21

and gives thanks to Marcus for bestowing his own grace upon her; and she tries to repay him, not only by the gift of her possessions, (whence also she has contributed a great amount of money,) but also by the communion of her body, desiring eagerly to be united with him in every way, so that with him she might descend into the One. 1.7.3 But already, of the former Interpres, certain most faithful women who had the fear of God, and were not deceived, whom he attempted to seduce, just like the rest, commanding them to prophesy, and having spit upon and anathematized him, separated themselves from such a company; knowing well, that the gift of prophecy does not come to men from Marcus the magician, but these to whom God from above sends down His grace, these have the God-given gift of prophecy, and then they speak where and when God wills, but not when Marcus commands. For that which commands is both greater and more authoritative than that which is commanded, since the one leads, and the other is subject. If, therefore, Marcus commands, or some other, as these men are accustomed always to play at the suppers of the lot, and to command one another to prophesy, and to divine for themselves according to their own desires, he who commands, being a man, will be both greater and more authoritative than the prophetic spirit, which is impossible. But such spirits, commanded by them and speaking whenever they themselves wish, are rotten and feeble, but daring and shameless, sent forth by Satan for the deception and destruction of those not strongly guarding the faith which they received from the beginning through the Church. 1.7.4 And that this Marcus prepares love-potions and charms for some of the women, if not for all, for the purpose of doing violence also to their bodies, these women, having often returned to the Church of God, have confessed, both that they were defiled in body by him, and that they had loved him with a very passionate love; so that even a certain deacon of ours in Asia, having received him into his house, fell into this calamity, his wife, who was beautiful, having been corrupted both in mind and body by this magician, and having followed him for a long time; then, after the brethren with much labor brought her back, she... her, continued confessing the whole time, mourning and weeping over the corruption which she suffered from the magician. 1.7.5 And certain disciples of his also, going about in the same places, deceiving, have corrupted many silly women, proclaiming themselves perfect; so that no one can be equaled to the greatness of their knowledge, not even if you should mention Paul, nor Peter, nor any other of the Apostles; but that they have known more than all, and that they alone have drunk down the greatness of the knowledge of the unspeakable power. And that they are on high above every power; wherefore also they do all things freely, having no fear of anyone in anything. For on account of the Redemption they become unattainable and invisible to the judge. But if he should even lay hold of them, standing beside him with the Redemption they would say these things: O assessor of God and of mystic Silence before the age Int. of ages, whom the Greatnesses always seeing the face of the Father, we use you as guide and introducer, using, draw up on high their own forms, which that greatly daring one, having imagined, on account of the goodness of the Pro-Father, projected us, the images, then having a thought of the things above as a dream; behold the judge is near, and the herald commands me to make my defense; but you, as knowing the things of both, present the case for both of us, as being one, to the judge. But the Mother, quickly hearing these things, placed on them the Homeric helmet of Hades, in order to escape the judge invisibly; and immediately having snatched them, she led them into the bridal chamber, and gave them back to their own bridegrooms. 1.7.6 And saying and doing such things, also in our regions of the Rhone, they have deceived many women, who, having their conscience seared, some even confess openly, but others being ashamed of this,

21

καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ Μάρκῳ τῷ ἐπιδιδόντι τῆς ἰδίας χάριτος αὐτῇ· καὶ ἀμείβεσθαι αὐτὸν πειρᾶται, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων δόσιν, (ὅθεν καὶ χρημάτων πλῆθος πολὺ συνενήνοχεν,) ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος κοινωνίαν, κατὰ πάντα ἑνοῦσθαι αὐτῷ προθυμουμένη, ἵνα σὺν αὐτῷ κατέλθῃ εἰς τὸ ἕν. 1.7.3 Ἤδη δὲ τῶν προτέρων Interpres, πιστοτάτων τινὲς γυναικῶν τῶν ἐχουσῶν τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐξαπατηθεισῶν, ἃς ὁμοίως ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἐπετήδευσε παραπείθειν, κελεύων αὐταῖς προφητεύειν, καὶ καταφυσήσασαι, καὶ καταθε ματίσασαι αὐτὸν, ἐχωρίσθησαν τοῦ τοιούτου θιάσου· ἀκριβῶς εἰδυῖαι, ὅτι προφητεύειν οὐχ ὑπὸ Μάρκου τοῦ μάγου ἐγγίνεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλ' οἷς ἂν ὁ Θεὸς ἄνωθεν ἐπιπέμψῃ τὴν χάριν αὑτοῦ, οὗτοι θεόσδοτον ἔχουσι τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ τότε λαλοῦσιν ἔνθα καὶ ὁπότε Θεὸς βούλεται, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὅτε Μάρκος κελεύει. Τὸ γὰρ κελεῦον τοῦ κελευομένου μεῖζόν τε καὶ κυριώτερον, ἐπεὶ τὸ μὲν προηγεῖται, τὸ δὲ ὑποτέτακται. Εἰ οὖν Μάρκος μὲν κελεύει, ἢ ἄλλος τις, ὡς εἰώθασιν ἐπὶ τοῖς δείπνοις τοῦ κλήρου οὗτοι πάντοτε παίζειν, καὶ ἀλλήλοις ἐγκελεύεσθαι τὸ προφητεύειν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας ἑαυτοῖς μαντεύεσθαι, ἔσται ὁ κελεύων μείζων τε καὶ κυριώτερος τοῦ προφητικοῦ πνεύματος, ἄνθρωπος ὢν, ὅπερ ἀδύνατον. ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα κελευόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν πνεύματα, καὶ λαλοῦντα ὁπότε βούλονται αὐτοὶ, ἐπίσαθρα καὶ ἀδρανῆ ἐστι, τολμηρὰ δὲ καὶ ἀναιδῆ, ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐκπεμπόμενα πρὸς ἐξαπάτησιν καὶ ἀπώλειαν τῶν μὴ εὔτονον τὴν πίστιν, ἣν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας παρέλαβον, φυλασσόντων. 1.7.4 Ὅτι δὲ φίλτρα καὶ ἀγώγιμα, πρὸς τὸ καὶ τοῖς σώμασιν αὐτῶν ἐνυβρίζειν, ἐμποιεῖ οὗτος ὁ Μάρκος ἐνίαις τῶν γυναικῶν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πάσαις, αὗται πολλάκις ἐπιστρέψασαι εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξωμολογήσαντο, καὶ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἠχρειῶσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐρωτικῶς πάνυ αὐτὸν πεφιληκέναι· ὥστε καὶ διάκονόν τινα τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ τῶν ἡμετέρων ὑποδεξάμενον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὑτοῦ, περιπεσεῖν ταύτῃ τῇ συμφορᾷ, τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ εὐειδοῦς ὑπαρχούσης, καὶ τὴν γνώμην, καὶ τὸ σῶμα διαφθαρείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ μάγου τούτου, καὶ ἐξακολουθησάσης αὐτῷ πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ, ἔπειτα μετὰ πολλοῦ κόπου τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιστρεψάντων, αὐτὴ l. ἐ. αὐτὴν, τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐξομολογουμένη διετέλεσε, πενθοῦσα καὶ θρηνοῦσα ἐφ' ᾗ ἔπαθεν ὑπὸ τοῦ μάγου διαφθορᾷ. 1.7.5 Καὶ μαθηταὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ τινες περιπολίζοντες ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς, ἐξαπατῶντες γυναικάρια πολλὰ διέφθειραν, τελείους ἑαυτοὺς ἀναγορεύοντες· ὡς μηδενὸς δυναμένου ἐξισωθῆναι τῷ μεγέθει τῆς γνώσεως αὐτῶν, μηδ' ἂν Παῦλον, μηδ' ἂν Πέτρον εἴπῃς, μηδ' ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν Ἀποστόλων· ἀλλὰ πλείω πάντων ἐγνωκέναι, καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἀῤῥήτου δυνάμεως μόνους καταπεπωκέναι. Εἶναί τε αὐτοὺς ἐν ὕψει ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν δύναμιν· διὸ καὶ ἐλευθέρως πάντα πράσσειν, μηδένα ἐν μηδενὶ φόβον ἔχοντας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν ἀκρατήτους καὶ ἀοράτους γίνεσθαι τῷ κριτῇ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπιλάβοιτο αὐτῶν, παραστάντες αὐτῷ μετὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τάδε εἴποιεν· ὦ πάρεδρε Θεοῦ καὶ μυστικῆς πρὸ αἰῶνος Int. αἰώνων Σιγῆς, ἣν τὰ μεγέθη διαπαντὸς βλέποντα, τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὁδηγῷ σοι καὶ προσαγωγεῖ χρώμεθα χρώμενα, ἀνασπῶσιν ἄνω τὰς αὐτῶν μορφὰς, ἃς ἡ μεγαλότολμος ἐκείνη φαντασιασθεῖσα, διὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῦ Προπάτορος προεβάλετο ἡμᾶς τὰς εἰκόνας, τότε ἐνθύμιον τῶν ἄνω ὡς ἐνύπνιον ἔχουσα· ἰδοὺ ὁ κριτὴς ἐγγὺς, καὶ ὁ κῆρυξ με κελεύει ἀπολογεῖσθαι· σὺ δὲ ὡς ἐπισταμένη τὰ ἀμφοτέρων τὸν ὑπὲρ ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῶν λόγον, ὡς ἕνα ὄντα τῷ κριτῇ παράστησον. Ἡ δὲ μήτηρ ταχέως ἀκούσασα τούτων, τὴν Ὁμηρικὴν Ἄϊδος κυνέην αὐτοῖς περιέθηκε, πρὸς τὸ ἀοράτως ἐκφυγεῖν τὸν κριτήν· καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνασπάσασα αὐτοὺς, εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα εἰσήγαγε, καὶ ἀπέδωκε τοῖς ἑαυτῶν νυμφίοις. 1.7.6 Τοιαῦτα δὲ λέγοντες καὶ πράττοντες, καὶ ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς κλίμασι τῆς Ῥοδανουσίας, πολλὰς ἐξηπατήκασι γυναῖκας, αἵτινες κεκαυτηριασμέναι τὴν συνείδησιν, αἱ μὲν καὶ εἰς φανερὸν ἐξομολογοῦνται, αἱ δὲ δυσωπούμεναι τοῦτο,