Irenaeus: Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

43. So then we must believe God in all things, for in all things God is true. Now that there was a Son of God, and that He existed not only before He appeared in the world, but also before the world was made, Moses, who was the first that prophesied ^{Edition note 1} says in Hebrew: Baresith bara Elowin basan benuam samenthares. And this, translated into our language, ^{Edition note 2} is: “The Son in the beginning: God established then the heaven and the earth.” ^{Edition note 3} This Jeremiah the prophet also testified, saying thus: Before the morning-star I begat thee: and before the sun> (is) thy name; ^{Edition note 4} and that is, before the creation of the world; for together with the world the stars were made.

And again the same says: Blessed is he who was, before he became man. ^{Edition note 5} Because, for God, the Son was (as) the beginning before the creation of the world; ^{Edition note 6} but for us (He was) then, when He appeared; and before that He was not for us, who knew Him not. ^{Edition note 7} Wherefore also His disciple John, in teaching us who is the Son of God, who was with the Father before the world was made, and that all the things that were made were made by Him, says thus: In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made: showing with certainty that the Word, who was in the beginning with the Father, and by whom all things were made, this is His Son.