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it was not for the sake of the food, but for the sake of working disobedience in them. Therefore, having disobeyed then, they were outside of paradise, having been most justly rebuked, not according to hatred but according to the care of God. For the Lord says to them, "You are earth, and to earth you shall return." For it was necessary for the truly existing craftsman, caring like a potter for his own 2.52 creation and vessel formed by his hands, this having later come into a state of defect through disobedience and, so to speak, while still being clay and as the vessel had become a reject from a crack, not to leave it thus but to change it back into the original lump, so that again in the regeneration he might refashion the vessel in the resurrection into its ancient splendor and even more, that is * the bodies of those who have done the most unjust things and have repented and turned away from their own errors and been perfected in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that the resurrection of the body may happen from the earth, just as the lump, having been softened by the craftsman, is again fashioned into its ancient and even better form. 2. Such, then, was the plot of the serpent against Eve. For from the beginning human nature is gluttonous and always led astray by the doctrines of empty speech and by empty promises. And long ago, indeed, hiding himself, the same one did not reveal the limit of his venom-casting, but later, after the incarnate coming of Christ, he vomited forth and spat out the whole of his venomous and wicked device of malevolence. For this one put himself forward in the mind of the deceived to be glorified as God and to be worshipped. And the same serpent is known both through this his school and by working his deceit through the sensible serpent. Now, holy scripture calls the devil a serpent, forsooth, not that he is altogether such in form, but because he appears most crooked to men and because of the contrivance of deceit first worked in a serpent. Among those, therefore, who recognize the truth, this doctrine is ridiculous, as are those who adhere to it, glorifying the serpent as a god. For the devil, no longer being able to deceive the manly mind that has received the power of the truth from the Lord, turns to the female, that is, the ignorance of men, and persuades those in ignorance, since he cannot deceive solid reasoning. For he always approaches with female thoughts, with both pleasure 2.53 and desire, that is, with the ignorance that is made female in men, and not with the solid reasoning that reasonably understands all things and recognizes God from the law according to nature. For the serpent among them says that he is Christ—or rather, not he himself, for he cannot speak—but the devil who has prepared their mind to think thus. Who, therefore, seeing the serpent, will not recognize the enemy and flee? For on this account the Lord also established this very serpent in enmity with the human race, since, being an animal, it became altogether a vessel of the devil, and through it the devil deceived man in paradise, so that seeing the enmity of this sensible serpent, they might flee from the plot of the deceit and hate, so to speak, even to behold its form. 3. And these, who are called Ophites, also attribute all knowledge to this serpent, saying that it became the beginning of knowledge for men, mythically introducing the mysteries considered among them, which are mimicries and full of mockery and vanity. For these are truly myths; for they assert that from the upper 2.54 Aeon, Aeons were projected, and that Ialdabaoth came to be below; and that this one was projected according to the inactivity and ignorance of his own mother, that is, of the upper Prounikos. For they say that this Prounikos descended into the waters and was mixed

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οὐχ ἕνεκεν τοῦ βρώματος γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἐργάσασθαι αὐτοῖς τὴν παρακοήν. ὅθεν παρακούσαντες τότε τοῦ μὲν παραδείσου ἔξωθεν γίνονται, ἐπιτιμηθέντες δικαιότατα, οὐ κατὰ μῖσος ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἐπιμέλειαν τοῦ θεοῦ. φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ κύριος «γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ». ἔδει γὰρ τὸν ὄντως ὄντα τεχνίτην κεραμέως δίκην ἐπιμελόμενον τοῦ 2.52 ἰδίου διὰ χειρῶν πεπλασμένου αὐτοῦ πλάσματός τε καὶ ἄγγους, τοῦτο ὕστερον ἐν ἐλαττώματι γεγονὸς διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς καὶ ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἔτι πηλοῦ ὄντος καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ ῥαγάδος ἀπόρριμμα γεγονότος τοῦ ἄγγους, μὴ ἐᾶσαι οὕτως ἀλλὰ μεταβαλεῖν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον φύραμα, ἵνα αὖθις ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ ἀνασκευάσῃ τὸ ἄγγος ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν φαιδρότητα καὶ ἔτι περιττότερον, τουτέστιν * τὰ σώματα τῶν τὰ ἀδικώτατα πραξάντων καὶ μετανοησάντων καὶ ἀποστάντων τῶν ἰδίων σφαλμάτων καὶ ἐν τῇ γνώσει τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τελειωθέντων, ἵνα γένηται τοῦ σώματος ἡ ἀνάστασις ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ὡς τὸ φύραμα μαλαχθὲν παρὰ τοῦ τεχνίτου καὶ αὖθις εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν καὶ ἔτι βελτίω ἀνατύπωσιν κατασκευάζεται. 2. Τοιαύτη μὲν ἦν ἡ ἐπιβουλὴ τοῦ ὄφεως πρὸς τὴν Εὔαν. ἐξ ἀρχῆς γὰρ λίχνος ἡ ἀνθρωπεία φύσις καὶ ὑπαγομένη ἀεὶ τοῖς τῆς κενοφωνίας δόγμασι καὶ κεναῖς ὑποσχέσεσι. καὶ πάλαι μὲν κρυπταζόμενος ὁ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐδήλου τῆς αὐτοῦ ἰοβολίας τὸ πέρας, ὕστερον δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἔνσαρκον Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν ἐξήμεσέν τε καὶ ἀπέπτυσε τὴν πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ ἰώδη καὶ μοχθηρὰν ἐπίνοιαν τῆς κακονοίας· οὗτος γὰρ προεβάλετο ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῇ τῶν ἠπατημένων διανοίᾳ δοξάζεσθαι ὡς θεὸς καὶ προσκυνεῖσθαι. γινώσκεται δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς ὄφις διά τε τῆς αὐτοῦ σχολῆς ταύτης καὶ δι' ὄφεως τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ τὴν ἀπάτην ἐμποιῶν. ὄφιν δὲ δῆθεν ἡ θεία γραφὴ καλεῖ τὸν διάβολον, οὐ πάντως ὄντα τοιοῦτον τῇ μορφῇ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ φαίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις σκολιώτατον καὶ τὸ ἐν πρώτοις ἐν ὄφει ἐνεργηθὲν τῆς ἀπάτης σκευώρημα. παρὰ τοῖς τοίνυν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιγινώσκουσι καταγέλαστον τοῦτο τὸ δόγμα καὶ οἱ αὐτῷ προσανέχοντες, τὸν ὄφιν ὡς θεὸν δοξάζοντες. μηκέτι γὰρ δυνάμενος ὁ διάβολος τὴν ἀνδρείαν διάνοιαν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λαβοῦσαν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπατᾶν τρέπεται ἐπὶ τὸ θῆλυ τουτέστιν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄγνοιαν καὶ πείθει τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ οὐ δύναται τὸν στερεὸν λογισμὸν ἀπατῆσαι. θηλυκοῖς γὰρ ἀεὶ διανοήμασι προσπελάζει, ἡδονῇ τε 2.53 καὶ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τουτέστι τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ τῇ ἐν ἀνθρώποις θηλυνομένῃ καὶ οὐχὶ τῷ στερεῷ λογισμῷ τῷ εὐλόγως τὰ πάντα νοοῦντι καὶ θεὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν νόμου ἐπιγινώσκοντι. λέγει γὰρ ἑαυτὸν εἶναι Χριστὸν ὁ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὄφις, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ αὐτός οὐ γὰρ δύναται φθέγξασθαι, ἀλλὰ ὁ τὴν αὐτῶν ἔννοιαν οὕτω φρονεῖν παρασκευάσας διάβολος. τίς τοίνυν ἰδὼν τὸν ὄφιν οὐκ ἐπιγνώσεται τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ φεύξεται; τούτου γὰρ ἕνεκεν καὶ ὁ κύριος αὐτὸν τοῦτον τὸν ὄφιν εἰς ἐχθρίαν κατέστησε τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους, ἐπειδὴ ὅλως σκεῦος διαβόλου γέγονεν κτῆνος ὢν καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ἠπάτησεν ὁ διάβολος τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, ἵνα ἰδόντες τὴν τούτου ἐχθρίαν τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ ὄφεως ἀποδιδράσκωσι τῆς ἀπάτης τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ μισήσωσιν ὡς εἰπεῖν θεάσασθαι καὶ τὸ εἶδος. 3. Ἀποδιδόασι δὲ καὶ οὗτοι οἱ Ὀφῖται καλούμενοι τούτῳ τῷ ὄφει τὴν πᾶσαν γνῶσιν, λέγοντες ὅτι οὗτος ἀρχὴ γνώσεως γέγονεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, μυθωδῶς παρεισφέροντες τὰ παρ' αὐτοῖς νομιζόμενα μυστήρια, μιμολογήματα δὲ ὄντα καὶ χλεύης ἔμπλεα καὶ ματαιοφροσύνης. μῦθοι γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς οὗτοι· φάσκουσι γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄνω 2.54 Αἰῶνος προβεβλῆσθαι Αἰῶνας καὶ κατώτερον γεγενῆσθαι τὸν Ἰαλδαβαώθ· τοῦτον δὲ προβεβλῆσθαι κατὰ ἀδράνειαν καὶ ἄγνοιαν τῆς ἰδίας μητρὸς τουτέστι τῆς ἄνω Προυνίκου. ταύτην γάρ φασι τὴν Προύνικον κατεληλυθέναι εἰς τὰ ὕδατα καὶ μιχθῆναι