It may indeed be undignified to give any answer at all to the statements that are foolish; we seem to be pointed that way by Solomon’s wise advice, “not to answer a fool according to his folly.” But there is a danger lest through our silence error may prevail over the truth, and so the rotting sore2    σηπεδονώδης…γάγγραινα: both used by Galen. of this heresy may invade it, and make havoc of the sound word of the faith. It has appeared to me, therefore, to be imperative to answer, not indeed according to the folly of these men who offer objections of such a description to our Religion, but for the correction of their depraved ideas. For that advice quoted above from the Proverbs gives, I think, the watchword not for silence, but for the correction of those who are displaying some act of folly; our answers, that is, are not to run on the level of their foolish conceptions, but rather to overturn those unthinking and deluded views as to doctrine.

Τάχα οὐδὲ ἀποκρίνασθαι προσήκει τοῖς ματαίοις τῶν λόγων: τὸ γὰρ σοφὸν τοῦ Σολομῶντος παράγγελμα πρὸς τοῦτο ἔοικε φέρειν τὸ διακελευόμενον μὴ ἀποκρίνεσθαι ἄφρονι κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτοῦ. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ κίνδυνός ἐστι μὴ διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας σιγῆς κατισχύσῃ τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ ψεῦδος καὶ πολλὴν ἡ σηπεδονώδης αὕτη τῆς αἱρέσεως γάγγραινα νομὴν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας λαβοῦσα τὸν ὑγιαίνοντα τῆς πίστεως λόγον διαλωβήσηται, ἀναγκαῖον ἐφάνη μοι μὴ κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτῶν ἀποκρίνασθαι τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας προτεινομένων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ διορθώσει τῶν μοχθηρῶν ὑπολήψεων. καὶ γὰρ τὸ παροιμιῶδες παράγγελμα δοκεῖ μοι μὴ σιγήν, ἀλλὰ διόρθωσιν τῶν ἀφραινόντων παρεγγυᾶν ὡς δεῖν τὰς ἀποκρίσεις μὴ συντρέχειν τῇ ἀφροσύνῃ τῶν ὑπολήψεων, ἀνατρέπειν δὲ μᾶλλον τὰς ἀνοήτους αὐτῶν καὶ ἠπατημένας περὶ τῶν δογμάτων δόξας.