Γοροθηνοί, οἱ ἄλλοις καιροῖς τὰς ἑορτὰς ἄγοντες παρὰ τοὺς Ἰεβουσαίους.
Ἰεβουσαῖοι διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν τῶν ἑορτῶν πρὸς τοὺς Γοροθηνοὺς διαφερόμενοι.
Ἐσσηνοί, οἱ μηδ' ὁποτέροις ἐναντιούμενοι, τοῖς δὲ παρατυγχάνουσι συνεορτάζοντες ἀδιαφόρως.
Ναζωραῖοι, οἳ Χριστὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν Ἰησοῦν υἱὸν θεοῦ, πάντα δὲ κατὰ νόμον πολιτευόμενοι.
Αὕτη καὶ ἡ τοῦ δευτέρου τόμου τοῦ πρώτου βιβλίου τῶν δεκατριῶν αἱρέσεων ἀνακεφαλαίωσις.
Τάδε ἔνεστι καὶ ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ τοῦ πρώτου βιβλίου τόμῳ, ἐν ᾧ εἰσιν αἱρέσεις δεκατρεῖς.
Ἀγγελικοί. Οὗτοι παντελῶς ἐξέλιπον, αὐχοῦντες ἀγγελικὴν ἔχειν τάξιν ἢ διὰ τὸ ἀγγέλοις προσκεκλῆσθαι.
Αὗται τοῦ τετάρτου τόμου, δευτέρου δὲ βιβλίου αἱρέσεις ιηʹ.
Τάδε ἔνεστιν ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ τόμῳ, δευτέρου δὲ βιβλίου, αἱρέσεις πέντε.
Αὗται τοῦ πέμπτου τόμου, δευτέρου δὲ βιβλίου, αἱρέσεις πέντε.
Τάδε ἔνεστιν ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τόμῳ βιβλίου τρίτου, αἱρέσεις ἑπτά.
Αὗταί εἰσιν ὁμοίως τοῦ ἕκτου τόμου, τρίτου δὲ βιβλίου αἱρέσεις ἑπτά.
Τάδε ἔνεστι ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ τόμῳ, τρίτου δὲ βιβλίῳ, αἱρέσεις τέσσαρες.
Then there is the book of The Camel of God. About this camel he says that there was a camel from God and that she drank the whole river and could not pass through two mountains, because there was not room enough. There were people in that place, he says, and they used to drink the water on one day, while the camel would drink it on the next. Moreover, by drinking the water she furnished them with nourishment, because she supplied them with milk instead of water. Then, because these men were evil, they rose up, he says, and killed the camel. However, she had an offspring, a little camel, which, he says, when the mother had been done away with, called upon God and God took it to Himself. Then we say to them: ‘Where did that camel come from‘? And they say that it was from God. Then we say: ‘Was there another camel coupled with this one? And they say: ‘No‘. ‘Then how‘, we say, ‘was it begotten? For we see that your camel is without father and without mother and without genealogy, and that the one that begot it suffered evil. Neither is it evident who bred her. And also, this little camel was taken up. So why did not your prophet, with whom, according to what you say, God spoke, find out about the camel—where it grazed, and who got milk by milking it? Or did she possibly, like her mother, meet with evil people and get destroyed? Or did she enter into paradise before you, so that you might have the river of milk that you so foolishly talk about? For you say that you have three rivers flowing in paradise—one of water, one of wine, and one of milk. If your forerunner the camel is outside of paradise, it is obvious that she has dried up from hunger and thirst, or that others have the benefit of her milk—and so your prophet is boasting idly of having conversed with God, because God did not reveal to him the mystery of the camel. But if she is in paradise, she is drinking water still, and you for lack of water will dry up in the midst of the paradise of delight. And if, there being no water, because the camel will have drunk it all up, you thirst for wine from the river of wine that is flowing by, you will become intoxicated from drinking pure wine and collapse under the influence of the strong drink and fall asleep. Then, suffering from a heavy head after sleeping and being sick from the wine, you will miss the pleasures of paradise. How, then, did it not enter into the mind of your prophet that this might happen to you in the paradise of delight? He never had any idea of what the camel is leading to now, yet you did not even ask him, when he held forth to you with his dreams on the subject of the three rivers. We plainly assure you that this wonderful camel of yours has preceded you into the souls of asses, where you, too, like beasts are destined to go. And there there is the exterior darkness and everlasting punishment, roaring fire, sleepless worms, and hellish demons.’
Πάλιν γραφὴ τῆς καμήλου τοῦ θεοῦ, περὶ ἧς λέγει, ὅτι ἦν κάμηλος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἔπινεν ὅλον τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ οὐ διήρχετο μεταξὺ δύο ὀρέων διὰ τὸ μὴ χωρεῖσθαι. Λαὸς οὖν, φησίν, ἦν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, καὶ τὴν μὲν μίαν ἡμέραν αὐτὸς ἔπινε τὸ ὕδωρ, ἡ δὲ κάμηλος τῇ ἑξῆς. Πίνουσα δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ ἔτρεφεν αὐτοὺς τὸ γάλα παρεχομένη ἀντὶ τοῦ ὕδατος. Ἀνέστησαν οὖν οἱ ἄνδρες ἐκεῖνοι, φησί, πονηροὶ ὄντες καὶ ἀπέκτειναν τὴν κάμηλον: τῆς δὲ γέννημα ὑπῆρχεν μικρὰ κάμηλος, ἥτις, φησί, τῆς μητρὸς ἀναιρεθείσης ἀνεβόησε πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτόν. Πρὸς οὕς φαμεν: Πόθεν ἡ κάμηλος ἐκείνη: Καὶ λέγουσιν, ὅτι ἐκ θεοῦ. Καί φαμεν: Συνεβιβάσθη ταύτῃ κάμηλος ἄλλη; Καὶ λέγουσιν: Οὐχί. Πόθεν οὖν, φαμέν, ἐγέννησεν; Ὁρῶμεν γὰρ τὴν κάμηλον ὑμῶν ἀπάτορα καὶ ἀμήτορα καὶ ἀγενεαλόγητον, γεννήσασα δὲ κακὸν ἔπαθεν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ βιβάσας φαίνεται, καὶ ἡ μικρὰ κάμηλος ἀνελήφθη. Ὁ οὖν προφήτης ὑμῶν, ᾧ, καθὼς λέγετε, ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεός, διὰ τί περὶ τῆς καμήλου οὐκ ἔμαθε, ποῦ βόσκεται καὶ τίνες γαλεύονται ταύτην ἀμέλγοντες; Ἢ καὶ αὐτὴ μή ποτε κακοῖς ὡς ἡ μήτηρ περιτυχοῦσα ἀνῃρέθη ἢ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ πρόδρομος ὑμῶν εἰσῆλθεν, ἀφ' ἧς ὁ ποταμὸς ὑμῖν ἔσται, ὃν ληρεῖτε, τοῦ γάλακτος; Τρεῖς γάρ φατε ποταμοὺς ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ῥέειν: ὕδατος, οἴνου καὶ γάλακτος. Ἐὰν ἐκτός ἐστιν ἡ πρόδρομος ὑμῶν κάμηλος τοῦ παραδείσου, δῆλον, ὅτι ἀπεξηράνθη πείνῃ καὶ δίψῃ ἢ ἄλλοι τοῦ γάλακτος αὐτῆς ἀπολαύουσι, καὶ μάτην ὁ προφήτης ὑμῶν φρυάττεται ὡς ὁμιλήσας θεῷ: οὐ γὰρ τὸ μυστήριον αὐτῷ ἀπεκαλύφθη τῆς καμήλου. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐστί, πάλιν πίνει τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἀνυδρίᾳ ξηραίνεσθε ἐν μέσῳ τῆς τρυφῆς τοῦ παραδείσου. Κἂν οἶνον ἐκ τοῦ παροδεύοντος ἐπιθυμήσητε ποταμοῦ, μὴ παρόντος ὕδατος_ἀπέπιε γὰρ ὅλον ἡ κάμηλος_ ἄκρατον πίνοντες ἐκκαίεσθε καὶ μέθῃ παραπαίετε καὶ καθεύδετε: καρηβαροῦντες δὲ καὶ μεθ' ὕπνον καὶ κεκραιπαληκότες ἐξ οἴνου τῶν ἡδέων ἐπιλανθάνεσθε τοῦ παραδείσου. Πῶς οὖν ὁ προφήτης ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐνενοήθη ταῦτα, μήποτε συμβῇ ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς τρυφῆς, οὐδὲ περὶ τῆς καμήλου πεφρόντικεν, ὅπου νῦν διάγει; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἠρωτήσατε αὐτόν, ὡς ὑμῖν περὶ τῶν τριῶν διηγόρευσεν ὀνειροπολούμενος ποταμῶν. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς σαφῶς τὴν θαυμαστὴν ὑμῶν κάμηλον εἰς ψυχὰς ὄνων, ὅπου καὶ ὑμεῖς μέλλετε διάγειν ὡς κτηνώδεις, προδραμοῦσαν ὑμῶν ἐπαγγελλόμεθα. Ἐκεῖσε δὲ σκότος ἐστὶ τὸ ἐξώτερον καὶ κόλασις ἀτελεύτητος, πῦρ ἠχοῦν, σκώληξ ἀκοίμητος καὶ ταρτάριοι δαίμονες.