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they wish those to be. But the projection of the Dodecad of Aeons is indicated by the Lord, being twelve years old, discoursing with the teachers of the law and by the choice of the apostles; for there were twelve apostles. And the remaining eighteen Aeons are made manifest by his having spent, as they say, eighteen months with his disciples after his resurrection from the dead; but also by the two letters preceding his name, the iota and the eta, the eighteen Aeons are clearly indicated. And likewise they say the ten Aeons are signified by the letter iota, which precedes his name. And for this reason the Savior said, “One iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass, till all be fulfilled.” But they say the passion that happened concerning the twelfth Aeon is indicated by the apostasy of Judas, who was the twelfth of the apostles, and because he suffered in the twelfth month; for they will have it that he preached for only one year after his baptism. Further, that this is most clearly shown in the case of the woman with the issue of blood; for having suffered for twelve years, she was healed by the presence of the Savior, when she touched the hem of his garment, and for this reason the Savior said, “Who touched me?” teaching his disciples the mystery that occurred among the Aeons and the healing of the suffering Aeon. For that power which suffered for twelve years, her substance extending and flowing into the infinite, as they say, unless she had touched the Son’s garment, that is, the Truth of the first Tetrad, which is indicated by the hem, would have been dissolved into her whole substance. But she stood still and ceased from her passion; for the power that went out from the Son—and this 1.408 they will have to be Horos—healed her and separated the passion from her. But they say that the Savior, being from all, is the All, is shown by the saying, “every male that openeth the womb”; who, being the All, opened the womb of the Enthymesis of the suffering Aeon † and she who had been cast out beyond the Pleroma, whom indeed they call the second Ogdoad, about whom we shall speak a little later. And by Paul they say this was clearly stated, “and he is all things,” and again, “all things are unto him and from him are all things,” and again, “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead”; and “to sum up all things in Christ through God,” they interpret as having been said in this way, and if there are any other such things. 15. Then concerning their Horos, whom indeed they call by several names, they declare that he has two operations, the one establishing and the other dividing; and inasmuch as he establishes and makes firm, he is Stauros (Cross), but inasmuch as he divides and defines, he is Horos (Boundary). And the Savior, they say, thus indicated his operations: first, the establishing one, in saying, “Whoever does not bear his cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple,” and again, “taking up the cross, follow me”; and his dividing one, in saying, “I came not to bring peace, but a sword.” And they say that John also indicated this very thing, saying, “His winnowing fork is in his hand; he will thoroughly purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” And through this he has indicated the operation of Horos; for they interpret that winnowing fork to be the cross, which indeed consumes all material things as fire consumes chaff, but purifies 1.409 those who are being saved as the winnowing fork purifies the wheat. And they say that Paul the apostle himself also makes mention of this cross thus: “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God,” and again, “But far be it from me to glory in anything, except in the cross of Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Such things, then
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ἐκείνους εἶναι θέλουσιν. τὴν δὲ τῆς δωδεκάδος τῶν Αἰώνων προβολὴν μηνύεσθαι διὰ τοῦ δωδεκαετῆ ὄντα τὸν κύριον διαλεχθῆναι τοῖς νομοδιδασκάλοις καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐκλογῆς· δώδεκα γὰρ ἀπόστολοι. καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς δεκαοκτὼ Αἰῶνας φανεροῦσθαι διὰ τοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν δεκαοκτὼ μησὶν λέγειν διατετριφέναι αὐτὸν σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς· ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν προηγουμένων τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ δύο γραμμάτων, τοῦ τε ἰῶτα καὶ τοῦ ἦτα, τοὺς δεκαοκτὼ Αἰῶνας εὐσήμως μηνύεσθαι. καὶ τοὺς δέκα Αἰῶνας ὡσαύτως διὰ τοῦ ἰῶτα γράμματος, ὃ προηγεῖται τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ, σημαίνεσθαι λέγουσιν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰρηκέναι τὸν σωτῆρα «ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ, ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται». Τὸ δὲ περὶ τὸν δωδέκατον Αἰῶνα γεγονὸς πάθος ὑποσημαίνεσθαι λέγουσι διὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας Ἰούδα, ὃς δωδέκατος ἦν τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ ὅτι τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνὶ ἔπαθεν· ἐνιαυτῷ γὰρ ἑνὶ βούλονται αὐτὸν μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα αὐτοῦ κεκηρυχέναι. ἔτι τε ἐπὶ τῆς αἱμορροούσης σαφέστατα τοῦτο δηλοῦσθαι· δώδεκα γὰρ ἔτη παθοῦσαν αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος παρουσίας τεθεραπεῦσθαι, ἁψαμένην τοῦ κρασπέδου αὐτοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰρηκέναι τὸν σωτῆρα «τίς μου ἥψατο;» διδάσκοντα τοὺς μαθητὰς τὸ γεγονὸς ἐν τοῖς Αἰῶσι μυστήριον καὶ τὴν ἴασιν τοῦ πεπονθότος Αἰῶνος. ἡ γὰρ παθοῦσα δώδεκα ἔτη ἐκείνη ἡ δύναμις, ἐκτεινομένης αὐτῆς καὶ εἰς ἄπειρον ῥεούσης τῆς οὐσίας, ὡς λέγουσιν, εἰ μὴ ἔψαυσε τοῦ φορήματος τοῦ υἱοῦ τουτέστιν τῆς Ἀληθείας τῆς πρώτης τετράδος ἥτις διὰ τοῦ κρασπέδου μεμήνυται, ἀνελύθη ἂν εἰς τὴν ὅλην οὐσίαν αὐτῆς. ἀλλὰ ἔστη καὶ ἐπαύσατο τοῦ πάθους· ἡ γὰρ ἐξελθοῦσα δύναμις τοῦ υἱοῦ εἶναι δὲ 1.408 ταύτην τὸν Ὅρον θέλουσιν ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτὴν καὶ τὸ πάθος ἐχώρισεν ἀπ' αὐτῆς. Τὸ δὲ τὸν Σωτῆρα, τὸν ἐκ πάντων ὄντα, τὸ Πᾶν εἶναι διὰ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ «πᾶν ἄρρεν διανοῖγον μήτραν» δηλοῦσθαι λέγουσιν· ὃς τὸ Πᾶν ὢν διήνοιξε τὴν μήτραν τῆς Ἐνθυμήσεως τοῦ πεπονθότος Αἰῶνος † καὶ ἐξορισθείσης ἐκτὸς τοῦ Πληρώματος, ἣν δὴ καὶ δευτέραν Ὀγδοάδα καλοῦσι, περὶ ἧς μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐροῦμεν. καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου δὲ φανερῶς διὰ τοῦτο εἰρῆσθαι λέγουσι «καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὰ πάντα», καὶ πάλιν «πάντα εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα», καὶ πάλιν «ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος»· καὶ τό «ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι δὲ τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ», οὕτως ἑρμηνεύουσιν εἰρῆσθαι καὶ εἴ τινα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα. 15. Ἔπειτα περὶ τοῦ Ὅρου αὐτῶν, ὃν δὴ καὶ πλείοσιν ὀνόμασιν καλοῦσι, δύο ἐνεργείας ἔχειν αὐτὸν ἀποφαίνονται, τήν τε ἑδραστικὴν καὶ τὴν μεριστικήν· καὶ καθὰ μὲν ἑδράζει καὶ στηρίζει, Σταυρὸν εἶναι, καθὸ δὲ μερίζει καὶ διορίζει, Ὅρον. τὸν δὲ σωτῆρα οὕτως λέγουσι μεμηνυκέναι τὰς ἐνεργείας αὐτοῦ· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν ἑδραστικὴν ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν «ὃς οὐ βαστάζει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ μοι, μαθητὴς ἐμὸς οὐ δύναται εἶναι» καὶ πάλιν «ἄρας τὸν σταυρὸν ἀκολούθει μοι»· τὴν δὲ διοριστικὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν «οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν». καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην δὲ λέγουσιν αὐτὸ τοῦτο μεμηνυκέναι, εἰπόντα «τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ· διακαθαριεῖ τὴν ἅλωνα καὶ συνάξει τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ». καὶ διὰ τούτου τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Ὅρου μεμηνυκέναι· πτύον γὰρ ἐκεῖνο τὸν σταυρὸν ἑρμηνεύουσιν εἶναι, ὃν δὴ καὶ ἀναλίσκειν τὰ ὑλικὰ πάντα ὡς ἄχυρα πῦρ, καθαίρειν 1.409 δὲ τοὺς σῳζομένους ὡς τὸ πτύον τὸν σῖτον. Παῦλον δὲ τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιμιμνῄσκεσθαι τούτου τοῦ σταυροῦ λέγουσιν οὕτως «ὁ λόγος γὰρ ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῖς μὲν ἀπολλυμένοις μωρία ἐστί, τοῖς δὲ σῳζομένοις δύναμις θεοῦ», καὶ πάλιν «ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο ἐν μηδενὶ καυχᾶσθαι, εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται κἀγὼ κόσμῳ». Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν