Excerpta ex Theodoto

FROM THE WRITINGS OF THEODOTUS AND THE SO-CALLED EASTERN DOCTRINE ACCORDING TO

THE TIMES OF VALENTINUS, EPITOMES "Father," he says, "into your hands I commend my Spirit." That which Sophia, he says, brought forth, a little flesh for the Logos, the spiritual seed, having clothed himself with this the Savior came down. 1.1.2 Whence in the passion he commends Sophia to the Father, that he might receive her back from the Father, and she might not be held here by those who are able to deprive. Thus all the spiritual seed, the elect, he commends through the aforementioned voice. 1.1.3 The elect seed we call also a "spark" quickened by the Logos, and "the pupil of the eye," and "a grain of mustard," and "leaven" which unifies into faith the kinds that seemed to have been divided. 1.2.1 But the followers of Valentinus say that when the psychic body was formed, a masculine seed, which is an effluence of the angelic, was placed by the Logos into the elect soul while it was in a state of sleep, so that there might be no defect. 1.2.2 And this it leavened, unifying what seemed to have been divided, the soul and the flesh, which were also brought forth in division by Sophia. And the sleep of Adam was the forgetfulness of the soul, which the spiritual *seed* that the Savior placed in the soul held together so it would not be dissolved. And the seed was an effluence of the masculine and angelic. For this reason the Savior says: "Be saved, you and your soul." 1.3.1 Therefore, having come, the Savior awakened the soul, and kindled the spark; for the words of the Lord are power. For this reason he has said: "Let your light shine before 1.3.2 men". And after the resurrection, breathing the Spirit upon the Apostles, he blew away and separated the dust, like ash, but kindled and quickened the spark. 1.4.1 The Lord, through much humility, did not appear as an angel, but as a man. And when he appeared in glory to the Apostles on the Mountain, he did not do it for his own sake, showing himself, but for the sake of the Church, which is "the elect race," so that it might learn of his progress after his 1.4.2 departure from the flesh. For he was Light even above, and he is that which was "manifested in the flesh," and that which was seen here was not later than that which is above; nor was he cut off when he moved from above to here, changing place for place, so as to occupy one and leave the other; but he was the One who is everywhere, both with the Father and here; for he was the power of the Father. 1.4.3 Besides, that saying of the Savior also had to be fulfilled which he spoke: "There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man in glory." Therefore both Peter and James and John saw and fell asleep.

1.5.1 How then, seeing the luminous vision, were they not amazed, but hearing the voice they fell to the ground? Because ears happen to be less trustworthy than eyes, and an unexpected voice is more 1.5.2 startling. But John the Baptist, hearing the voice, was not afraid, as one hearing in the Spirit, being accustomed to such a voice; but insofar as he is only a man, on hearing he was astounded. Wherefore the Savior also says to them: "Tell no one 1.5.3 what you have seen." And yet they had not seen the light with fleshly eyes (for there is nothing kindred and proper to that light and this flesh), but as the power and the will of the Savior empowered the flesh to see; and besides, what the soul saw, it communicated to the participating flesh because it was interwoven with it. 1.5.4 And the "tell no one," was so that they, understanding who the Lord is, might not refrain from laying hands on the Lord, and the economy become incomplete, and death might refrain from the Lord, as tempting in vain at an impossibility. 1.5.5 And further, the voice on the Mountain came to the elect who already understood; wherefore they also marveled

Excerpta ex Theodoto

ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΘΕΟ∆ΟΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΤΟΛΙΚΗΣ ΚΑΛΟΥΜΕΝΗΣ ∆Ι∆ΑΣΚΑΛΙΑΣ ΚΑΤΑ

ΤΟΥΣ ΟΥΑΛΕΝΤΙΝΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥΣ ΕΠΙΤΟΜΑΙ "Πάτερ", φησί, "παρατίθεμαί σοι εἰς χεῖρας τὸ Πνεῦμά μου." Ὃ προέβαλε, φησί, σαρκίον τῷ Λόγῳ ἡ Σοφία, τὸ πνευματικὸν σπέρμα, τοῦτο στολισάμενος κατῆλθεν ὁ Σωτήρ. 1.1.2 Ὅθεν ἐν τῷ πάθει τὴν Σοφίαν παρατίθεται τῷ Πατρί, ἵνα αὐτὴν ἀπολάβῃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός, καὶ μὴ κατασχεθῇ ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ τῶν στερίσκειν δυναμένων. Οὕτως πᾶν πνευματικὸν σπέρμα, τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς, διὰ τῆς προειρημένης φωνῆς παρατίθεται. 1.1.3 Τὸ ἐκλεκτὸν σπέρμα φαμὲν καὶ "σπινθῆρα" ζωοποιούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ "κόρην ὀφθαλμοῦ" καὶ "κόκκον σινάπεως" καὶ "ζύμην" τὰ δόξαντα καταδιῃρῆσθαι γένη ἑνοποιοῦσαν εἰς πίστιν. 1.2.1 Οἱ δ' ἀπὸ Οὐαλεντίνου, πλασθέντος φασὶ τοῦ ψυχικοῦ σώματος, τῇ ἐκλεκτῇ ψυχῇ οὔσῃ ἐν ὕπνῳ ἐντεθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Λόγου σπέρμα ἀρρενικόν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀπόρροια τοῦ ἀγγελικοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ὑστέρημα ᾖ. 1.2.2 Καὶ τοῦτο ἐζύμωσεν, τὰ δόξαντα καταδιῃρῆσθαι ἑνοποιοῦν, τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὴν σάρκα, ἃ καὶ ἐν μερισμῷ ὑπὸ τῆς Σοφίας προηνέχθη. Ὕπνος δὲ ἦν Ἀδὰμ ἡ λήθη τῆς ψυχῆς, ἣν συνεῖχε μὴ διαλυθῆναι *τὸ σπέρμα* τὸ πνευματικόν, ὅπερ ἐνέθηκεν τῇ ψυχῇ ὁ Σωτήρ. Τὸ σπέρμα δ' ἀπόρροια ἦν τοῦ ἄρρενος καὶ ἀγγελικοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει ὁ Σωτήρ· "Σώζου σὺ καὶ ἡ ψυχή σου." 1.3.1 Ἐλθὼν οὖν ὁ Σωτὴρ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐξύπνισεν, ἐξῆψεν δὲ τὸν σπινθῆρα· δύναμις γὰρ οἱ λόγοι τοῦ Κυρίου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκεν· "Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν 1.3.2 τῶν ἀνθρώπων". Καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἐμφυσῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις, τὸν μὲν χοῦν, καθάπερ τέφραν, ἀπεφύσα καὶ ἐχώριζεν, ἐξῆπτε δὲ τὸν σπινθῆρα καὶ ἐζωοποίει. 1.4.1 Ὁ Κύριος, διὰ πολλὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην, οὐχ ὡς ἄγγελος ὤφθη, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ ὅτε ἐν δόξῃ ὤφθη τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις ἐπὶ τοῦ Ὄρους, οὐ δι' ἑαυτὸν ἐποίησεν, δεικνὺς ἑαυτόν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶ "τὸ γένος τὸ ἐκλεκτόν", ἵνα μάθῃ τὴν προκοπὴν αὐτοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς 1.4.2 σαρκὸς ἔξοδον. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ ἄνω Φῶς ἦν, καὶ ἐστὶ τὸ "ἐπιφανὲν ἐν σαρκὶ" καὶ τὸ ἐνταῦθα ὀφθὲν οὐχ ὕστερον τοῦ ἄνω· οὐδὲ διεκέκοπτο ᾗ ἄνωθεν μετέστη δεῦρο, τόπον ἐκ τόπου ἀμεῖβον, ὡς τὸν μὲν ἐπιλαβεῖν, τὸν δὲ ἀπολιπεῖν· ἀλλ' ἦν τὸ πάντῃ Ὂν καὶ παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ κἀνταῦθα· δύναμις γὰρ ἦν τοῦ Πατρός. 1.4.3 Ἄλλως τε ἐχρῆν κἀκεῖνον πληρωθῆναι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὃν εἶπεν· "Εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων, οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσονται θανάτου, ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου ἐν δόξῃ". Εἶδον οὖν καὶ ἐκοιμήθησαν ὅ τε Πέτρος καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης.

1.5.1 Πῶς οὖν τὴν μὲν ὄψιν τὴν φωτεινὴν ἰδόντες οὐκ ἐξεπλάγησαν, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν ἀκούσαντες ἔπεσον ἐπὶ γῆν; Ὅτι ὦτα τυγχάνει ἀπιστότερα ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ ἡ παρὰ δόξαν φωνὴ μᾶλλον 1.5.2 ἐκπλήσσει. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς τῆς φωνῆς ἀκούσας οὐκ ἐφοβήθη, ὡς ἂν ἐν Πνεύματι ἀκούσας συνήθει τῆς τοιαύτης φωνῆς· καθὸ δὲ ἄνθρωπός τίς ἐστι μόνον, ἀκούσας κατεπλάγη. ∆ιὸ καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Σωτήρ· "Μηδενὶ 1.5.3 εἴπητε ὃ εἴδετε". Καίτοι οὐδὲ σαρκικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸ φῶς ἑωράκεισαν (οὐδὲν γὰρ συγγενὲς καὶ οἰκεῖον ἐκείνῳ τῷ φωτὶ καὶ τῇδε τῇ σαρκί), ἀλλ' ὡς ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ βούλησις τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐνεδυνάμωσεν τὴν σάρκα εἰς τὸ θεάσασθαι· ἄλλως τε καὶ ὃ ἡ ψυχὴ εἶδεν, μετέδωκεν κοινωνούσῃ τῇ σαρκὶ διὰ τὸ συμπεπλέχθαι αὐτῇ. 1.5.4 Τὸ δὲ "μηδενὶ εἴπητε", ἵνα μὴ ὅ ἐστιν ὁ Κύριος νοήσαντες, ἀπόσχωνται τοῦ ἐπιβάλλειν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ ἀτελὴς ἡ οἰκονομία γένηται, καὶ ὁ θάνατος ἀπόσχηται τοῦ Κυρίου, ὡς μάτην πειράζων ἐπὶ ἀνηνύτῳ. 1.5.5 Καὶ ἔτι ἡ μὲν ἐν τῷ Ὄρει φωνή, τοῖς ἤδη συν ιεῖσιν ἐκλεκτοῖς ἐγένετο· διὸ καὶ ἐθαύμασαν