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resurrection, while another expects nothing of the things to come, another says there is another God, another that he has his beginning from Mary. And see straightway how all have fallen away out of excess, some by adding, others by taking away. For instance, the first heresy of all was that of Marcion; that one introduced another God who is not. Behold the addition; After that one, that of Sabellius, saying the Son and the Father and the Spirit are one person. Then that of Marcellus and Photinus, and this one holding the same beliefs. Then that of Paul of Samosata, saying he had his beginning from Mary. Then that of the Manichaeans; for this is the most recent of all. After those, that of Arius. And there are others also. But we for this reason have received the faith simply, so that we might not be compelled to go over countless heresies, and have troubles, but that whatever anyone should attempt either to add to or take away from it, we might consider this to be spurious. For just as those who give rules do not compel us to scrutinize countless measures, but bid us hold to that which has been given; so also is it with dogmas. But no one is willing to pay attention to the Scriptures; for if we did pay attention, not only would we not have fallen into deception, but also 63.74 we would have delivered others who were deceived, and drawn them out of dangers. For the strong soldier is not only able to suffice for himself, but also to guard his comrade, and to free him from the harm of the enemy. But now, some do not even know that there are Scriptures; and yet the Holy Spirit has so ordained that they should be preserved. And see from the beginning, that you may learn the ineffable love of God for man: He inspired the blessed Moses, he carved the tablets, he kept him forty days upon the mountain, and again another forty, so as to give the law. And after these things He sent prophets who suffered countless terrible things. War came, they killed all, they cut them down, the books were burned. Again He inspired another wondrous man, so that he set them forth, I mean Ezra, and caused them to be composed from the remnants. And after this He arranged for them to be translated by the Seventy; they translated them. Christ came, He accepts them, the apostles scatter them to all, Christ performed signs and wonders. What then? After so much effort the apostles also wrote, as Paul also said: But it was written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. And Christ said: You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures. And Paul again said: That through the patience and the comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope; and again: All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable; and: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. And the prophet: In his law he will meditate day and night; and elsewhere again: Let all your discourse be in the law of the Most High. And again: How sweet are your words to my throat (he did not say, To my hearing, but, To my throat), sweeter than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth. And Moses says, You shall meditate on them always, when you rise up, when you sit down, when you lie down. For this reason also Paul, writing to Timothy, said: Be in these things, meditate on these things. And one could say countless things about them. But yet after so many things there are some who do not even know that there are Scriptures. For this reason nothing sound, nothing useful is done by us. But if anyone should wish to know military matters, it is necessary for him to learn the military laws; and if anyone should wish to know the skill of piloting, or of carpentry, or anything else, it is necessary for him to learn the principles of the art; but here one can see no one doing any such thing; and this, though this knowledge requires much watchfulness. For that this also is an art requiring instruction, hear the Prophet saying: Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Therefore truly the fear of God requires instruction. Then he says, Who is the man that desires life? He means the life there. And again, Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit; turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue

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ἀνάστασιν, ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν τῶν μελλόντων προσδοκᾷ, ἄλλος ἕτερον λέγει Θεὸν, ἄλλος ἀπὸ Μαρίας αὐτὸν ἔχειν τὴν ἀρχήν. Καὶ θέα εὐθέως πῶς ἐξ ἀμετρίας πάντες ἐξέπεσον, οἱ μὲν πλεονάσαντες, οἱ δὲ ἐλαττώσαντες. Οἷον, πρώτη μὲν πάντων αἵρεσις ἡ Μαρκίωνος· ἐκείνη ἕτερον Θεὸν ἐπεισήγαγε τὸν οὐκ ὄντα. Ἰδοὺ τὸ πλέον· Μετ' ἐκείνην ἡ Σαβελλίου, τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἓν πρόσωπον εἶναι λέγουσα. Εἶτα ἡ Μαρκέλλου καὶ Φωτεινοῦ, καὶ αὕτη τὰ αὐτὰ πρεσβεύουσα. Εἶτα ἡ Παύλου τοῦ Σαμοσατέως, ἐκ Μαρίας λέγουσα τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτὸν ἐσχηκέναι. Εἶτα ἡ Μανιχαίων· αὕτη γὰρ πασῶν νεωτέρα. Μετ' ἐκείνας, ἡ Ἀρείου. Εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτεραι. Ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ τοῦτο τὴν πίστιν παρελάβομεν ἁπλῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἀναγκαζώμεθα μυρίαις ἐπιέναι αἱρέσεσι, καὶ πράγματα ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἂν ἢ προσθεῖναι, ἢ ἀφελεῖν τις ἐπιχειρήσειεν ἐκείνης, τοῦτο νόθον εἶναι νομίσωμεν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ τοὺς κανόνας διδόντες οὐκ ἀναγκάζουσι μυρία μέτρα περιεργάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ δοθὲν ἐκεῖνο κατέχειν κελεύουσιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δογμάτων. Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς βούλεται ταῖς Γραφαῖς προσέχειν· εἰ γὰρ προσείχομεν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἂν περιεπέσομεν τῇ ἀπάτῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ 63.74 ἑτέρους ἀπατωμένους ἀπηλλάξαμεν ἂν, καὶ τῶν κινδύνων ἐξειλκύσαμεν. Ὁ γὰρ ἰσχυρὸς στρατιώτης οὐ μόνον ἑαυτῷ ἀρκέσαι δύναται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν παραστάτην διαφυλάξαι, καὶ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων βλάβης ἐλευθερῶσαι. Νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ ὅτι Γραφαὶ εἰσὶν ἴσασί τινες· καίτοι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοσαῦτα ᾠκονόμησεν, ὥστε αὐτὰς φυλαχθῆναι. Καὶ ὁρᾶτε ἄνωθεν, ἵνα μάθητε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἄφατον φιλανθρωπίαν· Ἐνέπνευσε τῷ μακαρίῳ Μωϋσεῖ, τὰς πλάκας ἐκόλαψε, κατέσχεν αὐτὸν τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους, καὶ πάλιν τοσαύτας ἑτέρας, ὥστε δοῦναι τὸν νόμον. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα προφήτας ἔπεμψε μυρία παθόντας δεινά. Ἐπῆλθε πόλεμος, ἀνεῖλον πάντας, κατέκοψαν, ἐνεπρήσθησαν αἱ βίβλοι. Ἑτέρῳ πάλιν ἀνδρὶ θαυμαστῷ ἐνέπνευσεν, ὥστε αὐτὰς ἐκθέσθαι, τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ λέγω, καὶ ἀπὸ λειψάνων συντεθῆναι ἐποίησε. Μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ᾠκονόμησεν ἑρμηνευθῆναι αὐτὰς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα· ἡρμήνευσαν ἐκεῖνοι. Παρεγένετο ὁ Χριστὸς, δέχεται αὐτὰς, οἱ ἀπόστολοι εἰς πάντας αὐτὰς διασπείρουσι, σημεῖα ἐποίησε καὶ θαύματα ὁ Χριστός. Εἶτα τί; Μετὰ τοσαύτην πραγματείαν καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἔγραψαν, καθὼς καὶ Παῦλος εἶπεν· Ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντησε. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγε· Πλανᾶσθε, μὴ εἰδότες τὰς Γραφάς. Καὶ Παῦλος πάλιν ἔλεγε· ∆ιὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως τῶν Γραφῶν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχωμεν· καὶ πάλιν· Πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος· καί· Ὁ λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνοικείτω ἐν ὑμῖν πλουσίως. Καὶ ὁ προφήτης· Ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός· καὶ ἑτέρωθι πάλιν· Πᾶσα διήγησίς σου ἔστω ἐν νόμῳ Ὑψίστου. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὡς γλυκέα τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου (οὐκ εἶπε, Τῇ ἀκοῇ μου, ἀλλὰ, Τῷ λάρυγγί μου), ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον τῷ στόματί μου. Καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς, Μελετήσεις ἐν αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, διαπαντὸς, ἀνιστάμενος, καθεζόμενος, κοιταζόμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφων πρὸς Τιμόθεον ἔλεγεν· Ἐν αὐτοῖς ἴσθι, ταῦτα μελέτα. Καὶ μυρία ἄν τις περὶ αὐτῶν εἴποι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τοσαῦτα εἰσί τινες οὐδὲ εἰδότες ὅτι εἰσί ποτε Γραφαί. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς, οὐδὲν χρήσιμον παρ' ἡμῶν γίνεται. Ἀλλ' εἰ μέν τις τὰ τῆς στρατείας εἰδέναι βούλοιτο, ἀνάγκη τοὺς νόμους αὐτὸν μανθάνειν τοὺς στρατιωτικούς· καὶ εἴ τις τὴν κυβερνητικὴν, ἢ τὴν τεκτονικὴν ἐπιστήμην γινώσκειν ἐθέλοι, ἢ εἴ τι ἕτερον, τὰ τῆς τέχνης αὐτὸν ἀνάγκη μανθάνειν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔστι ποιοῦντας ἰδεῖν· καὶ ταῦτα τῆς ἐπιστήμης ταύτης πολλῆς δεομένης τῆς ἀγρυπνίας. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τέχνη ἐστὶ διδασκαλίας δεομένη, ἄκουσον τοῦ Προφήτου λέγοντος· ∆εῦτε, τέκνα, ἀκούσατέ μου, φόβον Κυρίου διδάξω ὑμᾶς. Ἄρα ἀληθῶς διδασκαλίας δεῖται ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος. Εἶτά φησι, Τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ θέλων ζωήν; ζωὴν τὴν ἐκεῖ λέγει. Καὶ πάλιν, Παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ χείλη σου τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον· ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν· ζήτησον εἰρήνην, καὶ δίωξον