1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

 9

 10

 11

 12

 13

 14

 15

 16

 17

 18

 19

 20

 21

 22

 23

 24

 25

 26

 27

 28

 29

 30

 31

 32

 33

 34

 35

 36

 37

 38

 39

 40

 41

 42

 43

 44

 45

 46

 47

 48

 49

 50

 51

 52

 53

 54

 55

 56

 57

 58

 59

 60

 61

 62

 63

 64

 65

 66

 67

58

not even one thing came into being.” 3.6.4 These mysteries, then, are delivered in this way to the holy and catholic church through the divine voices; but Marcellus, having confused everything, at one time descends into the whole abyss of Sabellius, at another tries to renew the heresy of Paul of Samosata, and at another is openly convicted of being a Jew; for he introduces one hypostasis with three faces as well as three names, saying that God and the 3.6.5 Word in him and the Holy Spirit are the same. Then, moving from there to the apostolic theologies concerning Christ, he again uses perverse interpretations. For when the divine apostle speaks theology explicitly about the Son of God and says, “who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, because in him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities; all things were created through him and for him; and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together,” 3.7.1 this marvelous fellow, falling back upon the flesh, declares that it is the image of the invisible God, not hearing that “who is the image” is expressed with a masculine character. For applying “who,” I know not how, to the flesh, he said that this is indicated as being itself the image “of the invisible God.” And again, he says that “he is before all things” was said concerning the flesh, not being ashamed 3.7.2 to take “he” as referring to the flesh. And he says that he was called “the firstborn of all creation” on account of the flesh, and he persists unswervingly in asserting that “the things in the heavens and the things on the earth” were created in the flesh, “both the visible and the invisible,” nor is he ashamed to say that thrones and dominions and principalities and authorities were deemed worthy of creation in Christ through the flesh of the savior. But having already set forth the statements of Marcellus on these matters in the preceding writing, sparing myself due measure of words, I will be content with their own testimony. But that such an account of the apostolic saying happens to be perverse and forced, I do not think needs much proof, because the shamelessness of the interpretation is completely obvious to anyone. 3.8.1 However, having said so many things about the flesh of the savior, he does not even keep it safe for us; for would that he had at least maintained pious reasoning concerning it. But now, after all the things said by him about it, he declares that at the consummation of the ages it will be left bereft of the Word, writing thus: If, therefore, he confesses that the flesh profits him nothing, how is it possible for that which is from the earth and profits nothing and in the ages to come to be with the Word as being advantageous to him? And he repeats the same thing in another place, asserting: If, then, at the time of the restoration of all things Paul said that creation itself would be changed from slavery to freedom—for he says, “that creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God”—how would it still be possible for the form of a servant, which the Word assumed, being the form of a servant, to be with the Word on its own account? You see what kind of statements he has dared to utter against the flesh of our savior, not considering how even before the ascension into heaven, while it was still on earth before the passion, he so glorified it on the mountain, showing to his three chosen disciples alone an image of his kingdom, so that his face shone, and 3.10.2 flashes of light blazed forth—for the divine scripture says, “his face became as the sun, and his garments white as the light,” but not even understanding what kind of body of glory of Christ the divine apostle spoke of, and how he taught that our own bodies will be conformed to that body, saying, “who will transform the body of our humility to be conformed to the body of his glory,” nor even comprehending in what way he wrote that the mortal will be swallowed up by life, asserting, “for which we do not wish to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life”; of these things

58

ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν». 3.6.4 ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὧδέ πη διὰ τῶν θείων φωνῶν παραδίδοται τὰ μυστήρια· Μάρκελλος δὲ πάντα φύρας, ποτὲ μὲν εἰς αὐτὸν ὅλον τὸν Σαβελλίου βυθὸν χωρεῖ, ποτὲ δὲ Παύλου τοῦ Σαμοσατέως ἀνανεοῦσθαι πειρᾶται τὴν αἵρεσιν, ποτὲ δὲ Ἰουδαῖος ὢν ἄντικρυς ἀπελέγχεται· μίαν γὰρ ὑπόστασιν τριπρόσωπον ὥσπερ καὶ τριώνυμον εἰσάγει, τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγων τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὸν ἐν 3.6.5 αὐτῷ λόγον καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. εἶτ' ἐντεῦθεν μεταβὰς ἐπὶ τὰς ἀποστολικὰς περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θεολογίας, πάλιν διαστρόφοις κέχρηται ἑρμηνείαις. τοῦ γὰρ θείου ἀποστόλου θεολογοῦντος διαρρήδην τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ λέγοντος «ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα τά τε ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἴτε ὁρατὰ εἴτε ἀόρατα, εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν», 3.7.1 ὁ θαυμαστὸς οὗτος αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν σάρκα καταπεσὼν αὐτὴν εἶναι ἀποφαίνεται τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ, οὐκ ἀκούων ὡς ἀρσενικῷ χαρακτῆρι ἐξενήνεκται τὸ «ὅς ἐστιν εἰκών». τὸ γὰρ «ὃς» οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἐφαρμόσας τῇ σαρκί, ταύτην ἔφη δηλοῦσθαι ὡς αὐτῆς οὔσης τῆς εἰκόνος «τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου». καὶ πάλιν τὸ «αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων» περὶ τῆς σαρκός φησιν εἰρῆσθαι, οὐκ αἰδούμενος 3.7.2 τὸ «αὐτὸς» ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκλαμβάνειν. καὶ τὸν «πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως» διὰ τὴν σάρκα κεκλῆσθαι λέγει, ἐπιμένει τε ἀδιατρέπτως ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ φάσκων «τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς» ἐκτίσθαι, «τά τε ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα», οὐδὲ διατρέπεται θρόνους καὶ κυριότητας καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγων τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ κτίσεως ἠξιῶσθαι. ἤδη δὲ διὰ τῆς πρὸ τούτου γραφῆς τὰς περὶ τούτων τοῦ Μαρκέλλου φωνὰς παραθέμενος, λόγου συμμετρίας φειδόμενος, τῇ αὐτῶν ἐκείνων ἀρκεσθήσομαι μαρτυρίᾳ. ὡς δὲ διάστροφος καὶ βεβιασμένη ἡ τοιαύτη τυγχάνει τῆς ἀποστολικῆς λέξεως διήγησις, οὔ μοι δεῖν ἡγοῦμαι κατασκευῆς πλείονος, διὰ τὸ καὶ παντί τῳ κατάφωρον εἶναι τὸ ἀναιδὲς τῆς ἑρμηνείας. 3.8.1 πλὴν τοσαῦτα περὶ τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰπὼν οὐδ' αὐτὴν ἡμῖν φυλάττει σώαν· ὡς εἴθε γὰρ κἂν εἰς αὐτὴν τὸν εὐσεβῆ διετήρει λογισμόν. νυνὶ δὲ μετὰ πάντα τὰ περὶ αὐτῆς αὐτῷ λελεγμένα ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων καταλείπεσθαι αὐτὴν ἔρημον τοῦ λόγου ἀποφαίνεται γράφων οὕτως εἰ οὖν ὁμολογεῖ τὴν σάρκα μηδὲν ὠφελεῖν αὐτόν, πῶς ἐγχωρεῖ τὴν ἐκ γῆς τε οὖσαν καὶ μηδὲν ὠφελοῦσαν καὶ ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσιν αἰῶσιν ὡς αὐτῷ λυσιτελοῦσαν συνεῖναι τῷ λόγω; καὶ δευτεροῖ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐν ἑτέρῳ φάσκων εἰ τοίνυν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως ἁπάντων καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν κτίσιν ἐκ τῆς δουλείας εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν μεταβλη θήσεσθαι ὁ Παῦλος ἔφη λέγει γὰρ «ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθε ρωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ θεοῦ», πῶς ἔτι τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν, ἣν ἀνείληφεν ὁ λόγος, μορφὴν οὖσαν δούλου, συνεῖναι τῷ λόγῳ δι' αὐτὴν γένοιτ' ἂν δυνατόν; ὁρᾷς ὁποίας προέσθαι φωνὰς κατὰ τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τετόλμηκεν, οὐκ ἐπιστήσας ὡς καὶ πρὸ τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναλήψεως ἔτι οὖσαν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ γῆς πρὸ τοῦ πάθους οὕτως ἐδόξασεν ἐν τῷ ὄρει, τρισὶν τοῖς ἐκκρίτοις αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς μόνοις εἰκόνα δεικνὺς τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐξαστράψαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ 3.10.2 φωτὸς μαρμαρυγὰς ἐκλάμψαι «ἐγένετο» γάρ φησιν ἡ θεία γραφὴ «τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς», ἀλλ' οὐδὲ συνεὶς ὁποῖον σῶμα δόξης Χριστοῦ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν καὶ ὡς καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα σύμμορφα ἔσεσθαι ἐκείνῳ τῷ σώματι ἐδίδασκεν λέγων «ὃς μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ», ἀλλ' οὐδὲ νοήσας τίνι τρόπῳ καταποθήσεσθαι τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς ἔγραφεν φάσκων «ἐφ' ᾧ οὐ θέλομεν ἐκδύσασθαι ἀλλ' ἐπενδύσασθαι, ἵνα καταποθῇ τὸ θνητὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς»· τούτων