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to both him and those with him, as receiving the passing patriarch from the kings; and he blessed him on account of the righteousness inherent in him and the faithfulness and piety of the man, because having been tested in all things, the patriarch in nothing fell away from righteousness, but also in this he had God as a helper against those who † truly attacked the land of the Sodomites and carried off also his nephew, the holy Lot, whom he also brought back with all the spoils and plunder. And from where shall we not show that the Son was always with the Father? "For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," and it does not say "in the beginning was Melchizedek nor was Melchizedek God." And again, "Then the Lord came to Abraham, and the Lord rained from the Lord fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah." And the Apostle himself says, "one God, from whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things." And lest anyone should say: Where then is the Spirit, since he speaks of one and one? It was not necessary for the Spirit to be introduced by himself; for the divine scripture is always preserved to be a model2.336 for us. The Apostle spoke in the Holy Spirit and said, "one God, from whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things." And he was in the Holy Spirit saying this; not so that the Trinity might be lacking. But the Lord himself clearly says, "Go and baptize all the nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." And again the Apostle says, "But it is the one Spirit who distributes to each as he wills for the common good." Behold, therefore, the Father, behold the Son, behold the Holy Spirit, and nowhere does it say of Melchizedek that he † bestows gifts in the charismata nor in the high places. And in vain are the false and contrived stumbling blocks sung among these people, not coming to them from the truth, but from the very hissing of the dragon, as he was able to deceive and lead astray each heresy. And again it came to our attention that some, having been led astray more excessively than all the aforementioned and having been lifted up with greater arrogance of thought, dared to turn to a perplexity of thoughts and to come to a blasphemous idea and to say that this same Melchizedek is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And O, the unguarded thought of men and deceived heart that has no foundation of truth. For from the Apostle saying that Melchizedek was without father and without mother and without genealogy, because of the extravagance of the phrase, such men, having been led astray in their thought and * having thought things * analogous to the Father of all, have fashioned for themselves an error of blasphemy. For from the fact that the Father of all, God Almighty, has neither father nor mother nor beginning of days nor end of life—for this is confessed by all—by likening Melchizedek to him because the Apostle spoke thus about him, they have fallen into the blasphemy of foolishness, not understanding the other things said about him. For concerning Melchizedek it is said that "he was a priest of the Most High." If, therefore, this one is the Most High and the Father, then being a priest of another2.337 Most High, he would no longer be himself the Father of all, since he serves as priest to another Most High. And O, the vulgarity of men that does not understand true things, but turns itself to errors. For the holy Apostle, summing up the conclusion of the whole question, said, "But he whose descent is not counted from them"—clearly; but from others—"has received tithes from Abraham," and again, "who in the days of his flesh," he says, "offered up prayers and supplications to him who was able to save him"; and it is clear that the Father did not put on flesh. And having discussed these matters sufficiently, let us leave the heresy, as if having struck a shrew-mouse with a stone through the firm faith and foundation and having fled its venomous poison. For they say the shrew-mouse

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αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν βασιλέων ἀποδεξόμενος τὸν διερχόμενον πατριάρχην· καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὸ πιστὸν καὶ τὸ εὐλαβὲς τοῦ ἀνδρός, ὅτι ἐν ἅπασι δοκιμασθεὶς ἐν οὐδενὶ ἐξέπεσε τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁ πατριάρχης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ συνεργὸν ἔσχε τὸν θεὸν κατὰ τῶν † ἀληθῶς ἐπελθόντων τῇ τῶν Σοδομιτῶν χώρᾳ καὶ ἀφελομένων καὶ τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἅγιον Λώτ, ὃν καὶ ἀπέστρεψε μετὰ τῆς πάσης σκυλεύσεως καὶ λαφυραγωγίας. πόθεν δὲ οὐ δείξωμεν ὅτι ἦν ἀεὶ ὁ υἱὸς σὺν πατρί; «ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος», καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ οὐδὲ θεὸς ἦν ὁ Μελχισεδέκ». καὶ πάλιν «ἦλθεν οὖν ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραάμ, καὶ ἔβρεξε κύριος παρὰ κυρίου πῦρ καὶ θεῖον ἐπὶ Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα». καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν «εἷς θεός, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα». καὶ ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ· οὐκοῦν ποῦ ἐστι τὸ πνεῦμα, ἐπειδήπερ περὶ ἑνὸς καὶ ἑνὸς διηγεῖται; οὐκ ἔδει τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοσύστατον γίνεσθαι ἑαυτοῦ· ἀεὶ γὰρ φυλάττεται ἡ θεία γραφὴ ὑπογραμ2.336 μὸς ἡμῖν γίνεσθαι. ἐφθέγγετο ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ὁ ἀπόστολος καὶ ἔλεγεν «εἷς θεός, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα». ἦν δὲ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ λέγων τοῦτο· οὐ γὰρ ἵνα λείψῃ ἡ τριάς. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ κύριος σαφῶς λέγει ὅτι «ἀπελθόντες βαπτίσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς ὄνομα πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος». καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει «ἓν δέ ἐστιν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ διαιροῦν ἑκάστῳ ὡς βούλεται πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον». ἰδοὺ τοίνυν πατήρ, ἰδοὺ υἱός, ἰδοὺ πνεῦμα ἅγιον, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ περὶ Μελχισεδὲκ λέγει ὅτι ἐν τοῖς χαρίσμασιν † δωρεῖται οὔτε ἐν τοῖς ὑψώμασι. καὶ μάτην παρὰ τούτοις ᾄδεται τὰ ψευδῆ καὶ ἐπινενοημένα τῶν προσκομμάτων, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτοῖς συμβαίνοντα, ἀλλὰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ συρίγματος τοῦ δράκοντος, ὡς ἑκάστην αἵρεσιν ἠδυνήθη ἀπατῆσαί τε καὶ πλανῆσαι. Ἦλθε δὲ πάλιν εἰς ἡμᾶς ὥς τινες περιττότερον τῶν προειρημένων πάντων πλανηθέντες καὶ περισσοτέρᾳ ἀλαζονείᾳ ἐννοίας ἀρθέντες ἐτόλμησαν εἰς ἀπορίαν διανοημάτων τραπῆναι καὶ εἰς βλάσφημον ἔννοιαν ἐλθεῖν καὶ εἰπεῖν τὸν αὐτὸν Μελχισεδὲκ εἶναι τὸν πατέρα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. καὶ ὦ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀφυλάκτου ἐννοίας καὶ ἀπατωμένης καρδίας καὶ μὴ ἐχούσης στάσιν ἀληθείας. ἀπὸ τοῦ γὰρ τὸν ἀπόστολον λέγειν ἀπάτορα καὶ ἀμήτορα τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ καὶ ἀγενεαλόγητον, διὰ τὸ ὑπέρογκον τῆς φράσεως πλανηθέντες τῇ ἐννοίᾳ οἱ τοιοῦτοι καὶ * διανοηθέντες τὰ * εἰς τὸν πατέρα τῶν ὅλων ἀναλογοῦντα ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀνετύπωσαν βλασφημίας πλάνην. ἀπὸ τοῦ γὰρ τὸν πατέρα τῶν ὅλων, θεὸν τὸν παντοκράτορα, μήτε πατέρα ἔχειν μήτε μητέρα μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν μήτε ζωῆς τέλος τοῦτο γὰρ παρὰ πᾶσιν ὡμολόγηται ἀπεικάσαντες τούτῳ τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ διὰ τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ οὕτω τὸν ἀπόστολον εἰρηκέναι εἰς ἀφροσύνης βλασφημίαν πεπτώκασι, μὴ νοήσαντες τὰ ἄλλα τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰρημένα. περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ εἴρηται ὅτι «ἦν ἱερεὺς τοῦ ὑψίστου». εἰ οὖν ὕψιστός ἐστιν οὗτος καὶ πατήρ, ἄρα ἑτέρου 2.337 ὑψίστου ὑπάρχων ἱερεὺς οὐκέτι αὐτὸς εἴη πατὴρ τῶν ὅλων, ἱερατεύων ἑτέρῳ ὑψίστῳ. καὶ ὦ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων χυδαιότητος τῆς τὰ ἀληθινὰ μὴ κατανοούσης, ἐπὶ τὰ πλάνα δὲ ἑαυτὴν τρεπούσης. τὸ πέρας γὰρ τῆς ἐπιλύσεως τοῦ παντὸς ζητήματος ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος συναγαγὼν ἔφη «ὁ δὲ μὴ γενεαλογούμενος ἐξ αὐτῶν» δῆλον δέ· ἀλλὰ ἐξ ἑτέρων «δεδεκάτωκε τὸν Ἀβραάμ», καὶ πάλιν «ὃς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ δεήσεις καὶ ἱκεσίας ἐποιεῖτο, φησί, πρὸς τὸν δυνάμενον αὐτὸν σῶσαι»· ὅτι δὲ ὁ πατὴρ σάρκα οὐκ ἐνεδύσατο δῆλον. Καὶ περὶ τούτων δὲ ἱκανῶς διαλεχθέντες καταλείψωμεν τὴν αἵρεσιν, ὥσπερ μυογαλίδιον λίθῳ πεπαικότες διὰ τῆς στερεᾶς πίστεως καὶ ἑδραιώματος καὶ φυγόντες τὸ ἰοβόλον αὐτῆς δηλητήριον. τὸ γὰρ μυογαλίδιόν φασι