Chapter XXVI.—The Doctrines of Apelles; Philumene, His Prophetess.

But Apelles,882    See [vol. iii. p. 257] Tertullian, Præscript., c. xxx.; Eusebius, Hist. Ecclesiast., v. 13; Epiphanius, Hær., c. xliv.; Theodoret, Hær. Fab., i. 25; and St. Augustine, Hær., c. xxiv. sprung from these, thus expresses himself, (saying) that there is a certain good Deity, as also Marcion supposed, and that he who created all things is just. Now he, (according to Apelles,) was the Demiurge of generated entities. And (this heretic also maintains) that there is a third (Deity), the one who was in the habit of speaking to Moses, and that this (god) was of a fiery nature, and that there was another fourth god, a cause of evils. But these he denominates angels. He utters, however, slanders against law and prophets, by alleging that the things that have been written are (of) human (origin), and are false. And (Apelles) selects from the Gospels or (from the writings of) the Apostle (Paul) whatever pleases himself. But he devotes himself to the discourses of a certain Philumene as to the revelations883    φανερώσεσι.  Miller’s text reads φανερῶς, the error of which is obvious from Tertullian’s Præscript., c. xxx. Cruice considers the word to signify the title of a work written by Apelles. of a prophetess. He affirms, however, that Christ descended from the power above; that is, from the good (Deity), and that he is the son of that good (Deity). And (he asserts that Jesus) was not born of a virgin, and that when he did appear he was not devoid of flesh.  (He maintains,) however, that (Christ) formed his body by taking portions of it from the substance of the universe: that is, hot and cold, and moist and dry. And (he says that Christ), on receiving in this body cosmical powers, lived for the time he did in (this) world. But (he held that Jesus) was subsequently crucified by the Jews, and expired, and that, being raised up after three days, he appeared to his disciples. And (the Saviour) showed them, (so Apelles taught,) the prints of the nails and (the wound) in his side, desirous of persuading them that he was in truth no phantom, but was present in the flesh. After, says (Apelles), he had shown them his flesh, (the Saviour) restored it to earth, from which substance it was (derived. And this he did because) he coveted nothing that belonged to another. (Though indeed Jesus) might use for the time being (what belonged to another), he yet in due course rendered to each (of the elements) what peculiarly belonged to them. And so it was, that after he had once more loosed the chains of his body, he gave back heat to what is hot, cold to what is cold, moisture to what is moist, (and) dryness to what is dry. And in this condition (our Lord) departed to the good Father, leaving the seed of life in the world for those who through his disciples should believe in him.

It appears to us that these (tenets) have been sufficiently explained. Since, however, we have determined to leave unrefuted not one of those opinions that have been advanced by any (of the heretics), let us see what (system) also has been invented by the Docetæ.

[38] Ἀπελ[λ]ῆς δέ, καὶ [αὐτὸς] τούτων [μαθητὴς] γενόμενος, οὕτως λέγει: εἶναί τινα θεὸν ἀγαθόν, καθὼς καὶ Μαρκί(ων) ὑπέθετο: τὸν δὲ [τὰ] πάντα κτίσαντα εἶναι δίκαιον_ὃς τὰ γενόμενα ἐδημιούργησε: _ καὶ τρίτον [δὲ εἶναι ἕτερον], τὸν Μωσεῖ λαλήσαντα_πύρινον δὲ τοῦτον εἶναι: _εἶναι δὲ καὶ τέταρτον ἕτερον, [τὸν τῶν] κακῶν αἴτιον: τούτους δὲ ἀγγέλους ὀνομάζει. νόμον δὲ καὶ προφήτας δυσφημεῖ, ἀνθρώπινα καὶ ψευδῆ φάσκων εἶναι τὰ γεγραμμένα: τῶν δὲ εὐαγγελίων καὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου τὰ ἀρέσκοντα αὐτῷ αἱρεῖται. Φιλουμένης δέ τινος λόγοις προσέχει ὡς προφήτιδος [ἐν ταῖς καλουμέναις] Φανερώσ[εσι]. Τὸν δὲ Χριστὸν ἐκ τῆς ὕπερθεν δυνάμεώς [φησι] κατεληλυθέναι, τουτέστι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ [θεοῦ], κἀκείνου αὐτὸν εἶναι υἱόν. τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ ἐκ παρθένου γεγενῆσθαι, οὐδ' [αὖ] ἄσαρκον εἶναι [τὸν ἐν σαρκὶ] φανέντα λέγει, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς οὐσίας μεταλαβόντα μερῶν σῶμα πεποιηκέναι_τουτέστι θερμοῦ καὶ ψυχροῦ, καὶ ὑγροῦ καὶ ξηροῦ_, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ σώματι λαθόντα τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐξουσίας βεβιωκέναι ὃν ἐβίωσε χρόνον ἐν [τῷ] κόσμῳ. Αὖθις δὲ ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ἀνασκολοπισθέντα θανεῖν, καὶ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγερθέντα φανῆναι τοῖς μαθηταῖς [αὑτοῦ καὶ] δείξαντα τοὺς τύπους τῶν ἥλων καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν πείθειν ὅτι αὐτὸς εἴη καὶ οὐ φάντασμα: ἀλλὰ [γὰρ] ἔνσαρκος ἦν. σάρκ(α) [γοῦν], φησίν, δείξας ἀπέδωκε γῇ, ἐξ ἧσπερ ἦν οὐσίας: μηδὲν [γὰρ] ἀλ[λό]τριον πλεονεκτῶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς καιρὸν χρησάμενος, ἑκάστοις τὰ ἴδια ἀπέδωκε, λύσας πάλιν τὸν δεσμὸν τοῦ σώματος_[τουτέστι] θερμῷ τὸ θερμόν, ψυχρῷ τὸ ψυχρόν, ὑγρῷ τὸ ὑγρόν, ξηρῷ τὸ ξηρόν: _καὶ οὕτως ἐπορεύθη πρὸς τὸν ἀγαθὸν πατέρα, καταλιπὼν τὸ τῆς ζωῆς σπέρμα εἰς τὸν κόσμον διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν [αὑτοῦ] τοῖς πιστεύουσι. Δοκεῖ [οὖν] ἡμῖν καὶ τα(ῦτ)α ἱκανῶς ἐκτεθεῖσθαι: ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μηδὲν παραλιπεῖν ἀνέλεγκτον ἐκρίναμεν τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν [αἱρετικῶν] δεδογματισμένων, ἴδωμεν τί καὶ τὸ τοῖς Δοκηταῖς [δόγμα] ἐπινενοημένον.