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the flood. "And he lived after this, as the divine scripture says, 500 years, and begot sons and daughters, and died." Therefore, since he lived six hundred and two years and died, how could he 2.333 have reached one thousand two hundred and forty-one years, so that Shem, the son of Noah, who was ten generations before Abraham, could be called Melchizedek by these people, after ten generations, and one thousand two hundred and forty-one years? And oh, the great error of men. And according to the calculation of other copies, from the age of Shem, from when this same Shem was born, until the aforementioned time of Abraham's meeting with Melchizedek, which was in the eighty-eighth year of his life or the ninetieth, it comes to six hundred and twenty-eight years, more or less, so that it is altogether impossible for Shem to have reached the aforementioned time of Abraham, so as to be considered Melchizedek. And so the vulgar talk of the Samaritans has utterly failed. 7. But the Jews in turn assert that such a man was righteous and good and a priest of the Most High, as the divine scripture has it, but because he was the son of a harlot, they say, his mother was not recorded nor was his father known. And this nonsensical argument of theirs has also failed. For Rahab too was a harlot and is recorded, and Zimri who committed fornication is recorded and Cozbi with him, although she was a foreigner and not descended from the race of Israel. * and "everyone who does not enter by the door, as the holy gospel said, is a thief and not a shepherd." But in the church, some by nature define this Melchizedek 2.334 differently. For some consider him to be by nature the Son of God, who then appeared to Abraham in the form of a man. But they too miss the point; for no one will ever be like himself, as the divine scripture has it that "being made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever." And in fact, "he whose descent is not traced from them has taken tithes of Abraham"; for since his descent is not traced from the Israelites themselves, it is traced from other men. Having made a list of all these things, which we have mentioned on account of this heresy, and have recounted these things as in a digression. 8. And in the name of this Melchizedek the aforesaid heresy also offers up its oblations and says that he is an introducer to God and through him, it says, one must offer to God, because he is a prince of righteousness, appointed for this very purpose by God in heaven, being a certain spiritual being and ordained to the priesthood of God. And we must offer to him, they say, so that through him it may be offered on our behalf and we may find life through him. And Christ, it says, was chosen, that he might call us from many ways to this one knowledge, being anointed by God and made elect, since he turned us from idols and showed us the way. From whom the apostle, being sent, revealed to us that Melchizedek is great and remains a priest forever. And see how great this man is, and that the lesser is blessed by the greater, and for this reason, it says, he also blessed Abraham the patriarch, as being greater, of whom we are initiates, so that we ourselves may also obtain the blessing from him. 9. And how futile is the thought of all heresies. For behold, these too have denied their own master, the one who "bought them with 2.335 his own blood," the one not beginning from Mary, as they suppose, but always existing with the Father, God the Word, begotten from the Father without beginning and without time, as all scripture relates; to whom the Father also said, "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness," and not to Melchizedek. For if he is indeed a priest of the Most High God, he came to be in his own generation and had no succession after him, but he did not descend from heaven above. For the scripture did not say that he "brought down" bread and wine, but that he "brought out"

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κατακλυσμόν. «καὶ ἔζησε μετὰ ταῦτα, ὥς φησιν ἡ θεία γραφή, ˉφ ἔτη, καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας, καὶ ἀπέθανε». τοίνυν αὐτοῦ ζήσαντος ἑξακόσια καὶ δύο ἔτη καὶ τελευτήσαντος πῶς ἠδύνατο 2.333 φθάσαι εἰς χίλια καὶ διακόσια τεσσαράκοντα καὶ ἓν ἔτη, ἵνα ὁ Σὴμ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Νῶε τοῦ πρὸ δέκα γενεῶν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ κληθείη Μελχισεδὲκ παρὰ τούτοις, μετὰ δέκα γενεάς, ἔτη δὲ χίλια διακόσια τεσσαράκοντα ἕν; καὶ ὦ τῆς πολλῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων πλάνης. κατὰ δὲ ψῆφον ἄλλων ἀντιγράφων ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Σὴμ ἡλικίας, ἐξότε γεγένηται ὁ αὐτὸς Σήμ, ἕως τοῦ προδεδηλωμένου χρόνου τῆς τε τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ συναντήσεως τῷ Μελχισεδέκ, ἥτις ἦν ἐν ὀγδοηκοστῷ ὀγδόῳ ἔτει τῆς αὐτοῦ ζωῆς ἢ ἐνενηκοστῷ, γίνεται ἑξακόσια εἴκοσι ὀκτὼ ἔτη πλείω ἐλάσσω, ὥστε ἐξ ἅπαντος μὴ δύνασθαι εἰς τὸν προδεδηλωμένον τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ χρόνον τὸν Σὴμ φθάνειν, ἵνα καὶ Μελχισεδὲκ νομισθείη. καὶ διέπεσε πανταχόθεν καὶ ἡ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν χυδαιολογία. 7. Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ πάλιν φάσκουσι τὸν τοιοῦτον δίκαιον μὲν εἶναι καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἱερέα τοῦ ὑψίστου, ὡς ἔχει ἡ θεία γραφή, διὰ δὲ τὸ υἱὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι πόρνης, φασί, τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ μὴ γεγράφθαι μηδὲ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ γινώσκεσθαι. ἐξέπεσε δὲ καὶ τούτων ὁ ληρώδης λόγος. καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ῥαὰβ πόρνη ὑπῆρχε καὶ ἔστι γεγραμμένη, καὶ Ζαμβρὶ πορνεύσας γέγραπται καὶ Χασβιεὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ, καίπερ ἀλλοτρία οὖσα καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ γένους Ἰσραὴλ ἀναγομένη. * καί «πᾶς ὁ μὴ διὰ τῆς θύρας εἰσερχόμενος, ὡς ἔφη τὸ ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον, λῃστὴς καὶ οὐκ ὢν ποιμὴν ὑπάρχει». Ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ φύσει τινὲς διαφόρως τοῦτον τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ 2.334 ὁρίζονται. οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν νομίζουσι φύσει τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν ἰδέᾳ δὲ ἀνθρώπου τότε τῷ Ἀβραὰμ πεφηνέναι. ἐκπίπτουσι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦ προκειμένου· οὐ γάρ τις ἑαυτῷ ὅμοιος γενήσεταί ποτε, ὡς ἔχει ἡ θεία γραφὴ ὅτι «ἀφομοιούμενος τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές». τῷ ὄντι δὲ «ὁ μὴ γενεαλογούμενος ἐξ αὐτῶν τὸν Ἀβραὰμ δεδεκάτωκεν»· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν γενεαλογεῖται, γενεαλογεῖται δὲ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἄλλων. τούτων πάντων τὸν κατάλογον ποιησάμενοι, ὧν διὰ τὴν αἵρεσιν ταύτην ἐπεμνήσθημεν, καὶ ὡς ἐν παρεκβάσει περὶ τούτων διηγησάμεθα. 8. Εἰς ὄνομα δὲ τούτου τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ ἡ προειρημένη αἵρεσις καὶ τὰς προσφορὰς ἀναφέρει καὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι εἰσαγωγέα πρὸς τὸν θεὸν λέγει καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ, φησί, δεῖ τῷ θεῷ προσφέρειν, ὅτι ἄρχων ἐστὶ δικαιοσύνης, ἐπ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο κατασταθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν οὐρανῷ, πνευματικός τις ὢν καὶ εἰς ἱερωσύνην θεοῦ τεταγμένος. καὶ δεῖ ἡμᾶς αὐτῷ προσφέρειν, φασίν, ἵνα δι' αὐτοῦ προσενεχθῇ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ εὕρωμεν δι' αὐτοῦ ζωήν. καὶ Χριστὸς μέν, φησίν, ἐξελέγη, ἵνα ἡμᾶς καλέσῃ ἐκ πολλῶν ὁδῶν εἰς μίαν ταύτην τὴν γνῶσιν, ὑπὸ θεοῦ κεχρισμένος καὶ ἐκλεκτὸς γενόμενος, ἐπειδὴ ἀπέστρεψεν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ εἰδώλων καὶ ὑπέδειξεν ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδόν. ἐξ οὗπερ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἀποσταλεὶς ἀπεκάλυψεν ἡμῖν ὅτι μέγας ἐστὶν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ καὶ ἱερεὺς μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. καὶ θεωρεῖτε πηλίκος οὗτος, καὶ ὅτι τὸ ἧσσον ἐκ τοῦ μείζονος εὐλογεῖται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, φησί, καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ τὸν πατριάρχην εὐλόγησεν, ὡς μείζων ὤν, οὗ ἡμεῖς ἐσμὲν μύσται, ὅπως τύχωμεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡμεῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ τῆς εὐλογίας. 9. Καὶ ὡς μάταιος πασῶν αἱρέσεων ἡ διάνοια. ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι ἠρνήσαντο τὸν αὐτῶν δεσπότην τὸν «ἀγοράσαντα αὐτοὺς τῷ 2.335 ἰδίῳ αὐτοῦ αἵματι», τὸν οὐκ ἀπὸ Μαρίας ἐναρξάμενον, ὡς αὐτοὶ νομίζουσιν, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ὄντα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα θεὸν Λόγον, γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀχρόνως, ὡς πᾶσα γραφὴ διηγεῖται· ᾧ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ πατήρ «ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν», καὶ οὐχὶ τῷ Μελχισεδέκ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἱερεὺς ἐστι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ γενεᾷ γεγένηται καὶ οὐκ ἔσχε διαδοχὴν μετ' αὐτόν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνωθεν ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ καταβάς. οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ἡ γραφὴ ὅτι «κατήνεγκε» ἄρτον καὶ οἶνον, ἀλλὰ «ἐξήνεγκεν»