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concerning Cerinthus and Merinthus and Ebion. But with the word 'man' it is certain that the true faithful know him securely and as Lord, as John also testifies, 'what we have heard from the beginning,' that he might speak of the one who is from the beginning, the invisible God the Word, whom we heard in the divine scriptures, proclaimed among the prophets, praised in heaven. And because of this, 'what we heard in the beginning and saw with our eyes,' so that he might confess 'having heard' God from the beginning on high, but 'having seen' might signify a man, whom also John the Baptist said, 'after me comes a man'; and 'our hands have handled', so that he might signify God from above and show forth a visible man born of Mary and risen perfect from the dead, not casting off the holy vessel which he took and his perfect incarnation, but through the handling of the side and the mark of the nails he might confess the three things unshakably. So understand for me here also that 'this is he of whom I said to you, "After me comes a man"', so that it might signify the incarnate presence, and that 'he was before me,' so that it might show his divinity, 'because he was before me.' 'For he was in the world,' says the holy gospel, 'and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him.' 41. But if he was in the world before John was born and conceived, he was in the world before him, signifying not concerning creation, not concerning making, but according to the usage in which men are accustomed to speak homonymously: I was in Jerusalem, I was in Babylon, I was in Ethiopia, I was in Alexandria, not signifying creation here, but a visit 3.189 and a presence. For what does 'I was in Babylon' or in another place signify, but that I came. 'Therefore he was before me,' to show the always-existing presence of the Word on the earth, and 'he was before me,' to show that his divinity is eternal. But 'coming after me,' to show the conception after John. And because of this, 'I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness,' a preparatory voice for the hearing of men. For those who shout are first accustomed to give forth an inarticulate, resounding voice, calling from a distance those who have something to hear from them, and when they hear the voice alone and give their mind to hearing and prepare their hearing, then he who gave forth the resounding voice finally articulates the word which he wished to speak. Thus also John became a voice preparing the hearing of men. For he was not the Word, but after him came the Word, for whom the preparatory voice was made. And because of this he says, 'a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the ways of the Lord'. For the voice prepares, but the Lord travels on the prepared ways. And the voice speaks into the hearing; but when the hearing is at leisure, then the word is cast into the hearing of those who receive it. Therefore Arius and those from him will nowhere get a hold of the truth of God, which always illuminates the hearts of the faithful so that they not be turned aside from the uncreated and unbegotten salvation in the Word, the Son of God, in truth. 42. But as we advance again and move on to what follows, we will omit none of the things set forth above for refutation, but we will again take up the sequence. For they allege again another pretext, the one spoken by Saint Peter in the Acts that 'let all the house of Israel know for certain, that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified'. And they say again that here 'made' is written, and they do not see the saying; for the saying itself interprets itself, 'for this Jesus,' so that it might signify the incarnation of the Lord. For from 'this Jesus whom you crucified' it is clear what it is * that they crucified flesh; for they crucified flesh. And for this reason the Lord in the gospel, 'but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth,

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περὶ Κήρινθον καὶ Μήρινθον καὶ Ἐβίωνα. ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ «ἀνὴρ» πάντως ὅτι ἠσφαλισμένως καὶ κύριον αὐτὸν ἴσασιν οἱ ἀληθινοὶ πιστοί, ὡς καὶ Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ «ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς», ἵνα εἴπῃ τὸν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ὄντα, τὸν ἀόρατον θεὸν λόγον, ὃν ἠκούσαμεν ἐν θείαις γραφαῖς, ἐν προφήταις καταγγελλόμενον, ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐξυμνούμενον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ «ὃ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἠκούσαμεν καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς», ἵνα ἄνω τὸ ἀκηκοέναι θεὸν ὁμολογήσῃ ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς, τὸ δὲ ἑωρακέναι ἄνθρωπον σημάνῃ, ὃν καὶ ὁ βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης ἔφη ὅτι «ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνήρ»· καὶ τὸ «αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν», ἵνα θεὸν ἄνωθεν σημάνῃ καὶ ἄνθρωπον ὁρατὸν ὑποδείξῃ ἀπὸ Μαρίας γεγεννημένον καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντα τέλειον, μὴ ἀποβαλλόμενον τὸ ἅγιον σκεῦος ὃ εἴληφε καὶ τὴν τελείαν αὐτοῦ ἐνανθρώπησιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ἐψηλαφηκέναι τὴν πλευρὰν τόν τε τύπον τῶν ἥλων τὰ τρία ὁμολογήσῃ ἀπαρασαλεύτως. οὕτω μοι καὶ ἐνταῦθα νόει τὸ ὅτι «οὗτός ἐστιν ὃν εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνήρ», ἵνα τὴν ἔνσαρκον σημάνῃ παρουσίαν, καὶ τὸ ὅτι «πρῶτός μου ἦν,» ἵνα τὴν θεότητα ὑποδείξῃ, «ὅτι πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἐγένετο». «ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ γὰρ ἦν», φησι τὸ ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον, «καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω.» 41. Εἰ δὲ ἐν κόσμῳ ἦν πρὸ τοῦ Ἰωάννην γεννηθῆναι καὶ συλληφθῆναι, πρὸ αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἐν κόσμῳ, οὐ περὶ κτίσεως, οὐ περὶ ποιήσεως σημαίνων, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν χρῆσιν, καθ' ἣν ὁμωνύμως εἰώθασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι λέγειν· ἐγενόμην ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, ἐγενόμην ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, ἐγενόμην ἐν Αἰθιοπίᾳ, ἐγενόμην ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ, οὐ κτίσιν σημαίνων ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ ἐπίβασίν 3.189 τε καὶ παρουσίαν. τί γὰρ ἐγενόμην ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ἢ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ σημαίνει, ὅτι ἦλθον. «πρὸ ἐμοῦ οὖν ἐγένετο», ἵνα δείξῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν τοῦ λόγου ἀεὶ ἐπίβασιν, καὶ τὸ «πρῶτός μου ἦν,» ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν θεότητα ἀεὶ οὖσαν. τὸ δὲ «ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενον», ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν σύλληψιν μετὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο «ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ», ἑτοιμαστικὴ φωνὴ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀκοῆς. πρῶτον γὰρ ἀδιάρθρωτον εἰώθασιν οἱ φωνοῦντες ἀποδιδόναι φωνὴν ἐχήεσσαν, ἀπὸ μήκοθεν καλοῦντες τούς τι ἔχοντας παρ' αὐτῶν ἀκούειν, καὶ ἐπὰν ἐκεῖνοι τῆς φωνῆς ἀκούσωσι μόνης καὶ δώσωσι τὸν νοῦν τοῦ ἀκούειν καὶ ἑτοιμάσωσι τὴν ἀκοήν, τότε ὁ τὴν ἠχήεσσαν φωνὴν ἀποδοὺς λοιπὸν διαστέλλει τὸν λόγον, ὅνπερ ἠβουλήθη εἰπεῖν. οὕτω καὶ Ἰωάννης φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἑτοιμάζουσα τὴν ἀκοὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ μετ' αὐτὸν ἦλθεν ὁ λόγος, δι' ὃν ἡ ἑτοιμαστικὴ φωνὴ γέγονε. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λέγει «φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἑτοιμάσατε τὰς ὁδοὺς κυρίου». ἡ γὰρ φωνὴ ἑτοιμάζει, ὁ δὲ κύριος ἐπιβαίνει ταῖς ὁδοῖς ταῖς ἡτοιμασμέναις. καὶ ἡ φωνὴ λαλεῖ εἰς τὴν ἀκοήν· ὅταν δὲ ἡ ἀκοὴ σχολάσῃ, τότε ὁ λόγος ἐν τῇ ἀκοῇ καταβάλλεται τῶν δεχομένων. οὐδαμοῦ τοίνυν ἐπιλήψεται Ἄρειος καὶ οἱ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀληθείας, ἀεὶ καταυγαζούσης καρδίας πιστῶν εἰς τὸ μὴ ἐκτραπῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ υἱῷ θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἀκτίστῳ καὶ ἀγενήτῳ σωτηρίας. 42. Προκοπτόντων δὲ πάλιν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς ἑξῆς βαινόντων, οὐδὲν παραλείψομεν τῶν ἄνω προτεταγμένων εἰς ἐπίλυσιν, ἀλλ' αὖθις πάλιν ἐπιληψόμεθα τῆς ἀκολουθίας. προφασίζονται γὰρ πάλιν ἑτέραν πρόφασιν, τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πέτρου ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν εἰρημένην ὅτι «φανερὸν ἔστω ὑμῖν πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὃν ἐσταυρώσατε καὶ κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησε». καὶ λέγουσι πάλιν ὅτι ἐνταῦθα τὸ «ἐποίησε» γέγραπται, καὶ οὐχ ὁρῶσι τὸ ῥητόν αὐτὸ γὰρ ἑαυτὸ τὸ ῥητὸν ἑρμηνεύει «τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν Ἰησοῦν», ἵνα σημάνῃ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν κυρίου. ἀπὸ τοῦ γὰρ «τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὃν ἐσταυρώσατε» φανερόν τί ἐστιν * ὅτι ἣν ἐσταύρωσαν σάρκα· σάρκα γὰρ ἐσταύρωσαν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ κύριος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ «νῦν δὲ ζητεῖτέ με ἀποκτεῖναι ἄνθρωπον, ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λελάληκα,