Hippolytus, On Christ and Antichrist
Since you wanted to learn the precise details of the topics you proposed to us, my beloved brother Theophilus, I thought it right to draw abundantly from the divine Scriptures themselves as from a holy spring and set before your eyes the things you seek. I do this so that you may not only be delighted by hearing these things with your ears, but also, having been instructed by the power of the matters themselves, you may be able to glorify God in every way. May this serve as a safe provision for you in the present life, so that, bringing forward from prepared words the things that are unknown and hard for many to grasp, you may sow them in the breadth of your heart as in fertile and pure soil, and despise those who contradict and speak against the saving word.
Greek
Ι. Βουληϑέντι σοι zart ἀχρίβειαν ἐχμαϑεῖν τὰ προτεϑέντα ὑπι σοῦ ἡμῖν κεφάλαια, ἀγαπητέ μου ἀδελφὲ Θεόφιλε, εὔλογον ἡγησάμην, ἀφϑόνως ἀρυσάμενος ὡς ἐὲ ἁγίας πηγῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ϑείων γραφῶν καταστῆσαί σοι κατ᾽ ὀφϑαλμὸν τὰ ζητούμενα" ἵνα μὴ μόνον ταῖς τῶν ὥτων ἀχοαῖς ἐγκαταϑέμενος ταῦτα εὐφρανϑῆς, ἀλλὰ δυνάμει καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ πράγϊματα ἐνιστορήσας κατὰ πάντα τὸν ϑεὸν δοξάσαι δυνηϑῆς. τοῦτο γάρ σοι ἐφόϊδιον ἐν τῷ νῦν βίῳ ἀκίνδυνον ἤτω παρ᾽ ἡμῶν, ὅπως τὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς δύσγνωστα καὶ δυσχατάλημπτα ἐξ ἕτοίμῶν λόγων προενέγκας. ἐγκατασπείρης μὲν ἐν τῷ πλάτει τῆς καρδίας σου ὡς ἐν πίονι καὶ καϑαρᾷ γῇ, δυσωπήσῃς δὲ di αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀντιδιατιϑεμένους καὶ ἀντιλέγοντας τῷ σωτηρίῳ λόγῳ.