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| Valentinus, Ptolemy and Secundus, Heracleon.
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Chapter
IV.—Valentinus, Ptolemy and Secundus, Heracleon.
Valentinus the heretic, moreover, introduced many
fables. These I will retrench and briefly summarize. For he
introduces the Pleroma and the thirty Æons. These Æons,
moreover, he explains in the way of syzygies, that is, conjugal
unions8381
| 8381 Conjugationes. Cowper
uses our word “conjugation” in this sense in one of his
humorous pieces. [“Pairing-time.”] The
“syzygies” consisted of one male
and one female Æon each. | of some kind. For
among the first,8382
| 8382 Oehler separates
“in primis;” but perhaps they ought to be
united—“inprimis,” or
“imprimis”—and taken as ="primo ab initio.” | he says, were
Depth8383
and Silence; of these proceeded Mind and
Truth; out of whom burst the Word and Life; from whom, again, were
created Man8384
and the Church. But
(these are not all); for of these last also proceeded twelve Æons;
from Speech,8385
| 8385 “Sermone:”
he said “Verbum” before. | moreover, and Life
proceeded other ten Æons: such is the Triacontad of
Æons, which is made up in the Pleroma of an ogdoad, a decad, and a
duodecad. The thirtieth Æon, moreover, willed to see the great
Bythus; and, to see him, had the hardihood to ascend into the upper
regions; and not being capable of seeing his magnitude,
desponded,8386
| 8386 In defectione
fuisse. | and almost suffered
dissolution, had not some one,—he whom he calls Horos, to
wit,—sent to invigorate him, strengthened him by pronouncing the
word “Iao.”8387
| 8387 Cf. adv.
Valent. cc. x. xiv. [Routh says that this IAO (see note 8) is
wanting in the older editions. It was borrowed from the Adv.
Valentin. to eke out a defect.] | This Æon,
moreover, which was thus reduced to despondency, he calls Achamoth,
(and says) that he was seized with certain regretful passions, and out
of his passions gave birth to material essences.8388
| 8388 Such appears to be the
meaning of this sentence as Oehler gives it. But the text is here
corrupt; and it seems plain there must either be something lost
relating to this “Achamoth,” or else some capital error in
the reading, or, thirdly, some gross and unaccountable confusion in the
writer: for the sentence as it stands is wholly irreconcilable with
what follows. It evidently makes “Achamoth” identical with
“the thirtieth Æon” above-named; and yet, without
introducing any fresh subject, the writer goes on to state that this
despondent Œon, who “conceived and bare,” was itself
the offspring of despondency, and made an infirm world out of the
infirm materials which “Achamoth” supposed it with. Now it
is apparent from other sources—as, for instance, from Tert.
adv. Valentin, above referred to—that the
“thirtieth Æon” was supposed to be female,
Sophia (Wisdom) by name, and that she was said to be the
parent of “Achamoth,” or “Enthymesis”
(see adv. Valentin. cc. ix. x. xi. xiv. xxv.), while
“Achamoth” herself appears by some accounts to be also
called κάτω
Σοφία. The name “Achamoth”
itself, which Tertullian (adv. Valentin. c. xiv. ad
init.) calls an “uninterpretable name,” is believed to
be a representation of a Hebrew word meaning “wisdom;” and
hence, possibly, some of the confusion may have arisen,—from a
promiscuous use, namely, of the titles “Achamoth” and
“Sophia.” Moreover, it would appear that some words lower
down as to the production by “Achamoth” of
“Demiurgus,” must have dropped out. Unless these two
omissions be supplied, the passage is wholly unintelligible. Can
the fact that the Hebrew word which “Achamoth” represents
is a fem. pl. in any way explain this confused medley, or help
to reconcile conflicting accounts? The ἄνω and
κάτω
Σοφία seem to point in some degree to
some such solution of some of the existing difficulties.
“Iao,” again, is a word which has cause much perplexity.
Can it possibly be connected with ἰάομαι, “to heal?” [See note
8.] | For he was panic-stricken, he says, and
terror-stricken, and overcome with sadness; and of these passions he
conceived and bare. Hence he made the heaven, and the earth, and the
sea, and whatever is in them: for which cause all things made by him
are infirm, and frail, and capable of falling, and mortal, inasmuch as
he himself was conceived and produced from despondency. He,
however, originated this world8389
out of those
material essences which Achamoth, by his panic, or terror, or sadness,
or sweat, had supplied. For of his panic, he says, was made darkness;
of his fear and ignorance, the spirits of wickedness and malignity; of
his sadness and tears, the humidities of founts, the material essence
of floods and sea. Christ, moreover, was sent by that
First-Father who is Bythus. He, moreover, was not in the substance of
our flesh; but, bringing down from heaven some spiritual body or other,
passed through the Virgin Mary as water through a pipe, neither
receiving nor borrowing aught thence. The resurrection of our present
flesh he denies, but (maintains that) of some sister-flesh.8390
| 8390 Oehler’s
suggestion is to vary the pointing so as to give this sense:
“The resurrection of this flesh he denies. But of a sister-Law
and prophets,” etc. But this seems even more harsh than the
other. | Of the Law and the prophets some parts he
approves, some he disapproves; that is, he disapproves all in
reprobating some. A Gospel of his own he likewise has, beside these of
ours.
After him arose the heretics Ptolemy and Secundus,
who agree throughout with Valentinus, differing only in the following
point: viz., whereas Valentinus had feigned but thirty Æons, they
have added several more; for they first added four, and subsequently
four more. And Valentine’s assertion, that it was the thirtieth
Æon which strayed out from the Pleroma, (as falling into
despondency,) they deny; for the one which desponded on account of
disappointed yearning to see the First-Father was not of the original
triacontad, they say.
There arose, besides, Heracleon, a
brother8391
| 8391
“Alter,” i.e., perhaps another of the same
class. | -heretic, whose
sentiments pair with Valentine’s; but, by some novelty of
terminology, he is desirous of seeming to differ in sentiment.
For he introduces the notion that there existed first what he terms (a
Monad);8392
| 8392 It seems almost
necessary to supply some word here; and as “Monade”
follows, it seemed simple to supply “Monada.” | and then out of
that Monad (arose) two, and then the rest of the Æons. Then he introduces
the whole system of Valentine.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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