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For I shall try to make what I say clear to you by an example—the law given by God to Moses, those who have inherited the madness of Valentinus and Marcion and all who are sick with the same disease as them, cast out of the canon of the divine scriptures; but the Jews so honor it as even, when the time forbids it, to contend for the observance of all its precepts, contrary to the will of God. But the Church of God, avoiding the lack of measure of both, has walked a middle path, and is neither persuaded to be subject to its yoke, nor does it endure to slander it, but praises it even though it has ceased, because it was once useful in its season. He, then, who is to fight against both must know this due measure; for if, wishing to teach the Jews that they cling to the old legislation unseasonably, he begins to accuse it unsparingly, he has given no small handle to those heretics who wish to revile it; and if, zealous to silence these, he extols it immoderately and admires it as being necessary in the present time, he has opened the mouths of the Jews. Again, those who rave with the madness of Sabellius and those who are frenzied with the doctrines of Arius have both through lack of measure fallen away from the sound faith; and the name of Christians is applied to both, but if one examines their doctrines, he will find the one party to be in no better case than the Jews, except that they differ in names only, and the other to have much resemblance to the heresy of Paul of Samosata, but both to be outside the truth. Great, therefore, is the danger in this case also, and the way is strait and narrow, which is hemmed in by precipices on both sides, and there is no small fear lest one, wishing to strike the one, be smitten by the other; for if one should speak of one Godhead, Sabellius immediately has dragged the expression to his own drunken frenzy; and if one again divides, saying that the Father is one, the Son another, and the Holy Spirit another, Arius stands by, drawing the difference in persons into a difference of substance. But it is necessary to loathe and flee both the impious confusion of the one and the mad division of the other, confessing one Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but adding the three hypostases; for thus shall we be able to wall off the assaults of both. And it is possible to collect many other entanglements, against which unless one fights bravely and accurately, he will go away with a thousand wounds.

4.5 5. That one must be very skilled in dialectic What can one say of the cavils of our own people? For these are no less than the assaults from without, but they cause even more sweat for the teacher. For some, out of mere curiosity, wish to meddle simply and at random with things which it is not profitable to have learned, nor possible to learn; others again demand from him an account of God's judgments and strive to measure the great deep; "For your judgments," it says, "are a great deep." And concerning faith and conduct, you would find few who are zealous; but the majority are meddling in these matters and seeking things which it is not possible to find, and which provoke God when they are sought. For when we try to learn those things which he himself did not wish us to know, we shall not know them—for how could we, when God is unwilling?—and the only result for us will be the danger from seeking. But yet, this being the case, when anyone with authority silences those who inquire into these insoluble matters, he has acquired for himself a reputation for madness and ignorance. Wherefore, here too one must use great wisdom so that the one in charge may both lead them away from inappropriate questions and escape the aforementioned accusations. But for all these things, nothing else but the help of speech alone has been given; and if someone is deprived of this power, no better than storm-tossed ships

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πειράσομαι γάρ σοι καὶ ἐπὶ παραδείγματος ὃ λέγω ποιῆσαι φανερόν-τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθέντα τῷ Μωϋσῇ νόμον οἱ τὴν Οὐαλεντίνου καὶ Μαρκίωνος διαδεξάμενοι φρενοβλάβειαν καὶ ὅσοι τὰ αὐτὰ νοσοῦσιν ἐκείνοις τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν θείων ἐκβάλλουσι γραφῶν· Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ αὐτὸν οὕτω τιμῶσιν ὡς καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ κωλύοντος φιλονεικεῖν ἅπαντα φυλάττειν, παρὰ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν. Ἡ δὲ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν ἀμφοτέρων ἀμετρίαν φεύγουσα, μέσην ἐβάδισε καὶ οὔτε ὑποκεῖσθαι αὐτοῦ τῷ ζυγῷ πείθεται, οὔτε διαβάλλειν αὐτὸν ἀνέχεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεπαυμένον ἐπαινεῖ διὰ τὸ χρησιμεῦσαί ποτε εἰς καιρόν. ∆εῖ δὴ τὸν μέλλοντα πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους μάχεσθαι τὴν συμμετρίαν εἰδέναι ταύτην· ἄν τε γὰρ Ἰουδαίους διδάξαι βουλόμενος ὡς οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἔχονται νομοθεσίας, ἄρξηται κατηγορεῖν αὐτῆς ἀφειδῶς, ἔδωκε τοῖς διασύρειν βουλομένοις τῶν αἱρετικῶν λαβὴν οὐ μικράν· ἄν τε τούτους ἐπιστομίσαι σπουδάζων ἀμέτρως αὐτὸν ἐπαίρῃ καὶ ὡς ἀναγκαῖον ἐν τῷ παρόντι τυγχάνοντα θαυμάζῃ, τὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀνέῳξε στόματα. Πάλιν οἱ τὴν Σαβελλίου μαινόμενοι μανίαν καὶ οἱ τὰ Ἀρείου λυττῶντες ἐξ ἀμετρίας ἀμφότεροι τῆς ὑγιοῦς ἐξέπεσαν πίστεως· καὶ τὸ μὲν ὄνομα χριστιανῶν ἀμφοτέροις ἐπίκειται, εἰ δέ τις τὰ δόγματα ἐξετάσειε, τοὺς μὲν οὐδὲν ἄμεινον Ἰουδαίων διακειμένους εὑρήσει, πλὴν ὅσον ὑπὲρ ὀνομάτων διαφέρονται μόνον, τοὺς δὲ πολλὴν τὴν ἐμφέρειαν πρὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν Παύλου τοῦ Σαμοσατέως ἔχοντας, ἀμφοτέρους δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκτός. Πολὺς οὖν κἀνταῦθα ὁ κίνδυνος καὶ στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ὑπὸ κρημνῶν ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἀπειλημμένη, καὶ δέος οὐ μικρὸν μὴ τὸν ἕτερόν τις θέλων βαλεῖν ὑπὸ θατέρου πληγῇ· ἄν τε γὰρ μίαν τις εἴπῃ θεότητα, πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παροινίαν εὐθέως εἵλκυσε τὴν φωνὴν ὁ Σαβέλλιος· ἄν τε διέλῃ πάλιν, ἕτερον μὲν τὸν Πατέρα, ἕτερον δὲ τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα δὲ τὸ ἅγιον ἕτερον εἶναι λέγων, ἐφέστηκεν Ἄρειος εἰς παραλλαγὴν οὐσίας ἕλκων τὴν ἐν τοῖς προσώποις διαφοράν. ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀσεβῆ σύγχυσιν ἐκείνου καὶ τὴν μανιώδη τούτου διαίρεσιν ἀποστρέφεσθαι καὶ φεύγειν, τὴν μὲν θεότητα Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μίαν ὁμολογοῦντας, προστιθέντας δὲ τὰς τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις· οὕτω γὰρ ἀποτειχίσαι δυνησόμεθα τὰς ἀμφοτέρων ἐφόδους. Πολλὰς δὲ καὶ ἑτέρας ἔνι συλλέγειν συμπλοκὰς πρὸς ἃς ἂν μὴ γενναίως τις καὶ ἀκριβῶς μάχηται, μυρία λαβὼν ἄπεισι τραύματα.

4.5 εʹ. Ὅτι σφόδρα ἔμπειρον εἶναι δεῖ τῆς διαλεκτικῆσ Τί ἄν τις λέγοι τὰς τῶν οἰκείων ἐρεσχελίας; Οὐ γάρ εἰσιν ἐλάττους αὗται τῶν ἔξωθεν προσβολῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείονα τῷ διδάσκοντι παρέχουσιν ἱδρῶτα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ πολυπραγμοσύνης ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῇ περιεργάζεσθαι θέλουσιν ἃ μήτε μαθόντας ἔστι κερδᾶναι, μήτε μαθεῖν δυνατόν· ἕτεροι πάλιν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων εὐθύνας αὐτὸν ἀπαιτοῦσιν καὶ τὴν ἄβυσσον τὴν πολλὴν ἀναμετρεῖν βιάζονται· «Τὰ γὰρ κρίματά σου, φησίν, ἄβυσσος πολλή.» Καὶ πίστεως μὲν πέρι καὶ πολιτείας, ὀλίγους ἂν εὕροις σπουδάζοντας· τοὺς δὲ πλείους ταῦτα περιεργαζομένους καὶ ζητοῦντας ἃ μήτε εὑρεῖν δυνατὸν καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παροξύνει ζητούμενα. Ὅταν γὰρ ἅπερ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἠθέλησεν εἰδέναι ταῦτα βιαζώμεθα μανθάνειν, οὔτε εἰσόμεθα-πῶς γάρ, Θεοῦ μὴ βουλομένου; -καὶ τὸ κινδυνεύειν ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ζητεῖν περιέσται μόνον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τούτων τοιούτων ὄντων, ὅταν τις μετὰ αὐθεντίας ἐπιστομίζῃ τοὺς τὰ ἄπορα ταῦτα ἐρευνῶντας, ἀπονοίας τε καὶ ἀμαθίας ἑαυτῷ προσετρίψατο δόξαν. ∆ιὸ χρὴ κἀνταῦθα πολλῇ κεχρῆσθαι τῇ συνέσει ὡς καὶ ἀπάγειν τῶν ἀτόπων ἐρωτήσεων τὸν προεστῶτα καὶ τὰς εἰρημένας ἐκφεύγειν αἰτίας. Πρὸς ἅπαντα δὲ ταῦτα ἕτερον μὲν οὐδέν, ἡ δὲ τοῦ λόγου βοήθεια δέδοται μόνη· κἄν τις ταύτης ἀπεστερημένος ᾖ τῆς δυνάμεως, οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τῶν χειμαζομένων πλοίων