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mounted forerunners, advance announcers, and the nearer the arrival of the king, the more numerous are the heralds of the arrival, going ahead and announcing in the cities the things concerning the arrival; but when the king arrives to enter the city, what further need is there of heralds, what further need of mounted men or of the others who announce in advance the king's arrival, when the king himself is within? Thus also “the law and the prophets were until John”; But when John had proclaimed a voice in the wilderness and showed that “this is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” there is no longer a need for prophets, that they should come and proclaim to us the arrival of Christ from a virgin. But there is a need for those who announced his arrival beforehand, for the confirmation of his arrival, that it was foretold. 3.117 For just as if someone should have a pedagogue, as the apostle also says that “the law has become our pedagogue until the arrival of the Lord,” but when he comes of age and reaches the teacher, he does not entirely cast off the pedagogue as being an enemy. So also we were guided in the law and in the prophets until the arrival of the teacher; but having found the teacher, we do not dishonor the pedagogue, but we even confess our thanks to him, because having guided our infancy, he sent us forth to more perfect lessons. Or as when someone about to sail on the sea might have a large ship, but in a small boat might cross the swell by the shore of the sea, and the boat might carry the man to the large ship, the man does not entirely sink the boat because he found the large ship, but while being thankful to the boat, he takes hold of the greater vessel of his salvation. Or, to put it another way, as when someone is cast out by the mother who bore him, but is taken up by some chance person and raised over time, and later, having become a man, he recognizes his own natural father, and if such a person has understanding, does he, just because he has recognized his own father and is taking hold of his own inheritance, for this reason dishonor the one who raised him? Will he not much rather be thankful to the one who raised him, because he did not allow him to be handed over to death? So also we are thankful to God who gave the law and the prophets, and we are thankful to him who deemed us worthy of the new covenant of his Son. 76. The same Manes says that we are forms of rulers, and having been made by the rulers, we have been cast down to them for consumption. But there is much ignorance in such words. For we do not see things happening in this way. For anything whatsoever on the earth, even if it be of the lesser and wilder beasts, does not attack its own form, but others, so to speak, lions do not eat lions, because of the 3.118 proper image and likeness, but when a great famine presses the beasts in the mountains and for a long time they do not find food either because of snow or for some other lack, they turn back in their dens and lairs *, lions being together with cubs and with lionesses. And beast does not attack beast, nor wolf wolf, unless the animal should come into a madness and, being rabid, does not know what it is doing. If, therefore, a wolf does not eat a wolf because of the similar form, how are the rulers able to eat us, if we are of the same form, and do not they rather caress us, so that they may seem to be caring for their own forms? And from every side the words of the imposter are refuted. 77. Then again he takes from the Gospel, that “not all can accept his teaching, but only those to whom it has been given.” And the saying of the Savior here was not about teaching, but about eunuchs. But if “not all can accept” is fulfilled here by the Savior concerning his teaching, then if they do not accept, they do not accept according to their own will.

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ἐφίππους προετοιμαστὰς προκαταγγέλτορας καὶ ὅσον ἡ παρουσία φθάνει τοῦ βασιλέως, τοσούτῳ πλείους οἱ τῆς παρουσίας κήρυκες, προλαμβάνοντες καὶ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι τὰ τῆς παρουσίας διαγγέλλοντες· ἐπὰν δὲ φθάσῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, τίς ἔτι χρεία κηρύκων, τίς ἔτι χρεία ἐφίππων ἢ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν προκαταγγελλόντων τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως παρουσίαν, ὁπότε αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔνδον ὑπάρχει; οὕτω καὶ «ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἄχρις Ἰωάννου»· Ἰωάννου δὲ κηρύξαντος φωνὴν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ δείξαντος ὅτι «οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου», οὐκέτι προφητῶν ἐστι χρεία, ὅπως ἔλθωσι καὶ κηρύξωσιν ἡμῖν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀπὸ παρθένου παρουσίαν. χρεία δὲ τῶν προκαταγγειλάντων αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν, πρὸς βεβαίωσιν τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας, ὅτι προκατήγγελτο. 3.117 ὡς γὰρ εἴ τις παιδαγωγὸν ἔχοι, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει ὅτι «παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν ὁ νόμος εἰς τὴν τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίαν», ἐπὰν δὲ φθάσῃ ἐφ' ἡλικίας γενέσθαι καὶ καταλάβοι τὸν διδάσκαλον, οὐ πάντως ἀποβάλλεται τὸν παιδαγωγὸν ὡς ἐχθρὸν ὑπάρχοντα. οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς καθωδηγήθημεν ἐν νόμῳ καὶ ἐν προφήταις ἕως τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ διδασκάλου· εὑρόντες δὲ τὸν διδάσκαλον οὐκ ἀτιμάζομεν τὸν παιδαγωγόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χάριν αὐτῷ ὁμολογοῦμεν, ὅτι τὴν ἡμῶν νηπιότητα καθοδηγήσας εἰς τὰ ἐντελέστερα ἡμᾶς μαθήματα προεπέμψατο. ἢ καθὼς ἐάν τις μέλλων πλεῖν ἐν θαλάσσῃ ἔχοι μεγάλην τὴν ναῦν, ἐν ἀκατίῳ δὲ μικρῷ ἐπέλθοι τὸ σάλος τὸ παρὰ τὴν ὄχθην τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ διενέγκῃ τὸ ἀκάτιον εἰς τὴν μεγάλην ναῦν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐ πάντως ὁ ἄνθρωπος βυθίζει τὸ ἀκάτιον, ἐπειδὴ εὗρε τὴν μεγάλην ναῦν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ χάριν ἔχειν τῷ ἀκατίῳ καταλαμβάνει τὸ μειζότερον τῆς αὐτοῦ σωτηρίας πλοῖον. ἢ καὶ ἑτέρως ἵνα εἴπωμεν, ὡς ἐάν τις ἐκβληθῇ ὑπὸ μητρὸς γεννησάσης, ληφθεὶς δὲ ὑπό τινος τοῦ τυχόντος καὶ ἀνατραφεὶς χρόνῳ, εἰσύστερον ἀνδρωθέντος αὐτοῦ ἐπιγνῷ τὸν ἴδιον αὐτοῦ πατέρα τὸν κατὰ φύσιν, ἔχοι δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος σύνεσιν, μὴ ἐπειδὴ ἐπέγνω τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα καὶ ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῆς ἰδίας κληρονομίας, παρὰ τοῦτο ἀτιμάζει τὸν ἀναθρέψαντα; οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον χάριν ἕξει τῷ ἀναθρέψαντι, ὅτι οὐκ εἴασεν αὐτὸν εἰς θάνατον παραδοθῆναι; οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς χάριν ἔχομεν θεῷ τῷ δεδωκότι νόμον καὶ προφήτας, καὶ χάριν ἔχομεν αὐτῷ τῷ καταξιώσαντι ἡμᾶς τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καινῆς διαθήκης. 76. Φησὶ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς Μάνης εἶναι ἡμᾶς μορφὰς ἀρχόντων, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων γεγονότας, αὐτοῖς δὲ εἰς κατάβρωμα καταβεβλημένους. πολλὴ δὲ ἀγνωσία ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις. ὁρῶμεν γὰρ οὐχ οὕτως τὰ πράγματα συμβαίνοντα. πᾶν γὰρ ὁτιοῦν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, κἄν τε τῶν φαυλοτέρων καὶ ἀγριωτέρων θηρίων ὑπάρχοι, οὐ τῇ ἰδίᾳ μορφῇ ἐπέρχεται, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἄλλαις, ὡς οἷον εἰπεῖν, λέοντες λέοντας οὐκ ἐσθίουσι, διὰ τὸ 3.118 ἴδιον ἐκτύπωμα καὶ ὁμόστοιχον, ἀλλὰ λιμοῦ μεγάλης πιεζούσης ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τοὺς θῆρας καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῷ χρόνῳ αὐτῶν μὴ εὑρισκόντων τροφὴν ἤτοι διὰ χιόνα ἢ δι' ἑτέραν ἔνδειαν, ἀναστρέφουσιν ἐν τοῖς φωλεοῖς καὶ χηραμοῖς αὐτῶν *, λέοντες ἅμα σκύμνοις ὑπάρχοντες καὶ ἅμα λεαίναις. καὶ οὐκ ἐπέρχεται θὴρ θηρίῳ, οὐ λύκος λύκῳ, εἰ μή τι ἂν εἰς μανίαν ἔλθοι τὸ ζῷον καὶ λυσσῆσαν ἀγνοεῖ ὃ πράττει. εἰ τοίνυν λύκος λύκον οὐκ ἐσθίει διὰ τὴν ὁμόστοιχον μορφήν, πῶς δύνανται οἱ ἄρχοντες ἡμᾶς ἐσθίειν, εἰ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑπάρχομεν μορφῆς, καὶ οὐ μᾶλλον θωπεύουσιν, ἵνα δόξωσι τὰς ἰδίας αὐτῶν μορφὰς περιποιεῖσθαι; καὶ πανταχόθεν ἐλέγχονται τοῦ ἀγύρτου οἱ λόγοι. 77. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ὅτι «οὐ πάντες χωροῦσι τὴν αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαν, ἀλλ' οἷς δέδοται». καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ λόγος περὶ διδασκαλίας ἐνταῦθα τῷ σωτῆρι, ἀλλὰ περὶ εὐνούχων. εἰ δὲ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας πληροῦται τὸ «οὐ πάντες χωροῦσιν» ἐνταῦθα τῷ σωτῆρι, ἄρα ἐὰν οὐ χωρήσωσι, κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν γνώμην οὐ χωροῦσιν.