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from the performance of every lawless deed, to be finally freed.1.308 And again they say that we deign to relate these things to the worthy, so that they may do the things that seem to be evil, but are not evil by nature, so that having learned they may be set free. And these followers of Carpocrates place a seal with a branding iron or by the use of a razor or a needle on the right earlobe of those deceived by them. 6. And a certain Marcellina, who had been deceived by them, somehow came to us, who corrupted many in the time of Anicetus, bishop of Rome, the successor to Pius and those before. For in Rome the first were Peter and Paul, the apostles themselves and bishops,1.309 then Linus, then Cletus, then Clement, who was a contemporary of Peter and Paul, whom Paul mentions in the Epistle to the Romans. And let no one wonder that others before him succeeded to the episcopate from the apostles, though he was a contemporary of Peter and Paul; for he too was a contemporary of the apostles. Whether then, while they were still alive, he received the laying on of hands for the episcopate from Peter and, declining it, was inactive—for he says in one of his epistles, “I withdraw, I depart, let the people of God be at peace,” advising this to some, for we found this stated in certain commentaries—or whether after the death of the apostles he was appointed by Cletus the bishop, we do not know very clearly. But nevertheless, it was also possible, while the apostles were still living—I mean Peter and Paul—for other bishops to be appointed because the apostles often traveled to other countries for the preaching of Christ, and the city of the Romans could not be without a bishop. For Paul even reached Spain, and Peter often visited Pontus and Bithynia. And it was possible, after Clement had been appointed and declined—if indeed it happened so;1.310 for I am supposing, not defining—that later, after Linus and Cletus had died, having each served as bishop for twelve years after the death of the holy Peter and Paul, which occurred in the twelfth year of Nero, he was again compelled to take up the episcopate. Nevertheless, the succession of the bishops in Rome has this sequence: Peter and Paul, Linus and Cletus, Clement, Evarestus, Alexander, Xystus, Telesphorus, Hyginus, Pius, Anicetus, who was mentioned above in the list. And let no one wonder that we have gone through each detail so precisely; for through these things clarity is always shown. In the time, then, as we said, of Anicetus, the aforementioned Marcellina, having come to Rome, spewed out the corruption of the teaching of Carpocrates, and having corrupted many there, destroyed them. And from this came the beginning of those called Gnostics. They have painted images in colors, but some also of gold and silver and other material,1.311 which they say are portraits of Jesus, and that these were made by Pontius Pilate, that is, portraits of Jesus himself when he sojourned among the human race. They keep such things in secret, but also of certain philosophers, Pythagoras and Plato and Aristotle and others, along with which philosophers they also place other portraits of Jesus, and having set them up, they worship them and perform the mysteries of the Gentiles. For having set up these images, they then perform the customs of the Gentiles. And what are the customs of the Gentiles but sacrifices and the other things? And they say that salvation is of the soul only and not of bodies. 7. It is necessary, therefore, to refute these men with all strength; for let no one despise argument, especially against deceivers. But someone might say: Are they not detectable and full of foolishness? But somehow even foolish things persuade the foolish and lead the wise astray, unless

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ἑκάστου ἔργου ἀθεμίτου τὴν ἐργασίαν λοιπὸν ἐλευθερω1.308 θῆναι. λέγουσι δὲ πάλιν ὅτι τοῖς ἀξίοις ταῦτα καταξιοῦμεν διηγεῖσθαι, ἵνα πράξωσι τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι κακά, οὐκ ὄντα δὲ φύσει κακά, ἵνα μαθόντες ἐλευθερωθῶσι. σφραγῖδα δὲ ἐν καυτῆρι ἢ δι' ἐπιτηδεύσεως ξυρίου ἢ ῥαφίδος ἐπιτιθέασιν οὗτοι οἱ ἀπὸ Καρποκρᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν δεξιὸν λοβὸν τοῦ ὠτὸς τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀπατωμένοις. 6. Ἦλθεν δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἤδη πως Μαρκελλίνα τις ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀπατηθεῖσα, ἣ πολλοὺς ἐλυμήνατο ἐν χρόνοις Ἀνικήτου ἐπισκόπου Ῥώμης, τοῦ μετὰ τὴν διαδοχὴν Πίου καὶ τῶν ἀνωτέρω. ἐν Ῥώμῃ γὰρ γεγόνασι 1.309 πρῶτοι Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος οἱ ἀπόστολοι αὐτοὶ καὶ ἐπίσκοποι, εἶτα Λίνος εἶτα Κλῆτος εἶτα Κλήμης, σύγχρονος ὢν Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου, οὗ ἐπιμνημονεύει Παῦλος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιστολῇ. καὶ μηδεὶς θαυμαζέτω ὅτι πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἄλλοι τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν διεδέξαντο ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὄντος τούτου συγχρόνου Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου· καὶ οὗτος γὰρ σύγχρονος γίνεται τῶν ἀποστόλων. εἴτ' οὖν ἔτι περιόντων αὐτῶν ὑπὸ Πέτρου λαμβάνει τὴν χειροθεσίαν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς καὶ παραιτησάμενος ἤργει-λέγει γὰρ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν αὐτοῦ «ἀναχωρῶ, ἄπειμι, εὐσταθείτω ὁ λαὸς τοῦ θεοῦ», τισὶ τοῦτο συμβουλεύων εὕρομεν γὰρ ἔν τισιν ὑπομνηματισμοῖς τοῦτο ἐγκείμενον-ἤτοι μετὰ τὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων τελευτὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κλήτου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου οὗτος καθίσταται, οὐ πάνυ σαφῶς ἴσμεν. πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἠδύνατο ἔτι περιόντων τῶν ἀποστόλων, φημὶ δὲ τῶν περὶ Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον, ἐπισκόπους ἄλλους καθίστασθαι διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἀποστόλους πολλάκις ἐπὶ τὰς ἄλλας πατρίδας στέλλεσθαι τὴν πορείαν ἐπὶ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κήρυγμα, μὴ δύνασθαι δὲ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν ἄνευ ἐπισκόπου εἶναι. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Παῦλος καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Σπανίαν ἀφικνεῖται, Πέτρος δὲ πολλάκις Πόντον τε καὶ Βιθυνίαν ἐπεσκέψατο. ἐνεχώρει δὲ μετὰ τὸ κατασταθῆναι Κλήμεντα 1.310 καὶ παραιτήσασθαι εἴ γε οὕτως ἐπράχθη· διανοοῦμαι γάρ, οὐχ ὁρίζομαι ὕστερον μετὰ τὸ τετελευτηκέναι Λίνον καὶ Κλῆτον, ἐπισκοπεύσαντας πρὸς δεκαδύο ἔτη ἕκαστον μετὰ τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου τελευτὴν τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ δωδεκάτῳ ἔτει Νέρωνος γενομένην, τοῦτον αὖθις ἀναγκασθῆναι τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν κατασχεῖν. ὅμως ἡ τῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐπισκόπων διαδοχὴ ταύτην ἔχει τὴν ἀκολουθίαν· Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος, Λίνος καὶ Κλῆτος, Κλήμης Εὐάρεστος Ἀλέξανδρος Ξύστος Τελέσφορος Ὑγῖνος Πίος Ἀνίκητος, ὁ ἄνω ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ προδεδηλωμένος. καὶ μή τις θαυμάσῃ ὅτι ἕκαστα οὕτως ἀκριβῶς διήλθομεν· διὰ γὰρ τούτων ἀεὶ τὸ σαφὲς δείκνυται. ἐν χρόνοις τοίνυν, ὡς ἔφημεν, Ἀνικήτου ἡ προδεδηλωμένη Μαρκελλίνα ἐν Ῥώμῃ γενομένη τὴν λύμην τῆς Καρποκρᾶ διδασκαλίας ἐξεμέσασα πολλοὺς τῶν ἐκεῖσε λυμηναμένη ἠφάνισε. καὶ ἔνθεν γέγονεν ἀρχὴ Γνωστικῶν τῶν καλουμένων. ἔχουσι δὲ εἰκόνας ἐνζωγράφους διὰ χρωμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ λοιπῆς ὕλης, 1.311 ἅτινα ἐκτυπώματά φασιν εἶναι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὸ Ποντίου Πιλάτου γεγενῆσθαι, τουτέστιν τὰ ἐκτυπώματα τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὅτε ἐνεδήμει τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει. κρύβδην δὲ τὰς τοιαύτας ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλοσόφων τινῶν, Πυθαγόρου καὶ Πλάτωνος καὶ Ἀριστοτέλους καὶ λοιπῶν, μεθ' ὧν φιλοσόφων καὶ ἕτερα ἐκτυπώματα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τιθέασιν, ἱδρύσαντές τε προσκυνοῦσι καὶ τὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιτελοῦσι μυστήρια. στήσαντες γὰρ ταύτας τὰς εἰκόνας τὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἔθη λοιπὸν ποιοῦσι. τίνα δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἐθνῶν ἔθη ἀλλ' ἢ θυσίαι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα; ψυχῆς δὲ εἶναι μόνης σωτηρίαν φασὶ καὶ οὐχὶ σωμάτων. 7. ∆εῖ τοίνυν τούτους ἀνατρέπειν παντὶ σθένει· μηδεὶς γὰρ καταφρονείτω λόγου καὶ μάλιστα κατὰ ἀπατεώνων. ἀλλ' εἴποι τις ἄν· οὐ γάρ ἐστι φωρατὰ καὶ μωρίας ἔμπλεα; ἀλλ' ἔσθ' ὅπη καὶ τὰ μωρὰ πείθει τοὺς ἄφρονας καὶ τοὺς συνετοὺς παρεκτρέπει, ἐὰν μὴ