑμεῖς δὲ πόθεν λαβόντες τοσαῦτα μυστήρια διηγεῖσθε, ὅπως τε πρὸ τούτου ἦσαν, καὶ πῶς ἤρξαντο κινεῖσθαι οἱ νόες, καὶ πῶς ἔπεσαν εἰς διάφορα σώματα, καὶ γεγόνασι διάφορα τάγματα, οὐρανίων τε καὶ ἐπιγείων; Τί ἐρεῖτε; Οὐ γὰρ ἔχετε λέγειν, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς Παλαιᾶς ἢ Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐλάβετε· προείρηται γὰρ μηδὲν τοιοῦτον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἰρηκέναι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ νῦν δοκεῖ ὑπομνησθῆναι ἐνίων τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων ἀκούσατε. Ὑμῶν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ φωνὴ, ὅτι ὄνομα ἀσωμάτου οὐκ ἴσασιν, οὐ μόνον οἱ πολλοὶ, ἄλλ' οὐδὲ ἡ Γραφή· καὶ πάλιν ὅτι ἐν τῷ κηρύγματι, καὶ τὸ εἶναί τινας ἀγγέλους, καὶ δυνάμεις κρείττονας λειτουργικὰς τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, παραδέδοται· πότε δὲ ἐκτίσθησαν οὗτοι, καὶ τίνα τὰ περὶ αὐτοὺς οὐδαμῶς τις ἐσαφήνισεν; Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ἐν τῷ οὖν ἐκκλησιαστικῷ κηρύγματι περιεχομένης τῆς ἀκριβοῦς ταύτης καταλήψεως, πῶς ἐρεῖτε, κατειληφέναι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πάσης ἀκριβείας εἰδέναι, ὅτιπερ οὐκ ἤρξατο ὁ Θεὸς δημιουργεῖν, καὶ τοὺς νόας, πῶς τε τάξεως, καὶ γνώσεως μετέσχον, καὶ πῶς μετέπεσαν, καὶ εἰς πόσας διαφορὰς διῃρέθησαν, μετὰ πάσης αὐθεντίας δογματίζοντες; οὐδὲ τῇ, Τάδε λέγει Κύριος, συγκεχρημένοι φωνῇ, ἢ τῇ· Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἤ· Ἠκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου, καὶ ὅσα ἔθος τοῖς δογμάτων ἀπαρχομένοις τινῶν, εἰς τὴν τῶν ἰδίων σύστασιν λογισμῶν παρά τε τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις 96.504 αὐτῆς τροφίμοις. Ἀλλ' ἔστι καὶ ἡμῖν θαυμάζειν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐκπλήττεσθαι συνέβαινεν, ὅτι κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν. Τοῦ δὲ κηρύγματος μὴ περιέχοντος ταῦτα, οὕτως ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι φαίνεσθε, ὅτιπερ τῆς προτέρας μακαριότητος ἀποστάντες διὰ τὴν τοῦ πρώτου ἧτταν τὴν γενομένην ἐν αὐτοῖς, γεγόνασιν ἀπὸ νόων ἄγγελοι, ἀρχάγγελοι, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀποστάντες δὲ, κατὰ τὴν γενομένην νέαν Γραφὴν, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑνώσεως, ἄρχειν τε καὶ κυριεύειν τῶν ἐπὶ πλείω σαλευθέντων λαχόντες, καὶ εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενοι διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν, αὐτοὶ ταύτης σαλευθέντες, καὶ δεόμενοι τοῦ ἐπανάξοντος. Πρὸς οὓς δικαίως τις ἐρεῖ αὐτῶν προνοούμενος· Ἰατρὲ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν· ἅπερ ἐμοὶ προξενεῖς, κτῆσαι πρῶτος αὐτός. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πλέον ἀποῤῥεῦσαι συνέβη με, ἀλλ' ἀμφότεροι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τυγχάνομεν κρίματι· ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἀλλότρια τὰ τοιαῦτα τυγχάνουσι τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος, δέδεικται ἱκανῶς, καὶ ὡμολόγηται σὺν Θεῷ· ἴδωμεν δὲ λοιπὸν τί περὶ αὐτῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα ἡμῖν παραδέδωκεν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐκκλησιαστικῷ φέρεται λόγῳ, Εὐλογεῖτε, φησὶ, τὸν Κύριον, πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ. οἱ δυνατοὶ ἰσχύϊ ποιοῦντες τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ. Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, λειτουργοὶ αὐτοῦ, οἱ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ. Εἰ τοίνυν δυνατοὶ ὑπάρχουσιν ἰσχύϊ τοῦ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ δυνατῶς ἰσχύϊ ἔχουσιν τοῦ