ho was born of
a Virgin, and made a man subject to suffering, and was crucified
by your nation in the time of Pontius Pilate, and died, and rose
again from the dead, and ascended into heaven, every evil spirit
is exorcised and overcome and subdued."#

--
# Dial., 85. "kata gar tou omonatos autou toutou tou huiou tou
theou, kai prototokou pases ktiseos, kai dia parthenou gennethentos
kai pathetou genomenou anthropou, kai staurothentos epi Pontiou
Pilatou hupo tou laou humon kai apothanontos kai anastantos ek
nekron, kai anabantos eis ton ouranon, pan daimonion exorkizomenon
nikatai kai hupotassetai."
--

4. St. Irenaeus.

Writing not later than 190, he makes constant reference to the
Virgin-Birth as an integral portion of the Faith of Christendom.
He says: "The Church, though scattered over the whole world to
the ends of the earth, yet having received from the Apostles and
their disciples the Faith--

In one God the Father Almighty...
and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of
God, who was incarnate for our
salvation: and in the Holy Ghost, who
by the Prophets announced His
dispensations and His comings; and the
birth of the Virgin (kai ten ek Parthenou
gennesin), and the Passion, and
Resurrection from the dead, and the bodily
assumption into heaven of the beloved
Jesus Christ our Lord, and His appearance
from heaven in the glory of the
Father . . .

having received, as we said, this preaching and this Faith, the
Church, though scattered over the whole world, guards it
diligently, as inhabiting one house, and believes in accordance
with these words as having one soul and the same heart; and with
one voice preaches and teaches and hands on these things, as if
possessing one mouth. For the languages of the world are unlike,
but the force of the tradition is one and the same."*

--
* Contra Haeres., I. x. 1, 2. "He men gar Ekklesia, kaiper kath'
holes tes oikoumenes heos peraton tes ges diesparmene, para de
ton Apostolon kai ton ekeivon matheton paralabousa ten eis hena
theon Patera pantokratora . . . pistin; kai eis hena Christon
Jesoun, ton huion tou theou, ton sarkothenta huper tes hemteras
soterias; kai eis Pneuma Hagion, to dia ton propheton kekeruchos
tas oikonomias, kai tas eleuseis, kai ten ek Parthenou gennesin,
kai to pathos, kai ten egersin ek vekron, kai ten ensarkon eis
tous ournous analepsin tou egapemenou Christou Iesou tou Kuriou
hem