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let the mind trained in the truth be present. Since this one, too, and the rest have fallen for Simon's sorcery, we will refute this one also by the same arguments. For if the unknown and unnameable power was the cause of other angels, then there is either ignorance in it, that is, in the father of all things, if he did not know what the angels created by him were going to do, being ignorant that they would fall away and do what he himself did not wish—or he made them knowing that they would do what he himself does not wish, but it has happened from them, and through his knowledge and good pleasure he will himself be the one who has done what they have dared. If, then, as I said before, he knew what they would do, but did not wish that they should do it, for what reason did he make those who would do it, to do what he himself did not wish? But if he himself made the angels, so that they might do the things that were done by them, then he wished them to be done; for which reason he also prepared the angels as doers. And if he prepared them to do it, but forbids the things done by them, there would be calumny in the matter. But if he allowed them to do it, but wishes to take back to 1.312 himself again the things done by them, that is, men and souls, against their will, then there will be greed in the matter and nothing else, men created by the angels being seized * from above against their will; but there would also be weakness, since, being unable to create for himself, he seizes what was created by those created by him. And the rest will be myth and foolish talk, of those below being able to surpass those in the middle, and those in the middle being punished as causes of those below, and those below being saved and freed beyond the middle ones to the one above, I mean the souls of those in this creation. And the one above, being unable to create, would be judged weak, while those created by him would be powerful, able to do what he himself either did not wish, or wished but could not do. For what he desires cannot be evil for him, nor have been created by evil beings. For if it were evil, it ought to be destroyed. But if any part of the work is saved at all, the work is no longer worthless, and if a part of it is found to be saved, neither are the makers worthless who crafted the part that is saved. But if the soul is entirely from angels and, having been produced, receives power from above, then surely the angels will attain more salvation, because the soul from them is saved, being from worthless ones. But with it being saved, neither the soul itself, which was made by the angels, nor the angels, from whom the soul itself exists, is any longer worthless. 8. But it should be known to everyone who has a sound mind that this entire mendicant workshop is of folly. And again, these men will be put to shame also by their other arguments. For if Jesus is not from the virgin Mary, but from the seed of Joseph and the same Mary, and he is saved, then those who begot him will also be saved. And if Mary and Joseph are from the demiurge, then they have declared the demiurge to be the creator of Jesus also, and he who made Joseph and Mary will no longer be in deficiency, from whom Jesus exists from the unknown father above. But if Jesus himself is also from the angels, and the demiurge is one of the angels, then surely all will fall into the one absurdity into which the angels also have fallen, and their 1.313 dramatic fabrication would be inconsistent, full of poison and filled with every venomous teaching. And having turned this back again, as if smashing a dragon's head on the ground with the club of faith and truth, and having approached the other beast-like forms for their * destruction, let us compel ourselves to come because of the promise.

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παρῇ ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἠσκημένος. ἐμπεσόντος τοίνυν καὶ τούτου τῇ Σίμωνος μαγείᾳ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, τοῖς αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦτον ἀνατρέψομεν. εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἄγνωστος καὶ ἀκατονόμαστος δύναμις αἰτία γέγονεν ἄλλων ἀγγέλων, ἤ ἐστιν ἄγνοια παρὰ τῇ αὐτῇ τουτέστιν τῷ πατρὶ τῶν ὅλων, εἰ μὴ ᾔδει ἃ μέλλουσι πράττειν οἱ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατασκευαζόμενοι ἄγγελοι, ἀγνοήσας ὅτι ἀποστήσονται καὶ ποιήσουσιν ἃ μὴ αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο-ἢ τούτους μὲν ἐποίησε γινώσκων ὅτι ποιήσουσιν, ὃ αὐτὸς οὐ βούλεται παρ' αὐτῶν δὲ γέγονε, καὶ ἔσται διὰ τῆς γνώσεως καὶ εὐδοκίας αὐτὸς ποιήσας ἃ ἐκεῖνοι τετολμήκασιν. εἰ τοίνυν ὡς προεῖπον ἐγίνωσκε μὲν ἃ ποιήσουσιν, οὐκ ἐβούλετο δὲ ἵνα ποιήσωσι, τίνι τῷ λόγῳ τοὺς πεποιηκότας ἐποίει εἰς τὸ πράττειν ἃ μὴ αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο; εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν πεποίηκε τοὺς ἀγγέλους, ἵνα ποιήσωσι τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν γενόμενα, ἄρα ἤθελε γενέσθαι· διὸ καὶ τοὺς πεποιηκότας προκατεσκεύασεν ἀγγέλους. καὶ εἰ προκατεσκεύασεν εἰς τὸ ποιῆσαι, ἀπαγορεύει δὲ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν γενόμενα, συκοφαντία ἂν εἴη ἐν μέσῳ. εἰ δὲ συνεχώρει μὲν τοῦ ποιεῖν αὐτούς, βούλεται δὲ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν γενόμενα τουτέστιν ἀνθρώπους καὶ ψυχάς πάλιν πρὸς 1.312 ἑαυτὸν ἀναλαμβάνειν παρὰ τὴν τούτων βούλησιν, ἄρα ἔσται πλεονεξία ἐν μέσῳ καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἁρπαζομένων τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων * ἀνθρώπων ὑπὸ τοῦ ἄνωθεν παρὰ τὴν τούτων βούλησιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀδράνεια εἴη, ἐπειδὴ μὴ αὐτὸς δυνάμενος ἑαυτῷ ποιεῖν ἁρπάζει τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενομένων γενόμενα. καὶ ἔσται λοιπὸν μῦθος καὶ μωρολογία, τῶν μὲν κάτω δυναμένων ὑπερβῆναι τοὺς ἐν μέσῳ, τοὺς δὲ ἐν μέσῳ τιμωρεῖσθαι αἰτίους ὄντας τῶν κάτω καὶ τοὺς κάτω ὑπὲρ τοὺς μέσους πρὸς τὸν ἄνω σῴζεσθαι καὶ ἐλευθεροῦσθαι, λέγω δὴ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐν τῇδε τῇ κτίσει. εἴη δ' ἂν ὁ μὲν ἄνω μὴ δυνηθεὶς ποιῆσαι ἀσθενὴς κρινόμενος, οἱ δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γενόμενοι δυνατοί, δυνάμενοι ποιῆσαι ἃ αὐτὸς μὲν οὐκ ἐβούλετο, ἢ ἐβούλετο καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο. οὐ γὰρ δύναται ἃ ἐκεῖνος ἐπιποθεῖ, εἶναι αὐτῷ κακὸν οὐδὲ ὑπὸ κακῶν γεγονέναι. εἰ γὰρ ἦν κακόν, ἐχρῆν ἀπόλλυσθαι. εἰ δὲ ὅλως μέρος τι τοῦ ἔργου σῴζεται, οὐκέτι τὸ ἔργον φαῦλον, κἄν τε μέρος αὐτοῦ σῳζόμενον εὑρίσκοιτο, οὔτε οἱ ποιήσαντες φαῦλοι οἱ τὸ σῳζόμενον τεχνησάμενοι. εἰ δὲ ὅλως ἐξ ἀγγέλων ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ἄνωθεν λαμβάνει δύναμιν παραχθεῖσα, ἄρα γε οἱ ἄγγελοι πλέον σωτηρίας τεύξονται, ὅτι ἡ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ψυχὴ σῴζεται, ἐκ φαύλων οὖσα. σῳζομένης δὲ αὐτῆς οὐκέτι φαῦλος οὔτε αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ γενομένη ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων οὔτε οἱ ἄγγελοι, ἐξ ὧν αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχὴ ὑπάρχει. 8. Παντὶ δὲ τῷ τὸν νοῦν ἐρρωμένον ἔχοντι ἰστέον ἂν εἴη ὅτι ἀνοίας ἐστὶ τὸ πᾶν τοῦτο ἀγυρτῶδες ἐργαστήριον. καταισχυνθήσονται δὲ αὖθις οὗτοι καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων αὐτῶν λόγων. εἰ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἀπὸ παρθένου Μαρίας, ἀλλὰ ἐκ σπέρματος Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς Μαρίας, σῴζεται δὲ οὗτος, ἄρα καὶ αὐτοὶ σωθήσονται οἱ τοῦτον γεγεννηκότες. καὶ εἰ ἡ Μαρία καὶ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ ὑπάρχουσιν, ἄρα τὸν δημιουργὸν κτιστὴν καὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἔφασαν καὶ οὐκέτι ἐν ὑστερήματι ἔσται ὁ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τὴν Μαρίαν ποιήσας, ἐξ ὧν ὁ Ἰησοῦς παρὰ τοῦ ἄνω ἀγνώστου πατρὸς ὑπάρχει. εἰ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ δημιουργὸς εἷς ἐστι τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἄρα γε ἀτοπήματι τῷ ἑνὶ πάντες περιπεσοῦνται, ὁποίῳ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι περιπεπτώκασι, καὶ ἀσύστατον εἴη ἂν τὸ παρ' 1.313 αὐτῶν δραματούργημα, δηλητηρίου ἔμπλεον καὶ πάσης ἰώδους διδασκαλίας μεμεστωμένον. ταύτην δὲ αὖθις ὀπίσω τρέψαντες, ὥσπερ δράκοντος κεφαλὴν ξύλῳ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπὶ γῆς λακίσαντες, ταῖς ἄλλαις θηριομόρφοις προσπελάσαντες ἐπ' ὀλέθρῳ * τούτων ἥκειν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἀναγκάσωμεν.