V. 16 Achamoth makes all things by the Demiurgus. CHAP. things without the Pleroma, being maker of all, both animal and material. For that he separated those two substances, before confused, and brought the incorporeal into bodily shape, and so framed both heavenly and earthly things, and became their Artificer, whether material or animal, on the right hand or on the left, light or heavy, of upward or of downward tendency: he having furnished seven Heavens, above which, they say, is the Demiurgus himself. And therefore they call him the Hebdomad, but his mother Achamoth the Ogdoad, she thus keeping entire the number of the original and first Ogdoad, belonging to the Pleroma. § 3. § 4. Further; as to these seven heavens, which they say, are endowed with understanding, they suppose them to be a kind of Angels, and the Demiurgus too himself an angel like unto God. As they say also that Paradise, being above the third heaven, is virtually a fourth angel, and that Adam obtained I know not what from it, in consequence of his abode therein. Moreover, they say that the Demiurgus fancied himself to be framing these things of himself, but that in reality he made them by virtue which came out from Achamoth: so that Heaven was made by him, not knowing heaven; and man was moulded, he not knowing man; and Earth manifested, while he was unacquainted with Earth. And throughout in like manner they say he was ignorant of the substantial forms of what he was making, and of his mother herself, and fancied that he himself alone was all. And the cause of this his imagination, they affirm, was his mother, whose will it had been so to train him up to be head and principle of his own proper substance, and director of this whole work. Which mother of his they call also the Ogdoad, and Wisdom, and Earth, and Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit, and in the masculine, Lord. Her home, they say, is in the intermediate space, so that she abides above the Demiurgus, but beneath or without the Pleroma, until the consummation. The material substance then being, as they say, made out of three passions or affections, fear, and grief, and perplexity; Origin of the Demiurgus, and the demons. 17 xlvi. 9. they will have it that the partakers of animal life owe their subsistence partly to fear and partly to an effort after recovery; that from this effort the Demiurgus had his birth; but from fear, all other being that has animal life, as the souls of irrational creatures, and of beasts, and men. Wherefore that he, wanting energy to discern any spiritual things, considered himself alone to be God, and said by his Prophets, I am God, beside Me there is none. From grief again they Is. xlv. 6, teach that the spiritual powers of wickedness proceeded; that hence the Devil had his origin, whom also they call the Ruler of this world, his demons too, and his angels, and all that spiritually exists on the side of wickedness. The Demiurgus however they call the son of that Mother of theirs, but the Ruler of this world, a creature of the Demiurgus. And that the Ruler of the world knows the things above him, because he is a spirit of wickedness; but the Demiurgus knows them not, as having merely an animal existence. The abode of their Mother they say is the super celestial region, that is, in the intermediate space; of the Demiurgus, in the heavenly, that is, in the series of seven heavens; of the Ruler of the world, in this world of ours." Further that from that astonishment and extreme perplexity as from the meaner passions, the corporeal elements of the world, as we stated before, had their origin; Earth, upon the stay of that amazement; Water, upon the exciting of Fear; air, upon the fixing (or condensation) of grief. Fire, they say, existed in them all to be a cause of death and decay, even as ignorance was secretly mingled in those three passions. Thus having formed the world, he created also the earthly § 5. man, not however out of this dry earth, but out of its invisible substance, taking his material from that which is continually exhaled and flowing [from the grosser being]. And into this earthly man as they carefully distinguish, he breathed the animal man. And this, they say, was the man formed after his image, and similitude: the material man being after his image, like but not consubstantial with, his God; while the animal man was after his likeness; for which ฎ เอ § 6. CHAP. VI. § 1. 18 The earthly,' the animal,' and the 'spiritual' man. cause also his substance is called the Spirit of Life, coming of a spiritual efflux [from Him]. But afterwards, they say, the coat of skins was put on him; and this, they say, is the frail flesh, the object of sense. But the offspring of their Mother Achamoth, whereof she became pregnant in her contemplation of the Angels which waited on the Saviour, being of the same substance with the Mother-spiritual,-was unknown even to the Demiurgus, as they affirm. And they say it was secretly lodged in him without his consciousness, in order that by him having been sown in the soul which he made, and in this material body, and having therein, like an unborn babe received growth, it might be made ready to admit the perfect Word. That spiritual Man therefore was unknown, as they say, to the Demiurgus, who was sown by Wisdom in the natural man at the moment of his breathing into his nostrils, and that through an ineffable Providence. For as he knew not his Mother, so neither did he know her seed. And this same seed they affirm also to be the Church, corresponding to the Church above. And with this they maintain their inward being to be completed; as though they had their animal soul from the Demiurgus, their body from the dust of the Earth, and their fleshly part from its matter, while the spiritual Man comes from their Mother Achamoth. There being then three principles; the material, first of all, which they call also that on the left hand, necessarily, as they affirm, perishes, as being incapable of receiving any breath of incorruption. But the animal principle, which they denominate likewise that on the right hand, as being midway between the spiritual and material, departs in that direction, towards which it makes itself incline. As to the spiritual part, they say it is sent forth, in order that being here joined to the animal, it may be fashioned, sharing the discipline thereof in its conversation here. And this they say is St. Matt. the salt and the light of the world. For the animal principle had need of outward and sensible discipline of various kinds. By such they say, the world itself was framed, and what is v. 13, 14. The Valentinian' Saviour.' Who are animal," who spiritual.' 19 more, that the Saviour came to the aid of this, the animal part, it having also free will, that he might save it. For, of those, whom he was to save, they affirm, he took on him the firstfruits: from Achamoth assuming the spiritual principle, from the Demiurgus the animal Christ wherewith he clothed himself; and by that peculiar dispensation putting on a body which had an animal being, but was constructed by unspeakable art, so as to be both visible and palpable and capable of suffering. They add, that he took not on him any thing at all material; matter not being capable of salvation. As to the end of the world, they say it will be, when the whole spiritual creation is formed and perfected in knowledge; meaning those of mankind who are spiritual, who have the perfect knowledge concerning God, and are initiated by Achamoth into her mysteries. And these, they imagine, are themselves. For mere animal lessons are the discipline of mere animal § 2. men, of those who are established by bare faith and works, and possess not the perfect knowledge. And this account they give of us, who belong to the Church, which is the reason why they also affirm good conduct to be necessary for us, since otherwise we cannot be saved. As to themselves, they maintain that not by any course of conduct, but because they are by nature spiritual, they shall in any case and by all means be saved. For as the earthly cannot attain salvation (not being as they say capable of it) so again the spiritual, which they will have to be themselves, never can admit corruption, whatsoever actions they may be engaged in. For even as gold deposited in mud does not cast off its beauty, but keeps its proper nature, the mud having no power to damage the gold at all: just so they affirm of themselves, that whatever kind of material actions they may be concerned in, they are not at all damaged themselves, nor do they cast away their spiritual subsistence. For which cause also the most perfect among them do all § 3. forbidden things without fear; such things whereof the scriptures are positive, that they who do them shall not in § 4. 20 Gross immorality of the Valentinians. herit God's Kingdom. Thus, in the first place, they eat indifferently of things sacrificed to idols, not esteeming themselves at all stained thereby. And at every holiday amusement of the Gentiles, taking place in honour of the idols, they are first to assemble; some of them not even abstaining from that murderous spectacle, hated by God and man, of combats with wild beasts, and of single fight. Others again, who are the slaves of all fleshly pleasures, even unto loathing, say that "The carnal things are for the carnal, and the spiritual things for the spiritual, being so assigned." Some of them privately corrupt the women who are instructed by them in this doctrine; as many times certain have confessed, together with the rest of their error; such I mean as had been seduced by .one or other of them, and had afterwards returned to the Church of God. Others even publickly, casting off all shame, whatsoever women they have a fancy for, they force away from their husbands and account their own wives. A third sort again, pretending at first to live in all honour, as with sisters, in process of time have been exposed; the sister becoming pregnant by the brother. Yea, and they have many other abominable and godless practices. And while they run down us, who keep ourselves through the fear of God, from sinning so much as in thought or word, for being unlearned and knowing nothing; themselves they magnify above measure, under the names of Perfect, and Seeds of Election. For we, they affirm, receive Grace to be used only; and therefore it will be taken from us. But they have their grace as a possession of their own, having come down from above, from the Unspeakable and Louçuyías Unnameable Combination1; and therefore it will be added unto them. For which cause, they add, it is right for them in every way, to be always practising the mystery of Combination. And of this they convince the foolish, their words being literally such as these: "Whosoever being merely in the world,' hath not loved a woman, so as that she should give Alluding to St. Luke xix. 26. appear to be taken, by profane and abominable parody, from St. John 17. Massuet. |