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to grant, according to Valentinus and the aforementioned heresies, * the foolish words. For they say: when we confess the body of Christ completely in all things * † curiously; it is written concerning such people who "are busy-bodies and do no work." For startling the mind of the more simple, they immediately say: Therefore, did he have need of things according to the custom of the flesh, or of things for removal, or for the latrine, or other things; things which seem to be wise, but are in fact terrible and rather foolish, as the prophet says, "For who has required these things at your hands?" For concerning which of the saints—though the prophets were men and not gods, and the evangelists and the rest were of soul and flesh, and were like us and not doubted—was it written concerning such matters? And where did not scripture rather testify to the more venerable things for the saints, let alone for the Lord Christ. 16. But let them tell us, those who startle the sheep and scare the doves and shoo away the lambs and flocks of Christ, where did Moses prepare for the forty days? Where did Elijah attend to his needs in the brook Cherith, when he ate bread in the morning and meat in the evening from what was brought by the ravens through the command of God? For it was foolish for the scripture to speak about these things, as it is now foolish for these people to investigate. For what benefit is there in such things? Or what is useful except only for unbelief, having pretexts of prejudice through frivolous talk and vain subversion? But let them tell us again, by what reasoning, when God willed, He caused for the sons of Israel in for3.430 ty years neither their hair to grow long nor their sandals to wear out nor their garments to be worn out or soiled. Surely these did not come from heaven? Surely such were not gods? And yet they were not praiseworthy, but in many things provoked God to jealousy; were they not of like passions with us? But so that God might show that all things are possible in Him and it is possible for things to happen and not to happen. For lest some should again attribute to them things above nature because of the wondrous things that happened to them from God—that is, that their hair did not grow long and their garments did not wear out and the other things, and that "man ate the bread of angels"—for our sake the divine writing, making it secure, says, "Let each one take an iron peg on his belt, so that when he sits down in a place, he may dig and cover his own dung, because you are a holy people and the Lord dwells in the midst of the camp." And concerning this, the children of the Hebrews also relate a story, that the model lasted for them for a certain time until God wished to show this wonder among them, that although they were eating both meat and quail, it happened that they had no need of this. 17. And if among the Hebrews, because of the glory toward their fathers, this is sung—whether by gracious addition or rather according to truth—although they knew that those advocated for by them were men and corruptible and not gods, and of flesh and blood and soul, who will tolerate hearing from these people their audacious claims about Christ, the Word of God who came from above, and his glorious and true incarnate presence in all things? in which he fulfilled what was said, "tempted in all things as a man, without sin." For it was possible for him, having our flesh in truth, not to do the things that seem base to us and to do such things as were venerable and fitting in accordance with his divinity, through which power also the sons of Israel did not let their hair grow long and their garments were not soiled and these things which happened to them according to tradition. And that he also had garments made by men is beyond doubt; "for they divided his garments and for his clothing they cast a lot." And if the garment was from men, it is clear that it was from wool and from linen; but things made from linen and from wool are certain inanimate things

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χαρίσασθαι, κατὰ τὸν Οὐαλεντῖνον καὶ τὰς εἰρημένας αἱρέσεις, * τοὺς ματαίους λόγους. λέγουσι γάρ· ὅταν Χριστοῦ ὁμολογήσωμεν σῶμα τελείως τὰ πάντα * † περιέργως· γέγραπται περὶ τῶν τοιούτων τῶν «περιεργαζομένων καὶ μηδὲν ἐργαζομένων». πτύροντες γὰρ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων εὐθὺς λέγουσιν· οὐκοῦν χρείαν ἔσχε τῶν κατὰ τὴν σαρκὸς συνήθειαν ἢ τῶν πρὸς ἐκτοπισμὸν ἢ τῶν πρὸς ἀφεδρῶνα ἢ τῶν ἄλλων· ὅσαπερ δοκεῖ εἶναι σοφά, δεινὰ δὲ τυγχάνει καὶ ληρώδη μᾶλλον, ὥς φησιν ὁ προφήτης «τίς γὰρ ἐζήτησε ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν;» περὶ τίνος γὰρ τῶν ἁγίων, καίτοι γε ἀνθρώπων ὄντων τῶν προφητῶν καὶ οὐ θεῶν, καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν καὶ λοιπῶν τῶν ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σαρκὸς ὄντων, καθ' ἡμᾶς δὲ ὄντων καὶ μὴ ἀμφιβαλλομένων, ἐγράφη περὶ τῶν τοιούτων πραγμάτων; ποῦ δὲ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον τὰ σεμνότερα ἐπεμαρτύρησε τοῖς ἁγίοις ἡ γραφή, μή τί γε κυρίῳ Χριστῷ. 16. Λεγέτωσαν δὲ ἡμῖν οἱ ἐκθαμβηταὶ τῶν προβάτων καὶ πτύρται τῶν περιστερῶν καὶ σοβηταὶ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀρνίων τε καὶ θρεμμάτων, ποῦ παρεσκευάσθη Μωυσῆς τὴν τεσσαρακονθήμερον; ποῦ τὰ πρὸς χρείαν ἐποιεῖτο Ἠλίας ἐν τῷ Χορρὰ χειμάρρῳ, ὁπηνίκα ἄρτον μὲν τὸ πρωϊνὸν ἤσθιε, κρέα δὲ τὸ δειλινὸν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν κοράκων παρακομιδῆς διὰ θεοῦ προστάγματος; ἠλίθιον γὰρ ἦν τὸ τὴν γραφὴν περὶ τούτων λέγειν, ὡς νῦν τούτοις ἠλίθιον τὸ ἐξετάζειν. τίς γὰρ ὠφέλεια ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις; ἢ τί τὸ χρήσιμον ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον εἰς ἀπιστίαν, τῆς προλήψεως προφάσεις διὰ ψυχρολογίας καὶ ἀνατροπῆς ματαίας ἔχον; λεγέτωσαν δὲ πάλιν ἡμῖν, τίνι τῷ λόγῳ ὅτε ἠθέλησεν ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησε τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τεσσα3.430 ράκοντα ἔτεσι μήτε τὰς τρίχας κομῆσαι μήτε τὰ ὑποδήματα παλαιωθῆναι μήτε τὰ ἱμάτια κατατριβῆναι ἢ ῥυπανθῆναι. μὴ ἄρα καὶ οὗτοι ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἐληλύθεισαν; μὴ θεοὶ οἱ τοιοῦτοι ὑπῆρχον; καίτοι γε οὐκ ἐν ἐπαίνοις ὑπάρχοντες, ἀλλ' ἐν πολλοῖς θεὸν παραζηλώσαντες· μὴ οὐκ ἦσαν ὁμοιοπαθεῖς ἡμῖν; ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ ὁ θεὸς ὅτι τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ δύναται καὶ ἐγχωρεῖ γίνεσθαι καὶ μὴ γίνεσθαι. ἵνα γὰρ μή τινες εἰς ἐκείνους πάλιν λογίσωνται τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν διὰ τὰ αὐτοῖς ἐν θαυμασμῷ γινόμενα παρὰ θεοῦ, τουτέστιν ὅτι τρίχες οὐκ ἐκόμων καὶ ἱμάτια οὐκ ἐπαλαιοῦντο καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, καὶ ὅτι «ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος,» εἰς ἡμῶν χάριν ἀσφαλισάμενον τὸ θεῖον γράμμα φησί «λαβέτω ἕκαστος πάσσαλον σιδηροῦν ἐν τῇ ζώνῃ ἑαυτοῦ, ἵν' ὅταν εἰς τόπον καθιζάνῃ, σκάψῃ καὶ χώσῃ τὴν ἰδίαν κόπρον, ὅτι λαὸς ἡγιασμένος ἐστὲ καὶ κύριος ἐνδημεῖ εἰς μέσον τῆς παρεμβολῆς». εἰς τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἱστορίαν παῖδες Ἑβραίων παραφέρουσιν, ὅτι διήρκεσεν αὐτοῖς ὁ τύπος ἄχρι τινὸς καιροῦ ἕως ὅτου ὁ θεὸς ἠθέλησε δεῖξαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῦτο τὸ θαῦμα, καίτοι γε αὐτῶν ἐσθιόντων καὶ κρέα καὶ ὀρτυγομήτραν, συμβεβηκέναι αὐτοὺς μήτε τούτου χρείαν ἔχειν. 17. Καὶ εἰ παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν δόξαν ἤτοι κατὰ πρόσθεσιν χαριστικῶς μᾶλλον ἤτοι κατὰ ἀλήθειαν τοῦτο ᾄδεται, καίτοι γε αὐτῶν εἰδότων ὅτι καὶ ἄνθρωποι ἦσαν οἱ πρὸς αὐτῶν συνηγορούμενοι καὶ φθαρτοὶ καὶ οὐ θεοί, καὶ ἐκ σαρκὸς καὶ αἵματος καὶ ψυχῆς, τίς παρὰ τούτων ἀνέξεται ἀκούων τὰ οὐκ ἀτόλμητα περὶ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἄνωθεν ἐλθόντος θεοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐν ἅπασιν ἐνδόξου καὶ ἀληθινῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας; ἐν ᾗ ἐπλήρωσε τὸ εἰρημένον «πεπειραμένος κατὰ πάντα ὡς ἄνθρωπος, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας». ἐξῆν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἔχοντι σάρκα τὴν ἡμετέραν μὴ πράττειν τὰ δοκοῦντα ἡμῖν εὐτελῆ καὶ πράττειν ὁποῖα σεμνὰ ἐτύγχανε καὶ πρέποντα ἀναλόγως τῇ θεότητι, δι' οὗ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐκόμησαν καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐρρυπάνθη καὶ ταῦτα ἃ κατὰ παράδοσιν αὐτοῖς συμβέβηκεν. ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἱμάτια εἶχεν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων κατεσκευασμένα ἀναμφίβολον· «διεμερίσαντο γὰρ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτοῦ ἔβαλον κλῆρον». εἰ δὲ ἱμάτιον ἦν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, δῆλον ὅτι ἐξ ἐρέας ἦν καὶ ἐκ λίνου· τὰ δὲ ἐκ λίνου καὶ ἐξ ἐρέας γεγενημένα ἄψυχά τινα