Chapter XXXIII.—Secundus’ System of Æons; Epiphanes; Ptolemæus.
A certain (heretic) Secundus,707 Concerning Secundus and Epiphanes, see Irenæus, i. 11; Theodoret, Hær. Fab., i. 5–9; Epiphanius, xxxii. 1, 3, 4; Tertullian, Adv. Valent., c. xxxviii.; and St. Augustine, Hær., xi. Hippolytus, in his remarks on Secundus and Epiphanes, borrows from St. Irenæus. born about the same time with Ptolemæus, expresses himself thus: (he says) that there is a right tetrad and a left tetrad,—namely, light and darkness. And he affirms that the power which withdrew and laboured under deficiency, was not produced from the thirty Æons, but from the fruits of these. Some other (heretic), however—Epiphanes, a teacher among them—expresses himself thus: “The earliest originating principle was inconceivable, ineffable, and unnameable;” and he calls this Monotes. And (he maintains) that there co-exists with this (principle) a power which he denominates Henotes. This Henotes and this Monotes, not by projection (from themselves), sent forth a principle (that should preside) over all intelligibles; (and this was) both unbegotten and invisible, and he styles it a Monad. “With this power co-exists a power of the same essence, which very (power) I call Unity. These four powers sent forth the remainder of the projections of the Æons.” But others, again, denominate the chief and originating Ogdoad, (which is) fourth (and) invisible, by the following names: first, Proarche; next, Anennœtus; third, Arrhetus; and fourth, Aoratus. And that from the first, Proarche, was projected by a first and fifth place, Arche; and from Anennœtus, by a second and sixth place, Acataleptus; and from Arrhetus, by a third and seventh place, Anonomastus; and from Aoratus, Agennetus, a complement of the first Ogdoad. They wish that these powers should exist before Bythus and Sige. Concerning, however, Bythus himself, there are many different opinions. Some affirm him to be unwedded, neither male nor female; but others (maintain) that Sige, who is a female, is present with him, and that this constitutes the first conjugal union.
But the followers of Ptolemæus708 Concerning Ptolemæus, see Irenæus, i. 12; Tertullian, De Præscript., c. xlix.; and Advers. Valent., c. viii.; Epiphanius, Hær., xxxiii. 3–7; and Theodoret, Hæret. Fab., i. 8. assert that (Bythus) has two spouses, which they call likewise dispositions, viz., Ennoia and Thelesis (conception and volition). For first the notion was conceived of projecting anything; next followed, as they say, the will to do so. Wherefore also these two dispositions and powers—namely, Ennoia and Thelesis—being, as it were, mingled one with the other, there ensued a projection of Monogenes and Aletheia by means of a conjugal union. And the consequence was, that visible types and images of those two dispositions of the Father came forth from the invisible (Æons), viz., from Thelema, Nous, and from Ennoia, Aletheia. And on this account the image of the subsequently generated Thelema is (that of a) male; but (the image) of the unbegotten Ennoia is (that of a) female, since volition is, as it were, a power of conception. For conception always cherished the idea of a projection, yet was not of itself at least able to project itself, but cherished the idea (of doing so). When, however, the power of volition (would be present), then it projects the idea which had been conceived.
[38] Σεκοῦνδος μέν[τοι] τις, κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ἅμα τῷ Πτολεμαίῳ γενόμενος, οὕτως λέγει: τετράδα εἶναι δεξιὰν καὶ τετράδα ἀριστεράν, καὶ φῶς καὶ σκότος: καὶ τὴν ἀποστᾶσάν τε καὶ ὑστερήσασαν δύναμιν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν τριάκοντα αἰώνων λέγει γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν. Ἄλλος δέ τις ἐπιφανὴς διδάσκαλος αὐτῶν οὕτως λέγει: ἦν ἡ πρώτη ἀρχὴ ἀνεννόητος, ἄρρητός τε καὶ ἀνωνόμαστος, ἣν Μονότητα καλεῖ. ταύτῃ δὲ (σ)υ(νυπά)ρχειν δύναμιν, ἣν [καὶ αὐτὴν] ὀνομάζει Ἑνό(τη)τα. αὕτη ἡ Ἑνότης ἥ τε Μονότης, [τὸ ἓν οὖσαι,] προήκαντο μὴ προέμεναι ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ πάντων νοητήν, ἀγέν[ν]ητον τε καὶ ἀόρατον, ἣν Μονάδα καλεῖ. ταύτῃ τῇ Μονάδι συνυπάρχει δύναμις ὁμοούσιος αὐτῇ, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει τὸ Ἕν. αὗται αἱ τέσσαρες δυνάμεις προήκαντο τὰς λοιπὰς τῶν αἰώνων προβολάς. Ἄλλοι δὲ πάλιν αὐτῶν τὴν πρώτην καὶ ἀρχέγονον Ὀγδοάδα τούτοις τοῖς ὀνόμασιν ἐκάλεσαν: [πρῶτον Προαρχήν, ἔπειτα Ἀνεννόητον, τὴν] δὲ [τρίτην Ἄρρητον, καὶ τὴν] τετάρτη(ν) Ἀόρατον. καὶ ἐκ μὲν τῆς πρώτης Προαρχῆς προβεβλῆσθαι πρώτῳ καὶ πέμπτῳ τόπῳ Ἀρχήν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Ἀνεννοήτου δευτέρῳ καὶ ἕκτῳ [τόπῳ] Ἀκατάληπτον, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Ἀρρήτου τρίτῳ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ τόπῳ Ἀνωνόμαστον, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Ἀοράτου Ἀγέννητον, πλήρωμα τῆς πρώτης Ὀγδοάδος. ταύτας βούλονται τὰς δυνάμεις προϋπάρχειν τοῦ Βυθοῦ καὶ τῆς [Σι]γῆς. Ἀλλὰ δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Βυθοῦ διάφοροι γνῶμαι [παρ' αὐτοῖς:] οἱ μὲν [γὰρ] αὐτὸν ἄζυγον λέγουσι, μήτε ἄρρενα μήτε θῆλυν, ἄλλοι δὲ τὴν Σιγὴν θήλειαν αὐτῷ συμπαρεῖναι, καὶ εἶναι ταύτην [τὴν] πρώτην συζυγίαν. οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον δύο συζύγους αὐτὸν ἔχειν λέγουσιν, ἃς καὶ διαθέσεις καλοῦσιν, Ἔννοιαν καὶ Θέλησιν: πρῶτον γὰρ ἐνενοήθη τι προβαλεῖν, ὥς φασιν, ἔπειτα ἠθέλησε. διὸ καὶ τῶν δύο τούτων διαθέσεων καὶ δυνάμεων, τῆς τε Ἐννοίας καὶ τῆς Θελήσεως, ὥσπερ [συγ]κραθεισ[ῶν] εἰς ἀλλήλας ἡ προβολὴ τοῦ τε Μονογενοῦς καὶ τῆς Ἀληθείας κατὰ συζυγίαν ἐγένετο. οὕστινας τύπους καὶ εἰκόνας τῶν δύο διαθέσεων τοῦ Πατρὸς προελθεῖν, [ἐκ] τῶν ἀοράτων ὁρατάς, τοῦ μὲν Θελήματος τὸν Νοῦν, τῆς δὲ Ἐννοίας τὴν Ἀλήθειαν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ ἐπιγενητοῦ Θελήματος ὁ [μὲν] ἄρρην εἰκών [ἐστι], τῆς δὲ ἀγεννήτου Ἐννοίας ὁ θῆλυς, ἐπεὶ τὸ Θέλημα ὥσπερ δύναμις ἐγένετο τῆς Ἐννοίας. ἐν[ε]νόει μὲν γὰρ ἀεὶ ἡ Ἔννοια τὴν προβολήν, οὐ μέντοι γε προβάλλειν (αὐ)τὴ καθ' αὑτὴν ἠδύνατο ἃ ἐνενόει: ὅτε δὲ ἡ τοῦ Θελήματος δύναμις [ἐπ]εγ(ένε)τ(ο), τότε [ὃ] ἐνενόει προβάλλει.