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the delta, and the ei, and the lambda, and the tau, and the alpha; and these letters again are written through other letters, and the others through others. If then the whole substance of the delta falls away into infinity, with other letters always generating others, and succeeding one another, how much greater must the sea of letters be than that element? And if the one letter is thus infinite, behold the abyss of letters of the whole name, from which the Silence of Marcus has dogmatized that the Forefather was constituted. Therefore, also, the Father, knowing His own uncontainable nature, gave to the elements, which He also calls Aeons, to each one of them to cry out its own utterance, because one could not utter the whole. 1.8.4 And that the Tetrad, having made these things clear to him, said: I wish also to show you Truth herself. For I have brought her down from the mansions above, that you may see her naked, and learn H. may learn her beauty; but also that you may hear her speaking, and admire her wisdom. Behold then the head above, the alpha and the omega, H. the first alpha omega but the neck beta and psi, the shoulders together with the hands gamma and chi, the breast delta and phi, the diaphragm H. midriff epsilon and upsilon, the back H. belly zeta and tau, the belly H. genitals eta and sigma, the thighs theta and rho, the knees iota and pi, the shins kappa and omicron, the ankles lambda and xi, the feet mu and nu. This is the body of Truth according to the magus; this is the form of the element, this is the character of the letter. And he calls this element Man; and he says that it is the source of every word, and the beginning of every voice, and the utterance of everything unutterable, and the mouth of the silent Silence. And this is her body. But you, raising aloft the H. adj. thought of your mind, hear from the mouth of Truth the self-begotten and father-given H. begetter and forefather Word. 1.8.5 And when she had said these things, Truth looked upon him, and opening her mouth, spoke a Word; and the Word became a name, and the name became H. was this, which we know and speak, Christ Jesus; and having named it, she H. immediately became silent, and there was silence. But while Marcus was expecting that she was about to say something more, the Tetrad again came forward into the middle and says: You have considered contemptible the word which you heard from the mouth of Truth; it is not that ancient name which you know and think H. l. you seem to have; for you have only its sound, but you are ignorant of its power. For Jesus is a noteworthy name, being H. l. having six letters, known by all those of the calling. But that which among the Aeons of the Pleroma happens to be of many parts, is of another form, and of a different type, known by those who are kindred, whose magnitudes are always with them H. him. 1.8.6 Know then that these twenty-four letters among you are emanations, images of the three powers which contain H. has which contain within them the whole number of the elements above. For consider the nine mute letters to be of the Father and of Truth, because they are mute, that is, unutterable and ineffable. And the eight semi-vowels, being of the Word and of Life, because they are, as it were, intermediate between the mute letters and the vowels; and they receive the emanation from those above, and the bringing up from those above it H. l. below them. And the vowels themselves, being seven, are of Man and of the Church, since a voice, having proceeded through Man, gave form to all things. For the sound of the voice created a form for them. H. Therefore the Word and Life have the eight, but Man and the Church the seven, and the Father and Truth the nine. Since H. But on account of the word that was lacking, he who had been set apart in the Father came down, being sent H. sent forth to him from whom he was separated for the correction of what had been done, so that the unity of the Pleromas, having equality, might bear fruit as one power in all from all. And thus the one of the seven received the power of the eight; and the H. three places became similar in their numbers, being ogdoads; which three having come upon themselves,

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δὲ τὸ δέλτα, καὶ τὸ ει, καὶ τὸ λάμβδα, καὶ τὸ ταῦ, καὶ τὸ ἄλφα· καὶ ταῦτα πάλιν τὰ γράμματα δι' ἄλλων γράφεται γραμμάτων, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δι' ἄλλων. Εἰ οὖν ἡ πᾶσα ὑπόστασις τοῦ δέλτα εἰς ἄπειρον ἐκπίπτει, ἀεὶ ἄλλων ἄλλα γράμματα γεννώντων, καὶ διαδεχομένων ἄλληλα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐκείνου τοῦ στοιχείου μεῖζον εἶναι τὸ πέλαγος τῶν γραμμάτων; Καὶ εἰ τὸ ἓν γράμμα οὕτως ἄπειρον, ὅρα ὅλου τοῦ ὀνόματος τὸν βυθὸν τῶν γραμμάτων, ἐξ ὧν τὸν προπάτορα ἡ Μάρκου Σιγὴ συνεστάναι ἐδογμάτισε. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸν Πατέρα ἐπιστάμενον τὸ ἀχώρητον αὑτοῦ, δεδωκέναι τοῖς στοιχείοις, ἃ καὶ Αἰῶνας καλεῖ, ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν τὴν ἰδίαν ἐκφώνησιν ἐκβοᾷν, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἕνα τὸ ὅλον ἐκφωνεῖν. 1.8.4 Ταῦτα δὲ σαφηνίσασαν αὐτῷ τὴν τετρακτὺν εἰπεῖν· θέλω δέ σοι καὶ αὐτὴν ἐπιδεῖξαι τὴν Ἀλήθειαν. Κατήγαγον γὰρ αὐτὴν ἐκ τῶν ὕπερθεν δωμάτων, ἵν' ἐσίδῃς αὐτὴν γυμνὴν, καὶ καταμάθοις Η. καταμάθῃς τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκούσῃς αὐτῆς λαλούσης, καὶ θαυμάσῃς τὸ φρόνημα αὐτῆς. Ὅρα οὖν κεφαλὴν ἄνω, τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ω, Η. τὸ πρῶτον ἄλφα ω τράχηλον δὲ β καὶ ψ, ὤμους ἅμα χερσὶ γ καὶ χ, στήθη δ καὶ φ, διάφραγμα Η. φράγμα ε καὶ υ, νῶτον Η. κοιλίαν ζ καὶ τ, κοιλίαν Η. αἰδοῖα η καὶ σ, μηροὺς θ καὶ ρ, γόνατα ι καὶ π, κνήμας κ καὶ ο, σφυρὰ λ καὶ ξ, πόδας μ καὶ ν. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμα τῆς κατὰ τὸν μάγον Ἀληθείας· τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ στοιχείου, οὗτος ὁ χαρακτὴρ τοῦ γράμματος. Καὶ καλεῖ τὸ στοιχεῖον τοῦτο Ἄνθρωπον· εἶναί τε πηγήν φησιν αὐτὸ παντὸς λόγου, καὶ ἀρχὴν πάσης φωνῆς, καὶ παντὸς ἀῤῥήτου ῥῆσιν, καὶ τῆς σιωπωμένης Σιγῆς στόμα. Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν τὸ σῶμα αὐτῆς. Σὺ δὲ μετάρσιον ἐγείρας τὸ Η. adj. τῆς διανοίας νόημα, τὸν αὐτογεννήτορα καὶ πατροδότορα Η. γεννήτορα καὶ προπάτορα λόγον ἀπὸ στομάτων Ἀληθείας ἄκουε. 1.8.5 Ταῦτα δὲ ταύτης εἰπούσης, προσβλέψασαν αὐτῷ τὴν Ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἀνοίξασαν τὸ στόμα λαλῆσαι λόγον· τὸν δὲ λόγον ὄνομα γενέσθαι, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα γενέσθαι Η. εἶναι τοῦτο, ὃ γινώσκομεν καὶ λαλοῦμεν, Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν· ὃ καὶ ὀνομάσασαν αὐτὴν παρ' αὐτῇ Η. παραυτίκα σιωπῆσαι, καὶ σιωπήν. Προσδοκῶντος δὲ τοῦ Μάρκου πλεῖόν τι μέλλειν αὐτὴν λέγειν, πάλιν ἡ τετρακτὺς παρελθοῦσα εἰς τὸ μέσον, φησίν· ὡς εὐκαταφρόνητον ἡγήσω τὸν λόγον, ὃν ἀπὸ στομάτων τῆς Ἀληθείας ἤκουσας· οὐ τοῦθ', ὅπερ οἶδας καὶ δοκοῖς, παλαιόν Η. l. δοκεῖς ἔχειν, πάλαι ἐστιν ὄνομα· φωνὴν γὰρ μόνον ἔχεις αὐτοῦ, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν ἀγνοεῖς. Ἰησοῦς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἐπίσημον ὄνομα, ἓξ ὢν Η. l. ἔχον γράμματα, ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν τῆς κλήσεως γινωσκόμενον. Τὸ δὲ παρὰ τοῖς Αἰῶσι τοῦ Πληρώματος πολυμερὲς τυγχάνον, ἄλλης ἐστὶ μορφῆς, καὶ ἑτέρου τύπου, γινωσκόμενον ὑπ' ἐκείνων τῶν συγγενῶν, ὧν τὰ μεγέθη παρ' αὐτῶν Η. αὐτῷ ἐστι διαπαντός. 1.8.6 Ταῦτ' οὖν τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν εἰκοσιτέσσαρα γράμματα ἀποῤῥοίας ὑπάρχειν γίνωσκε τῶν τριῶν δυνάμεων εἰκονικὰς, τῶν περιεχουσῶν Η. habet ἐμπεριεχουσῶν τὸν ὅλον τῶν ἄνω στοιχείων τὸν ἀριθμόν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄφωνα γράμματα ἐννέα νόμισον εἶναι τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τῆς Ἀληθείας, διὰ τὸ ἀφώνους αὐτοὺς εἶναι, τουτέστιν ἀῤῥήτους καὶ ἀνεκλαλήτους. Τὰ δὲ ἡμίφωνα ὀκτὼ, ὄντα τοῦ Λόγου καὶ τῆς Ζωῆς, διὰ τὸ μέσα ὥσπερ ὑπάρχειν τῶν τε ἀφώνων καὶ τῶν φωνηέντων· καὶ ἀναδέχεσθαι τῶν μὲν ὕπερθεν τὴν ἀπόῤῥοιαν, τῶν δ' ὑπὲρ αὐτὴν Η. l. ὑπ' αὐτὰ τὴν ἀναφοράν. Τὰ δὲ φωνήεντα καὶ αὐτὰ ἑπτὰ ὄντα τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐπεὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου φωνὴ προελθοῦσα, ἐμόρφωσε τὰ ὅλα. Ὁ γὰρ ἦχος τῆς φωνῆς μορφὴν αὐτοῖς περι εποίησεν. Ἔστιν Η. οὖν ὁ μὲν Λόγος ἔχων καὶ ἡ Ζωὴ τὰ ὀκτὼ, ὁ δὲ Ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία τὰ ἑπτὰ, ὁ δὲ Πατὴρ καὶ ἡ Ἀλήθεια τὰ ἐννέα. Ἐπειδὴ Η. Ἐπὶ δὲ τουὑστερήσαντος λόγου ὁ ἀφεδρασθεὶς ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ κατῆλθε, πεμφθεὶς Η. ἐκπεμφθεὶς ἐπὶ τὸν ἀφ' οὗ ἐχωρίσθη ἐπὶ διορθώσει τῶν πραχθέντων, ἵνα ἡ τῶν πληρωμάτων ἑνότης ἰσότητα ἔχουσα καρποφορῇ μίαν ἐν πᾶσι τὴν ἐκ πάντων δύναμιν. Καὶ οὕτως ὁ τῶν ἑπτὰ τὴν τῶν ὀκτὼ ἐκομίσατο δύναμιν· καὶ ἐγένοντο οἱ Η. τρεῖς τόποι ὅμοιοι τοῖς ἀριθμοῖς, ὀγδοάδες ὄντες· οἵτινες τρεῖς ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐλθόντες,