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have handed down in writing, and of these Irenaeus was one, come, let us set forth his own words, 5.8.2 and first those concerning the holy Gospels, which are as follows: “Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome and laying the foundations of the Church. 5.8.3 After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter; and Luke also, the follower of Paul, put down in a book the Gospel that was preached by him. 5.8.4 Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia.” 5.8.5 These things are said by him in the third book of his aforementioned work, but in the fifth he discusses the Revelation of John and the calculation of the name of the Antichrist as follows: “These things being so, and this number being found in all the approved and ancient copies, and those who saw John face to face bearing witness to it, while reason also teaches us that the number of the name of the beast, according to the Greek method of calculation by the letters in it, is indicated.” 5.8.6 And a little further on he says of the same: “We will not, however, incur the risk of making any positive assertion about the name of Antichrist. For if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision; for it was seen not long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian's reign.” 5.8.7 These things are recorded by the aforementioned writer concerning the Apocalypse; he also mentions the first epistle of John, drawing many testimonies from it, and likewise from the first of Peter. And he not only knows, but also accepts the writing of the Shepherd, saying: “Well therefore says the Scripture, 'First of all, believe that God is one, who created and framed all things',” and the rest. 5.8.8 And he uses certain sayings from the Wisdom of Solomon, almost saying: “But the vision of God is the cause of incorruption, and incorruption makes us near to God.” He also mentions the memoirs of a certain apostolic presbyter, whose name he has passed over in silence, and sets forth his expositions of the divine Scriptures. 5.8.9 Further, he has made mention of Justin the Martyr and of Ignatius, using testimonies again also from the writings of these men, and he has promised to refute Marcion from his own writings in a special work. 5.8.10 And concerning the interpretation of the divinely inspired Scriptures by the Seventy, hear what he writes word for word: “God, therefore, was made man, and the Lord Himself saved us, giving the sign of the virgin, but not as some say of those who now presume to translate the Scripture, 'Behold, the young woman shall conceive and bear a son'; as Theodotion the Ephesian and Aquila of Pontus, both Jewish proselytes, have interpreted, whom the Ebionites following, assert that he was begotten by Joseph.” 5.8.11 To these he adds after a short space, saying: “For before the Romans strengthened their empire, while the Macedonians still possessed Asia, Ptolemy the son of Lagus, being ambitious to adorn the library which he had founded in Alexandria with the writings of all men, at least those that were of value, requested from the people of Jerusalem to have their Scriptures translated into the Greek dialect. 5.8.12 But they, for they were then still subject to the Macedonians, sent to Ptolemy seventy elders, the most experienced they had in the Scriptures and in both languages, God having accomplished what He wished. 5.8.13 But he, wishing to make a trial of them in his own way, and being apprehensive lest by some agreement they should conceal

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γραφῇ παραδεδώκασιν, τούτων δὲ καὶ ὁ Εἰρηναῖος ἦν, φέρε, καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ παραθώμεθα λέξεις, 5.8.2 καὶ πρώτας γε τὰς περὶ τῶν ἱερῶν εὐαγγελίων οὕτως ἐχούσας· «ὁ μὲν δὴ Ματθαῖος ἐν τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τῇ ἰδίᾳ αὐτῶν διαλέκτῳ καὶ γραφὴν ἐξήνεγκεν εὐαγγελίου, τοῦ Πέτρου καὶ τοῦ Παύλου ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελιζομένων καὶ θεμελιούντων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. 5.8.3 μετὰ δὲ τὴν τούτων ἔξοδον Μάρκος, ὁ μαθητὴς καὶ ἑρμηνευτὴς Πέτρου, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ ὑπὸ Πέτρου κηρυσσόμενα ἐγγράφως ἡμῖν παραδέδωκεν· καὶ Λουκᾶς δέ, ὁ ἀκόλουθος Παύλου, τὸ ὑπ' ἐκείνου κηρυσσόμενον εὐαγγέλιον ἐν βίβλῳ κατέθετο. 5.8.4 ἔπειτα Ἰωάννης, ὁ μαθητὴς τοῦ κυρίου, ὁ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ ἀναπεσών, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξέδωκεν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν Ἐφέσῳ τῆς Ἀσίας διατρίβων». 5.8.5 ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν τρίτῳ τῆς εἰρημένης ὑποθέσεως τῷ προδηλωθέντι εἴρηται, ἐν δὲ τῷ πέμπτῳ περὶ τῆς Ἰωάννου Ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ τῆς ψήφου τῆς τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου προσηγορίας οὕτως διαλαμβάνει· «τούτων δὲ οὕτως ἐχόντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς σπουδαίοις καὶ ἀρχαίοις ἀντιγράφοις τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τούτου κειμένου καὶ μαρτυρούντων αὐτῶν ἐκείνων τῶν κατ' ὄψιν τὸν Ἰωάννην ἑορακότων καὶ τοῦ λόγου διδάσκοντος ἡμᾶς ὅτι ὁ ἀριθμὸς τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θηρίου κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλήνων ψῆφον διὰ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ γραμμάτων ἐμφαίνεται». 5.8.6 καὶ ὑποκαταβὰς περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φάσκει· «ἡμεῖς οὖν οὐκ ἀποκινδυνεύομεν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου ἀποφαινόμενοι βεβαιωτικῶς. εἰ γὰρ ἔδει ἀναφανδὸν ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ κηρύττεσθαι τοὔνομα αὐτοῦ, δι' ἐκείνου ἂν ἐρρέθη τοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν ἑορακότος· οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸ πολλοῦ χρόνου ἑωράθη, ἀλλὰ σχεδὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας γενεᾶς, πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῆς ∆ομετιανοῦ ἀρχῆς». 5.8.7 ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἀποκαλύψεως ἱστόρηται τῷ δεδηλωμένῳ· μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἰωάννου πρώτης ἐπιστολῆς, μαρτυρίας ἐξ αὐτῆς πλείστας εἰσφέρων, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῆς Πέτρου προτέρας. οὐ μόνον δὲ οἶδεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποδέχεται τὴν τοῦ Ποιμένος γραφήν, λέγων· «καλῶς οὖν ἡ γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα πρῶτον πάντων πίστευσον ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ὁ τὰ πάντα κτίσας καὶ καταρτίσας», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 5.8.8 καὶ ῥητοῖς δέ τισιν ἐκ τῆς Σολομῶνος Σοφίας κέχρηται, μόνον οὐχὶ φάσκων· «ὅρασις δὲ θεοῦ περιποιητικὴ ἀφθαρσίας, ἀφθαρσία δὲ ἐγγὺς εἶναι ποιεῖ θεοῦ». καὶ ἀπομνημονευμάτων δὲ ἀποστολικοῦ τινος πρεσβυτέρου, οὗ τοὔνομα σιωπῇ παρέδωκεν, μνημονεύει ἐξηγήσεις τε αὐτοῦ θείων γραφῶν παρατέθειται. 5.8.9 ἔτι καὶ Ἰουστίνου τοῦ μάρτυρος καὶ Ἰγνατίου μνήμην πεποίηται, μαρτυρίαις αὖθις καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τούτοις γραφέντων κεχρημένος, ἐπήγγελται δ' αὐτὸς ἐκ τῶν Μαρκίωνος συγγραμμάτων ἀντιλέξειν αὐτῷ ἐν ἰδίῳ σπουδάσματι. 5.8.10 καὶ περὶ τῆς κατὰ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα ἑρμηνείας τῶν θεοπνεύστων γραφῶν ἄκουε οἷα κατὰ λέξιν γράφει· «ὁ θεὸς οὖν ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο καὶ αὐτὸς κύριος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς, δοὺς τὸ τῆς παρθένου σημεῖον, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἔνιοί φασιν τῶν νῦν τολμώντων μεθερμηνεύειν τὴν γραφήν, «ἰδοὺ ἡ νεᾶνις ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν»· ὡς Θεοδοτίων ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Ἐφέσιος καὶ Ἀκύλας ὁ Ποντικός, ἀμφότεροι Ἰουδαῖοι προσήλυτοι, οἷς κατακολουθήσαντες οἱ Ἐβιωναῖοι ἐξ Ἰωσὴφ αὐτὸν γεγενῆσθαι φάσκουσιν». 5.8.11 τούτοις ἐπιφέρει μετὰ βραχέα λέγων· «πρὸ τοῦ γὰρ Ῥωμαίους κρατῦναι τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῶν, ἔτι τῶν Μακεδόνων τὴν Ἀσίαν κατεχόντων, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Λάγου φιλοτιμούμενος τὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατεσκευασμένην βιβλιοθήκην ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ κοσμῆσαι τοῖς πάντων ἀνθρώπων συγγράμμασιν ὅσα γε σπουδαῖα ὑπῆρχεν, ᾐτήσατο παρὰ τῶν Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν εἰς τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν διάλεκτον σχεῖν αὐτῶν μεταβεβλημένας τὰς γραφάς. 5.8.12 οἳ δέ, ὑπήκουον γὰρ ἔτι τοῖς Μακεδόσιν τότε, τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐμπειροτάτους τῶν γραφῶν καὶ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν διαλέκτων, ἑβδομήκοντα πρεσβυτέρους, ἔπεμψαν Πτολεμαίῳ, ποιήσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ ὅπερ ἠβούλετο. 5.8.13 ὃ δὲ ἰδίᾳ πεῖραν αὐτῶν λαβεῖν θελήσας εὐλαβηθείς τε μή τι ἄρα συνθέμενοι ἀποκρύψωσι