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Dathan and Abiram, having hidden and removed it». Again, others fabricate another little treatise in the name of Paul the apostle, full of unspeakable things, which those called Gnostics also use, which they call the *Ascension of Paul*, finding the pretext from the apostle's saying that he had ascended to the third heaven and had heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. And these, they say, 2.65 are the unspeakable words. They teach these and similar things, honoring the wicked and rejecting the good. For they say, as I said before, that Cain is from the stronger power and Abel from the weaker. And that these powers, having had intercourse with Eve, begot Cain and Abel, and that Cain was from the one and Abel from the other; and that Adam and Eve were also begotten from such powers, or rather angels; and that the children who were born, I mean both Cain and Abel, quarreled with one another and that the one born of the strong power killed the one from the lesser and weaker power. 3. These same mythical things these people also weave into their dose of the same poisons of ignorance, plotting against those who are persuaded that every man must choose for himself the stronger power and separate himself from the lesser and feeble one, that is, the one that made the heaven and the flesh and the world, and to ascend to the highest things through the crucifixion of Christ. For this reason, they say, he came from above, so that in him a strong power might be at work, taking the trophy against the weaker power and delivering up the body. And some of them say this, but others say other things. For some say that because Christ was wicked, he was delivered up by Judas, wishing to pervert the things according to the law, for they praise Cain and Judas, as I said, and they say: For this 2.66 reason he delivered him up, since he wished to abolish the things that had been well taught. But others of the same group say: No, but he delivered him up, being good, according to the heavenly knowledge. For the rulers knew, they say, that if Christ were delivered to the cross, their weak power would be made void. And Judas, he says, knowing this, hurried and set everything in motion so as to deliver him up, having done a good work for us unto salvation. And we must praise and give him praise, because through him the salvation of the cross was prepared for us and the revelation of the things above through such a hypothesis. But in every way these people are deceived, not honoring or praising anyone good. But it is clear that these things were sown in them by the devil, I mean the things of ignorance and deceit. And in them is fulfilled that which is written: "Woe to those who call good evil and evil good, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who call sweet bitter and bitter sweet". For in every way the Old and New Testament proclaims the impiety of Cain, denouncing it. But these people, on the contrary, being lovers of darkness and imitators of evildoers, hate Abel, but love Cain and give praise to Judas. And they fashion a corrupting knowledge, positing two powers, a weaker and a stronger, opposing one another, and producing in the world not a change of mind, but that of those who have been born, some by nature have their substance from evil, and others from goodness. And they say that no one is good or evil by choice, but by nature. 4. And first let us look at the case of Cain, as the Old Testament says: "Cursed are you from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand", and again "Cursed are you in your works, and you shall be groaning and trembling on the earth". And in harmony with the Old Testament, the Lord in the

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∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν κρύψαντες καὶ μεταστήσαντες». πάλιν δὲ ἄλλο συνταγμάτιον ἄλλοι πλάττουσιν ἐξ ὀνόματος Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ἀρρητουργίας ἔμπλεον, ᾧ καὶ οἱ Γνωστικοὶ λεγόμενοι χρῶνται, ὃ Ἀναβατικὸν Παύλου καλοῦσι, τὴν πρόφασιν εὑρόντες ἀπὸ τοῦ λέγειν τὸν ἀπόστολον ἀναβεβηκέναι ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀκηκοέναι ἄρρητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι. καὶ ταῦτα, φασίν, 2.65 ἐστὶ τὰ ἄρρητα ῥήματα. διδάσκουσι δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, τοὺς πονηροὺς τιμῶντες καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἀπαγορεύοντες. εἶναι γάρ φασιν, ὡς προεῖπον, τὸν Κάϊν τῆς ἰσχυροτέρας δυνάμεως καὶ τὸν Ἄβελ τῆς ἀσθενεστέρας. ταύτας δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις τῇ Εὔᾳ προσπλακείσας γεγεννηκέναι τὸν Κάϊν καὶ τὸν Ἄβελ, καὶ εἶναι τῆς μὲν τὸν Κάϊν τῆς δὲ τὸν Ἄβελ· εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ τὴν Εὔαν ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων δυνάμεων εἴτουν ἀγγέλων γεγεννημένους· καὶ τοὺς γεννηθέντας παῖδας, Κάϊν τέ φημι καὶ Ἄβελ, ἐρίσαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ τὸν γεγεννημένον ἀπὸ ἰσχυρᾶς δυνάμεως πεφονευκέναι τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἥττονος δυνάμεως καὶ ἀσθενεστέρας. 3. Τὰ δὲ αὐτὰ μυθώδη καὶ οὗτοι παραπλέκουσι τῇ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν δηλητηρίων τῆς ἀγνωσίας δόσει, τοῖς πειθομένοις ἐπιβουλεύοντες ὅτι δεῖ πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἑαυτῷ ἑλέσθαι τὴν ἰσχυροτέραν δύναμιν καὶ τῆς ἥττονος καὶ ἀτόνου ἀποχωρίζεσθαι, τουτέστιν τῆς τὸν οὐρανὸν ποιησάσης καὶ τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὸν κόσμον, καὶ ὑπερβαίνειν εἰς τὰ ἀνώτατα διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ σταυρώσεως. διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο, φασίν, ἦλθεν ἄνωθεν, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ ἐνεργηθῇ δύναμις ἰσχυρά, κατὰ τῆς ἀσθενεστέρας δυνάμεως τὸ τρόπαιον λαβοῦσα καὶ τὸ σῶμα παραδοῦσα. καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν τοῦτο λέγουσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλα. οἱ μὲν γὰρ λέγουσι διὰ τὸ πονηρὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστὸν παραδοθῆναι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα, βουλόμενον διαστρέφειν τὰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον, ἐπαινοῦσι γὰρ τὸν Κάϊν καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν, ὡς ἔφην, καὶ λέγουσι· τού2.66 του ἕνεκεν παραδέδωκεν αὐτόν, ἐπειδὴ ἠβούλετο καταλύειν τὰ καλῶς δεδιδαγμένα. ἄλλοι δὲ τῶν αὐτῶν· οὐχί, φασίν, ἀλλὰ ἀγαθὸν αὐτὸν ὄντα παρέδωκεν κατὰ τὴν ἐπουράνιον γνῶσιν. ἔγνωσαν γάρ, φασίν, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὅτι ἐὰν ὁ Χριστὸς παραδοθῇ σταυρῷ κενοῦται αὐτῶν ἡ ἀσθενὴς δύναμις. καὶ τοῦτο, φησί, γνοὺς ὁ Ἰούδας ἔσπευσεν καὶ πάντα ἐκίνησεν ὥστε παραδοῦναι αὐτόν, ἀγαθὸν ἔργον ποιήσας ἡμῖν εἰς σωτηρίαν. καὶ δεῖ ἡμᾶς ἐπαινεῖν καὶ ἀποδιδόναι αὐτῷ τὸν ἔπαινον, ὅτι δι' αὐτοῦ κατεσκευάσθη ἡμῖν ἡ τοῦ σταυροῦ σωτηρία καὶ ἡ διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ὑποθέσεως τῶν ἄνω ἀποκάλυψις. Κατὰ πάντα δὲ τρόπον οὗτοι ἠπάτηνται, οὐκ ἀγαθόν τινα τιμῶντες ἢ ἐπαινοῦντες. δῆλον δὲ ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου αὐτοῖς ταῦτα ὑπέσπαρται, τὰ τῆς ἀγνοίας λέγω καὶ ἀπάτης. πληροῦται δὲ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὸ γεγραμμένον «οὐαὶ τοῖς λέγουσι τὸ καλὸν πονηρὸν καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἀγαθόν, οἱ τιθέντες τὸ σκότος φῶς καὶ τὸ φῶς σκότος, οἱ λέγοντες τὸ γλυκὺ πικρὸν καὶ τὸ πικρὸν γλυκύ». πάντῃ γὰρ ἐκφωνεῖ παλαιὰ καὶ καινὴ διαθήκη τοῦ Κάϊν τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐπικηρυκευομένη. οὗτοι δὲ τοὐναντίον, τοῦ σκότους ὄντες ἐρασταὶ καὶ τῶν κακοποιῶν μιμηταί, τὸν Ἄβελ μισοῦσι, τὸν δὲ Κάϊν ἀγαπῶσι καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ τὸν ἔπαινον διδόασι. φθοριμαίαν δὲ γνῶσιν σχηματίζονται, δύο τάττοντες δυνάμεις, ἀσθενεστέραν τε καὶ δυνατωτέραν, ἀντιμαχομένας δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλας, ποιούσας δὲ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ οὐ γνώμης ἀλλοίωσιν, ἀλλὰ τῶν γεγενημένων τοὺς μὲν κατὰ φύσιν ἀπὸ κακίας τὴν οὐσίαν ἔχειν, τοὺς δὲ ἀπὸ ἀγαθότητος. οὐδένα δὲ κατὰ γνώμην ἀγαθὸν ἢ φαῦλον εἶναι λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ φύσιν. 4. Καὶ πρῶτον ἴδωμεν περὶ τοῦ Κάϊν, ὡς ἡ μὲν παλαιὰ διαθήκη φησίν «ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἥτις ἔχανε τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐκ χειρός σου» καὶ πάλιν «ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, καὶ ἔσῃ στένων καὶ τρέμων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς». συνῳδὰ δὲ τῇ παλαιᾷ διαθήκῃ ὁ κύριος ἐν τῷ