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but it appears sweeter when some bitter quality is set beside it; and everyone considers health desirable, but after sickness, they consider it more desirable; and a calm is more pleasant after a storm. So also the sensible know truth to be a thing worth possessing; but nevertheless falsehood, when compared with it, reveals it to be more brilliant 83.441 and more divine. Since, therefore, we have demonstrated the shame of falsehood, and have stripped bare the heretical myths, and their impiety has become clear, as well as their unpleasantness and absurdity, come, let us set beside these the evangelical teaching, and show the difference between light and darkness, and between perfect health and most grievous sickness. But indeed it is not possible to find an image suitable for the proposed comparison. For even darkness, although it falls short of the light, nevertheless offers a necessary service to men; for the night provides rest for those who labor by day. And sickness too has been profitable for many; for through it, having recognized the Savior and Creator, who promised release from their pains, and having obtained what they asked, they took thought for virtue. But from those utterly wicked myths, and those unspeakable blasphemies, every ruin appears for those who are persuaded. Therefore, it is not possible to find a contrary image for the difference of these contrary dogmas; or rather, I have found one that is very vivid. For as great as the distance is between God and the devil, so great is the difference between the teaching of God and of the devil. And this the beauty of the divine oracles will show more clearly when set beside those myths, sending forth the rays of the spiritual light. But it is necessary, before all other things, to say what we have been taught concerning the beginning of all things. I. -Concerning the beginning and the Father. Both the Old and the New Scripture teach that there is one beginning of all things, the God of all, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, unbegotten, indestructible, eternal, infinite, uncircumscribed, unlimited, uncompounded, incorporeal, invisible, simple, good, just, spiritual light, a power known by no measure, but measured only by the divine will. For whatever he wills, he is able; and this the Prophet taught us clearly: "For all that the Lord willed," he says, "he has done." And the teacher of these things is the divine Scripture. For we hear God saying at the beginning of the lawgiving: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; you shall have no other gods besides me." And again: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord." And in accord with these things he also teaches through Isaiah the prophet: "For I," he says, "am the first God, and I am after these things, and besides me there is no God." -"Before me there is no other God, and after me there will be none, and besides me there is none." And again: "I am God, and after me there will be none." And again: "I am God, and there is no other besides me; a just savior there is not beside me." And through these things he clearly refutes the trifles of Valentinus, and Marcus, and Basilides, and Marcion. For he says that there is no other God either 83.444 before him or after him, but that he himself is both the first and the last. And the divine teaching of the holy Gospels agrees with these things. For our Savior and Lord, fulfilling all righteousness for our sake (for he himself said to John: "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness"), accepted, being a man, even the need for prayer, and professed to teach the apostles about the Father; and in the form of a prayer he offered the teaching of theology to the disciples. "For this," he says, "is eternal life, that they may know you, the

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γλυκύτερον δὲ φαίνεται, πι κρᾶς τινος παρατεθείσης ποιότητος· καὶ τὴν ὑγείαν ἀξιέραστον μὲν ἅπαντες νομίζουσι, μετὰ δὲ νόσον, ἀξιεραστοτέραν νομίζουσι· καὶ γαλήνη δὲ θυμηρε στέρα μετὰ χειμῶνα. Οὕτω καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν οἱ σω φρονοῦντες ἀξιόκτητον ἴσασι χρῆμα· λαμπροτέρον 83.441 δὲ ὅμως αὐτὴν καὶ θειοτέραν παρεξεταζόμενον ἀπο φαίνει τὸ ψεῦδος. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τὸ τοῦ ψεύδους ἐπεδείξαμεν αἶσχος, καὶ τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς ἐγυμνώσα μεν μύθους, καὶ δῆλον αὐτῶν γεγένηται καὶ τὸ δυσ σεβὲς, καὶ τὸ ἀτερπὲς καὶ ἀπίθανον, φέρε τούτοις τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν παραθέντες διδασκαλίαν, δείξωμεν φωτὸς καὶ ζόφου διαφορὰν, καὶ ὑγείας ἄκρας καὶ νόσου χαλεπωτάτης. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν εἰκόνα τῇ προκειμένῃ παρεξετάσει συμβαίνουσαν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ σκότος, εἰ καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἀπολείπε ται, ἀλλ' οὖν χρείαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀναγκαίαν προσ φέρει· τοῖς γὰρ μεθ' ἡμέραν πονοῦσιν τὴν ἀνάπαυ λαν ἡ νὺξ πραγματεύεται. Καὶ ἡ νόσος δὲ πολλοῖς γέγονεν ὀνησιφόρος· τὸν γὰρ Σωτῆρα διὰ ταύτης καὶ ∆ημιουργὸν ἐπιγνόντες, καὶ τῶν ἀνιαρῶν ἐπηγγείλαντα τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν, καὶ τυχόντες ὧν ᾔτη σαν, ἐφρόντισαν ἀρετῆς. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν παμπονήρων μύθων ἐκείνων, καὶ τῶν ἀῤῥήτων βλασφημιῶν, πᾶσα λώβη φαίνεται τοῖς πειθομένοις. Οὐκ οὖν ἔστιν εὑ ρεῖν ἐναντίαν εἰκόνα τῇ τῶν ἐναντίων τούτων δογμά των διαφορᾷ· μᾶλλον δὲ, μίαν εὗρον λίαν ἐναργε στάτην. Ὅσον γὰρ Θεοῦ καὶ διαβόλου τὸ μέσον, το σαύτη τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διαβόλου διδασκαλίας δια φορά. Καὶ τοῦτο δείξει σαφέστερον τοῖς μύθοις ἐκείνοις παρατιθέμενον τῶν θείων λογίων τὸ κάλλος, τὰς τοῦ νοεροῦ φωτὸς ἐκπέμπον μαρμαρυγάς. Χρὴ δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων εἰπεῖν, τίνα περὶ τῆς τῶν ὅλων ἀρχῆς ἐδιδάχθημεν. Αʹ. -Περὶ ἀρχῆς καὶ Πατρός. Μίαν εἶναι τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν καὶ ἡ Παλαιὰ καὶ ἡ Καινὴ διδάσκει Γραφὴ, τὸν Θεὸν τῶν ὅλων, καὶ Πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀγέννητον, ἀνώλεθρον, αἰώνιον, ἄπειρον, ἀπερίγραφον, ἀπεριό ριστον, ἀσύνθετον, ἀσώματον, ἀόρατον, ἁπλοῦν, ἀγαθὸν, δίκαιον, φῶς νοερὸν, δύναμιν οὐδενὶ μέτρῳ γνωριζομένην, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ θείῳ βουλήματι μετρου μένην. Ὅσα γὰρ βούλεται, δύναται· καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὁ Προφήτης σαφῶς ἐδίδαξε· "Πάντα γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ὁ Κύριος ἐποίησεν." Τῶν εἰρημένων δὲ διδάσκαλος ἡ θεία Γραφή. Ἀκούομεν γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγοντος ἐν τῇ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἀρχῇ· "Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου· οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἄκουε, Ἰσραὴλ, Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου Κύριος εἷς ἐστι." Συνῳδὰ δὲ τούτοις καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προ φήτου διδάσκει· "Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶ, Θεὸς πρῶτος, καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστι Θεός." -"Ἔμπροσθέν μου οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος Θεὸς, καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται, καὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστι." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐγὼ Θεὸς, καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐγώ εἰμι Θεὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἕτερος πλὴν ἐμοῦ· δίκαιος σωτὴρ οὐκ ἔστι πάρεξ ἐμοῦ." Σαφῶς δὲ διὰ τούτων τοὺς Βαλεντίνου, καὶ Μάρκου, καὶ Βασιλίδου, καὶ Μαρκίωνος διελέγχει λήρους. Οὔτε 83.444 γὰρ πρὸ αὐτοῦ, οὔτε μετ' αὐτὸν, ἕτερον εἶναι λέγει Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ πρῶτον καὶ ἔσχατον. Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτοις τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἡ θεία διδασκαλία. Ὁ γὰρ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν δικαιοσύνην πληρῶν (αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔφη πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην· "Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτω γὰρ δεῖ πληρωθῆναι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην"), κατεδέξατο, ἅτε δὴ ἄνθρωπος ὢν, καὶ τὴν χρείαν τῆς προσευχῆς, καὶ τὸν Πατέρα διδάξαι τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἀπήγγειλεν· ἐν σχήματι δὲ προσευχῆς τὴν τῆς θεολογίας διδασκα λίαν τοῖς μαθηταῖς προσενήνοχεν. "Αὕτη γάρ ἐστι, φησὶν, ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ, ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν