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is called by this name, I cannot say whether because they pride themselves on being in the order of angels and lead a most excellent life—I do not affirm this either—or having taken the name from some place, since there is a certain region called Angeline lying beyond the country of Mesopotamia. 2. And now that you, the listener, have been reminded, you will not come to suspicions for our condemnation. For we promised to declare the roots and nourishments of some, or something of what happens among them, but of others only to make mention by name; but as the divine power has prepared and helped, having gone through all the heresies up to this one, we have left none unexplained, except this one. Perhaps because it was puffed up with pride for a short time and 2.380 later its grasp ceased, we have not known it very clearly. But having mentioned only the name of this one quickly, as if using its name like an abortion, we shall pass over the topic, directing our impulse to consider the others, and asking the Lord of all to appear to us and, having shown the exact details of what happens among them to our small mind, to signify all things with precision, so that we may make correction for ourselves and for our neighbors to flee evil things, and in the good and most true things to procure for ourselves steadfastness in God. Against the Apostolics 41, and in the sequence 61. 1. And after these, others have named themselves Apostolics, and they also wish to call themselves Apotactics; for it is observed among them to possess nothing. And these too are a splinter group from the doctrines of Tatian, of the Encratites and Tatianists and Cathars, who by nature do not accept marriage; and the mysteries have also been altered among them. They pretend to pride themselves on having no possessions, but they divide and harm the holy church of God in vain, having fallen from the love of God through their will-worship. For among them there is no longer any reception for one who has fallen, and they think similar things to those said above concerning marriage and other 2.381 matters. And while the Cathars use only the explicit scriptures, these for the most part rely on the so-called Acts of Andrew and Thomas, being altogether foreign to the ecclesiastical canon. For if marriage is abominable, then all those who are born of marriage are unclean. And if the holy church of God consists only of those who have renounced marriage, then marriage is no longer from God, and if it is not, the whole matter of begetting children is foreign to God, and if the matter of begetting children is foreign to God, then they themselves are also foreign to God, having been born from such. Where then is that which was said, "What God has joined together, let not man separate?" For the necessity † to separate is from man, but to be continent with choice has shown the work not of man, but of God. And natural necessity often has blame, because what is necessary is not performed with a blessing, but has gone outside the rule; for piety is not by necessity, but righteousness is from choice. But the things that are by nature necessary * for piety are manifest, which have been measured out by nature, such as not to fornicate, not to commit adultery, not to be licentious, not to marry a second time in the same way, not to steal, not to do wrong, not to be drunk, not to be gluttonous, not to worship idols, not to murder, not to practice sorcery, not to curse, not to revile, not to swear, and to be indignant and quickly be appeased, to be angry and not to sin, for the sun not to set on your anger; but to be joined in marriage with good order * nature will show, having been created by God and permitted 2.382 and all other such things have the measure of permission in another way. 2. But as we have already said concerning these, they exist in a small area, around Phrygia and Cilicia and
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ὀνόματι τούτῳ κέκληται, οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν ἤτοι διὰ τὸ ἐν τάξει ἀγγέλων ἑαυτοὺς σεμνύνειν καὶ βίῳ ἐξοχωτάτῳ ἄγεσθαι οὐδὲ τοῦτο διαβεβαιοῦμαι, ἢ καὶ ἀπὸ τόπου τινὸς εἰληφότες τοὔνομα, ἐπειδὴ χῶρός τίς ἐστιν Ἀγγελινὴ ἐπέκεινα τῆς Μεσοποταμίας χώρας κείμενος. 2. Ἤδη δὲ ἐν ὑπομνήσει σου γινομένου τοῦ ἀκροατοῦ οὐκ εἰς κατάγνωσιν ἡμῶν ἐν ὑπονοίαις γενήσῃ. ἐπηγγειλάμεθα γὰρ τῶν μὲν τὰς ῥίζας καὶ τὰς τροφὰς ἤ τι τῶν ἐν τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῖς γινομένων δηλῶσαι, ἄλλων δὲ μόνον τῷ ὀνόματι ἐπιμνημονεῦσαι· ὡς δὲ ἡ θεία δύναμις παρεσκεύασε καὶ ἐβοήθησεν, ἕως ταύτης τῆς αἱρέσεως τὰς πάσας διεξελθόντες οὐδεμίαν ἐάσαμεν ἀνερμήνευτον, πλὴν μιᾶς ταύτης. τάχα δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐπαρθεῖσαν τῷ τύφῳ ὀλίγον καιρὸν καὶ 2.380 ὕστερον λῆξαι τὴν ταύτης κατάληψιν οὐ πάνυ σαφῶς ἔγνωμεν. ταύτης δὲ μόνον ἐπιμνησθέντες τῆς ὀνομασίας ἐν τάχει, ὥσπερ ἐκτρώματι τῷ ταύτης ὀνόματι χρησάμενοι παρελευσόμεθα τὸν τόπον, ἐπὶ τὰς ἑτέρας δὴ διασκοποῦντες τὴν ὁρμὴν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ αἰτούμενοι τὸν τῶν ὅλων δεσπότην παραφανῆναι ἡμῖν καὶ τὰ ἀκριβῆ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς γινομένων ἐπιδείξαντα τῷ σμικρῷ ἡμῶν νῷ πάντα κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν σημᾶναι, ἵν' ἑαυτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς πέλας τὴν διόρθωσιν ποιησώμεθα τοῦ φεύγειν τὰ φαῦλα, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς καὶ ἀληθεστάτοις τὸ ἑδραῖον ἑαυτοῖς ἐν θεῷ προσπορίσασθαι. Κατὰ Ἀποστολικῶν ˉμˉα, τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ˉξˉα. 1. Μετὰ δὲ τούτους ἄλλοι ἑαυτοὺς Ἀποστολικοὺς ὠνόμασαν, βούλονται δὲ καὶ Ἀποτακτικοὺς ἑαυτοὺς λέγειν· φυλάττεται γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς τὸ μηδὲν κεκτῆσθαι. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ οὗτοι ἀπόσπασμα τῶν Τατιανοῦ δογμάτων, Ἐγκρατιτῶν τε καὶ Τατιανῶν καὶ Καθαρῶν, οἵτινες φύσει γάμον οὐ παραδέχονται· παρήλλακται δὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ μυστήρια. σεμνύνονται δὲ δῆθεν ἀκτημοσύνην, σχίζουσι δὲ μάτην οὗτοι καὶ βλάπτουσι τὴν ἁγίαν θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν, διὰ τοῦ ἐθελοθρῃσκεύειν ἐκπεσόντες τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας. οὔτε γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς παραπεπτωκότος τινὸς εἴσδεξις ἔτι γίνεται, τὰ ὅμοια δὲ τοῖς ἀνωτέρω λελεγμένοις φρονοῦσι περί τε τοῦ γάμου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων 2.381 πραγμάτων. καὶ οἱ μὲν Καθαροὶ ταῖς ῥηταῖς μόνον γραφαῖς κέχρηνται, οὗτοι δὲ ταῖς λεγομέναις Πράξεσιν Ἀνδρέου τε καὶ Θωμᾶ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐπερείδονται, παντάπασιν ἀλλότριοι τοῦ κανόνος τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ ὑπάρχοντες. Εἰ γὰρ βδελυρός ἐστιν ὁ γάμος, ἄρα ὅλοι ἀκάθαρτοι ὑπάρχουσι οἱ διὰ γάμου γεγεννημένοι. καὶ εἰ μόνον τυγχάνει ἡ ἁγία θεοῦ ἐκκλησία τῶν τῷ γάμῳ ἀποταξαμένων, οὐκέτι ὁ γάμος ἐκ θεοῦ ὑπάρχει, καὶ εἰ οὐχ ὑπάρχει, ἡ πᾶσα παιδοποιουμένη ὑπόθεσις ἀλλοτρία ὑπάρχει θεοῦ, καὶ εἰ ἀλλοτρία ὑπάρχει θεοῦ ἡ παιδοποιουμένη ὑπόθεσις, ἄρα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀλλότριοι θεοῦ ὑπάρχουσιν ἀπὸ τοιούτων γεγεννημένοι. ποῦ τοίνυν τὸ εἰρημένον ὅτι «ἃ ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω;» τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπάναγκες † χωρίζειν ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ὑπάρχει, τὸ δὲ μετὰ προαιρέσεως ἐγκρατεύεσθαι οὐκ ἀνθρώπου ἔδειξεν, ἀλλὰ θεοῦ τὸ ἔργον. καὶ ἔχει μὲν ἡ κατὰ φύσιν ἀνάγκη πολλάκις μέμψιν, ὅτι οὐ μετὰ εὐλογίας τὸ ἐπάναγκες ἐπιτελεῖται, ἀλλὰ ἐκτὸς τοῦ κανόνος βέβηκεν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπάναγκες ἡ θεοσέβεια, ἀλλὰ ἐκ προαιρέσεως ἡ δικαιοσύνη. τὰ δὲ φύσει εἰς θεοσέβειαν ἐπάναγκες * φανερά ἐστιν, ἃ τῇ φύσει ἐπιμεμέτρηται, οἷον τὸ μὴ πορνεύειν τὸ μὴ μοιχεύειν τὸ μὴ ἀσελγαίνειν τὸ μὴ ἐν ταὐτῷ δευτερογαμεῖν τὸ μὴ ἁρπάζειν τὸ μὴ ἀδικεῖν τὸ μὴ μεθύειν τὸ μὴ ἀδηφαγεῖν τὸ μὴ εἰδωλολατρεῖν τὸ μὴ φονεύειν τὸ μὴ φαρμακεύειν τὸ μὴ καταρᾶσθαι τὸ μὴ λοιδορεῖν τὸ μὴ ὀμνύναι, ἀγανακτεῖν τε καὶ ταχὺ καταπραΰνεσθαι, ὀργίζεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν, μὴ ἐπιδύνειν ἥλιον ἐπὶ τῷ παροργισμῷ· τὸ δὲ γάμῳ συναφθῆναι μετὰ εὐνομίας * ἡ φύσις δηλώσει ἐκ θεοῦ κεκτισμένη καὶ ἐπιτραπεῖσα 2.382 καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἐστὶ τοιαῦτα θατέρως ἔχει τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς τὸ μέτρον. 2. Ἀλλ' ὡς περὶ τούτων εἰπεῖν προειλήφαμεν, ἐν ὀλίγῳ χώρῳ οὗτοι ὑπάρχουσι, περὶ τὴν Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Κιλικίαν καὶ