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with balsam. But others, rejecting all these things, say that the mystery of the ineffable and invisible power ought not to be performed through visible and perishable creatures, nor that of the unimaginable and incorporeal things through sensible and corporeal things. And that perfect redemption is the knowledge itself of the ineffable Greatness; for since Deficiency and passion came into being through ignorance, the whole substance which springs from ignorance is dissolved by knowledge, so that knowledge is the redemption of the inner man. And they say it is neither corporeal—for the body is perishable—nor psychical, since the soul itself is from Deficiency and is like a dwelling-place for the spirit; therefore, redemption must also be spiritual. For through knowledge the inner, spiritual man is redeemed, and they are content with the knowledge of all things. And this is true redemption.

HERE ENDS THE QUOTATION FROM IRENAEUS. 21. The blessed elder Irenaeus made this whole accurate investigation, setting forth in order everything of their entire counterfeit teaching. Wherefore, as has already been pointed out by me, being satisfied with what has been diligently worked out by him, we have set down everything word for word, as it is recorded by him. But they will be overthrown by those very things spoken by the holy man in opposition to their wickedness. For we believe, as the truth everywhere suggests and right reason proposes and the rule of piety is in harmony with both the law and the prophets and the patriarchs from the beginning in succession and with the teaching of the Savior himself, that the Lord and his apostles clearly teach us to confess one God the Father, almighty of all things, and our Lord Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit, one holy uncreated Trinity, all other things having been made out of nothing after the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And since these things have been clearly confessed and believed by all the aforementioned holy prophets and evangelists and apostles, no fraudulent device could be able to stand against the ray of truth, as has often been stated by us at length in the refutation of each heresy; so that in every way this charlatan and death-dealer is also detected, equally with those previously mentioned, for having stitched together and contrived these great things for the sake of display and meddling. 22. And having passed over the wickedness of this man and of those called Marcosians from him, let us hasten to the next ones, O beloved, investigating again their roots and making the bitterness of their fruits disappear, showing both their overthrow and all the things concerning them, not for the harm of those who encounter them, but for their aversion, so that they may not approach one of the aforementioned heresies or of those after them, but having read what is written by them and having known what is sung and having condemned the error and serpentine wickedness of each of them, they may both flee and, as I said, not approach. For those who have written histories speak of a certain viper called a dipsas, which seems to inflict such a scourge in this way: for in certain places, where there are basins in the rocks or small streams pouring from rocks into some receptacle, 2.39 the same dipsas, finding water and having drunk, injects its venom after drinking into the aforementioned pools of water, so that every animal that approaches and is sated with drink seems to be benefited by partaking, but immediately beside the water's receptacle, having received the venom of the dipsas, it falls down and dies. But also if

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βαλσάμῳ. ἄλλοι δὲ ταῦτα πάντα παραιτησάμενοι φάσκουσι μὴ δεῖν τὸ τῆς ἀρρήτου καὶ ἀοράτου δυνάμεως μυστήριον δι' ὁρατῶν καὶ φθαρτῶν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι κτισμάτων, καὶ τῶν ἀνεννοήτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων δι' αἰσθητῶν καὶ σωματικῶν. εἶναι δὲ τὴν τελείαν ἀπολύτρωσιν αὐτὴν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ ἀρρήτου Μεγέθους· ὑπ' ἀγνοίας γὰρ Ὑστερήματος καὶ πάθους γεγονότων διὰ γνώσεως καταλύεσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀγνοίας σύστασιν, ὥστ' εἶναι τὴν γνῶσιν ἀπολύτρωσιν τοῦ ἔνδον ἀνθρώπου. καὶ μήτε σωματικὴν ὑπάρχειν αὐτὴν φθαρτὸν γὰρ τὸ σῶμα μήτε ψυχικήν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐξ Ὑστερήματός ἐστι καὶ ἔστι τοῦ πνεύματος ὥσπερ οἰκητήριον· πνευματικὴν οὖν δεῖν καὶ τὴν λύτρωσιν ὑπάρχειν. λυτροῦσθαι γὰρ διὰ γνώσεως τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον τὸν πνευματικὸν καὶ ἀρκεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς τῇ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιγνώσει. καὶ ταύτην εἶναι λύτρωσιν ἀληθῆ.

ΕΩΣ Ω∆Ε ΤΑ ΑΠΟ ΕΙΡΗΝΑΙΟΥ. 21. Ταύτην τὴν πᾶσαν ἀκριβῆ ἔρευναν ὁ μακάριος πρεσβύτης Εἰρηναῖος ἐποιήσατο, καθ' εἱρμὸν πάντα ἐκθέμενος τῆς αὐτῶν πάσης παραπεποιημένης διδασκαλίας. διόπερ δή, ὡς καὶ ἤδη μοι προδεδή2.38 λωται, ὅτι τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐσπουδασμένοις ἀρκεσθέντες πάντα πρὸς ἔπος, ὡς παρ' αὐτῷ ἐμφέρεται, παρεθήκαμεν. ἀνατραπήσονται δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου ἀνδρὸς εἰς ἀντίθεσιν τῆς αὐτῶν μοχθηρίας εἰρημένων. ἡμεῖς γὰρ πιστεύομεν, ὡς πάντῃ ἡ ἀλήθεια ὑποφαίνει καὶ ὁ εὔλογος λογισμὸς ὑποτίθεται καὶ τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας κανόνι συμπεφώνηται τῷ τε νόμῳ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν πατριάρχαις κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν τῇ τε αὐτοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος διδαχῇ, τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀποστόλων σαφῶς ἡμᾶς διδασκόντων ἕνα ὁμολογεῖν θεὸν πατέρα, παντοκράτορα τῶν ὅλων, καὶ τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα, μίαν ἁγίαν τριάδα ἄκτιστον, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γενομένων μετὰ πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. τούτων δὲ παρὰ πάντων τῶν προειρημένων ἁγίων προφητῶν τε καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων σαφῶς ὡμολογημένων καὶ πεπιστευμένων, οὐκ ἂν δυνηθείη κυβευτική τις ἐπίνοια ἀντισχεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἀκτῖνα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὥς γε ἡμῖν πολλάκις κατὰ πλάτος εἴρηται ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἑκάστην αἵρεσιν ἀντιθέσει· ὡς ἐξ ἅπαντος φωρᾶσθαι καὶ τοῦτον τὸν ἀγύρτην καὶ θανατοποιὸν ἰσοτύπως ταῖς προειρημέναις ἐπιδείξεως χάριν καὶ περιεργίας τὰ μεγάλα ταῦτα καττύσαντά τε καὶ μηχανησάμενον. 22. Παρελθόντες δὲ καὶ τούτου τὴν μοχθηρίαν καὶ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Μαρκωσίων λεγομένων ἐπὶ τὰς ἑξῆς σπεύσωμεν, ὦ ἐπιπόθητοι, τὰς αὐτῶν ῥίζας πάλιν ἀνερευνῶντες καὶ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν τὴν πικρίαν ἀφανίζοντες, τήν τε ἀνατροπὴν καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς πάντα ἐπιδεικνύντες, οὐχὶ εἰς βλάβην τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων, ἀλλὰ εἰς ἀποτροπήν, πρὸς τὸ μὴ πλησιάσαι μιᾷ τῶν προειρημένων αἱρέσεων ἢ τῶν μετέπειτα, ἀλλὰ ἀναγνόντας τὰ γεγραμμένα παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ γνόντας τὰ ᾀδόμενα καὶ καταγνόντας τῆς ἑκάστης αὐτῶν πλάνης τε καὶ ἑρπετώδους μοχθηρίας ἀποφεύγειν τε καὶ ὡς εἶπον μὴ πλησιάζειν. διψάδα γάρ τινα ἔχιδνάν φασιν οἱ ἱστορήσαντες, ἣ οὕτως ἔοικεν λύμην τοιάνδε ἐμποιεῖν· ἐν τόποις γάρ τισιν, ὅπου πύελοι ἐν ταῖς πέτραις ἢ λιβάδες εἰσὶ μικραὶ ἀπὸ πετρῶν χεόμεναι εἰς ὑποδοχήν τινα, 2.39 ἡ αὐτὴ διψὰς ὕδωρ εὑρίσκουσα καὶ πιοῦσα τὸν ἰὸν ἐμβάλλει μετὰ τὸ πιεῖν εἰς τὰς προειρημένας στάσεις τῶν ὑδάτων, ὥστε πᾶν ζῷον πλησιάσαν καὶ ποτοῦ κορεσθὲν δοκεῖν μὲν ὠφελεῖσθαι ἐκ τοῦ μεταλαβεῖν, εὐθὺς δὲ παρὰ τὸν ὑποδόχον τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκ τοῦ ἰοῦ τῆς διψάδος ὑποδεξάμενον καταπίπτειν καὶ θνῄσκειν. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ