70

Jews by race and adhering to the law and possessing circumcision, but like some people who from a distance see a fire and do not understand for what reason those who lit this pyre or 1.327 for what use they are doing this, either preparing their own provisions for food by means of the fire, or for the destruction of some combustible wood or brushwood that is usually consumed by fire, so too they, imitating them, lit a fire and burned themselves. For having heard only the name of Jesus and having seen the divine signs performed by the hands of the apostles, they too believe in Jesus. But having learned that he was conceived in the womb in Nazareth and brought up in the house of Joseph, and for this reason in the Gospel is called Jesus the Nazarene, as the apostles also say, "Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested by both signs and wonders" and the rest, they apply this name to themselves, to be called Nazarenes— not Nazirites, which is interpreted as 'consecrated ones.' For this was the dignity that belonged to the firstborn of old and to those dedicated to God, of whom Samson was one, and many others after him and before him, but John the Baptist was also one of these same men dedicated to God; "for he drank no wine or strong drink"; for this way of life was prescribed for such men, as befitting their dignity. 6. But neither did they call themselves Nasarenes; for the sect of the Nasarenes existed before Christ and did not know Christ—; but all people also called the Christians Nazarenes, as I said before, as they say when accusing Paul the apostle, "We have found this man a plague and one who stirs up the people, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." But the holy apostle does not deny the name, not confessing their sect, but gladly accepting the name brought against him on account of Christ out of the malice of those who spoke 1.328 against him. For he says before the tribunal, "Neither in the temple did they find me disputing with anyone or creating a crowd, nor have I done any of the things of which they accuse me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, so I worship, believing all things which are in the Law and in the Prophets." And it is no wonder that the apostle confessed himself a Nazarene, since everyone at that time called Christians by this name on account of the city of Nazareth, there being no other use for the name at the time, so that people called those who had believed in Christ Nazarenes, concerning whom it is also written, "that he shall be called a Nazarene." For even now people homonymously call all the sects—I mean Manichaeans and Marcionites and Gnostics and others—Christians, who are not Christians, and yet each sect, though called otherwise, accepts this rejoicing, because it is adorned by the name; for they seem to pride themselves on the name of Christ, but not in faith and in works. So also the holy disciples of Christ at that time called themselves disciples of Jesus, as indeed they were. But when they were called Nazarenes by others, they did not refuse it, considering the intention of those who called them this, that they called them this on account of Christ, since our Lord Jesus himself was also called the Nazarene, as the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles have it, because he was brought up in the city of Nazareth, which is now a village, in the house of Joseph, having been born according to the flesh in Bethlehem of Mary the ever-virgin who was betrothed to Joseph, who had moved to the same Nazareth after he had migrated from Bethlehem and settled in Galilee. 1.329 7. But these aforementioned heretics, about whom we are making our exposition here, have left aside the name of Jesus, they have neither called themselves Jesseans nor of the

70

γένος Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ τῷ νόμῳ προσανέχοντες καὶ περιτομὴν κεκτημένοι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ τινες θεασάμενοι πῦρ καὶ μὴ νοήσαντες δι' ἣν αἰτίαν οἱ τὴν πυρὰν ταύτην ἐξάψαντες ἢ 1.327 εἰς ἣν χρησιμότητα τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, ἢ τὰ τῆς ζωῆς ἑαυτῶν ὀψώνια πρὸς ἐδωδὴν διὰ τῆς πυρᾶς κατασκευάζοντες ἢ ἐπὶ ἀφανισμῷ τινων καυστικῶν ξύλων ἢ φρυγάνων τῶν ὑπὸ πυρὸς εἰωθότων ἀναλίσκεσθαι, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ μιμησάμενοι πῦρ ἀνάψαντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐνέπρησαν. ἀκούσαντες γὰρ μόνον ὄνομα Ἰησοῦ καὶ θεασάμενοι τὰ θεοσήμεια τὰ διὰ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων γινόμενα καὶ αὐτοὶ εἰς Ἰησοῦν πιστεύουσιν. γνόντες δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν Ναζαρὲτ ἐν γαστρὶ συλληφθέντα καὶ ἐν οἴκῳ Ἰωσὴφ ἀνατραφέντα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον καλεῖσθαι, ὡς καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοί φασιν «Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον, ἄνδρα ἀποδεδειγμένον ἔν τε σημείοις καὶ τέρασι» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα ἐπιτιθέασιν ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ καλεῖσθαι Ναζωραίους- οὐχὶ Ναζιραίους, τὸ ἑρμηνευόμενον ἡγιασμένους. τοῦτο γὰρ τοῖς τὸ παλαιὸν πρωτοτόκοις καὶ θεῷ ἀφιερωθεῖσιν ὑπῆρχεν τὸ ἀξίωμα, ὧν εἷς ὑπῆρχεν ὁ Σαμψὼν καὶ ἄλλοι μετ' αὐτὸν καὶ πρὸ αὐτοῦ πολλοί, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς τῶν αὐτῶν ἀφηγιασμένων τῷ θεῷ καὶ αὐτὸς εἷς ὑπῆρχεν· «οἶνον γὰρ καὶ σίκερα οὐκ ἔπινεν»· ὡρίζετο γὰρ τοῖς τοιούτοις αὕτη ἁρμόδιος τῷ ἀξιώματι ἡ πολιτεία. 6. ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ Νασαραίους ἑαυτοὺς ἐκάλεσαν· ἦν γὰρ ἡ αἵρεσις τῶν Νασαραίων πρὸ Χριστοῦ καὶ Χριστὸν οὐκ ᾔδει-· ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες ἄνθρωποι τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἐκάλουν Ναζωραίους ὡς προεῖπον, ὡς λέγουσι κατηγοροῦντες Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου «τοῦτον τὸν ἄνθρωπον ηὕρομεν λοιμὸν καὶ διαστρέφοντα τὸν λαόν, πρωτοστάτην τε ὄντα τῆς τῶν Ναζωραίων αἱρέσεως». ὁ δὲ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀρνεῖται μὲν τὸ ὄνομα, οὐχὶ τὴν τούτων αἵρεσιν ὁμολογῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀντι1.328 λεγόντων κακονοίας διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπενεχθὲν αὐτῷ ἀσμένως καταδεχόμενος. φησὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος «οὔτε ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ηὗρόν με πρός τινα διαλεγόμενον ἢ ἐπίστασίν τινα ὄχλου ποιοῦντα οὐδὲ ὧν μου κατηγοροῦσιν οὐδὲν πεποίηκα. ὁμολογῶ δέ σοι τοῦτο, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν αἵρεσιν οὗτοι φάσκουσιν οὕτω λατρεύω, πιστεύων πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις». καὶ οὐ θαῦμα ὅτι ὁ ἀπόστολος ὡμολόγει ἑαυτὸν Ναζωραῖον, πάντων καλούντων τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς τότε τούτῳ τῷ ὀνόματι διὰ Ναζαρὲτ τὴν πόλιν, ἄλλης μὴ οὔσης χρήσεως τῷ ὀνόματι πρὸς τὸν καιρόν, ὥστε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους Ναζωραίους καλεῖν τοὺς τῷ Χριστῷ πεπιστευκότας, περὶ οὗ καὶ γέγραπται «ὅτι Ναζωραῖος κληθήσεται». καὶ γὰρ καὶ νῦν ὁμωνύμως οἱ ἄνθρωποι πάσας τὰς αἱρέσεις, Μανιχαίους τέ φημι καὶ Μαρκιωνιστὰς Γνωστικούς τε καὶ ἄλλους, Χριστιανοὺς τοὺς μὴ ὄντας Χριστιανοὺς καλοῦσι καὶ ὅμως ἑκάστη αἵρεσις, καίπερ ἄλλως λεγομένη, καταδέχεται τοῦτο χαίρουσα, ὅτι διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος κοσμεῖται· δοκοῦσι γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σεμνύνεσθαι ὀνόματι, οὐ μὴν τῇ πίστει καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις. οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ τότε μαθητὰς Ἰησοῦ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκάλουν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἦσαν· ἀκούοντες δὲ παρὰ ἄλλων Ναζωραῖοι οὐκ ἀπηναίνοντο, τὸν σκοπὸν θεωροῦντες τῶν τοῦτο αὐτοὺς καλούντων, ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν αὐτοὺς ἐκάλουν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ἐκαλεῖτο, ὥσπερ ἔχει τὰ εὐαγγέλια καὶ αἱ Πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων, διὰ τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει αὐτὸν Ναζαρὲτ κώμῃ δὲ τὰ νῦν οὔσῃ ἀνατετράφθαι ἐν οἴκῳ Ἰωσήφ, γεννηθέντα κατὰ σάρκα ἐν Βηθλεὲμ ἀπὸ Μαρίας τῆς ἀειπαρθένου τῆς μεμνηστευμένης Ἰωσήφ, τῷ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ Ναζαρὲτ μετῳκηκότι μετὰ τὸ ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ αὐτὸν μεταναστάντα ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ κατοικισθῆναι. 1.329 7. Οὗτοι δὲ οἱ προειρημένοι αἱρεσιῶται, περὶ ὧν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ὑφήγησιν ποιούμεθα, παρέντες τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὔτε Ἰεσσαίους ἑαυτοὺς κεκλήκασιν οὔτε τῶν