1-14:14
Προλέγομεν γὰρ ὑμῖν φυλάξασθαι, μὴ οἱ προδιαβεβλημένοι ὑφ ἡμῶν δαίμονες ἐξαπατήσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀποτρέψωσι τοῖ ὅλως ἐντυχεῖν καὶ συνεῖναι τὰ λεγόμενα (ἀγωνίζονται γὰρ ἔχειν ὑμᾶς δούλους καὶ ὑπηρέτας, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν δι ὀνείρων ἐπιφανείας, ποτὲδ αὖ διὰ μαγικῶν στροφῶν χειροῦνται πάντας τοὺς οὐκ ἔσθ ὅπως ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας ἀγωνιζομένους), ὅν τρόπον καὶ ἡμεῖς μετὰ τὸ τῷ λόγῳ πεισθῆναι ἐκείνων μὲν ἀπέστημεν, θεῷ δὲ μόνῳ ἀγεννήτῳ διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἑπόμεθα· οἱ πάλαι μὲν πορνείαις χαίροντες, νῦν δὲ σωφροσύνην μόνην ἀσπαζόμενοι· οἱ δὲ καὶ μαγικαῖς τέχναις χρώμενοι, νῦν ἀγαθῷ καὶ ἀγεννήτῳ θεῷ ἑαυτοὺς ἀνατεθεικότες· χρημάτων δὲ καὶ κτημάτων οἱ πόρους παντὸς μᾶλλον στέργοντες, νῦν καὶἃ ἔχομεν εἰς κοινὸν φέροντες καὶ παντὶ δεομένῳ κοινωνοῦντες· οἱ μισάλληλοι δὲ καὶ ἀλληλοφόνοι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς οὐχ ὁμοφύλους διὰ τὰ ἔθη καὶ ἑστίας κοινὰς μὴ ποιούμενοι, νῦν μετὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁμοδίαιτοι γινόμενοι, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὐχόμενοι, καὶ τοὺς ἀδίκως μισοῦντας πείθειν πειρώμενοι, ὅπως οἱ κατὰ τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ καλὰς ὑποθημοσύνας βιώσαντες εὐέλπιδες ὧσι σὺν ἡμῖν τῶν αὐτῶν παρὰ τοῦ πάντων δεσπόζοντος θεοῦ τυχεῖν. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ σοφίζεσθαι ὑμᾶς δόξωμεν, ὀλίγων τινῶν τῶν παρ αὐτοῦ τοῖ Χριστοῦ διδαγμάτων ἐπιμνησθῆναι καλῶς ἔχειν πρὸ τῆς ἀποδείξεως ἡγησάμεθα, καὶ ὑμέτερον ἔστω ὡς δυνατῶν βασιλέων ἐξετάσαι, εἰ ἀληθῶς ταῦτα δεδιδάγμεθα καὶ διδάσκομεν. Βραχεῖς δὲ καὶ σύντομοι παρ αὐτοῦ λόγοι γεγόνασιν· οὐ γὰρ σοφιστὴς ὑπῆρχεν, ἀλλὰ δύναμις θεοῦ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ ἦν
For we forewarn you to be on your guard, lest the demons whom we have previously denounced should deceive you and turn you aside altogether from reading and understanding what is said—for they strive to keep you as slaves and servants, and now by apparitions in dreams, now again by magical tricks, they subdue all who do not strive in every way for their own salvation—just as we too, after we were persuaded by the Word, departed from those demons and now follow the one unbegotten God through the Son. We who once delighted in fornication now embrace self-control alone; we who once used magical arts have now dedicated ourselves to the good and unbegotten God; we who once loved the gain of money and possessions above all now bring even what we have into a common store and share with everyone in need; we who once hated and slew one another, and would not share hearth or table with those of another tribe because of their customs, now, after the appearing of Christ, live together at the same table, and pray for our enemies, and try to persuade those who unjustly hate us, so that they, living according to the good counsels of Christ, may be of good hope with us to obtain the same things from God who is Master of all. And lest we should seem to be deceiving you with subtleties, we have thought it good, before the proof, to recall a few of the teachings of Christ himself; and let it be yours, as mighty kings, to examine whether we have truly been taught and teach these things. Brief and concise were the words that came from him; for he was no sophist, but his word was the power of God.
我們預先警告你們要謹慎，免得我們先前所揭發的那些鬼欺哄你們，使你們完全偏離了去領會、明白所說的話——因為牠們竭力要把你們留作奴僕和差役，時而藉夢中的顯現，時而又藉法術的詭計，制伏一切不肯竭力尋求自己得救的人——正如我們自己，在被那道說服之後，便離開了那些鬼，如今藉著子跟從那獨一無生的神。我們從前喜愛淫亂，如今卻單單擁抱節制；從前行邪術，如今卻把自己獻給那良善無生的神；從前愛財貨之利過於一切，如今卻把我們所有的也拿出來歸入公用，與一切有需要的人分享；我們從前彼此恨惡、彼此殘殺，又因習俗的緣故不肯與外族人同灶共席，如今基督顯現之後，卻同桌而食，又為仇敵禱告，並設法說服那些無故恨我們的人，好使他們照基督的美好教訓而活，與我們一同有美好的指望，從那作萬有之主的神得著同樣的福分。我們惟恐顯得是用花言巧語哄騙你們，便認為在作論證以先，先追述基督自己的幾條教訓乃是美事；至於查驗我們是否真的學了、也教導這些事，就交給你們這些大有權能的君王罷。從祂而出的話簡短而精煉；因為祂不是詭辯之士，祂的話乃是神的能力。