they speak of astrology, so that they may sin without fear, as if the power to sin is not in us, but from the necessity of fate.

86 And they confess Christ, for they say he became human in appearance; and for this reason they are called Christians in appearance. For I pass over the things worthy of laughter and defamation, so that I may not fill the ears of those who happen upon this with most grievous sounds and monstrous tales. For having mixed the things of Philistion the actor and Hesiod and other so-called philosophers with those of the Christians, they established their own heresy. For just as a painter, making a mixture from different colors, completes the appearance of a man or a beast or something else for the deception of the onlookers, so that to the foolish and senseless it might seem to be true, but to those having sense, a shadow and a deception and a human invention, so also the Manichees, having drawn from different doctrines, completed their own evil doctrine, or rather, having gathered and mixed the venom from different reptiles, they prepared a death-bringing drug for the destruction of human souls. And as was said before, when the plague-bearing woman visited, some were led away by her deceptive teaching.

87 And after some days, Porphyry among the saints, having learned from some of the faithful, sent for her and asked who she was and from where, and what doctrine she professed. And she confessed her homeland and that she happened to be a Manichee. And when those around him were moved with anger (for there were some devout men with him) the blessed one urged them not to be angry but to advise with patience both once and twice, keeping the saying of the holy Apostle. Then he says to the woman: Abstain, sister, from this evil doctrine; for it happens to be satanic. And she answered: Speak and listen, and either you persuade or you are persuaded. And the blessed one said: Prepare yourself for tomorrow and come here. And she, having taken her leave, went out. And the blessed one, having fasted and beseeched Christ much that he might put the devil to shame, prepared himself for the next day, and he summoned some of the devout, both clergy and laity, to the dialogue between himself and the woman.

88 And on the morrow the woman comes, having with her two men and as many women; and they were younger and comely, but all were pale, while Julia was advanced in years. And all drew upon arguments of worldly learning, but Julia much more so. And their appearance was humble and their manner gentle, but it was as the saying goes: outwardly sheep, but inwardly ravening wolves and venomous beasts; for they both speak and do all things with hypocrisy. Then, having been permitted to sit, they began the inquiry. And he among the saints, holding the holy gospels and having made the sign of the cross on his mouth, began to ask her to state her doctrine. And she began to speak. And brother Cornelius the deacon, who was named a short while ago, knowing the signs of Ennomus, having been permitted by the most blessed bishop, noted down all the things that were said and disputed, with me and brother Barochas reminding him. But I have not written the dialogue in this book on account of it being long, wishing to make the present writing in summary, but in another book I have set it forth for those wishing to know both the wisdom given by God to the most holy Porphyry and the old wives' fables which the monstrous-talking sorceress Julia babbled, whom divine justice swiftly overtook.

89 For after she had mythologized many things for many hours and spoken the usual blasphemies against the Lord and God of all, Porphyry among the saints, moved by divine zeal, seeing the one who contains all things, both visible and invisible, being blasphemed by a woman possessed by the devil and submitting to his will, pronounced against her, saying: The God who made all things, the only eternal one, having neither beginning nor end, who in trinity

ἀστρολογίαν φάσκουσιν, ἵν' ἀδεῶς ἁμαρτάνωσιν, ὡς μὴ ὄντος ἐν ἡμῖν τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀνάγκης τῆς εἱμαρμένης.

86 Ὁμολογοῦσιν δὲ καὶ Χριστόν, δοκήσει γὰρ αὐτὸν λέγουσιν ἐνανθρωπῆσαι· καὶ αὐτοὶ γὰρ δοκήσει λέγονται Χριστιανοί. Τὰ γὰρ γέλωτος καὶ δυσφημίας ἄξια παραλιμπάνω, ἵνα μὴ πληρώσω τὴς ἀκοὰς τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ἤχους βαρυτάτου καὶ τερατολογίας. Τὰ γὰρ Φιλιστίωνος τοῦ σκηνικοῦ καὶ Ἡσιόδου καὶ ἄλλων λεγομένων φιλοσόφων συμμίξαντες τοῖς τῶν Χριστιανῶν, τὴν ἑαυτῶν αἵρεσιν συνεστήσαντο. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ζωγράφος, ἐκ διαφόρων χρωμάτων μῖξιν ποιῶν, ἀποτελεῖ δοκήσει ἄνθρωπον ἢ θηρίον ἢ ἄλλο τι πρὸς ἀπάτην τῶν θεωρούντων, ἵνα δόξῃ τοῖς μὲν μώροις καὶ ἀνοήτοις ἀληθῆ τυγχάνειν, τοῖς δὲ νοῦν ἔχουσι σκιὰ καὶ ἀπάτη καὶ ἐπίνοια ἀνθρωπίνη, οὕτως καὶ οἱ Μανιχαῖοι, ἐκ διαφόρων δογμάτων ἀντλήσαντες, ἀπετέλεσαν τὴν αὐτῶν κακοδοξίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκ διαφόρων ἑρπετῶν τὸν ἰὸν συναγαγόντες καὶ μίξαντες, θανατηφόρον φάρμακον κατεσκεύασαν πρὸς ἀναίρεσιν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν. Ὡς δὲ προείρηται, ἐνδημησάσης τῆς λοιμοφόρου γυναικός, τινὲς τῇ ἀπατώδει αὐτὴς διδασκαλίᾳ συναπήχθησαν.

87 Μεθ' ἡμέρας δέ τινας γνοὺς παρά τινων πιστῶν ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις Πορφύριος, μεταπεμψάμενος αὐτὴν ἐπηρώτα, τίς καὶ πόθεν ὑπῆρχεν καὶ ποίαν δόξαν ἐπιφέρεται. Ἣ δὲ καὶ τὴν πατρίδα καὶ ὅτι Μανιχαία ἐτύγχανεν ὡμολόγησεν. Τῶν δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν ὀργῇ κινηθέντων (ἦσαν γὰρ παρ' αὐτῷ τινες εὐλαβεῖς) ὁ μακάριος παρεκάλει αὐτοὺς μὴ θυμοῦσθαι ἀλλὰ μεθ' ὑπομονῆς παραινέσαι καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς, φυλάττων τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀποστόλου. Εἶτα λέγει τῇ γυναικί· Ἀπόσχου, ἀδελφή, ταύτης τῆς κακοδοξίας· σατανικὴ γὰρ τυγχάνει. Ἣ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· Λέγε καὶ ἄκουε, καὶ ἢ πείθεις ἢ πείθῃ. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος εἶπεν· Εὐτρεπίζου εἰς τὴν αὔριον καὶ παραγενοῦ ἐνταῦθα. Ἣ δὲ συνταξαμένη ἐξῆλθεν. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος νηστεύσας καὶ πολλὰ δεηθεὶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τὸν διάβολον, ηὐτρεπίσθη εἰς τὴν ἑξῆς, προσεκαλέσατο δέ τινας τῶν εὐλαβῶν κληρικῶν τε καὶ λαϊκῶν εἰς τὸν διάλογον αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῆς γυναικός.

88 Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον παραγίνεται ἡ γυνή, ἔχουσα μεθ' ἑαυτῆς ἄνδρας δύο καὶ τοσαύτας γυναῖκας· ἦσαν δὲ νεώτεροι καὶ εὐειδεῖς, ὠχροὶ δὲ πάντες, ἡ δὲ Ἰουλία ἦν προβεβηκυῖα. Ὅλοι δὲ ὥρμουν ἀπὸ λόγων τῆς κοσμικῆς παιδείας, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον ἡ Ἰουλία. Τὸ δὲ πρόσχημα αὐτῶν ἦν ταπεινὸν καὶ τὸ ἦθος ἤπιον, τὸ δὲ δὴ λεγόμενον· ἔξωθεν πρόβατα, ἔσωθεν δὲ λύκοι ἅρπαγες καὶ θηρία ἰοβόλα· πάντα γὰρ μεθ' ὑποκρίσεως λαλοῦσίν τε καὶ πράττουσιν. Εἶτα ἐπιτραπέντες καθίσαι, τὴν ζήτησιν ἐποιοῦντο. Ὁ δὲ ἐν ἁγίοις βαστάζων τὰ ἅγια εὐαγγέλια καὶ ποιήσας τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, ἤρξατο ἐπερωτᾶν αὐτὴν ἐξειπεῖν τὴν δόξαν αὐτῆς. Ἣ δὲ ἤρξατο λέγειν. Ὁ δὲ ἀδελφὸς Κορνήλιος ὁ διάκονος ὁ πρὸ βραχέος ὀνομασθείς, ἐπιστάμενος τὰ Ἐννόμου σημεῖα, ἐπιτραπεὶς παρὰ τοῦ μακαριωτάτου ἐπισκόπου πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ ἀντιτιθέμενα ἐσημειοῦτο, ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Βαρωχᾶ ὑπομνῃσκόντων. Τὸν δὲ διάλογον οὐκ ἔγραψα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ βιβλίῳ διὰ τὸ εἶναι μέγαν, βουλόμενος ἐν ἐπιτομῇ ποιήσασθαι τὴν παροῦσαν συγγραφήν, ἐν ἑτέρῳ δὲ βιβλίῳ αὐτὸν ἐξεθέμην τοῖς βουλομένοις γνῶναι τήν τε σοφίαν τὴν δοθεῖσαν παρὰ θεοῦ τῷ ὁσιωτάτῳ Πορφυρίῳ καὶ τοὺς γραώδεις μύθους οὓς ἐφλυάρησεν ἡ τερατολόγος καὶ φαρμακὸς Ἰουλία, ἥντινα μετῆλθεν ἡ θεία δίκη ὀξέως.

89 Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ πολλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πλείστας ὥρας μυθολογῆσαι καὶ τὰς συνήθεις βλασφημίας εἰπεῖν εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων κύριον καὶ θεόν, κινηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεϊκοῦ ζήλου ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις Πορφύριος, ὁρῶν τὸν τὰ πάντα περιέχοντα τά τε ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα βλασφημούμενον ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἐνεργουμένης ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ συγκαταβαινούσης τῷ ἐκείνου θελήματι, ἀπεφήνατο κατ' αὐτῆς εἰπών· Ὁ θεὸς ὁ τὰ πάντα ποιήσας, ὁ μόνος ἀΐδιος, μήτε ἀρχὴν μήτε τέλος ἔχων, ὁ ἐν τριάδι