ἀλλά μοι συγγνώμην εὐγνωμόνων ἐντεῦθεν ὁ λόγος αἰτεῖ, μείζονα ἢ καθ' ἡμετέραν δύναμιν ὁμολογῶν εἶναι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐντελῆ καὶ ἀπαράλειπτον ὑποσχεῖν,
ἐπεὶ καὶ πρῶτοι νῦν τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐπιβάντες οἷά τινα ἐρήμην καὶ ἀτριβῆ ἰέναι ὁδὸν ἐγχειροῦμεν,
θεὸν μὲν ὁδηγὸν καὶ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου συνεργὸν σχήσειν εὐχόμενοι δύναμιν, ἀνθρώπων γε μὴν οὐδαμῶς εὑρεῖν οἷοί τε ὄντες ἴχνη γυμνὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμῖν προωδευκότων, μὴ ὅτι σμικρὰς αὐτὸ μόνον προφάσεις, δι' ὧν ἄλλος ἄλλως ὧν διηνύκασι χρόνων μερικὰς ἡμῖν καταλελοίπασι διηγήσεις,
πόρρωθεν ὥσπερ εἰ πυρσοὺς τὰς ἑαυτῶν προανατείνοντες φωνὰς καὶ ἄνωθέν ποθεν ὡς ἐξ ἀπόπτου καὶ ἀπὸ σκοπῆς βοῶντες καὶ διακελευόμενοι, ᾗ χρὴ βαδίζειν καὶ τὴν τοῦ λόγου πορείαν ἀπλανῶς καὶ ἀκινδύνως εὐθύνειν.
sed mihi quaeso veniam dari: confiteor namque, quod in hoc opere viribus nostris maiora temptamus;
ut et fideliter et integre quae sunt gesta narremus et rudem ac nulli (9) fere nostrorum digressam viam huiuscemodi itineris primi audeamus incedere.
et licet deum ducem futurum dominique salvatoris nostri certus sim nobis adfutura suffragia, hominum tamen nulla, quibus possimus inniti, conspicimus praecessisse vestigia, nisi quod sparsim singulorum quorumque temporis sui rerum gestarum ad nos usque indicia ac monumenta transmissa sunt,
e quibus quaedam nobis luminum faces velut in obscuro positis eminus accenduntur et tamquam e sublimi specula, qua nos gressum tendere oporteat ac viam verbi absque errore dirigere, eorum vocibus admonemur.
ܫ̇ܐܠ ܐܢܐ ܕܝ̣ܢ ܕܢܕܥܘܢ ܡܢ ܢܦܫܝ ܦܪܘܫܐ. ܡܘܕܐ ܐܢܐ ܓܝܪ̣ ܕܠܒܪ ܡܢ ܚܝܠܝ ܐܝܬܝܗ̇ ܗܕܐ̇.
ܗܘ ܓܝܪ ܩܕܡܝܬ ܐܩܦܢܢ ܒܗܢܐ ܫܪܒܐ. ܐܝܟ ܐܢܫ ܕܪ̈ܕܐ ܒܐܘܪܚܐ ܕܠܐ ܕܪܝܫܐ.
ܘܡܨܠܝܢ ܐܢܚܢܢ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܢܗܘܢ ܠܢ ܗܕܝܐ̣. ܘܚܝܠܐ ܕܡܪܢ ܢܗܘܐ ܒܥܘܕܪܢܢ. ܥܩܒ̈ܬܐ ܓܝܪ ܓ̈ܠܝܬܐ ܕܐܢܫܐ ܐܚܪܢܐ ܕܪܕܘ ܩܕܡܝܢ ܒܗܕܐ ܐܘܪܚܐ ܠܐ ܐܫܟܚܢ̇. ܐܠܐ ܒܠܚܘܕ ܥ̈ܠܠ̣ܬܐ ܙܥܘܪ̈ܝܬܐ ܕܬܫ̈ܥܝܬܐ ܕܐܢܫ ܐܢܫ ܒܙ̈ܒܢܐ ܕܗܘ̣ܘ ܒܗܘܢ ܒܡܢ̈ܘܢ ܡܢ̈ܘܢ ܕܫܒܩܘ ܠܢ̇.
ܘܐܝܟ ܕܡܢ ܛ̇ܘܪܐ ܣܓܝܐܐ ܒܙܗܪ̈ܝܪܐ ܕܩܠܝܗܘܢ ܐܝܟ ܕܡܢ ܢܝܫܐ ܕܪܘܡܐ ܩ̇ܥܝܢ̇. ܘܦܩܕܝܢ ܕܒܐ̇ܝܕܐ ܐܘܪܚܐ ܢܐܙܠ. ܘܡܪܕܝܬܐ ܕܡܠܬܐ ܬܪܨܝܢ ܠ̣ܢ ܕܠܐ ܛܥܝܘܬܐ.
4. But at the outset I must crave for my work the indulgence of the wise, for I confess that it is beyond my power to produce a perfect and complete history,
and since I am the first to enter upon the subject, I am attempting to traverse as it were a lonely and untrodden path.
I pray that I may have God as my guide and the power of the Lord as my aid, since I am unable to find even the bare footsteps of those who have traveled the way before me, except in brief fragments, in which some in one way, others in another, have transmitted to us particular accounts of the times in which they lived.
From afar they raise their voices like torches, and they cry out, as from some lofty and conspicuous watchtower, admonishing us where to walk and how to direct the course of our work steadily and safely.