Thus, Aquila, living in Jerusalem, saw that the disciples of the apostles were distinguished by faith and performed great signs of healing and other miracles. For when they had returned from the city of Pella to Jerusalem itself, they dwelt there. When the city of Jerusalem was taken by the Romans and devastated, all the disciples were foretold by an angel to leave the city. Having departed from thence, they settled in Pella, a city lying on the other side of the Jordan. Aquila, struck by all this, came to believe in Christianity. And after a short time, according to his request, he also received the seal of Christ [4]. But at the same time he did not renounce his former occupation, to which he had given himself up when he was a pagan. Precisely, he was carefully taught vain stargazing, and having become a Christian, he did not renounce this error, but every day he observed the position of the hours of birth. For this he was rebuked by teachers, who, while rebuking him daily, nevertheless did not achieve any success. On the contrary, he argued with them, discussing his fate, and they, seeing that he could not be saved, expelled him from the Church. He, dishonored, is inflamed with vain zeal and, having sworn to renounce Christianity, accepts circumcision according to the Jewish rite. At the same time, he devoted himself with the greatest zeal to the study of the Hebrew language and the Hebrew letters. Having learned it perfectly, he set about his translation of the Holy Scriptures, guided not by right reason, but by the deliberate thought of overthrowing certain clear sayings contrary to the translation of the seventy-two interpreters, in order that what is attested in the Divine Scriptures about Christ might be transmitted differently for the sake of covering his shame and defending his foolishness. And this translation of Aquila was the second translation after the expiration of the said amount of time, i.e., four hundred and thirty years. After this, in the time of Commodus and Severus, a certain Samaritan, Symmachus, one of those who are considered wise by the Samaritans, was not honored by his people, and was indignant with his own tribe, came to the Jews, became a proselyte, and received a second circumcision. For as those who pass from Judaism to Samaritan are circumcised a second time, so also do those who pass from Samaritanism to Judaism. But even after circumcision they become uncircumcised with the help of a certain medical art, by means of stitching and medicinal potions, as the Apostle says: Is it in circumcision that anyone was called? Let him not commit uncircumcision for himself: is anyone uncircumcised? let him not be circumcised (1 Corinthians 7:18). It is said that this demonic delusion was first invented by Esau. So this Symmachus, having composed his own translation for the refutation of the translators who were among the Samaritans, made a third translation.
After him, and following in his footsteps under the emperor Commodus II, a certain Theodotion of Pontus, one of the adherents of the heresy chief Marcion, who also came from Sinope, being angry at his heresy, also deviated into Judaism, and was circumcised, and, having learned the Hebrew language and the Hebrew letters, published his translation of the Holy Books. In most cases his translation agrees with the translation of the seventy-two, for he has acquired great skill from the practice of this translation.
As for the fifth and sixth editions of the translations, I cannot say where or who the translators were. I can only say that the fifth was found hidden in a barrel in Jericho after the persecution of King Septimius Severus in the time of Antoninus Caracalla, son of Severus, together with other Hebrew books. In the time of the emperor Alexander, the son of Mamaea, the sixth edition was found, also hidden in barrels in Nicopolis near Actium.
Under the emperor Decius, Origen became famous, who, as we said earlier, introduced both the sign of asterisk ("*" - the sign of replenishment - A.L.) and the sign of the owel ("-" - the sign of excess - A.L.). He compared the six translations and the Hebrew text on one page with the same Hebrew words and sayings, and on the other with the Hebrew words in Greek letters in the corresponding column, so that even those who do not know the Hebrew letters could understand the power of the Hebrew sayings with the help of the Greek. And thus, in his so-called exaples and octaples, by juxtaposing two pages of the Hebrew text and six translators in parallel rows, he was of great use to those who were inquisitive about all that was good. And, oh, if he had not fallen into error in his writings, if he had not offended the world and himself, by beginning to teach badly about the faith and badly explain most of the Holy Scriptures!
He, having found the fifth and sixth editions of the translations, and not knowing who had compiled them, marked the fifth with the letter "e," signifying the number five, and the sixth with the letter "x," signifying six. But some, finding the Hebrew edition in the first place, the translation of Aquila in the second, then the translation of Symmachus, then the translation of the seventy-two, then the translation of Theodotion, and finally the fifth and sixth editions, think that the translations of Aquila and Symmachus were composed before the translation of the seventy-two. However, they are mistaken. Origen so compared them and did well that he gave the translation of the seventy-two a place in the middle. He placed it in the middle so that this translation would serve as a revelation of the translations placed on both sides of it.
Table of contents or a brief recap of what is contained in the Panaria
Since we have taken up the intention of announcing to you the names of heresies and revealing the lawless deeds of heretics as poison and destruction, but at the same time to offer an antidote that heals the wounded and protects those who are wounded, we will call our book Panarius, or a box of medicines for those who are wounded by them. This book consists of three parts and contains eighty heresies, which are, as it were, the likeness of beasts or serpents. After considering the octopus heresies, the one foundation of truth is presented, and at the same time the salvific teaching, the rule of faith, and the bride of Christ, the Holy Church, which has existed from eternity, but with the coming of Christ in the flesh in the course of time was revealed among the above-mentioned heresies, and which we have examined in our memoirs of the preaching of Christ [7]. We have briefly and extensively proclaimed it, in accordance with the teaching of the Apostles, after considering the impiety of heresy, and we have done this, as it were, to refresh those who have taken the trouble of reading a work on heresies. We ask all of you, benevolent readers, to pay attention to the preface, and to the exposition on heresies that follows, and the confession of truth, and the teaching on the true faith of the Holy Universal Church.
What is contained in all our creation is set forth in the three books mentioned above: the first, the second, and the third, which three books we have divided into seven sections; in each section there is a certain number of heresies and schisms; and there are eighty of them all together. Their names and teachings are as follows: barbarism, Scythianism, Hellenism, Judaism, Samaritanism. From them later descended the rest of the sects. Before the coming of Christ, the following descended from barbarism and Scythian superstition, Hellenism, and others: the Pythagoreans, the Peripatetics, the Platonists, the Stoics, and the Epicureans. In addition, from Judaism came the Samaritan heresy and its four branches: the Horophins, the Sebuites, the Dositheans, and the Essenes. Follows the above-mentioned Judaism, which received its distinctive feature from Abraham and spread by means of the law given to Moses, and from Judah, the son of Jacob or Israel through David, who reigned over them and inherited the name of Judaism from the same tribe. From this Judaism came the following seven heresies: the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Imerobaptists, the Ossenes, the Nazarenes, and the Herodians. Following these heresies, in the course of time, there appeared the salvific dispensation of our Lord Jesus Christ, or His coming in the flesh, the teaching of the Gospel and the preaching of the kingdom, this only source of salvation and the true faith of the universal and apostolic Church.
Now, going back and sorting out the heresies in the book, I will show in this table of contents how many of these eighty heresies are contained in the first book, then in order in the second and in the third; and also with regard to each of the seven sections contained in the three books, how many heresies are placed in them. Namely, in the first book there are three divisions, and there are forty-six heresies with their names, I mean barbarism, Scythianism, Hellenism, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the second book there are two sections, and there are twenty-three heresies. In the third book there are two sections, and there are twelve heresies.
In the second part of the first book of heresies, the thirteen are as follows: the Simonians; Menandrians; Satornilians; the Basilidians; Nicolaitanes; the Gnostics, who are also stratiotics, are the same and the Thebionites, called by some Secundians, by others Socrates, and by others Zacchaeus; carpocratites; the Cerinthians, who are also the Meranthians; Nazarenes; the Ebionaeans; Valentina; the Secundians, with whom Epiphanius and Isidore are in contact; Ptolemies. In the third section of the same first book of heresies there are thirteen as follows: the Marcosia; colorvasia; the Heraklionites; Ophites; Kayans; the Sethians; archontics; Cerdonians; Marcionites; Apellians; Lucianists; Severians; Tatiana. Here is the table of contents of the three sections of the first book. In the second book there are two parts.
In the second part of the same second book, and according to the above reckoning in the fifth, there are five heresies as follows: Paul of Samosata; the Manichaeans, who are also the Aquanites; hierakites; the Meletians, who caused a schism in Egypt; Arians. Here is the table of contents of the sections of the second book. In the same way, in the third book there are two sections. In the first part of the third book, and in the sixth in the sequence we have said above, there are seven heresies: the Abdians; Photinians; Marcellians; semi-Arians; the Doukhobors, who blaspheme the Holy Spirit of God; Aerians; Aetians, they are also Anomoeans.
Finally, the defense of the true faith and truth with an abbreviated word about what the holy, universal and apostolic Church is.
Here is the table of contents and a description of the entire work on the octogenarian heresies and the defense of the truth, that is, the one universal Church. The proposed work is composed of three books and is divided into seven sections. Let us now make another table of contents for the first section of the first book, which contains a denunciation of the twenty heresies. First of all, the heresies of the progenitor, and the original names from which the others are derived, are as follows:
Barbarism. This heresy persisted from the days of Adam in ten generations until Noah. And it is called barbarism because the people of that time did not have any principle of leader or one consent, but everyone disposed of himself, and the law for him consisted in the preference of his own will.