Chapter XXIII.—The Heresy of Theodotus.

But there was a certain Theodotus,870    See [vol. iii. p. 654, “two Theodoti”] Tertullian, Præscript., c. liii.; Eusebius, Hist. Ecclesiast, v. 27; Epiphanius, Hær., liv.; and Theodoret, Hær. Fab., ii. 5. Clemens Alexandrinus seems to have been greatly indebted to Theodotus, whose system he has explained and commented upon. a native of Byzantium, who introduced a novel heresy. He announces tenets concerning the originating cause of the universe, which are partly in keeping with the doctrines of the true Church, in so far as he acknowledges that all things were created by God. Forcibly appropriating, however, (his notions of) Christ from the school of the Gnostics, and of Cerinthus and Ebion, he alleges that (our Lord) appeared in some such manner as I shall now describe. (According to this, Theodotus maintains) that Jesus was a (mere) man, born of a virgin, according to the counsel of the Father, and that after he had lived promiscuously with all men, and had become pre-eminently religious, he subsequently at his baptism in Jordan received Christ, who came from above and descended (upon him) in form of a dove.  And this was the reason, (according to Theodotus,) why (miraculous) powers did not operate within him prior to the manifestation in him of that Spirit which descended, (and) which proclaims him to be the Christ. But (among the followers of Theodotus) some are disposed (to think) that never was this man made God, (even) at the descent of the Spirit; whereas others (maintain that he was made God) after the resurrection from the dead.

[35] Θεόδοτος δέ τις, ὢν Βυζάντιος, εἰσήγαγεν αἵρεσιν καινὴν φάσκων τὰ μὲν περὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς ἀρχῆς σύμφωνα ἐκ μέρους τοῖς τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἐκκλησίας, ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ [δὴ τὰ] πάντα ὁμολογῶν γεγονέναι, τὸν δὲ Χριστόν_ἐκ τῆς τῶν γνωστικῶν [καὶ] Κηρίνθου καὶ Ἐβίωνος σχολῆς ἀποσπάσας_φάσκει τοιούτῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ πεφηνέναι. [καὶ] τὸν μὲν Ἰησοῦν εἶναι ἄνθρωπον ἐκ παρθένου γεγενημένον κατὰ βουλὴν τοῦ πατρός, βιώσαντά τε κοινῶς πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις καὶ εὐσεβέστατον γεγονότα: ὕστερον [δ'] ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐπὶ τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ κεχωρηκέναι [αὐτὸν] τὸν Χριστόν, ἄνωθεν κατεληλυθότα ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς. ὅθεν [φησὶν] οὐ πρότερον «τὰς δυνάμεις ἐν αὐτῷ ἐνηργηκέναι» ἢ ὅτε κατελθὸν ἀνεδείχθη ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ πνεῦμα, ὃ εἶναι τὸν Χριστὸν προσαγορεύει. θεὸν δὲ οὐδέποτε τὸν Χριστὸν γεγονέναι αὐτὸς θέλει, [τῶν δὲ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τινὲς μὲν] ἐπὶ τῇ καθόδῳ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἕτεροι δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν [αὐτοῦ] ἀνάστασιν.