Against Heresies: Book I

THEY GO ON TO TELL US THAT THE ORIGINATOR OF THEIR SYSTEM WAS KNOWN ONLY TO MONOGENES: who came from him; in other words, only to Nous, while to all the others he was invisible and incomprehensible. According to them, only Nous took pleasure in contemplating the Father, delighting in considering his immeasurable greatness. Nous also thought about how he might share with the rest of the Æons the greatness of the Father, revealing to them how vast and mighty he was, without beginning, beyond comprehension, and utterly invisible. However, in line with the Father's will, Sige restrained him because it was his plan to lead them all to an understanding of the mentioned originator, and to create within them a desire to explore his nature. Similarly, the rest of the Æons, in a quiet way, wished to see the Author of their existence and to contemplate that First Cause, which had no beginning.

But there came forth ahead of the others that Æon, who was the youngest and latest of the Duodecad that emerged from Anthropos and Ecclesia, named Sophia, and she experienced suffering apart from the embrace of her consort, Theletos. This suffering first emerged among those connected with Nous and Aletheia, but spread like contagion to this fallen Æon, who acted under the guise of love but was actually driven by recklessness, because she had not, like Nous, had communion with the perfect Father. This suffering, they say, consisted of a desire to explore the nature of the Father; for she wished, according to them, to understand his greatness. When she could not achieve her goal, as she aimed at the impossible, she became overwhelmed with extreme mental anguish, continuously reaching forward due to both the immeasurable depth and unsearchable nature of the Father, and because of the love she held for him. There was a danger that she might eventually be absorbed by his sweetness and dissolved into his absolute essence, unless she encountered the Power that supports and preserves all things outside the unspeakable greatness. They call this power Horos, by whom she was restrained and supported; then, having with difficulty come back to herself, she realized that the Father is incomprehensible, and thus set aside her original intention, along with the suffering that had arisen within her from the overpowering influence of her admiration.

3. Others of them fantastically describe the passion and restoration of Sophia as follows: They say that she, having engaged in an impossible and impractical attempt, brought forth an amorphous substance, as her female nature enabled her to produce. When she looked at it, her first feeling was one of grief, because of the imperfection of its creation, and then fear that this might end her own existence. Next, she seemed to lose all control of herself and was in great confusion while trying to discover the cause of all this, and how she might conceal what had happened. Greatly troubled by these passions, she eventually changed her mind and tried to return to the Father. However, when she somewhat made the attempt, her strength failed her, and she became a supplicant of the Father. The other Æons, especially Nous, joined her in presenting their supplications. Thus, they claim that material substance originated from ignorance, grief, fear, and confusion.

THE FATHER LATER PRODUCES: in his own image, through Monogenes, the previously mentioned Horos, without union, both male and female. They assert that sometimes the Father acts in union with Sige, but at other times he shows himself independent of both male and female. They call this Horos by several names: Stauros, Lytrotes, Carpistes, Horothetes, and Metagoges. They claim that through Horos, Sophia was purified and established, and that she was also restored to her proper union. Her enthymesis (or inborn idea) was taken from her, along with its accompanying passion, so she remained within the Pleroma; however, her enthymesis, with its passion, was separated from her by Horos, fenced off, and expelled from that circle. This enthymesis was undoubtedly a spiritual substance, possessing some of the natural tendencies of an Æon, but it was also shapeless and without form because it had received nothing. For this reason, they describe it as a weak and feminine creation.

After this substance had been placed outside of the Pleroma of the Æons, and its mother returned to her proper union, we are told that Monogenes, following the prudent plan of the Father, originated another pair, namely Christ and the Holy Spirit (to prevent any of the Æons from experiencing a calamity like that of Sophia), to strengthen and fortify the Pleroma, and who also completed the number of the Æons. Christ then instructed them about the nature of their union and taught them that those who had an understanding of the Unbegotten were self-sufficient. He also shared with them what pertained to the knowledge of the Father—namely, that he cannot be understood or comprehended, nor seen or heard, except as he is known by Monogenes only. The reason why the rest of the Æons have perpetual existence is found in that part of the Father’s nature which is incomprehensible; but the reason for their origin and formation lies in what can be comprehended about him, that is, in the Son. Christ, who had just been brought forth, accomplished these things among them.

BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT TAUGHT THEM TO GIVE THANKS FOR BEING MADE EQUAL AMONG THEMSELVES: and led them to a state of true peace. Thus, they tell us that the Æons were made equal to each other in form and thought, so that all became like Nous, Logos, Anthropos, and Christus. The female Æons also became like Aletheia, Zoe, Spiritus, and Ecclesia. Once everything was established and brought into perfect rest, they say that these beings sang praises with great joy to the Propator, who also shared in their abundant joy. Then, out of gratitude for the great benefit given to them, the entire Pleroma of the Æons, with unity of purpose and desire, and with the agreement of Christ and the Holy Spirit, and with their Father approving their conduct, contributed whatever each had of the greatest beauty and value. By skillfully blending all these contributions, they created a being of perfect beauty, the very star of the Pleroma, and its perfect fruit, namely Jesus, in honor and glory of Bythus. They also called Him Saviour, Christ, and Logos, and Everything because He was formed from the contributions of all. Then we are told that, in His honor, angels of the same nature as Himself were created at the same time to serve as His bodyguard.