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receiving all who wish." And adding other similar things, he continued: "Such things also do those of Prodicus, falsely proclaiming themselves Gnostics, teach." 7. —Concerning Valentinus. From all these heresies Valentinus, taking his starting-points, composed his own interminable myths. And he established his heresy under Antoninus the first. He posited first a perfect Aeon, whom he also calls Fore-Beginning, and Fore-Father, and Depth; and that a certain Thought coexisted with him, called Grace and Silence. He said that this one embraced tranquility for infinite ages; but that after a time, from both of them, Mind and Truth were born. And they call Mind Only-Begotten. And these two syzygies they call a Pythagorean Tetrad, and they call it the root of all things. And from Mind and Truth, he says, were projected Word and Life; and from Word and Life, Man and Church. And the four syzygies, the primeval Ogdoad, and the root, and substance of all things. And they say the first Aeon exists, then the Word and the Life. After the projection of Man and Church, to have projected ten other Aeons, Deep and Mingling, Unageing and Union, Self-begotten and Pleasure, Unmoved and Blending, Only-begotten and Blessedness. And from Man and Church another twelve Aeons were projected, Paraclete and Faith, Fatherly and Hope, Motherly and Love, Ever-Mindful and Understanding, 83.356 Ecclesiasticus and Blessedness, Willed and Wisdom. They say that these 30 Aeons are unknown to all others, but known to them alone. Then, having mythologized many things, so as to show the number eight, and ten, and twelve, and thirty to be honorable, he says the Depth is unattainable by all those from him; who was begotten both to see him and to reveal him to the others, Silence restrained, and prevented the attempt. But the last Aeon, whom they call Sophia, having conceived the same desire, but being unable to attain what was desired, gave birth, he says, to a formless substance. And being grieved at such a birth, she approached the Fore-Father, and announced her passion; and the rest of the Aeons also supplicated with her, and she herself obtained a certain pardon. And they say the formless offspring is Matter, which grew from ignorance, and grief, and fear, and consternation. But the Depth, taking forethought lest another Aeon also should fall into a similar passion, projects the Limit not with a female partner; for each of the other Aeons is yoked with a female. And this Limit they also call Cross, and they mythologize other names. Through this, he says, Sophia also, having been purified, was delivered from the passion. But that Enthymesis, which they also named Passion, and formless offspring, and Matter, the Limit cast far away from this one. After these things, he says, the Only-Begotten, by the will of the Father, projected for the security and establishment of the Aeons, Christ and the Holy Spirit; for they say Christ taught the Aeons that the Father is incomprehensible; and the Holy Spirit, according to them, bestowed the better equality on the Aeons. And the Aeons, having obtained these things, hymned the Fore-Father, and in common, each contributing the best of what they had, they project through these Jesus, whom they also call Savior, and Christ the Word. And with him they also projected other angels, so as to be his bodyguards. All these things they name as within the Pleroma. But outside the Pleroma are the things spoken of, these are: The Enthymesis of that Sophia, which they also called the formless offspring, they call Achamoth; outside of the Pleroma

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ἐκδε χόμεναι τοὺς βουλομένους ἅπαντας." Προσθεὶς δὲ καὶ ἕτερα παραπλήσια, ἐπήγαγε· "Τοιαῦτα καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ Προδίκου ψευδωνύμως Γνωστικοὺς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀναγορεύοντες δογματίζουσιν." Ζʹ. -Περὶ Βαλεντίνου. Ἐκ τούτων πασῶν τῶν αἱρέσεων ὁ Βαλεντῖνος λαβὼν ἀφορμὰς, τοὺς ἀπεράντους αὑτοῦ συν έθηκε μύθους. Συνεστήσατο δὲ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐπ' Ἀντω νίνου τοῦ πρώτου. Ὑπέθετο δὲ πρῶτον Αἰῶνα τέ λειον, ὃν καὶ Προαρχὴν, καὶ Προπάτορα, καὶ Βυθὸν καλεῖ· Ἔννοιαν δέ τινα συνυπάρχειν αὐτῷ, Χάριν καὶ Σιγὴν καλουμένην. Τοῦτον ἔφησεν ἐπὶ αἰῶσιν ἀπείροις τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀσπάσα σθαι· χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τὸν Νοῦν γε νέσθαι καὶ τὴν Ἀλήθειαν. Μονογενῆ δὲ τὸν Νοῦν ὀνομάζουσι. Τὰς δὲ δύο ταύτας συζυγίας Πυθαγορικὴν ὀνομάζουσι τετρακτὺν, καὶ ῥίζαν πάντων καλοῦσιν. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Νοῦ καὶ τῆς Ἀληθείας προβληθῆναί φησι Λόγον καὶ Ζωήν· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ τῆς Ζωῆς, Ἄνθρωπον καὶ Ἐκκλησίαν. Τὰς δὲ τέτταρας συζυγίας, ἀρχίγονον Ὀγδοάδα, καὶ ῥίζαν, καὶ ὑπόστασιν πάντων. Καὶ πρῶτον Αἰῶνα εἶναί φασιν, εἶτα τὸν Λόγον καὶ τὴν Ζωήν. Μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προβολὴν, ἄλλους προβαλεῖν Αἰῶνας δέκα, Βύθιον καὶ Μίξιν, Ἀγήρατον καὶ Ἕνωσιν, Αὐτοφυῆ καὶ Ἡδονὴν, Ἀκίνητον καὶ Σύγκρισιν, Μονογενῆ καὶ Μακαρίαν. Ἐκ δὲ Ἀνθρώπου καὶ τῆςἘκκλησίας ἕτεροι Αἰῶνες προεβλήθησαν δυοκαί δεκα, Παράκλητος καὶ Πίστις, Πατρικὸς καὶ Ἐλπὶς, Μητρικὸς καὶ Ἀγάπη, Ἀείνους καὶ Σύνεσις, 83.356 Ἐκκλησιαστικὸς καὶ Μακαριότης, Θελητὸς καὶ Σοφία. Τούτους φασὶ τοὺς λʹ Αἰῶνας τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἀδήλους εἶναι, αὐτοῖς δὲ μόνοις γνωρίμους. Εἶτα πλεῖστα μυθολογήσας, ὥστε δεῖξαι τίμιον τὸν ὀκτὼ, καὶ τὸν δέκα, καὶ τὸν δυοκαίδεκα, καὶ τὸν τριά κοντα ἀριθμὸν, φησὶ τὸν Βυθὸν ἀνέφικτον εἶναι πᾶσι τοῖς ἐξ αὐτοῦ· φύντα καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δηλῶσαι, κατέσχεν ἡ Σιγὴ, καὶ τὴν ἐπι χείρησιν διεκώλυσεν. Ὁ δὲ τελευταῖος Αἰὼν, ὃν Σοφίαν καλοῦσι, τὸν αὐτὸν εἰσδεξάμενος πόθον, ἐπι τυχεῖν δὲ τοῦ ποθουμένου μὴ δυνηθεὶς, ἔτεκε, φησὶν, οὐσίαν ἄμορφον. Ἀλγήσασα δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ τόκῳ προσῆλθε τῷ Προπάτορι, καὶ τὸ πάθος ἐξήγγειλε· συνικέτευσαν δὲ αὐτῇ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ Αἰῶνες, καὶ αὐτὴ μέν τινος συγγνώμης τετύχηκε. Τὸ δὲ ἄμορφον κύημα τὴν Ὕλην εἶναί φασιν, ἐκ τῆς ἀγνοίας, καὶ τῆς λύ πης, καὶ τοῦ φόβου, καὶ τῆς ἐπιπλήξεως φυεῖσαν. Προμηθούμενος δὲ ὁ Βυθὸς τὸ μὴ καὶ ἄλλον Αἰῶνα τῷ παραπλησίῳ πάθει περιπεσεῖν, τὸν Ὅρον προ βάλλεται οὐ μετὰ συζύγου θηλείας· τῶν γὰρ ἄλ λων Αἰώνων ἕκαστος τῷ θήλει συνέζευκται. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν Ὅρον καὶ Σταυρὸν ὀνομάζουσι, καὶ ἕτερα δὲ μυθολογοῦσιν ὀνόματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτόν φησι καὶ τὴν Σοφίαν καθαρθεῖσαν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ πάθους. Τὴν δὲ Ἐνθύμησιν ἐκείνην, ἣν καὶ Πάθος, καὶ ἄμορφον κύημα, καὶ Ὕλην ὠνόμασαν, πόῤῥω ταύτης ὁ Ὅρος ἀπέῤῥιψε. Μετὰ ταῦτά φησι τὸν Μο νογενῆ γνώμῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς προβαλέσθαι εἰς ἀσφά λειαν καὶ σύστασιν τῶν Αἰώνων, Χριστὸν καὶ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον· τὸν γὰρ Χριστὸν διδάξαι λέγουσι τοὺς Αἰῶνας, ὅτι ἀκατάληπτος ὁ Πατήρ· τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὴν κρείττονα ἰσότητα τοῖς Αἰῶσι κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐδωρήσατο. Τούτων δὲ οἱ Αἰῶνες τετυχηκότες, ὕμνη σαν μὲν τὸν Προπάτορα, κοινῇ δὲ τὰ κάλλιστα ὧν εἶχεν ἕκαστος συνεισενεγκάμενοι, προβάλλονται διὰ τούτων τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὃν καὶ Σωτῆρα προσαγορεύουσι, καὶ Χριστὸν Λόγον. Σὺν αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ἄλλους ἀγγέλους προὐβάλοντο, ὥστ' εἶναι δορυφόρους αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα πάντα ἐντὸς Πληρώματος ὀνομάζουσιν. Ἐκτὸς δὲ Πληρώματος τὰ λεγόμενά ἐστι ταῦτα· Τὴν Ἐνθύμησιν τῆς Σοφίας ἐκείνης, ἣν καὶ ἄμορφον κύημα προσ ηγόρευσαν, καλοῦσιν Ἀχαμώθ· ἔξω δὲ τοῦ Πληρώμα τος