Against Praxeas; Against Marcion; On Baptism; Apology

Yes, certainly,¹ you say, I do hope from Him that which amounts in itself to a proof of the diversity (of Christs), God's kingdom in an everlasting and heavenly possession. Besides, your Christ promises to the Jews their primitive condition, with the recovery of their country; and after this life's course is over, repose in Hades² in Abraham's bosom. Oh, most excellent God, when He restores in amnesty³ what He took away in wrath! Oh, what a God is yours, who both wounds and heals, creates evil and makes peace! Oh, what a God, that is merciful even down to Hades! I shall have something to say about Abraham's bosom in the proper place.⁴ As for the restoration of Judæa, however, which even the Jews themselves, induced by the names of places and countries, hope for just as it is described,⁵ it would be tedious to state at length⁶ how the figurative⁷ interpretation is spiritually applicable to Christ and His church, and to the character and fruits thereof; besides, the subject has been regularly treated⁸ in another work, which we entitle De Spe Fidelium.⁹ At present, too, it would be superfluous¹⁰ for this reason, that our inquiry relates to what is promised in heaven, not on earth. But we do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before heaven, only in another state of existence; inasmuch as it will be after the resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem,¹¹ "let down from heaven,"¹² which the apostle also calls "our mother from above;"¹³ and, while declaring that our politeuma, or citizenship, is in heaven,¹⁴ he predicates of it¹⁵ that it is really a city in heaven. This both Ezekiel had knowledge of¹⁶ and the Apostle John beheld.¹⁷ And the word of the new prophecy which is a part of our belief,¹⁸ attests how it foretold that there would be for a sign a picture of this very city exhibited to view previous to its manifestation. This prophecy, indeed, has been very lately fulfilled in an expedition to the East.¹⁹ For it is evident from the testimony of even heathen witnesses, that in Judæa there was suspended in the sky a city early every morning for forty days. As the day advanced, the entire figure of its walls would wane gradually,²⁰ and sometimes it would vanish instantly.²¹ We say that this city has been provided by God for receiving the saints on their resurrection, and refreshing them with the abundance of all really spiritual blessings, as a recompense for those which in the world we have either despised or lost; since it is both just and God-worthy that His servants should have their joy in the place where they have also suffered affliction for His name's sake. Of the heavenly kingdom this is the process.²² After its thousand years are over, within which period is completed the resurrection of the saints, who rise sooner or later according to their deserts there will ensue the destruction of the world and the conflagration of all things at the judgment: we shall then be changed in a moment into the substance of angels, even by the investiture of an incorruptible nature, and so be removed to that kingdom in heaven of which we have now been treating, just as if it had not been predicted by the Creator, and as if it were proving Christ to belong to the other god and as if he were the first and sole revealer of it. But now learn that it has been, in fact, predicted by the Creator, and that even without prediction it has a claim upon our faith in respect of²³ the Creator. What appears to be probable to you, when Abraham's seed, after the primal promise of being like the sand of the sea for multitude, is destined likewise to an equality with the stars of heaven—are not these the indications both of an earthly and a heavenly dispensation?²⁴ When Isaac, in blessing his son Jacob, says, "God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth,"²⁵ are there not in his words examples of both kinds of blessing? Indeed, the very form of the blessing is in this instance worthy of notice. For in relation to Jacob, who is the type of the later and more excellent people, that is to say ourselves,²⁶ first comes the promise of the heavenly dew, and afterwards that about the fatness of the earth. So are we first invited to heavenly blessings when we are separated from the world, and afterwards we thus find ourselves in the way of obtaining also earthly blessings. And your own gospel likewise has it in this wise: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and these things shall be added unto you."²⁷ But to Esau the blessing promised is an earthly one, which he supplements with a heavenly, after the fatness of the earth, saying, "Thy dwelling shall be also of the dew of heaven."²⁸ For the dispensation of the Jews (who were in Esau, the prior of the sons in birth, but the later in affection²⁹) at first was imbued with earthly blessings through the law, and afterwards brought round to heavenly ones through the gospel by faith. When Jacob sees in his dream the steps of a ladder set upon the earth, and reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending thereon, and the Lord standing above, we shall without hesitation venture to suppose,³⁰ that by this ladder the Lord has in judgment appointed that the way to heaven is shown to men, whereby some may attain to it, and others fall therefrom. For why, as soon as he awoke out of his sleep, and shook through a dread of the spot, does he fall to an interpretation of his dream? He exclaims, "How terrible is this place!" And then adds, "This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!"³¹ For he had seen Christ the Lord, the temple of God, and also the gate by whom heaven is entered. Now surely he would not have mentioned the gate of heaven, if heaven is not entered in the dispensation of the³² Creator. But there is now a gate provided by Christ, which admits and conducts to glory. Of this Amos says: "He buildeth His ascensions into heaven;"³³ certainly not for Himself alone, but for His people also, who will be with Him. "And Thou shalt bind them about Thee," says he, "like the adornment of a bride."³⁴ Accordingly the Spirit, admiring such as soar up to the celestial realms by these ascensions, says, "They fly, as if they were kites; they fly as clouds, and as young doves, unto me"³⁵ —that is, simply like a dove.³⁶ For we shall, according to the apostle, be caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord (even the Son of man, who shall come in the clouds, according to Daniel³⁷) and so shall we ever be with the Lord,³⁸ so long as He remains both on the earth and in heaven, who, against such as are thankless for both one promise and the other, calls the elements themselves to witness: "Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth."³⁹ Now, for my own part indeed, even though Scripture held out no hand of heavenly hope to me (as, in fact, it so often does), I should still possess a sufficient presumption⁴⁰ of even this promise, in my present enjoyment of the earthly gift; and I should look out for something also of the heavenly, from Him who is the God of heaven as well as of earth. I should thus believe that the Christ who promises the higher blessings is (the Son) of Him who had also promised the lower ones; who had, moreover, afforded proofs of greater gifts by smaller ones; who had reserved for His Christ alone this revelation⁴¹ of a (perhaps⁴²) unheard of kingdom, so that, while the earthly glory was announced by His servants, the heavenly might have God Himself for its messenger. You, however, argue for another Christ, from the very circumstance that He proclaims a new kingdom. You ought first to bring forward some example of His beneficence,⁴³ that I may have no good reason for doubting the credibility of the great promise, which you say ought to be hoped for; nay, it is before all things necessary that you should prove that a heaven belongs to Him, whom you declare to be a promiser of heavenly things. As it is, you invite us to dinner, but do not point out your house; you assert a kingdom, but show us no royal state.⁴⁴ Can it be that your Christ promises a kingdom of heaven, without having a heaven; as He displayed Himself man, without having flesh? O what a phantom from first to last!⁴⁵ O hollow pretence of a mighty promise!

Every opinion and the whole scheme⁴⁶ of the impious and sacrilegious Marcion we now bring to the test⁴⁷ of that very Gospel which, by his process of interpolation, he has made his own. To encourage a belief of this Gospel he has actually⁴⁸ devised for it a sort of dower,⁴⁹ in a work composed of contrary statements set in opposition, thence entitled Antitheses, and compiled with a view to such a severance of the law from the gospel as should divide the Deity into two, nay, diverse, gods—one for each Instrument, or Testament⁵⁰ as it is more usual to call it; that by such means he might also patronize⁵¹ belief in "the Gospel according to the Antitheses." These, however, I would have attacked in special combat, hand to hand; that is to say, I would have encountered singly the several devices of the Pontic heretic, if it were not much more convenient to refute them in and with that very gospel to which they contribute their support. Although it is so easy to meet them at once with a peremptory demurrer,⁵² yet, in order that I may both make them admissible in argument, and account them valid expressions of opinion, and even contend that they make for our side, that so there may be all the redder shame for the blindness of their author, we have now drawn out some antitheses of our own in opposition to Marcion. And indeed⁵³ I do allow that one order did run its course in the old dispensation under the Creator,⁵⁴ and that another is on its way in the new under Christ. I do not deny that there is a difference in the language of their documents, in their precepts of virtue, and in their teachings of the law; but yet all this diversity is consistent with one and the same God, even Him by whom it was arranged and also foretold. Long ago⁵⁵ did Isaiah declare that "out of Sion should go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem"⁵⁶ —some other law, that is, and another word. In short, says he, "He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people;"⁵⁷ meaning not those of the Jewish people only, but of the nations which are judged by the new law of the gospel and the new word of the apostles, and are amongst themselves rebuked of their old error as soon as they have believed. And as the result of this, "they beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears (which are a kind of hunting instruments) into pruning-hooks;"⁵⁸ that is to say, minds, which once were fierce and cruel, are changed by them into good dispositions productive of good fruit. And again: "Hearken unto me, hearken unto me, my people, and ye kings, give ear unto me; for a law shall proceed from me, and my judgment for a light to the nations;"⁵⁹ wherefore He had determined and decreed that the nations also were to be enlightened by the law and the word of the gospel. This will be that law which (according to David also) is unblameable, because "perfect, converting the soul"⁶⁰ from idols unto God. This likewise will be the word concerning which the same Isaiah says, "For the Lord will make a decisive word in the land."⁶¹ Because the New Testament is compendiously short,⁶² and freed from the minute and perplexing⁶³ burdens of the law. But why enlarge, when the Creator by the same prophet foretells the renovation more manifestly and clearly than the light itself? "Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old" (the old things have passed away, and new things are arising). "Behold, I will do new things, which shall now spring forth."⁶⁴ So by Jeremiah: "Break up for yourselves new pastures,⁶⁵ and sow not among thorns, and circumcise yourselves in the foreskin of your heart."⁶⁶ And in another passage: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Jacob, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I arrested their dispensation, in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt."⁶⁷ He thus shows that the ancient covenant is temporary only, when He indicates its change; also when He promises that it shall be followed by an eternal one. For by Isaiah He says: "Hear me, and ye shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you," adding "the sure mercies of David,"⁶⁸ in order that He might show that that covenant was to run its course in Christ. That He was of the family of David, according to the genealogy of Mary,⁶⁹ He declared in a figurative way even by the rod which was to proceed out of the stem of Jesse.⁷⁰ Forasmuch then as he said, that from the Creator there would come other laws, and other words, and new dispensations of covenants, indicating also that the very sacrifices were to receive higher offices, and that amongst all nations, by Malachi when he says: "I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord, neither will I accept your sacrifices at your hands. For from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place a sacrifice is offered unto my name, even a pure offering"⁷¹ —meaning simple prayer from a pure conscience,—it is of necessity that every change which comes as the result of innovation, introduces a diversity in those things of which the change is made, from which diversity arises also a contrariety. For as there is nothing, after it has undergone a change, which does not become different, so there is nothing different which is not contrary.⁷² Of that very thing, therefore, there will be predicated a contrariety in consequence of its diversity, to which there accrued a change of condition after an innovation. He who brought about the change, the same instituted the diversity also; He who foretold the innovation, the same announced beforehand the contrariety likewise. Why, in your interpretation, do you impute a difference in the state of things to a difference of powers? Why do you wrest to the Creator's prejudice those examples from which you draw your antitheses, when you may recognise them all in His sensations and affections? "I will wound," He says, "and I will heal;" "I will kill," He says again, "and I will make alive"⁷³ —even the same "who createth evil and maketh peace;"⁷⁴ from which you are used even to censure Him with the imputation of fickleness and inconstancy, as if He forbade what He commanded, and commanded what He forbade. Why, then, have you not reckoned up the Antitheses also which occur in the natural works of the Creator, who is for ever contrary to Himself? You have not been able, unless I am misinformed, to recognise the fact,⁷⁵ that the world, at all events,⁷⁶ even amongst your people of Pontus, is made up of a diversity of elements which are hostile to one another.⁷⁷ It was therefore your bounden duty first to have determined that the god of the light was one being, and the god of darkness was another, in such wise that you might have been able to have distinctly asserted one of them to be the god of the law and the other the god of the gospel. It is, however, the settled conviction already⁷⁸ of my mind from manifest proofs, that, as His works and plans⁷⁹ exist in the way of Antitheses, so also by the same rule exist the mysteries of His religion.⁸⁰

You have now our answer to the Antitheses compendiously indicated by us.⁸¹ I pass on to give a proof of the Gospel⁸² —not, to be sure, of Jewry, but of Pontus—having become meanwhile⁸³ adulterated; and this shall indicate⁸⁴ the order by which we proceed. We lay it down as our first position, that the evangelical Testament⁸⁵ has apostles for its authors,⁸⁶ to whom was assigned by the Lord Himself this office of publishing the gospel. Since, however, there are apostolic⁸⁷ men also,⁸⁸ they are yet not alone, but appear with apostles and after apostles; because the preaching of disciples might be open to the suspicion of an affectation of glory, if there did not accompany it⁸⁹ the authority of the masters, which means that of Christ,⁹⁰ for it was that which made the apostles their masters. Of the apostles, therefore, John and Matthew first instil⁹¹ faith into us; whilst of apostolic men, Luke and Mark renew it afterwards.⁹² These all start with the same principles of the faith,⁹³ so far as relates to the one only God the Creator and His Christ, how that He was born of the Virgin, and came to fulfil⁹⁴ the law and the prophets. Never mind⁹⁵ if there does occur some variation in the order of their narratives, provided that there be agreement in the essential matter⁹⁶ of the faith, in which there is disagreement with Marcion. Marcion, on the other hand, you must know,⁹⁷ ascribes no author to his Gospel, as if it could not be allowed him to affix a title to that from which it was no crime (in his eyes) to subvert⁹⁸ the very body. And here I might now make a stand, and contend that a work ought not to be recognised, which holds not its head erect, which exhibits no consistency, which gives no promise of credibility from the fulness of its title and the just profession of its author. But we prefer to join issue⁹⁹ on every point; nor shall we leave unnoticed¹⁰⁰ what may fairly be understood to be on our side.¹⁰¹ Now, of the authors whom we possess, Marcion seems to have singled out Luke¹⁰² for his mutilating process.¹⁰³ Luke, however, was not an apostle, but only an apostolic man; not a master, but a disciple, and so inferior to a master—at least as far subsequent to¹⁰⁴ him as the apostle whom he followed (and that, no doubt, was Paul¹⁰⁵) was subsequent to the others; so that, had Marcion even published his Gospel in the name of St. Paul himself, the single authority of the document,¹⁰⁶ destitute of all support from preceding authorities, would not be a sufficient basis for our faith. There would be still wanted that Gospel which St. Paul found in existence, to which he yielded his belief, and with which he so earnestly wished his own to agree, that he actually on that account went up to Jerusalem to know and consult the apostles, "lest he should run, or had been running in vain;"¹⁰⁷ in other words, that the faith which he had learned, and the gospel which he was preaching, might be in accordance with theirs. Then, at last, having conferred with the (primitive) authors, and having agreed with them touching the rule of faith, they joined their hands in fellowship, and divided their labours thenceforth in the office of preaching the gospel, so that they were to go to the Jews, and St. Paul to the Jews and the Gentiles. Inasmuch, therefore, as the enlightener of St. Luke himself desired the authority of his predecessors for both his own faith and preaching, how much more may not I require for Luke's Gospel that which was necessary for the Gospel of his master.¹⁰⁸

In the scheme of Marcion, on the contrary,¹⁰⁹ the mystery¹¹⁰ of the Christian religion begins from the discipleship of Luke. Since, however, it was on its course previous to that point, it must have had¹¹¹ its own authentic materials,¹¹² by means of which it found its own way down to St. Luke; and by the assistance of the testimony which it bore, Luke himself becomes admissible. Well, but¹¹³ Marcion, finding the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians (wherein he rebukes even apostles¹¹⁴ for "not walking uprightly according to the truth of the gospel,"¹¹⁵ as well as accuses certain false apostles of perverting the gospel of Christ), labours very hard to destroy the character¹¹⁶ of those Gospels which are published as genuine¹¹⁷ and under the name of apostles, in order, forsooth, to secure for his own Gospel the credit which he takes away from them. But then, even if he censures Peter and John and James, who were thought to be pillars, it is for a manifest reason. They seemed to be changing their company¹¹⁸ from respect of persons. And yet as Paul himself "became all things to all men,"¹¹⁹ that he might gain all, it was possible that Peter also might have betaken himself to the same plan of practising somewhat different from what he taught. And, in like manner, if false apostles also crept in, their character too showed itself in their insisting upon circumcision and the Jewish ceremonies. So that it was not on account of their preaching, but of their conversation, that they were marked by St. Paul, who would with equal impartiality have marked them with censure, if they had erred at all with respect to God the Creator or His Christ. Each several case will therefore have to be distinguished. When Marcion complains that apostles are suspected (for their prevarication and dissimulation) of having even depraved the gospel, he thereby accuses Christ, by accusing those whom Christ chose. If, then, the apostles, who are censured simply for inconsistency of walk, composed the Gospel in a pure form,¹²⁰ but false apostles interpolated their true record; and if our own copies have been made from these,¹²¹ where will that genuine text¹²² of the apostle's writings be found which has not suffered adulteration? Which was it that enlightened Paul, and through him Luke? It is either completely blotted out, as if by some deluge—being obliterated by the inundation of falsifiers—in which case even Marcion does not possess the true Gospel; or else, is that very edition which Marcion alone possesses the true one, that is, of the apostles? How, then, does that agree with ours, which is said not to be (the work) of apostles, but of Luke? Or else, again, if that which Marcion uses is not to be attributed to Luke simply because it does agree with ours (which, of course,¹²³ is, also adulterated in its title), then it is the work of apostles. Our Gospel, therefore, which is in agreement with it, is equally the work of apostles, but also adulterated in its title.¹²⁴

We must follow, then, the clue¹²⁵ of our discussion, meeting every effort of our opponents with reciprocal vigor. I say that my Gospel is the true one; Marcion, that his is. I affirm that Marcion's Gospel is adulterated; Marcion, that mine is. Now what is to settle the point for us, except it be that principle¹²⁶ of time, which rules that the authority lies with that which shall be found to be more ancient; and assumes as an elemental truth,¹²⁷ that corruption (of doctrine) belongs to the side which shall be convicted of comparative lateness in its origin.¹²⁸ For, inasmuch as error¹²⁹ is falsification of truth, it must needs be that truth therefore precede error. A thing must exist prior to its suffering any casualty;¹³⁰ and an object¹³¹ must precede all rivalry to itself. Else how absurd it would be, that, when we have proved our position to be the older one, and Marcion's the later, ours should yet appear to be the false one, before it had even received from truth its objective existence;¹³² and Marcion's should also be supposed to have experienced rivalry at our hands, even before its publication; and, in fine, that that should be thought to be the truer position which is the later one—a century¹³³ later than the publication of all the many and great facts and records of the Christian religion, which certainly could not have been published without, that is to say, before, the truth of the gospel. With regard, then, to the pending¹³⁴ question, of Luke's Gospel (so far as its being the common property¹³⁵ of ourselves and Marcion enables it to be decisive of the truth,¹³⁶) that portion of it which we alone receive¹³⁷ is so much older than Marcion, that Marcion himself once believed it, when in the first warmth of faith he contributed money to the Catholic church, which along with himself was afterwards rejected,¹³⁸ when he fell away from our truth into his own heresy. What if the Marcionites have denied that he held the primitive faith amongst ourselves, in the face even of his own letter? What, if they do not acknowledge the letter? They, at any rate, receive his Antitheses; and more than that, they make ostentatious use¹³⁹ of them. Proof out of these is enough for me. For if the Gospel, said to be Luke's which is current amongst us¹⁴⁰ (we shall see whether it be also current with Marcion), is the very one which, as Marcion argues in his Antitheses, was interpolated by the defenders of Judaism, for the purpose of such a conglomeration with it of the law and the prophets as should enable them out of it to fashion their Christ, surely he could not have so argued about it, unless he had found it (in such a form). No one censures things before they exist,¹⁴¹ when he knows not whether they will come to pass. Emendation never precedes the fault. To be sure,¹⁴² an amender of that Gospel, which had been all topsy-turvy¹⁴³ from the days of Tiberius to those of Antoninus, first presented himself in Marcion alone—so long looked for by Christ, who was all along regretting that he had been in so great a hurry to send out his apostles without the support of Marcion! But for all that,¹⁴⁴ heresy, which is for ever mending the Gospels, and corrupting them in the act, is an affair of man's audacity, not of God's authority; and if Marcion be even a disciple, he is yet not "above his master;"¹⁴⁵ if Marcion be an apostle, still as Paul says, "Whether it be I or they, so we preach;"¹⁴⁶ if Marcion be a prophet, even "the spirits of the prophets will be subject to the prophets,"¹⁴⁷ for they are not the authors of confusion, but of peace; or if Marcion be actually an angel, he must rather be designated "as anathema than as a preacher of the gospel,"¹⁴⁸ because it is a strange gospel which he has preached. So that, whilst he amends, he only confirms both positions: both that our Gospel is the prior one, for he amends that which he has previously fallen in with; and that that is the later one, which, by putting it together out of the emendations of ours, he has made his own Gospel, and a novel one too.

On the whole, then, if that is evidently more true which is earlier, if that is earlier which is from the very beginning, if that is from the beginning which has the apostles for its authors, then it will certainly be quite as evident, that that comes down from the apostles, which has been kept as a sacred deposit¹⁴⁹ in the churches of the apostles. Let us see what milk the Corinthians drank from Paul; to what rule of faith the Galatians were brought for correction; what the Philippians, the Thessalonians, the Ephesians read by it; what utterance also the Romans give, so very near¹⁵⁰ (to the apostles), to whom Peter and Paul conjointly¹⁵¹ bequeathed the gospel even sealed with their own blood. We have also St. John's foster churches.¹⁵² For although Marcion rejects his Apocalypse, the order¹⁵³ of the bishops (thereof), when traced up to their origin, will yet rest on John as their author. In the same manner is recognised the excellent source¹⁵⁴ of the other churches. I say, therefore, that in them (and not simply such of them as were founded by apostles, but in all those which are united with them in the fellowship of the mystery of the gospel of Christ¹⁵⁵) that Gospel of Luke which we are defending with all our might has stood its ground from its very first publication; whereas Marcion's Gospel is not known to most people, and to none whatever is it known without being at the same time¹⁵⁶ condemned. It too, of course,¹⁵⁷ has its churches, but specially its own—as late as they are spurious; and should you want to know their original,¹⁵⁸ you will more easily discover apostasy in it than apostolicity, with Marcion forsooth as their founder, or some one of Marcion's swarm.¹⁵⁹ Even wasps make combs;¹⁶⁰ so also these Marcionites make churches. The same authority of the apostolic churches will afford evidence¹⁶¹ to the other Gospels also, which we possess equally through their means,¹⁶² and according to their usage—I mean the Gospels of John and Matthew—whilst that which Mark published may be affirmed to be Peter's¹⁶³ whose interpreter Mark was. For even Luke's form¹⁶⁴ of the Gospel men usually ascribe to Paul.¹⁶⁵ And it may well seem¹⁶⁶ that the works which disciples publish belong to their masters. Well, then, Marcion ought to be called to a strict account¹⁶⁷ concerning these (other Gospels) also, for having omitted them, and insisted in preference¹⁶⁸ on Luke; as if they, too, had not had free course in the churches, as well as Luke's Gospel, from the beginning. Nay, it is even more credible that they¹⁶⁹ existed from the very beginning; for, being the work of apostles, they were prior, and coeval in origin with¹⁷⁰ the churches themselves. But how comes it to pass, if the apostles published nothing, that their disciples were more forward in such a work; for they could not have been disciples, without any instruction from their masters? If, then, it be evident that these (Gospels) also were current in the churches, why did not Marcion touch them—either to amend them if they were adulterated, or to acknowledge them if they were uncorrupt? For it is but natural¹⁷¹ that they who were perverting the gospel, should be more solicitous about the perversion of those things whose authority they knew to be more generally received. Even the false apostles (were so called) on this very account, because they imitated the apostles by means of their falsification. In as far, then, as he might have amended what there was to amend, if found corrupt, in so far did he firmly imply¹⁷² that all was free from corruption which he did not think required amendment. In short,¹⁷³ he simply amended what he thought was corrupt; though, indeed, not even this justly, because it was not really corrupt. For if the (Gospels) of the apostles¹⁷⁴ have come down to us in their integrity, whilst Luke's, which is received amongst us,¹⁷⁵ so far accords with their rule as to be on a par with them in permanency of reception in the churches, it clearly follows that Luke's Gospel also has come down to us in like integrity until the sacrilegious treatment of Marcion. In short, when Marcion laid hands on it, it then became diverse and hostile to the Gospels of the apostles. I will therefore advise his followers, that they either change these Gospels, however late to do so, into a conformity with their own, whereby they may seem to be in agreement with the apostolic writings (for they are daily retouching their work, as daily they are convicted by us); or else that they blush for their master, who stands self-condemned¹⁷⁶ either way—when once¹⁷⁷ he hands on the truth of the gospel conscience smitten, or again¹⁷⁸ subverts it by shameless tampering. Such are the summary arguments which we use, when we take up arms¹⁷⁹ against heretics for the faith¹⁸⁰ of the gospel, maintaining both that order of periods, which rules that a late date is the mark of forgers,¹⁸¹ and that authority of churches¹⁸² which lends support to the tradition of the apostles; because truth must needs precede the forgery, and proceed straight from those by whom it has been handed on.