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of the deceiver. For he himself preaches two first principles, but 2.97 adding again to that one, I mean to Cerdon, he shows something different from him, saying that there are three first principles: one, the upper one, unnameable and invisible, which he also wishes to call the good God, who created nothing in the world; another, a visible God and creator and demiurge; and a third, so to speak, the devil, and intermediate between these two, the visible and the invisible. The creator and demiurge and visible God is that of the Jews, and he is a judge. Among Marcion himself, virginity is also preached, and 2.98 he preaches fasting on the Sabbath. So-called mysteries are performed among his followers in the sight of the catechumens; and he uses water in the mysteries. He says they fast on the Sabbath for such a reason: since, he says, it is the rest of the God of the Jews who made the world and rested on the seventh day, we should fast on this day, so that we may not do the duty of the God of the Jews. He rejects the resurrection of the flesh, just like many of the heresies; he says that there is a resurrection of the soul only, and life and salvation for it alone. Not only is one washing given among his followers, but it is also permitted among them to give up to three washings and even more to anyone who wishes, as I have heard from many. This practice of allowing three or even more washings to be given happened to him because of the mockery he endured from his disciples who knew him, resulting from his transgression and the corruption of the virgin that had occurred. Since, after corrupting the virgin in his own city and running away, he was found in great transgression, the impostor devised for himself a second washing, saying that it is permitted to give up to three washings, that is, three baptisms, for the remission of sins, so that if someone transgressed after the first, he might receive a second upon repenting, and a third likewise, if he should be in transgression after the second. And he allegedly brings forward, in order to save himself from his own mockery, as proof for himself that after 2.99 his transgression he was cleansed again and henceforth is among the innocent, falsely testifying about this with a plausible statement, able to deceive, though not signifying what he himself says: that, he says, the Lord, after being baptized by John, said to his disciples: 'I have a baptism to be baptized with, and what do I wish if I have already accomplished it?' and again 'I have a cup to drink, and what do I wish if I will already fulfill it?' And thus he dogmatized the giving of multiple baptisms. 4. Not only this, but he also rejects the law and all the prophets, saying that such men have prophesied from the ruler who made the world. And he says Christ came down from above, from the invisible and unnameable Father, for the salvation of souls and for the refutation of the God of the Jews and of the law and the prophets and such things. And that the Lord descended even to Hades to save those with Cain and Korah and Dathan and Abiram, and Esau and all the nations that did not know the God of the Jews; but that he left there those with Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Isaac 2.100 and Jacob and Moses, and David and Solomon, because, he says, they recognized the God of the Jews, who is maker and creator, and they performed his duties and did not commit themselves to the invisible God. He also gives permission for women to give baptism. For among them everything is full of mockery and nothing else, since they even dare to perform the mysteries in the presence of catechumens. But, as I said, this man speaks not of a resurrection of bodies, but of souls, and he defines salvation for these, not for bodies. And he likewise affirms the transfusions of souls and reincarnations from bodies into bodies. 5. But from every side his vain babbling falls, as I have already in other

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ἀπατηλοῦ. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ δύο κηρύττει ἀρχάς, προσ2.97 θεὶς δὲ πάλιν ἐκείνῳ, φημὶ τῷ Κέρδωνι, ἕτερόν τι παρ' ἐκεῖνον δείκνυσι, λέγων τρεῖς εἶναι ἀρχάς, μίαν μὲν τὴν ἄνω ἀκατονόμαστον καὶ ἀόρατον, ἣν καὶ ἀγαθὸν θεὸν βούλεται λέγειν, μηδὲν δὲ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ κτίσασαν· ἄλλον δὲ εἶναι ὁρατὸν θεὸν καὶ κτιστὴν καὶ δημιουργόν· διάβολον δὲ τρίτον ὡς εἰπεῖν καὶ μέσον τῶν δύο τούτων, τοῦ τε ὁρατοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀοράτου. τὸν δὲ κτιστὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν καὶ ὁρατὸν θεὸν εἶναι τῶν Ἰουδαίων, εἶναι δὲ αὐτὸν κριτήν. παρ' αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ Μαρκίωνι καὶ παρθενία κηρύσσεται, νηστείαν δὲ 2.98 κατὰ τὸ σάββατον κηρύττει. μυστήρια δὲ δῆθεν παρ' αὐτῷ ἐπιτελεῖται τῶν κατηχουμένων ὁρώντων· ὕδατι δὲ οὗτος ἐν τοῖς μυστηρίοις χρῆται. τὸ δὲ σάββατον νηστεύειν διὰ τοιαύτην αἰτίαν φάσκει· ἐπειδή, φησί, τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνάπαυσις τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἐν τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναπαυσαμένου, ἡμεῖς νηστεύσωμεν ταύτην, ἵνα μὴ τὸ καθῆκον τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐργαζώμεθα. τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς δὲ ἀθετεῖ ἀνάστασιν, καθάπερ πολλαὶ τῶν αἱρέσεων· ψυχῆς δὲ ἀνάστασιν εἶναι λέγει καὶ ζωὴν καὶ σωτηρίαν μόνης. οὐ μόνον δὲ παρ' αὐτῷ ἓν λουτρὸν δίδοται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕως τριῶν λουτρῶν καὶ ἐπέκεινα ἔξεστι διδόναι παρ' αὐτοῖς τῷ βουλομένῳ, ὡς παρὰ πολλῶν ἀκήκοα. συμβέβηκε δὲ τοῦτο γενέσθαι αὐτῷ τὸ ἐφίεσθαι τρία ἢ καὶ πλείω λουτρὰ δίδοσθαι, δι' ἣν ὑπεῖχεν χλεύην παρὰ τῶν αὐτὸν ἐγνωκότων μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκ παραπτώματός τε καὶ φθορᾶς τῆς εἰς τὴν παρθένον γεγενημένης. ἐπειδὴ φθείρας ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ πόλει τὴν παρθένον καὶ ἀποδράσας μὲν ἐν παραπτώματι μεγάλῳ εὑρέθη, ἐπενόησεν ὁ ἀγύρτης ἑαυτῷ δεύτερον λουτρόν, φήσας ὅτι ἔξεστιν ἕως τριῶν λουτρῶν τουτέστιν τριῶν βαπτισμῶν εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν δίδοσθαι, ἵν' εἴ τις παρέπεσεν εἰς τὸ πρῶτον, λάβῃ δεύτερον μετανοήσας καὶ τρίτον ὡσαύτως, ἐὰν ἐν παραπτώματι μετὰ τὸ δεύτερον γένηται. φέρει δὲ δῆθεν, ἵνα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χλεύην ἀνασώσῃ, εἰς παράστασιν αὐτοῦ ὅτι τὸ μετὰ τὸ 2.99 αὐτοῦ παράπτωμα πάλιν ἐκαθαρίσθη καὶ λοιπὸν ἐν ἀθῴοις ὑπάρχει, μαρτυρίαν περὶ τούτου ψευδηγορῶν ὡς πιθανήν, δυναμένην ἐξαπατῆσαι οὐ τοῦτο δὲ σημαίνουσαν ὃ αὐτὸς λέγει· ὅτι, φησί, βαπτισθεὶς ὁ κύριος ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἔλεγε τοῖς μαθηταῖς· «βάπτισμα ἔχω βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ τί θέλω εἰ ἤδη τετέλεκα αὐτό;» καὶ πάλιν «ποτήριον ἔχω πιεῖν, καὶ τί θέλω εἰ ἤδη πληρώσω αὐτό;» καὶ οὕτω τὸ διδόναι πλείω βαπτίσματα ἐδογμάτισεν. 4. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν νόμον ἀποβάλλει καὶ πάντας προφήτας, λέγων ἐκ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ τὸν κόσμον πεποιηκότος τοὺς τοιούτους πεπροφητευκέναι. Χριστὸν δὲ λέγει ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀοράτου καὶ ἀκατονομάστου πατρὸς καταβεβηκέναι ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ ἐπὶ ἐλέγχῳ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν καὶ τῶν τοιούτων. καὶ ἄχρι Ἅιδου καταβεβηκέναι τὸν κύριον, ἵνα σώσῃ τοὺς περὶ Κάϊν καὶ Κορὲ καὶ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρών, Ἠσαῦ τε καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ ἐγνωκότα τὸν θεὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων· τοὺς δὲ περὶ Ἄβελ καὶ Ἐνὼχ καὶ Νῶε καὶ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ 2.100 καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ Μωυσέα, ∆αυίδ τε καὶ Σολομῶντα ἐκεῖ καταλελοιπέναι, διότι ἐπέγνωσαν, φησί, τὸν θεὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὄντα ποιητὴν καὶ κτιστήν, καὶ τὰ καθήκοντα αὐτοῦ πεποιήκασι καὶ οὐχὶ τῷ θεῷ τῷ ἀοράτῳ ἑαυτοὺς προσανέθεντο. δίδωσι καὶ ἐπιτροπὴν γυναιξὶ βάπτισμα διδόναι. παρ' αὐτοῖς γὰρ πάντα χλεύης ἔμπλεα καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ὁπότε καὶ τὰ μυστήρια ἐνώπιον κατηχουμένων ἐπιτελεῖν τολμῶσιν. ἀνάστασιν δὲ ὡς εἶπον οὗτος λέγει οὐχὶ σωμάτων, ἀλλὰ ψυχῶν καὶ σωτηρίαν ταύταις ὁρίζεται, οὐχὶ τοῖς σώμασιν. καὶ μεταγγισμοὺς ὁμοίως τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ μετενσωματώσεις ἀπὸ σωμάτων εἰς σώματα φάσκει. 5. Πανταχόθεν δὲ πίπτει ἡ αὐτοῦ ματαία κενοφωνία, ὡς ἤδη μοι ἐν ἄλλαις