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a mere man, He through whom and in whom all things were made? For all things were made through Him. When He made the heaven, I was present with Him, and I was there with Him, ordering things, and He rejoiced in me daily. How could a mere man have heard, "Sit at my right hand"? And how could he have said, "Before Abraham was, I am"? And, "Glorify me with the glory that I had before the world was made"? What man would have said, "I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me"? And of what man was it said, "He was the true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him"? How then could such a one be a mere man, having the beginning of his being from Mary, and not rather God the Word and the only-begotten Son? For "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And in another place: "The Lord created me, the beginning of His ways for His works; before the age He established me, and before all the hills He begets me." And that our bodies also are raised, He says: "Truly, I say to you, that an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." And the Apostle: "For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality." And that we must live soberly and justly, he says again: "Do not be deceived; neither adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor fornicators, nor revilers, nor drunkards, nor thieves can inherit the kingdom of God," and: "If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. Then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain. You are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Being so disposed, how shall we differ from donkeys and dogs, who, caring nothing for the future, are desirous only of eating and what comes after eating? For they are without the guidance of the mind that moves them from within. May I have joy of you in the Lord. Be sober; let each one of you put away all malice and bestial anger, slander, calumny, obscene talk, buffoonery, whispering, arrogance, drunkenness, lewdness, avarice, vainglory, envy, and everything that goes with these. But put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Let the presbyters be subject to the bishop, the deacons to the presbyters, the people to the deacons. My soul be for those who keep this good order; and may the Lord be with them continually.

Husbands, love your wives; wives, your spouses. Children, give precedence to your parents; parents, bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Honor virgins as priestesses of Christ, and widows in their sobriety as the altar of God. Masters, give commands to your slaves with forbearance; slaves, serve your masters with fear. Let no one among you be idle; for idleness is the mother of want. I do not command these things as though I were someone, even though I am in chains, but I remind you as a brother. May the Lord be with you. May I have joy of your prayers; pray that I may attain to Jesus. I commend to you the church in Antioch. The churches of Asia greet you, and Polycarp, the man of God, to whom I will also entrust the church of Syria. The church of the Philippians, from where I also write to you, greets you. Philo your deacon greets you, whom I also thank for zealously ministering to me in all things. Agathopous the deacon greets you, who from Syria follows me in Christ. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I greet all the men and women who are in Christ. Farewell in body and soul and spirit, and do not forget me. The Lord be with you.

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ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ὁ δι' οὗ καὶ ἐν ᾧ γέγονε τὰ πάντα· πάντα γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο. ἡνίκα ἐποίει τὸν οὐρανόν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἤμην παρ' αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα, καὶ προσέχαιρέν μοι καθ' ἡμέραν. πῶς δ' ἂν ὁ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ἤκουσεν· Kάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου; πῶς δὲ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγώ εἰμι; καί· ∆όξασόν με τῇ δόξῃ, ᾗ εἶχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον γενέσθαι; ποῖος δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἔλεγεν· Kαταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με; περὶ ποίου δὲ ἀνθρώπου ἔλεγεν τό· Ἠν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον· ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω· εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον; πῶς οὖν ὁ τοιοῦτος ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἐκ Mαρίας ἔχων τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ θεὸς λόγος καὶ υἱὸς μονογενής; ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· Kύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ· πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέ με, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἀνίσταται τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν, λέγει· Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, ἐν ᾗ πάντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις ἀκούσονται τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ζήσονται. καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος· ∆εῖ γὰρ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν, καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν. καὶ ὅτι δεῖ σωφρόνως ζῆν καὶ δικαίως, πάλιν λέγει· Mὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε λοίδοροι οὔτε μέθυσοι οὔτε κλέπται βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομῆσαι δύνανται, καί· Eἰ νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται, οὐδὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται· κενὸν ἄρα τὸ κήρυγμα ἡμῶν, κενὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν· ἔτι ἐστὲ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν· ἄρα καὶ οἱ κοιμηθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ ἀπώλοντο. εἰ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν ἐν Χριστῷ μόνον, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν. εἰ νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται, φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν. οὕτω δὲ διακείμενοι, τί διοίσομεν ὄνων καὶ κυνῶν, οἳ μηδὲν τοῦ μέλλοντος φροντίζοντες μόνου τοῦ φαγεῖν εἰσιν ὀρεκτικοὶ καὶ τῶν μετὰ τὸ φαγεῖν; ἀνεπιστάτητοι γάρ εἰσι τοῦ κινοῦντος ἔνδοθεν νοῦ. Ὀναίμην ὑμῶν ἐν κυρίῳ. νήφετε· πᾶσαν ἕκαστος κακίαν ἀπόθεσθε καὶ τὸν θηριώδη θυμόν, καταλαλιάν, συκοφαντίαν, αἰσχρολογίαν, εὐτραπελίαν, ψιθυρισμόν, φυσίωσιν, μέθην, λαγνείαν, φιλαργυρίαν, φιλοδοξίαν, φθόνον καὶ πᾶν τὸ τούτοις συνῳδόν. ἐνδύσασθε δὲ τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς πρόνοιαν μὴ ποιεῖσθε εἰς ἐπιθυμίας. οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑποτάσσεσθε τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, οἱ διάκονοι τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις, ὁ λαὸς τοῖς διακόνοις. ἀντίψυχον ἐγὼ τῶν φυλαττόντων ταύτην τὴν εὐταξίαν· καὶ ὁ κύριος εἴη μετ' αὐτῶν διηνεκῶς.

Oἱ ἄνδρες στέργετε τὰς γαμετὰς ὑμῶν, αἱ γυναῖκες τοὺς ὁμοζύγους· οἱ παῖδες τοὺς γονεῖς προηγεῖσθε, οἱ γονεῖς τὰ τέκνα ἐκτρέφετε ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ κυρίου· τὰς ἐν παρθενίᾳ τιμᾶτε ὡς ἱερείας Χριστοῦ, τὰς ἐν σεμνότητι χήρας ὡς θυσιαστήριον θεοῦ. οἱ κύριοι μετὰ φειδοῦς τοῖς δούλοις ἐπιτάσσετε· οἱ δοῦλοι μετὰ φόβου τοῖς κυρίοις ἐξυπηρετεῖτε. μηδεὶς ἐν ὑμῖν ἀργὸς ἔστω· μήτηρ γὰρ τῆς ἐνδείας ἡ ἀργία. ταῦτα οὐκ ἐπιτάττω ὡς ὤν τι, εἰ καὶ δέδεμαι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀδελφὸς ὑπομιμνήσκω. εἴη κύριος μεθ' ὑμῶν. Ὀναίμην ὑμῶν τῶν προσευχῶν· προσεύχεσθε, ἵνα Ἰησοῦ ἐπιτύχω. παρατίθεμαι ὑμῖν τὴν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ἐκκλησίαν. ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς αἱ ἐκκλησίαι τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ Πολύκαρπος ὁ ἄνθρωπος θεοῦ, ᾧ καὶ παραθήσομαι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῆς Συρίας. ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἐκκλησία Φιλιππησίων, ὅθεν καὶ γράφω ὑμῖν. ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Φίλων ὁ διάκονος ὑμῶν, ᾧ καὶ ἐγὼ εὐχαριστῶ σπουδαίως ὑπηρετοῦντί μοι ἐν πᾶσιν. ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Ἀγαθόπους ὁ διάκονος, ὃς ἐκ Συρίας ἀκολουθεῖ μοι ἐν Χριστῷ. ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν ἁγίῳ φιλήματι. ἀσπάζομαι πάντας καὶ πάσας τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ. ἔρρωσθε σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ πνεύματι, καὶ ἐμοῦ μὴ ἐπιλάθησθε. ὁ κύριος μεθ' ὑμῶν.