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having passed through the actions and having been set free, it might pass through to him above. And not only that, but also souls like it, which have embraced the same things as it, having been freed in the same way, fly up to the unknown father, when, having performed all actions and likewise been released from all things, they are finally set free. But the soul of Jesus, having been brought up in the customs of the Jews, despised them and for this reason received powers, through which, having been able to † act on the sufferings which come upon men for punishments, it was able to overcome the world-makers. And not only the soul of Jesus itself has been able to do this, but also any soul that is able to pass through all the actions can overcome the world-making angels themselves; if it also receives powers and does similar things, * just as that of Jesus, as I said before. Whence these, driven into great pride, who have been deceived by this 1.303 impostor, consider themselves superior even to Jesus himself. But others among them say they are superior not to Jesus, but to Peter and Andrew and Paul and the rest of the apostles, on account of their excess of knowledge and the greater performance of various ways of escape; but others among them assert that they are in no way different from our Lord Jesus Christ. For the souls are from the same circuit and have likewise shown a contempt for all things like that of Jesus *. For all souls, he says, were deemed worthy of the same power of which that of Jesus was deemed worthy; wherefore they say that these too pass through every action, just as, of course, that of Jesus has passed through. And if anyone, in turn, were able to show contempt beyond Jesus, he will be superior to him. 3. The members of this lawless school attempt all sorts of enterprises of dreadful and destructive works. For magics have been contrived among them, and they have invented various incantations for every device, for love-potions and charms. And not only that, but they also draw down for themselves attendant demons, so that through much sorcery they may come into great power over all things, so that, he says, each one may rule over whatever he wishes and may dare to undertake any action; ostensibly deceiving themselves for the full assurance of their blinded mind, that souls which have undertaken such things, having prevailed through such actions and having despised the world-making angels and the things in the world, overcome the authority of these myth-makers—for I would not say world-makers—so that they might embrace the freedom above and acquire the flight above. But they are prepared 1.304 by Satan and put forth for the reproach and scandal of the church of God. For they have taken upon themselves the name of Christians, Satan having prepared this so that the gentiles might be scandalized through them and turn away from the benefit of the holy church of God and the true proclamation, on account of their lawless deeds and incurable evil practices, so that the gentiles, observing their successive works of lawlessness, and thinking that those of the holy church of God are also such, might turn away their hearing, as I said before, from the teaching of God according to truth, or even, seeing some, * might blaspheme us all alike. And for this reason most of the gentiles, wherever they see such men, neither approach us for fellowship in giving and receiving or in opinion or in the hearing of the divine word, nor do they give ear, being terrified by the unholy deeds of the lawless. 4. But these men continue in debauchery and do anything whatever for the pleasure of their bodies, and they do not approach us at all, except it be to entice unstable souls with their evil teaching. For they are like us in nothing, but only take pride in being called by the name, so that through the name the pretense of their own

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τῶν πράξεων χωρήσασα καὶ ἐλευθερωθεῖσα διέλθοι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄνω. οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ὁμοίας αὐτῇ ψυχάς, τὰς τὰ ἴσα αὐτῇ ἀσπασαμένας, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐλευθερωθείσας ἄνω πτῆναι πρὸς τὸν ἄγνωστον πατέρα, ἐν τῷ τὰς πάσας πράξεις πραξάσας ὁμοίως τε τῶν πάντων ἀπαλλαγείσας λοιπὸν ἐλευθερωθῆναι. τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τοῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθεσιν ἀνατραφεῖσαν καταφρονῆσαι αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δυνάμεις εἰληφέναι, δι' ὧν τὰ ἐπὶ κολάσεσι πάθη προσόντα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δυνηθεῖσα † πρᾶξαι ὑπερβῆναι τοὺς κοσμοποιοὺς ἴσχυσεν. οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦτο δεδυνῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δυναμένην διὰ πασῶν τῶν πράξεων χωρῆσαι ὑπερβῆναι τοὺς κοσμοποιοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀγγέλους· καὶ αὐτὴ ἐὰν λάβῃ δυνάμεις καὶ τὰ ὅμοια πράξῃ, * καθάπερ ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὡς προεῖπον. ὅθεν εἰς τῦφον μέγαν οὗτοι ἐληλακότες οἱ ὑπὸ τοῦ 1.303 ἀπατεῶνος τούτου ἀπατηθέντες ἑαυτοὺς προκριτέους ἡγοῦνται καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. ἄλλοι δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ Ἰησοῦ φασιν, ἀλλὰ Πέτρου καὶ Ἀνδρέου καὶ Παύλου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποστόλων ἑαυτοὺς ὑπερφερεστέρους εἶναι διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς γνώσεως καὶ τὸ περισσότερον τῆς διαπράξεως διαφόρων διεξόδων· ἄλλοι δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν φάσκουσι μηδὲν διενηνοχέναι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. αἱ γὰρ ψυχαὶ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς περιφορᾶς εἰσι καὶ ὁμοίως κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πάντων καταφρόνησιν ποιησάμεναι *. καὶ γὰρ αἱ πᾶσαι, φησί, ψυχαὶ τῆς αὐτῆς δυνάμεως ἠξιώθησαν ἧς καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἠξίωται· διὸ καὶ ταύτας φασὶ χωρεῖν διὰ πάσης πράξεως, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ διελήλυθεν. εἰ δὲ καί τις πάλιν δυνηθείη ὑπὲρ τὸν Ἰησοῦν καταφρονῆσαι, διαφορώτερος ἔσται αὐτοῦ. 3. Ἐπιχειροῦσι δὲ οἱ τῆς ἀθεμίτου ταύτης σχολῆς παντοίας ἐπιχειρήσεις δεινῶν ἔργων καὶ ὀλετηρίων. μαγεῖαι γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπινενόηνται, ἐπῳδάς τε διαφόρους πρὸς πᾶσαν μηχανὴν ἐφηύραντο, πρὸς φίλτρα τε καὶ ἀγώγιμα. οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ παρέδρους δαίμονας ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπῶνται, εἰς τὸ διὰ πολλῆς μαγγανείας ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ μεγάλῃ πάντων γενέσθαι, ὥστε, φησί, κυριεύειν ὧν τε ἂν ἐθέλοι ἕκαστος καὶ ᾗ πράξει ἐπιχειρεῖν τολμήσειε· δῆθεν ἑαυτοὺς ἐξαπατῶντες πρὸς πληροφορίαν τῆς τετυφλωμένης αὐτῶν διανοίας, ὅτι αἱ τοιαῦτα ἐγχειρήσασαι ψυχαί, κατισχύσασαι διὰ τῶν τοιούτων πράξεων καὶ καταφρονήσασαι τῶν κοσμοποιῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ὑπερβαίνουσι τὴν τῶν αὐτῶν μυθοποιῶν οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποιμι κοσμοποιῶν ἐξουσίαν, ὅπως ἂν τὴν ἄνω ἐλευθερίαν ἀσπάσωνται καὶ τὴν ἄνω πτῆσιν κτήσαιντο. εἰσὶ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ Σατανᾶ παρεσκευασμένοι 1.304 καὶ προβεβλημένοι εἰς ὄνειδος καὶ σκάνδαλον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας. ἐπέθεντο γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπίκλην Χριστιανοί, τοῦτο τοῦ Σατανᾶ παρασκευάσαντος πρὸς τὸ σκανδαλίζεσθαι τὰ ἔθνη δι' αὐτῶν καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι τὴν τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας ὠφέλειαν καὶ τὸ ἀληθινὸν κήρυγμα διὰ τὰς ἐκείνων ἀθεμιτουργίας καὶ ἀνηκέστους κακοπραγίας, εἰς τὸ τὰ ἔθνη κατανοοῦντα αὐτῶν τὰ ἐπάλληλα ἔργα τῶν ἀθεμιτουργιῶν, νομίσαντα καὶ τοὺς τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας τοιούτους εἶναι, ἀποστρέφειν ὡς καὶ προεῖπον τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν διδασκαλίας ἢ καὶ ὁρῶντά τινας * πάντας ἡμᾶς ὁμοίως βλασφημεῖν. καὶ τούτου ἕνεκα οἱ πλείους τῶν ἐθνῶν ὅπου δἂν ἴδωσι τοιούτους οὔτε ἐπὶ κοινωνίᾳ ἡμῖν προσφέρονται ληψοδοσίας ἢ γνώμης ἢ ἀκοῆς λόγου θείου οὔτε τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐντιθέασιν, ἐπτυρμένοι ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀθεμίτων ἀνοσιουργίας. 4. Εἰσὶ δὲ ἐν ἀσωτίᾳ διατελοῦντες οὗτοι καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἐργαζόμενοι πρὸς εὐπάθειαν σωμάτων, ἡμῖν δὲ ὅλως οὐ προσεγγίζοντες, εἰ μή τι ἂν πρὸς τὸ δελεάσαι ψυχὰς ἀστηρίκτους τῇ αὐτῶν κακοδιδασκαλίᾳ. εἰς οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁμοιοῦνται ἢ μόνον ὀνόματι καλεῖσθαι σεμνύνονται, ὅπως διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τὸ ἐπίπλαστον τῆς ἑαυτῶν