forbidding circumcision; then to the Romans, impressing on them the plan of the Scriptures, and also that Christ is the first principle of them, concerning which severally it is [not] necessary for us to discuss, since the blessed Apostle Paul himself, following the order of his predecessor 5 John, writes only by name to seven churches in the following order—to the Corinthians a first, to the Ephesians a second, to the Philippians a third, to the Colossians a fourth, to the Galatians a fifth, to the Thessalonians a sixth, to the Romans a seventh; whereas, although for 10 the sake of admonition there is a second to the Corinthians and to the Thessalonians, yet one Church is recognized as being spread over the entire world. For John too in the Apocalypse, though he writes to seven churches, yet speaks to all. Howbeit to Philemon one, to Titus one, 15 and to Timothy two were put in writing from personal inclination and attachment, to be in honour however with the Catholic Church for the ordering of the ecclesiastical mode of life. There is current also one to the Laodicenes, another to the Alexandrians, [both] forged in Paul's name 20 to suit the heresy of Marcion, and several others, which cannot be received into the Catholic Church; for it is not fitting that gall be mixed with honey. The Epistle of Jude no doubt, and the couple bearing the name of John, are accepted in the Catholic [Church]; 25 and the Wisdom written by the friends of Solomon in his honour. The Apocalypse also of John, and of Peter [one Epistle, which] only we receive; [there is also a second]1 which some of our friends will not have read in the Church. But the Shepherd was written quite lately in 30 our times by Hermas, while his brother Pius, the bishop. was sitting in the chair of the church of the city of Rome; 1 1. 72 as restored in Greek by Zahn: Πέτρου [ἐπιστολὴ μία, ἣν] μόνην ἀποδεχόμεθα· [ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα] ἥν τινες κ.τ.λ. 5 ΤΟ eius et ideo legi eum quidê oportet se pu XXIII. δο ̔Ο μὲν δὴ Ματθαῖος ἐν τοῖς ̔Εβραίοις τῇ ἰδίᾳ αὐτῶν διαλέκτῳ καὶ γραφὴν ἐξήνεγκεν Εὐαγγελίου, τοῦ Πέτρου καὶ τοῦ Παύλου ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ εὐαγγελιζομένων καὶ θεμελιούντων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. μετὰ δὲ τὴν τούτων ἔξοδον, Μάρκος ὁ μαθητὴς καὶ ἑρμηνευτὴς Πέτρου καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ 15 ὑπὸ Πέτρου κηρυσσόμενα ἐγγράφως ἡμῖν παραδέδωκε· καὶ Λουκᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀκόλουθος Παύλου τὸ ὑπ ̓ ἐκείνου κηρυσσόμενον Εὐαγγέλιον ἐν βιβλίῳ κατέθετο. ἔπειτα Ιωάννης ὁ μαθητὴς τοῦ Κυρίου, ὁ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ ἀναπεσών, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξέδωκε τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν 20 Ἐφέσῳ τῆς ̓Ασίας διατρίβων. 25 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν τρίτῳ τῆς εἰρημένης ὑποθέσεως τῷ προδηλωθέντι [Εἰρηναίῳ] εἴρηται. ἐν δὲ τῷ πέμπτῳ περὶ τῆς Ἰωάννου ̓Αποκαλύψεως, καὶ τῆς ψήφου τῆς περὶ τοῦ ̓Αντιχρίστου προσηγορίας οὕτω διαλαμβάνει· Τούτων δὲ οὕτως ἐχόντων, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς σπου δαίοις καὶ ἀρχαίοις ἀντιγράφοις τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τούτου κειμένου, καὶ μαρτυρούντων αὐτῶν ἐκείνων τῶν κατ ̓ ὄψιν τὸν Ἰωάννην ἑωρακότων, καὶ τοῦ λόγου διδάσκοντος ἡμᾶς ὅτι ὁ ἀριθμὸς τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θηρίου κατὰ τὴν τῶν 30 ̔Ελλήνων ψῆφον διὰ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ γραμμάτων ἐμφαίνεται. Καὶ ὑποκαταβὰς περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φάσκει· Ἡμεῖς οὖν οὐκ ἀποκινδυνεύομεν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ and therefore it ought indeed to be read, but it cannot to the end of time be publicly read in the Church to the people, either among the prophets, who are complete in number, or among the Apostles. But of Valentinus the Arsinoite and his friends' we 5 receive nothing at all; who have also composed a long 2 new book of Psalms; together with Basilides and the Asiatic founder of the Montanists. Origin of the Gospels. MATTHEW published a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul 10 were preaching and founding the church in Rome. After their decease Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peterhe also transmitted to us in writing those things which Peter had preached; and Luke, the attendant of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel which Paul had declared. 15 Afterwards John, the disciple of the Lord, who also reclined on his bosom-he too published the Gospel, while staying at Ephesus in Asia. [Irenaeus] states these things in the third book of his above-mentioned work. In the fifth book he speaks as 20 follows of the Apocalypse of John, and the number of the name of Antichrist : : 'As these things are so, and this number is found in all the approved and ancient copies, and those who saw John face to face confirm it, and reason teaches us that the 25 number of the name of the beast, according to the mode of calculation among the Greeks, appears in its letters'... And farther on he says concerning the same :— 'We are not bold enough to speak confidently of the 1 1. 81 = τοῦ δὲ ̓Αρσινοΐτου Οὐαλεντίνου καὶ τῶν μετ ̓ αὐτοῦ Zahn ̓Αντιχρίστου ἀποφαινόμενοι βεβαιωτικῶς. εἰ γὰρ ἔδει ἀναφανδὸν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ κηρύττεσθαι τοὔνομα αὐτοῦ, δι ̓ ἐκείνου ἂν ἐρρέθη τοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν ἑωρακότος οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸ πολλοῦ χρόνου ἑωράθη, ἀλλὰ σχεδὸν ἐπὶ 5 τῆς ἡμετέρας γενεᾶς, πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῆς Δομετιανοῦ ἀρχῆς. Ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τῆς ̓Αποκαλύψεως ἱστόρηται τῷ δεδηλωμένῳ. μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἰωάννου πρώτης Επιστολῆς, μαρτύρια ἐξ αὐτῆς πλεῖστα εἰσφέρων, ὁμοίως δὲ το καὶ τῆς Πέτρου προτέρας. οὐ μόνον δὲ οἶδεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποδέχεται, τὴν τοῦ Ποιμένος γραφήν, λέγων· 15 Καλῶς οὖν εἶπεν ἡ γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα, ο Πρῶτον πάντων πίστευσον ὅτι εἷς ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός, ὁ τὰ πάντα κτίσας καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ ῥητοῖς δέ τισιν ἐκ τῆς Σολομῶνος Σοφίας κέχρηται μονονουχὶ φάσκων· · ὅρασις δὲ Θεοῦ περιποιητικὴ ἀφθαρσίας, ἀφθαρσία δὲ ἐγγὺς εἶναι ποιεῖ Θεοῦ. καὶ ἀπομνημονευμάτων δὲ ἀποστολικοῦ τινὸς πρεσβυτέρου, οὗ τοὔνομα σιωπῇ παρέδωκε, μνημονεύει, ἐξηγήσεις τε αὐτοῦ 2ο θείων γραφῶν παρατίθεται. ἔτι καὶ ̓Ιουστίνου τοῦ μάρτυρος καὶ Ἰγνατίου μνήμην πεποίηται, μαρτυρίαις αὖθις καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τούτοις γραφέντων κεχρημένος. ἐπήγγελται δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς ἐκ τῶν Μαρκίωνος συγγραμμάτων ἀντιλέξειν αὐτῷ ἐν ἰδίῳ σπουδάσματι, 25 XXIV. EUSEBIUS, Hist. Eccles. v. 8. Ετεροι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ αἱρετικώτεροι τὴν φύσιν, Φρύγες τὸ γένος, προληφθέντες ὑπὸ γυναίων ἠπάτηνται, Πριστ κίλλης τινὸς καὶ Μαξιμίλλης καλουμένων, ἃς προφήτιδας νομίζουσιν, ἐν ταύταις τὸ παράκλητον πνεῦμα κεχωρηκέναι λέγοντες, καί τινα πρὸ αὐτῶν Μοντανὸν ὁμοίως δοξάζουσιν 30 ὡς προφήτην, ὧν βίβλους ἀπείρους ἔχοντες πλανῶνται, name of Antichrist. For if it were necessary that his name should be declared clearly at the present time, it would have been announced by him who saw the revelation. For it was seen, not long ago, but almost in our generation, toward the end of the reign of Domitian.' These things concerning the Apocalypse are stated by the writer referred to. He also mentions the first Epistle of John, taking many proofs from it, and likewise the first Epistle of Peter. And he not only knows, but also receives, the Shepherd, writing as follows: 'Well did the Scripture speak, saying, "First of all believe that God is one, who has created and completed all things,""&c. 5 ΤΟ And he uses almost the precise words of the Wisdom of Solomon, saying, 'the vision of God produces immor- 15 tality, but immortality renders us near to God.' He mentions also the memoirs of a certain apostolic presbyter, whose name he passes by in silence, and gives his exposi tions of the sacred Scriptures. And he refers to Justin the Martyr, and to Ignatius, using quotations also from 20 their writings. Moreover, he promises to refute Marcion from his own writings, in a special work. Montanism. BUT there are others who are themselves in nature more heretical [than the Quartodecimans]. These are Phrygians by birth, and have been deceived through having 25 been overcome by womenkind, called a certain Priscilla and Maximilla, whom they hold for prophetesses, saying that the Comforter Spirit dwelt in them; and they likewise glorify one Montanus before them as a prophet. So having endless books of these people they go astray, 30 |