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and of a great victim, of the all-holy body of our Savior, having been sacrificed for the human race and having been offered up as a ransom for all nations formerly held fast in the impiety of demonic delusion, then all the power of the impure and unholy demons was destroyed, and every earthly and deceitful delusion was at once loosed and abolished by a greater power. 15.12 So then, the saving victim from among men, that is, the bodily instrument of the Word, was consecrated for the common flock of mankind, and this, indeed, was the slain victim delivered over to death, concerning whom the voices of the sacred oracles cry out, at one time saying something like this: "Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," and at another proclaiming in this way: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent," and they teach the reason, adding: "He bears our sins, and is pained for us. And we accounted him to be in trouble and in affliction and in distress, but he was wounded for our sins, and was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him. By his stripe we were healed. We all went astray like sheep, each one went astray in his own way. And the Lord delivered him up for our sins." 15.13 The human instrument of the divine Word, therefore, was consecrated for these reasons, but this great high priest, consecrated to the all-ruling and all-sovereign God, being other than the sacrifice, the Word of God, the power of God, and the wisdom of God, soon recalled the mortal part from death, and presented this to the Father as the first-fruits of our common salvation, a trophy of victory against death and the demonic host, having raised this up on behalf of all mankind as an averting-sacrifice for the human sacrifices formerly performed. 16.1 But since these things are so, it is time to come also to the proofs, if indeed proof is needed of their truth, and if indeed it is necessary to confirm the testimonies of manifest realities. Receive these, then, having prepared your hearing to be well-disposed to the argument. 16.2 All the nations on earth of old were divided, and the entire human race was cut up into provinces and ethnarchies and toparchies, tyrannies and polyarchies, from which continuous battles and wars, and ravages and enslavements in the country and in the cities never ceased for them, and myriad subjects of histories, and adulteries and abductions of women, whence the evils of Troy and the tragedies of the ancients commemorated among all men. 16.3 And you would not be wrong to ascribe the causes of these things to the polytheistic delusion. But when the saving instrument, that is, the all-holy body of Christ, which was seen to be greater than all demonic delusion and power, and alien to evil in deed and word, was lifted up as a victorious trophy against demons and an averting-sacrifice for ancient evils, at once all the works of demons were undone, and there were no longer toparchies and polyarchies, tyrannies and democracies, nor the ravages and sieges in cities and countries that arose on account of these, but one God was proclaimed to all. 16.4 At the same time, one kingdom for all, that of the Romans, flourished, and at once the implacable and irreconcilable enmity of the nations from time immemorial was destroyed. And as the knowledge of one God was delivered to all men, and one way of piety and the saving teaching of Christ, in accordance with these things, as one emperor arose at one and the same time over the whole Roman empire, a profound peace possessed all things. And together, at one time, as if from one divine nod, two shoots of good things sprang up for mankind: the Roman empire and the pious teaching. 16.5 But before this, some ruled over Syria separately, others reigned over Asia, and others over Macedonia, while still others, having partitioned off Egypt, held it, and the land of the Arabs

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καὶ μεγάλου θύματος, τοῦ πανιέρου σώματος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους σφαγιασθέντος καὶ πάντων ἐθνῶν τῶν πρὶν ἀσεβείᾳ δαιμονικῆς πλάνης ἐνεσχημένων ἀντίψυχον ἀνενεχθέντος, πᾶσα λοιπὸν ἡ τῶν ἀνάγνων καὶ ἀνιέρων δαιμόνων δύναμις καθῄρητο, ἐλέλυτό τε καὶ παρεῖτο αὐτίκα δυνάμει κρείττονι πᾶσα γεώδης καὶ ἀπατηλὸς πλάνη. 15.12 τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων σωτήριον θῦμα, αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ τοῦ λόγου σωματικὸν ὄργανον, ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς ἀνθρώπων ἀγέλης καθιεροῦτο, καὶ τοῦτ' ἄρα ἦν τὸ τῷ θανάτῳ παραβεβλημένον σφάγιον, περὶ οὗ λόγων ἱερῶν βοῶσι φωναί, τοτὲ μὲν ὧδέ πη λέγουσαι· «ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου,» τοτὲ δὲ ὧδε προαναφωνοῦσαι· «ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος,» καὶ τό γε αἴτιον διδάσκουσιν ἐπιλέγουσαι· «οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει, καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται. καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ καὶ ἐν πληγῇ καὶ ἐν κακώσει, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐμαλακίσθη διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν· παιδεία εἰρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπ' αὐτόν. τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν· πάντες ὡς πρόβατα ἐπλανήθημεν, ἕκαστος τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπλανήθη. καὶ κύριος παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν.» 15.13 τὸ μὲν οὖν ὄργανον τὸ ἀνθρώπειον τοῦ θείου λόγου διὰ ταύτας καθιεροῦτο τὰς αἰτίας, οὗτος δὲ ὁ μέγας ἀρχιερεὺς ὁ τῷ πανηγεμόνι καὶ παμβασιλεῖ θεῷ ἱερωμένος, ἕτερος ὢν παρὰ τὸ ἱερεῖον, θεοῦ λόγος, θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία, τὸ θνητὸν οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἀνεκαλεῖτο τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ τοῦτο τῷ πατρὶ τῆς κοινῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας τὴν ἀπαρχὴν παρίστη, τρόπαιον ἐπινίκιον κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῆς δαιμονικῆς παρατάξεως τῶν τε πάλαι συντελουμένων ἀνθρωποθυσιῶν ἀποτρόπαιον τοῦτο ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀνεγείρας. 16.1 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τούτων ὧδε ἐχόντων, ὥρα καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἐλθεῖν, εἰ δὴ ἀποδείξεως δεῖ τῆς τούτων ἀληθείας, καὶ εἰ δὴ ἐναργῶν πραγμάτων ἀναγκαῖον πιστώσασθαι τὰς μαρτυρίας· δέχου δὲ ταύτας εὐγνώμονα τῷ λόγῳ τὴν ἀκοὴν παρασκευάσας. 16.2 διῄρητο μὲν πάντα τὰ πάλαι ἐπὶ γῆς ἔθνη, καὶ τὸ πᾶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος εἰς ἐπαρχίας καὶ ἐθναρχίας καὶ τοπαρχίας τυραννίδας τε καὶ πολυαρχίας κατετέτμητο, ἐξ ὧν μάχαι συνεχεῖς καὶ πόλεμοι δῃώσεις τε καὶ ἀνδραποδισμοὶ κατ' ἀγροὺς καὶ κατὰ πόλεις οὔποτ' αὐτοὺς διελίμπανον, ἱστοριῶν τε ὑποθέσεις μυρίαι, μοιχεῖαί τε καὶ γυναικῶν ἁρπαγαί, ἔνθεν τὰ Ἰλίου κακὰ καὶ αἱ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώ ποις μνημονευόμεναι τῶν παλαιῶν τραγῳδίαι. 16.3 τούτων δ' οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις τὰς αἰτίας τῇ πολυθέῳ πλάνῃ προσγράφων. ὡς δὲ τὸ σωτήριον ὄργανον, αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ πανάγιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ σῶμα, τὸ κρεῖττον ἁπάσης δαιμονικῆς πλάνης καὶ ἐνεργείας ὀφθὲν κακίας τε τῆς δι' ἔργων καὶ λόγων ἀλλότριον, νικητήριον τρόπαιον κατὰ δαιμόνων παλαιῶν τε κακῶν ἀποτρόπαιον ἀνυψοῦτο, ἐλύετό τε αὐτίκα πάντα δαιμόνων ἔργα καὶ οὐκέτ' ἦσαν τοπαρχίαι καὶ πολυαρχίαι, τυραννίδες τε καὶ δημοκρατίαι, αἵ τε διὰ ταῦτα συνιστάμεναι κατὰ πόλεις καὶ κατὰ χώρας δῃώσεις καὶ πολιορκίαι, ἀλλὰ θεὸς μὲν εἷς εἰς πάντας ἐκηρύττετο· 16.4 ἐν ταὐτῷ δὲ καὶ βασιλεία μία τοῖς πᾶσιν ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἐπήνθει, ἀνῄρητό τε ἀθρόως ἡ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἄσπειστος καὶ ἀκατάλλακτος τῶν ἐθνῶν ἔχθρα. ὡς δὲ ἑνὸς θεοῦ γνῶσις πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις παρεδίδοτο καὶ τρόπος εἷς εὐσεβείας σωτήριός τε ἡ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλία, κατὰ ταῦτα καὶ βασιλέως ἑνὸς ὑφ' ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον καθ' ὅλης τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς ὑποστάντος εἰρήνη βαθεῖα τὰ σύμπαντα διελάμβανεν· ὁμοῦ τε καὶ ὑφ' ἑνὶ καιρῷ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἑνὸς θείου νεύματος ἀνεφύοντο εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἀγαθῶν δύο βλαστοί, ἥ τε Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ εὐσεβὴς διδασκαλία. 16.5 πρό γε μὴν ταύτης οἱ μὲν ἀφωρισμένως Συρίας ἐκράτουν, οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἀσίας ἐβασίλευον, ἄλλοι δὲ Μακεδονίας, τὴν δὲ Αἴγυπτον ἀποτεμόντες ἕτεροι κατεῖχον, καὶ χώραν τὴν Ἀράβων