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| Chapter XXII.—Deviations of heretics from the truth.
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Chapter XXII.—Deviations of heretics
from the truth.
1. The
rule2929
| 2929 The Latin here
begins with the words “cum teneamus,” and the apodosis is
found afterwards at “facile arguimus.” But we have broken up
the one long sentence into several. | of truth which we hold,
is, that there is one God Almighty, who made all things by His Word, and
fashioned and formed, out of that which had no existence, all things
which exist. Thus saith the Scripture, to that effect “By the Word
of the Lord were the heavens established, and all the might of them, by
the spirit of His mouth.”2930
And
again, “All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing
made.”2931
There is no exception or
deduction stated; but the Father made all things by Him, whether visible
or invisible, objects of sense or of intelligence, temporal, on account
of a certain character given them, or eternal; and these eternal2932
| 2932 The text is here uncertain
and obscure: eternal things seem to be referred to, not as regarded
substance, but the forms assigned them. | things
He did not make by angels, or by any powers separated from His Ennœa.
For God needs none of all these things, but is He who, by His Word and
Spirit, makes, and disposes, and governs all things, and commands all
things into existence,—He who formed the world (for the world is
of all),—He who fashioned man,—He [who]2933
| 2933 This word would perhaps be better
cancelled. | is the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob, above whom there is no other God, nor initial
principle, nor power, nor pleroma,—He is the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, as we shall prove. Holding, therefore, this rule, we shall
easily show, notwithstanding the great variety and multitude of their
opinions, that these men have deviated from the truth; for almost all the
different sects of heretics admit that there is one God; but then, by
their pernicious doctrines, they change [this truth into error], even as
the Gentiles do through idolatry,—thus proving themselves
ungrateful to Him that created them. Moreover, they despise the
workmanship of God, speaking against their own salvation, becoming their
own bitterest accusers, and being false witnesses [against themselves].
Yet, reluctant as they may be, these men shall one day rise again in the
flesh, to confess the power of Him who raises them from the dead; but
they shall not be numbered among the righteous on account of their
unbelief.
2. Since, therefore, it is a complex and multiform task
to detect and convict all the heretics, and since our design is to reply
to them all according to their special characters, we have judged it
necessary, first of all, to give an account of their source and root, in
order that, by getting a knowledge of their most exalted Bythus, thou
mayest understand the nature of the tree which has produced such
fruits. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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