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he again runs to be baptized, often even with his clothes on. But now 1.335 virginity and continence are completely forbidden among them, as also among the other heresies similar to this one. For at one time they revered virginity, supposedly on account of Jacob the brother of the Lord; for which reason they also write their own compositions for elders and virgins. But their beginning came after the capture of Jerusalem. For since all who had believed in Christ for the most part inhabited Peraea at that time, in a certain city called Pella of the Decapolis, which is written of in the gospel, near the country of Batanaea and Basanitis, when they migrated there then and were spending their time there, an opportunity arose from this for Ebion. And he began to make his dwelling in a certain village, Cochabe, in the parts of Carnaim, also called Astaroth, in the country of Basanitis, as the knowledge that has come to us contains. From there he begins his evil teaching, supposedly from where also the Nazoraeans came, whom I have indicated above. For since he joined with them and they with him, each imparted to the other from his own wickedness. And they differ one from another in some respect, but in their evil-mindedness they took an impression from each other. And I have already spoken at length in other discourses and in connection with other heresies about the location of Cochabe and of Arabia. 3. And at first this Ebion, as I said, defined Christ as from the seed of a man, that is, of Joseph; but for some time now his followers, as having turned their own mind to what is incoherent and impossible, relate things about Christ differently among themselves; 1.336 and perhaps, I think, from the joining to them of Elxai the false prophet, who I have indicated before was among those called Sampseans and Ossenes and Elkesaites, they relate, as he did, a certain phantasm about Christ and about the holy spirit. For some of them say that Christ is Adam, the first one who was both formed and in-breathed by the inspiration of God. But others among them say that he is from above and was created before all things, being a spirit and being above the angels and ruling over all, and 1.337 is called Christ, and has inherited the age to come; and that he comes here whenever he wishes, as he also came in Adam and appeared to the patriarchs, putting on the body; and coming to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the same one came in the last days and put on the very body of Adam and was seen by men and was crucified and rose and ascended. But again, whenever they wish, they say: no, but the spirit which is the Christ came upon him and put on him who is called Jesus. And there is great darkness among them, as they suppose him to be one way at one time and another at another. And they themselves also accept the gospel according to Matthew. For they too, like those of Cerinthus and Merinthus, use this alone. And they call it "according to the 1.338 Hebrews," as the truth is to say that Matthew alone in the New Testament made his exposition and proclamation of the gospel in the Hebrew language and with Hebrew letters. And somewhere some have said again that the Gospel according to John, translated from the Greek language into Hebrew, is brought forth in the treasuries of the Jews, I mean those in Tiberias, and is laid up in secret, as some of those from the Jews who have believed have related to us in detail; but not only that, but also the book of the Acts of the Apostles, likewise translated from the Greek tongue into Hebrew, the story has it, lies there in the treasuries, so that from this those Jews who read it, who related it to us, have believed in Christ. 4. And there was a certain Josephus from among them, not the author and historian and

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πάλιν ἀνατρέχει βαπτίζεσθαι, πολλάκις καὶ σὺν τοῖς ἱματίοις. τὰ νῦν δὲ 1.335 ἀπηγόρευται παντάπασι παρ' αὐτοῖς παρθενία τε καὶ ἐγκράτεια, ὡς καὶ παρὰ ταῖς ἄλλαις ταῖς ὁμοίαις ταύτῃ αἱρέσεσι. ποτὲ γὰρ παρθενίαν ἐσεμνύνοντο, δῆθεν διὰ τὸν Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου· διὸ καὶ τὰ αὐτῶν συγγράμματα πρεσβυτέροις καὶ παρθένοις γράφουσι. γέγονε δὲ ἡ ἀρχὴ τούτων μετὰ τὴν τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἅλωσιν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πάντες οἱ εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότες τὴν Περαίαν κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ κατῴκησαν τὸ πλεῖστον, ἐν Πέλλῃ τινὶ πόλει καλουμένῃ τῆς ∆εκαπόλεως τῆς ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ γεγραμμένης πλησίον τῆς Βαταναίας καὶ Βασανίτιδος χώρας, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐκεῖ μεταναστάντων καὶ ἐκεῖσε διατριβόντων αὐτῶν, γέγονεν ἐκ τούτου πρόφασις τῷ Ἐβίωνι. καὶ ἄρχεται μὲν τὴν κατοίκησιν ἔχειν ἐν Κωκάβῃ τινὶ κώμῃ ἐπὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Καρναὶμ τῆς καὶ Ἀσταρὼς ἐν τῇ Βασανίτιδι χώρᾳ, ὡς ἡ ἐλθοῦσα εἰς ἡμᾶς γνῶσις περιέχει. ἔνθεν ἄρχεται τῆς κακῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας, ὅθεν δῆθεν καὶ οἱ Ναζωραῖοι, οἳ ἄνω μοι προδεδήλωνται. συναφθεὶς γὰρ οὗτος ἐκείνοις καὶ ἐκεῖνοι τούτῳ, ἑκάτερος ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μοχθηρίας τῷ ἑτέρῳ μετέδωκε. καὶ διαφέρονται μὲν ἕτερος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον κατά τι, ἐν δὲ τῇ κακονοίᾳ ἀλλήλους ἀπεμάξαντο. ἤδη δέ μοι καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις λόγοις καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἄλλας αἱρέσεις περὶ τῆς τοποθεσίας Κωκάβων καὶ τῆς Ἀραβίας διὰ πλάτους εἴρηται. 3. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οὗτος ὁ Ἐβίων, ὡς ἔφην, Χριστὸν ἐκ σπέρματος ἀνδρός, τουτέστι τοῦ Ἰωσήφ, ὡρίζετο· ἐκ χρόνου δέ τινος καὶ δεῦρο οἱ αὐτοῦ, ὡς εἰς ἀσύστατον καὶ ἀμήχανον τρέψαντες τὸν ἴδιον νοῦν ἄλλοι ἄλλως παρ' αὐτοῖς περὶ Χριστοῦ διηγοῦνται· 1.336 τάχα δὲ οἶμαι ἀπὸ τοῦ συναφθῆναι αὐτοῖς Ἠλξαῖον τὸν ψευδοπροφήτην τὸν παρὰ τοῖς Σαμψηνοῖς καὶ Ὀσσηνοῖς καὶ Ἐλκεσαίοις καλουμένοις μοι προδεδηλωμένον, ὡς ἐκεῖνος φαντασίαν τινὰ περὶ Χριστοῦ διηγοῦνται καὶ περὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου. τινὲς γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ Ἀδὰμ τὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι λέγουσιν, τὸν πρῶτόν τε πλασθέντα καὶ ἐμφυσηθέντα ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιπνοίας. ἄλλοι δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς λέγουσιν ἄνωθεν μὲν αὐτὸν ὄντα πρὸ πάντων δὲ αὐτὸν κτισθέντα, πνεῦμα ὄντα καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀγγέλους ὄντα πάντων τε κυριεύοντα, καὶ 1.337 Χριστὸν λέγεσθαι, τὸν ἐκεῖσε δὲ αἰῶνα κεκληρῶσθαι· ἔρχεσθαι δὲ ἐνταῦθα ὅτε βούλεται, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἦλθε καὶ τοῖς πατριάρχαις ἐφαίνετο ἐνδυόμενος τὸ σῶμα· πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ δὲ ἐλθὼν καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ὁ αὐτὸς ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἦλθεν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐνεδύσατο καὶ ὤφθη ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἐσταυρώθη καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ ἀνῆλθεν. πάλιν δὲ ὅτε βούλονται λέγουσιν· οὐχί, ἀλλὰ εἰς αὐτὸν ἦλθε τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ἐνεδύσατο αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰησοῦν καλούμενον. καὶ πολλὴ παρ' αὐτοῖς σκότωσις, ἄλλοτε ἄλλως καὶ ἄλλως αὐτὸν ὑποτιθεμένοις. καὶ δέχονται μὲν καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸ κατὰ Ματθαῖον εὐαγγέλιον. τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοί, ὡς καὶ οἱ κατὰ Κήρινθον καὶ Μήρινθον χρῶνται μόνῳ. καλοῦσι δὲ αὐτὸ κατὰ 1.338 Ἑβραίους, ὡς τὰ ἀληθῆ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ματθαῖος μόνος Ἑβραϊστὶ καὶ Ἑβραϊκοῖς γράμμασιν ἐν τῇ καινῇ διαθήκῃ ἐποιήσατο τὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἔκθεσίν τε καὶ κήρυγμα. ἤδη δέ που καί τινες πάλιν ἔφασαν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς διαλέκτου τὸ κατὰ Ἰωάννην μεταληφθὲν εἰς Ἑβραΐδα ἐμφέρεσθαι ἐν τοῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων γαζοφυλακίοις, φημὶ δὲ τοῖς ἐν Τιβεριάδι, καὶ ἐναποκεῖσθαι ἐν ἀποκρύφοις, ὥς τινες τῶν ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων πεπιστευκότων ὑφηγήσαντο ἡμῖν κατὰ λεπτότητα· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν Πράξεων τῶν ἀποστόλων τὴν βίβλον ὡσαύτως ἀπὸ Ἑλλάδος γλώσσης εἰς Ἑβραΐδα μεταληφθεῖσαν λόγος ἔχει ἐκεῖσε κεῖσθαι ἐν τοῖς γαζοφυλακίοις, ὡς καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου τοὺς ἀναγνόντας Ἰουδαίους τοὺς ἡμῖν ὑφηγησαμένους εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκέναι. 4. Ἦν δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν Ἰώσηπος, οὐχ ὁ συγγραφεὺς καὶ ἱστοριογράφος καὶ