[On Whose Account the Powers of Miracles are Performed.]

I. Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour, delivered to us the great mystery of godliness, and called both Jews and Gentiles to the acknowledgment of the one and only  1  The words “one and only” are omitted in the Syriac and Coptic. true God His Father,  2  One V. ms. omits “His Father.” The Syriac amd Coptic have “the only Father.” as Himself somewhere says, when He was giving thanks for the salvation of those that had believed, “I have manifested Thy name to men, I have finished the work Thou gavest me;”  3  John xvii. 6, 4. and said concerning us to His Father, “Holy Father, although the world has not known Thee, yet have I known Thee; and these have known Thee.”  4  John xvii. 11, 25. With good reason did He say to all of us together, when we were perfected concerning those gifts which were given from Him by the Spirit: “Now these signs shall follow them that have believed in my name: they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall by no means hurt them: they shall lay their hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”  5  Mark xvi. 17, 18. These gifts were first bestowed on us the apostles when we were about to preach the Gospel to every creature, and afterwards were of necessity afforded to those who had by our means believed; not for the advantage of those who perform them, but for the conviction of the unbelievers, that those whom the word did not persuade, the power of signs might put to shame: for signs are not for us who believe, but for the unbelievers, both for the Jews and Gentiles. For neither is it any profit to us to cast out demons, but to those who are so cleansed by the power of the Lord; as the Lord  6  The Coptic reads “our God.” Himself somewhere instructs us, and shows, saying: “Rejoice ye, not because the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”  7  Luke x. 20. Since the former is done by His power, but this by our good disposition and diligence, yet (it is manifest) by His assistance. It is not therefore necessary that every one of the faithful should cast out demons, or raise the dead, or speak with tongues; but such a one only who is vouchsafed this gift, for some cause which may be advantage to the salvation of the unbelievers, who are often put to shame, not with the demonstration of the world, but by the power of the signs; that is, such as are worthy of salvation: for all the ungodly are not affected by wonders; and hereof God Himself is a witness, as when He says in the law: “With other tongues will I speak to this people, and with other lips, and yet will they by no means believe.”  8  Isa. xxviii. 11; 1 Cor. xiv. 21. For neither did the Egyptians believe in God, when Moses had done so many signs and wonders;  9  Ex. vii. and iv. nor did the multitude of the Jews believe in Christ, as they believed Moses, who yet had healed every sickness and every disease among them.  10  Deut. xviii. 15, etc. Nor were the former shamed by the rod which was turned into a living serpent, nor by the hand which was made white with leprosy, nor by the river Nile turned into blood; nor the latter by the blind who recovered their sight, nor by the lame who walked, nor by the dead who were raised.  11  Matt. xi. 5 The one was resisted by Jannes and Jambres, the other by Annas and Caiaphas.  12  2 Tim. iii. 8 Thus signs do not shame all into belief, but only those of a good disposition; for whose sake also it is that God is pleased, as a wise steward of a family, to appoint miracles to be wrought, not by the power of men, but by His own will. Now we say these things, that those who have received such gifts may not exalt themselves against those who have not received them; such gifts, we mean, as are for the working of miracles. For otherwise there is no man who has believed in God through Christ,  13  Instead of “Christ,” the Coptic reads, “through His Holy Son.” that has not received some spiritual gift: for this very thing, having been delivered from the impiety of polytheism, and having believed in God the Father through Christ,  14  The Coptic reads, “and in Christ and the Holy Spirit.” this is a gift of God. And the having cast off the veil of Judaism, and having believed that, by the good pleasure of God, His only begotten Son, who was before all ages,  15  The Coptic reads, “and His only begotten Son, who was with the Father and the life-giving Holy Spirit before all the ages.” was in the last time born of a virgin,  16  The Coptic reads, “spotless virgin.” without the company of a man, and that He lived as a man, yet without sin, and fulfilled all that righteousness which is of the law; and that, by the permission of God, He who was God the Word endured the cross, and despised the shame; and that He died, and was buried, and rose within three days; and that after His resurrection, having continued forty days with His apostles, and completed His whole constitutions, He was taken up in their sight to His God and Father, who sent Him: he who has believed these things, not at random and irrationally, but with judgment and full assurance, has received the gift of God. So also has He who is delivered from every heresy. Let not, therefore, any one that works signs and wonders judge any one of the faithful who is not vouchsafed the same: for the gifts of God which are bestowed by Him through Christ are various; and one man receives one gift, and another another. For perhaps one has the word of wisdom, and another the word of knowledge;  17  1 Cor. xii. 8 another, discerning of spirits; another, foreknowledge of things to come; another, the word of teaching; another, long-suffering; another, continence according to the law: for even Moses, the man of God, when he wrought signs in Egypt, did not exalt himself against his equals: and when he was called a god, he did not arrogantly despise his own prophet Aaron.  18  Ex. vii. 1 Nor did Joshua the son of Nun, who was the leader of the people after him, though in the war with the Jebusites he had made the sun stand still over against Gibeon, and the moon over against the valley of Ajalon,  19  Josh. x because the day was not long enough for their victory, insult over Phineas or Caleb. Nor did Samuel, who had done so many surprising things, disregard David the beloved of God: yet they were both prophets, and the one was high priest, and the other was king. And when there were only seven thousand holy men in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal,  20  1 Kings xix. 18; Rom. xi. 4. Elijah alone among them, and his disciple Elisha, were workers of miracles. Yet neither did Elijah despise Obadiah the steward, who feared God, but wrought no signs; nor did Elisha despise his own disciple when he trembled at the enemies.  21  2 Kings vi. Moreover, neither did the wise Daniel who was twice delivered from the mouths of the lions, nor the three children who were delivered from the furnace of fire,  22  Dan vi. 16, iii. despise the rest of their fellow-Israelites: for they knew that they had not escaped these terrible miseries by their own might; but by the power of God did they both work miracles, and were delivered from miseries. Wherefore let none of you exalt himself against his brother, though he be a prophet, or though he be a worker of miracles: for if it happens that there be no longer an unbeliever, all the power of signs will thenceforwards be superfluous. For to be pious is from any one’s good disposition; but to work wonders is from the power of Him that works them by us: the first of which respects ourselves; but the second respects God that works them, for the reasons which we have already mentioned. Wherefore neither let a king despise his officers that are under him, nor the rulers those who are subject. For where there are none to be ruled over, rulers are superfluous; and where there are no officers, the kingdom will not stand. Moreover, let not a bishop be exalted against his deacons and presbyters, nor the presbyters against the people: for the subsistence of the congregation depends on each other. For the bishops and the presbyters are the priests with relation to the people; and the laity are the laity with relation to the clergy. And to be a Christian is in our own power; but to be an apostle, or a bishop, or in any other such office, is not in our own power, but at the disposal of God, who bestows the gifts. And thus much concerning those who are vouchsafed gifts and dignities.

[1] Τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ μέγα τῆς εὐσεβείας ἡμῖν παραδιδόντος μυστήριον καὶ προσκαλουμένου Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ, καθὼς αὐτός που φησὶν εὐχαριστῶν ἐπὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν πιστευσάντων: »Ἐφανέρωσά σου τὸ ὄνομα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, τὸ ἔργον, ὃ ἔδωκάς μοι, ἐτελείωσα«, καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν λέγοντος τῷ Πατρί: »Πάτερ ἅγιε, εἰ καὶ ὁ κόσμος σε οὐκ ἔγνω, ἀλλ' ἐγώ σε ἔγνων καὶ οὗτοί σε ἔγνωσαν«, εἰκότως, ὡς ἂν τετελειωμένων ἡμῶν, φησὶ πᾶσιν ἅμα περὶ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος διδομένων χαρισμάτων: »Σημεῖα δὲ τοῖς πιστεύσασιν ταῦτα παρακολουθήσει: ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου δαιμόνια ἐκβαλοῦσιν, γλώσσαις λαλήσουσιν καιναῖς, ὄφεις ἀροῦσιν: κἂν θανάσιμόν τι πίωσιν, οὐ μὴ αὐτοὺς βλάψει: ἐπὶ ἀρρώστους χεῖρας ἐπιθήσουσιν, καὶ καλῶς ἕξουσιν«, τούτων τῶν χαρισμάτων πρότερον μὲν ἡμῖν δοθέντων τοῖς ἀποστόλοις μέλλουσιν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλειν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, ἔπειτα τοῖς δι' ἡμῶν πιστεύσασιν ἀναγκαίως χορηγουμένων, οὐκ εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐνεργούντων ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀπίστων συγκατάθεσιν, ἵνα οὓς οὐκ ἔπεισεν ὁ λόγος, τούτους ἡ τῶν σημείων δυσωπήσῃ δύναμις. Τὰ γὰρ σημεῖα οὐ τοῖς πιστοῖς ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀπίστοις Ἰουδαίων τε καὶ Ἑλλήνων: οὔτε γὰρ τὸ δαίμονας ἐκβάλλειν ἡμέτερον κέρδος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐνεργείᾳ Χριστοῦ καθαιρομένων, καθὼς αὐτός που παιδεύων ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος δείκνυσι λέγων: »Μὴ χαίρετε, ὅτι τὰ πνεύματα ὑμῖν ὑπακούουσιν, ἀλλὰ χαίρετε, ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν γέγραπται ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ«, ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ δυνάμει γίνεται, τὸ δὲ ἡμετέρᾳ εὐνοίᾳ καὶ σπουδῇ, δῆλον ὅτι βοηθουμένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἐπάναγκες οὖν πάντα πιστὸν δαίμονας ἐκβάλλειν ἢ νεκροὺς ἀνιστᾶν ἢ γλώσσαις λαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀξιωθέντα χαρίσματος ἐπί τινι αἰτίᾳ χρησίμῃ εἰς σωτηρίαν τῶν ἀπίστων, δυσωπουμένων πολλάκις οὐ τὴν τῶν λόγων ἀπόδειξιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν σημείων ἐνέργειαν, ἀξίων ὄντων σωτηρίας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ὑπὸ τῶν θαυμάτων ἐντρέπονται: καὶ τούτου μάρτυς αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ ἐν τῷ Νόμῳ ὅτι: »Ἐν ἑτερογλώσσοις λαλήσω τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ καὶ ἐν χείλεσιν ἑτέροις, καὶ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσωσιν.« Οὔτε γὰρ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Θεῷ, Μωϋσέως τοσαῦτα σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα πεποιηκότος, οὔτε τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἰουδαίων τῷ ὡς Μωϋσεῖ Χριστῷ πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἐν αὐτοῖς θεραπεύσαντι: καὶ οὔτε ἐκείνους ἐδυσώπησεν ῥάβδος ψυχουμένη εἰς ὄφιν καὶ χεὶρ λευκαινομένη καὶ Νεῖλος αἱματούμενος, οὔτε τούτους τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέποντες καὶ χωλοὶ περιπατοῦντες καὶ νεκροὶ ἀνιστάμενοι: καὶ τῷ μὲν ἀνθίσταντο Ἰαννὴς καὶ Ἰαμβρής, τῷ δὲ Ἄννας καὶ Καϊάφας. Οὕτως οὐ πάντας δυσωπεῖ τὰ σημεῖα, ἀλλὰ μόνους τοὺς εὐγνώμονας, ὧν καὶ χάριν εὐδοκεῖ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιτελεῖσθαι δυνάμεις ὡς σοφὸς οἰκονόμος, οὐ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἰσχύϊ, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ βουλήσει. Ταῦτα δέ φαμεν ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ ἐπαίρεσθαι τοὺς λαβόντας χαρίσματα τοιάδε κατὰ τῶν μὴ λαβόντων. Χαρίσματα δὲ λέγομεν τὰ διὰ τῶν σημείων, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος πιστεύσας διὰ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸν Θεόν, ὃς οὐκ εἴληφεν χάρισμα πνευματικόν. Αὐτό τε γὰρ τὸ ἀπαλλαγῆναι πολυθέου ἀσεβείας καὶ πιστεῦσαι Θεῷ Πατρὶ διὰ Χριστοῦ χάρισμά ἐστι Θεοῦ, τό τε ἀπορρίψαι τὸ ἰουδαϊκὸν κάλυμμα καὶ πιστεῦσαι, ὅτι εὐδοκίᾳ Θεοῦ ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων μονογενὴς ἐν ὑστέρῳ καιρῷ ἐκ παρθένου γεγέννηται δίχα ὁμιλίας ἀνδρός, καὶ ὅτι ἐπολιτεύσατο ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἄνευ ἁμαρτίας πληρώσας πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην τὴν τοῦ νόμου, καὶ ὅτι συγχωρήσει Θεοῦ σταυρὸν ὑπέμεινεν αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, καὶ ὅτι ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἐτάφη καὶ ἀνέστη διὰ τριῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας παραμείνας τοῖς ἀποστόλοις καὶ πληρώσας πᾶσαν διάταξιν, ἀνελήφθη ἐπ' ὄψεσιν αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν ἀποστείλαντα αὐτὸν Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα. Ὁ ταῦτα πιστεύσας, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ ἀλόγως, ἀλλὰ κρίσει καὶ πληροφορίᾳ, χάρισμα εἴληφεν ἐκ Θεοῦ, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ὁ πάσης αἱρέσεως ἀπαλλαγείς. Μὴ οὖν τις τῶν ποιούντων σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα κρινέτω τινὰ τῶν πιστῶν μὴ ἀξιωθέντα ἐνεργεῖν: διάφορα γάρ ἐστιν τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρίσματα παρ' αὐτοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ διδόμενα, καὶ σὺ μὲν εἴληφας τοῦτο, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἄλλο τι, ἢ γὰρ λόγον σοφίας ἢ γνώσεως ἢ διακρίσεως πνευμάτων ἢ πρόγνωσιν τῶν μελλόντων ἢ λόγον διδακτικὸν ἢ ἀνεξικακίαν ἢ ἐγκράτειαν ἔννομον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Μωϋσῆς, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐπιτελῶν τὰ σημεῖα οὐ κατεπήρθη τῶν ὁμοφύλων, καὶ θεὸς κληθεὶς οὐκ ἠλαζονεύσατο κατὰ τοῦ ἰδίου προφήτου Ἀαρών. Ἀλλ' οὔτε ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦς, ἡγησάμενος μετ' αὐτὸν τοῦ λαοῦ κἂν τῷ πρὸς Ἰεβουσαίους πολέμῳ στήσας τὸν ἥλιον κατὰ Γαβαὼν καὶ τὴν σελήνην κατὰ φάραγγα Αἰλὼν διὰ τὸ μὴ αὐταρκεῖν πρὸς τὴν νίκην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐπήρθη κατὰ τοῦ Φινεὲς ἢ τοῦ Χαλέβ: οὔτε Σαμουὴλ τοσαῦτα παράδοξα ποιήσας παρ' οὐδὲν ἡγήσατο τὸν θεοφιλῆ Δαυίδ, καίτοι ἀμφότεροι προφῆται καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀρχιερεύς, ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς. Καὶ ἑπτὰ χιλιάδων ὑπαρχουσῶν ἐν Ἰσραὴλ ἁγίων τῶν μὴ καμψάντων γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ μόνος Ἠλίας ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ὁ τούτου μαθητὴς Ἐλισσαῖος θαυματοποιοὶ γεγένηνται, ἀλλ' οὔτε Ἠλίας τὸν οἰκονόμον Ἀβδιοὺ ἐξεμυκτήρισεν φοβούμενον μὲν τὸν Θεόν, οὐ ποιοῦντα δὲ σημεῖα, οὔτε Ἐλισσαῖος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὴν φρίττοντα τοὺς πολεμίους ὑπερεῖδεν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὔτε Δανιὴλ ὁ σοφὸς ῥυσθεὶς δεύτερον ἐκ στόματος λεόντων, οὔτε οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἐκ καμίνου πυρὸς ἐξουδένωσαν τοὺς λοιποὺς τῶν ὁμοφύλων: ἠπίσταντο γάρ, ὅτι οὐ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει περιεγένοντο τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἰσχύϊ, καὶ σημεῖα ἐπετέλουν καὶ τῶν δυσχερῶν ἀπηλλάττοντο. Οὐκοῦν μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἐπαιρέσθω κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, κἂν προφήτης ᾖ κἂν θαυματοποιός: εἰ γὰρ δοθῇ μηκέτι εἶναί που ἄπιστον, περιττὴ λοιπὸν ἔσται πᾶσα σημείων ἐνέργεια. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἶναι εὐσεβῆ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ τινος εὐνοίας, τὸ δὲ θαυματοποιεῖν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος δυνάμεως: ὧν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ὁρᾷ, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον Θεὸν τὸν ἐνεργοῦντα δι' ἃς προείπομεν αἰτίας. Οὐκοῦν μήτε βασιλεὺς ἐξουθενείτω τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν στρατηγούς, μήτε ἄρχοντες τοὺς ὑπηκόους: μὴ ὄντων γὰρ τῶν ἀρχομένων περιττοὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες, καὶ μὴ ὄντων στρατηγῶν οὐ στήσεται βασιλεία. Ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἐπίσκοπος ἐπαιρέσθω κατὰ τῶν διακόνων ἢ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, μήτε μὴν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ: ἐξ ἀλλήλων γάρ ἐστιν ἡ σύστασις τοῦ συναθροίσματος. Ὅ τε γὰρ ἐπίσκοπος καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τίνων εἰσιν ἱερεῖς; Καὶ οἱ λαϊκοὶ τίνων εἰσιν λαϊκοί; Καὶ τὸ μὲν εἶναι χριστιανὸν ἐφ' ἡμῖν, τὸ δὲ ἀπόστολον ἢ ἐπίσκοπον ἢ ἄλλο τι οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ διδόντι Θεῷ τὰ χαρίσματα. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον εἰρήσθω διὰ τοὺς ἀξιωθέντας χαρισμάτων ἢ ἀξιωμάτων.