1-10:10
Ἀλλ οὐ δέεσθαι τῆς παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ὑλικῆς προσφορᾶς παρειλήφαμεν τὸν θεόν, αὐτὸν παρέχοντα πάντα ὁρῶντες· ἐκείνους δὲ προσδέχεσθαι αὐτὸν μόνον δεδιδάγμεθα καὶ πεπείσμεθα καὶ πιστεύομεν, τοὺς τὰ προσόντα αὐτῷ ἀγαθὰ μιμουμένους, σωφροσύνην καὶ δικαιοσύνην καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ ὅσα οἰκεῖα θεῷ ἐστι, τᾷ μηδενὶ ὀνόματι θετῷ καλουμένῳ. Καὶ πάντα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀγαθὸν ὄντα δημιουργῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐξ ἀμόρφου ὕλης δι ἀνθρώπους δεδιδάγμεθα· οἵ ἐὰν ἀξίους τῷ ἐκείνου βουλεύματι ἑαυτοὺς δι ἔργων δείξωσι, τῆς μετ αὐτοῦ ἀναστροφῆς καταξιωθῆναι παρειλήφαμεν συμβασιλεύοντας, ἀφθάρτους καὶ ἀπαθεῖς γενομένους. Ὃν τρόπον γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐκ ὄντας ἐποίησε, τὸν αὐτὸν ἡγούμεθα τρόπον διὰ τὸ ἑλέσθαι τοὺς αἱρουμένους τὰ αὐτῷ ἀρεστὰ καὶ ἀφθαρσίας καὶ συνουσίας καταξιωθῆναι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν γενέσθαι οὐχ ἡμέτερον ἦν· τὸδ ἐξακολουθῆσαι οἷς φίλον αὐτῷ αἱρουμένους, δι ὦν αὐτὸς ἐδωρήσατο λογικῶν δυνάμεων, πείθει τε καὶ εἰς πίστιν ἄγει ἡμᾶς. Καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἡγούμεθα εἶναι τὸ μὴ εἴργεσθαι ταῦτα μανθάνειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προτρέπεσθαι ἐπὶ ταῦτα. Ὅπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν οἱ ἀνθρώπειοι νόμοι πρᾶξαι, ταῦτα ὁ λόγος θεῖος ἂν εἰργάσατο, εἰ μὴ οἱ φαῦλοι δαίμονες κατεσκέδασαν πολλὰ ψευδῆ καὶ ἄθεα κατηγορήματα, σύμμαχον λαβόντες τὴν ἐν ἑκάστῳ κακὴν πρὸς πάντα καὶ ποικίλην φύσει ἐπιθυμίαν, ὧν οὐδὲν πρόσεστιν ἡμῖν
我們既看見神親自供給萬有，便領受了神並不需要人物質的供物；我們又受教導，並深信、確信祂所悅納的，只是那些效法那屬乎祂之美善的人——就是節制、公義、愛人，以及凡與神相宜的；祂是不能用任何所立的名稱去稱呼的。我們也受教導：祂起初本為良善，為著人的緣故從無形質的物質造成了萬有；倘若這些人藉行為顯明自己配得祂的旨意，我們便領受了他們要被算為配得與祂同住、與祂一同作王，成為不朽壞、不受苦的。因為祂起初在我們本不存在時造了我們，照樣，我們認為，那些選擇了祂所喜悅之事的人，正因這選擇，便被算為配得不朽壞、配與祂相通。我們起初的得以存在，原非出於我們自己；但隨從那些祂所珍愛的事——藉著祂親自所賜的理性能力去揀選它們——這事祂勸服我們去行，引我們進入信。我們認為，使眾人不被攔阻去學習這些事，反倒被催促去就近這些事，乃是對眾人有益的。因為人的律法所不能成就的，那神聖的道本可成就，只是惡鬼散佈了許多虛假、無神的控告，又拉攏那在各人裏面、本性上向著萬事、形形色色的惡慾作同盟——而這些惡慾，我們身上一樣也沒有。
But we have received that God does not need the material offering of men, seeing that he himself provides all things; and we have been taught and are persuaded and believe that he accepts only those who imitate the good things that belong to him—self-control and righteousness and love for mankind, and whatever is proper to God, who is called by no given name. And we have been taught that he in the beginning, being good, fashioned all things out of formless matter for the sake of men; and that if these by their works show themselves worthy of his counsel, we have received that they are deemed worthy of dwelling with him and of reigning together with him, having become incorruptible and free from suffering. For just as in the beginning he made us when we were not, so we hold that in the same way, on account of their choosing the things pleasing to him, those who so choose are deemed worthy of incorruption and of communion with him. For our coming into being at the first was not our own doing; but to follow after the things that are dear to him, choosing them by means of the rational powers which he himself bestowed—this he persuades us to do and leads us to faith. And we hold that it is for the good of all men that they should not be hindered from learning these things, but rather be urged toward them. For what the laws of men could not accomplish, the divine Reason would have brought about, had not the wicked demons scattered abroad many false and atheistic accusations, taking as their ally the evil and variform desire that is by nature in each man toward all things—of which none belongs to us.