Chapter XXXVIII.—Marcus’ System of Letters.

But the generic and expressed names of the elements he called Æons, and Logoi, and Roots, and Seeds, and Pleromas, and Fruits. (And he maintains) that every one of these, and what was peculiar to each, is perceived as being contained in the name of “Ecclesia.” And the final letter of the last element sent forth its own peculiar articulation. And the sound of this (letter) came forth and produced, in accordance with images of the elements, its own peculiar elements. And from these he says that things existing here were garnished, and the things antecedent to these were produced. The letter itself certainly, of which the sound was concomitant with the sound below, he says, was received up by its own syllable into the complement of the entire (name); but that the sound, as if cast outside, remained below. And that the element itself, from which the letter along with its own pronunciation descended below, he says, is (composed) of thirty letters, and that each one of the thirty letters contains in itself other letters, by means of which the title of the letter is named. And again, that the other (letters) are named by different letters, and the rest by different (ones still). So that by writing down the letters individually, the number would eventuate in infinity. In this way one may more clearly understand what is spoken. The element Delta, (he says,) has five letters in itself, (viz.), Delta, and Epsilon, and Lambda, and Tau, and Alpha; and these very letters are (written) by means of other letters. If, therefore, the entire substance of the Delta eventuates in infinity, (and if) different letters invariably produce different letters, and succeed one another, by how much greater than that element is the more enormous sea720    This is Duncker’s emendation, suggested by Irenæus’ text. Miller reads τὸν τόπον, which yields scarcely any meaning. of the letters? And if one letter is thus infinite, behold the entire name’s depth of the letters out of which the patient industry, nay, rather (I should say,) the vain toil of Marcus wishes that the Progenitor (of things) should consist! Wherefore also (he maintains) that the Father, who knew that He was inseparable from Himself, gave (this depth) to the elements, which he likewise denominates Æons. And he uttered aloud to each one of them its own peculiar pronunciation, from the fact that one could not pronounce the entire.

[43] Τὰ δὲ ὀνόματα τῶν στοιχείων τὰ κοινὰ καὶ ῥητὰ αἰῶνας καὶ λόγους καὶ ῥίζας καὶ σπέρματα καὶ πληρώματα καὶ καρποὺς ὠνόμασε, τὰ [δὲ] καθ' ἕ[να] αὐτῶν καὶ ἑκάστου ἴδια ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς Ἐκκ(λησ)ί(ας) ἐμπερι[ε]χόμενα (ν)οεῖσθαι [ἔφη]. Ὧν στοιχείων τοῦ ἐσχάτου στοιχείου τὸ ὕστατον γράμμα φωνὴν προήκατο τὴν ἑαυτοῦ: οὗ ὁ ἦχος ἐξελθὼν [κατ'] εἰκόνα τῶν στοιχείων στοιχεῖα ἴδια ἐγέννησεν, ἐξ ὧν τά τε ἐνταῦθα διακεκο[σ]μῆσθαί φησι καὶ τὰ πρὸ τούτων γεγεν[ν]ῆσθαι. τὸ μέντοι γράμμα αὐτό, οὗ ὁ ἦχος ἦν συνεπακολουθῶν τῷ ἤχῳ κάτω, ὑπὸ τῆς συλλαβῆς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀνειλῆφθαι ἄνω λέγει, εἰς ἀναπλήρωσιν τοῦ ὅλου: μεμενηκέναι δὲ εἰς τὰ κάτω τὸν ἦχον, ὥσπερ ἔξω ῥιφέντα. τὸ δὲ στοιχεῖον αὐτό, ἀφ' οὗ τὸ γράμμα σὺν τῇ ἐκφωνήσει τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κατῆλθε κάτω, γραμμάτων φησὶν εἶναι τριάκοντα: καὶ ἓν ἕκαστον τῶν τριάκοντα γραμμάτων ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχειν ἕτερα γράμματα, δι' ὧν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ γράμματος ὀνομάζεται: καὶ μὴν πάλιν τὰ ἕτερα δι' ἄλλων ὀνομάζεσθαι γραμμάτων, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δι' ἄλλων, ὥστε εἰς ἄπειρον ἐκπίπτειν τὸ πλῆθος [ἰ]δίᾳ τῶν γραμμάτων γραφέντων. Οὕτως δ' ἂν σαφέστερον μάθοι τις τὸ λεγόμενον: τὸ δέλτα στοιχεῖον γράμματα ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ πέντε: [αὐτό τε] τὸ δέλτα καὶ τὸ [ει] καὶ τὸ λάμβδα καὶ τὸ ταῦ καὶ τὸ ἄλφα: καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα τὰ γράμματα δι' ἄλλων [γράφεται γραμμάτων, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δι' ἄλλων]. εἰ οὖν ἡ πᾶσα ὑπόστασις τοῦ δέλτα εἰς ἄπειρον ἐκπίπτει, ἀεὶ ἄλλων ἄλλα γράμματα γεννώντων καὶ διαδεχομένων ἄλληλα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐκείνου τοῦ στοιχείου μείζον' εἶναι τὸν πό[ν]τον τῶν γραμμάτων; καὶ εἰ τὸ ἓν γράμμα ἄπειρον [οὕτ]ως, ὁρᾶτε ὅλου τοῦ ὀνόματος τὸν βυθὸν τῶν γραμμάτων, ἐξ ὧν τὸν Προπάτορα ἡ Μάρκου φιλοπονία_μᾶλλον δὲ ματαιοπονία_ βούλεται συνιστᾶν. διὸ καὶ τὸν Πατέρα, ἐπιστάμενον τὸ ἀχώρητον αὑτοῦ, δεδωκέναι τοῖς στοιχείοις_ἃ καὶ αἰῶνας καλεῖ_ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν τὴν ἰδίαν ἐκφώνησιν ἐκβοᾶν, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἕνα τὸ ὅλον ἐκφωνεῖν.