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to the prophets. And it was, he says, like the beloved.” From this he wishes to establish the saying, “made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” How many things, then, will our mind be able to discern concerning this matter, in opposition to his greatly counterfeit thought? But this man died at a great age. He wrote in both Greek and Coptic, expounding and composing concerning the six days' creation, fabricating certain myths and boastful allegories. And how many other things did he compose from the Scripture, and he fabricated many new psalms. And many of them do not partake of animate things † of their true dogmas. But Hieracas himself in reality practiced great asceticism, but his disciples after him did so out of hypocrisy; for he abstained from all foods and practiced asceticism, and from wine; and some say concerning him that, having lived for over ninety years, he practiced calligraphy until the day he died, for he was a calligrapher; for his eyesight remained steady. 4. But come, let us examine his tares also; with what thought of the divine word may we engage and destroy this venomous reptile, striking like a scorpion before and behind, heaping up for itself from two testaments things for harm, not as the divine words have them, but as his counterfeit mind darkly conceived of the things of light? For honey is not blameworthy nor most bitter, nor are the finer foods created by God, but when given to someone with a fever, they seem bitter in his mouth, not because the sweet things have been made bitter, but because the taste of the one with the fever has embittered what is given to him. So also everyone who has fallen from the truth has not been deceived by the truth, but has tasted the truth with bitter thoughts, and it has been changed into bitterness for him. But let us see, concerning the children, what shall we say, concerning those immediately killed in Bethlehem of Judea on account of Christ? Are such ones without a share in the kingdom of heaven, or do they partake? They do indeed partake, being blameless. For if they do not partake, then the Lord has become responsible for them; for on account of him they were killed. 3.137 But if they were killed on account of him, not having had time to contend nor to receive the prize, then his coming, which was for salvation, has rather become a harm to the world, since indeed it became the cause of the infants departing this life prematurely, having been punished and having fallen under a royal threat, so that they did not have time for the contest, in order to carry off the prizes. But let us also see other considerations. Call for me Solomon, the blessed and most wise, for the refutation of this Hieracas. Come here, most blessed of prophets, “who received from the Lord abundance of heart and wisdom, as the sand that is on the seashore,” what would you think concerning the children? And he says, “For honorable old age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. Having become blameless, he was beloved of God, and living among sinners, he was translated. He was caught up, lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of wickedness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind.” And that he is indeed speaking of children, he adds next, saying, “Being made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled a long time,” that is to say, dying young he fulfilled a long time. “For his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted he to take him away from among the wicked.” And to Jeremiah the Lord says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.” 5. But let us see the Savior himself, the unerring mouth, who knows all things; come, Lord, help our understanding, and refute Hieracas and his presumption. “The little children,” he says, “were brought to him, that he might put his hands on them, and bless them. But the disciples pushed them away and were hindering them. But he said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me:

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προφήταις. καὶ ἦν, φησίν, ὅμοιον τῷ ἀγαπητῷ.» ἐκ τούτου βούλεται συνιστᾶν τὸ εἰρημένον «ἀφωμοιωμένος τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές». Πόσα τοίνυν δυνήσεται ὁ ἡμέτερος νοῦς καὶ περὶ τούτου διαλαμβάνειν πρὸς ἀντίθεσιν τῆς αὐτοῦ πολλῆς παραπεποιημένης διανοίας; οὗτος δὲ γηραλέος ἐτελεύτα. συνεγράψατο δὲ Ἑλληνικῶς τε καὶ Αἰγυπτιακῶς, ἐξηγησάμενος καὶ συντάξας περὶ τῆς ἑξαημέρου, μύθους τινὰς πλασάμενος καὶ κομπώδεις ἀλληγορίας. εἰς ἄλλα δὲ πόσα ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς συνέταξε, ψαλμούς τε πολλοὺς νεωτερικοὺς ἐπλάσατο. ἐμψύχων τε πολλοὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ μετέχουσι † τῶν ἀληθινῶν αὐτῶν τοῦ δόγματος. ὁ δὲ Ἱερακᾶς αὐτὸς τῷ μὲν ὄντι πολλὴν εἶχε τὴν ἄσκησιν, οἱ δὲ μετ' αὐτὸν αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ καθ' ὑπόκρισιν· ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἀπείχετο πάντων βρωμάτων καὶ ἠσκεῖτο καὶ ἀπὸ οἴνου· φασὶ δέ τινες περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ὑπὲρ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη βιώσας ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἐτελεύτα ἐκαλλιγράφει καλλιγράφος γὰρ ἦν· ἔμενε γὰρ αὐτοῦ συνεστὼς ὁ ὀφθαλμός. 4. Φέρε δὲ διασκοπήσωμεν καὶ τὰ τούτου ζιζάνια· ποίᾳ διανοίᾳ λόγου θεϊκοῦ συνάψωμεν καὶ ἐξαφανίσωμεν τὸ ἰοβόλον τοῦτο ἑρπετόν, σκορπίου δίκην ἔμπροσθεν καὶ κατόπιν παῖον, ἀπὸ δύο διαθηκῶν ἑαυτῷ ἐπισωρεῦον τὰ πρὸς βλάβην, οὐχ ὡς ἔχουσιν οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἡ παραπεποιημένη αὐτοῦ ἔννοια τὰ φωτεινὰ σκοτεινῶς διενοεῖτο; οὐ μεμπτὸν γὰρ τὸ μέλι οὔτε πικρότατον, οὐδὲ αἱ ἐδωδαὶ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐκτισμέναι αἱ καλλίους, διδόμεναι δέ τινι πυρέττοντι πικραὶ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ φαίνονται, οὐ τῶν ἡδέων πεπικραμμένων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ γεύματος τοῦ πυρέττοντος πικράναντος τὰ αὐτῷ διδόμενα. οὕτω καὶ πᾶς τις ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας πεσὼν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἠπάτηται, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πικροῖς διανοήμασιν ἐγεύσατο, καὶ εἰς πικρίαν αὐτῷ μετεβλήθη. ἴδωμεν δέ, περὶ τῶν παίδων, τί εἴπωμεν, περὶ τῶν ἀποκτανθέντων εὐθὺς ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας διὰ Χριστόν; ἆρα βασιλείας οὐρανῶν εἰσιν ἀμέτοχοι οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἢ μετέχουσι; μετέχουσι μὲν οὖν ὄντες ἄμεμπτοι. εἰ γὰρ οὐκ εἰσὶ μέτοχοι, ἄρα παραίτιος αὐτῶν ὁ κύριος γεγένηται· δι' αὐτὸν γὰρ ἀπεκτάνθησαν. 3.137 εἰ δὲ ἀπεκτάνθησαν δι' αὐτόν, μὴ φθάσαντες ἀγωνίσασθαι μήτε λαβεῖν τὸ βραβεῖον, ἄρα ἡ αὐτοῦ παρουσία γενομένη εἰς σωτηρίαν, μᾶλλον εἰς βλάβην τῷ κόσμῳ γέγονεν, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αἰτία γέγονε τοῦ ἄωρα τὸν βίον τὰ βρέφη μεταλλάττειν, τιμωρηθέντα καὶ βασιλικῇ ἀπειλῇ ὑποπεσόντα, τοῦ μὴ φθάσαι εἰς ἀγῶνα, ὅπως κομίσωνται τὰ βραβεῖα. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ ἄλλας θεωρίας. κάλει μοι Σαλομῶντα τὸν μακάριον καὶ σοφώτατον πρὸς ἔλεγχον τοῦ Ἱερακᾶ τούτου. δεῦρο, προφητῶν μακαριέστατε, «ὁ λαβὼν παρὰ κυρίου χύμα καρδίας καὶ σοφίας, ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης», τί ἂν περὶ τῶν παίδων φρονοίης; καὶ φησί «γῆρας γὰρ τίμιον, οὐ τὸ πολυχρόνιον, οὔτε ἀριθμῷ ἐτῶν μεμέτρηται. πολιὰ δέ ἐστι φρόνησις ἀνθρώποις, καὶ ἡλικία γήρως βίος ἀκηλίδωτος, γενόμενος ἄμεμπτος θεῷ ἠγαπήθη, καὶ ζῶν μεταξὺ ἁμαρτωλῶν μετετέθη. ἡρπάγη, μὴ ἡ κακία αὐτοῦ ἀλλάξῃ σύνεσιν, ἢ δόλος ἀπατήσῃ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. βασκανία γὰρ φαυλότητος ἀμαυροῖ τὰ καλά, καὶ ῥεμβασμὸς ἐπιθυμίας μεταλλεύει νοῦν ἄκακον.» καὶ ὅτι μὲν οὖν περὶ παίδων λέγει ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει λέγων «τελειωθεὶς ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἐπλήρωσεν χρόνους μακρούς», ἵνα εἴπῃ, τελευτήσας νέος ἐπλήρωσε χρόνους μακρούς. «ἀρεστὴ γὰρ ἦν κυρίῳ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο ἔσπευσεν ἐκ μέσου πονηρίας.» καὶ τῷ Ἰερεμίᾳ φησὶν ὁ κύριος «πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ, ἐπίσταμαί σε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἐξελθεῖν σε ἐκ μήτρας, ἡγίακά σε». 5. Ἴδωμεν δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν σωτῆρα, τὸ ἀψευδὲς στόμα, τὸ γινῶσκον τὰ πάντα· δεῦρο, κύριε, βοήθει τῇ διανοίᾳ ἡμῶν, ἔλεγξον δὲ τὸν Ἱερακᾶν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ προπέτειαν. «προσῆλθον αὐτῷ» φησι «τὰ παιδία, ἵνα θῇ χεῖρας ἐπ' αὐτὰ καὶ εὐλογήσῃ. οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ ἀπωθοῦντο αὐτὰ καὶ ἐκώλυον. ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη· ἄφετε τὰ παιδία, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτὰ ἐλθεῖν πρός με·