Jacob’s ladder as cross; Word, not the unseen Father
Jacob too, when he went into Mesopotamia, saw him in a dream standing upon a ladder — an image of the cross — that reached from earth to heaven. (Gen 28:12-13) It is by the cross that those who believe in him ascend to heaven. For the passion of our Lord is our ascent on high. (Jn 12:32)
Now all these different visions represent the Son of God conversing with human beings and living among them. It is not the Father of all. The Father and Creator of the universe, whom the world does not see, who said: ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is the footstool of my feet. What house will you build for me, and what will be the place of my rest?’ (Isa 66:1; Acts 7:49) — nor ‘he who holds the earth in his hand and measures the heaven with a span’ (Isa 40:12) — it is not he who came into this corner of the earth to speak with Abraham, but the Word of God, who did not abandon the human race, guiding what was to happen and teaching human beings the things of God. (Jn 1:18)
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About this text
Irenaeus’s short handbook of the apostolic preaching (Epideixis), preserved in Armenian. English here is a densified reading translation for study.
English follows the Armenian of Patrologia Orientalis XII.5. Barthoulot’s French was used as a sense-check only. Robinson (1920) and Wilson’s prior English exist and were checked for independence — this page is densified English, not Original English Translation / no-previous-English.
Witnesses
- Copy-text PO XII.5 Epideixis (Armenian, Matenadaran M3710) (Armenian · §§1–10)
- Checked print Barthoulot French (PD) (French · §§1–10)
- Prior English Check Robinson 1920 / Wilson English (English · full work (prior complete English exists))
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.