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| Chapter I.—Absurd ideas of the disciples of Valentinus as to the origin, name, order, and conjugal productions of their fancied Æons, with the passages of Scripture which they adapt to their opinions.
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Chapter I.—Absurd ideas of the
disciples of Valentinus as to the origin, name, order, and conjugal productions
of their fancied Æons, with the passages of Scripture which they adapt to
their opinions.
1. They maintain, then, that in the
invisible and ineffable heights above there exists a certain perfect,
pre-existent Æon,2664
| 2664 This term Æon (Αἰών) seems to have
been formed from the words ἀεὶ ὤν,
ever-existing. “We may take αἰών,
therefore,” says Harvey (Irenæus, cxix.), “in the
Valentinian acceptation of the word, to mean an emanation from the divine
substance, subsisting co-ordinately and co-eternally with the Deity, the
Pleroma still remaining one.” | whom they call Proarche,
Propator, and
Bythus, and describe as being invisible and
incomprehensible. Eternal and unbegotten, he remained throughout
innumerable cycles of ages in profound serenity and quiescence. There existed along with him Ennœa, whom they also
call Charis and Sige.2665
| 2665
Sige, however, was no true consort of Bythus, who
included in himself the idea of male and female, and was the one cause of
all things: comp. Hippolytus, Philosop., vi. 29. There seems to
have been considerable disagreement among these heretics as to the
completion of the mystical number thirty. Valentinus himself appears to
have considered Bythus as a monad, and Sige as a mere nonentity. The two
latest Æons, Christ and the Holy Spirit, would then complete the number
thirty. But other Gnostic teachers included both Bythus and Sige in that
mystical number. | At last this Bythus determined to send forth
from himself the beginning of all things, and deposited this production
(which he had resolved to bring forth) in his contemporary Sige, even as seed is deposited in the womb. She then,
having received this seed, and becoming pregnant, gave birth to Nous, who
was both similar and equal to him who had produced him, and was alone
capable of comprehending his father’s greatness. This Nous they
call also Monogenes, and Father, and the Beginning of all Things. Along with him was also produced
Aletheia; and these four constituted the first and first-begotten
Pythagorean Tetrad, which they also denominate the root of all things.
For there are
first Bythus and Sige, and then Nous and Aletheia. And Monogenes,
perceiving for what purpose he had been produced, also himself sent forth
Logos and Zoe, being the father of all those who
were to come after him, and the beginning and fashioning of the entire
Pleroma. By the conjunction of Logos and Zoe were brought forth Anthropos and
Ecclesia; and thus was formed the
first-begotten Ogdoad, the root and substance of all things, called among
them by four names, viz., Bythus, and Nous, and Logos, and Anthropos. For
each of these is masculo-feminine, as follows: Propator was united by a
conjunction with his Ennœa; then Monogenes, that is Nous, with Aletheia;
Logos with Zoe, and Anthropos with Ecclesia.
2. These Æons having been produced for the glory
of the Father, and wishing, by their own efforts, to effect this object,
sent forth emanations by means of conjunction. Logos and Zoe, after
producing Anthropos and Ecclesia, sent forth other ten Æons, whose names
are the following: Bythius and Mixis, Ageratos and Henosis, Autophyes and
Hedone, Acinetos and Syncrasis, Monogenes and Macaria.2666
| 2666 It may be well to give
here the English equivalents of the names of these Æons and their
authors. They are as follows: Bythus, Profundity; Proarche,
First-Beginning; Propator, First-Father; Ennœa,
Idea; Charis, Grace; Sige, Silence; Nous,
Intelligence; Aletheia, Truth; Logos, Word; Zoe,
Life; Anthropos, Man; Ecclesia, Church; Bythius,
Deep; Mixis, Mingling; Ageratos, Undecaying;
Henosis, Union; Autophyes, Self-existent; Hedone,
Pleasure; Acinetos, Immoveable; Syncrasis, Blending;
Monogenes, Only-Begotten; Macaria, Happiness; Paracletus,
Advocate; Pistis, Faith; Patricos, Ancestral; Elpis,
Hope; Metricos, Metrical; Agape, Love; Ainos,
Praise; Synesis, Understanding; Ecclesiasticus,
Ecclesiastical; Macariotes, Felicity; Theletos,
Desiderated; Sophia, Wisdom. | These are
the ten Æons whom they declare to have been produced by Logos
and Zoe. They then add that Anthropos himself, along with Ecclesia,
produced twelve Æons, to whom they give the following names: Paracletus
and Pistis, Patricos and Elpis, Metricos and Agape, Ainos and Synesis,
Ecclesiasticus and Macariotes, Theletos and Sophia.
3. Such are the thirty Æons in the erroneous system of
these men; and they are described as being wrapped up, so to speak, in
silence, and known to none [except these professing teachers]. Moreover,
they declare that this invisible and spiritual Pleroma of theirs is
tripartite, being divided into an Ogdoad, a Decad, and a Duodecad. And
for this reason they affirm it was that the “Saviour”—
for they do not please to call Him “Lord”—did no work
in public during the space of thirty years,2667
thus setting forth the mystery of these Æons. They maintain
also, that these thirty Æons are most plainly indicated in the
parable2668
of the labourers sent into the
vineyard. For some are sent about the first hour, others about the third
hour, others about the sixth hour, others about the ninth hour, and
others about the eleventh hour. Now, if we add up the numbers of the
hours here mentioned, the sum total will be thirty: for one, three, six,
nine, and eleven, when added together, form thirty. And by the hours,
they hold that the Æons were pointed out; while they maintain that these
are great, and wonderful, and hitherto unspeakable mysteries which it is
their special function to develop; and so they proceed when they find
anything in the multitude2669
| 2669
Some omit ἐν πλήθει, while others
render the words “a definite number,” thus: “And if
there is anything else in Scripture which is referred to by a definite
number.” | of things contained in the Scriptures which
they can adopt and accommodate to their baseless speculations.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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