² The "tectis" of the edd. I have ventured to alter to "textis," which gives (as in my text) a far better sense.

³ i.e., the Evil One.

⁴ i.e., the Son of God.

⁵ i.e., the Magi.

⁶ i.e., arms which seemed unequal; for the cross, in which Christ seemed to be vanquished, was the very means of His triumph. See Col. ii. 14, 15.

⁷ i.e., the Enemy.

⁸ i.e., with the Holy Spirit, the "Pledge" or "Promise" of the Father (see Acts i. 4, 5), "outpoured" upon "the peoples" - both Jewish and Gentile - on the day of Pentecost and many subsequent occasions; see, for instances, Acts x. and xix.

⁹ The "mirandae virtuitis opus, invisaque facts," I take to be the miracles wrought by the apostles through the might (virtus) of the Spirit, as we read in the Acts. These were objects of "envy" to the Enemy, and to such as - like Simon Magus, of whom we find record - were his servants.

¹⁰ i.e., excommunicated, as Marcion was. The "last impiety" (extremum nefas), or "last atrocity" (extremum facinus), - see 218, lower down - seems to mean the introduction of heretical teaching.

¹¹ This use of the ablative, though quite against classical usage, is apparently admissible in late Latinity. It seems to me that the "his" is an ablative here, the men being regarded for the moment as merely instruments, not agents; but it may be a dative = "to these he preaches," etc., i.e., he dictates to them what they afterwards are to teach in public.

¹² It must be borne in mind that "Dominus" (the Lord), and "Deus" (God), are kept as distinct terms throughout this piece.

¹³ i.e., for which reason.

¹⁴ i.e., as Marcion is stated by some to have taught, in the fifteenth year of Tiberius; founding his statement upon a perverted reading of Luke iii. 1. It will be remembered that Marcion only used St. Luke's Gospel, and that in a mutilated and corrupted form.

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