4.30.1
XXX. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς βασιλείας, πληθυουσῶν ] τῶν αἱρέσεων ἐπὶ τῆς Μέσης τῶν ποταμῶν, Βαρδησάνης, ἱκανώτατός τις ἀνὴρ ἔν τε τῆ Σύρων φωνῇ διαλεκτικώτατος, πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ Μαρκίωνα καὶ τινας ἑτέρους διαφόρων προϊσταμένους δογμάτων διαλόγους συστησάμενος τῆ οἰκείᾳ παρέδωκεν γλώττη τε καὶ γραφῆ μετὰ καὶ πλείστων ἑτέρων αὐτοῦ συγγραμμάτων· οὓς οἱ γνώριμοι (πλεῖστοι δὲ ἦσαν αὐτῷ δυνατῶς τῷ λόγῳ παρισταμένῳ) ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλήνων ἀπὸ τῆς Σύρων μεταβεβλήκασι φωνῆς· ἐν οἷς ἐστιν καὶ ὁ πρὸς Ἀντωνῖνον ἱκανώτατος αὐτοῦ Περὶ εἱμαρμένης διάλογος δάα τε ἄλλα φασὶν αὐτὸν προφάσει τοῦ τότε διωγμοῦ συγγράψαι. ἦν δ’ οὗτος πρότερον τῆς κατὰ Οὐαλεντῖνον σχολῆς, καταγνοὺς δὲ ταύτης πλεῖστά τε τῆς κατὰ τοῦτον μυθοποιίας ἀπελέγξας , ἐδόκει μέν πως αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν ὀρθοτέραν γνώμην μετατεθεῖσθαι, οὐ μὴν καὶ παντελῶς γε ἀπερρύψατο τὸν τῆς παλαιᾶς αἱρέσεως ῥύπον.
XXX. In the same reign, heresies increased in Mesopotamia, and Bardesanes, a most able man and skilled in Syriac, composed dialogues against the Marcionites and other leaders of various opinions, and he issued them in his own language and script, together with many other of his writings. Those who knew them—and they were many, for he was a powerful arguer—have translated them from Syriac into Greek. Among them is his very powerful dialogue with Antoninus, Concerning Fate, and they say that he wrote many other works in consequence of the persecution of that time. He had been first a member of the Valentinians, but condemned this school and refuted many of their fables, and himself thought that he had changed to orthodox opinion, but in fact he did not completely clean off the filth of his ancient heresy.