1-4:4
ΤΟ δὲ πλεῖον ἔλαττον κατὰ σύνεσιν εἰδέναι τινὰς, οὐκ ἐν τῷ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν αὐτὴν ἀλλάσσειν γίνεται, καὶ ἄλλον Θεὸν παρεπινοεῖν παρὰ τὸν δημιουργὸν, καὶ ποιητὴν, καὶ τροφέα τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς, ὡς μὴ ἀρκουμένους τούτους, ἢ ἄλλον Χριστὸν, ἢ ἄλλον Μονογενῆ· ἀλλὰ ἐν τῷ τὰ ὅσα ἐν παραβολαῖς εἴρηται προσεπεργάζεσθαι, καὶ οἰκειοῦν τῇ τῆς πίστεως ὑποθέσει· καὶ ἐν τῷ τήν τε πραγματείαν καὶ οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι γενομένην, ἐκδιηγεῖσθαι· καὶ ὅτι ἐμακροθόμησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπί τε τῇ τῶν παραβεβηκότων ἀγγέλων ἀποστασία, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ παρακοῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, σαφηνίζειν· καὶ διὰ τί τὰ μὲν πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ αἰώνια, καὶ τὰ μὲν οὐράνια, τὰ δὲ ἐπίγεια εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸε Θεὸς πεποίηκεν, ἀπαγγέλλειν· καὶ διὰ τί ἀόρατος ὢν ἐφάνη τοῖς προφήταις ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἐν μιᾷ ἰδέᾳ, ἀλλὰ ἄλλως ἄλλοις, συνιεῖν· καὶ διὰ τί διαθῆκαι πλείοις γεγόνασι τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι μηνύειν, καὶ τίς ἑκάστης τῶν διαθηκῶν ὁ χαρακτὴρ, διδάσκειν καὶ διά τί συνέκλεισε πάντα εἰς ἀπείθειαν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα τοὺς πάντας ἐλεήση, ἐξερευνᾷν· καὶ διὰ τί ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἔπαθεν, εὐχαριστεῖν· καὶ διὰ τί ἐπ ἐσχάτων τῶν καιρῶν ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ τέλει ἐφάνη ἡ ἀρχὴ, ἀπαγγέλλειν· καὶ περὶ τοῦ τέλους καὶ τῶν μελλόντων, ὅσα τε κεῖται ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς, ἀναπτύσσειν· καὶ τί ὅτι τά ἀπεγνωσμένα ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα καὶ σύσσωμα, καὶ συμμέτοχα τῶν ἁγίων πεποίηκεν ὁ Θεὸς, μὴ σιωπᾷν· καὶ πῶς τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο σαρκίον ἐνδύσεται ἀθανασίαν, καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν ἀφθαρσίαν, διαγγέλλειν· πῶς τε ἐρεῖ,Ὁ οὐ λαὸς, λαὸς, καὶ ἡ οὐκ ἠγαπημένη, ἠγαπημένη, καὶ πῶς Πλείονα τῆς ἐρήμου τὰ τέκνα μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα, κηρύσσειν. Ἐπὶ τούτων γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτοῖς ἐπεβόησεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος·Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ· ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνοξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ οὐκ ἐν τῷ ὑπὲρ τὸν κτιστὴν καὶ Δημιουργὸν Μητέρα τούτων καὶ αὐτοῦ Ἐνθύμησιν Αἰῶνος πεπλανημένου παρεπινοεῖν, καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον ἥκειν βλασφημίας· οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ τὸ ὑπὲρ ταύτην πάλιν Πλήρωμα, τὸν μὲν ἕνα, νῦν δὲ ἀνήριθμον φῦλον Αἰώνων ἐπιψεύδεσθαι, καθὼς λέγουσιν οὗτοι οἱ ἀληθῶς ἔρημοι θείας συνέσεως διδάσκαλοι· τῆς οὔσης Ἐκκλησίας πάσης μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν πίστιν ἐχούσης εἰς πάντα τὸν κόσμον, καθὼς προέφαμεν
有人在悟性上知道得多些、有人少些，這並不是藉著更改那根本的（信仰）假設而來的，也不是藉著在那造物主（Demiurge，造物者）、這宇宙的創造者和養育者之外另構想一位神（彷彿這位還不夠似的），或構想另一位基督、另一位獨生者。反倒在於把一切用比喻所說的進一步加以闡發，使之與信仰的根基相合；在於敘述神為人類所成就的工作與經綸；在於說明神為何對那些越軌天使的背道、以及對人的悖逆都長久忍耐；在於宣告為何同一位神造了有些是暫時的、有些是永遠的，有些是天上的、有些是地上的；在於明白為何那看不見的神向眾先知顯現，不是以一種形像，乃是向不同的人以不同的方式顯現；在於表明為何有多個約賜給了人類，並教導各約的特性是什麼；在於探究為何神把萬人都圈在悖逆之下，為要憐恤眾人；在於為神的道成肉身並受苦而獻上感謝；在於宣告為何在末後的時候，神子的降臨——也就是那『起初』——在末了顯現了；在於展開聖經中關於末了與將來諸事的記載；在於不緘默不言：為何神使那些被人視為絕望的外邦人成了同為後嗣、同為一體、同蒙應許的人；在於宣告這必死的肉身怎樣要穿上不死，這必朽壞的怎樣要穿上不朽壞；並宣揚那將要說的話：『從前不是我子民的，將要成為我的子民，那不蒙愛的，要蒙愛』，以及『沒有丈夫的，比有丈夫的兒女更多』。因為使徒正是論到這些以及類似的事而呼喊說：『深哉，神豐富的智慧和知識！他的判斷何其難測，他的蹤跡何其難尋！』但這（真知識）並不在於：在那創造者和造物主之上構想出這些（伊涌）的一位『母親』，說她自己是一個迷途之伊涌的『意念』（Enthymesis），以致陷入這樣的褻瀆；也不在於：又在她之上虛構出另一個普累若麻——一時說是單一的，如今又說是數不清的一族伊涌——正如這些教師所說，他們其實是全然缺乏屬神悟性的；然而正如我們先前所說，這現存的全教會在普世各地乃是持守同一的信仰。
That some know more and others less in respect of understanding does not come about by their altering the very hypothesis, and inventing some other God besides the Demiurge, Maker, and Sustainer of this universe, as though these were not sufficient, or another Christ, or another Only-begotten. Rather it consists in further working out all that has been said in parables, and making it proper to the hypothesis of the faith; and in narrating the working and dispensation of God which came about for the sake of humanity; and in making clear that God was long-suffering both at the apostasy of the transgressing angels and at the disobedience of men; and in declaring why one and the same God made some things temporal and others eternal, some heavenly and others earthly; and in understanding why God, being invisible, appeared to the prophets, not in one form, but differently to different ones; and in showing why several covenants were given to humanity, and in teaching what is the character of each of the covenants; and in searching out why God shut up all things in disobedience, that he might have mercy on all; and in giving thanks why the Word of God became flesh and suffered; and in declaring why in the last times the coming of the Son of God—that is, the Beginning—appeared at the end; and in unfolding what lies in the Scriptures concerning the end and the things to come; and in not keeping silent as to why God has made the despaired-of nations fellow-heirs, of the same body, and partakers of the saints; and in announcing how this mortal flesh shall put on immortality, and this corruptible incorruption; and in proclaiming how it shall be said, 'Those who were not my people shall be my people, and she who was not beloved, beloved,' and how 'More are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband.' For concerning these and the like the Apostle exclaimed, 'O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!' But it does not consist in inventing, above the Creator and Demiurge, a Mother of these beings, who is herself the Enthymesis of an erring Aeon, and in coming to such a degree of blasphemy; nor in falsely imagining above her, in turn, another Pleroma—at one time of a single member, but now of an innumerable tribe of Aeons—as these teachers say, who are truly destitute of divine understanding; whereas the whole existing Church has one and the same faith throughout the entire world, as we said before.