Ἦν μὲν οὖν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσί ας εἰς δικαιοσύνην Ἕλλησιν ἀναγκαία φιλοσοφία, νυνὶ δὲ χρησίμη πρὸς θεοσέβειαν γίνεται, προπαιδεία τις οὖσα τοῖς τὴν πίστιν δι' ἀποδείξεως καρπουμένοις, ὅτι «ὁ πούς σου» φησὶν «οὐ μὴ προσκόψῃ», ἐπὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν τὰ καλὰ ἀναφέροντος , ἐάν τε Ἑλληνικὰ ᾖ ἐάν τε ἡμέτερα. πάντων μὲν γὰρ αἴτιος τῶν καλῶν ὁ θεός , ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν κατὰ προηγούμενον ὡς τῆς τε διαθήκης τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ τῆς νέας, τῶν δὲ κατ' ἐπακολούθημα ὡς τῆς φιλοσοφίας. τάχα δὲ καὶ προηγουμένως τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐδόθη τότε πρὶν ἢ τὸν Κύριον καλέσαι καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας· ἐπαιδαγώγει γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν ὡς ὁ νόμος τοὺς Ἑβραίους εἰς Χριστόν. προπαρασκευάζει τοίνυν ἡ φιλοσοφία προοδοποιοῦσα τὸν ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ τεκειούμενον. ... μία μὲν οὖν ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδός, ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὴν καθάπερ εἰς ἀέναον ποταμὸν ἐκρέουσι τὰ ῥεῖθρα ἄλλα ἄλλοθεν.

Philosophy then before the coming of the Lord was necessary to the Greeks for righteousness, but now it is profitable for piety, seeing that it is a sort of training for those who by means of demonstration have the enjoyment of faith, for 'Your foot shall not stumble,' says he, if thou refer good things to providence, whether they be Greek or Christian. For God is the cause of all good things, but of some primarily, as of the old and new covenants, and of others indirectly, as of philosophy. Perhaps also it was given primarily to the Greeks in times before the Lord called also the Greeks; for this was a schoolmaster to the Greek world as the law was to the Hebrews to bring them unto Christ. Philosophy therefore is a preparation, making ready the way for him who is being perfected by Christ. ... The way then of truth is one; but into it as into a never-failing river flow the streams from all sides.

Ὁ τοίνυν μετριοπαθήσας τὰ πρῶτα καὶ εἰς ἀπάθειαν μελετήσας αὐξήσας τε εἰς εὐποιίαν γνωστικῶς τελειότητος ἰσάγγελος μὲν ἐνταῦθα, φωτεινὸς δὲ ἤδη καὶ ὡς ὁ ἤλιος λάμπων κατὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν σπεύδει τῇ γνώσει τῇ δικαίᾳ δι' ἀγάπης Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν μονήν.

He then who has first moderated his passions and trained himself for impassibility, and developed to the beneficence of gnostic perfection, is here equal to the angels. Luminous already, and like the sun shining in the exercise of beneficence, he speeds by righteous knowledge through the love of God to the holy mansion.

Ἡ μὲν οὖν πίστις σύντομός ἐστιν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τῶν κατεπειγόντων γνῶσις, ἡ γνῶσις δὲ ἀπόδειξις τῶν διὰ πίστεως παρειλημμένων ἰσχυρὰ καὶ βέβαιος, διὰ τῆς κυριακῆς διδασκαλίας ἐποικοδομουμένη τῇ πίστει εἰς τὸ ἀμετάπτωτον καὶ μετ' ἐπ ιστήμης καὶ καταληπτ ὸν παραπέμπουσα. καί μοι δοκεῖ πρώτη τις εἶναι μεταβολὴ σωτήριος ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν εἰς πίστιν, ὡς προεῖπον, δευτέρα δὲ ἡ ἐκ πίστεως εἰς γνῶσιν· ἣ δέ εἰς ἀγάπην περαιουμένη ἐνθένδε ἤδη φίλον φίλῳ τὸ γιγνῶσκον τῷ γιγνωσκομένῳ παρίστησιν. καὶ τάχα ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐνθένδε ἤδη προλαβὼν ἔχει τὸ ἰσάγγελος εἶναι. μετὰ γοῦν τὴν ἐν σαρκὶ τελευταίαν ὑπεροχὴν ἀεὶ κατὰ τὸ προσῆκον ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβάλλων, εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν αὐλὴν ἐπὶ τὴν κυριακὴν ὄν τως διὰ τῆς ἁγίας ἑβδομάδος ἐπείγεται μονήν, ἐσόμενος, ὡς εἰπεῖν, φῶς ἑστὸς καὶ μένον ἀιδίως, πάντῃ πάντως ἄτρεπτον.

Faith is then, so to speak, a compendious knowledge of the essentials; and knowledge is the strong and sure demonstration of what is received by faith, built upon faith by the Lord's teaching, conveying [the soul] on to unchangeableness, and scientific comprehension. And, in my view, the first saving change is that from heathenism to faith, as I said before; and the second, that from faith to knowledge. And the latter terminating in love, here in this life introduces as friend to friend, that which knows to that which is known. And, perchance, such an one has already attained the condition of 'being equal to the angels.' At any rate, after the highest excellence in the flesh, changing always duly to the better, he hastens to the ancestral hall, through the holy Hebdomad to the Lord's own mansion; to be, so to say, a light, steady, and continuing eternally, entirely and in every part immutable.

Κἂν τολμήσωσι προφητικαῖς χρήσασθαι γραφαῖς καὶ οἱ τὰς αἱρέσεις μετιόντες πρῶτον μὲν οὐ πάσαις, ἔπειτα οὐ τελείαις οὐδὲ ὡς τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ ὕφος τῆς προφητείας ὑπαγορεύει, ἀλλ' ἐκλεγόμενοι τὰ ἀμφιβόλως εἰρημένα εἰς τὰς ἰδίας μετάγουσι δόξας, ὀλίγας σποράδην ἀπανθιζόμενοι φωνάς, οὐ τὸ σημαινόμενον ἀπ' αὐτῶν σκοποῦντες, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ ψιλῇ ἀπο χρώμενοι τῇ λέξει. σχεδὸν γὰρ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς προσφέρονται ῥητοῖς εὕροις ἂν αὐτοὺς ὡς τοῖς ὀνόμασι μόνοις προσανέχουσι τὰ σημαινόμενα ὑπαλλάττοντες, οὔθ' ὡς λέγονται γινώσκοντες οὔθ' ὡς ἔχειν πεφύκασι χρώμενοι, αἷς καὶ δὴ κομίζουσιν ἐκλογαῖς.

And if those also who follow heresies venture to avail themselves of the prophetic Scriptures; in the first place they will not make use of all the Scriptures, and then they will not quote them entire, nor as the body and texture of the prophecy prescribe. But, selecting ambiguous expressions, they wrest them to their own opinions, gathering a few expressions here and there; not looking to the sense, but making use of the mere diction. For in almost all the quotations they make, you will find that they attend to the words alone, while they alter the meanings; neither knowing how they are spoken, nor using the quotations they do bring according to their natural meaning.