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to the children of Joseph, if indeed they were from her, I mean to James and Joses and Judas and Simeon 1.320 being sons of Joseph from another wife. For he had no relations with the virgin at all, may it not be so; for after giving birth, the virgin is found undefiled. But concerning these things, I have already treated them clearly in another discourse, and will treat them again; but here it has been spoken of in part, as in a digression, concerning their hypothesis, so that, while wishing to create a cure for other bites and a remedy and antidote for other poisons * I might not divert the readers to other things. But in every way, to the one who possesses understanding, their ridiculous teaching will be established as futile, being refuted by the apostles, being condemned by the intelligent, and being cast out by God and the same preaching of the truth. 8. These are also called Merinthians, as the report that has come to us contains. For whether the same Cerinthus was also called Merinthus, we do not know this very clearly, or whether there was some other collaborator named Merinthus, is known to God. For we have already said that not only did he himself often oppose the apostles in Jerusalem, but also those with him, and in Asia; however, whether it was he himself or also another collaborator with him, thinking similar things and cooperating in the same, makes no difference. For the entire malevolence of their teaching has this character, and they are called Cerinthians and Merinthians alike. And having gone through these things concerning this terrible and serpentine wickedness, we proceed again to the next ones, giving thanks that we have swum through the sea of these evil doctrines unharmed, and praying that in encountering the next things, as if having fallen into stormy seas and beastly shoals, we might not be harmed, but might obtain the salvation from the truth that is about to appear to us through exposition as we establish both it and the empty talk against it 1.321. For to the one wishing to examine and record their ideas, this too will be compared to some truly two-headed snake on account of its having two names, and to the viper called sepedon, which has its whole body covered in red hairs, but having neither the nature nor hide of a goat or sheep but of a reptile, and working destruction by its bite on those who encounter it, overthrowing those persuaded by it, in one way abolishing the things of the new covenant from the old religion, and in another way, through false words as if from the new covenant, circulating falsehoods against the apostles from the circumcision who had believed in Christ, whose rot and venom and teeth, having struck and crushed with the wood of the truth, let us hasten, as I said before, to go through the subsequent things in the power of God.

Against the Nazoraeans 9, but of the sequence 29.

1. The Nazoraeans follow these in order, being at the same time as them, or even before them, or with them, or after them, nevertheless contemporary; for I cannot say more precisely who succeeded whom. For as I said, they were contemporary with one another and hold similar beliefs to one another. For these took upon themselves a name, not of Christ, nor the very name of Jesus, but of Nazoraeans. But all Christians 1.322 were then likewise called Nazoraeans; and it happened that for a short time they were also called Jessaeans, before the disciples began to be called Christians in Antioch. And they were called Jessaeans on account of Jesse, I think, since David was from Jesse, and from David, by succession of seed, was Mary, the divine scripture being fulfilled, according to the old

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τοῖς τέκνοις τοῦ Ἰωσήφ, εἴπερ ἦσαν ἐξ αὐτῆς, Ἰακώβῳ φημὶ καὶ Ἰωσῇ καὶ Ἰούδᾳ καὶ Συμεῶνι 1.320 υἱοῖς οὖσι τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ ἄλλης γυναικός. οὐδὲ γὰρ κέχρηται τῇ παρθένῳ ὅλως, μὴ γένοιτο· εὑρίσκεται γὰρ μετὰ τὸ γεγεννηκέναι ἡ παρθένος ἄχραντος. ἀλλὰ περὶ τούτων ἤδη ἐν ἄλλῳ μοι λόγῳ σαφῶς πεπραγμάτευται καὶ πραγματευθήσεται· ὧδε δὲ ἐν μέρει ὡς ἐν παρεκδρόμῃ περὶ τῆς τούτων ὑποθέσεως εἴρηται, ἵνα μὴ ἑτέρων δηγμάτων βουλόμενος ποιῆσαι ἴασιν καὶ ἑτέρων δηλητηρίων ἄκος καὶ ἀλεξητήριον * εἰς ἄλλα τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας παρεκτρέψω. πλὴν ἐκ παντὸς τῷ τὴν σύνεσιν κεκτημένῳ μάταιος ἡ τούτων καταχλεύαστος διδασκαλία συσταθήσεται, παρὰ μὲν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἐλεγχομένη, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς συνετοῖς καταγινωσκομένη, ἐκ θεοῦ δὲ καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας κηρύγματος ἐκβαλλομένη. 8. Καλοῦνται δὲ πάλιν οὗτοι Μηρινθιανοί, ὡς ἡ ἐλθοῦσα εἰς ἡμᾶς φάσις περιέχει. εἴτε γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς Κήρινθος Μήρινθος πάλιν ἐκαλεῖτο, οὐ πάνυ τι σαφῶς περὶ τούτου ἴσμεν, εἴτε ἄλλος τις ἦν Μήρινθος ὀνόματι συνεργὸς τούτου, θεῷ ἔγνωσται. ἤδη γὰρ εἴπαμεν ὅτι οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις πολλάκις ἀντέστη τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ· πλὴν ἤτοι αὐτὸς εἴη ἢ καὶ ἄλλος σὺν αὐτῷ συνεργὸς τὰ ὅμοια αὐτῷ φρονῶν καὶ συμπράττων εἰς τὰ ἴσα, οὐδὲν διαφέρει. ἡ γὰρ πᾶσα αὐτῶν κακοτροπία τῆς διδασκαλίας τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν χαρακτῆρα, Κηρινθιανοὶ δὲ ὁμοῦ καὶ Μηρινθιανοὶ οὗτοι καλοῦνται. Καὶ ταῦτα περὶ ταύτης τῆς δεινῆς καὶ ἑρπετώδους μοχθηρίας διεξιόντες πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰς ἑξῆς προβαίνομεν, εὐχαριστοῦντες μὲν ὅτι τὸ πέλαγος τούτων τῶν κακῶν δογμάτων ἀβλαβῶς διενηξάμεθα, εὐχόμενοι δὲ ἵνα ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς παρεντυχόντες, ὡς εἰς δυσθαλάττια καὶ θηριώδη βράχη παρεμπεσόντες μὴ ἀδικηθῶμεν, ἀλλὰ σωτηρίας τύχωμεν τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ἡμῖν καθ' ὑφήγησιν ἀναφαίνεσθαι ἀληθείας ἐν τῷ ἡμᾶς συνιστᾶν αὐτήν τε καὶ τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῇ 1.321 κενοφωνίαν. τῷ γὰρ βουλομένῳ σκοπεῖν καὶ τὰς τούτων ἰδέας ἀναγράφειν καὶ αὕτη παρεικασθήσεται ὡς ἀληθῶς δικεφάλῳ τινὶ ὄφει διὰ τὸ διώνυμον καὶ τῇ καλουμένῃ σηπεδόνι ἐχίδνῃ, τῇ κομώσῃ μὲν πᾶν τὸ σῶμα αὐτῆς ἐν θριξὶν ἐρυθραῖς, οὐκ ἐχούσῃ δὲ οὐδὲ αἰγὸς οὐδὲ προβάτου φύσιν ἢ δορὰν ἀλλὰ ἑρπετοῦ καὶ τὴν λύμην ἐργαζομένῃ διὰ τοῦ δήγματος τοῖς παρεντυγχάνουσιν, ἀνατρέπουσα τοὺς αὐτῇ πειθομένους, πῆ μὲν ἀπὸ παλαιᾶς θρῃσκείας τὰ τῆς νέας διαθήκης ἀφανίζουσα, πῆ δὲ διὰ λόγων ψευδῶν ὡς ἀπὸ νέας διαθήκης κατὰ τῶν ἀπὸ περιτομῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότων ἀποστόλων τὰς ψευδηγορίας περιφέρουσα, ἧς τήν τε σῆψιν καὶ τὸν ἰὸν καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ἀληθείας παίσαντες καὶ συντρίψαντες ἐπὶ τὰς μετέπειτα ὡς προεῖπον διεξιέναι ἐν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμει σπεύσωμεν.

Κατὰ Ναζωραίων ˉθ, τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ˉκˉθ.

1. Ναζωραῖοι καθεξῆς τούτοις ἕπονται, ἅμα τε αὐτοῖς ὄντες ἢ καὶ πρὸ αὐτῶν ἢ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἢ μετ' αὐτούς, ὅμως σύγχρονοι· οὐ γὰρ ἀκριβέστερον δύναμαι ἐξειπεῖν τίνες τίνας διεδέξαντο. καθὰ γὰρ ἔφην, σύγχρονοι ἦσαν ἀλλήλοις καὶ ὅμοια ἀλλήλοις κέκτηνται τὰ φρονήματα. οὗτοι γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς ὄνομα ἐπέθεντο οὐχὶ Χριστοῦ οὔτε αὐτὸ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἀλλὰ Ναζωραίων. πάντες δὲ Χριστιανοὶ 1.322 Ναζωραῖοι τότε ὡσαύτως ἐκαλοῦντο· γέγονε δὲ ἐπ' ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ καλεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς καὶ Ἰεσσαίους, πρὶν ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας ἀρχὴν λάβωσιν οἱ μαθηταὶ καλεῖσθαι Χριστιανοί. ἐκαλοῦντο δὲ Ἰεσσαῖοι διὰ τὸν Ἰεσσαί, οἶμαι, ἐπειδήπερ ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἐξ Ἰεσσαί, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ κατὰ διαδοχὴν σπέρματος ἡ Μαρία, πληρουμένης τῆς θείας γραφῆς, κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν