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that the Son is not of the substance of the Father, but a creature, and is called Son by grace; that the human soul pre-exists; and the restoration of the demons to their original state; and an end to punishment, and the rest of his blasphemies. At any rate, he made a great composition for each scripture, and whatever he said in his homilies and through prefaces about the habits and natures of animals and irrational beings, being carried along in the middle, he often related gracefully; but whatever he dogmatized about the faith, he is found to be the most absurd of all. He also seemed to have taken up the ascetic life, and to have devised something with respect to his body; some say that he had cut a nerve so as not to be troubled by pleasure, while others said that a drug was applied to his members by him and they were withered. Others report other things about him, as for example that he also found a medicinal herb for the sake of memory. This man is said to have suffered many things for Christ, being exceedingly learned and brought up in the church. But being slandered through envy to the ruling authorities, through the evil contrivance of a diabolical device, they say he was conceived by the workers of evil to be a more shameful man than 1.447 he was supposed to be. For they prepared an Ethiopian for him for the misuse of his body. But he, not bearing such a foul device, uttered a cry, when both things were set before him. And when he confessed this, to sacrifice, they placed incense in his hand, and he cast it into the fire of the altar, and so he was cast out from martyrdom by the judges and was expelled from the church. And leaving Alexandria because of the disgrace, he took possession of Judea. And going up to Jerusalem as an exegete and a man of learning, he was urged by the priesthood to speak in the church; for he was previously a presbyter. And being much constrained by the priests, he stood up and said this saying alone: "But to the sinner God said, Why do you declare my statutes, and take up my covenant in your mouth?" Closing the book, he sat down with weeping and tears, while all wept together with him. And there are other things said and sung about him on account of the abundance of his knowledge and the composition of his books; whence he was also named 'Syntacticus' because he had made many books, not hearing, as it seems, the most wise Solomon who says: "Son, be careful not to make many books, and do not be hasty with your mouth, and let not your heart be swift to bring forth a word from the presence of God, because God is in heaven above and you are on the earth below. Therefore let your words be few; for there are many words 1.448 multiplying vanity. And do not be overly righteous; for there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness. And do not be overly wise, lest you become impious." Having therefore disregarded these sacred admonitions and set them aside, he did not even heed the thought and understanding of the divinely inspired Paul in his compositions. For the thrice-blessed Paul, in a preparation of all kinds of words, has handed down to writing very short epistles, although he had countless and ineffable things to say, having reached the visions up to the third heaven, and having been caught up to the very God-befitting paradise and deemed worthy to hear the inexpressible words there. And indeed not even the other disciples of Christ, twelve apostles, and the disciples and countless others besides these, were inexperienced in words; and yet, from all the Lord's discourses Matthew and John have left us the memoirs, and it is said that they were compelled to come to writing, just as Mark and Luke later were. Therefore, the great Maximus says, "A word written down is written either for one's own remembrance, or for the benefit of others, or both, or for the harm of some, or for a demonstration, or from necessity." And after Severus, Antoninus the son of Severus and Geta his brother reigned for two months. And having slaughtered his own brother in his mother's bosom, he ruled alone for 6 years.

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τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ πατρὸς οὐ θέλει εἶναι τὸν υἱόν, ἀλλὰ κτίσμα, καὶ κατὰ χάριν υἱὸν λέγεσθαι, τὴν δὲ ἀνθρωπίνην ψυχὴν προϋπάρ χειν, καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων τὴν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποκατάστασιν, καὶ τέλος τῆς κολάσεως, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς τῶν βλασφημιῶν αὐτοῦ. πολλὴν γοῦν πεποίηκε σύνταξιν εἰς ἑκάστην γραφήν, καὶ ὅσα μὲν ἐν προσο μιλίαις καὶ διὰ προοιμίων εἰς ἤθη τε καὶ εἰς φύσεις ζῴων τε καὶ ἀλόγων εἴρηκε μέσος φερόμενος, πολλάκις χαριέντως διηγήσατο, ὅσα δὲ περὶ πίστεως ἐδογμάτισε, τῶν πάντων ἀτοπώτερος εὑρί σκεται. ἔδοξε δὲ καὶ ἀσκητικὸν βίον ἐπανῃρῆσθαι, καὶ κατὰ τὸ σωμάτιον ἐπινενοηκέναι τι, οἱ μὲν ὅτι νεῦρον ἀποτετμηκέναι διὰ τὸ μὴ τῇ ἡδονῇ παρενοχλεῖσθαι, οἱ δὲ φάρμακον ἐπιτεθῆναι τοῖς μορίοις εἶπον παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποξηρᾶναι. ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλα εἰς αὐ τὸν ἀναφέρουσιν, ὡς ὅτι καὶ βοτάνην ἰατρικὴν εὗρε μνήμης ἕνεκα. οὗτος πολλὰ λέγεται πεπονθέναι ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, λόγιος ὢν σφόδρα καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀνατεθραμμένος. φθόνῳ δὲ διαβληθεὶς πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ἐξουσίας ἄρχοντας, κακομηχανίᾳ διαβολικῆς ἐπινοίας εἰς 1.447 αἰσχρότερον ἄνδρα φασὶν ἐπινοηθῆναι παρὰ τῶν τῆς κακίας ἐργα τῶν τοῦτον ὑπολαβεῖν. Αἰθίοπα γὰρ αὐτῷ παρεσκεύασαν εἰς παράχρησιν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ μὴ φέρων τὴν τοσαύτην βδελυρὰν ἐπίνοιαν ἔρρηξε φωνὴν ἀμφοτέρων αὐτῷ προτεθέντων πραγμάτων. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο καθωμολόγησε θῦσαι, βαλόντες ἐπὶ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ λίβανον, εἰς τὴν τοῦ βωμοῦ πυρὰν καθῆκε, καὶ οὕτω τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἀπὸ τῶν κρινάντων ἀπεβλήθη καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐξώσθη. τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν δὲ λιπὼν διὰ τὸ ὄνειδος τὴν Ἰουδαίαν κατέλαβεν. ἀνελθὼν δὲ εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ὡς ἐξηγητὴς καὶ λόγιος προετρέπετο ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱερατίου ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας εἰπεῖν· πρεσβύτε ρος γὰρ προϋπῆρχε. καὶ πολλὰ καταναγκασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερέων, ἀναστὰς καὶ τοῦτο μόνον τὸ ῥητὸν εἰπών "τῷ δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ θεός, ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεις τὴν διαθήκην μου διὰ στόματός σου;" πτύξας τὸ βιβλίον ἐκάθισε μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ καὶ δακρύων, πάντων ὁμοῦ συγκλαιόντων αὐτῷ. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτερα τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενά τε καὶ ᾀδόμενα διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ συντάξεως τῶν βιβλίων· ὅθεν καὶ συντακτικὸς ὠνομάσθη διὰ τὸ πολλὰ πεποιηκέναι βιβλία, μὴ ἀκούων, ὡς ἔοικε, τοῦ σοφωτάτου Σολομῶντος λέγοντος "υἱέ, φύ λασσε τοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν βιβλία πολλά, καὶ μὴ σπεῦδε ἐπὶ στόματί σου, καὶ καρδία σου μὴ ταχυνάτω τοῦ ἐξενεγκεῖν λόγον ἀπὸ προσ ώπου τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω. διὰ τοῦτο ἔστωσαν οἱ λόγοι σου ὀλίγοι· εἰσὶ γὰρ λόγοι 1.448 πολλοὶ πληθύνοντες ματαιότητος. καὶ μὴ γίνου δίκαιος πολύ· ἔστι γὰρ δίκαιος ἀπολλύμενος ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτοῦ. καὶ μὴ σο φίζου περισσά, μή ποτε ἀσεβήσῃς." ταύτας τοίνυν παραγραψά μενος τὰς ἱερὰς παραινέσεις καὶ παραγκωνισάμενος, οὐδὲ τοῦ θε σπεσίου προσέσχε Παύλου τῇ ἐννοίᾳ τε καὶ συνέσει ἐν τοῖς συν τάγμασιν. ὁ γὰρ τρισμακάριος Παῦλος ἐν παρασκευῇ λόγων παν τοδαπῶν βραχυτάτας ἐπιστολὰς τῇ γραφῇ παραδέδωκε, καίτοι μυρία καὶ ἀπόρρητα λέγειν ἔχων, ἅτε τὰ μέχρις οὐρανοῦ τρίτου θεωρήματα ἐπιφθάσας, ἐπ' αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν θεοπρεπῆ παράδεισον ἀναρπασθεὶς καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε ἀνεκφράστων ῥημάτων ἀκοῦσαι ἀξιω θείς. καὶ μέντοι οὐδ' οἱ λοιποὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ φοιτηταί, δώδεκα μὲν ἀπόστολοι, οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ καὶ ἄλλοι πρὸς τούτοις μυρίοι, οὐκ ἄπειροι λόγων ἐτύγχανον· καὶ ὅμως οὖν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν τοῦ κυ ρίου διατριβῶν τὰ ὑπομνήματα Ματθαῖος ἡμῖν καὶ Ἰωάννης κα ταλελοίπασιν, οὓς καὶ ἐπάναγκες ἐπὶ τὸ γράφειν ἐλθεῖν κατέχει λόγος, ὥσπερ καὶ Μάρκον καὶ Λουκᾶν ὕστερον. διὸ δή φησιν ὁ μέγας Μάξιμος "ὁ λόγος συγγραφόμενος ἢ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὑπόμνησιν συγγράφεται, ἢ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἑτέρων, ἢ καὶ ἄμφω, ἢ πρὸς βλάβην τινῶν, ἢ πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν, ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης." Μετὰ δὲ Σεβῆρον ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀντωνῖνος υἱὸς Σεβήρου καὶ Γέτας ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ μῆνας δύο. καὶ σφάξας τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελ φὸν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τῆς μητρὸς ἐμονάρχησεν ἔτη ʹ.