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he said that creation came into being; 83.352 and that the Lord Jesus was born of Joseph and Mary in a manner similar to other men, but that he excelled in virtue, and had a pure soul, and one that remembered its life with the unbegotten. He also says that those who, in a similar way to him, despised the world-creating angels, likewise receive the power to do similar things. And if anyone should have a purer soul, he will surpass, he says, even the dignity of the Son. To such a madness of pride did these men run aground, employing sorcery and making invocations of demons, but not enduring to conceal their licentiousness, but rather making profligacy a law. For by opinion, he says, not by truth, some things seem to be evil, and others good. But having come to this point, I do not know how I can skip over the legislation of licentiousness. For having accepted the Pythagorean transmigrations of souls, they did not accept the corresponding reasoning. For Pythagoras said that souls which had sinned are sent into bodies, so that they may both pay the penalty and be purified with effort. But these men say that the reason for transmigration is the diametrical opposite of the Pythagorean one. For they say that souls are sent into bodies so that they may accomplish every form of licentiousness; therefore, those that have fulfilled them in one descent do not require another sending; but those that have sinned little are sent out twice, and three times, and many times, until they have fulfilled all the forms of evil. And so that no one might suspect me of fabricating these things against them, I will adduce the testimony of Irenaeus, an apostolic man who enlightened the West. And he says this in the first book of those writings of his against the heresies: "And whether indeed the impious, and unlawful, and forbidden things are practiced among them, I would not believe; but in their writings it is so recorded, and they themselves so explain it, saying that Jesus spoke in a mystery privately to his disciples and apostles, and deemed it right that they should hand these things down to the worthy and to those who obey. For they are saved through faith and love, but the other things are indifferent, being considered in some respects good and in other respects evil according to the opinion of men, with nothing being evil by nature." These things, then, the admirable Irenaeus said concerning them. But I have not added what follows, for it contains an excess of madness. And Epiphanes, his son, being educated in Platonic learning, expanded his mythology. And these also, when Hadrian was reigning, strengthened their wicked heresies. 6. —Concerning Prodicus. Prodicus, succeeding him, established the heresy of those called Adamites. 83.353 This man added open fornication to the doctrines of Carpocrates; for he legislated that women are to be held in common. For this reason, not only at their common dinners, putting out the lamplight, each would have intercourse with whomever he happened upon; but they also considered such debauchery to be a mystical rite. And for this I will provide as a witness Clement the Stromatist, a holy man, and one who surpassed all in his great experience. And he speaks thus in the third book of the Stromata: "There are those who call common Aphrodite a mystical communion, committing outrage even in the name." Then, after saying something against their swinish debauchery, he adds also this: "For the thrice-wretched men make a sacred rite of carnal and sexual communion, and they think this leads them into the kingdom of Christ. Now, such a communion leads to the brothels, and indeed the swine and the goats would be their fellow-partakers; and the prostitutes who stand before the brothel would be in greater hopes among them, without restraint

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κτίσιν ἔφησε γεγε 83.352 νῆσθαι· τὸν δὲ Κύριον Ἰησοῦν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τῆς Μαρίας γεννηθῆναι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις πα ραπλησίως, ἀρετῇ δὲ αὐτὸν διαπρέψαι, καὶ καθαρὰν ἐσχηκότα ψυχὴν, καὶ μεμνημένην τῆς μετὰ τοῦ ἀγεν νήτου διαγωγῆς. Φησὶ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνῳ παραπλη σίως, τῶν κοσμοποιῶν ἀγγέλων καταφρονήσαν τας, ὁμοίως λαμβάνειν δύναμιν πρὸς τὸ πρᾶξαι τὰ ὅμοια. Εἰ δὲ καὶ καθαρωτέραν τις σχοίη ψυχὴν, ὑπερβήσεται, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν. Εἰς τοσαύτην τύφου μανίαν ἐξώκειλαν ἄνδρες, γοητείᾳ μὲν χρώμενοι, καὶ τὰς τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπι κλήσεις ποιούμενοι, τὴν δὲ ἀσέλγειαν συγκαλύπτειν οὐκ ἀνεχόμενοι, ἀλλὰ νόμον τὴν ἀκολασίαν ποιούμε νοι. ∆όξῃ γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἀληθείᾳ, τὰ μὲν τῶν πραγμάτων κακὰ εἶναι δοκεῖ, τὰ δὲ ἀγαθά. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ὑπερπηδήσω τὴν τῆς ἀσελγείας νομοθεσίαν. Τὰς γὰρ Πυθαγορικὰς μετενσωματώσεις εἰσδεξάμενοι, τὸν συνεζευγμένον οὐ προσεδέξαντο λόγον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Πυθαγόρας τὰς ἡμαρτηκυίας ψυχὰς ἔφησεν εἰς σώματα πέμπεσθαι, ὥστε καὶ δίκας δοῦναι, καὶ καθαρθῆναι σπουδῇ. Οὗ τοι δὲ τῆς μετενσωματώσεως αἰτίαν εἶναί φασι τῆς Πυθαγορικῆς ἐναντίαν ἐκ διαμέτρου. Λέγουσι γὰρ εἰς τὰ σώματα πέμπεσθαι τὰς ψυχὰς, ὥστε πᾶν εἶδος ἀσελγειῶν ἐπιτελέσαι· τὰς οὖν ἐν τῇ μιᾷ καθ όδῳ πεπληρωκυίας, ἑτέρας μὴ χρῄζειν ἀποστολῆς· τὰς δὲ ὀλίγα ἡμαρτηκυίας, καὶ δὶς ἐκπέμπεσθαι, καὶ τρὶς, καὶ πολλάκις, ἕως ἂν ἐκπληρώσωσιν ἅπαντα τῆς κακίας τὰ εἴδη. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις ὑποπτεύσῃ με ταῦτα πλάττεσθαι κατ' αὐτῶν, Εἰρηναίου, τοῦ τὴν Ἑσπέραν φωτίσαντος ἀνδρὸς ἀποστολικοῦ, παραθή σομαι μαρτυρίαν. Λέγει δὲ οὗτος ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ βι βλίῳ τῶν εἰς τὰς αἱρέσεις συγγραφέντων αὐτῷ· "Καὶ εἰ μὲν πράσσεται παρ' αὐτοῖς τὰ ἄθεα, καὶ ἔκθε σμα, καὶ ἀπειρημένα, ἐγὼ οὐκ ἂν πιστεύσαιμι· ἐν δὲ τοῖς συγγράμμασιν αὐτῶν οὕτως ἀναγέγρα πται, καὶ αὐτοὶ οὕτως ἐξηγοῦνται, τὸν Ἰησοῦν λέ γοντες ἐν μυστηρίῳ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὑτοῦ καὶ ἀπο στόλοις κατ' ἰδίαν λελαληκέναι, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀξιῶσαι τοῖς ἀξίοις καὶ τοῖς πειθομένοις ταῦτα παραδιδόναι. ∆ιὰ πίστεως γὰρ καὶ ἀγάπης σώζεσθαι, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ ἀδιάφορα ὄντα, κατὰ τὴν δόξαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, πῆ μὲν ἀγαθὰ, πῆ δὲ κακὰ νομίζεσθαι, οὐδενὸς φύσει κακοῦ ὑπάρχοντος." Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ θαυμάσιος Εἰρηναῖος περὶ αὐτῶν ἔφη. Τὰ δὲ ἑξῆς οὐ προστέ θεικα· ὑπερβολὴν γὰρ ἔχει μανίας. Καὶ Ἐπιφά νης δὲ τούτου παῖς, διὰ Πλατωνικῆς ἠγμένος παιδείας, τὴν τούτου μυθολογίαν ἐπλάτυνεν. Ἀδριανοῦ δὲ καὶ οὗτοι βασιλεύοντος τὰς πονηρὰς αἱρέσεις ἐκράτυναν. ςʹ. -Περὶ Προδίκου. Πρόδικος δὲ, τοῦτον διαδεξάμενος, τὴν τῶν καλουμένων Ἀδαμιτῶν συνεστήσατο αἵρεσιν. 83.353 Οὗτος προφανῶς λαγνεύειν τοῖς Καρποκράτους προστέθεικε δόγμασι· κοινὰς γὰρ εἶναι τὰς γυναῖκας ἐνομοθέτησεν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν, οὐκ ἐν τοῖς κοινοῖς δεί πνοις μόνον, τὸ λυχνιαῖον φῶς ἐκποδὼν ποιούμενοι, ᾗπερ ἂν ἕκαστος ἐπέτυχε συνεμίγνυτο· ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ τελετὴν τὴν τοιαύτην ἀκολασίαν ὑπειλήφεσαν μυ στικήν. Καὶ τούτου δὴ μάρτυρα τὸν Στρωματέα παρέξομαι Κλήμεντα, ἱερὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ πολυπειρίᾳ ἅπαντας ἀπολιπόντα. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ τῶν Στρωματέων· "Εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ τὴν πάνδημον Ἀφρο δίτην κοινωνίαν μυστικὴν ὀνομάζουσιν, ἐνυβρίζοντες καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι." Εἶτά τινα ὑπειπὼν κατὰ τῆς τού των συώδους ἀκολασίας, ἐπιφέρει καὶ ταῦτα· "Οἱ γὰρ τρισάθλιοι τὴν σαρκικὴν καὶ τὴν συνουσιαστικὴν κοινωνίαν ἱεροφαντοῦσι, καὶ ταύτην οἴονται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοὺς ἀνάγειν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἰς τὰ χαμαιτυπεῖα μὲν οὖν ἡ τοιάδε εἰσάγει κοινωνία, καὶ δὴ συμμέτοχοι εἶεν ἂν αὐτοῖς οἱ σύες καὶ οἱ τράγοι· εἶεν δ' ἂν ἐν ταῖς μείζοσι παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐλπίσιν αἱ προεστῶσαι τοῦ τέγους πόρναι, ἀνέδην