so as to illustrate the Pleroma and the Eons.

11

III.

xiv. 27.

distinguishing, he is Order, or Limit: the operation of CHAP. the same Order, they say, our Saviour signified as follows: that is to say, first his work of consolidating, when He says, "He that taketh not up his cross and followeth Me, cannot be- St. Luke come My Disciple;" and, "Take up the cross and follow St. Mark Me;" and, his distinguishing work again, where it is said, x. 21. "I came not to send peace, but a sword." John also, accord- St. Matt. ing to them, indicated the same by the words, "The fan is St. Luke in His Hand, and He shall throughly purge the floor, and shall gather the wheat into His garner, but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable.

Now in this speech also, they said there was signified the operation of Order or Limit. For that " Fan," they expound to be the Cross, who, they add, consumes also all material things, as fire the chaff, but purges those who are saved, as the fan does the wheat.

x. 34.

iii. 17.

Moreover they affirm that Paul the Apostle also, makes mention of this Cross in the text, " For the Word of the Cross 1 Cor. i. is to them that perish foolishness; but to us which are saved, it is the Power of God."

18.

And again, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the Gal.vi.14. Cross of Jesus, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

Such then are the sayings of them all about their Pleroma, § 6. and vain invention; violently adapting the good words to their own evil devices. And not only from the Gospels and Apostolical writings do they endeavour to make out their proofs, perverting their versions, and falsifying their expositions; but also out of the Law and the Prophets; taking occasion from the many Parables and allegories there uttered, which may be wrested many ways, others by their exposition do cleverly and craftily suit what is ambiguous to their own device, and so lead captive from the Truth all such as maintain not firmly their faith in One God the Father Almighty, and in One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Now the transactions without the Pleroma, stated by CHAP. them, are as follows.

The conception of the Wisdom which is above, to which

h So Gk. Lat. Christi.

IV.

§ 1.

IV.

12 Transactions without the Pleroma. Misfortunes of Achamoth.

CHAP. also they give the name of Achamoth, being excluded, with all Passion, from the Pleroma, and abiding in certain shadows and void places, did there of necessity, as they affirm, effervesce, being turned out of the Light, and the Pleroma, without form or kind, as an abortion, because she had not comprehended anything. Hereupon, they add, the superior Christ pitying her, and overshadowing her by the intervention of him who is the Cross, did of his own power bring her into form; such form as implies resemblance to him in substance only, and not in knowledge. And having done this he has turned back, withdrawing his power, and left her to herself; in order that perceiving her calamity, in that she was separated from the Pleroma, she might aim at the things which are more excellent; having a kind of savour of incorruption, left in her by Christ and the Holy Spirit. And that this is why she is called by both names, namely, Wisdom, from her parent, (for that which produced her is called Wisdom) and the Holy Ghost, from the spirit which attends on Christ.

§ 2.

Further, that having received form and consciousness, but being presently left void of the Invisible Word who was with her, that is, Christ, she set herself to search out the Light which had forsaken her, but was unable to attain unto it, because she was forbidden by the power of Order (or Limit). And that at this point of time, Order, checking her in her onward impulse, uttered the word IAO (JEHOVAH); from which the Holy Name, JEHOVAH, they say, had its origin. And that she, unable to pass by the said Order, because of her being entangled with her affliction, and thus left alone without, sank under every part of her affliction, manifold and various as it was: and so had to endure, first grief, because she could not attain to her end; then fear of the Life forsaking her, even as the Light had done; and besides these perplexity, and the whole together in ignorance. And not as her mother, the first Wisdom, who is also an Æon, did she simply endure alternation in her passions, but even absolute contrariety; another tendency also having befallen her, that of conversion to him who gave her life.

This, they say, was the composition and being of matter,

Origin of matter. Ironical suggestions of St. Irenæus. 13

IV.

out of which this world was formed. For on the one hand CHAP. from this her conversion the whole soul of the world and of its Fabricator took its origin: on the other, from her tears was produced all liquid substance; from her laughter, all that is luminous; from her grief and perplexity, the bodily elements of the world. Since she was now in tears and grief, as they affirm, on account of her being left alone in the darkness and void; one while having lit upon an imagination of the light which had left her, she relaxed into a smile; and then again on the contrary she was smitten with fear; and another time she was in utter perplexity and amazement.

$3.

And what shall I say? in this part of their subject it was all a deep tragedy, and each of them had his own fancy, pompously setting forth in their several ways, through what process and out of what element each substance had its origin. And I think they had much reason in their unwillingness to let all persons openly know of these things, and in rather reserving them for those who are able to pay a large price for the knowledge of so great mysteries; mysteries far differing from those others, concerning which our Lord said, Freely ye have received, freely give; whereas these are re- St. Matt. tired, and prodigious, and deep, and not without much toil x. 8. coming within reach of those who delight in falsehood. For who would not freely spend all his goods, to be informed, that from the tears of her who is the Conception of that Eon which suffered, seas took their origin, and fountains and rivers, and all liquid matter; and from her smile, the light; and from her amazement and utter perplexity, the solid elements of the world?

But I have a mind myself also to contribute something to § 4. to this plentiful crop of theirs. As thus; perceiving that some waters are sweet, such as fountains, and rivers, and showers, and the like, while those in the seas are briny, it comes into my mind that they did not all emanate from her tears, the moisture of tears being of a briny quality. Clearly then the salt waters only are those which come of her tears. But it is natural to suppose that, being as she was in great agony and distress, there were sweat-drops upon her. From

IV.

14

Deliverance of Achamoth by the Saviour.

CHAP. this then, in conformity with their theory, we ought to imagine, fountains and rivers, and whatsoever other waters are sweet, derived their origin, and not from her tears: it being incredible, since the quality of the tears is one and the same, that both the salt and sweet waters proceeded from them. But this is more credible, that the one came of her tears, the other of her sweat. For

§ 5.

such are the fitting fruits of their theory.

Their Mother then, having travelled through her whole calamity, and only just begun to surmount it, betook herself, as they say, to supplication of the Light which had left her, that is, of the Christ. But he, having returned to the Pleroma, shrank, I suppose, from the trouble of descending a second time, and rather sent out to her the Comforter, that is the Saviour; the Father having yielded unto him all his power, and delivered every thing to be under his authority; and the Eons too in like manner, that in him all things Col. i. 16. should be created, visible and invisible, Thrones, Deities, Dominions. He is sent forth to her, with the Angels which were formed at the same time with him.

Thereupon Achamoth, reverencing him, as they say, first put on a veil out of bashfulness; but afterwards beholding him with all his rich shew of fruit, hastened towards him, receiving power to do so, by his manifestation. He, they say, reduced her into form, with such formation as implies perfect knowledge, and acheived the healing of her passions. Hẹ separated them from her; he did not entirely neglect them; to annihilate them being impossible, because now they were habitual and strong. But he put them apart by themselves, then mingled and consolidated them, and changed átos. them from incorporal accidents into matter still incorporeal. Next accordingly he wrought in them aptitude and a peculiar nature, that they might enter into combinations and bodies: so that two substances might come into being; the one bad, liable to the Passions; the other intelligent, capable of Conversion. And for this cause, they say that our Saviour was virtually the Framer of the Universe.

Moreover that Achamoth being delivered from her trouble,

Achamoth forms the Demiurgus out of animal substance. 15

V.

and obtaining with that joy the contemplation of the lights CHAP. that were with Him, that is, of the Angels, his companions, and smitten with longing for them, became pregnant, (so they teach) with offspring after their image: a spiritual offspring, formed after the resemblance of those were the body-guards of our Saviour.

Having now therefore these three ingredients given her, by their account: the first proceeding from Passion, which was matter; the second from a tendency to recovery, which was the animal part; the third that which she bore, that is, the spiritual part; she next applied herself to the forming thereof. However, the spiritual part she was unable herself to reduce into form, being herself of the same substance with it. But she betook herself to the formation of the animal substance which arose from her tendency to recovery, and so brought to light the instructions she had received from the Saviour.

Now her first formation out of the animal substance, they say, was the Father and King of all things; both of such as are of the same substance with himself, that is, the animal, the same which they call also things on the right hand; and of those also which owe their origin to passion and matter, the same which they say are on the left. For all things akin to himself, they say, he formed, unconsciously moved thereto by his Mother: whence also they give him the names of Metropator, and Unfathered, and Artificer, and Father: affirming him to be Father of things on the right, that is, animal, but of those on the left, that is, material, Artificer; and of all taken together, King.

For the aforesaid Enthymesis [or Achamoth], they say,; desired to do all to the honour of the Eons, and therefore made certain images of them; or rather the Saviour did so by her. And she reserved herself to be in the image of the invisible Father, she not being known by the Demiurgus [or Artificer]; while he was to represent the only-begotten Son, and the images of the other ons were to be the Archangels and Angels formed by him.

CHAP.

V.

§ 1.

He then, by their account, became Father and God of $2. i Or "after himself:" KaT' avròv Gr. post eum Lat.