Against Heresies: Book I

THE EVENTS THEY DESCRIBE AS HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF THE PLEROMA ARE AS FOLLOWS: The thought of that Sophia, who lives above and is also called Achamoth, was removed from the Pleroma along with her passion. They claim that it naturally became very disturbed in those dark and empty places to which she had been banished. She was cut off from light and the Pleroma and was without form or shape, like an untimely birth, because she had received nothing from a male parent.

But Christ, living on high, took pity on her; and after extending himself through and beyond Stauros, he gave her form, but only in regard to substance, not intelligence. After doing this, he withdrew his influence and returned, leaving Achamoth to herself. His intent was that she might become aware of her suffering from being separate from the Pleroma and be motivated by the desire for better things, while she still contained a kind of scent of immortality left in her by Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, she is called by two names—Sophia, after her father (as Sophia is considered her father), and Holy Spirit, from that Spirit with Christ. After gaining a form and intelligence and being immediately left by that Logos who had been invisibly present with her—that is, by Christ—she tried hard to find that light which had left her but couldn't achieve her goal because Horos prevented her. And as Horos blocked her further progress, he exclaimed a sound, which they say is the origin of the name Iao.

When she couldn't pass Horos due to that passion she was involved in and because she alone had been left outside, she then gave in to all sorts of the varied states of passion she was subject to; she experienced grief because she hadn't obtained what she desired, and fear that life itself might escape her, as light had, adding to her greatest confusion. All these feelings were associated with ignorance. Her ignorance wasn't like her mother’s, the first Sophia, an Æon, due to degenerate passion, but to an innate opposition of her nature to knowledge.

Moreover, another kind of passion fell upon Achamoth, which was the desire to return to him who gave her life.

THIS COLLECTION OF PASSIONS THEY DECLARE WAS THE SUBSTANCE FROM WHICH THIS WORLD WAS FORMED: For from her desire to return to him who gave her life, every soul in this world, including that of the Demiurge himself, derived its origin. All other things began from her terror and sorrow. From her tears, all that is liquid was formed; from her smile, all that is lucent; and from her grief and perplexity, the corporeal elements of the world. For at one time, as they affirm, she would weep and lament because she was left alone in the midst of darkness and emptiness; while, at another time, reflecting on the light that had forsaken her, she would be filled with joy and laugh; then, again, she would be struck with terror; or, at other times, she would fall into consternation and bewilderment.

3. Now what results from all this? No small tragedy arises, as each man among them fancifully explains in their own way, drawing from various passions and elements for its origin. It seems to me they have good reason not to teach these things publicly to everyone, but only to those willing to pay a high price for such profound mysteries. These doctrines are not akin to those of which our Lord said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Rather, they are obscure, astonishing, and deep mysteries, obtainable only with great effort by those who are in love with falsehood. For who wouldn't spend all they had to learn, in return, that seas, fountains, rivers, and every liquid substance originated from the tears of the enthymesis of the Æon caught in passion; that light emerged from her smile; and that the physical elements of the world were formed from her confusion and dismay?

I FEEL SOMEWHAT INCLINED TO OFFER A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO DEVELOP THEIR SYSTEM: When I notice that some waters are fresh, like fountains, rivers, and rain, and others are salty, like those in the sea, I think it is clear that all waters cannot come from her tears, since tears are only salty. Therefore, only the salty waters can come from her tears. It is likely that in her intense agony and confusion, she was covered in sweat. Thus, according to their idea, we can imagine that fountains, rivers, and all fresh water in the world come from this source. Since we know all tears have the same quality, it is hard to believe that both salty and fresh waters came from them. It is more reasonable to suggest that some waters come from her tears and some from her sweat. Since there are also hot and acrid waters in the world, you must guess their origin and source. These are some results of their hypothesis.

THEY EXPLAIN THAT WHEN THE MOTHER ACHAMOTH EXPERIENCED ALL KINDS OF EMOTIONS AND STRUGGLED TO ESCAPE FROM THEM: she turned to plead with the light that had left her, which is Christ. Christ, however, having returned to the Pleroma and presumably unwilling to descend again, sent the Paraclete, the Saviour, to her. This being was granted all power by the Father, who placed everything under his authority, including the Æons, so that “by him all things, visible and invisible, were created: thrones, divinities, dominions.” He was then sent to her along with his accompanying angels.

They reported that Achamoth, filled with reverence, initially covered herself out of modesty, but soon, when she saw him with all his gifts, and gained strength from his presence, she ran to meet him. He then gave her form with regard to intelligence and healed her emotions, separating them from her without completely erasing them from memory. It was not possible to destroy them completely because they had already taken root and gained strength, making them indestructible. All he could do was separate them, set them apart, and then merge and condense them, transforming them from incorporeal emotion into unorganized matter.

Through this process, he gave them a capacity and nature to become physical and tangible structures, forming two substances—one evil, resulting from the emotions, and the other capable of suffering, but originating from her transformation. Because of this transformation of ideal matter, they say the Saviour essentially created the world. Once Achamoth was freed from her emotions, she joyfully gazed at the brilliant vision of the angels with him; in her ecstasy, and inspired by them, she is said to have brought forth new beings, some in her own image and others as a spiritual offspring mirroring the image of the Saviour’s attendants.