1-23:23
(??)να δὲ ἤδη καὶ τοῦτο φανερὸν ὑμῖν γένηται, ὅτι, ὁπόσα λέγομεν μαθόντες παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῶν προελθόντων αὐτοῦ προφητῶν μόνα ἀληθῆ ἐστι καὶ πρεσβύτερα πάντων τῶν γεγενημένων συγγραφέων, καὶ οὐχὶ διὰ τὸ ταὐτὰ λέγειν αὐτοῖς παραδεχθῆναι ἀξιοῦμεν, ἀλλ ὅτι τὸ ἀληθὲς λέγομεν· καὶ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς μόνος ἰδίως υἱὸς τῷ θεῷ γεγέννηται, λόγος αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχων καὶ πρωτότοκος καὶ δύναμις, καὶ τῇ βουλῇ αὐτοῦ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν ἐπ ἀλλαγῇ καὶ ἐπαναγωγῇ τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου γένους· καὶ πρὶν ἢ ἐν ἄνθρωποις αὐτὸν γενέσθαι ἄνθρωπον φθάσαντές τινες, λέγω δὲ τοὺς προειρημένους κακοὺς δαίμονας, διὰ τῶν ποιητῶν ὡς γενόμενα εἶπονἃ μυθοποιήσαντες ἔφησαν, ὃν τρόπον καὶ τὰ καθ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα δύσφημα καὶ ἀσεβῆ ἔργα ἐνήργησαν, ὤν οὐδεὶς μάρτυς οὐδὲ ἀπόδειξίς ἐστι, — τοῦτον ἔλεγχον ποιησόμεθα.¦
為要使你們也已經看清這事——就是凡我們所說的，都是從基督、並從在祂以先的眾先知所學的，這話是惟一真實的，且比一切曾存在的作家都更古老；我們求你們接納，並非因我們所說的與他們相同，乃因我們所說的是真理；又惟有耶穌基督是以特別的方式被生作神的子，是祂的道、首生者、能力，並照祂的旨意成為人，為著人類的更新與復興，將這些事教導了我們；並且在祂於人中成為人以先，有些存在——我說的就是前面所提的惡鬼——預先料到此事，便藉詩人說出他們所杜撰的神話，彷彿是已成就的事，正如牠們也鼓動了那些謗讟、不敬虔、加在我們身上之事，這些事既無見證，也無憑據——關乎這些事，我們要加以駁斥。
But that this also may already become plain to you—that whatever we say, having learned it from Christ and from the prophets who went before him, is alone true and older than all the writers who have existed; and that we ask to be accepted not because we say the same things as they, but because we speak the truth; and that Jesus Christ alone was in a special manner begotten as Son to God, being his Word and first-born and power, and becoming man by his will, taught us these things for the transformation and restoration of the human race; and that, before he became man among men, certain ones, namely the aforementioned wicked demons, anticipating this, said through the poets, as if already accomplished, the things which they fabricated in myth—just as they have also wrought the blasphemous and impious deeds said against us, of which there is no witness nor proof—of these things we shall make our refutation.