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of the dead and eternal judgment and kingdom of heaven and rest for the righteous is laid up and an inheritance for the faithful and a chorus with angels for those who have kept the faith and purity and hope and the commandments of the Lord, is true and has been preached and has been secured and has been believed that “these will rise to eternal life” according to what is written in the gospels. For whatever both the apostle and all the holy scriptures say is true, even if among those who have disbelieved and understood poorly it is understood differently. But for us this is the faith and this the honor and this our mother the church, saving through faith and strengthened through hope and perfected by the love of Christ, both in the confession, in the 3.520 mysteries, and in the purifying power of the font, for it says, “Go and baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” in the name of the divine Trinity, the designation having no difference, but God is one for us, preached and proclaimed and believed in the law and in the prophets and in the gospels and in the apostles, in the old and new testament, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, the Godhead not being some confusion, but being truly a perfect Trinity, the Father perfect, the Son perfect, the Holy Spirit perfect, one Godhead, one God, to whom be glory, honor, power now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 19. This is the faith, the treatise of our life, this the support of the truth, this the virgin of Christ and guileless dove; this is the life and the hope and the confirmation of incorruptibility. But I beseech all you who read to forgive my lowliness and the weakness of my very feeble mind, which has for a long time grown numb from and detested the poison of the heresies, as if spitting it out and being nauseated, on account of which * either I was borne along speaking harshly toward some with words, or calling some sinners or charlatans, or deluded or deceivers. For on account of the great trouble from the poison, although not having a habit of readily mocking anyone, we were constrained to treat them with such words, so that we might turn away the thought of some, lest they might think that we, because we have openly published by revealing the things said or done among them, have some part in a mind that agrees with the evil doctrine in each of the heresies. And I have also made a brief preface at the beginning of the work, taking precautions about these very things and asking for forgiveness, so that no one might direct any displeasure at us, thinking that we are defeated and rushing to mockery. And in the preface we have shown also about which heresies we were going to speak, and into how many books we have divided the whole treatise, and in each book about how many and which ones we have spoken, as also here, recalling it again, I likewise point out for the benefit from all sides of those who read. 3.521 20. And there are three books, seven volumes. And in the first book are 40 heresies, set down according to the number of names, and in sequence from the first and second until the last one found set down in the book; for the first book has 40 heresies in three volumes, the second book 23 heresies in two volumes, and the third book 11 heresies in two volumes. Therefore, all who share in our labor and patiently read our study and go through it, may you be comforted and deemed worthy to gain the benefit, and to turn away the unpleasant things of the heresies from the mind. For we have not revealed them for harm, but for benefit and as a warning not to fall into the seduction of the aforementioned. And having gone through the whole labor, or even parts, pray and be so good as to ask on our behalf, that God might give us a part in the holy and only catholic and apostolic church and true and living and saving faith and might deliver us from every heresy; and if

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νεκρῶν καὶ κρίσις αἰώνιος καὶ βασιλεία οὐρανῶν καὶ ἀνάπαυσις τοῖς δικαίοις ἀνάκειται καὶ κληρονομία πιστῶν καὶ χορὸς μετ' ἀγγέλων τοῖς τετηρηκόσι τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἁγνείαν καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ τὰς τοῦ κυρίου ἐντολάς, ἀληθές ἐστι καὶ κεκήρυκται καὶ ἠσφάλισται καὶ πεπίστευται ὅτι «οὗτοι ἀναστήσονται εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις. ὅσα γὰρ λέγει καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ἅγιαι γραφαὶ ἀληθινὰ τυγχάνει, εἰ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἀπιστήσασι καὶ κακῶς νενοηκόσιν ἑτέρως ὑπολαμβάνεται. ἡμῖν δὲ αὕτη ἡ πίστις καὶ αὕτη ἡ τιμὴ καὶ αὕτη ἡ μήτηρ ἡμῶν ἡ ἐκκλησία, διὰ πίστεως σῴζουσα καὶ δι' ἐλπίδος κρατυνομένη καὶ ἀγάπῃ Χριστοῦ τελειουμένη, ἔν τε τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἔν τε 3.520 τοῖς μυστηρίοις ἔν τε τῇ τοῦ λουτροῦ καθαρσίῳ δυνάμει, ὅτι φησὶν «ἀπελθόντες βαπτίσατε εἰς ὄνομα πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος», εἰς ὄνομα δὲ θεϊκῆς τριάδος, ὀνομασίας μηδεμίαν διαφορὰν ἐχούσης, ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς εἷς ἡμῖν ἐν νόμῳ καὶ ἐν προφήταις καὶ ἐν εὐαγγελίοις καὶ ἐν ἀποστόλοις, ἐν παλαιᾷ καὶ καινῇ διαθήκῃ κεκήρυκται καὶ κατήγγελται καὶ πεπίστευται, πατὴρ καὶ υἱὸς καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, μή τις συναλοιφὴ οὖσα ἡ θεότης, ἀλλὰ τριὰς οὖσα ὄντως τελεία, τέλειος ὁ πατήρ, τέλειος ὁ υἱός, τέλειον τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, μία θεότης, εἷς θεός, ᾧ ἡ δόξα, τιμὴ κράτος νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. 19. Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ πίστις ἡ τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς πραγματεία, τοῦτο τὸ ἔρεισμα τῆς ἀληθείας, αὕτη ἡ παρθένος Χριστοῦ καὶ περιστερὰ ἄκακος· αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς καὶ ἡ βεβαίωσις τῆς ἀφθαρσίας. ἀλλὰ παρακαλῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας συγγνῶναι τῇ ἐμῇ ταπεινότητι καὶ ἀσθενείᾳ τοῦ βραχυτάτου μου νοῦ, τοῦ ἀπὸ πολλοῦ τῶν αἱρέσεων ἰοῦ ἀποναρκήσαντος καὶ ἀποσικχαίνοντος, ὡς ἀποπτύοντος δίκην καὶ ναυτιῶντος, δι' ὧν * ἤτοι αὐστηρῶς πρός τινας φερόμενος ἠνέχθην διὰ ῥημάτων, ἢ καλέσας τινὰς ἀλιτηρίους ἢ ἀγύρτας, ἢ πεπλανημένους ἢ ἀπατεῶνας. διὰ γὰρ τὸν πολὺν πόνον τοῦ ἰοῦ, καίτοι γε μὴ ἔχοντες ἔθος προχείρως ἐπισκώπτειν τινάς, ἀνάγκην ἐσχήκαμεν ἐν τοιούτοις αὐτοὺς διαθέσθαι τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ἵνα ἀποστρέφωμεν τὴν διάνοιαν τινῶν, μή πη νομίσωσιν ἡμᾶς διὰ τὸ ἀναφανδὸν μὲν δεδημοσιευκέναι ἀποκαλύψαντας τὰ παρ' αὐτοῖς λεγόμενα ἢ γινόμενα, μέρος ἔχειν διανοίας συγκατατιθεμένης τῇ παρ' ἑκάστῃ τῶν αἱρέσεων κακοδοξίᾳ. πεποίημαι δὲ καὶ προοίμιον ἐν ὀλίγῳ εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ συντάγματος, περὶ τούτων αὐτῶν προασφαλιζόμενος καὶ συγγνώμην αἰτῶν, ἵνα μή τις ἀηδίαν τινὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐνσκήψῃ, ὡς ἡττωμένους νομίζων καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ σκώπτειν ὁρμῶντας. ἐδείξαμεν δὲ ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ καὶ περὶ ποίων ἐμέλλομεν λέγειν αἱρέσεων, εἰς πόσας τε βίβλους διείλομεν τὴν πᾶσαν πραγματείαν, ἐν ἑκάστῳ δὲ βιβλίῳ περὶ πόσων καὶ ποίων εἰρήκαμεν, ὡς καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν ἐπιμνημονεύσας ὁμοίως ὑποδείκνυμι εἰς ὠφέλειαν πανταχόθεν τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων. 3.521 20. Καὶ εἰσὶ μὲν βιβλία τρία, τόμοι ἑπτά. καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ βιβλίῳ αἱρέσεις ˉμˉ, κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ὀνομάτων ἐγκείμεναι, καὶ κατὰ εἱρμὸν πρώτης καὶ δευτέρας ἕως τῆς τελευταίας τυχούσης διὰ τῆς βίβλου ἐγκειμένης, ὅτι ἡ μὲν πρώτη βίβλος ἔχει αἱρέσεις ˉμˉ ἐν τόμοις τρισί, ἡ δὲ δευτέρα βίβλος αἱρέσεις ˉκˉγ ἐν τόμοις δυσίν, ἡ δὲ τρίτη βίβλος αἱρέσεις ˉιˉα ἐν τόμοις δυσίν. πάντες τοίνυν οἱ τῷ πονήματι ἡμῶν συμπονοῦντες καὶ σπουδάσματι ἐντυγχάνειν μακροθυμοῦντες διερχόμενοί τε, παρακλήθητε καὶ ἀξιώθητε τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἐπικερδῆσαι, τὰ δὲ ἀηδῆ τῶν αἱρέσεων ἀπὸ τοῦ νοὸς ἀποτρέψαι. οὐ γὰρ εἰς βλάβην ἀπεκαλύψαμεν, ἀλλ' εἰς ὠφέλειαν καὶ παρατήρησιν τοῦ μὴ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς ἐπαγωγὴν τῶν προειρημένων. διελθόντες δὲ τὸν πάντα κάματον ἢ καὶ μέρη, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εὔξασθε καὶ καταξιώσατε, ἵνα ὁ θεὸς δῴη μέρος ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ μόνῃ καθολικῇ καὶ ἀποστολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ ἀληθινῇ καὶ ζωτικῇ καὶ σωτηριώδει πίστει καὶ ῥύσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης αἱρέσεως· καὶ εἴ