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| Comparative Lateness of Heresies. Marcion's Heresy. Some Personal Facts About Him. The Heresy of Apelles. Character of This Man; Philumene; Valentinus; Nigidius, and Hermogenes. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
Chapter
XXX.—Comparative Lateness of Heresies. Marcion’s Heresy.
Some Personal Facts About Him. The Heresy of Apelles. Character of This
Man; Philumene; Valentinus; Nigidius, and Hermogenes.
Where was Marcion then, that shipmaster of
Pontus, the zealous student of Stoicism? Where was Valentinus
then, the disciple of Platonism? For it is evident that those
men lived not so long ago,—in the reign of Antoninus for the most
part,2156 —and that they at first were believers
in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, in the church of Rome under the
episcopate of the blessed Eleutherus,2157
until on account of their ever restless curiosity, with which they even
infected the brethren, they were more than once expelled. Marcion,
indeed, [went] with the two hundred sesterces which he had brought into
the church, and,2158
2158 See adv.
Marcion, iv. 4. infra. | when banished at
last to a permanent excommunication, they scattered abroad the poisons
of their doctrines. Afterwards, it is true, Marcion professed
repentance, and agreed to the conditions granted to him—that he
should receive reconciliation if he restored to the church all the
others whom he had been training for perdition: he was prevented,
however, by death. It was indeed2159
2159 Enim, profecto
(Oehler). | necessary that
there should be heresies;2160 and yet it does not
follow from that necessity, that heresies are a good thing. As if it
has not been necessary also that there should be evil! It was even
necessary that the Lord should be betrayed; but woe to the
traitor!2161 So that no man may
from this defend heresies. If we must likewise touch the
descent2162
2162 Stemma. The
reading of the Cod. Agobard. is “stigma,” which
gives very good sense. | of Apelles, he is
far from being “one of the old school,”2163 like his instructor and moulder, Marcion; he
rather forsook the continence of Marcion, by resorting to the company
of a woman, and withdrew to Alexandria, out of sight of his most
abstemious2164
2164 Sanctissimi.
This may be an ironical allusion to Marcion’s repudiation
of marriage. | master. Returning
therefrom, after some years, unimproved, except that he was no longer a
Marcionite, he clave2165 to another woman,
the maiden Philumene (whom we have already2166
2166 In chap. vi. p. 246
above. |
mentioned), who herself afterwards became an enormous prostitute.
Having been imposed on by her vigorous spirit,2167
2167 Energemate. Oehler
defines this word, “vis et efficacia dæmonum, quibus
agebatur.” [But see Lardner, Credib. viii. p. 540.] | he
committed to writing the revelations which he had learned of
her. Persons are still living who remember them,—their own actual
disciples and successors,—who cannot therefore deny the lateness
of their date. But, in fact, by their own works they are convicted,
even as the Lord said.2168 For since Marcion
separated the New Testament from the Old, he is (necessarily)
subsequent to that which he separated, inasmuch as it was only in his
power to separate what was (previously) united. Having then been united
previous to its separation, the fact of its subsequent separation
proves the subsequence also of the man who effected the
separation. In like manner Valentinus, by his different
expositions and acknowledged2169 emendations, makes
these changes on the express ground of previous faultiness, and
therefore demonstrates the difference2170
2170 Alterius fuisse. One
reading is anterius; i.e., “demonstrates the
priority” of the book he alters. | of
the documents. These corrupters of the truth we mention as being more
notorious and more public2171 than others. There
is, however, a certain man2172 named Nigidius, and
Hermogenes, and several others, who still pursue the course2173 of perverting the ways of the Lord. Let them
show me by what authority they come! If it be some other God they
preach, how comes it that they employ the things and the writings and
the names of that God against whom they preach? If it be the same God,
why treat Him in some other way? Let them prove themselves to be new
apostles!2174
2174 Compare de Carne
Christi, chap. ii. [Elucidation IV.] | Let them maintain
that Christ has come down a second time, taught in person a second
time, has been twice crucified, twice dead, twice raised! For thus has
the apostle described (the order of events in the life of Christ); for
thus, too, is He2175 accustomed to make
His apostles—to give them, (that is), power besides of working
the same miracles which He worked Himself.2176
2176 We add Oehler’s
reading of this obscure passage: “Sic enim apostolus descripsit,
sic enim apostolos solet facere, dare præterea illis virtutem
eadem signa edendi quæ et ipse.” [“It is worthy
of remark” (says Kaye, p. 95), “that he does not appeal
to any instance of the exercise of miraculous powers in his own
day.”] | I
would therefore have their mighty deeds also brought forward; except
that I allow their mightiest
deed to be that by which they perversely vie with the apostles.
For whilst they used to raise men to life from the dead, these consign
men to death from their living state.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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