Ibid. 220 D, 221 A.

[Greek:  to gar, Ophthalmon anti ophthalmou kai odonta anti odontos ... ego gar lego humin mae antistaenai holos to ponaero alla ean tis se rhapisae strepson auto kai taen allaen siagona.]

Matt. xii. 25 (Mark iii. 25, Luke xi. 17).

[Greek:  pasa polis ae oikia meristheisa kath’ heautaes ou stathaesetai.]

Matt. xix. 8, 6 (Mark x. 5, 6, 9).

[Greek:  legei autois; Hoti Mousaes pros taen sklaerokardian humon epetrepsen humin apolusai tas gunaikas humon’ ap’ archaes de ou gegonen houtos. ... ho oun ho theos sunezeuxen anthropos mae chorizeto.]

Matt. xv. 4-8 (Mark vii. 10, 11, 6, 9).

[Greek:  ho gar theos eneteilato legon, Tima ton patera kai taen maetera ... humeis de legete; hos an eipae to patri ae tae maetri; Doron ho ean ex emou ophelaethaes,... kai aekurosate ton nomon tou Theou dia taen paradosin humon.  Hupokritai, kalos eprophaeteusen peri humon Haesaias legon; Ho laos houtos tois cheilesin me tima, hae de kardia auton porro apechei ap’ emou; mataen de sebontai me didaskontes didaskalias entalmata anthropon.]

Matt. v. 38, 39 (Luke vi. 29).

[Greek:  aekousate oti erraethae, Ophthalmon anti ophthalmou kai odonta anti odontos ego de lego hymin mae antistaenai to ponaero all hostis se rapizei eis taen dexian siagona sou, strephon auto kai taen allaen.]

Some doubt indeed appears to be entertained by the author of ‘Supernatural Religion’ [Endnote 259:1] as to whether these quotations are really taken from the first Synoptic; but it would hardly have arisen if he had made a more special study of the phenomena of patristic quotation.  If he had done this, I do not think there would have been any question on the subject.  A comparison of the other Synoptic parallels, and of the Septuagint in the case of the quotation from Isaiah, will make the agreement with the Matthaean text still more conspicuous.  It is instructive to notice the reproduction of the most characteristic features of this text—­[Greek:  polis, meristheisa] ([Greek:  ean meristhae] Mark, [Greek:  diameristheisa] Luke), [Greek:  hoti Mousaes, epetrepsen apolu[sai] t[as] gunaik[as], ou gegonen oitos, aekurosate .. dia taen p., ophthalmon ... odontos, antistaenai to ponaero, strepson], and the order and cast of sentence in all the quotations.  The first quotation, with [Greek:  eph eautaen] and [Greek:  dunatai staenai], which may be compared (though, from the context, somewhat doubtfully) with Mark, presents, I believe, the only trace of the influence of any other text.

To what period in the life of Ptolemaeus this Epistle to Flora may have belonged we have no means of knowing; but it is unlikely that the writer should have used one set of documents at one part of his life and another set at another.  Viewed along with so much confirmatory matter in the account of the Valentinians by Irenaeus, the evidence may be taken as that of Ptolemaeus himself rather than of this single letter.