Chapter II.—Docetic Notion of the Incarnation; Their Doctrines of Æons; Their Account of Creation; Their Notion of a Fiery God.

And these (heretics) suppose that this is what is spoken by the Saviour: “A sower went forth to sow; and that which fell on the fair and good ground produced, some a hundred-fold, and some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold.”893    Matt. xiii. 3–8; Mark iv. 3–8; Luke viii. 5–8.    [Elucidation IV.] And for this reason, the (Docetic) says, (that the Saviour) has spoken the words, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,” because these (truths)are not altogether rumours. All these Æons, both the three and all those infinite (Æons which proceed) from these indefinitely, are hermaphrodite Æons. All these, then, after they had been increased and magnified, and had sprung from that one primary seed, (were actuated by a spirit) of concord and union, and they all coalesced into one Æon. And in this manner they begot of a single virgin, Mary,894    The word Mary seems interpolated. Miller’s text reads it after ἐν μεσότητι. The passage would then be rendered thus: “that is, Him who through the intervention of Mary (has been born into the world) the Saviour of all.”    [1 Cor. xi. 19. These terrible confusions were thus foretold. Note the remarkable feeling, the impassioned tone, of the Apostle’s warning in Acts xx. 28–31.] a joint offspring, who is a Mediator, (that is,) the Saviour of all who are in the (covenant of) mediation. (And this Saviour is,) in every respect, coequal in power with the seed of the fig-tree, with the exception that he was generated. Whereas that primary seed, from whence the fig-tree sprung, is unbegotten. When, therefore, those three Æons were adorned with all virtue and with all sanctity, so these teachers suppose, as well as that only begotten child—for he alone was begotten by those infinite Æons from three immediately concerned in his birth, for three immeasurable Æons being unanimous procreated him;—(after, I say, the Æons and only Son were thus adorned,) the entire nature, which is cognised by intellect, was fashioned free from deficiency. Now, all those intelligible and eternal (entities) constituted light. Light, however, was not devoid of form, nor inoperative, nor in want, as it were, of the assistance of any (other power). But (light) proportionately with the multitude of those infinite (Æons) indefinitely (generated) in conformity with the exemplar of the fig-tree, possesses in itself infinite species of various animals indigenous to that quarter of creation, and it shone down upon the underlying chaos. And when this (chaos) was simultaneously illuminated, and had form imparted to it by those diversified species from above, it derived (thereby) solidity, and acquired all those supernal species from the third Æon, who had made himself threefold.

This third Æon, however, beholding all his own distinctive attributes laid hold on collectively by the underlying darkness (which was) beneath, and not being ignorant of the power of darkness, and at the same time of the security895    Τὸ ἀσφαλὲς: Cruice reads, on the authority of Bernays, ἀφελὲς, i.e., the simplicity.    [The Philosophumena, therefore, responds to the Apostle’s warnings. Col. ii. 8; 1 Tim. vi. 20; Gal. iv. 3, 9; Col. ii. 20.] and profusion of light, did not allow his brilliant attributes (which he derived) from above for any length of time to be snatched away by the darkness beneath. But (he acted in quite a contrary manner), for he subjected (darkness) to the Æons. After, then, he had formed the firmament over the nether world, “he both divided the darkness from the light, and called the light which was above the firmament day, and the darkness he called night.”896    Gen. i. 4, 5, 7. When all the infinite species, then, as I have said, of the third Æon were intercepted in this the lowest darkness, the figure also of the Æon himself, such as he has been described, was impressed (upon them) along with the rest (of his attributes). (Now this figure is) a life-giving fire, which is generated from light, from whence the Great Archon originated. And respecting this (Archon) Moses observes: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”897    Gen. i. 1. Moses mentions898    Ex. iii. 2. this fiery God as having spoken from the bush,899    The Docetæ here attempted to substantiate their system from Scripture by a play upon words. (batos,) that is, from the darkish air. For the whole of the atmosphere that underlies the darkness is (batos, i.e.,) a medium for the transmission of light. Now Moses has employed, says (the Docetic), the expression batos, because all the species of light pass down from above by means of their having the atmosphere as a medium (batos) of transmission. And in no less degree is capable of being recognised the Word of Jehovah addressed to us from the bush (batos, i.e., an atmospheric medium); for voice, as significant (in language) of a meaning, is a reverberation of air, and without this (atmosphere) human speech is incapable of being recognised. And not only the Word (of Jehovah addressed) to us from the bush (batos), that is, the air, legislates and is a fellow-citizen with (us); but (it does more than this), for both odours and colours manifest to us, through the medium of air, their own (peculiar) qualities.

[9] Καὶ τοῦτο εἶναι δοκοῦσιν οὗτοι τὸ λελεγμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος: «ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι» καὶ «[τὸ] πεσὸν εἰ(ς) τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν ἐποίει [καρπὸν] ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα». καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκε, φησίν: «ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω», ὅτι ταῦτα οὐκ ἔστι πάντων ἀκούσματα. οὗτοι [δὲ] [πάντες] οἱ αἰῶνες, οἵ τε τρεῖς καὶ οἱ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀπειράκις ἄπειροι [προβεβλημένοι], πάντες εἰσὶν αἰῶνες ἀρσενοθήλεις. Αὐξηθέντες οὖν καὶ μεγαλυνθέντες καὶ γενόμενοι [τέλειοι] οὗτοι πάντες [οἱ αἰῶνες], ἐξ ἑνὸς ἐκείνου τοῦ πρώτου σπέρματος [τῆς συκῆς γεγονότες, οἱονεὶ συμβόλου] τῆς συμφωνίας αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς ἑνότητος, [οἱ πάντες] εἰς ἕνα ὁμοῦ γενόμενοι αἰῶνα, τὸν μέσον αὐτῶν, γέν[ν]ημα κοινὸν [οἱ πάντες] ἐγέν[ν]ησαν ἐκ παρθένου Μ[αρ]ίας, τὸν ἐν μεσότητι [Μαρίας] σωτῆρα πάντων, ἰσοδύναμον κατὰ πάντα τῷ σπέρματι τῷ συκίνῳ, πλὴν ὅτι γεν[ν]ητὸς οὗτος, τὸ δὲ πρῶτον σπέρμα ἐκεῖνο, ὅθεν γέγονεν ἡ συκῆ, ἐστὶν ἀγέν[ν]ητον. κεκοσμημένων [μὲν] οὖν τῶν τριῶν αἰώνων ἐκείνων παναρέτως καὶ παναγίως, ὡς δοκοῦσιν οὗτοι διδάσκοντες, καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐκείνου τοῦ μονογενοῦς_γέγονε γὰρ μόνος τοῖς ἀπείροις αἰῶσιν ἐκ τριγενοῦς: τρεῖς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐγέννησαν ὁμοφρονοῦντες αἰῶνες ἀμέτρητοι_, κεκόσμητο μὲν [δὴ] ἀνενδεῶς [καὶ] πᾶσα ἡ νοητὴ φύσις. Φῶς δὴ ἦν ἅπαντα ἐκεῖνα τὰ νοητὰ καὶ αἰώνια: φῶς δὲ οὐκ ἄμορφον οὐδὲ ἀργὸν οὐδὲ οἱου[δ]ήτινος ἐπιποιοῦντος δεόμεν(ο)ν, ἀλλὰ ἔχον ἐν ἑαυτῷ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀπειράκις ἀπείρων [αἰώνων καὶ] κατὰ τὸ παράδειγμα τῆς συκῆς ἀπείρους ἰδέας ζῴων πολυποικίλων, τῶν ἐκεῖ [τεθησαυρισμένων. ὃ οὖν] κατέλαμψεν ἄνωθεν εἰς τὸ ὑ(π)οκείμενον χάος: τὸ δὲ φωτισθὲν ὁμοῦ καὶ μορφωθὲν (ἐ)κείναις ταῖς ἄνωθεν πολυποικίλοις ἰδέαις, πῆξιν ἔλαβε καὶ ἀνεδέξατο τὰς ἰδέας τὰς ἄνωθεν ἁπάσας ἀπὸ τοῦ τρίτου αἰῶνος τοῦ τριπλασιάσαντος αὑτόν. Ὁ δὲ αἰὼν οὗτος ὁ τρίτος, τοὺς χαρακτῆρας βλέπων πάντας ἀθρόως τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ εἰς τὸ ὑποκείμενον κάτω σκότος κατειλημμένους, τήν τε δύναμιν τοῦ σκότους οὐκ ἀγνοῶν καὶ τὸ ἀφελὲς τοῦ φωτὸς ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄφθονον, οὐκ εἴασεν ἐπὶ πολὺ τοὺς φωτεινοὺς χαρακτῆρας ἄνωθεν ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους κάτω κατασπασθῆναι, ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὑπέταξε τοῖς αἰῶσι στερέωμα οὐρανοῦ κάτωθεν «καὶ διεχώρισεν ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτός: καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ φῶς ἡμέραν»_ὃ ἦν ὑπεράνω τοῦ στερεώματος_«καὶ τὸ σκότος ἐκάλεσε νύκτα»[_ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος_]. πασῶν οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, τῶν ἀπείρων τοῦ τρίτου αἰῶνος ἰδεῶν ἀπειλημμένων ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κατωτάτῳ σκότῳ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τοιούτου αἰῶνος ἐναπεσφράγισται μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τὸ ἐκτύπωμα, πῦρ ζῶν ἀπὸ φωτὸς γενόμενον: ὅθεν ὁ μέγας ἄρχων ἐγένετο, περὶ οὗ λέγει Μωϋσῆς: «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν (καὶ) τὴν γῆν». Τοῦτον [οὖν] λέγει Μωϋσῆς πύρινον θεόν, [τὸν] ἀπὸ τοῦ βάτου λαλήσαντα, τουτέστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ σκοτεινοῦ ἀέρος_βάτος γάρ ἐστι, [φησί,] πᾶς ὁ σκότει ὑποκείμενος ἀήρ. _βάτον δέ, φησίν, εἴρηκε Μωϋσῆς, ὅτι ἄνωθεν κάτω πᾶσαι διέβησαν τοῦ φωτὸς αἱ ἰδέαι, βατὸν ἔχουσαι τὸν ἀέρα. οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ ἡμῖν, [φησίν,] ὁ λόγος ἀπὸ τοῦ βάτου γνωρίζεται: φωνὴ γάρ ἐστι σημαντικὴ τοῦ λόγου πλησσόμενος ἀήρ, οὗ δίχα λόγος ἀνθρώπινος οὐ γνωρίζεται. οὐ μόνον δὲ ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ βάτου_τουτέστιν ἀέρος_νομοθετεῖ καὶ συμπολιτεύεται, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ὀσμαὶ καὶ χρώματα διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος ἡμῖν τὰς δυνάμεις τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐμφανίζουσιν.