Chapter XXXVI.—Less Reprehensible Theories in the Heresy.  Bad is the Best of Valentinianism.

How much more sensible are they who, rejecting all this tiresome nonsense, have refused to believe that any one Æon has descended from another by steps like these, which are really neither more nor less Gemonian;310    The “Gemonian steps” on the Aventine led to the Tiber, to which the bodies of executed criminals were dragged by hooks, to be cast into the river. but that on a given signal311    Mappa, quod aiunt, missa: a proverbial expression. the eight-fold emanation, of which we have heard,312    Istam. issued all at once from the Father and His Ennœa (Thought),313    See above, ch. vii. p. 506.—that it is, in fact, from His mere motion that they gain their designations. When, as they say, He thought of producing offspring, He on that account gained the name of Father. After producing, because the issue which He produced was true, He received the name of Truth. When He wanted Himself to be manifested, He on that account was announced as Man. Those, moreover, whom He preconceived in His thought when He produced them, were then designated the Church. As man, He uttered His Word; and so this Word is His first-begotten Son, and to the Word was added Life. And by this process the first Ogdoad was completed. However, the whole of this tiresome story is utterly poor and weak.

CAPUT XXXVI.

Quanto meliores qui totum hoc taedium de medio amoliti, nullum Aeonem voluerunt alium ex alio per gradus revera Gemonios structum, sed mappa 0591A (quod aiunt) missa, semel octojugem istam ex Patre et Ennoea ejus exclusam. Ex ipso denique ejus motu nomina gerunt. Cum, inquiunt, cogitavit proferre, hoc Pater dictus est. Cum protulit, quia vera protulit, hic Veritas appellata est. Cum semetipsum voluit probari, hoc homo pronuntiatus est. Quos autem praecogitavit cum protulit, tunc Ecclesia nuncupata est. Sonuit homo sermonem, et hic est primogenitus filius: et sermoni accessit vita, et Ogdoas prima conclusa est. Sed hoc taedium non pusillum .