Preface
Dear Friend, in the four preceding Books that we sent you, we exposed all the heretics and brought to light their doctrines. Likewise, we refuted these men who thought up impious opinions. This we did, both by (exposing) the doctrine peculiar to each one of them, which has been left in their writings; and by reasoning that proceeds from all kinds of illustrations. Thus we have demonstrated the Truth and manifested the Church’s teaching, which, as we have shown, the Prophets have heralded, which Christ brought to completion, which the apostles handed down to us, from whom the Church accepted it and alone safeguards it well throughout the whole world and hands it down to her children.
So, having solved all the difficulties that are proposed to us by the heretics, and having explained the doctrines of the apostles, and having manifested many things that the Lord said and did in parables, we shall, in this Fifth Book of the entire work dealing with The Exposé and Refutation of the Falsely So-called Knowledge, try to present proofs from the rest of the words of our Lord’s teaching and from the letters of the apostles. We do this in keeping with your request and obedient to your command. And we do it because we are appointed to the ministry of the word. We shall make every effort in our power to offer you many arguments as an aid against the contradictions of the heretics; moreover, we shall try to strengthen the minds of the neophytes, that they may guard secure the faith that they have received from the Church well guarded, and may by no means be turned away from those who teach them badly and try to mislead them from the Truth.
Now, it will be proper for you and all who read this writing to read more carefully what we have already said, that you may know the systems themselves against which we make the objections. For by this you will both rightly refute them and, from what has been furnished, you will have counterproofs against them. By means of the heavenly faith, you will discard their doctrines as dung, and you will follow the only secure and true Teacher, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who on account of his immense love was made what we are, in order that he might perfect us to be what he is.