Against Heresies: Book I
Chapter 19: Passages of Scripture that They Use to Argue that the Supreme Father Was Unknown Before the Arrival of Christ
I find it necessary to add what they attempt to persuade us concerning their Propator, who was unknown to all before the coming of Christ, by misrepresenting passages of Scripture. Their aim is to show that our Lord announced a different Father than the Creator of this universe, whom, as we mentioned before, they wrongfully declare to be the result of a defect. For example, when the prophet Isaiah says, “But Israel has not known Me, and My people have not understood Me,” they distort his words to refer to ignorance of the invisible Bythus. Similarly, they strive to interpret what Hosea says, “There is no truth in them, nor the knowledge of God,” in the same way. They also claim that the phrase, “There is none that understandeth, or that seeketh after God: they have all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable,” is about ignorance of Bythus. They argue that what Moses says, “No man shall see God and live,” should be understood in the same context.
2. They falsely claim that the Creator was seen by the prophets. However, when the passage says, “No man shall see God and live,” they interpret it as referring to His greatness, which is unseen and unknown by all. It is clear to us that these words, “No man shall see God,” refer to the invisible Father, the Maker of the universe, and not to the Bythus they imagine into existence. Instead, they refer to the Creator (and He is the invisible God), as we will demonstrate. They argue that Daniel expressed the same idea when he asked the angels to explain the parables, admitting his ignorance. But the angel, concealing the great mystery of Bythus from him, said to Daniel, “Go your way quickly, Daniel, for these sayings are closed until those who have understanding comprehend them, and those who are pure become pure.” Furthermore, they boast of being the pure and the men of good understanding.