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without a mother in heaven and without a father on earth—for this can also be said of the Savior—how then at the end does the apostle speak, saying, "but the one who is not genealogically from them has tithed Abraham the patriarch". For "from them" is indicative of precision; for since he was not genealogically from the sons of Israel, he must have had his genealogy from other nations. But because his mother or father were not written down, the slanderers of the truth imagine one thing instead of another. But we have found both his mother and his father in traditions. For this man was of the races of Sidon and of the Canaanites. Therefore, his mythical account has fallen apart; and his way of life is also in vain; for to be content with inanimate things with evil belief, this is not a school of life and hope for salvation. "For," he says, "let all things be done for the glory of God." 3.140 8. But concerning these things I think it is sufficient to be content with this. For we have crushed the wings of the scorpion, and we have torn down his powers. For this man is a winged serpent and a scorpion, having wings in many ways and flying, imitating the virginity of the church, but not having a clean conscience. For in this man and those like him is fulfilled that which says, "having their conscience seared, and forbidding to marry, to abstain from foods, which God created to be received; for it is sanctified by the word of the living God and by prayer, because all things are good and pleasant, and nothing is to be rejected by God". But they are most perfectly ridiculed because of the 'spiritual wives' whom each possesses, whom they are accustomed to be ambitious to have for service. But having torn down the wings of this one, as I said, and having crushed his head with the wood of life, that is, with the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us go on to the next things, calling upon God himself as our helper, for the refutation and overthrow of the remaining heresies which are vainly put forth by them to the world. - - - Against the schism of Meletius the Egyptian, 48, and of the series, 68. 1. A certain sect of Meletians exists in the land of the Egyptians, from a certain Meletius, a bishop in the Thebaid, who was of the catholic church and of the orthodox faith; for his faith did not change at any time from that of the holy catholic church. This Meletius was a contemporary and flourished at the same time as the aforementioned Hieracas and his successors, who was also a contemporary of Saint Peter, the bishop of Alexandria. 3.141 And all these men lived during the persecution which happened under Diocletian and Maximian. The case concerning Meletius was of this manner. He made a schism, but his faith had not been changed. This man, during the time of the persecution, was arrested along with Peter the holy bishop and martyr and the other martyrs by those appointed for this purpose by the emperor; of the governors of Alexandria and Egypt at that time, Culcianus was prefect of the Thebaid, and Hierocles of Alexandria; and Meletius was imprisoned in the jail, both he and the aforementioned martyrs along with the aforementioned Peter the archbishop of Alexandria. And Meletius seemed to be prominent * in Egypt and second to Peter in the archepiscopate, as for the sake of his assistance, but being under him and referring ecclesiastical matters to him. For this is the custom, for the archbishop in Alexandria to have the ecclesiastical administration of all Egypt and the Thebaid, of Mareotis and Libya, of Ammonia, Marmarica and Pentapolis. Since, therefore, all these having been arrested for the sake of martyrdom were in prison, and they remained imprisoned for a considerable time—while others before them, having been handed over, bore witness and received the end of the prize and fell asleep; but these, as choice and greater, were kept for later—2. and since

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ἀμήτωρ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἀπάτωρ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς-δύναται γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγεσθαι-πῶς οὖν ἐπὶ τέλει ὁ ἀπόστολος φράζει λέγων «ὁ δὲ μὴ γενεαλογούμενος ἐξ αὐτῶν δεδεκάτωκε τὸν Ἀβραὰμ τὸν πατριάρχην». τὸ γὰρ «ἐξ αὐτῶν» ἀκριβείας ἐστὶ δηλωτικόν· ὁπότε γάρ, ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ μὴ γενεαλογούμενος, ἐξ ἄλλων πάντως ἐθνῶν εἶχε τὴν γενεαλογίαν. διὰ δὲ τὸ μὴ γεγράφθαι τὴν αὐτοῦ μητέρα ἢ πατέρα, ἄλλα ἀντὶ ἄλλων φαντάζονται οἱ συκοφάνται τῆς ἀληθείας. ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ ἐν παραδόσεσιν εὕρομεν καὶ τὸν πατέρα. ἦν γὰρ οὗτος τῶν γενῶν Σιδῶνος καὶ τῶν Χαναναίων. διέπεσε τοίνυν ὁ μυθώδης αὐτοῦ λόγος· καὶ μάτην αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ πολιτεία· οὐ γὰρ τὸ ἀψύχοις ἀρκεῖσθαι μετὰ κακοπιστίας, τοῦτο ζωῆς ἐστι καὶ ἐλπίδος διδασκαλεῖον σωτηρίας. «πάντα», γάρ φησιν, «εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ γινέσθω.» 3.140 8. Ἀλλὰ περὶ τούτων καὶ αὐτόθι ἀρκεῖσθαι ἡγοῦμαι. συνετρίψαμεν γὰρ τοῦ σκορπίου τὰς πτέρυγας, καὶ κατεσπάσαμεν αὐτοῦ τὰς δυνάμεις. ὄφις γὰρ πτερωτὸς οὗτος καὶ σκορπίος, πτέρυγας ἔχων κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους καὶ πετόμενος, καὶ μιμούμενος μὲν τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὴν παρθενίαν, οὐκ ἔχων δὲ καθαρὰν τὴν συνείδησιν. ἐπὶ γὰρ τούτῳ καὶ τοῖς ὁμοίοις αὐτοῦ πληροῦται τὸ «κεκαυτηριασμένων τὴν συνείδησιν, καὶ κωλυόντων γαμεῖν, ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ θεὸς εἰς μετάληψιν ἐποίησεν· ἁγιάζεται γὰρ διὰ λόγου θεοῦ ζῶντος καὶ ἐντεύξεως, ὅτι πάντα καλὰ καὶ ἡδέα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον παρὰ θεῷ». χλευάζονται δὲ τελειότατα δι' ἃς κέκτηνται ἕκαστος συνεισάκτους γυναῖκας, δι' ἃς εἴωθαν φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἔχειν εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου, ὡς ἔφην, τὰς πτέρυγας κατασπάσαντες καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν καταθλάσαντες τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς, τουτέστι τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐπὶ τὰς ἑξῆς ἴωμεν, ἐπικαλούμενοι αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν βοηθόν, πρὸς τὴν τῶν λοιπῶν αἱρέσεων ἀντίρρησίν τε καὶ ἀνατροπὴν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ματαίως τῷ κόσμῳ ὑποβαλλομένων. - - - Κατὰ τοῦ Μελιτίου σχίσματος τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου ˉμˉη, τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ˉξˉη. 1. Μελιτιανῶν τι τάγμα ἐν τῇ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων χώρᾳ ὑπάρχει, ἀπὸ Μελιτίου τινὸς ἐπισκόπου ἐν τῇ Θηβαΐδι, γενομένου τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως· οὐ γάρ τι μετήλλαττεν ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ ἐν καιρῷ τινι τῆς ἁγίας καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας. οὗτος ὁ Μελίτιος σύγχρονος ἦν καὶ συνακμαστὴς τοῦ προειρημένου Ἱερακᾶ τε καὶ καθεξῆς διαδεξάμενος, ὃς ἦν καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πέτρου τοῦ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπισκόπου 3.141 σύγχρονος. καὶ οὗτοι πάντες ἐπὶ τοῦ διωγμοῦ ἦσαν τοῦ γενομένου ἐπὶ ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ καὶ Μαξιμιανοῦ. ἡ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Μελίτιον ὑπόθεσις τοῦτον ἔσχε τὸν τρόπον. Σχίσμα ἐποίησεν, οὐ μὴν μετηλλαγμένως τὴν πίστιν γεγένηται. οὗτος ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ διωγμοῦ ἅμα Πέτρῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ μάρτυρι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις μάρτυσι συλληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιτεταγμένων, τῶν κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἡγεμόνων τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ Αἰγύπτου Κουλκιανὸς μὲν ἦν ἔπαρχος τῆς Θηβαΐδος, Ἀλεξανδρείας δὲ Ἱεροκλῆς· καὶ ὁ μὲν Μελίτιος ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ καθειργμένος ἦν, αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ προειρημένοι μάρτυρες ἅμα τῷ προειρημένῳ Πέτρῳ τῷ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ. ἐδόκει δὲ καὶ ὁ Μελίτιος τῶν τὴν κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον * προήκων καὶ δευτερεύων τῷ Πέτρῳ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχιεπισκοπήν, ὡς δι' ἀντιλήψεως αὐτοῦ χάριν, ὑπ' αὐτὸν δὲ ὢν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὰ ἐκκλησιαστικὰ ἀναφέρων. τοῦτο γὰρ ἔθος ἐστί, τὸν ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ἀρχιεπίσκοπον πάσης τε Αἰγύπτου καὶ Θηβαΐδος, Μαρεώτου τε καὶ Λιβύης, Ἀμμωνιακῆς, Μαρμαρίδος τε καὶ Πενταπόλεως ἔχειν τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν διοίκησιν. ἐπεὶ οὖν συλληφθέντες οὗτοι πάντες μαρτυρίου χάριν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ἔπραττον, χρόνῳ δὲ ἱκανῷ ἐπέμειναν καθειργμένοι-ἄλλοι δὲ πρὸ αὐτῶν παραδοθέντες ἐμαρτύρησαν καὶ τὸ τέλος τοῦ βραβείου ἀπείληφαν καὶ ἐκοιμήθησαν· οὗτοι δὲ ὡς ἀκραίμονες καὶ μείζους ἐς ὕστερον ἐτηροῦντο-2. καὶ ἐπειδὴ