278

does He do it as a kindness? Why indeed did He give food at all? Therefore, do not be deceived by the heretics, beloved. For there is a resurrection, and there is a judgment. But these things they deny, whoever does not wish to give an account of their deeds. For the resurrection must be of such a kind as was that of Christ. For He is the firstfruits, and the firstborn from the dead. But if the resurrection is this, a purification of the soul, and a release from sins, and Christ did not sin, how did He rise? how were we freed from the curse, if He too sinned? And how does He say: The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me? For these words 59.369 are of one who declares His sinlessness. Therefore, according to them, either He did not rise, or, in order to rise, He sinned before the resurrection. But He both rose and did not commit sin. Therefore, He rose in the body; and these wicked dogmas are nothing other than the offspring of vainglory. Let us therefore flee this disease. For, he says, evil communications corrupt good manners. These are not the teachings of the apostles; it is Marcion and Valentinus who innovated these things. Let us therefore flee, beloved. For there is no benefit in a pure life with corrupt dogmas; just as, on the other hand, there is none in sound dogmas, if life is corrupt. These things the Greeks produced, these things they magnified, taking them from the pagan philosophers, and saying that matter is uncreated, and many such things. Therefore, just as they said that there would be no creator without a pre-existing uncreated matter, so also they have set aside the resurrection. But let us not pay attention, knowing the all-sufficient power of God; let us not pay attention. I say these things to you. For we will not refuse the fight against them. But the unarmed and naked man, even if he falls among the weak, even if he is stronger, will easily be captured. For if you paid attention to the Scriptures, and sharpened yourselves each day, I would not have advised you to flee the fight against them, but would have even counseled you to engage. For the truth is strong. But since you do not know how to use them, I fear the engagement, lest they find you unarmed and strike you down. For nothing, nothing is weaker than those who are destitute of the Spirit's help. And if they use outside wisdom, one should not marvel, but mock, because they use foolish teachers. For neither concerning God, nor concerning creation, were they able to find 59.370 anything sound; but what the widow among us understands, Pythagoras did not yet know; but they said that the soul becomes a bush and a fish and a dog. To these things, then, tell me, must one pay attention? and how would that make sense? They are great in the village, they grow beautiful locks of hair, and wear threadbare cloaks; thus far extends their philosophy. But if you see what is within, it is ash and dust, and nothing sound, but An open sepulchre is their throat, having everything full of impurity and ichor, and all their dogmas are of worms. At least the first of them said that water is god, and the one after him, fire, another, air, and all were brought down to bodies. These men, then, tell me, should one admire, who did not even grasp the concept of an incorporeal God, if indeed they ever did grasp it later, after associating in Egypt with our people? But lest we cause you much disturbance, let us end the discourse here. For if we should begin to set forth their dogmas, and what they said about God, and about matter, and about the soul, and about bodies, much laughter will follow. And they will not even need accusation from us; for they cast down one another. At least the one who wrote the treatise on matter against us, refuted himself. Therefore, lest we distract you in vain, and unwind a labyrinth of words, leaving these things aside, we will say this, to hold fast to the hearing of the divine Scriptures, and not to dispute about words to no good purpose; which Paul also advises Timothy, although he was filled with much wisdom, and possessed the power that comes from signs. Let us therefore obey him, and leaving aside trifles, let us hold to works, I mean brotherly love and hospitality; and let us make much account of almsgiving, so that of the promised things

278

εὐεργεσίας αὐτὸ ποιεῖ; τί δὲ ὅλως ἔδωκε τροφάς; Μὴ τοίνυν ἀπατᾶσθε παρὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν, ἀγαπητοί. Καὶ γὰρ ἀνάστασίς ἐστι, καὶ κρίσις ἐστί. Ταῦτα δὲ ἀναιροῦσιν, ὅσοι μὴ βούλονται δοῦναι λόγον τῶν πεπραγμένων. Καὶ γὰρ δεῖ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοιαύτην εἶναι, οἵα γέγονεν ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἀπαρχὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, καὶ πρωτότοκος ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν. Εἰ δὲ ἀνάστασις τοῦτό ἐστι, ψυχῆς καθαρμὸς, καὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπαλλαγὴ, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἥμαρτε, πῶς ἀνέστη; πῶς ἡμεῖς τῆς κατάρας ἀπηλλάγημεν, εἴ γε καὶ αὐτὸς ἥμαρτε; πῶς δὲ λέγει· Ἔρχεται ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδέν; Ταῦτα 59.369 γὰρ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον δηλοῦντός ἐστιν. Οὐκοῦν κατ' αὐτοὺς ἢ οὐκ ἀνέστη, ἢ ἵνα ἀναστῇ, ἥμαρτε πρὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνέστη, καὶ ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν. Οὐκοῦν ἀνέστη σώματι· καὶ τὰ δόγματα ταῦτα τὰ πονηρὰ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἢ κενοδοξίας ἔκγονα. Φεύγωμεν τοίνυν τοῦτο τὸ νόσημα. Φθείρουσι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί. Οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα ἀποστόλων διδάγματα· Μαρκίων ἐστὶ καὶ Οὐαλεντῖνος ὁ ταῦτα καινοτομήσας. Φεύγωμεν τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοί. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὄφελος βίου καθαροῦ, δογμάτων διεφθαρμένων· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ τοὐναντίον, δογμάτων ὑγιῶν, ἐὰν βίος ᾗ διεφθαρμένος. Ταῦτα Ἕλληνες ἔτεκον, ταῦτα ἐκεῖνοι ηὔξησαν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν φιλοσόφων λαβόντες, καὶ τὴν ὕλην ἀγέννητον λέγοντες, καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα. Ὥσπερ οὖν εἶπαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἂν εἴη δημιουργὸς, μὴ ὑποκειμένης ὕλης ἀγεννήτου· οὕτω καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἠθέτησαν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ προσέχωμεν, εἰδότες Θεοῦ δύναμιν παναρκῆ· μὴ προσέχωμεν. Ὑμῖν λέγω ταῦτα. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς οὐ παραιτησόμεθα μάχην. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἄοπλος καὶ γυμνὸς, κἂν εἰς ἀσθενεῖς ἐμπέσῃ, κἂν ἰσχυρότερος ᾖ, ῥᾳδίως ἁλώσεται. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ Γραφαῖς προσείχετε, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἑαυτοὺς ἠκονᾶτε τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἂν παρῄνεσα τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνους φεύγειν μάχην, ἀλλὰ καὶ συμπλέκεσθαι συνεβούλευσα ἄν. Καὶ γὰρ ἰσχυρὰ ἡ ἀλήθεια. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ χρῆσθαι αὐταῖς οὐκ ἴστε, δέδοικα τὴν συμπλοκὴν, μὴ λαβόντες ὑμᾶς ἀόπλους καταβάλωσιν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, οὐδὲν ἀσθενέστερον ἐκείνων τῶν τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος βοηθείας ἠρημωμένων. Εἰ δὲ τῇ ἔξωθεν κέχρηνται σοφίᾳ, θαυμάζειν οὐ χρὴ, ἀλλὰ καταγελᾷν, ὅτι τοῖς μωροῖς κέχρηνται διδασκάλοις. Οὔτε γὰρ περὶ Θεοῦ, οὔτε περὶ κτίσεώς τι ὑγιὲς εὑρεῖν 59.370 ἠδυνήθησαν ἐκεῖνοι· ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἡ παρ' ἡμῖν χήρα ἐπίσταται, ταῦτα Πυθαγόρας οὐδέπω ᾔδει· ἀλλ' ἔλεγον ὅτι θάμνος ἐστὶ καὶ ἰχθὺς, καὶ κύων γίνεται ἡ ψυχή. Τούτοις οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, προσέχειν δεῖ; καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον; Μεγάλοι εἰσὶν ἐν τῇ κώμῃ ἐκεῖνοι, καλοὺς βοστρύχους τρέφουσι, καὶ τρίβωνας ἀναβέβληνται· μέχρι τούτων αὐτοῖς ἡ φιλοσοφία. Ἂν δὲ τὰ ἔνδοθεν ἴδῃς, τέφρα καὶ κόνις, καὶ ὑγιὲς οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ Τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, πάντα ἀκαθαρσίας ἔχων γέμοντα καὶ ἰχῶρος, καὶ τὰ δόγματα πάντα σκωλήκων. Ὁ γοῦν πρῶτος αὐτῶν τὸ ὕδωρ ἔφησεν εἶναι θεὸν, καὶ ὁ μετ' ἐκεῖνον τὸ πῦρ, ἄλλος τὸν ἀέρα, καὶ πάντες εἰς τὰ σώματα κατηνέχθησαν. Τούτους οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, θαυμάζειν χρὴ, τοὺς οὐδὲ ἔννοιαν ἀσωμάτου λαβόντας Θεοῦ, εἰ δήποτε καὶ ὕστερον ἔλαβον, μετὰ τὸ συγγενέσθαι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τοῖς ἡμετέροις; Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ πολὺν ὑμῖν ἐπάγωμεν θόρυβον, ἐνταῦθα τὸν λόγον καταλύσωμεν. Ἂν γὰρ ἀρξώμεθα τὰ ἐκείνων προτιθέναι δόγματα, καὶ τί μὲν περὶ Θεοῦ, τί δὲ περὶ ὕλης, τί δὲ περὶ ψυχῆς, τί δὲ περὶ σωμάτων εἶπον, πολὺς ἕψεται γέλως. Καὶ οὐδὲ τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν κατηγορίας δεήσονται· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀλλήλους ἔβαλον. Ὁ γοῦν καθ' ἡμῶν γράψας τὸν περὶ τῆς ὕλης λόγον, ἑαυτὸν ἀνεῖλε. ∆ιόπερ ἵνα μὴ ματαίως ὑμᾶς ἀποσχολήσωμεν, καὶ λαβύρινθον λόγων ἀνελίσσωμεν, ταῦτα ἀφέντες, ἐκεῖνο ἐροῦμεν, τῆς ἀκροάσεως τῶν θείων ἔχεσθαι Γραφῶν, καὶ μὴ λογομαχεῖν εἰς οὐδὲν δέον· ὃ καὶ Παῦλος παραινεῖ Τιμοθέῳ, καίτοι γε πολλῆς σοφίας ἐμπεπλησμένῳ, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων ἔχοντι δύναμιν. Πειθώμεθα τοίνυν ἐκείνῳ, καὶ τὰς φλυαρίας ἀφέντες, τῶν ἔργων ἐχώμεθα, φιλαδελφίας λέγω καὶ φιλοξενίας· καὶ πολὺν ποιησώμεθα τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης λόγον, ἵνα τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων