 chapters 9 through 11 of Irenaeus Against Heresies, Book 1. Irenaeus Against Heresies, Book 1, translated by Alexander Roberts and W. H. Rambeau. Chapter 9. Refutation of the Impious Interpretations of These Heretics 1. You see, my friend, the method which these men employ to deceive themselves, while they abuse the scriptures by endeavoring to support their own system out of them. For this reason I have brought forward their modes of expressing themselves, that thus thou mightest understand the deceitfulness of their procedure and the wickedness of their error. For, in the first place, if it had been John's intention to set forth that Ogduad above, he would surely have preserved the order of its production, and would doubtless have placed the primary tetrad first as being, according to them, most venerable, and would then have annexed the second, that by the sequence of the names the order of the Ogduad might be exhibited, and not after so long an interval, as if forgetful for the moment, and then again calling the matter to mind. He, last of all, made mention of the primary tetrad. In the next place, if he had meant to indicate their conjunctions, he certainly would have omitted the name of Ecclesia, while, with respect to the other conjunctions, he either would have been satisfied with the mention of the male ions, since the others, like Ecclesia, might be understood, so as to preserve a uniformity throughout. Or, if he enumerated the conjunctions of the rest, he would also have announced the spouse of Anthropos, and would not have left us to find out her name by divination. The fallacy, then, of this exposition is manifest. For when John, proclaiming one God, the Almighty, and one Jesus Christ, the only begotten, by whom all things were made, declares that this was the Son of God, this the only begotten, this the former of all things, this the true light who enlighteneth every man, this the Creator of the world, this he that came to his own, this he that became flesh, and dwelt among us, these men, by a plausible kind of exposition, perverting these statements, maintain that there was another monogenes, according to production, whom they also style arcay. They also maintain that there was another Saviour, and another Lagos, the Son of monogenes, and another Christ produced for the re-establishment of the pleroma. Thus it is that, resting from the truth every one of the expressions which have been cited, and taking a bad advantage of the names, they have transferred them to their own system, so that, according to them, in all these terms, John makes no mention of the Lord Jesus Christ. For if he has named the Father, and Charis, and monogenes, and Alethea, and Lagos, and Zoe, and Anthropos, and Ecclesia, according to their hypothesis, he has, by the speaking, referred to the primary Ogduad, in which there was as yet no Jesus, and no Christ, the Teacher of John, but that the apostle did not speak concerning their conjunctions, but concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, whom he also acknowledges as the Word of God, he himself has made evident. For summing up his statements respecting the Word previously mentioned by him, he further declares, and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. But according to their hypothesis, the Word did not become flesh at all, in as much as he never went outside of the pleroma, but that Savior became flesh who was formed by a special dispensation out of all the Ions, and was of later date than the Word. Three. Learn then, ye foolish men, that Jesus, who suffered for us, and who dwelt among us, is himself the Word of God. For if any other of the Ions had become flesh for our salvation, it would have been probable that the apostle spoke of another. But if the Word of the Father, who descended, is the same also that ascended, he, namely the only begotten Son of the only God, who according to the good pleasure of the Father, became flesh for the sake of men, the apostle certainly does not speak regarding any other, or concerning any Ogdoad, but respecting our Lord Jesus Christ. For according to them, the Word did not originally become flesh. For they maintain that the Savior assumed an animal body, formed in accordance with a special dispensation by an unspeakable providence, so as to become visible and pulpable. But flesh is that which was of old formed for Adam by God out of the dust, and it is this that John has declared the Word of God became. Thus is their primary and first begotten Ogdoad brought to not. For since Logos and Monogenes and Zoe and Faus and Sorer and Christus and the Son of God, and he who became incarnate for us, have been proved to be one and the same. The Ogdoad, which they have built up at once, falls to pieces. And when this is destroyed, their whole system sinks into ruin, a system which they falsely dream into existence, and thus inflict injury on the scriptures, while they build up their own hypothesis. 4. Then again, collecting a set of expressions and names scattered here and there in scripture, they twist them, as we have already said, from a natural to a non-natural sense. In so doing, they act like those who bring forward any kind of hypothesis they fancy, and then endeavor to support them out of the poems of Homer, so that the ignorant imagine that Homer actually composed the verses bearing upon that hypothesis, which has, in fact, been newly constructed, and many others are led so far by the regularly formed sequence of verses, as to doubt whether Homer may not have composed them. Of this kind is the following passage, where one, describing Hercules as having been sent by Eurystheus to the dog in the infernal regions, does so by means of these Homeric verses, for there can be no objection to our siding these by way of illustration, since the same sort of attempt appears in both. Thus saying, there sent forth from his house deeply groaning. Odyssey, book 10, line 76. The hero Hercules conversant with mighty deeds. Odyssey, book 21, line 26. Eurystheus, the son of Sthenelus, descended from Perseus. Iliad, book 19, line 123. That he might bring from Erebos the dog of Gloomy Pluto. Iliad, book 8, line 368. And he advanced like a mountain-bred lion, confident of strength. Odyssey, book 6, line 130. Rapidly through the city where all his friends followed. Iliad, book 24, line 327. Both maidens and youths, and much-enduring old men. Odyssey, book 11, line 38. Mourning for him bitterly as one going forward to death. Iliad, book 24, line 328. But Mercury and the blue-eyed Minerva conducted him. Odyssey, book 11, 626. For she knew the mind of her brother, how it labored with grief. Iliad, book 2, line 409. Now, what simple-minded man, I ask, would not be led away by such verses as to think that Homer actually framed them so with reference to the subject indicated. But he who is acquainted with the Homeric writings will recognize these verses indeed, but not the subject to which they are applied, as knowing that some of them were spoken of Ulysses, others of Hercules himself, others still of Priam, and others again of Menelius and Agamemnon. But if he takes them and restores each of them to its proper position, he at once destroys the narrative in question. In like manner, he also who retains unchangeable in his heart the rule of the truth which he received by means of baptism will doubtless recognize the names and expressions and the parables taken from the scriptures, but will by no means acknowledge the blasphemous use which these men make of them. For though he will acknowledge the gems, he will certainly not receive the fox instead of the likeness of the king. But when he has restored every one of the expressions quoted to its proper position and has fitted it to the body of the truth, he will lay bare and prove to be without any foundation the figment of these heretics. Five. But since what may prove a finishing stroke to this exhibition is wanting, so that anyone on following out their farce to the end may then at once append an argument which shall overthrow it, we have judged it well to point out, first of all, in what respects the very fathers of this fable differ among themselves, as if they were inspired by different spirits of error. For this very fact forms an a priori proof that the truth proclaimed by the church is immovable and that the theories of these men are but a tissue of falsehoods. Chapter 10. Unity of the faith of the church throughout the whole world. One. The church, though dispersed through our whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith, she believes in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all things that are in them, and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation, and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God and the Advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and his future manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father to gather all things in one, and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord and God and Savior and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess to him that he should execute just judgments towards all, that he may send spiritual wickednesses and the angels who transgressed and became apostates together with the ungodly and unrighteous and wicked and profane among men into everlasting fire, but may, in the exercise of his grace, confer immortality on the righteous and holy, and those who have kept his commandments and have persevered in his love, some from the beginning of their Christian course, and others from the date of their repentance, and may surround them with everlasting glory. 2. As I have already observed, the church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. She also believes these points of doctrine just as if she had but one soul and one and the same heart, and she proclaims them and teaches them and hands them down with perfect harmony as if she possessed only one mouth. 3. For although the languages of the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is one and the same. For the churches which have been planted in Germany do not believe or hand down anything different, nor do those in Spain, nor those in Gaul, nor those in the East, nor those in Egypt, nor those in Libya, nor those which have been established in the central regions of the world. But as the Son, that creature of God, is one and the same throughout the whole world, so also the preaching of the truth shineth everywhere and enlightens all men that are willing to come to a knowledge of the truth. Nor will any one of the rulers in the churches, however highly gifted he may be in point of eloquence, teach doctrines different from these, for one is greater than the master. Nor, on the other hand, will he who is deficient in power of expression inflict injury on the tradition. For the faith, being ever one and the same, neither does one who is able at great length to discourse regarding it, make any addition to it, nor does one who can say but little diminish it. 3. It does not follow because men are endowed with greater and less degrees of intelligence, that they should therefore change the subject matter of the faith itself, and should conceive of some other God besides him who is the framer, maker, and preserver of this universe, as if he were not sufficient for them, or of another Christ, or another only begotten. But the fact referred to simply implies this, that one may, more accurately than another, bring out the meaning of those things which have been spoken in parallels, and accommodate them to the general scheme of the faith, and explain with special clearness the operation and dispensation of God connected with human salvation, and show that God manifested long-suffering in regard to the apostasy of the angels who transgressed, as also with respect to the disobedience of men, and set forth why it is that one and the same God has made some things temporal and some eternal, some heavenly and others earthly, and understand for what reason God, though invisible, manifested himself to the prophets, not under one form, but differently to different individuals, and show why it was that more covenants than one were given to mankind, and teach what was the special character of each of these covenants, and search out for what reason God hath included every man in unbelief, that he may have mercy upon all, and gratefully describe on what account the Word of God became flesh and suffered, and relate why the advent of the Son of God took place in these last times, that is, in the end, rather than in the beginning of the world, and unfold what is contained in the Scriptures concerning the end itself, and things to come, and not be silent as to how it is that God has made the Gentiles, whose salvation was disparate of, fellow heirs, and of the same body and partakers with the saints, and discourse how it is that this mortal body shall put on immortality, and this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and proclaim in what sense God says, that is a people who was not a people, and she is beloved who was not beloved, and in what sense he says that more are the children of her that was desolate than of her who possessed a husband, For in reference to these points, and others of a like nature, the Apostle exclaims, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! But the superior skill spoken of is not found in this, that anyone should, beyond the Creator and Framer of the world, conceive of the anthymuses of an erring Ion, their mother and his, and should thus proceed to such a pitch of blasphemy. Nor does it consist in this that he should again falsely imagine, as being above this fancy being, a pleroma, at one time supposed to contain thirty, and at another time an innumerable tribe of Ions, as these teachers who are destitute of truly divine wisdom maintain. While the Catholic Church possesses one and the same faith throughout the whole world, as we have already said. Chapter 11 The Opinions of Valentinas and Those of His Disciples and Others 1. Let us now look at the inconsistent opinions of those heretics, for there are some two or three of them, how they do not agree in treating the same points, but alike in things and names set forth opinions mutually discordant. The first of them, Valentinas, who adapted the principles of the heresy called Gnostic, to the peculiar character of his own school, taught as follows. He maintained that there is a certain dyad, or twofold being, who is inexpressible by any name, of whom one part should be called Arhitus, or unspeakable. And the other, Sigi, or silence. But of this dyad, a second was produced, one part of whom he names Pater, and the other, Alithea. From this tetrad again, arose Logos and Zoe, Anthropos and Ecclesia. These constitute the primary Ogdoad. He next states that from Logos and Zoe, ten powers were produced, as we have before mentioned. But from Anthropos and Ecclesia, proceeded twelve, one of which separating from the rest, and falling from its original condition, produced the rest of the universe. He also supposed two beings of the name of Horos, and one of whom has his place between Bithos and the rest of the Pleroma, and divides the created Ions from the uncreated father, while the other separates their mother from the Pleroma. Christ also was not produced from the Ions within the Pleroma, but was brought forth by the mother who had been excluded from it, in virtue of her remembrance of better things, but not without a kind of shadow. He indeed, as being masculine, having severed the shadow from himself, returned to the Pleroma. But his mother, being left with the shadow, and deprived of her spiritual substance, brought forth another son, namely the Demiurge, whom he also styles the supreme ruler of all those things which are subject to him. He also asserts that along with the Demiurge, there was produced a left hand power, in which particular he agrees with those falsely called Gnostics, of whom we have yet to speak. Sometimes again, he maintains that Jesus was produced from him who was separated from their mother, and united to the rest, that is, from Thelitus, sometimes as springing from him who returned into the Pleroma, that is, from Christ. And at other times, still as derived from Anthropos and Ecclesia. And he declares that the Holy Spirit was produced by Elithea, for the inspection and fructification of the Ions, by entering invisibly into them, and that, in this way, the Ions brought forth the plants of truth. Two. Secondos again affirms that the primary Ogdoad consists of the right hand and a left hand tetrad, and teaches that the one of these is called Light and the other Darkness. But he maintains that the power which separated from the rest and fell away did not proceed directly from the 30 Ions, but from their fruits. Three. There is another who is a renowned teacher among them, and who, struggling to reach something more sublime and to attain to a kind of higher knowledge, has explained the primary tetrad as follows. There is, he says, a certain Proarchae who existed before all things, surpassing all thought, speech, and nomenclature, whom I call Menotes or Unity. Together with this Menotes, there exists a power which again I term Henotes or Oneness. This Henotes and Monotes, being one produced, yet not so as to bring forth apart from themselves as an emanation, the beginning of all things an intelligent, unbegotten, and invisible being, which beginning language terms Monad. With this Monad, there coexists a power of the same essence, which again I term Hen or One. These powers then, Monotes and Henotes and Monas and Hen produced the remaining company of the Ions. Four. Ayu Ayu Feu Feu For well we may utter these tragic exclamations at such a pitch of audacity in the coining of names as he has displayed without a blush in devising a nomenclature for his system of falsehoods. For when he declares, there is a certain Proarchae before all things surpassing all thought whom I call Monotes, and again with this Monotes there coexists a power which I also call Henotes. It is most manifest that he confesses the things which have been said to be his own invention and that he himself has given names to his scheme of things which had never been previously suggested by any other. It is manifest also that he himself is the one who has had sufficient audacity to coin these names so that, unless he had appeared in the world the truth would still have been destitute of a name. But in that case nothing hinders any other in dealing with the same subject to affix names after such a fashion as the following. There is a certain Proarchae royal surpassing all thought a power existing before every other substance and extended into space in every direction. But along with it there exists a power which I term a gourd and along with this gourd there exists a power which again I term utter emptiness. This gourd and emptiness since they are one produced and yet did not simply produced so as to be apart from produced a fruit everywhere visible eatable and delicious which fruit language calls a cucumber along with this cucumber exists a power of the same essence which again I call melon. These powers the gourd utter emptiness the cucumber and the melon brought forth the remaining multitude of the delirious melons of Valentinas. Or if it is fitting that the language which is used respecting the universe be transformed to the primary tetrad and if anyone may assign names at his pleasure who shall prevent us from adopting these names as being much more credible than the others as well as in general use and understood by all. Others still however have called their primary names an ogdoad by the following names first proarchae then annenoetos thirdly arhetos and fourthly aoratos then from the first proarchae there was produced in the first and fifth place archae from annenoetos in the second and sixth place a settolectos from arhetos in the fourth and eighth place annenoemastos and from aoratos in the fourth and eighth place agonetos this is the pleroma of the first ogdoad they maintain that these powers were anterior to bithos and sigi that they may appear more perfect than the perfect and more knowing than the very nostics to these persons one may justly exclaim since even respecting bithos himself there are among them many and discordant opinions for some declare him to be without a consort and neither male nor female and in fact nothing at all while others affirm him to be masculine assigning to him the nature of a hermaphrodite others again a lot sigi to him as a spouse that thus may be formed the first conjunction and of book one chapters nine through eleven chapters twelve through thirteen of Irenaeus against heresies book one this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by James Irenaeus against heresies by Alexander Roberts and W.H. Rumble chapter twelve the doctrines of the followers of Ptolemy and Colurbasus but the followers of Ptolemy say that he, bithos, has two consorts which they also name diathesis affections Videlisit and Noia and Thelesis for as they affirm he first conceived the thought of producing something and then willed to that effect wherefore again these two affections that were being intercourse as it were between themselves the production of monogenes and aletheia took place according to conjunction these two came forth as types and images of the two affections of the father visible representations of those that were invisible Nus that is monogenes of Thelesis and aletheia of Enoea and accordingly the image resulting from Thelesis as it were a faculty of for Enoea continually yearned after offspring but she could not of herself bring forth that which she desired but when the power of Thelesis the faculty of will came upon her then she brought forth that on which she had brooded these fancy beings like the Job of Homer who is represented as passing an anxious sleepless night and destroying numbers of the Greeks will not appear to you my dear friend to be possessed of greater knowledge than he who is the God of the universe he as soon as he thinks also performs what he has willed and as soon as he wills also thinks that which he has willed then thinking when he wills and then willing when he thinks since he has all thought all will all mind all light those of them however who are deemed more skillful than the persons who have just been mentioned say that the first was not produced gradually so that one and was sent forth by another but that all the ands were brought into existence at once by propator and his Enoea he affirms this is confidently as if he had assisted at their birth accordingly he and his followers maintained that as others hold from Logos and Zoe but on the contrary Logos and Zoe from Anthropos and Ecclesia but they expressed this in another form as follows when the propator conceived the thought of producing something he received the name of father but because what he did produce was true it was named Elythia again when he wished to reveal himself this was termed Anthropos finally when he produced those whom he had previously thought of by speaking formed Logos this is the first born son but Zoe followed upon Logos and thus the first was completed they have much contention also among themselves respecting the savior for some maintained that he was formed out of all where for also he was called because the whole pletoma was well pleased through him to glorify the father but others assert that he was produced from those ten ands alone called Logos and Zoe thus preserving the ancestral names others again affirm that he had his being from those twelve ands who are with the offspring of Anthropos and Ecclesia and on this account he acknowledges himself the son of man as being a descendant of others still assert that he was produced by Christ in the Holy Spirit who were brought forth for the security of the pletoma and that on this account he was called Christ and there are yet others among them who declare that the propator of the whole Proarje and Proanenuetos is called Anthropos and that this is the great and abstruse mystery namely that the power which is above all others and contains all in his embrace is termed Anthropos hence does the savior style himself the son of man Chapter 13 the deceitful arts and nefarious practices of Marcus but there is another among these heretics Marcus by name who boasts himself as having improved upon his master he is a perfect adept in magical imposters and by this means drawing away a great number of men and not a few women he has induced them to join themselves to him as to one who is possessed of the greatest knowledge and perfection and who has received the highest power from the invisible and ineffable regions above thus it appears as if he really were the precursor of Antichrist to the craftiness of the Magi is there called he is regarded by his senseless and cracked brain followers as working miracles by these means pretending to consecrate cups mixed with wine and protracting to great length of the word of invocation he contrives to give them a purple and reddish color so that Charis who is one of those that are superior to all things should be thought to drop her own blood and her presence should be led to rejoice to taste of that cup in order that by so doing the Charis who is set forth by this magician may also flow in them again, handing mixed cups to the women he binds them and consecrate these in his presence when this has been done he himself produces another cup of much larger size than that which the diluted woman has consecrated and pouring from a smaller one consecrated by the woman himself he at the same time pronounces these words may that chaffs who is before all things and who transcends all knowledge and speech fill by an inner man and multiply in thee her own knowledge by sowing the grain of the mustard seed in thee as in good soil repeating certain other like words and thus goading on the wretched woman to madness he then appears a worker of wonders when the large cup is seen to have been filled out of the small one and of similar things he is completely deceived many and drawn them away after him it appears probable enough that this man possesses a demon is his familiar spirit by means of whom he seems able to prophesy and also enables as many he counts worthy to be partakers of his Charis themselves to prophesy he devotes himself especially to women and those such as are well bred and elegantly attired and of great wealth whom he frequently seeks to draw after him in his eyes I am eager to make thee a partaker of my Charis since the father of all doth continually behold thy angel before his face now the place of thy angel is among us it behoves us to become one receive first from me and by me the gift of chaffs adorn thyself as a bride who is expecting her bridegroom that thou mayst be what I am and I with thou art establish the germ of light in thy nuptial chamber that thou art received by him behold Charis has descended upon thee open thy mouth and prophesy on the woman reclying I have never at any time prophesied nor do I know how to prophesy then engaging for the second time in certain invocations so as to astound his deluded victim he says to her open thy mouth speak whatsoever occurs to the avow shall prophesy she then vainly puffed up and awaited by these words and greatly excited in soul by the expectation that it is herself was to prophesy her heart beating violently from emotion reaches the requisite pitch of audacity and idly as well as impudently utter some nonsense as it happens to occur to her such as might be expected from one heated by an empty spirit referring to this one superior to me has observed that the soul is both audacious and impudent when heated with empty air henceforth she reckons herself as a vicar for having imparted to her of his own chaffs she then makes the effort to reward him not only by the gift of her possessions in which way he is collected a very large fortune but also by yielding up to him her person desiring in every way to be united to him that she may become altogether one with him but already some of the most faithful women possessing of the fear of God and not being deceived whom nevertheless he did his best to seduce like the rest and executing him have withdrawn from such a vile company of revelers this they have done as being well aware that the gift of prophecy is not conferred on men by Marcus the Magician but that only those to whom God sends his grace from above possess the divinely bestowed power of prophesying and then they speak where and when God pleases and not when Marcus orders them to do so for that which commands is greater and of higher authority than the prophetic spirit though he is but a man which is impossible but such spirits as are commanded by these men and speak when they desire it are earthly and weak audacious and ungrateful and ungrateful and ungrateful and ungrateful and ungrateful and ungrateful and ungrateful and ungrateful and impudent sent forth by Satan for the seduction and perdition of those who did not hold fast that well compacted faith which they received at first through the church moreover that this Marcus compounds filters and love potions in order to insult the persons of some of these women if not of all those of them who have returned to the church of God a thing which frequently occurs in the example of this occurred in the case of a certain Asiatic one of our deacons who had received him Marcus into his house his wife a woman of remarkable beauty fell a victim both in mind and body to this magician and for a long time traveled about with him at last when with no small difficulty the brethren had converted her she spent her whole time in the exercise of public confession weeping over and lamenting the defilement which she had received to addicting themselves to the same practices have deceived many silly women and defiled them they proclaimed themselves as being perfect so that no one can be compared to them with respect to the immensity of their knowledge nor even were you to mention Paul or Peter or any other of the Apostles they assert that they themselves know more than all others and that they alone have imbibed the greatness of the knowledge of that power which is unspeakable therefore they are free in every respect to act as they please having no one to fear in anything for they affirm that because of the redemption it has come to pass that they can neither be apprehended nor even seen by the judge but even if he should happen till they hold upon them then they might simply repeat these words while standing in his presence along with the redemption O thou who sit is beside God and the mystical eternal sides thou through whom the angels of the Father having thee as their guided introducer do derive their forms from above which she and the greatness of her daring inspired with mind on account of the goodness of the propator producing us as their images having her mind then intent upon the things above as in a dream behold the judge is at hand and the crier orders me to make my defense but do thou as being acquainted with the affairs of both present the cause of both of us now as soon as the mother hears these words she puts the Homeric helmet of Pluto upon them so that they may invisibly escape the judge and then she immediately catches them up and ducks them into the bridal chamber and hands them over to their consorts such are the words and deeds by which in our own district of the throne they have diluted many women who have their conscience as seared as with a hot iron some of them indeed make a public profession of their sins but others of them are ashamed to do this and in a tacit kind of way the sparing of attaining to the life of God have some of them apostasized altogether while others hesitate between the two courses and incur that which is implied in the proverb neither without nor within possessing this is the fruit from the seed of the children of knowledge end of book one chapters 12 through 13 recording by James 14 through 15 of Irenaeus against heresies book one this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org against heresies by St. Irenaeus translated by Alexander Roberts and William H. Rambo chapter 14 the various hypotheses of Marcus and others theories respecting letters and syllables he declares that the infinitely exalted tetrad descended upon him from the invisible and indescribable places in the form of a woman for the world could not have born it coming in its male form and expounded to him alone its own nature and the origin of all things which it had never before revealed to anyone either of gods or men this was done in the following terms when first the unoriginated inconceivable father who is without material substance and is neither male nor female will to bring forth that which is ineffable to him and to endow with form that which is invisible in his mouth and sent forth the word similar to himself who standing near showed him what he himself was in as much as he had been manifested in the form of that which was invisible moreover the pronunciation of his name took place as follows he spoke the first word of it which was the beginning of all the rest and that utterance consisted of four letters he added the second the third and this again embraced ten letters finally he pronounced the fourth which was composed of twelve letters thus took place the annunciation of the whole name consisting of thirty letters and four distinct utterances each of these elements has its own peculiar letters and character and pronunciation and forms and images and there is not one of them that perceives the shape and utterance of which it is an element neither does anyone know itself nor is acquainted with the pronunciation of its neighbor but each one imagines that by its own utterance it does in fact name the whole for while every one of them is a part of the whole and imagines its own sound to be the whole name and does not leave off sounding until by its own utterance it has reached the last letter of each of the elements and the restitution of all things will take place when all these mixing into one letter shall utter one and the same sound he imagines that the emblem of this utterance is found in Amen which we pronounce in concert the diverse sounds he adds are those which give form to that eon who is without material substance and unbegotten and these again are the forms which the Lord who continually beholds the face of the Father two those names of the elements which may be told and are common he is called eons and words and roots and seeds and fullnesses and fruits he asserts that each of these and all that is peculiar to every one of them is to be understood as contained in the name Ecclesia of these elements eon uttered its voice and this sound going forth generated its own elements after the image of the other elements by which he affirms that both the things here below were arranged into the order they occupy and those that preceded them were called into existence he also maintains that the letter itself the sound of which followed that sound below was received up again by the syllable to which it belonged in order to the completion of the whole the sound remained below as if cast outside but the element itself from which the letter with its special pronunciation descended to that below he affirms to consist of 30 letters while each of these letters again contains other letters in itself by means of which the name of the letter is expressed and thus again others are named by other letters and others by still others so that the multitude of letters is the same as the infinitude you may more clearly understand what I mean by the following example the word delta contains five letters that is D E L T A these letters again are written by other letters and others by still others if then the entire composition of the word delta when thus analyzed runs out into infinitude letters continually generating another inconstant succession how much vaster than that one word is the entire ocean of letters and if even one letter be thus infinite just consider the immensity of the letters in the entire name out of which the Seag of Marcus has taught us the preposter is composed for which reason the father knowing the incomprehensibleness of his own nature assigned to the elements which he also terms eons the power of each one uttering its own enunciation because no one of them was capable by itself of uttering the whole three moreover the tetrad explaining these things to him more fully said I wish to show the Aletheia truth herself for I have brought her down from the dwellings above that thou mayst see her without a veil to admire her wisdom behold then her head on high alpha and omega her neck beta and sigh her shoulders with her hands gamma and chai her breast delta and fi her diaphragm epsilon and upsalom her back zeta and tau her belly eta and sigma her thighs theta and row her knees iota and pi her legs kappa and omicron her ankles wanda and z her feet mu and nu such is the body of truth according to this magician such the figure of the element such the character of the letter and he calls this element anthropos man and says that is the fountain of all speech and the beginning of all sound and the expression of all that is unspeakable this indeed is the body of truth but do thou elevating the thoughts of thy mind on high listen from the mouth of truth to the self-begotten word who is also the dispenser of the bounty of the father when she the tetrad had spoken these things Aletheia looked at him opened her mouth and uttered a word that word was a name and the name was this one that is Christ Jesus when she had uttered this name she at once relapsed into silence and as Marcus waited in the expectation that she would say something more the tetrad again came forward and said thou hast reckoned as contemptible that word which thou hast heard from the mouth of Aletheia this which thou knowest and seemest to possess is not an ancient name whilst thou art ignorant of its power for Jesus is a name arrhythmically symbolical consisting of six letters and is known by all those that belong to the called but that which is among the eons of the playroma consists of many parts and is of another form and shape and is known by these angels who are joined in affinity with him and whose figures mightinesses are always present with him that the four and twenty letters which you possess are symbolical emanations of the three powers that contain the entire number of the elements above for you are to reckon thus that the nine mute letters are the images of Pater and Aletheia because they are without voice that is of such nature as cannot be uttered or pronounced but the semi vowels represent logos and zoo because they are as it were midway between the consonants and the vowels partaking of the nature of both the vowels again are representative of Anthropos and Ecclesia in as much as a voice proceeding from Anthropos gave being to them all for the sound of the voice imparted to them form thus then logos and zoo possess eight of the letters Anthropos and Ecclesia and Pater and Aletheia nine but since the number allotted to each was unequal he who existed in the father came down having been specially sent by him from whom he was separated for the rectification of what had taken place that the unity of the playromas being endowed with equality might develop in all that one power which flows from them all thus that division which had only seven letters of eight and the three sets were rendered alike in point of number all becoming which three when brought together constitute the number four and twenty the three elements too which he declares to exist in conjunction with three powers and thus form the six from which have flowed the 24 letters being quadrupled by the word of the ineffable tetrad give rise to the same number and these elements he maintains to belong to him who cannot be named these again were endowed by the three powers with the resemblance to him who is invisible and he says that those letters which we call double are the images of the images of the elements and if these be added to the four and twenty letters by force of analogy they form the number thirty and the element and analogy has been manifested in the likeness of an image namely him who after six days ascended into the mountain along with three others and then became one of the six the six in which character he descended and was contained in the haddomid since he was the illustrious and contained in himself the entire number of the elements which the descent of the dove was going to be baptized for the number of the dove is eight hundred and one and for this reason did Moses declare that man was formed on the sixth day and then again according to arrangement it was on the sixth day which is the preparation that the last man appeared for the regeneration of the first of this arrangement both the beginning and the end were formed at that sixth hour for that perfect being knows knowing that the number six had the power both a formation and regeneration declared to the children of light that regeneration which has been wrought out by him who appeared as the epissaymon in regard to that number whence also he declares it is that the double letters contain the epissaymon number for this epissaymon when joined to the twenty four elements completed the name of thirty letters seven he employed as his instrument as the sea of markets declares the power of seven letters in order that the fruit of the independent will of akamoth may be revealed consider this present epissaymon him who was formed after the original epissaymon as being as it were divided or cut into two parts divided who by his own power and wisdom through means of that which had been produced by himself gave life to this world consisting of seven powers after the lightness of the power of the hebdomid and so formed it that is the soul of everything visible and he indeed uses this work himself as if it had been formed by his own free will but the rest as being images of what cannot be fully imitated to the enthymesis of the mother and the first heaven indeed pronounces alpha the next to this epsilon the third eta the fourth which is also in the midst of the seven utters the sound of iota the fifth amicron the sixth epsilon the seventh which is also the fourth from the middle utters the elegant omega as the sea of markets talking truth confidently asserts and these powers she adds being all simultaneously clasped into each others embrace do sound out the glory of him by whom they were produced and the glory of that sound is transmitted upward to the she asserts moreover that the sound of this uttering of praise having been wafted to the earth has become the framer and parent of those things eight he instances and proof of this the case of infants who have just been born the cry of whom as soon as they have issued from the womb is in accordance with the sound of every one of these elements as then he says the seven powers glorify the word so also does the complaining soul of infants for this reason too David said out of the mouths of babes and sucklings the heavens declare the glory of God hence also it comes to pass that when the soul is involved in difficulties and distresses for its own relief it cries out in honor of the lettering question so that its cognate soul above may recognize its distress and send down to it relief nine thus it is that in regard to the whole name which consists of 30 letters who receives his increase from the letters of this name and moreover the body of Aletheia which is composed of 12 members each of us consists of two letters and the voice which she uttered without having spoken at all and in regard to the analysis of that name which cannot be expressed in words and the soul of the world and of man according as they possess that arrangement which is after the image of things above which she uttered his nonsensical opinions it remains that I relate how the tetrad showed him from the names a power equal in number so that nothing my friend which I have received as spoken by him may remain unknown to thee and thus thy request often proposes me may be fulfilled Chapter 15 Sieg relates to Marcus the generation of the 24 elements and of Jesus the exposure of these absurdities one the all wise Sieg then announced the production of the 4 and 20 elements to him as follows along with the monotes there coexisted henotes from which sprang two productions as we have remarked above monos and hen which added to the other two make four for twice two are four when added together exhibit the number six and further these six being quadrupled give rise to the 4 and 20 forms and the names of the first tetrad which are understood to be most holy and not capable of being expressed in words are known by the son alone while the father also knows what they are the other names which are to be uttered with respect and faith and reverence to him Eretos and Sieg Pater and Aletheia now the entire number of this tetrad amongst the 4 and 20 letters for the name Eretos contains in itself seven letters Sieg 5 Pater 5 and Aletheia 7 if all these be added together twice five and twice seven they complete the number 24 in like manner also the second tetrad Logos and Zo Anthropos and Ecclesia reveal the same number of elements moreover that name of the savior which may be pronounced that is Jesus consists of six letters but his unutterable name comprises 4 and 20 letters the name Christ the son comprises 12 letters his unpronounceable in Christ contains 30 letters and for this reason he declares that he is alpha and omega that he may indicate the dove in as much as that bird has this number in its name 2 but Jesus he affirms has the following unspeakable origin from the mother of all things that is the first tetrad there came forth the second tetrad after the manner of a daughter the second tetrad was formed from which again a decade proceeded thus was produced a decade and an octode the decade then being joined with the octode and multiplying it ten times gave rise to the number 80 and again multiplying 80 ten times produced the number 800 thus then the whole number of the letters is Jesus for this name if you reckon up the numerical value of the letters amounts to 888 thus then you have a clear statement of their opinion as to the origin of the super celestial Jesus where for also the alphabet of the Greeks contains 8 monads 8 decades and 8 hectodes which present the number and on this account he is called alpha and omega indicating his origin from all and again they put the matter thus if the first tetrad be added up according to the progression of number the number 10 appears for 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 when added together form 10 and this as they will have it is Jesus moreover being a word of 8 letters the first octode and this when multiplied by 10 gives birth to Jesus and Christ the son he says is also spoken of that this the duo decad for the name son contains 4 letters and Christ Christus 8 which being combined point out the greatness of the duo decad but he alleges before the epissamen of the name appeared that is Jesus the son mankind were involved in great ignorance but when this name of 6 letters was manifested the person bearing it clothing himself in flesh that he may come under the apprehension of man's senses and having in himself these 6 and 24 letters then becoming acquainted with him they ceased from their ignorance and passed from death unto life this name serving as their guide to the father of truth for the father of all had resolved to put an end to ignorance and to destroy death the name of ignorance was just the knowledge of him and therefore that man Anthropos was chosen according to his will having been formed after the image of the corresponding power above 3 as to the eons they proceeded from the tetrad and in that tetrad were Anthropos and Ecclesia Logos and Zo the powers then he declares he generated that Jesus who appeared upon the earth the angel Gabriel took the place of Logos the holy spirit that of Zo the power of the highest that of Anthropos while the virgin pointed out the place of Ecclesia and thus by a special dispensation there was generated by him through Mary that man was to obtain the knowledge of himself by means of the word and on his coming to the water of baptism there descended on him in the form of a dove that being who had formally ascended on high and completed the 12th number in whom there existed the seed of those who were produced contemporaneously with himself and who descended and ascended along with him moreover he maintains that power which descended was the seed of the father which had in itself both the father and the son as well as that power of Sieg which is known by means of them but cannot be expressed in language and also all the eons and this was that spirit who spoke by the mouth of Jesus and who confessed that he was the son of man of the father and who having descended into Jesus was made one with him and he says that the saviour formed by special dispensation did indeed destroy death but that Christ may known the father he maintains therefore that Jesus is the name of that man formed by a special dispensation and that he was formed after the likeness and form of that heavenly anthropos who was about to descend upon him after he received that eon he possessed anthropos himself and logos himself and Pater and Eretus and Sieg and Elethia and Ecclesia and Zo for such ravings we may now well say go beyond you you few few and every kind of tragic exclamation or utterance of misery for who would not detest one who is the wretched contriver of such audacious falsehoods when he perceives the truth turned by Marcus into a mere image and that punctured all over with the letters of the alphabet the Greeks confess that they first received 16 letters from Cadmus and that but recently as compared with the beginning the vast antiquity of which is implied in the common proverb yesterday and before and afterwards in the course of time they themselves invented at one period the aspirants and at another the double letters while last of all they say the long letters to the former was it so then that until these things took place among the Greeks truth had no existence for according to the Marcus the body of truth is posterior to Cadmus and those who preceded him posterior also to those who added the rest of the letters posterior even to thyself for thou alone hast formed that which is called by thee the truth into an outward visible image five but who will tolerate thine nonsensical sieg who names him that cannot be named and expounds the nature of him that is unspeakable and searches out him that is unsearchable and declares that he whom thou maintainest to be destitute of body and form opened his mouth and sent forth the word as if he were included among organized beings and that his word well like to his author and bearing the image it will follow then according to thy theory that the father of all in accordance with the likeness of the word consists of thirty elements and four syllables or again who will tolerate thee in thy juggling with forms and numbers at one time thirty at another twenty four and at another again only six all things and then again cutting him up piecemeal into four syllables and thirty elements and bringing down the lord of all who founded the heavens to the number eight hundred and eighty eight so that he should be similar to the alphabet and subdividing the father who cannot be contained but contains all things into a tetrad setting forth the unspeakable and inconceivable nature of the father as thou thyself declares it to be and showing thyself a very daddulous for evil intention and the wicked architect of the supreme power thou dost construct a nature and substance for him whom thou callest incorporeal and immaterial out of a multitude of letters generated the one by the other and that power whom thou affirmest to be indivisible thus does nevertheless divide into consonants and vowels and semi vowels and falsely ascribing these letters which are mute to the father of all things and to his enoa thought thou has driven on all that plays confidence in thee to the highest point of blasphemy and to the grossest impiety good reason therefore and very fittingly in reference to thy rash attempt has that divine elder and preacher of the truth burst forth in verse against thee as follows Marcus, thou former of idols inspector of poor tents skilled in consulting the stars and deep in the black arts of magic ever by tricks such as these confirming the doctrines of error furnishing signs unto those involved by thee in deception wonders of power that is utterly severed from God in apostate which Satan, thy true father enables thee still to accomplish by means of a zazzle that fallen in yet mighty angel thus making thee the precursor of his own impious actions such are the words of the saintly elder and I shall endeavor to state the remainder out to great length in brief compass and to bring to light what has for a long time been concealed for in this way such things will become easily susceptible of exposure by all end of book one chapters 14 through 15 recording by Abigail Bartels Ham Lake, Minnesota chapter 16 through 18 of Irenaeus against Heresies book one translated by Alexander Roberts and William H. Rambeau chapter 16 absurd interpretations of the Marcosians one blending in one the production of their own ions and the strain and the pain and the pain and the pain and the pain and the pain and the pain and the pain and the pain and the pain and then it three four together, they give rise to the number of the ten ions. And again, the dyad advancing from itself by twos up to six, two and four and six, brings out the duo-deckad. Once more, if we reckon in the same way up to ten, the number thirty appears, in which are found eight, and ten, and twelve. They, therefore, term the duo-deckad, because it contains the episemone, and because the episemone, so to speak, waits upon it, the passion. And for this reason, because an error occurred in connection with the twelfth number, the sheep frisked off and went astray, for they assert that a defection took place from the duo-deckad. In the same way, they oracularly declare that one power having departed also from the duo-deckad has perished, and this was represented by the woman who lost the drachma, and lighting a lamp again found it. Thus, therefore, the numbers that were left, these nine, as respects the pieces of money, and eleven, in regard to the sheep, when multiplied together, give birth to the number ninety-nine, for nine times eleven are ninety-nine, wherefore also, they maintain the word amen, contains this number, two. I will not, however, weary thee by recounting their other interpretations that you may perceive the results everywhere. They maintain, for instance, that the letter eta, along with the episemone, constitutes an ogdoad, inasmuch as it occupies the eighth place from the first letter. Then again, without the episemone, reckoning the number of the letters and adding them up till we come to eta, they bring out the triacontad. For if one begins at alpha and ends at eta, omitting the episemone, and adds together the values of the letters in succession, he will find their number altogether to amount to thirty. For up to epsilon, fifteen are formed, then adding seven to that number, the sum of twenty-two is reached. Next, eta being added to these, since its value is eight, the most wonderful triacontad is completed. And hence, they give forth that the ogdoad is the mother of the thirty ions. Since therefore, the number thirty is composed of three powers, the ogdoad, decad, and duodecad, when multiplied by three, it produces ninety, for three times thirty are ninety. Likewise, this triad, when multiplied by itself, gives rise to nine. Thus, the ogdoad generates, by these means, ninety-nine. And since the twelfth ion, by her defection, left eleven in the heights above, they maintain that therefore the position of the letters is a true coordinate of the method of their calculation. For lambda is the eleventh in order among the letters and represents the number thirty, and also forms a representation of the arrangement of affairs above, since on from alpha, omitting episemon, the number of the letters up to lambda, when added together according to the successive value of the letters, and including lambda itself, forms the sum of ninety-nine. But that this lambda, being the eleventh in order, descended to seek after one equal to itself, so as to complete the number of twelve letters, and when it found such a one, the number was completed, is manifest from the very configuration of the letter, for lambda, being engaged as it were, in the quest of one similar to itself, and finding such a one, and clasping it to itself, thus filled up the place of the twelfth, the letter mu, being composed of two lambdas. Wherefore also they, by means of their knowledge, avoid the place of ninety-nine, that is, the defection, a type of the left hand, but endeavour to secure one more, which, when added to the ninety and nine, has the effect of changing their reckoning to the right hand. Three. I know well, my dear friend, that when thou hast read through all this, thou wilt indulge in a hardy laugh over this their inflated wise folly. But those men are really worthy of being mourned over, who promulgate such a kind of religion, and who so frigidly and perversely pull to pieces the greatness of the truly unspeakable power, and the dispensations of God in themselves so striking, by means of alpha and beta, and through the aid of numbers. But as many as separate from the church, and give heed to such old wives' fables as these, are truly self-condemned, and these men, Paul commands us, after a first and second admonition to avoid. And John, the disciple of the Lord, has intensified their condemnation when he desires us not even to address to them the salutation of good speed, for says he, he that bids them be of good speed, is a partaker with their evil deeds. And that with reason, for there is no good speed to the ungodly, saith the Lord. Impious indeed beyond all impiety are these men who assert that the maker of heaven and earth, the only God Almighty, besides whom there is no God, was produced by means of a defect, which itself sprang from another defect, so that, according to them, he was the product of the third defect. Such an opinion we should detest and execrate, while we ought everywhere to flee far apart from those that hold it, and in proportion as they vehemently maintain and rejoice in their fictitious doctrines, so much the more should we be convinced that they are under the influence of the wicked spirits of the Ogdoad. Just as those persons who fall into a fit of frenzy, the more they laugh and imagine themselves to be well, and do all things as if they were in good health, both of body and mind. Yay! Some things better than those who really are so, are only thus shown to be the more seriously diseased. In like manner do these men, the more they seem to excel others in wisdom, and waste their strength by drawing the bow too tightly. The greater fools do they show themselves. For when the uncertain spirit of folly has gone forth, and when afterwards he finds them not waiting upon God, but occupied with mere worldly questions, then, taking seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and inflating the minds of these men with the notion of their being able to conceive of something beyond God, and having fitly prepared them for the reception of deceit, he implants within them the Ogdoad of the foolish spirits of wickedness. Chapter 17. The Theory of the Marcosians. That created things were made after the image of things invisible. 1. I wish also to explain to thee their theory as to the way in which the creation itself was formed through the mother by the demiurge, as it were without his knowledge, after the image of things invisible. They maintained then that first of all the four elements, fire, water, earth, and air, were produced after the image of the primary tetrad above, and that then we add their operations, these heat, cold, dryness, and humidity, in exact likeness of the Ogdoad is presented. They next reckon up ten powers in the following manner. There are seven globular bodies, which they also call heavens, then that globular body which contains these, which also they name the eighth heaven, and in addition to these the sun and moon. These, being ten in number, they declare to be types of the invisible deccad, which proceeded from Lagos and Zoe. As to the duo-deccad, it is indicated by the zodiacal circle as it is called, for they affirm that the twelve signs do most manifestly shadow forth the duo-deccad, the daughter of Anthropos and Ecclesia. And since the highest heaven, beating upon the very sphere of the seventh heaven, has been linked with the most rapid procession of the whole system, as a check, and balancing that system with its own gravity, so that it completes the cycle from sign to sign in thirty years, they say that this is an image of Horus, encircling their thirty named mother. And then, again, as the moon travels through her allotted space of heaven in thirty days, they hold that by these days she expresses the number of the thirty ions. The sun also, who runs through his orbit in twelve months, and then returns to the same point in the circle, makes the duo-deccad manifest by these twelve months. And the days, as being measured by twelve hours, are a type of the invisible duo-deccad. Moreover, they declare that the hour, which is the twelfth part of the day, is composed of thirty parts, in order to set forth the image of the triacontad. Also, the circumference of the zodiacal circle itself contains three hundred and sixty degrees, for each of its signs comprises thirty, and thus also they affirm that by means of this circle, an image is preserved of that connection which exists between the twelve and the thirty. Still further, asserting that the earth is divided into twelve zones, and that in each zone it receives power from the heavens, according to the perpendicular position of the sun above it, bringing forth productions corresponding to that power which sends down its influence upon it, they maintain that this is a most evident type of the duo-deccad and its offspring. Two. In addition to these things, they declare that the demi-urge, desiring to imitate the infinitude and eternity and immensity, and freedom from all measurement by time of the ogdoad above, but, as he was the fruit of defect, being unable to express its permanence and eternity, had recourse to the expedient of spreading out its eternity into times, and seasons, and vast numbers of years, imagining that by the multitude of such times he might imitate its immensity. They declare further that the truth, having escaped him, he followed that which was false, and that for this reason, when the times are fulfilled, his work shall perish. Chapter 18. Passages from Moses, which the heretics pervert to the support of their hypothesis. One. And while they affirm such things as these concerning the creation, every one of them generates something new, day by day, according to his ability, for no one is deemed perfect who does not develop among them some mighty fictions. It is thus necessary first to indicate what things they metamorphose to their own use, out of the prophetical writings, and next to refute them. Moses, then, they declare by his mode of beginning the account of the creation, has at the commencement pointed out the mother of all things when he says, in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. For as they maintain, by naming these four, God, beginning, heaven, and earth, he set forth their tetrad, indicating also its invisible and hidden nature, he said, now the earth was invisible and unformed. They will have it, moreover, that he spoke of the second tetrad, the offspring of the first, in this way, by naming an abyss and darkness in which were also water, and the spirit moving upon the water. Then, proceeding to mention the decad, he names light, day, night, the firmament, the evening, the morning, dry land, sea, plants, and in the tenth place, trees. Thus, by means of these ten names, he indicated the ten ions. The power of the duo decad, again, was shadowed forth by him thus. He names the sun, moon, stars, seasons, years, whales, fishes, reptiles, birds, quadrupeds, wild beasts, and after all these, in the twelfth place, man. Thus, they teach that the triacontad was spoken of through Moses by the spirit. Moreover, man also, being formed after the image of the power above, had in himself the ability which flows from the one source. This ability was seeded in the region of the brain from which four faculties proceeded, after the image of the tetrad above, and these are called the first sight, the second hearing, the third smell, and the fourth taste. And they say that the ogdoad is indicated by man in this way, that he possesses two ears, and a like number of eyes, also two nostrils, and a two-fold taste, namely of bitter and sweet. Moreover, they teach that the whole man contains the entire image of the triacontad as follows. In his hands, by means of his fingers, he bears the decad, and in his whole body the duodecad, inasmuch as his body is divided into twelve members, for they portion that out, as the body of truth is divided by them, a point of which we have already spoken. But the ogdoad, as being unspeakable and invisible, is understood as hidden in the viscera. Two. Again they assert that the sun, the great light-giver, was formed on the third day with a reference to the number of the tetrad. So also, according to them, the courts of the tabernacle constructed by Moses, being composed of fine linen, and blue and purple and scarlet, pointed to the same image. Moreover, they maintain that the long robe of the priest falling over his feet, as being adorned with four rows of precious stones, indicates the tetrad. And if there are any other things in the scriptures which can possibly be dragged into the number four, they declare that these had their being with a view to the tetrad. The ogdoad, again, was shown as follows. They affirm that man was formed on the eighth day, for sometimes they will have him to have been made on the sixth day, and sometimes on the eighth, unless per chance they mean that his earthly part was formed on the sixth day, but his fleshly part on the eighth, for these two things are distinguished by them. Some of them also hold that one man was formed after the image and likeness of God, masculine feminine, and that this was the spiritual man, and that another man was formed out of the earth. Further, they declare that the arrangement made with respect to the ark and the deluge, by means of which eight persons were saved, most clearly indicates the ogdoad which brings salvation. David also shows forth the same, as holding the eighth place in point of age among his brethren. Moreover, that circumcision which took place on the eighth day, represented the circumcision of the ogdoad above. In a word, whatever they find in the scriptures capable of being referred to the number eight, they declare to fulfill the mystery of the ogdoad. With respect again to the decade, they maintain that it is indicated by those ten nations which God promised to Abraham for a possession. The arrangement also made by Sarah, when after ten years, she gave her handmaid Hagar to him, that by her she might have a son, showed the same thing. Moreover, the servant of Abraham, who was sent to Rebekah, and presented her at the well with ten bracelets of gold, and her brethren who detained her for ten days, Jeroboam also who received the ten sceptres or tribes, and the ten courts of the tabernacle and the columns of ten cubits high, and the ten sons of Jacob, who were at first sent into Egypt to buy corn, and the ten apostles to whom the Lord appeared after his resurrection, Thomas being absent, represented, according to them, the invisible Decad. Four. As to the duo Decad, in connection with which the mystery of the passion of the defect occurred, from which passion they maintain that all things visible were framed, they assert that it is to be found strikingly and manifestly everywhere in Scripture. For they declare that the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom also sprung twelve tribes, the breastplate of the high priest which bore twelve precious stones, and twelve little bells, the twelve stones which were placed by Moses at the foot of the mountain, the same number which was placed by Joshua in the river, and again on the other side the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant, those stones which were set up by Elijah when the Heifer was offered as a burnt offering, the number two of the apostles, and in fine every event which embraces in it the number twelve set forth their duo Decad. And then the union of all these which is called the Triacontad, they strenuously endeavor to demonstrate by the Ark of Noah the height of which was thirty cubits, by the case of Samuel who assigned Saul the chief place among thirty guests. By David when for thirty days he concealed himself in the field, by those who entered along with him into the cave, also by the fact that the length or height of the holy tabernacle was thirty cubits. And if they meet with any other like numbers, they still apply these to their Triacontad. End of book one, chapters sixteen through eighteen. Chapters nineteen through twenty-two of Uranias against Heresies, book one. This is the Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in great domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit Librivox.org. Recording by Marion Martin. Uranias against Heresies, book one. Translated by Alexander Roberts and William H. Rombo. Chapter nineteen. Passages of scripture by which they attempt to prove that the supreme father was unknown before the coming of Christ. One. I judge it necessary to add to these details also what by garbling passages of scripture they try to persuade us concerning their propator who was unknown to all before the coming of Christ. Their object in this is to show that our Lord announced another father than the maker of this universe whom as we said before they impiously declared to have been the fruit of a defect. For instance, when the prophet Isaiah says, but Israel have not known me and my people have not understood me, they pervert his words to mean ignorance of the invisible bithas. And that which is spoken by Hosea, there is no truth in them, nor the knowledge of God. They strive to give the same reference. And there is none that understandeth or that seeketh after God. They have all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. They maintain to be said concerning ignorance of bithas. Also that which is spoken by Moses, no man shall see God and live as they would persuade us the same reference. Two. For they falsely hold that the creator was seen by the prophets. But this passage, no man shall see God and live, they would interpret a spoken of his greatness unseen and unknown by all. And indeed that these words, no man shall see God, are spoken concerning the invisible Father, the maker of the universe, is evident to us all. But that they are not used concerning that bithas whom they conjure into existence. But concerning the creator, and he is the invisible God, shall be shown as we proceed. They maintain that Daniel also set forth the same thing when he begged of the angels explanations of the parables, as being himself ignorant of them. But the angel, hiding from him the great mystery of bithas, said unto him, Go thy way quickly, Daniel, for these sayings are closed up until those who have understanding do understand them, and those who are white be made white. Moreover, they warrant themselves as being the white and the men of good understanding. Chapter 20 The Apocryphal and Spurious Scriptures of the Mark Oceans with passages of the Gospels which they pervert. 1. Besides the above misrepresentations, they adduce an unspeakable number of apocryphal and spurious writings, which they themselves have forged, to bewilder the minds of foolish men, and of such as a ignorant of the scriptures of truth. Among other things they bring forward that false and wicked story, which relates that our Lord, when he was a boy learning his letters, on the teacher saying to him as his usual, pronounced Alpha, replied as he was bid Alpha. But when again the teacher bade him say Beta, the Lord replied, Do thou first tell me what Alpha is, and then I will tell thee what Beta is. This they expound as meaning that he alone knew the unknown, which he revealed under its type Alpha. 2. Some passages also which occur in the Gospels receive from them a colouring of the same kind, such as the answer which he gave his mother when he was 12 years of age. 3. Wist ye not that I must be about my father's business? Thus they say, he announced to them the father of whom they were ignorant. 4. On this account also he sent forth the disciples to the 12 tribes, that they might proclaim to them the unknown God. 5. And to the person who said to him, Master, he confessed that God who is truly good, saying, Why callest thou me good? There is one who is good, the Father in the heavens. And they assert that in this passage the eons receive the name of heavens. Moreover, by his not replying to those who said to him, By what power doest thou this? But by a question on his own side, put them to utter confusion. By his thus not replying, according to their interpretation, the utterable nature of the Father. Moreover, when he said, I have often desired to hear one of these words, and I had no one who could utter it, they maintained that by his expression, one, he set forth the one true God whom they knew not. Further, when as he drew night to Jerusalem, he wept over it and said, If thou hadst known, even though in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace, but they are hidden from thee. By this word hidden, he showed the abstruse nature of Bethes. And again when he said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, and learn of me, he announced the Father of truth. For what they knew not, these men say that he promised to teach them. Three, but they adduced the following passage as the highest testimony, and as it were, the very crown of their system. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes. Even so, my Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knoweth the Father but the Son, or the Son but the Father, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. In these words, they affirm that he clearly showed that the Father of truth, conjured into existence by them, and they desired to construe the passage as if teaching that the maker and framer of the world was always known by all, while the Lord spoke these words concerning the Father unknown to all, whom they now proclaim. Chapter 21 The views of redemption entertained by these heretics. One, it happens that their tradition respecting redemption is invisible and incomprehensible, as being the mother of things which are incomprehensible and invisible, and, since it is fluctuating, it is impossible, simply and all at once, to make known its nature, for every one of them hands it down just as his own inclination prompts. Thus, there are as many schemes of redemption as there are teachers of these mystical opinions, and when we come to refute them, we shall show in its fitting place that this class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which is regeneration to God, of Christian faith. Two, they maintain that those who have attained to perfect knowledge must of necessity be regenerated into that power which is above all, for it is otherwise impossible to find admittance within the plerama, since this regeneration it is which leads them down into the depths of Bithas. For the baptism instituted by the visible Jesus was for the remission of sins, but the redemption brought in by that Christ and they alleged that the former is animal but the latter spiritual and the baptism of John was proclaimed with a view to repentance but the redemption by Jesus was brought in for the sake of perfection. And to this he refers when he says and I have another baptism to be baptised with and I hasten eagerly towards it. Moreover, they affirmed that the Lord added this redemption to the sons of Zebedee when their mother asked that they might sit the one on his right hand and the other on his left in his kingdom saying Can ye be baptised with the baptism which I shall be baptised with? Paul too, they declare has often said forth in express terms the redemption which is in Christ Jesus and this was the same which is handed down by them in so varied and discordant forms. Three, for some of them prepare an upshot couch and perform a sort of mystic rite pronouncing certain expressions being initiated and affirm that it is a spiritual marriage which is celebrated by them after the likeness of the conjunctions above. Others again lead them to a place where water is and baptise them with the utterance of these words into the name of the unknown father of the universe into truth the mother of all things into him who descended on Jesus into union and redemption and communion with the powers. Others still repeat certain words in order the more thoroughly to bewilder those who are being initiated as follows The interpretation of these terms runs thus I invoke that which is above every power of the father which is called light and good spirit and life because thou has brained in the body Others again set forth a redemption thus the name which is hidden and dominion and truth which Jesus of Nazareth was clothed with in the lives of the light of Christ who lives by the Holy Ghost for the angelic redemption The name of restitution stands thus The interpretation of these words is as follows I do not divide the spirit of Christ neither the heart nor the soul may I enjoy thy name O Saviour of Truth Such are words of the initiators but he who is initiated replies I am established and I am redeemed I redeemed myself from this age world and from all things connected with it in the name of the hour who redeemed his own soul into redemption in Christ who liveth Then the bystanders add these words Peace be to all on whom this name rests After this they anoint the initiated person with balsam for they assert that this unguent is a type of that sweet odour which is above all things For but there are some of them who assert that it is superfluous to bring persons to the water but mixing oil and water together they place this mixture on the heads of those who are to be initiated with the use of some such expressions as we have already mentioned and this they maintain to be the redemption they too are accustomed others however reject all these practices and maintain that the mystery of the unspeakable and invisible power ought not to be performed by visible and corruptible creatures nor should that of those beings who are inconceivable and incorporeal and beyond the reach of sense be performed by such as are the objects of sense and possessed of a body these hold that the knowledge of the unspeakable greatness is itself perfect redemption for since both defect and passion flowed from ignorance the whole substance of what was thus formed is destroyed by knowledge and therefore knowledge is the redemption of the inner man this however is not of a corporeal nature for the body is corruptible nor is it animal since the animal soul is the fruit of a defect and is as it were the abode of the spirit the redemption must therefore be of a spiritual nature for they affirm that the inner and spiritual man of knowledge and that they having acquired the knowledge of all things stand then forth in need of nothing else this then is the true redemption five others still there are who continue to redeem persons even up to the moment of death by placing on their heads oil and water or the pre-mentioned ointment with water using at the same time the above-named invocations that the persons referred to may become incapable of being ceased in powers and that their inner man may ascend on high in an invisible manner as if their body were left among created things in this world while their soul is sent forward to the demiurge and they instruct them on their reaching the principalities and powers to make use of these words I am a son from the father who had a pre-existence and a son in him who is pre-existent I have come to behold all things both those which belong to myself and others they do not belong to others but to Akamath who is female in nature and made these things for herself for I derive being from him who is pre-existent and I come again to my own place whence I went forth and they affirm that by saying these things he escapes from the powers he then advances to the companions of the demiurge and thus addresses them I am a vessel more precious than the female who formed you than myself and I am aware whence I am and I call upon the incorruptible Sophia who is in the father and is the mother of your mother who has no father nor any male consort but a female springing from a female formed you while ignorant of her own mother and imagining that she alone existed but I call upon her mother and they declare that when the companions of the demiurge hear these words they are greatly agitated into his own place having thrown off his chain that is his animal nature these then are the particulars which have reached us respecting redemption but since they differ so widely among themselves both as respects doctrine and tradition and since those of them who are recognized as being most modern make it their effort daily to invent some new opinion and to bring out what no one ever before thought of it is a difficult matter two deviations of heretics from the truth one the rule of truth which we hold is that there is one God Almighty who made all things by his word and fashioned and formed out of that which had no existence all things which exist thus sayeth the scripture to that effect by the word of the Lord were the heavens established and all the might of them by the spirit of his mouth and again there was nothing made there is no exception or deduction stated but the Father made all things by him whether visible or invisible objects of sense or of intelligence temporal on account of a certain character given them or eternal and these eternal things he did not make by angels or by any powers separated from his annoyer for God needs none of all these things but is he who by his word and spirit makes and disposes all things into existence he who formed the world for the world is of all he who fashioned man he who is the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob above whom there is no other God nor initial principle nor power nor plerama he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as we shall prove holding therefore this rule we shall easily show notwithstanding the great variety separated from the truth for almost all the different sex of heretics admit that there is one God but then by their pernicious doctrines they change this truth into error even as the Gentiles do through idolatry thus proving themselves ungrateful to him that created them moreover they despise the workmanship of God speaking against their own salvation becoming their own bitterest accusers and being false witnesses these men shall one day rise again in the flesh to confess the power of him who raises them from the dead but they shall not be numbered amongst the righteous on account of their unbelief two since therefore it is a complex and multi-form task to detect and convict all the heretics and since our design is to reply to them all according to their special characters we have judged it necessary first of all to give an account of their source and root after that by getting the knowledge of their most exalted bethas they may as to understand the nature of the tree which has produced such fruits end of book 1 chapters 19 through 22