18

Monotes, being the One, sent forth, without sending forth, an intelligible, unbegotten, and invisible principle over all things, which principle the account calls Monad. With this Monad there coexists a power, consubstantial with it, which I also name the One. These powers, both Monotes and Henotes, Monad and the One, sent forth the remaining projections of the A certain Secundus, who was a contemporary of Ptolemy, says that there is a right Tetrad and a left Tetrad, and Light and Darkness; and the power that apostatized and fell short, he says, did not come from the thirty Aeons, but from their fruits. But another, an illustrious teacher of theirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . says thus: The first principle was inconceivable, ineffable, and unnameable, which he calls Monotes; and with this there coexists a power, which he names Henotes. This Henotes and this Monotes sent forth, without sending forth, an intelligible, unbegotten, and invisible principle over all things, which . . . he calls Monad. With this power there coexists a power, consubstantial with it, which I also name the One. These four powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sent forth the remaining projections of the aeons. Aeons. Woe, woe, and alas, alas. For one can truly utter a tragic cry over such a disaster of those who have written these ridiculous things, of such name-coining, and of such great audacity, as, having lost all shame for his falsehood, he has laid down a name names; for in saying, "There is a certain Proarche before all things, Proanennoetos, which I call Monad Monotes;" and again, "with this Monad Monotes there coexists a power, which I myself also name Henotes;" he has most clearly confessed that the things said are his own fiction fictions, and that he himself has assigned names to his fiction, which were not previously assigned by any other. And it is clear that he himself has dared to coin these names; and if he himself had not been present in life, the truth would not have had a name. Nothing, therefore, prevents anyone else from defining names in this way on the same hypothesis. ........ 1.5.3 But others of them again have called the first and primeval Ogdoad by these names: first, Proarche, then Anennoetos, the third Arrhetos, and the fourth Aoratos; and that from the first, Proarche, was projected in the first and fifth . . . Arche, and from the principle of the Anennoetos in the second and sixth place Akataleptos, and from the Arrhetos in the third and seventh place Anonomastos, and from the Aoratos Agennetos, the Pleroma of the first Ogdoad. They wish these powers to pre-exist the But others of them again have called the first and primeval Ogdoad by these names . . . . . . . . fourth Aoratos. And that from the first Proarche was projected in the first and fifth place Arche; and from Anennoetos, in the second and sixth Akataleptos; and from Arrhetos in the third and seventh place, Anonomastos; and from Aoratos, Agennetos, the Pleroma of the first Ogdoad. They wish these powers to pre-exist Bythos and Sige . . . . . . . Bythos and Sige, that they might appear to be more perfect than the perfect, and more Gnostic than the Gnostics; to whom one might justly exclaim: O you trifling sophists. For concerning Bythos himself there are many and different opinions among them. For some say that he is unpaired, neither male, nor female, nor being anything at all. Others say he is male-female, ascribing to him the nature of a hermaphrodite. But others, moving indifferently concerning Bythos himself, some say he is unpaired, neither male nor female, but others that Sige the female is present with him, and that this is the first syzygy. Yet again others assign Sige to him as a consort, so that it becomes the first syzygy. 1.6.1 THIS Ptolemy, then, and those with him, has come forth to us as even more experienced than their own teacher, ... for this man both devised and bestowed two consorts on God, who among them is called Bythos. And these he also called dispositions lege διαθέσεις, both Ennoia and Thelema. For first he conceived the thought of projecting, he says, then he willed it. Therefore also of the two

18

μονότης, τὸ ἓν οὖσαι, προήκαντο, μὴ προέμεναι, ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ πάντων νοητὴν, ἀγέννητόν τε καὶ ἀόρατον, ἣν ἀρχὴν ὁ λόγος μονάδα καλεῖ. Ταύτῃ τῇ μονάδι συνυπάρχει δύναμις ὁμοούσιος αὐτῇ, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ὀνομάζω τὸ ἕν. Αὗται αἱ δυνάμεις, ἥ τε μονότης καὶ ἑνότης, μονάς τε καὶ τὸ ἓν, προήκαντο τὰς λοιπὰς προβολὰς τῶν Σεκοῦνδος μέν τις κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ἅμα τῷ Πτολεμαίῳ γενόμενος, οὗτος λέγει τετράδα εἶναι δεξιὰν καὶ τετράδα ἀριστερὰν, καὶ φῶς καὶ σκότος· καὶ τὴν ἀποστᾶσαν δὲ καὶ ὑστερήσασαν δύναμιν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν τριάκοντα Αἰώνων λέγει γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν. Ἄλλος δέ τις ἐπιφανὴς διδάσκαλος αὐτῶν . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . οὕτως λέγει· Ἦν ἡ πρώτη ἀρχὴ ἀνεννόητος, ἀῤῥητός τε καὶ ἀνονόμαστος, ἢν μονότητα καλεῖ· ταύτῃ δὲ συνυπάρχειν δύναμιν, ἣν ὀνομάζει ἑνότητα. Αὕτη ἡ ἑνότης εἴτε ἥ τε μονότης προήκαντο, μὴ προέμεναι, ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ πάντων νοητῶν ἀγέννητόν τε καὶ ἀόρατον, ἣν . . . μονάδα καλεῖ. Ταύτῃ τῇ δυνάμει συνυπάρχει δύναμις ὁμοούσιος αὐτῇ, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ὀνομάζω τὸ ἕν. Αὗται αἱ τέσσαρες δυνάμεις . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . προήκαντο τὰς λοιπὰς τῶν αἰώνων προβολάς. Αἰώνων. Ἰοῦ ἰοῦ, καὶ φεῦ φεῦ. Τὸ τραγικὸν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐπειπεῖν ἔστιν ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ συμφορᾷ τῶν τὰ γελοιώδη ταῦτα γεγραφότων τῆς τοιαύτης ὀνοματοποιΐας, καὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ τόλμῃ, ὡς ἀπερυθριάσας τῷ ψεύσματι αὐτοῦ ὄνομα ὀνόματα τέθεικεν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ λέγειν, ἔστι τις προαρχὴ πρὸ πάντων, προανεννόητος, ἣν ἐγὼ μονάδα μονότητα καλῶ· καὶ πάλιν, ταύτῃ τῇ μονάδι μονότητι συνυπάρχει δύναμις, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ἑνότητα ὀνομάζω· σαφέστατα, ὅτι τε πλάσμα πλάσματα αὐτοῦ ἐστι τὰ εἰρημένα, ὡμολόγηκε, καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸς ὀνόματα τέθεικε τῷ πλάσματι, ὑπὸ μηδενὸς πρότερον ἄλλου τεθειμένα. Καὶ σαφές ἐστιν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ταῦτα τετόλμηκεν ὀνοματοποιῆσαι· καὶ εἰ μὴ παρῆν τῷ βίῳ αὐτὸς, οὐκ ἂν ἡ ἀλήθεια εἶχεν ὄνομα. Οὐδὲν οὖν κωλύει, καὶ ἄλλον τινὰ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως οὕτως ὁρίσασθαι ὀνόματα. ........ 1.5.3 Ἄλλοι δὲ πάλιν αὐτῶν τὴν πρώτην καὶ ἀρχέγονον ὀγδοάδα τούτοις τοῖς ὀνόμασι κεκλήκασι· πρῶτον προαρχὴν, ἔπειτα ἀνεννόητον, τὴν δὲ τρίτην ἄῤῥητον, καὶ τὴν τετάρτην ἀόρατον· καὶ ἐκ μὲν τῆς πρώτης Προαρχῆς προβεβλῆσθαι πρώτῳ καὶ πέμπτῳ . . . ἀρχὴν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς ἀνεννοήτου δευτέρῳ καὶ ἕκτῳ τόπῳ ἀκατάληπτον, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀῤῥήτου τρίτῳ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ τόπῳ ἀνονόμαστον, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀοράτου ἀγέννητον, πλήρωμα τῆς πρώτης ὀγδοάδος. Ταύτας βούλονται τὰς δυνάμεις προϋπάρχειν τοῦ Ἄλλοι δὲ πάλιν αὐτῶν τὴν πρώτην καὶ ἀρχαιόγονον ἀρχέγονον ὀγδοάδα τούτοις τοῖς ὀνομάσιν ἐκάλεσαν . . . . . . . . τετάρτην ἀόρατον. Καὶ ἐκ μὲν τῆς πρώτης προαρχῆς προβεβλῆσθαι πρώτῳ καὶ πέμπτῳ τόπῳ ἀρχήν· ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀνεννοήτου, δευτέρῳ καὶ ἕκτῳ ἀκατάληπτον· ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀῤῥήτου τρίτῳ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ τόπῳ, ἀνονόμαστον· ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀοράτου, ἀγέννητον, πλήρωμα τῆς πρώτης ὀγδοάδος. Ταύτας βούλονται τὰς δυνάμεις προϋπάρχειν τοῦ Βυθοῦ καὶ τῆς Σιγῆς . . . . . . . Βυθοῦ καὶ τῆς Σιγῆς, ἵνα τελείων τελειότεροι φανῶσιν ὄντες, καὶ Γνωστικῶν γνωστικώτεροι· πρὸς οὓς δικαίως ἄν τις ἐπιφωνήσειεν· ὦ ληρολόγοι σοφισταί. Καὶ γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Βυθοῦ πολλαὶ καὶ διάφοροι γνῶμαι παρ' αὐτοῖς. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἄζυγον λέγουσι, μήτε ἄῤῥενα, μήτε θήλειαν, μήτε ὅλως ὄντα τι. Ἄλλοι δὲ ἀῤῥενόθηλυν αὐτὸν λέγουσιν εἶναι, ἑρμαφροδίτου φύσιν αὐτῷ περιάπτοντες. Ἄλλοι δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Βυθοῦ ἀδιαφόρως κινούμενοι, οἱ μὲν αὐτὸν ἄζυγον λέγουσι, μήτε ἄῤῥενα μήτε θῆλυν, ἄλλοι δὲ τὴν Σιγὴν θήλειαν αὐτῷ συμπαρεῖναι, καὶ εἶναι ταύτην πρώτην συζυγίαν. Σιγὴν δὲ πάλιν ἄλλοι συνευνέτιν αὐτῷ προσάπτουσιν, ἵνα γένηται πρώτη συζυγία. 1.6.1 ΟΥΤΟΣ τοίνυν ὁ Πτολεμαῖος, καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, ἔτι ἐμπειρότερος ἡμῖν τοῦ ἑαυτῶν διδασκάλου προελήλυθε, ... δύο γὰρ οὗτος συζύγους τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ παρ' αὐτοῖς Βυθῷ καλουμένῳ, ἐπενόησέ τε καὶ ἐχαρίσατο. Ταύτας δὲ καὶ διαθέσεσιν lege διαθέσεις ἐκάλεσεν, Ἔννοιάν τε καὶ Θέλημα. Πρῶτον γὰρ ἐνενοήθη προβαλεῖν, φησὶν, εἶτα ἠθέλησε. ∆ιὸ καὶ τῶν δύο