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De haeresibus

A summary of one hundred heresies, whence they began and from where they arose. The mothers and archetypes of all heresies are four: 1. Barbarism, 2. Scythianism, 3. Hellenism, 4. Judaism, from which all the others sprang up. 1. Barbarism, which in itself lasted from the days of Adam for ten generations to Noah. It is called Barbarism because the people of that time did not have any leader or single accord, but each was an element unto himself and a law unto himself according to the preference of his own will. 2. Scythianism, from the days of Noah and afterwards until the building of the tower and of Babylon and after the time of the tower for a few years, that is, until Peleg and Reu, who, having inclined toward the region of Europe, attached themselves to the part of Scythia and to their own nations from the age of Terah and beyond, from whom the Thracians arose. 3. Hellenism, beginning with idolatry from the times of Serug, and how each at that time, according to a certain superstition, was disposed toward a more civilized state and toward customs and ordinances, the races of men, however, beginning to be ordered by idols, to which they were then subject, they deified and by means of colors they depicted their origin and made likenesses of those honored among them then, either sorcerers or some who had done something in life that seemed worthy of memory on account of strength or physical robustness, and then from the times of Terah, father of Abraham, introducing the error of idolatry through statues, they honored their own ancestors through representations and fashioned those who had died before them from ceramic science at first, then imitating with each art, builders by hewing stone, silversmiths and goldsmiths crafting from their own material, and so also carpenters and the rest in succession. And the Egyptians together with the Babylonians and Phrygians and Phoenicians became the first introducers of this worship by means of statue-making and mysteries; from which the first things were transferred to the Greeks from the age of Cecrops and in succession, and afterwards and much later proclaiming as gods those around Kronos and Rhea, and Zeus and in succession also Apollo. And they are called Hellenes from a certain man Hellenos, of those who dwelt in Hellas; but as others say, from the olive tree in Athens. And the Ionians became leaders of these, as is accurate, from Javan, one of the men who built the tower, when the languages of all were divided, for which reason they are all also called Meropes on account of the divided speech. And later Hellenism developed into heresies in subsequent times, I mean of the Pythagoreans and Stoics and Platonists and Epicureans; and besides these, there existed the stamp of piety along with the governance of the law of nature, setting itself apart from these nations, from the foundation of the world until now, being in the middle of Barbarism and Scythianism and Hellenism, until the piety of Abraham was joined to it. 4. And afterwards Judaism, having received its character through circumcision from the times of Abraham and in Moses, the seventh from Abraham, being written down through the law given by God, and from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob who was called Israel, and through David the prophet reigning from the tribe of the same Judah, having inherited the complete name of Judaism. Clearly concerning these four heresies the apostle, cutting them short, said: "For in Christ Jesus neither

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De haeresibus

Περὶ αἱρέσεων ἐν συντομίᾳ ἑκατόν, ὅθεν ἤρξαντο καὶ πόθεν γέγοναν. Πασῶν αἱρέσεων μητέρες καὶ πρωτότυποι τέσσαρες· αʹ οἷον Βαρβαρισμός, βʹ Σκυθισμός, γʹ Ἑλληνισμός, δʹ Ἰουδαϊσμός, ἐξ ὧν αἱ ἄλλαι πᾶσαι ἀνεφύησαν. 1 Βαρβαρισμός, ἥτις καθ' ἑαυτήν ἐστι διαρκέσασα ἀπὸ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐπὶ δέκα γενεὰς τοῦ Νῶε. Βαρβαρισμὸς δὲ κέκληται ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ τοὺς τότε ἀνθρώπους ἀρχηγόν τινα ἔχειν ἢ μίαν συμφωνίαν, ἀλλ' ὅ τι πᾶς τις ἑαυτῷ ἐστοίχει καὶ νόμος ἑαυτῷ κατὰ τὴν προτίμησιν τοῦ ἰδίου βουλήματος ἐγίνετο. 2 Σκυθισμός, ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ Νῶε καὶ μετέπειτα ἄχρι τῆς τοῦ πύργου οἰκοδομῆς καὶ Βαβυλῶνος καὶ μετὰ τὸν τοῦ πύργου χρόνον ἐπὶ ὀλίγοις ἔτεσιν, τουτέστιν ἕως Φαλὲκ καὶ Ῥαγαῦ, οἵτινες ἐπὶ τὸ τῆς Εὐρώπης κλίμα ἀνανενευκότες τῷ τῆς Σκυθίας μέρει καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἔθνεσι προσεκρίθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θάρρα ἡλικίας καὶ ἐπέκεινα, ἐξ οὗπερ οἱ Θρᾷκες γεγόνασι. 3 Ἑλληνισμός, ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων Σεροὺχ ἐναρξάμενος τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας, καὶ ὡς ἐστοίχουν ἕκαστος τὸ τηνικαῦτα κατά τινα δεισιδαιμονίαν ἐπὶ τὸ μάλιστα πολιτικώτερον καὶ ἐπὶ ἔθη καὶ θεσμούς, εἰδώλων μέντοι γε ἐναρξάμενα τάττεσθαι τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένη, οἷς τότε ἐστοίχησαν, ἐθεοποίουν καὶ διὰ μὲν χρωμάτων διαγράφοντες τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ ἀπεικάζοντες τοὺς τότε παρ' αὐτοῖς τετιμημένους ἢ γόητας ἤ τινάς τι δράσαντας ἐν βίῳ μνήμης δοκοῦν ἄξιον δι' ἀλκὴν ἢ σωμάτων εὐρωστίαν, ἔπειτα δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων τοῦ Θάρρα, πατρὸς Ἀβραάμ, καὶ δι' ἀγαλμάτων τὴν πλάνην τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας εἰσηγησάμενοι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν προπάτορας δι' ἀπεικονισμῶν τετιμηκότες καὶ τοὺς πρὸ ἑαυτῶν τετελευτηκότας τεχνησάμενοι ἐκ κεραμικῆς ἐπιστήμης τὸ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα ἑκάστῃ τέχνῃ μιμησάμενοι οἰκοδόμοι μὲν λίθον ξέσαντες, ἀργυροκόποι δὲ καὶ χρυσοχόοι ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας ὕλης τεκτηνάμενοι, οὕτω τε καὶ τέκτονες καὶ οἱ καθεξῆς. Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ ὁμοῦ καὶ Βαβυλώνιοι καὶ Φρύγες καὶ Φοίνικες ταύτης τῆς θρησκείας πρῶτοι εἰσηγηταὶ γεγόνασιν ἀγαλματοποιίαις καὶ μυστηρίοις· ἀφ' ὧν τὰ πρῶτα εἰς Ἕλληνας μετηνέχθη ἀπὸ τῆς Κέκροπος ἡλικίας καὶ καθεξῆς, μετέπειτα δὲ καὶ ὑστέρῳ πολὺ τοὺς περὶ Κρόνον καὶ Ῥέαν, ∆ία τε καὶ καθεξῆς καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα θεοὺς ἀναγορεύσαντες. Ἕλληνες δὲ κέκληνται ἀπὸ Ἑλένου τινὸς ἀνδρὸς τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι κατῳκηκότων· ὡς δὲ ἕτεροί φασιν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλαίας τῆς ἐν Ἀθήναις. Ἴωνες δὲ τούτων ἀρχηγοὶ γεγένηνται, ὡς ἔχει ἡ ἀκρίβεια, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰωϋάν, ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς τῶν τὸν πύργον οἰκοδομησάντων, ὅτε αἱ γλῶσσαι διῃρέθησαν τῶν πάντων, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν καὶ Μέροπες πάντες κέκληνται διὰ τὴν μεμερισμένην φωνήν. Ὕστερον δὲ ὁ Ἑλληνισμὸς εἰς αἱρέσεις κατέστη κατωτέρω τῶν χρόνων, φημὶ δὴ Πυθαγορείων καὶ Στωϊκῶν καὶ Πλατωνικῶν καὶ Ἐπικουρείων· καὶ λοιπὸν θεοσεβείας χαρακτὴρ ὑπῆρχεν ἅμα καὶ ὁ κατὰ φύσιν νόμος πολιτευόμενος, ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἑαυτὸν ἀφορίζων, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου καταβολῆς καὶ δεῦρο, μέσος τυγχάνων Βαρβαρισμοῦ καὶ Σκυθισμοῦ καὶ Ἑλληνισμοῦ, ἕως οὗ συνήφθη ἡ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ θεοσέβεια. 4 Καὶ μετέπειτα Ἰουδαϊσμός, ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων Ἀβραὰμ τὸν χαρακτῆρα διὰ περιτομῆς εἰληφὼς καὶ ἐν Μωσῇ, ἑβδόμῳ ἀπὸ Ἀβραάμ, διὰ τοῦ δοθέντος νόμου ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ γραφείς, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἰούδα, τετάρτου υἱοῦ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ ἐπικληθέντος Ἰσραήλ, διὰ δὲ ∆αυὶδ τοῦ προφήτου βασιλεύσαντος ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰούδα φυλῆς τὸ τέλειον τοῦ Ἰουδαϊσμοῦ ὀνόματος κεκληρωμένος. Σαφῶς περὶ τούτων τῶν τεσσάρων αἱρέσεων ὁ ἀπόστολος ἀποτέμνων ἔφη· «Ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ οὐ