Against Heresies: Book I

WHEN ALL THE SEED REACHES PERFECTION: they say that their mother Achamoth will leave the intermediate place and enter the Pleroma, where she will receive as her spouse the Saviour, who came from all the Æons. This will form a union between the Saviour and Sophia, who is Achamoth. These are the bridegroom and bride, and the nuptial chamber is the full extent of the Pleroma. The spiritual seed, once stripped of their animal souls and becoming intelligent spirits, will enter the Pleroma in an irresistible and invisible way and be given as brides to the angels who serve the Saviour. The Demiurge will move into the place of his mother Sophia, which is the intermediate habitation. In this intermediate place, the souls of the righteous will rest, but nothing of an animal nature will enter the Pleroma. When these events unfold as described, the hidden fire in the world will blaze and burn, destroying all matter, and will be extinguished along with it, existing no more. They claim that the Demiurge did not know any of these things before the coming of the Saviour.

THERE ARE ALSO SOME WHO CLAIM THAT HE ALSO PRODUCED CHRIST AS HIS OWN PROPER SON: but of an animal nature, and that the prophets mentioned him. This Christ passed through Mary just as water flows through a tube; and upon him descended, in the form of a dove at the time of his baptism, the Saviour who belonged to the Pleroma and was formed by the combined efforts of all its inhabitants. In him, there also existed that spiritual seed which came from Achamoth.

They hold, therefore, that our Lord, while maintaining the form of the first-begotten and primary tetrad, was composed of these four substances: of that which is spiritual, in so far as He was from Achamoth; of that which is animal, as being from the Demiurge by a special dispensation, inasmuch as He was formed [corporeally] with unspeakable skill; and of the Saviour, with respect to that dove which descended upon Him. He also remained free from all suffering because it was not possible for Him to suffer, being at once incomprehensible and invisible.

For this reason, the Spirit of Christ, which had been placed within Him, was removed when He was brought before Pilate. They further claim that even the seed which He had received from the mother [Achamoth] was not subject to suffering; for it was also impassible, being spiritual, and invisible even to the Demiurge himself. It follows, then, according to them, that the animal Christ and that which had been formed mysteriously by a special dispensation underwent suffering, so that the mother could show through him a type of the Christ above, namely, of him who extended himself through Stauros and gave Achamoth shape as far as substance was concerned.

For they declare that all these events were counterparts of what took place above.

THEY ALSO CLAIM THAT THE SOULS POSSESSING THE SEED OF ACHAMOTH ARE SUPERIOR TO OTHERS AND ARE MORE DEARLY LOVED BY THE DEMIURGE: although he does not know the true reason for this and believes they are what they are because of his favor towards them. This is why, they say, he assigned them to prophets, priests, and kings; and they assert that many things were spoken by this seed through the prophets because it was endowed with an exceptionally lofty nature. The mother, they say, also spoke much about things above, both through him and through the souls formed by him. Additionally, they categorize the prophecies into different classes, maintaining that one portion was spoken by the mother, a second by her seed, and a third by the Demiurge. Similarly, they believe that Jesus spoke some things under the influence of the Saviour, others under that of the mother, and still others under that of the Demiurge, as we will show later in our work.

THE DEMIURGE: while unaware of things higher than himself, was indeed stirred by the prophecies, but dismissed them, attributing them sometimes to one cause and sometimes to another; either to the prophetic spirit (which has the ability to become excited on its own), or to mere man, or as simply a cunning invention of the lower and baser kind of people. He remained unaware until the Lord appeared. However, they say that when the Saviour came, the Demiurge learned everything from Him, and willingly and with all his strength joined Him. They assert that he is the centurion mentioned in the Gospel, who said to the Saviour: “For I also am one with soldiers and servants under my authority; and whatever I command, they do.” They further hold that he will continue managing the world’s affairs as long as it is suitable and necessary, especially to care for the Church; all the while being motivated by the promise of the reward prepared for him, which is to reach the dwelling of his mother.

THEY DESCRIBE THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE: spiritual, material, and animal, represented by Cain, Abel, and Seth. These three natures are no longer found in one person, but instead represent different types of people. The material type naturally falls into corruption. The animal type, if it chooses the better path, finds rest in an intermediate place; but if it chooses the worse path, it too will be destroyed. They claim that the spiritual principles, sown by Achamoth and nurtured in righteous souls from then until now (since they were weak when first given by her), will eventually reach perfection and be wed to the angels of the Saviour, while their animal souls will inevitably rest forever with the Demiurge in the intermediate place. Furthermore, they divide animal souls into those that are naturally good and those that are naturally evil. The good ones can receive the spiritual seed, while the evil ones are unable to receive it.