Chapter XXXIX.—The Quaternion Exhibits “Truth.”

And (Marcus alleged) that the Quaternion, after having explained these things, spoke as follows: “Now, I wish also to exhibit to you Truth herself, for I have brought her down from the mansions above, in order that you may behold her naked, and become acquainted with her beauty; nay, also that you may hear her speak, and may marvel at her wisdom. Observe,” says the Quaternion, “then, first, the head above, Alpha (and long) O; the neck, B and P[si]; shoulders, along with hands, G and C[hi]; breasts, Delta and P[hi]; diaphragm,721    Hippolytus’ text has been here corrected from that of Irenæus. Eu; belly, Z and T; pudenda, Eta and S; thighs, T[h] and R; knees, Ip; calves, Ko; ankles, Lx[si]; feet, M and N.” This is in the body of Truth, according to Marcus. This is the figure of the element; this the character of the letter. And he styles this element Man, and affirms it to be the source of every word, and the originating principle of every sound, and the realization in speech of everything that is ineffable, and a mouth of taciturn silence. And this is the body of (Truth) herself. But do you, raising aloft the conceiving power of the understanding, hear from the mouths of Truth (of) the Logos, who is Self-generator722    This is a correction from Progenitor, on the authority of Irenæus and Epiphanius. and Progenitor.723    Προπάτορα:  Irenæus reads Πατρόδορα, which is adopted by Schneidewin, and translated patrium.

[44] Ταῦτα δὲ σαφηνίσασαν αὐτῷ τὴν Τετρακτὺν εἰπε[ῖν]: «θέλω δέ σοι καὶ αὐτὴν ἐπιδεῖξαι τὴν Ἀλήθειαν: κατήγαγ(ον) γὰρ α(ὐ)τὴ(ν) ἐκ (τ)ῶν ὕπερθεν δωμάτων, ἵνα ἴδῃς αὐτὴν γυμνὴν καὶ καταμάθῃς αὐτῆς τὸ κάλλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκούσῃς αὐτῆς λαλούσης καὶ θαυμάσῃς τὸ φρόνημα αὐτῆς. ὅρα οὖν κεφαλήν», φησίν, «ἄνω τὸ πρῶτον, ἄλφα ω, τράχηλον [τὸ] δὲ β ψ, ὤμους [ἅμα χερσὶ] γ χ, στήθη δέλτα φ, [διά]φραγμα ε [υ], κοιλίαν ζ τ, αἰδοῖα η σ, μηροὺς θ ρ, γόνατα ι π, κνήμας κ ο, σφυρὰ λ ξ, πόδας μ ν». τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸ σῶμα τῆς κατὰ τὸν Μάρκον Ἀληθείας, τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ στοιχείου, οὗτος ὁ χαρακτὴρ τοῦ γράμματος. καὶ καλεῖ τὸ στοιχεῖον τοῦτο Ἄνθρωπον: εἶναι δὲ πηγήν φησι[ν αὐτὸ] παντὸς λόγου, καὶ ἀρχὴν πάσης φωνῆς, καὶ παντὸς ἀρρήτου ῥῆσιν, καὶ τῆς σιωπωμένης Σιγῆς στόμα. «καὶ τοῦτο [μὲν] τὸ σῶμα αὐτῆς: σὺ δὲ μετάρσιον ἐγείρας [τὸ] τῆς διανοίας νόημα, τὸν [αὐτο]γεν[ν]ήτορα καὶ π[ατ]ροπάτορα Λόγον ἀπὸ στομάτων Ἀληθείας ἄκουε».