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being led astray 1.433 by the enemy through deceptive wonders and satanic works which are done by the slaves and servants of evil. Nevertheless, some even prophesied in the name of the Lord, like Balaam, Saul, and Caiaphas, and again they cast out demons, like Judas and the sons of Sceva. Therefore, grace often works even upon the unworthy, so that it may benefit others. For indeed Balaam was a stranger to both, an excellent life and faith; but nevertheless grace worked in him for the dispensation of others. And Pharaoh was such a man, but also to him He foretold the future. And Nebuchadnezzar was most lawless, but yet also to this man He revealed the things that would be after many generations later. Whence it is clear that many even of those having a contrary disposition, under the guise of Christ, perform wonders by some other art for the deception of men inexperienced in what is good, such as was Simon the magician and Menander after him and others of this kind, on account of whom He rightly said that one ought not to be deceived by wonders, nor indeed by mere profession, but to test the truth of what is said. For by their fruits, says the Lord, you will know them.

Nerva reigned one year, four months, and nine days, being prudent and gentle. But a report of victory having come from Trajan out of Pannonia, having gone up to the Capitol and having burned incense, standing on the platform, shouting loudly with both the senate and the people of the 1.434 Romans present he said, "With good fortune, I, Nerva, adopt Trajan as my son." This one forbade the castration of anyone's genitals in Rome. And he died by disease. This Nerva recalled John the Theologian from exile, and released him to live in Ephesus, being at that time the only one remaining alive of the twelve disciples; who, having written his own gospel, rested in peace. concerning whom also the learned Eusebius in the Ecclesiastical History says, "Thomas was allotted Parthia, but John, Asia, where also having spent time he died in Ephesus." And again, "At this time therefore John the evangelist also died in Ephesus in Asia, and is buried by the faithful there." Likewise also Philip, one of the seven deacons, met his end in Hierapolis, and is buried with his daughters. concerning whom also Polycrates, the bishop of the parish in Ephesus, writing to Victor the bishop of Rome, thus says, "For indeed in Asia great luminaries have fallen asleep, who also shall rise again on the last day of the Lord's coming, John, who lay on Christ's breast, who also wore the petalon and became a teacher in Ephesus, has fallen asleep, and Philip, one of the seven deacons, died in Hierapolis. This is the one who both baptized the eunuch and catechized Simon." But not only that, but also the divine Hippolytus of Rome, speaking about the divine preaching and the end of the apostles, said, "John the brother of James, preaching the word in Asia, was exiled to the island of Patmos under Domitian the emperor of the Romans, and 1.435 from there being recalled again to Ephesus from exile by Nerva, and having written his gospel, where also he saw the revelation, died at the age of one hundred and six; whose remains, having been sought, were not found." But Caesarius, the brother of the great Gregory, epise .... having been asked about this in Constantinople, answered thus, saying, "John himself in his gospel towards the end clarified this, stating, «And when He had said this, Jesus said to him» (that is, to Peter) «Follow Me. But Peter, turning around, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following, and says: Lord, and what about this man? And Jesus says to him: If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?» Since, therefore, He found them fishing, He commanded only Peter to follow Him. But he, wanting John also to go along with them, said, «Lord, and what about this man?» whom Jesus, having decreed to remain at the fishing, says, «If I want him to remain here and to fish until

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ὑποσυρο 1.433 μένη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ διὰ τῶν φαντασιωδῶν τεράτων καὶ σατανι κῶν ἔργων τῶν πραττομένων ὑπὸ τῶν δούλων καὶ ὑπηρετῶν τῆς κακίας. οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου προεφήτευσάν τινες, ὡς Βαλαὰμ Σαυλὸς καὶ Καϊάφας, καὶ δαιμόνια πάλιν ἐξέβαλον, ὡς Ἰούδας καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Σκεύα. οὐκοῦν καὶ εἰς ἀναξίους ἡ χάρις ἐνεργεῖ πολλάκις, ἵν' ἑτέρους εὐεργετήσῃ. καὶ γὰρ Βα λαὰμ ἀμφοτέρων ἀλλότριος ἦν, βίου ἀρίστου καὶ πίστεως· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐνήργησεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἡ χάρις διὰ τὴν ἑτέρων οἰκονομίαν. καὶ Φαραὼ τοιοῦτος ἦν, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνῳ τὰ μέλλοντα προέδειξε. καὶ ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ παρανομώτατος, ἀλλά γε καὶ τούτῳ τὰ μετὰ πολλὰς ὕστερον ἐσόμενα γενεὰς ἀπεκάλυψεν. ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ἐναντίον ἐχόντων φρόνημα ἐπὶ τῷ προσχήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τεράστια ποιοῦσιν ἑτέρᾳ τέχνῃ τινὶ πρὸς ἀπάτην ἀν θρώπων ἀπειροκάλων, οἷος ἐγένετο Σίμων ὁ μάγος καὶ Μέναν δρος μετ' ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἄλλοι τοιοῦτοι, δι' οὓς εἰκότως ἔφη μὴ θαύμασιν ἀπατᾶσθαι προσήκειν μήτε μὴν ἐπαγγελίᾳ ψιλῇ, δοκι μάζειν δὲ τῶν λεγομένων τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ἐκ τῶν καρπῶν γάρ, φησὶν ὁ κύριος, αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς.

Νέρουας ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτος ἓν μῆνας δʹ ἡμέρας θʹ, σώφρων ὢν καὶ ἐπιεικής. ἐκ Παιονίας δὲ ἀγγελία ἐπινικίων ἐλθοῦσα παρὰ Τραϊανοῦ, ἀνελθὼν ἐν τῷ Καπιτωλίῳ καὶ λιβανωτὸν ἐπιθύσας, στὰς ἐπὶ βήματος, μεγάλα βοῶν τῆς τε βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ δήμου τῶν 1.434 Ῥωμαίων παρόντων ἔφη "ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ Νέρουας Τραϊανὸν υἱο ποιοῦμαι." οὗτος ἀπηγόρευσε τοῦ ἐκτέμνειν τινῶν τὰ αἰδοῖα ἐν Ῥώμῃ. νόσῳ δὲ τελευτᾷ. οὗτος ὁ Νέρουας ἀνεκαλέσατο τὸν θεολόγον Ἰωάννην ἐκ τῆς ἐξορίας, καὶ ἀπέλυσεν οἰκεῖν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ, μόνον τότε περιόντα τῷ βίῳ ἐκ τῶν ιβʹ μαθητῶν· ὃς συγγραψά μενος τὸ κατ' αὐτὸν εὐαγγέλιον ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἀνεπαύσατο. περὶ οὗ καὶ ὁ πολυΐστωρ Εὐσέβιος ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησιαστικῇ ἱστορίᾳ φησί "Θω μᾶς δὲ τὴν Παρθίαν εἴληχεν, Ἰωάννης δὲ τὴν Ἀσίαν, πρὸς ἣν καὶ διατρίψας ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ." καὶ πάλιν "ἐπὶ τούτοις οὖν καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ τῆς Ἀσίας τελευτᾷ, καὶθάπτεται πρὸς τῶν αὐτόθι πιστῶν." ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Φίλιππος ὁ ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ διακόνων ἐν Ἱεραπόλει τελειοῦται, καὶ θάπτεται μετὰ τῶν θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ. περὶ ὧν καὶ Πολυκράτης ὁ τῆς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ παροικίας ἐπίσκοπος, Οὐΐκτορι τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ Ῥώμης γράφων, οὕτως φησί "καὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν μεγάλα στοιχεῖα κεκοίμην ται, ἅτινα καὶ ἀναστήσονται τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ κυρίου, Ἰωάννης ὁ ἐπιστήθιος Χριστοῦ, ὃς καὶ τὸ πέταλον πεφο ρηκὼς καὶ διδάσκαλος ἐν Ἐφέσῳ γενόμενος κεκοίμηται, καὶ Φίλ ιππος ὁ ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ διακόνων ἐν Ἱεραπόλει τελευτᾷ. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ τὸν εὐνοῦχον βαπτίσας καὶ τὸν Σίμωνα κατηχήσας." οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἱππόλυτος Ῥώμης περὶ τοῦ θείου κηρύγματος καὶ τῆς τελειώσεως τῶν ἀποστόλων διεξιὼν ἔφη "Ἰωάν νης ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἰακώβου κηρύσσων ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ τὸν λόγον ἐξωρίσθη ἐν Πάτμῳ τῇ νήσῳ ἐπὶ ∆ομετιανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων, κἀ 1.435 κεῖθεν πάλιν εἰς Ἔφεσον ἐκ τῆς ἐξορίας ἀνακληθεὶς ὑπὸ Νέρουα, καὶ τὸ κατ' αὐτὸν εὐαγγέλιον συγγραψάμενος, ἔνθα καὶ τὴν ἀπο κάλυψιν θεασάμενος, ἐτελεύτησεν ἐτῶν ἑκατὸν ἕξ· οὗ τὸ λείψα νον ζητηθὲν οὐχ εὑρέθη." ὁ δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου Γρηγορίου ἀδελφὸς Καισάριος ἐπισε .... ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐρωτηθεὶς περὶ τούτου οὕτως ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων "αὐτὸς Ἰωάννης ἐν τῷ κατ' αὐτὸν εὐαγ γελίῳ πρὸς τῷ τέλει διεσάφησε τοῦτο φάσκων «καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτῷ» (τουτέστι τῷ Πέτρῳ) «ἀκολούθει μοι. ἐπι στραφεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος βλέπει τὸν μαθητὴν ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀκολουθοῦντα, καὶ φησί· κύριε, οὗτος δὲ τί; καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν, ἕως ἔρχωμαι, τί πρὸς σέ;» ἐπεὶ οὖν ἁλιεύοντας αὐτοὺς κατείληφε, τῷ Πέτρῳ μόνῳ προσέταξεν ἕπεσθαι αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην συμπορεύεσθαι βουλόμενος ἔφη «κύριε, οὗτος δὲ τί;» ὃν θεσπίσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς προσμένειν ἐπὶ τῆς ἁλείας φησίν «ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἁλιεύειν ἕως