Archelaus

“ But, O my son, refuse thou thus thoughtlessly to identify these two things in the irrational and foolish fashion common to the mass of men, and ascribe no such confusion to the God of goodness. For these men refer the beginning and the end and the paternity of these ills to God Himself,—“whose end is near a curse.” ”

“ Yea, would that even this had been all the length to which they had gone with their silly efforts, and that they had not declared that the only-begotten Christ, who has descended from the bosom of the Father, [8] is the son of a certain woman, Mary, and born of blood and flesh and the varied impurities proper to women! [9] Howbeit, neither to write too much in this epistle, nor to trespass at too great length upon your good nature,—and all the more so that I have no natural gift of eloquence,—I shall content myself with what I have said. ”

“ For I do not “cast a snare upon any one,” [11] as is done by the less thoughtful among the mass of men. Think of what I say, most honourable son.
Footnotes ↑ This letter, along with the reply of Marcellus, is given by Epiphanius in his Heresies, n. 6, from which the Greek text is taken.↑ φειδόμενος. The Latin gives subveniens, relieving.↑ The Greek text of Epiphanius gave πρὸς τὸ ἀδιάκριτον. ”