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they will, it is impossible for them to suffer corruption, no matter what sort of actions they engage in. For just as gold, when placed in mud, does not lose its beauty, but preserves its own nature, the mud being unable to harm the gold in any way, so also they say of themselves that, no matter in what material actions they are involved, they are in no way harmed, nor do they lose their spiritual substance. 21. For this reason also, the most perfect among them do without fear all the things that are forbidden, concerning which the Scriptures affirm that those who do them will not inherit the kingdom of God. For they indifferently eat things sacrificed to idols, thinking they are in no way defiled by them, and they are the first to assemble for every festive 1.418 entertainment of the gentiles held in honor of the idols, so that some of them do not even abstain from the murderous spectacle of fights with wild beasts and single combats, which is hated by God and men; and some, being utterly enslaved to the pleasures of the flesh, say that carnal things are to be rendered to the carnal, and spiritual things to the spiritual. And some of them secretly corrupt the women whom they teach this doctrine, as women, often deceived by some of them, afterwards returning to the church of God, have confessed this also, along with their other error; others also, having cast off all shame, openly snatch whatever women they fall in love with from their husbands and have taken them as their own wives. Still others at first with propriety, pretending to live with them as with sisters, were exposed as time went on, when the sister was made pregnant by the brother. And practicing many other abominable and godless things, they run us down, who for the fear of God are wary of sinning even in thought and word, as simpletons who know nothing, but they exalt themselves, calling themselves perfect and the seeds of the elect. For they say that we receive grace for use, for which reason it will be taken away from us; but that they themselves have grace as their own possession, which has descended from above from the unspeakable and unnameable conjunction, and for this reason it will be added to them; and for this reason, they must in every way always practice the mystery of conjunction. And they persuade the foolish of this, speaking in these very words: Whoever, being in the world, has not loved a woman, so as to be possessed by her, is not of the truth and will not pass into the truth; but he who is of the world, not having been possessed by a woman, will not pass into the truth because he was possessed 1.419 by the desire for a woman. For this reason, therefore, for us, whom they call psychics and say are of the world, both continence and good conduct are necessary, so that through it we may come to the place of the Middle; but for them, who are called spiritual and perfect, they are not necessary at all. For it is not conduct that leads into the Pleroma, but the seed sent forth from there as an infant, but here made perfect. But when all the seed has been perfected, they say that their Mother Achamoth departs from the place of the Middle and enters within the Pleroma and receives her bridegroom, the Savior, who was made from all, so that a conjunction may take place between the Savior and Sophia Achamoth. and this is the bridegroom and the bride, and the entire Pleroma is the bridal chamber. And the spiritual, having put off their souls and become intellectual spirits, having entered unrestrainedly and invisibly within the Pleroma, will be given as brides to the angels around the Savior. And the Demiurge himself also passes into the place of his Mother Sophia, that is, into the Middle. And the souls of the just will themselves also rest in the place of the Middle; for nothing psychic enters within the Pleroma. And when these things have thus happened, they teach that the fire which is latent in the world, having flared up and been kindled, and having consumed all matter, will be consumed along with it and will pass into non-existence. But the

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θέλουσιν, ἀδύνατον φθορὰν καταδέξασθαι, κἂν ὁποίαις συγκαταγένωνται πράξεσιν. ὃν γὰρ τρόπον χρυσὸς ἐν βορβόρῳ κατατεθεὶς οὐκ ἀποβάλλει τὴν καλλονὴν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἰδίαν φύσιν διαφυλάττει, τοῦ βορβόρου μηδὲν ἀδικῆσαι δυναμένου τὸν χρυσόν, οὕτω δὲ καὶ αὑτοὺς λέγουσι, κἂν ἐν ὁποίαις ὑλικαῖς πράξεσι καταγένωνται, μηδὲν αὐτοὺς παραβλάπτεσθαι μηδὲ ἀποβάλλειν τὴν πνευματικὴν ὑπόστασιν. 21. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ τὰ ἀπειρημένα πάντα ἀδεῶς οἱ τελειότατοι πράττουσιν αὐτῶν, περὶ ὧν αἱ γραφαὶ διαβεβαιοῦνται τοὺς ποιοῦντας αὐτὰ βασιλείαν θεοῦ μὴ κληρονομήσειν. καὶ γὰρ εἰδωλόθυτα ἀδιαφόρως ἐσθίουσι, μηδὲν μολύνεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἡγούμενοι, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἑορτάσιμον 1.418 τῶν ἐθνῶν τέρψιν εἰς τιμὴν τῶν εἰδώλων γινομένην πρῶτοι συνίασιν, ὡς μηδὲ τῆς παρὰ θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις μεμισημένης τῆς τῶν θηριομάχων καὶ μονομαχίας ἀνδροφόνου θέας ἀπέχεσθαι ἐνίους αὐτῶν· οἱ δὲ καὶ ταῖς τῆς σαρκὸς ἡδοναῖς κατακόρως δουλεύοντες, τὰ σαρκικὰ τοῖς σαρκικοῖς τὰ πνευματικὰ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἀποδίδοσθαι λέγουσιν. καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν λάθρα τὰς διδασκομένας ὑπ' αὐτῶν τὴν διδαχὴν ταύτην γυναῖκας διαφθείρουσιν, ὡς πολλάκις ὑπ' ἐνίων αὐτῶν ἐξαπατηθεῖσαι, ἔπειτα ἐπιστρέψασαι γυναῖκες εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ σὺν τῇ λοιπῇ πλάνῃ καὶ τοῦτο ἐξωμολογήσαντο· οἱ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸ φανερὸν ἀπερυθριάσαντες, ὧν ἂν ἐρασθῶσι γυναικῶν, ταύτας ἀπ' ἀνδρῶν ἀποσπάσαντες ἰδίας γαμετὰς ἡγήσαντο. ἄλλοι δ' αὖ πάλιν σεμνῶς κατ' ἀρχάς, ὡς μετὰ ἀδελφῶν προσποιούμενοι συνοικεῖν, προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου ἠλέγχθησαν, ἐγκύμονος τῆς ἀδελφῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ γενηθείσης. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πολλὰ μυσαρὰ καὶ ἄθεα πράσσοντες ἡμῶν μέν, διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ φυλασσομένων καὶ μέχρις ἐννοίας καὶ λόγου ἁμαρτεῖν, κατατρέχουσιν ὡς ἰδιωτῶν καὶ μηδὲν ἐπισταμένων, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ὑπερυψοῦσι, τελείους ἀποκαλοῦντες καὶ σπέρματα ἐκλογῆς. ἡμᾶς μὲν γὰρ ἐν χρήσει τὴν χάριν λαμβάνειν λέγουσι, διὸ καὶ ἀφαιρεθήσεσθαι αὐτῆς· αὐτοὺς δὲ ἰδιόκτητον ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρρήτου καὶ ἀνονομάστου συζυγίας κατεληλυθυῖαν ἔχειν τὴν χάριν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προστεθήσεσθαι αὐτοῖς· διὸ καὶ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου δεῖν αὐτοὺς ἀεὶ τὸ τῆς συζυγίας μελετᾶν μυστήριον. καὶ τοῦτο πείθουσι τοὺς ἀνοήτους, αὐταῖς λέξεσι λέγοντες οὕτως· ὃς ἂν ἐν κόσμῳ γενόμενος γυναῖκα οὐκ ἐφίλησεν, ὥστε αὐτὴν κρατηθῆναι, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξ ἀληθείας καὶ οὐ χωρήσει εἰς ἀλήθειαν· ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ κόσμου ὢν μὴ κρατηθεὶς γυναικὶ οὐ χωρήσει εἰς ἀλήθειαν διὰ τὸ ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ κρατη1.419 θῆναι γυναικός. διὰ τοῦτο οὖν ἡμῖν, οὓς ψυχικοὺς ὀνομάζουσι καὶ ἐκ κόσμου εἶναι λέγουσι, καὶ ἀναγκαίαν εἶναι τὴν ἐγκράτειαν καὶ ἀγαθὴν πρᾶξιν, ἵνα δι' αὐτῆς ἔλθωμεν εἰς τὸν τῆς Μεσότητος τόπον, αὐτοῖς δέ, πνευματικοῖς τε καὶ τελείοις καλουμένοις, μηδαμῶς. οὐ γὰρ πρᾶξις εἰς Πλήρωμα εἰσάγει, ἀλλὰ τὸ σπέρμα τὸ ἐκεῖθεν νήπιον μὲν ἐκπεμπόμενον, ἐνθάδε δὲ τελειούμενον. Ὅταν δὲ πᾶν τὸ σπέρμα τελειωθῇ, τὴν μὲν Ἀχαμὼθ τὴν Μητέρα αὐτῶν μεταστῆναι τοῦ τῆς Μεσότητος τόπου λέγουσι καὶ ἐντὸς Πληρώματος εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἀπολαβεῖν τὸν νυμφίον αὐτῆς τὸν Σωτῆρα, τὸν ἐκ πάντων γεγονότα, ἵνα συζυγία γένηται τοῦ Σωτῆρος καὶ τῆς Σοφίας τῆς Ἀχαμώθ. καὶ τοῦτο εἶναι νυμφίον καὶ νύμφην, νυμφῶνα δὲ τὸ πᾶν Πλήρωμα. τοὺς δὲ πνευματικοὺς ἀποδυσαμένους τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ πνεύματα νοερὰ γενομένους, ἀκρατήτως καὶ ἀοράτως ἐντὸς Πληρώματος εἰσελθόντας, νύμφας ἀποδοθήσεσθαι τοῖς περὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα ἀγγέλοις. τὸν δὲ ∆ημιουργὸν μεταβῆναι καὶ αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν τῆς Μητρὸς Σοφίας τόπον, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ Μεσότητι. τάς τε τῶν δικαίων ψυχὰς ἀναπαύσεσθαι καὶ αὐτὰς ἐν τῷ τῆς Μεσότητος τόπῳ· μηδὲν γὰρ ψυχικὸν ἐντὸς Πληρώματος χωρεῖν. τούτων δὲ γενομένων οὕτως τὸ ἐμφωλεῦον τῷ κόσμῳ πῦρ ἐκλάμψαν καὶ ἐξαφθὲν καὶ κατεργασάμενον πᾶσαν ὕλην συναναλωθήσεσθαι αὐτῇ καὶ εἰς τὸ μηκέτ' εἶναι χωρήσειν διδάσκουσι. τὸν δὲ