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On the Theophania
Eusebius of Caesarea, tr. Lee, 1843
How Impostors and Seducers should invest themselves with His Doctrine, and formally…
“Beware of lying Prophets who come to you in lambs’ clothing, but inwardly (are) rapacious wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them. For men do not gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from thistles. So every good tree produceth good fruit, but an evil tree giveth forth evil fruit.” He (here) counselled (them) by His foreknowledge, to beware of those ungodly persons, who, availing themselves of the opinions of others, and of the words of the Scriptures of His Divinity, should in after times formally assume the name of Christianity. He also shews the marks and vouchers of the evil concealed within them, and which should deceive the many, when saying, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Now the fruits of such are these; the ungodly words uttered by them; their unrighteous and perverse manner of life. These things then, when uttered and foretold by our Saviour, afforded at that time no visible testimony whatever to those who heard them, (as to their truth); but, in after times, the facts (so) declared became openly visible to all: the followers accordingly of Marcion, Valentinus, Basilides, and those other corrupters of souls, sprang up, (viz.) Bardesanes, and that madman in opinion of yesterday, and of our own times, whose name became the titular badge of the Manichean heresy; who all became the sources of lying and ungodly doctrine. Nor did they otherwise come to light, but as outwardly clothed with the skins of our Saviour’s lambs. And He plainly styled His Disciples “sheep;” saying, “My sheep hear my voice:” and again, “Behold, I send you as sheep among wolves.” Of these then they outwardly assumed the manner, while in themselves they were “rapacious wolves.” (And), How many thousands of the sheep of our Saviour, did these Deceivers snatch away? Who, presenting their persons in form as to Christ, attached themselves to His instruction, and to the terms of the doctrines relating to His Godhead, and exhibited themselves as (His) lambs! But, that ungodly bitterness which lay (as) in ambush within them, adhered secretly to those who had been ensnared by them. These, therefore, who were now thought to be “sheep,” because of their (thus) drawing near (to Him), openly appeared afterwards to be “rapacious wolves.” And hence, our Saviour taught us previously to beware of them, when He said by way of instruction, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”