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the Only-begotten Son, according to Paul of Samosata and Photinus the Galatian and those with them who were similarly impious, Artemas and Theodotus. 4.235 Therefore, those men were ostracized from the Church, having been shown to be utterly impious; but we, holding to the ancient mind of the synod of the faithful, confess that God the Word has visited, having taken up a perfect man from soul and body and spirit. 4.236 And that the Father gave the Son so that the child might be born, John the evangelist most clearly reveals that he who became man said about himself: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should have eternal life." The letter written to the Romans by the Christ-bearer Paul has this meaning, as follows: "God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, that he might condemn sin in the flesh." 4.237 These things have been said by me of necessity on account of the aforementioned Photinus and his teacher Marcellus, who say that the flesh is the son who was sent, with the Word of God in no way being called Son. In other places, a more extensive refutation of their falsely named knowledge has been made by us, when the subject was to speak concerning the Son of God, that is, the Word of God and his incarnation. 4.238 According to another theory, it is possible to say that he who was born of Mary is a house of the one who is the capable creator of all things by his hand, being an angel in the presence of those who are benefited, dwelling in the holy Jerusalem; and he became an angel in their presence, revealing the great counsel of God. 4.239 Zach. XII, 9-10: And it shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of mercy. 4.240 In the day that has drawn near after the night of ignorance and wickedness has advanced, about which the Apostle writes, saying: "The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us walk becomingly as in the day," the benefactor Lord seeks to destroy all the nations that come in a seditious and warlike manner against the city of the great king, Hierosolyma, which is Jerusalem. But he seeks to destroy all the nations that have been alienated from truth and piety, not so that the people no longer exist—for that is impossible—but so that they may no longer be evil and wicked. 4.241 For if he wished to destroy humanity utterly, he would not have sought to do this, being able suddenly to annihilate the whole into non-existence. For if from non-being he brought into being and called things that are, much more was he able to overturn them from existence, but this was not his will. At least, it has been said concerning him by the all-wise Solomon: "He created all things that they might be, and the generations of the world are wholesome; there is no poison of destruction in them." 4.242 For just as our Lord and Savior, having come to seek our lost race, saved it, so seeking to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem, he saves them, having destroyed the causes of the harm that befell them from lawless deeds and strange mindsets, so that with peace prevailing, the nations no longer come against the divine Jerusalem, having cast off their seditious manner and their warlike disposition. 4.243 The verb "to come against" signifies that those who attack are enemies and foreigners, as the proverbial saying says to one living peacefully: "When you lie down, you will sleep sweetly, and you will not be afraid of the assaults of the wicked as they come." 4.244 And that the destruction of the nations sought by the providential Savior of all is accomplished, it has been added that in the aforementioned day he who promises good things will pour out upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and mercy, since he is the "Father of mercies" and giver of the Holy Spirit. For this from the

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τὸν Μονογενῆ Υἱόν, κατὰ Παῦλον τὸν Σαμοσατέα καὶ Φωτεινὸν τὸν Γαλάτην καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὐτῶν ὡσαύτως ἀσεβήσαντας Ἀρτεμᾶν καὶ Θεόδοτον. 4.235 Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἐξωστρακίσθησαν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πάμπαν ἀσεβεῖς ὀφθέντες· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸ ἀρχαῖον τῆς τῶν πιστῶν συνόδου κρατοῦντες φρόνημα, ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον ἐπιδεδημηκέναι, τὸν ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος καὶ πνεύματος τέλειον ἄνθρωπον ἀνειληφότα. 4.236 Ὅτι δὲ ὁ Πατὴρ ἔδωκεν τὸν Υἱὸν ἵνα τεχθῇ τὸ παιδίον, σαφέστατα Ἰωάννης ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς δηλοῖ αὐτὸν τὸν ἐνανθρωπήσαντα εἰρηκέναι περὶ ἑαυτοῦ· «Οὕτως ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» Ταύτην ἔχει τὴν νόησιν τὸ Ῥωμαίοις ἐπισταλὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ χριστοφόρου Παύλου, οὕτως ἔχον· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἀπέστειλεν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Υἱὸν ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας, ἵνα κατακρίνῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ σαρκί.» 4.237 Ταῦτα δέ μοι ἀναγκαίως εἴρηται διὰ τὸν προειρημένον Φωτεινὸν καὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον αὐτοῦ Μάρκελλον, λέγοντας τὴν σάρκα εἶναι τὸν πεμφθέντα υἱόν, οὐδαμῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου Υἱοῦ καλουμένου. Ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐν ἄλλοις ἔλεγχος γέγονεν ἡμῖν τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως αὐτῶν, ὅτε περὶ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, φημὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου καὶ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως αὐτοῦ, προέκειτο εἰπεῖν. 4.238 ∆υνατὸν κατὰ θεωρίαν ἄλλην οἶκον τοῦ τῇ χειρὶ ἱκανοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ὅλων ὄντος τὸν ἐκ Μαρίας γεννηθέντα φάναι, ἄγγελον τυγχάνοντα ἐνώπιον τῶν εὐεργετουμένων κατοικούντων τὴν ἁγίαν Ἰερουσαλήμ· ἄγγελος δὲ ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν γέγονεν φανερῶν τὴν μεγάλην τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλήν. 4.239 Zach. XII, 9-10: Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ζητήσω τοῦ ἐξᾶραι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐπερχόμενα ἐπὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ. Καὶ ἐκχεῶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον ∆αυὶδ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Ἰερουσαλὴμ πνεῦμα χάριτος καὶ οἰκτιρμοῦ. 4.240 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐγγισάσῃ μετὰ τὸ προκόψαι τὴν τῆς ἀγνοίας καὶ κακίας νύκτα, περὶ ἧς ὁ Ἀπόστολος γράφει λέγων· «Ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγισεν· ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εὐσχημόνως περιπατήσωμεν», ὁ εὐεργέτης Κύριος ζητεῖ ἐξᾶραι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐπερχόμενα στασιώδει καὶ πολεμικῷ τρόπῳ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως Ἱεροσόλυμα, αὕτη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ Ἰερουσαλήμ. Ζητεῖ δὲ ἐξᾶραι τὰ ἔθνη πάντα τὰ ἀλλοτριωθέντα τῆς ἀληθείας τε καὶ θεοσεβείας, οὐχ ὥστε μηκέτι ὑπάρχειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους-ἀδύνατον γάρ, -ἀλλ' ἵνα μηκέτ' ὦσιν κακοὶ καὶ πονηροί. 4.241 Εἰ γὰρ ἄρδην ἀπολέσαι τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἠβούλετο, οὐκ ἐζήτει τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, δυνάμενος ἄφνω τὸ πᾶν εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν καταστρέψαι. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἠγίοχεν καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὰ ὄντα, πολλῷ πλέον ἀνατρέψαι τῆς ὑπάρξεως αὐτὰ οἷός τε ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐ θελητὸν αὐτῷ τοῦτο. Εἴρηται γοῦν περὶ αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοῦ πανσόφου Σαλωμῶνος̣· «Ἔκτισεν εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ πάντα, καὶ σωτήριοι αἱ γενέσεις τοῦ κόσμου· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐταῖς φάρμακον ὀλέθρου.» 4.242 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐληλυθὼς ὁ Κύριος καὶ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ζητῆσαι τὸ ἀπολωλὸς γένος ἡμῶν, ἔσωσεν αὐτό, οὕτως ζητῶν ἐξᾶραι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπερχόμενα, σῴζει αὐτά, ἀφανίσας τὰ αἴτια τῆς ὑπαρξάσης αὐτοῖς βλάβης ἐξ ἀθεμίτων πράξεων καὶ φρονημάτων ἀλλοκότων, ὥστ' εἰρήνης κρατησάσης μηκέτι ἐπέρχεσθαι τῇ θείᾳ Ἰερουσαλὴμ τὰ ἔθνη, ἀποβαλόντα τὸν στασιώδη τρόπον καὶ τὴν φιλοπόλεμον γνώμην. 4.243 Σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ἐπελθεῖν ῥῆμα ὡς ἐχθροὶ καὶ ἀλλότριοι τυγχάνουσιν οἱ ἐπιβαίνοντες, ὡς τὸ παροιμιῶδες λόγιόν φησιν τῷ εἰρηνικῶς διάγοντι· «Ἡνίκα ἐὰν καθεύδῃς, ἡδέως ὑπνώσεις, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσει ὁρμὰς ἀσεβῶν ἐπερχομένας.» 4.244 Ὅτι δὲ ἡ ἔξαρσις τῶν ἐθνῶν ἡ ζητουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ προνοητοῦ τῶν ὅλων Σωτῆρος τελεῖται, ἐπενήνεκται ὡς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ προδηλωθείσῃ ἐκχεῖ ὁ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον ∆αυὶδ καὶ τοὺς οἰκοῦντας Ἰερουσαλὴμ πνεῦμα χάριτος καὶ οἰκτιρμοῦ, ἅτε «Πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν» ὑπάρχων καὶ δοτὴρ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκ τῶν