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| Origin of the World; Basilides' Account of the “Sonship.”
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Chapter
X.—Origin of the World; Basilides’ Account of the
“Sonship.”
All things, therefore whatsoever it is possible to
declare, and whatever, being not as yet discovered, one must omit, were
likely to receive adaptation to the world which was about to be
generated from the Seed. And this (Seed), at the requisite
seasons, increases in bulk in a peculiar manner, according to
accession, as through the instrumentality of a Deity so great, and of
this description. (But this Deity) the creature can neither
express nor grasp by perception. (Now, all these things) were
inherent, treasured in the Seed, as we afterwards observe in a new-born
child the growth of teeth, and paternal substance, and intellect, and
everything which, though previously having no existence, accrues unto a
man, growing little by little, from a youthful period of life.
But since it would be absurd to say that any projection of a
non-existent God became anything non-existent (for Basilides altogether
shuns and dreads the Substances of things generated in the way of
projection for, (he asks,) of what sort of projection is there a
necessity, or of what sort of matter818
| 818 Or,
“of what sort of material substance,” etc. | must we assume the previous existence,
in order that God should construct a world, as the spider his web; or
(as) a mortal man, for the purpose of working it, takes a (piece of)
brass or of wood, or some other of the parts of
matter?),—(projection, I say, being out of the question,)
certainly, says (Basilides), God spoke the word, and it was carried
into effect. And this, as these men assert, is that which has
been stated by Moses: “Let there be light, and there was
light.”819
Whence he
says, came the light? From nothing. For it has not been
written, he says, whence, but this only, (that it came) from the voice
of him who speaks the word. And he who speaks the word, he says,
was non-existent; nor was that existent which was being
produced.820
| 820 Or,
“being declared.” | The seed of
the cosmical system was generated, he says, from nonentities; (and I
mean by the seed,) the word which was spoken, “Let there be
light.” And this, he says, is that which has been stated in
the Gospels: “He was the true light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world.”821
| 821
John i. 9. [See translator’s
important note (1), p. 7, supra.] | He derives his originating
principles from that Seed, and obtains from the same source his
illuminating power. This is that seed which has in itself the
entire conglomeration of germs. And Aristotle affirms this to be
genius, and it is distributed by him into infinite species; just as
from animal, which is non-existent, we sever ox, horse, (and)
man. When, therefore, the cosmical Seed becomes the basis (for a
subsequent development), those (heretics) assert, (to quote
Basilides’ own words:) “Whatsoever I affirm,”
he says, “to have been made after these, ask no question as to
whence. For (the Seed) had all seeds treasured and reposing in
itself, just as non-existent entities, and which were designed to be
produced by a non-existent Deity.”
Let us see, therefore, what they say is first, or
what second, or what third, (in the development of) what is generated
from the cosmical Seed. There existed, he says, in the Seed
itself, a Sonship, threefold, in every respect of the same Substance
with the non-existent God, (and) begotten from nonentities. Of
this Sonship (thus) involving a threefold division, one part was
refined, (another gross,) and another requiring purification. The
refined portion, therefore, in the first place, simultaneously with the
earliest deposition of the Seed by the non-existent one, immediately
burst forth822
| 822
Literally, “throbbed.” | and went upwards
and hurried above from below, employing a sort of velocity described in
poetry,—
“…As wing or thought,”823
—
and attained, he says, unto him that is nonexistent. For every
nature desires that (nonexistent one), on account of a superabundance
of beauty and bloom. Each (nature desires this), however, after a
different mode. The more gross portion, however, (of the Sonship)
continuing still in the Seed, (and) being a certain imitative
(principle), was not able to hurry upwards. For (this portion)
was much more deficient in the refinement that the Sonship possessed,
which through itself hurried upwards, (and so the more gross portion)
was left behind. Therefore the more gross Sonship equipped
itself with some such wing as
Plato, the Preceptor of Aristotle, fastens on the soul in (his)
Phædrus.824
| 824 See
Plato, vol. i. p. 75 et seq., ed. Bekker. Miller has
“Phædo;” an obvious mistake. | And Basilides styles such, not a
wing, but Holy Spirit; and Sonship invested in this (Spirit) confers
benefits, and receives them in turn. He confers benefits,
because, as a wing of a bird, when removed from the bird, would not of
itself soar high up and aloft; nor, again, would a bird, when
disengaged from its pinion, at any time soar high up and aloft; (so, in
like manner,) the Sonship involved some such relation in reference to
the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit in reference to the Sonship. For
the Sonship, carried upwards by the Spirit as by a wing, bears aloft
(in turn) its pinion, that is, the Spirit. And it approaches the
refined Sonship, and the non-existent God,825
| 825
[Foretaste of Cent. IV.] Miller’s text has, instead of
τοῦ οὐκ
ὄντος (non-existent), οικοῦντος
(who dwells above). | even Him who fabricated the world out of
nonentities. He was not, (however,) able to have this (spirit)
with (the Sonship) itself; for it was not of the same substance (with
God), nor has it (any) nature (in common) with the Sonship. But
as pure and dry air is contrary to (their) nature, and destructive to
fishes; so, in contrariety to the nature of the Holy Spirit, was that
place simultaneously of non-existent Deity and Sonship,—(a place)
more ineffable than ineffable (entities), and higher up than all
names.
Sonship, therefore, left this (spirit) near that
Blessed Place, which cannot be conceived or represented by any
expression. (He left the spirit) not altogether deserted or
separated from the Sonship; nay, (far from it,) for it is just as when
a most fragrant ointment is put into a vessel, that, even though (the
vessel) be emptied (of it) with ever so much care, nevertheless some
odour of the ointment still remains, and is left behind, even after
(the ointment) is separated from the vessel; and the vessel retains an
odour of ointment, though (it contain) not the ointment (itself).
So the Holy Spirit has continued without any share in the Sonship, and
separated (from it), and has in itself, similarly with ointment, its
own power, a savour of Sonship. And this is what has been
declared: “As the ointment upon the head which descended to
the beard of Aaron.”826
This is the savour from the Holy
Spirit borne down from above, as far as formlessness, and the interval
(of space) in the vicinity of our world. And from this the Son
began to ascend, sustained as it were, says (Basilides), upon
eagles’ wings, and upon the back. For, he says, all
(entities) hasten upwards from below, from things inferior to those
that are superior. For not one of those things that are among
things superior, is so silly as to descend beneath. The third
Sonship, however, that which requires purification, has continued, he
says, in the vast conglomeration of all germs conferring benefits and
receiving them. But in what manner it is that (the third Sonship)
receives benefits and confers them, we shall afterwards declare when we
come to the proper place for discussing this
question.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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