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He considered nothing common of those not called common. For he did not carry through the 'common and unclean' against all things, but concerning those things which the law called common and unclean. And again, when this was shown, that it was not concerning all meats that it was led to him as if all were common, but concerning those in the law that were common and unclean, the God of the holy church of Christ, delivering the character, said to him to consider nothing common; "for all things are clean when received with thanksgiving and the blessing of God." But even if it had the riddle concerning the calling of the Gentiles, so that he should not consider those in uncircumcision common or unclean, nevertheless the emphasis of Peter did not have the suspicion concerning men, but concerning the things forbidden in the law, as would be clear to anyone; and their nonsensical argument fell away from everywhere. 23. But they pretend to accept the names of the apostles for the persuasion of those deceived by them, having also forged and written books in their name, supposedly from the person of James and Matthew and other disciples. Among which names they also count the name of John the apostle, so that their folly may be detected from every side. For not only does he refute them in every way, saying that "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," but also that the testimonies of the holy prophets *, in which, being moved by the Holy Spirit and having accurately detailed the things spoken by the Savior concerning each matter fulfilled in Christ, as I said, he set forth the testimonies, from which prophets these men have alienated themselves. And he immediately showed how to those sent by the Pharisees to John the Baptist1.365, John himself answers, saying, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said." And again John himself says, taking the testimony from the prophets—I mean from David—when the Lord overturned the tables of the money-changers and said, "Do not make my Father's house a house of trade," "they remembered that it was written, 'The zeal for your house has consumed me.'" And again John himself said that "Isaiah saw, being in the Holy Spirit." 24. Again, the same holy John, preaching in Asia, is related to have done a certain paradoxical deed as an example of the truth. For having a most admirable way of life, and one befitting his apostolic dignity, and never bathing at all, he was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go to the bath, saying, "Get me the things for the bath." And while his followers were marveling, he came to the bath itself, and approaching the one accustomed to receive the clothes of the bathers, he asked who was inside in the bath; but the attendant who was in charge of guarding the clothes—for in the gymnasia this is a job for some for the sake of providing daily food—said to the holy John that Ebion was inside. But John, immediately understanding the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for which reason it had urged him to come to the bath, as I said, for the sake of the memory of leaving to us the foundation of the truth, namely who are the servants of Christ and apostles and sons of the same truth, and who are the vessels of the evil one and the gates of Hades, which do not prevail against the rock and the holy church of God built upon it, immediately being disturbed and groaning, quietly, so that all could hear as a testimony of the presentation of unstained teaching, said, "Hurry, brothers, let us go out from here, lest the bathhouse fall and bury us with Ebion who is inside in the bath because of his 1.366 impiety." And let no one marvel at hearing that Ebion had met John. For the blessed John, remaining long in this life, continued until the reign of Trajan.

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οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἡγήσατο τῶν οὐ κοινῶν λεγομένων. καὶ γὰρ οὐ κατὰ πάντων διεξήγαγε τὸ κοινὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον, ἀλλὰ περὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν ὁ νόμος κοινῶν καὶ ἀκαθάρτων. πάλιν δὲ τούτου δειχθέντος ὅτι οὐ περὶ πάντων τῶν κρεῶν αὐτῷ ἤγετο ὡς κοινῶν πάντων ὄντων, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κοινῶν τε καὶ ἀκαθάρτων, ὁ θεὸς τῆς ἁγίας Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίας τὸν χαρακτῆρα παραδιδοὺς ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ μηδὲν κοινὸν ἡγεῖσθαι· «πάντα γάρ ἐστι καθαρὰ μετὰ εὐχαριστίας καὶ εὐλογίας θεοῦ λαμβανόμενα.» ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ περὶ τῆς κλήσεως τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸ αἴνιγμα εἶχεν, ἵνα μὴ ἡγήσηται τοὺς ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ κοινοὺς ἢ ἀκαθάρτους, ὅμως ἡ ἔμφασις τοῦ Πέτρου οὐ περὶ ἀνθρώπων εἶχε τὴν ὑπόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἀπηγορευμένων, ὡς καὶ παντί τῳ σαφὲς ἂν εἴη· καὶ ἐξέπεσεν αὐτῶν πανταχόθεν ὁ ληρώδης λόγος. 23. Τῶν δὲ ἀποστόλων τὰ ὀνόματα εἰς τὴν τῶν ἠπατημένων ὑπ' αὐτῶν πειθὼ προσποιητῶς δέχονται βίβλους τε ἐξ ὀνόματος αὐτῶν πλασάμενοι ἀνεγράψαντο, δῆθεν ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἰακώβου καὶ Ματθαίου καὶ ἄλλων μαθητῶν. ἐν οἷς ὀνόμασι καὶ τὸ ὄνομα Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἐγκαταλέγουσιν, ἵνα πανταχόθεν φωρατὴ γένηται ἡ αὐτῶν ἄνοια. οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐλέγχει αὐτοὺς κατὰ πάντα τρόπον, λέγων ὅτι «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος», ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτι τὰς τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν μαρτυρίας *, ἐν ᾧ ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου ὁρμώμενος καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένα καλῶς ἀκριβολογήσας περὶ ἑκάστης ὑποθέσεως τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πληρωθείσης, ὡς εἶπον, τὰς μαρτυρίας ἐξέθετο, ἀφ' ὧν προφητῶν οὗτοι ἑαυτοὺς ἀπηλλοτρίωσαν. καὶ εὐθὺς ἔδειξεν ὡς τοῖς πρὸς Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστὴν ὑπὸ τῶν Φαρισαίων πεμφ1.365 θεῖσιν αὐτὸς Ἰωάννης ἀποκρίνεται λέγων «ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης». καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸς Ἰωάννης λέγει, ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν λαβὼν τὴν μαρτυρίαν φημὶ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆αυίδ, ὅτε ὁ κύριος τὰς τραπέζας τῶν κολλυβιστῶν κατέστρεψε καὶ εἶπεν· μὴ ποιῆτε τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου οἶκον ἐμπορίου, «ἐμνήσθησαν ὅτι ἦν γεγραμμένον ὅτι ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου κατέφαγέν με». καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸς Ἰωάννης εἶπεν ὅτι «Ἠσαΐας εἶδεν ὢν ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ». 24. Πάλιν δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς ἅγιος Ἰωάννης κηρύττων ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ ἱστορεῖται παράδοξον ἔργον τι πεποιηκὼς εἰς ὑπογραμμὸν τῆς ἀληθείας. πολιτείαν γὰρ ἔχων θαυμασιωτάτην καὶ συμπρέπουσαν αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀξιώματι τῆς ἀποστολῆς καὶ μηδ' ὅλως λουόμενος, ἠναγκάσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος προελθεῖν ἕως τοῦ βαλανείου, εἰπὼν ὅτι «λάβετέ μοι τὰ πρὸς βαλανεῖον». καὶ τῶν συνεπομένων θαυμαζόντων ἦλθεν εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ λουτρὸν καὶ γεγονὼς πρὸς τὸν εἰωθότα ὑποδέχεσθαι τῶν λουομένων τὰ ἱμάτια ἤρετο τίς ἔνδον ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ βαλανείῳ· ὁ δὲ ὀλεάριος ὁ ἐπὶ τῷ φυλάττειν τὰ ἱμάτια προσκαρτερῶν ἐν τοῖς γὰρ γυμνασίοις ἔργον τοῦτό τισιν ὑπάρχει πορισμοῦ ἕνεκα τῆς ἐφημέρου τροφῆς ἔφη τῷ ἁγίῳ Ἰωάννῃ ὅτι Ἐβίων ἔνδον ἐστίν. Ἰωάννης δὲ εὐθὺς συνεὶς τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ὁδηγίαν, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν προὐτρέψατο αὐτὸν ἕως τοῦ βαλανείου ἥκειν, ὡς ἔφην, μνήμης ἕνεκα τοῦ καταλιπεῖν ἡμῖν τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ὑπόθεσιν, ὅτι τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ υἱοὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀληθείας, τίνα δέ ἐστι τὰ σκεύη τοῦ πονηροῦ καὶ πύλαι Ἅιδου, μὴ κατισχύουσαι τῆς πέτρας καὶ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῇ οἰκοδομηθείσης ἁγίας θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας, εὐθὺς ταράξας ἑαυτὸν καὶ οἰμώξας, ἠρέμα εἰς τὸ πάντας ἀκοῦσαι εἰς μαρτύριον παραστάσεως ἀχράντου διδασκαλίας «σπεύσατε, ἀδελφοί» ἔφη «ἐξέλθωμεν ἐντεῦθεν, μὴ πέσῃ τὸ βαλανεῖον καὶ κατορύξῃ ἡμᾶς μετὰ Ἐβίωνος τοῦ ἔνδον ἐν τῷ βαλανείῳ διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ 1.366 ἀσέβειαν». καὶ μηδεὶς θαυμαζέτω ἐπὶ τῷ ἀκοῦσαι Ἐβίωνα Ἰωάννῃ συντετυχηκέναι. πολυχρόνιος γὰρ καταμείνας τῷ βίῳ ὁ μακάριος Ἰωάννης διήρκεσεν ἄχρι τῆς τοῦ Τραϊανοῦ βασιλείας.