1-12:12
ἈΝΑΓΚΑΙΟΝ ἡγησάμν προσθεῖναι τούτοις καὶ ὅσα περὶ τοῦ Προπάτορος αὐτῶν, ὃς ἄγνωστος ἦν τοῖς πᾶσι πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, ἐκλέγοντες ἐκ τῶν γραφῶν πείθειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ἵνʼ ἐπιδείξωσι τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν ἄλλον καταγγέλλοντα Πατέρα παρὰ τὸν ποιητήν τοῦδε τοῦ παντός· ὃν, καθὼς προέφαμεν, ἀσεβοῦντες, ὑστερήματος καρπὸν εἶναι λέγουσι. Τὸν γοῦν προφήτην Ἡσαΐαν εἰπόντα· Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκε, τὴν τοῦ ἀοράτου Βοθοῦ ἀγνωσίαν εἰρηκέναι μεθαρμόζουσι. Καὶ διὰ Ὠσηὲ τὸ εἰρημένον· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀλήθεια, οὐδὲ ἐπίγνωσις Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ μὐτὸ συντείνειν βιάζονται. Καὶ, Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνιὼν, ἢ ἐκζήτων τὸν Θεόν· πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ υθοῦ ἀγνωσίας τάττουσι. Καὶ τὸ διὰ Μωϋσέως δὲ εἰρημένον· Οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ζήσεται, εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἔχειν πείθουσι τὴν ἀναφοράν. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ ποιητήν ἐπιψευδόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν ἑωρᾶσθαι λέγουσι· τὸ δὲ, οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ζήσεται, περὶ τοῦ ἀοράτου μεγέθους καὶ ἀγνώστου τοῖς πᾶσιν, εἰρῆσθαι θέλουσι. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν περὶ τοῦ ἀοράτου πατρὸς καὶ ποιητοῦ τῶν ὅλων εἴρηται τὸ, οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Θεὸν, πᾶσιν ἡμῖν φανερόν ἐστιν· ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲ περὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ ὑτὸ τούτων παρετινοουμένου Βυθοῦ, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀόρατος Θεὸς, δειχθήσεται τοῦ λόγου προϊόντος. Καὶ τὸν Δανιὴλ δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο σημαίνειν, ἐν τῷ ἐπερωτᾷν τὸν ἄγγελον τὰς ἐπιλύσεις τῶν παραβολῶν, ὡς μὴ εἰδότα. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἄγγελον ἀποκρυπτόμενον ἀπ αὐτοῦ τὸ μέγα μυστήριον τοῦ Βυθοῦ, εἰπεῖν αὐτῷ Ἀπότρεχε Δανιήλ· οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ λόγοι ἐμπεφραγμένοι εἰσὶν, ἕως οἱ συνιέντες συνιῶσι, καὶ οἱ λευκοὶ λευκανθῶσι· καὶ αὑτοὺς εἶναι τοὺς λευκοὺς καὶ εὐσυνιέντας αὐχοῦσι
我認為有必要在這些事上再加上他們論到自己那「元父」(Forefather)所提出的話;這元父在基督降臨以前,是眾人所不認識的。他們從聖經中挑選經文,企圖說服人,要證明我們的主所宣告的,乃是另一位父,有別於這宇宙的創造主;而這創造主,如我們先前所說,他們竟褻瀆地宣稱是「虧缺」之果。所以,先知以賽亞說:「以色列卻不認識我,我的民也不明白我。」他們就曲解這話,使之指向那不可見之「深淵」(Bythos)的無知。何西阿所說的:「他們中間沒有真理,也沒有認識神的知識。」他們也強解,使之指同一件事。又如:「沒有明白的,沒有尋求神的;都偏離了正路,一同變為無用。」他們便把這話歸於對深淵的無知。摩西所說的:「人見我的面不能存活。」他們也勸人說這是指那一位。因為他們謊稱,創造主是被眾先知所見的;而「人見神不能存活」這句話,他們卻主張是論到那不可見、為眾人所不知的「偉大者」(Megethos)。如今,「無人能見神」這話是論到那不可見的萬有之父與創造主,這在我們眾人乃是顯明的;但這話並非論到被這些人曲解的「深淵」,乃是論到造物主,而祂就是那不可見的神——這在下文中必要顯明。但以理也表明同樣這件事:他向天使詢問那些比喻的解釋,顯出他並不知道;而那天使也向他隱藏深淵的大奧祕,對他說:「但以理啊,你去罷;因為這些話已封閉,直到明白的人都明白,潔白的人都得潔白。」這些人便自誇,說他們就是那潔白、有悟性的人。
I have thought it necessary to add to these things also whatever they bring forward concerning their Forefather, who was unknown to all before the coming of Christ. Selecting from the Scriptures, they undertake to persuade, in order to show that our Lord proclaimed another Father besides the Maker of this universe—whom, as we said before, they impiously declare to be the fruit of a Deficiency. So, when the prophet Isaiah said, "But Israel has not known me, and the people has not understood me," they distort it to refer to the ignorance of the invisible Bythos. And what was spoken through Hosea, "There is no truth in them, nor knowledge of God," they force to point to the same thing. And, "There is none that understands, or seeks after God; all have turned aside, together they have become unprofitable," they assign to the ignorance of Bythos. And what was spoken through Moses, "No one shall see God and live," they persuade people refers to that one. For they falsely allege that the Maker was seen by the prophets; but the saying, "No one shall see God and live," they wish to be said concerning the invisible Greatness that is unknown to all. Now that the saying, "No one shall see God," was spoken concerning the invisible Father and Maker of all things is plain to all of us; but that it was not spoken concerning the Bythos which is misconstrued by these men, but concerning the Demiurge—and that he is the invisible God—will be shown as the discourse proceeds. And Daniel, too, signifies this same thing, in his questioning of the angel for the solutions of the parables, as one who did not know; but also the angel, hiding from him the great mystery of Bythos, said to him, "Go your way, Daniel; for these words are sealed up until those who understand shall understand, and the white shall be made white"; and they boast that they are the white and the well-understanding ones.