Compendium of Heretical Fables 1.7–1.25 (Compendium of Heretical Fables)

Theodoret of Cyrus

Compendium of Heretical Fables 1.7–1.25

Theodoret of Cyrus · Compendium of Heretical Fables · ca. 450 · Cyrrhus · 19 passages

Greek text: PG 83.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).

BothSource textEnglish

Transliteration

Show only the passage I followed

Chapter 1

1.7PG 83

Ἐκ τούτων πασῶν τῶν αἱρέσεων ὁ Βαλεντῖνος λαδὼν ἀφορμὰς, τοὺς ἀπεράντους αὑτοῦ συνἐθηκε μύθους. Συνεστή σατο δὲ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐπ᾽ ᾿'Άντωνίνου τοῦ πρώτου. Ὑ πέθετο ὃξ πρῶτον Αἰῶνα τέλεῖον, ὄν καὶ Προαρχὴν, χαὺὶ Προπάτορα, καὶ Βυθὸν καλεῖ" “Ἔννοιαν δέ τινα συνυπάρχειν αὑτῷ, Χάριν καὶ Σιγὴν καλουμενην. Τοῦτον ἔφησεν ἐπὶ αἰῶσιν ἀπείροις τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀσπάσασθαι" χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τὸν Νοῦν γενέσθαι καὶ τὴν ᾿Αλήθειαν. Μονογενῇ δὲ τὸν Νοῦν ὀνομάζουσι. Τὰς δὲ δύο ταύτας συζυγίας Πυθαγορικὴν ὀνομάζοντι τετρακτὺν, καὶ ῥίζαν πάντων καλοῦσιν. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Νοῦ καὶ τῆς ᾿Αληθεΐζας προδληθήναϊ φησι Λόγον καὶ Ζωήν᾽ ἐκ ὃὲ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ τῆς Ζωῆς, λνθρωπον καὶ Ἐκκλησίαν. Τὰς δὲ τέτταρας συζυγίας, ἀρχίγονον Ὁγδοάδα, καὶ ῥίζαν, καὶ ὑπόστασιν πάντων. Καὶ πρῶτον Αἰῶνα εἶναί φασιν, εἶτα τὸν Λόγον γαὶ τὴν Ζωήν. Μετὰ τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ανθρώπου καὶ δέκα, Βύθιον καὶ Μίξιν, ᾿Αγήρατον καὶ Ἔνωσιν, Αὐτοφυῇ καὶ Ἡδονὴν, ᾿Ακίνητον καὶ Σύγχρισιν, Μονογενή καὶ Μακαρίαν. Ἔχ δὲ ᾿Ανθρώπου καὶ τῆς δεχα, Παράκλητος καὶ Πίστις, Πατρικὸς καὶ Ἐλπὶς, … Τούτους φασὶ τοὺς λ' Αἰῶνας τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἀδήλους εἶναι, αὐτοῖς δὲ μόνοις γνωρίμους. Εἶτα πλεῖστα μυθολογῆσας, ὥστε δεῖξαι τίμιον τὸν ὀκτὼ, καὶ τὸν δέκα, καὶ τὸν δυοκαίδεκα, καὶ τὸν τριάκοντα ἀριθμὸν, φησὶ τὸν Βυθὸν ἀνέφικτον εἶναι πᾶσι τοῖς ἐξ αὐτοῦ" φύντα καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δηλῶσαι, κατέσχεν ἣ Σιγὴ, καὶ τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν διεκώλυσεν. Ὃ δὲ τελευταῖος Αἰὼν, ὅν Σοφίαν καλοῦσι, τὸν αὐτὸν εἰσδεξάμενος πόθον, ἐπιτυχεῖν δὲ τοῦ ποθουμένου μὴ δυνηθεὶς, ἕτεκε, φησὶν, οὐσίαν ἄμορφον. ᾿Αλγήσασα δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ τόκῳ προσῆλθε τῷ Προπάτορι, καὶ τὸ πάθος ἐξήγγειλε" συνικέτευσαν δὲ αὑτῇ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ Αἰῶνες, καὶ αὐτὴ μέν τινος συγγνώμης τετύχηκε. Τὸ δὲ ἄμορφον κύημα τὴν Ὕλην εἶναί φασιν, ἐκ τῆς ἀγνοίας, καὶ τῆς λύπῆς, καὶ τοῦ φόδου, καὶ τῆ: ἐπιπλήξεως φυεῖσαν. Προμηθούμενος δὲ ὁ Βυθὸς τὸ μὴ καὶ ἄλλον Αἰῶνα τῷ παραπλησίῳ πάθει περιπεσεῖν, τὸν Ὅρον προβάλλεται οὐ μετὰ συζύγου θηλείας" τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων Αἰώνων ἕκαστος τῷ θήλει συνέζευκται. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν Ὅρον καὶ Σταυρὸν ὀνομάζουσι, καὶ ἕτερα δὲ μυθολογοῦσιν ὀνόματα. Διὰ τοῦτόν ( φῇσι καὶ τὴν Σοφίαν χαθαρθεῖσαν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ πάθους. Τὴν δὲ Ἐνθύμησιν ἐχείνην, ἣν καὶ Πάθος, καὶ ἄμορφον κύημα, καὶ Ὕλην ὠνόμασαν, πόῤῥω ταύτης ὁ Ὅρος ἀπέῤῥιψε. Μετὰ ταῦτά φησι τὸν Μονογενῇ γνώμῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς προθδαλέσθαι εἰς ἀσφάλειαν καὶ σύστασιν τῶν Αἰώνων, Χριστὸν καὶ Πνεῦμα ἄγιον" τὸν γὰρ Χριστὸν διδάξαι λέγουσι τοὺς Αἰῶνας, ὅτι ἀκατάληπτος ὁ Πατήρ᾽ τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὴν κρείττονα ἰσότητα τοῖς Αἰῶσι κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐδωρήσατο. Τούτων δὲ οἱ Αἰῶνες τετυχηχότες, σαν μὲν τὸν Προπάτορα, κοινῇ δὲ τὰ κάλλιστα ὧν τούτων τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὅν καὶ Σωτῆρα προσαγορεύουσι, καὶ Χριστὸν Λόγον. Σὺν αὑτῷ δὲ. καὶ ἄλλους ἀγγέλους προὐδάλοντο, ὥστ᾽ εἶναι δορυφόρους «αὑτοῦ. Ταῦτα πάντα ἐντὸς πληρώματος ὀνομάξουσιν. Ἐχτὸς δὲ Πληρώματος τὰ λεγόμενά ἐστι ταῦτα" Τὴν Ἐνθύμησιν τῆς Σοφίας ἐκείνης, ἣν καὶ ἄμορφον κύημα προσηγόρευσαν, καλοῦσιν ᾿Αχαμώθ - ἔξω δὲ τοῦ Πληρώματος γενομένην, ἐν σκιᾷ τινι καὶ κενώματι διάγειν" οἶκτον δὲ λαθόντα τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστὸν, ἀπεχτανκαὶ τὴν κατ᾽ οὐσίαν αὐτῇ δοῦναι μορφὴν" γνώσεως δὲ καταλιπεῖν ἔρημον, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς ἑαυτὸν συστεῖλαι τὴν δύναμιν " αἴσθησιν δὲ λαθοῦσαν ἐχείνην. τοῦ χαταλαθόντος αὑτὴν φωτὸς, δραμεῖν μὲν εἰς ἐπι-, ζήτησιν τούτου, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ “Ὅρου χωλυθῆναι. προῦῆναι, εἰρηκότος Ἰαώ" ἐντεῦθεν γάρ φασι καὶ τοῦτο γενέσθαι τὸ ὄνομα" εἶτα ἀλγήσασαν ὡς προθηναι χωλυθεῖσαν, λύπην καὶ φόῤον καὶ ἀπορίαν φῆ; ἐπιθυμίαν. Ἐκ τῶνδε τῶν παθῶν τόνδε συστῇ ναι τὸν κόσμον φασίν" ἐκ μὲν τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς τὸν Δῃμιουργὸν, καὶ τὰς ἁπάντων Ψυχάς" ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων παθῶν τὰ λοιπά" ἐκ μὲν τῶν δακρύων αὐτῇς τὴν ὑγρὰν οὐσίαν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ γέλωτος τὸ φῶς, ἔχ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων τὰ ἄλλα. Οὐκ ἄμοιρον γὰρ οἵμαι μέμψεως τὰ πάντα λέγειν ὅσα ἐκεῖνοι μυθολογοῦσιν. Δεηθῆναι δὲ αὐτήν φασι τοῦ ἤδη αὐτὴν Ἠλεηχότος Χριστοῦ, ὥστε αὐτῇ τοῦ φωτὸς μεταδοῦναι" τὸν δὲ δέξασθαι μὲν τὴν ἱκετείαν, μὴ μετελθεῖν δὲ, ἀλλὰ πέμψαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὥστε ἐν αὐτῷ κτισθῆναι καὶ τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, καὶ θρόνους καὶ κυριότητας, καὶ θεότητας, ὡς αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν. ᾿Αφίχετη οὖν σὺν τοῖς προόδληθεῖσιν ἀγγέλοις, καὶ τῶν ἐπιγενομένων αὐτὴν ἐχώρισε παθημάτων, καὶ χωρίσας ταῦτα συνέπηξεν. Αὕτη δὲ χωρισθεῖσα τῶν παθημάτων, ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐδέξατο, καὶ τέτοκε πνευματικὸν κύημα τοῖς ἀγγέλοις προσόμοιον, καὶ τοῦτο ἀνέδραμεν ἄνω. Ἔχ δὲ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς τὴν ψυχικὴ οὐσίαν λέγουσι γενέσθαι, καὶ ἐκ ταύτης μορφωθῆναι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Πατέρα, καὶ Βασιλέα τῶν τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ φύσιν ἐχουσῶν Ψυχῶν, ἃ δεξιὰ καλοῦσι, καὶ τῶν τῆς ὕλης, ἅπερ ἀριστερὰ ὀνομάζουσι. Πάντα γὰρ αὑτὸν τὰ ὁρώμενα ἰδιοποιῆσαξ φασι. Καλοῦσι δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ Μητροπάτορα, καὶ Πατέρα, καὶ Δημιουργόν. Καὶ τί δεῖ πάντα καταλέγεῖν τῆς μυθοποιίας τὸν λῆρον; τοῖ; γὰρ δὴ εἰρημένοις ὅλον τὸ πλάσμα προσέοικε. Τὸν ἐπιφανέντα τῆρα λαθεῖν φησιν, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ᾿Αχαμὼθ τὸ πνευματικὺν, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Δη μιουργοῦ τὸν ψυχικὸν σθαι Χριστὸν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Οἰκονομίας περιθέσθαι σῶμα Ψυχικὴν ἔχου" οὐσίαν, ἀῤῥήτῳ δὲ σοφίᾳ πεποιημένον πρὸς τὸ ἁπτὸν καὶ ὁρατὸν γενέσθαι καὶ παθητόν. Ὑλικὸν δὲ οὐδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν ἀνειληφέναι αὐτὸν λέγουσιν' οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν ἐκ τῆς ὕλης ἐπιδέχεται σωτηρίαν. Φασὶ δὲ αὐτοὺς μὲν ἀπὸ μόνης τῆς γνώσεως σώζεσθαι - ἡμᾶς δὲ ἀπὸ πίστεως καὶ πράξεως ἀγαθῆς αὐτοὺς δὲ μὴ χρήζειν ἔργων, ἀρκούσης εἰς σωτηρίαν τῆς γνώσεως. Οὗ δὴ χάριν, οἱ τελειότατοι παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τοῖς θείοις νόμοις ἀπηγορευμένον πράττουσιν ἀδεῶς. Καὶ γὰρ … Ἑλληνικὰς ἑορτὰς ἐπετέλουν, καὶ εἰδωλοθύτων μετελάμδανον, καὶ ταῖς φιληδονίαις δουλεύουσι, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν πονηρὸν ἀδιακρίτως τολμῶσιν.

Ek toutōn pasōn tōn haireseōn ho Balentinos ladōn aphormas, tous aperantous hautou synethēke mythous. Synestē sato de tēn hairesin ep᾽ ᾿'Antōninou tou prōtou. Hy petheto hox prōton Aiōna teleion, on kai Proarchēn, chaui Propatora, kai Bython kalei" “Ennoian de tina synyparchein hautǭ, Charin kai Sigēn kaloumenēn. Touton ephēsen epi aiōsin apeirois tēn hēsychian aspasasthai" chronǭ de hysteron ex amphoterōn ton Noun genesthai kai tēn ᾿Alētheian. Monogenę̄ de ton Noun onomazousi. Tas de dyo tautas syzygias Pythagorikēn onomazonti tetraktyn, kai rhizan pantōn kalousin. Ek de tou Nou kai tēs ᾿Alētheïzas prodlēthēnaï phēsi Logon kai Zōēn᾽ ek hoe tou Logou kai tēs Zōēs, lnthrōpon kai Ekklēsian. Tas de tettaras syzygias, archigonon Hogdoada, kai rhizan, kai hypostasin pantōn. Kai prōton Aiōna einai phasin, eita ton Logon gai tēn Zōēn. Meta tēn tou ᾿Anthrōpou kai deka, Bythion kai Mixin, ᾿Agēraton kai Enōsin, Autophyę̄ kai Hēdonēn, ᾿Akinēton kai Synchrisin, Monogenē kai Makarian. Ech de ᾿Anthrōpou kai tēs decha, Paraklētos kai Pistis, Patrikos kai Elpis, … Toutous phasi tous l' Aiōnas tois men allois hapasin adēlous einai, autois de monois gnōrimous. Eita pleista mythologēsas, hōste deixai timion ton oktō, kai ton deka, kai ton dyokaideka, kai ton triakonta arithmon, phēsi ton Bython anephikton einai pasi tois ex autou" phynta kai idein auton, kai tois allois dēlōsai, kateschen hē Sigē, kai tēn epicheirēsin diekōlysen. Ho de teleutaios Aiōn, hon Sophian kalousi, ton auton eisdexamenos pothon, epitychein de tou pothoumenou mē dynētheis, heteke, phēsin, ousian amorphon. ᾿Algēsasa de epi tǭ toioutǭ tokǭ prosēlthe tǭ Propatori, kai to pathos exēngeile" syniketeusan de hautę̄ kai hoi loipoi Aiōnes, kai autē men tinos syngnōmēs tetychēke. To de amorphon kyēma tēn Hylēn einai phasin, ek tēs agnoias, kai tēs lypēs, kai tou phodou, kai tē: epiplēxeōs phyeisan. Promēthoumenos de ho Bythos to mē kai allon Aiōna tǭ paraplēsiǭ pathei peripesein, ton Horon proballetai ou meta syzygou thēleias" tōn gar allōn Aiōnōn hekastos tǭ thēlei synezeuktai. Touton de ton Horon kai Stauron onomazousi, kai hetera de mythologousin onomata. Dia touton ( phę̄si kai tēn Sophian chathartheisan apallagēnai tou pathous. Tēn de Enthymēsin echeinēn, hēn kai Pathos, kai amorphon kyēma, kai Hylēn ōnomasan, porrhō tautēs ho Horos aperrhipse. Meta tauta phēsi ton Monogenę̄ gnōmę̄ tou Patros prothdalesthai eis asphaleian kai systasin tōn Aiōnōn, Christon kai Pneuma agion" ton gar Christon didaxai legousi tous Aiōnas, hoti akatalēptos ho Patēr᾽ to de Pneuma to hagion tēn kreittona isotēta tois Aiōsi kat᾽ autous edōrēsato. Toutōn de hoi Aiōnes tetychēchotes, san men ton Propatora, koinę̄ de ta kallista hōn toutōn ton Iēsoun, hon kai Sōtēra prosagoreuousi, kai Christon Logon. Syn hautǭ de. kai allous angelous proudalonto, hōst᾽ einai doryphorous «hautou. Tauta panta entos plērōmatos onomaxousin. Echtos de Plērōmatos ta legomena esti tauta" Tēn Enthymēsin tēs Sophias ekeinēs, hēn kai amorphon kyēma prosēgoreusan, kalousin ᾿Achamōth - exō de tou Plērōmatos genomenēn, en skią tini kai kenōmati diagein" oikton de lathonta ton legomenon Christon, apechtankai tēn kat᾽ ousian autę̄ dounai morphēn" gnōseōs de katalipein erēmon, kai meta tauta eis heauton systeilai tēn dynamin " aisthēsin de lathousan echeinēn. tou chatalathontos hautēn phōtos, dramein men eis epi-, zētēsin toutou, hypo de tou “Horou chōlythēnai. prouēnai, eirēkotos Iaō" enteuthen gar phasi kai touto genesthai to onoma" eita algēsasan hōs prothēnai chōlytheisan, lypēn kai phoron kai aporian phē? epithymian. Ek tōnde tōn pathōn tonde systę̄ nai ton kosmon phasin" ek men tēs epistrophēs ton Dę̄miourgon, kai tas hapantōn Psychas" ek de tōn allōn pathōn ta loipa" ek men tōn dakryōn autę̄s tēn hygran ousian, ek de tou gelōtos to phōs, ech de tōn allōn ta alla. Ouk amoiron gar hoimai mempseōs ta panta legein hosa ekeinoi mythologousin. Deēthēnai de autēn phasi tou ēdē autēn Ēleēchotos Christou, hōste autę̄ tou phōtos metadounai" ton de dexasthai men tēn hiketeian, mē metelthein de, alla pempsai ton Iēsoun, hōste en autǭ ktisthēnai kai ta horata kai ta aorata, kai thronous kai kyriotētas, kai theotētas, hōs autoi legousin. ᾿Aphichetē oun syn tois proodlētheisin angelois, kai tōn epigenomenōn autēn echōrise pathēmatōn, kai chōrisas tauta synepēxen. Hautē de chōristheisa tōn pathēmatōn, epithymian tōn angelōn edexato, kai tetoke pneumatikon kyēma tois angelois prosomoion, kai touto anedramen anō. Ech de tēs epistrophēs tēn psychikē ousian legousi genesthai, kai ek tautēs morphōthēnai ton Theon, kai Patera, kai Basilea tōn tēn autēn autǭ physin echousōn Psychōn, ha dexia kalousi, kai tōn tēs hylēs, haper aristera onomazousi. Panta gar hauton ta horōmena idiopoiēsax phasi. Kalousi de auton kai Mētropatora, kai Patera, kai Dēmiourgon. Kai ti dei panta katalegein tēs mythopoiias ton lēron? toi? gar dē eirēmenois holon to plasma proseoike. Ton epiphanenta tēra lathein phēsin, apo men tēs ᾿Achamōth to pneumatikyn, apo de tou Dē miourgou ton psychikon sthai Christon, apo de tēs Oikonomias perithesthai sōma Psychikēn echou" ousian, arrhētǭ de sophią pepoiēmenon pros to hapton kai horaton genesthai kai pathēton. Hylikon de oud᾽ hotioun aneilēphenai auton legousin' ouden gar tōn ek tēs hylēs epidechetai sōtērian. Phasi de autous men apo monēs tēs gnōseōs sōzesthai - hēmas de apo pisteōs kai praxeōs agathēs autous de mē chrēzein ergōn, arkousēs eis sōtērian tēs gnōseōs. Hou dē charin, hoi teleiotatoi par᾽ autois pan hotioun tois theiois nomois apēgoreumenon prattousin adeōs. Kai gar … Hellēnikas heortas epeteloun, kai eidōlothytōn metelamdanon, kai tais philēdoniais douleuousi, kai pan hotioun ponēron adiakritōs tolmōsin.

From all these heresies Valentinus took his starting points and put together his endless fables. He founded his heresy under Antoninus the First. He posited first a perfect Aeon, whom he also calls Pre-Beginning, Forefather and Depth, and said that a certain Thought coexists with him, called Grace and Silence. This one, he said, embraced repose for infinite ages, and later in time from both came Mind and Truth. Mind they name Only-begotten. These two pairs they name the Pythagorean tetractys and call the root of all things. From Mind and Truth, he says, came forth Word and Life, and from Word and Life, Man and Church. The four pairs [they call] the primal Ogdoad, root and substance of all things. And they say that [Mind] is the first Aeon, then Word and Life. After Man [and Church came] ten: Deep and Mingling, Ageless and Union, Self-grown and Pleasure, Immovable and Blending, Only-begotten and Blessed. From Man and Church [came twelve]: Paraclete and Faith, Fatherly and Hope, … They say these thirty Aeons are unknown to all others and known only to themselves. Then, after a great deal of mythologizing to show that the numbers eight, ten, twelve and thirty are honorable, he says that Depth is beyond the reach of all who come from him; … [Mind longed] to see him and to make him known to the others, but Silence held him back and prevented the attempt. The last Aeon, whom they call Wisdom, conceived the same longing, and being unable to obtain what she longed for, gave birth, he says, to a formless substance. Grieved at such an offspring, she approached the Forefather and reported what she had suffered; the other Aeons joined her in supplication, and she obtained a certain pardon. The formless offspring they say is Matter, sprung from ignorance, grief, fear and consternation. Depth, taking care that no other Aeon should fall into a like passion, put forth Limit, without a female consort; for each of the other Aeons is yoked to a female. This Limit they also name Cross, and they invent other names for him too. Through him, they say, Wisdom too was purified and freed from her passion; and that Desire of hers, which they named Passion and formless offspring and Matter, Limit cast far away from her. After this, he says, the Only-begotten by the Father's will put forth Christ and Holy Spirit for the security and stability of the Aeons. For they say that Christ taught the Aeons that the Father is incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit gave the Aeons a higher equality among themselves. Having obtained these, the Aeons [hymned] the Forefather, and in common [bringing together] the finest of [what each had, put forth] from these Jesus, whom they also call Savior and Christ the Word. With him they also put forth other angels to be his bodyguards. All these they name the things within the Fullness. Outside the Fullness are the following. That Desire of Wisdom, which they also called the formless offspring, they call Achamoth; having come to be outside the Fullness, she lives in a kind of shadow and emptiness. The one they call Christ took pity, [was stretched out] … and gave her the form that belongs to substance, but left her without knowledge, and afterwards drew his power back into himself. She, having perceived the light that had left her, ran to seek it, but was prevented by Limit … [Limit] having said “Iao”; for from this, they say, that name too arose. Then, grieved at being prevented from going forward, [she suffered] grief, fear, perplexity and desire. From these passions, they say, this world was constituted: from her turning back the Demiurge and the souls of all; from the other passions the rest: from her tears the liquid substance, from her laughter the light, from the others the other things. For I think it would not be free of blame to tell all that they mythologize. They say she begged the Christ who had already pitied her to give her a share of the light; he accepted the supplication but did not come himself; he sent Jesus, so that in him were created the things visible and invisible, thrones and dominions and godheads, as they say. So he came with the angels put forth with him, separated from her the passions that had come upon her, and having separated them, solidified them. She, separated from her passions, conceived a desire for the angels and bore a spiritual offspring like the angels, and this ran up on high. From her turning back, they say, the psychic substance came into being, and from it was formed God, Father and King of the souls that have the same nature as he, which they call the right-hand things, and of the things of matter, which they name the left-hand things. For they say he made all visible things his own. They also call him Mother-father, Father and Demiurge. And why must I list all the nonsense of their myth-making? The whole fiction is like what has been said. The Savior who appeared, he says, received the spiritual element from Achamoth, and from the Demiurge [put on] the psychic Christ, and from the Dispensation put on a body having a psychic substance, made with unspeakable wisdom so as to become tangible, visible and passible. They say he took up nothing material at all, for nothing from matter admits of salvation. They say that they themselves are saved by knowledge alone, but we by faith and good action; they have no need of works, since knowledge suffices for salvation. For this reason the most perfect among them do without fear anything whatever that the divine laws forbid. For … they celebrated Greek festivals, partook of things sacrificed to idols, are slaves to pleasures, and dare every evil without distinction.

Col 1:16 (quotation, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Theodoret summarizes the Valentinian myth of the thirty Aeons, Wisdom's fall and Achamoth, the origin of the world from her passions, the Valentinian Savior, and salvation by knowledge alone.

Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed by logged corrections; lost Greek (part of the list of the twelve Aeons and several other phrases) is marked “…”, and words in square brackets are supplied for sense only. Source: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.1–1.6.
“Antoninus the First” is Antoninus Pius (138–161). The final quotation-like phrase is Col 1:16, which the Valentinians applied to Jesus.
The Valentinian claim that they are saved by knowledge alone while ordinary Christians are saved by faith and works is reported as Irenaeus reports it (Haer. 1.6.2–3).

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Latin debris; Greek words lost; OCR split word and column letter; column letter; footnote marker; page number and Migne's Latin column; Greek lost; stray letter; stray marks): Πατρικὸς καὶ Ἐλπὶς, ι,), ᾿ 481. οἱ Ῥγοραίογοῃ οἱ Βυ ὰπὶ νοολὶ: οἱ ὑπ οὐμ ᾿ 0 γα οπ Οοἰηηΐυπι γοοδηΐ. Εσ Νὰ οἱ Α]α αν α δυϊοπὶ Τούτους → Πατρικὸς καὶ Ἐλπὶς, … Τούτους; κύημα Β τὴν → κύημα τὴν; Αἰῶνα Ἰ τῷ → Αἰῶνα τῷ; τὸν ρον προ- Ό ὀάλλεται → τὸν Ὅρον προβάλλεται; τὸν “θὍρον → τὸν Ὅρον; (θ8) → ; Καὶ γὰρ ---.ς.. 50 5 δ η1ϊ4π|, οἱ Ἰη6{{8}}}}} βαρ πα φαθογαίιμ, υἱ Ἑλληνικὰς → Καὶ γὰρ … Ἑλληνικὰς.

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.1.1 (Against Heresies; allusion); Irenaeus, Haer. 1.6.2 (Against Heresies; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Christology

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.7 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-7

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-7) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.8PG 83

Ὁ δὲ Σεκοῦνδος, τὸν Βαλεντῖνον διαδεξάμενος, διχῆ τὴν Ὀγδοάδα διεῖλε, καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτῆς ἐκάλεσε Δεξιὸν, τὸ δὲ Εὐώνυμον᾽ καὶ προστέθε:χε Φῶς καὶ Σκόπῆς. Καὶ ἄλλο: ὃ μυρίοι ἐντεῦθεν ἀνεφύησαν αἱρέσεως Ὁ τοῦ πάθους καὶ τῆς ὕλης, ἃ δὴ ἀριστερὰ καλοῦσ’. …

Ho de Sekoundos, ton Balentinon diadexamenos, dichē tēn Ogdoada dieile, kai to men autēs ekalese Dexion, to de Euōnymon᾽ kai prostethe:che Phōs kai Skopēs. Kai allo: ho myrioi enteuthen anephyēsan haireseōs Ho tou pathous kai tēs hylēs, ha dē aristera kalous’. …

Secundus, succeeding Valentinus, divided the Ogdoad in two and called one part Right and the other Left, and added Light and Darkness. And … countless [others] sprang up from this heresy … of passion and of matter, which they call the left-hand things.

Notes and citation

Summary: Secundus, a successor of Valentinus, split the Ogdoad into right and left and added Light and Darkness.

The chapter is badly damaged in the scan: most of it is lost and the end is Migne's Latin read as Greek (removed). Source: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.11.2.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Migne's Latin column read as Greek; OCR marks for τὸ): ᾿“«ὃ δὲ → τὸ δὲ; ὙΘΓΒΟΓΌΙΏ. ἰῃ Ὑογ Δία πὶ τ ίΓ ἢ ΟὨΊΏΣΏ), οἵ ἱῃ “πὶ ἀοβοοπαϊξ ἴῃ ἤοϑυπι 3022. δὰ υπϊοποπὶ οἱ Γό- → ….

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.11.2 (Against Heresies; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.8 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-8

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-8) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.9PG 83

Ὃ ὃξ Μάρκος καὶ γοητείαν ἠσχήθη, χαΐ τινὰ παράδοξα διὰ μαγγανείας ἐπιτελῶν, πολλοὺς τῶν μῦθον, ἔφησεν αὐτῷ τοῦτο τὴν Σιγὴν εἰρηκέναι " καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται Σιγὴν φλύαρον ἀποφήνας. Οὗτος καὶ τοῖς τέτταρσι καὶ εἴκοσι στοιχείοις τοὺς Αἰῶνας ἀπείχασε, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀφώνους, τοὺς δὲ ἧμιτοι πλῆθος ψευδωνύμων καὶ νόθων βιθδλίων τους ἐπιχειροῦσι. Βαπτίζοντες δὲ τοὺς ἐξαπατωμένους ἐπιλέγειν εἰώθασιν ᾿ Εἰς ὄνομα ἀγνώστου Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων, εἰς ᾿Αλήθειαν μητέρα πάντων, εἰς τὸν κατελθόντα εἰς Ἰησοῦν, εἰς ἕνωσιν, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσιν, καὶ κοινωνίαν τῶν δυνάμεων. ᾿Αναμένθι τοὺς τελουμένους, ὧν ἐπιμνησθῆναι περιττὸν ἡγησάμην. Ἐκ τούτων παμπληθεῖς αἱρέσεις μετὰ τὴν τῆς ἀγρώστεως ἀνεφύησαν βλάστην " τούτων εἶναι τμῆμά φασι καὶ τοὺς παρ᾽ ἐνίων ᾿Ασχοδρούπους, παο᾽ ἐνίων δὲ ᾿᾿Ασχοδρονπίτας καλουμένους.

Ho hox Markos kai goēteian ēschēthē, chaï tina paradoxa dia manganeias epitelōn, pollous tōn mython, ephēsen autǭ touto tēn Sigēn eirēkenai " kai ouk aischynetai Sigēn phlyaron apophēnas. Houtos kai tois tettarsi kai eikosi stoicheiois tous Aiōnas apeichase, kai tous men aphōnous, tous de hēmitoi plēthos pseudōnymōn kai nothōn bithdliōn tous epicheirousi. Baptizontes de tous exapatōmenous epilegein eiōthasin ᾿ Eis onoma agnōstou Patros tōn holōn, eis ᾿Alētheian mētera pantōn, eis ton katelthonta eis Iēsoun, eis henōsin, kai apolytrōsin, kai koinōnian tōn dynameōn. ᾿Anamenthi tous teloumenous, hōn epimnēsthēnai peritton hēgēsamēn. Ek toutōn pamplētheis haireseis meta tēn tēs agrōsteōs anephyēsan blastēn " toutōn einai tmēma phasi kai tous par᾽ eniōn ᾿Aschodroupous, pao᾽ eniōn de ᾿᾿Aschodronpitas kaloumenous.

Marcus practiced sorcery too, and working certain marvels through magic, [led astray] many …; [having made up a] myth, he said that Silence had told him this; and he is not ashamed to make Silence a babbler. He also likened the Aeons to the twenty-four letters, some voiceless, others semivowels … a mass of falsely titled and spurious books they attempt …. When they baptize those they have deceived, they are accustomed to say over them: “Into the name of the unknown Father of all things, into Truth the mother of all, into the one who descended upon Jesus, into union and redemption and fellowship of the powers.” … over those being initiated, which I thought it superfluous to mention. From these sprang very many heresies after the growth of this weed; they say that among their offshoots are those called by some Askodrupoi and by others Askodrupitai.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Notes and citation

Summary: Marcus the magician likened the Aeons to the letters of the alphabet and used a baptismal formula naming the unknown Father, Truth, and the one who descended on Jesus.

Lines are lost in the scan (marked …). Source: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.13–21; the baptismal formula is Haer. 1.21.3.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR letters; footnote marker): (Ἴ8) → ; Ἰδαπτίξοντες → Βαπτίζοντες.

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.21.3 (Against Heresies; quotation)

Topics: Heresy, Baptism

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.9 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-9

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-9) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.10PG 83

Οὗτοι δέ φασι, μὴ χρῆναι τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια, ἀοράτων ὄντα σύμδϑδολα,, δι᾽ ὁρωμένων ἐπιτελεῖσθαι πραγμάτων, καὶ τὰ ἀσώματα δι' αἰσθητῶν καὶ σωματικῶν, Εἶναι δὲ τὴν τελείαν ἀπολύτρωσιν τὴν ἀληθὴ τοῦ ὄντος ἐπίγνωσιν. Τὰ γὰρ ὁρώμενα πάντα ὑπ᾽ ἀγνοία; καὶ πάθους συστάντα, διὰ γνώσεως καταλύεται. Πνευματικὴν οὖν δεῖ καὶ τὴν λύτρωσιν ὑπάρχειν. Διὰ τοῦτο, οὔτε βαπτίζουσι τοὺς προσιόντας, οὐδὲ ἐπιτελεῖται παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς τοῦ βαπτίσματος τὸ μυστήριον. Λύτρωσιν γὰρ καλοῦσι τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἐπίγνωσιν.

Houtoi de phasi, mē chrēnai ta theia mystēria, aoratōn onta symdϑdola,, di᾽ horōmenōn epiteleisthai pragmatōn, kai ta asōmata di' aisthētōn kai sōmatikōn, Einai de tēn teleian apolytrōsin tēn alēthē tou ontos epignōsin. Ta gar horōmena panta hyp᾽ agnoia? kai pathous systanta, dia gnōseōs katalyetai. Pneumatikēn oun dei kai tēn lytrōsin hyparchein. Dia touto, oute baptizousi tous prosiontas, oude epiteleitai par᾽ autois tou baptismatos to mystērion. Lytrōsin gar kalousi tēn tōn holōn epignōsin.

These say that the divine mysteries, being symbols of invisible things, should not be performed through visible things, nor incorporeal things through perceptible and bodily ones; and that perfect redemption is the true knowledge of what is. For all visible things, having been constituted by ignorance and passion, are dissolved through knowledge; so redemption too must be spiritual. For this reason they do not baptize those who come to them, and the mystery of baptism is not performed among them; for they call knowledge of all things redemption.

Notes and citation

Summary: The Askodrupitai rejected visible sacraments, teaching that redemption is knowledge alone, and so did not baptize.

Latin debris and a footnote are removed by logged corrections. Source: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.21.4.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Migne's Latin column read as Greek; footnote and Latin debris): τὴν αυοὰ 651 σοφηϊ!οποῖη. Ουδ ἐηΐπὶ ΘΟ μη 1ῸΓ, ομηηΐα (, ἀληθὴ → τὴν ἀληθὴ; πάντα Εἰς ὄνομα, κ. τ. λ. Εδαςδπι [6 Γ6 68 ὑπ᾽ → πάντα ὑπ᾽.

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.21.4 (Against Heresies; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Baptism

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.10 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-10

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-10) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.11PG 83

Εκ δὲ τούτων τινὲς ᾿Αρχοντικοὶ μένοι, βιδλία τινὰ πλάσαντες, ἀποκαλύψεις ὀνομάζουσι προφητῶν. Ἕν δὲ τούτων Συμφωνίαν ἐκάλεσαν, ἐν ᾧ ἑπτὰ συνέγραψαν οὐρανοὺς, ἕκαστον δὲ αὐτῶν ἕνα ἄρχοντα ἔχειν, μητέρα δέ τινα Φω- «ρὸν, καὶ τὰν τῶν μυστηρίων μετάληψιν, ὡς εἰς ὄνομα Σαδαὼθ γινομένην " τοῦτον γὰρ ἐν τῷ ἑόδόμῳ λέγουσιν οὐρανῷ τυραννεῖν. Τῶν δὲ ἀρχόντων τροφὴν εἶναί φασι τὰς ψυχὰς, καὶ ἄνευ ταύτης μὴ οἷόν -ε αὐτοὺς ζῇν. Τὸν δὲ διάδολον υἱὸν εἶναι τοῦ Σαδαώθ " εἶναι δὲ τὸν Σαθχὼθ τῶν Ἰουδαίων θεόν" πονηρὸν δὲ ὄντα τὸν υἱὸν, μὴ τιμᾷν αὐτὸν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς πάντα ἐναντιοῦσθαι. Τὸν δὲ Κάϊν, καὶ τὸν «οὔ διαδόλου παῖδάς φασι. Καὶ ἄλλα δέ τινα μνυθολογοῦσι πάσης ἀσεδείας μεστά. Ἕτεροι δέ τινες, μετὰ τὴν ἀποδίωσιν, ἔλαιον καὶ ὕδωρ ταῖς τῶν τελευτώντων ἐμδάλλουσι κεφαλαῖς. Οὕτω γάρ φασιν αὑτοὺς καὶ ἀοράτους ἔσεσθαι, καὶ κρείττους τῶν μεταξὺ ἀρχῶν τε καὶ ἐξουσιῶν. Διδάσκουσι δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπιλέγειν μῦθόν τινα, ὃν ἐντιθεὶς τῷ συγγράμματι, κοινωνεῖν τῆς φλυαρίας ὑπέλαόον..

Ek de toutōn tines ᾿Archontikoi menoi, bidlia tina plasantes, apokalypseis onomazousi prophētōn. Hen de toutōn Symphōnian ekalesan, en hǭ hepta synegrapsan ouranous, hekaston de autōn hena archonta echein, mētera de tina Phō- «ron, kai tan tōn mystēriōn metalēpsin, hōs eis onoma Sadaōth ginomenēn " touton gar en tǭ heodomǭ legousin ouranǭ tyrannein. Tōn de archontōn trophēn einai phasi tas psychas, kai aneu tautēs mē hoion -e autous zę̄n. Ton de diadolon huion einai tou Sadaōth " einai de ton Sathchōth tōn Ioudaiōn theon" ponēron de onta ton huion, mē timąn auton, all᾽ eis panta enantiousthai. Ton de Kaïn, kai ton «ou diadolou paidas phasi. Kai alla de tina mnythologousi pasēs asedeias mesta. Heteroi de tines, meta tēn apodiōsin, elaion kai hydōr tais tōn teleutōntōn emdallousi kephalais. Houtō gar phasin hautous kai aoratous esesthai, kai kreittous tōn metaxy archōn te kai exousiōn. Didaskousi de autous kai epilegein mython tina, hon entitheis tǭ syngrammati, koinōnein tēs phlyarias hypelaoon..

Some of these, called Archontics, fabricated certain books and name them revelations of prophets. One of these they called Symphony, in which they wrote of seven heavens, each with one ruler, and a certain mother … [and they reject baptism] and the partaking of the mysteries as being done in the name of Sabaoth; for they say he reigns as tyrant in the seventh heaven. They say souls are the food of the rulers, and that without it they cannot live. The devil, they say, is the son of Sabaoth, and Sabaoth is the God of the Jews; but the son, being evil, does not honor him and opposes him in everything. Cain and … they say are children of the devil. They also tell other myths full of every impiety. Some others, after death, pour oil and water on the heads of the dead; for in this way, they say, they will be invisible and stronger than the principalities and authorities in between. They also teach them to recite a certain myth, which I judged that by putting it into this treatise I would share in the babbling.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Gen 4:1–8 (allusion, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The Archontics wrote revelation books of seven heavens ruled by archons, rejected the sacraments as belonging to Sabaoth, and anointed the dead to pass the powers unseen.

Lines are lost in the scan (marked …); words in square brackets are supplied for sense. Theodoret's source here is Epiphanius, Pan. 40.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (column letter): Συμφωνίαν Α ἐκάλεσαν → Συμφωνίαν ἐκάλεσαν; φασιν Β αὑτοὺς → φασιν αὑτοὺς.

Extrabiblical texts: Epiphanius, Pan. 40 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.11 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-11

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-11) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.12PG 83

Οἱ δὲ Κολορθάσιοι ἐκ τοῦ καλουμένου παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς Ηροπάτορος λέγουσι τὴν πρώτην Ὀγδυάδα γενέσθαι" τὸν δὲ Σωτῆρα, οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῶν τριάκοντα Αἰώνων προδληθῆναί φασι, διὸ καὶ Εὐδόχητον καλεῖσθαι, ὅτι πᾶν τὸ Πλήρωμα δι᾽ αὐτοῦ εὐδόκησε δοξάσαι τὸν Πατέρα" οἱ δὲ ἐκ μόνων τῶν δέκα Αἰώνων, ἄλλοι δὲ ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος, εἰς στήοιγμα τοῦ Πληρώματος γεγονέναι, καὶ τῇ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτὸν προσηγορίᾳ καλεῖσθαι Χριστόν. Καὶ ἄλλα

Hoi de Kolorthasioi ek tou kaloumenou par᾽ autois Ēropatoros legousi tēn prōtēn Ogdyada genesthai" ton de Sōtēra, hoi men ek tōn triakonta Aiōnōn prodlēthēnai phasi, dio kai Eudochēton kaleisthai, hoti pan to Plērōma di᾽ autou eudokēse doxasai ton Patera" hoi de ek monōn tōn deka Aiōnōn, alloi de hypo Christou kai tou Pneumatos, eis stēoigma tou Plērōmatos gegonenai, kai tę̄ tou Patros auton prosēgorią kaleisthai Christon. Kai alla

The Colorbasians say that the first Ogdoad came from the one they call Forefather. Of the Savior, some say he was put forth from the thirty Aeons, and is therefore called Well-pleasing, because the whole Fullness was well pleased through him to glorify the Father; others that he came from the ten Aeons alone; others that he came into being from Christ and the Spirit as a support of the Fullness, and is called Christ by the Father's title. And other …

Notes and citation

Summary: The Colorbasians gave varying accounts of the origin of the Savior from the Aeons.

The chapter breaks off in the scan. Source: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.12.3–4.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (footnote marker): (θὅ) → .

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.12.4 (Against Heresies; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Christology

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.12 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-12). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-12

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-12) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.13PG 83

Ἔχ τῶν Βαλεντίνου σπερμάτων τὸ τῶν Βαρδη… ἢ Στρατιωτικῶν, ἣ Φημιονιτῶν καλουμένων, ἐδχάστησε μύσος. Ὑπέθεντο γὰρ Αἰῶνά τινα ἀνώλεθρον ἐν παρθενιχῷ διάγοντα πνεύματι, ὃ Βαρ- Θηλὼθ ὀνομάζουσι " τὴν δὲ Βαρδηλὼθ αἰτῆσαι Πρόγνωσιν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ. Προελθούσης δὲ ταύτης, εἶτ᾽ αὖθις αἰτησάσης, προελήλυθεν ᾿Αφθαρσία, ἔπειτα αἰωνία Ζωή. Εὐφρανθεῖσαν δὲ τὴν Βαρδη… Τοῦτό φασι, τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος χρισθὲν τελειό- … ἐπήγγειλεν Νοῦν, καὶ ἔλαδεν. Ὃ δὲ Πατὴρ προστέθεικε καὶ Λόγον. Εἶτα συνεζύγησαν "ἔννοια καὶ Λόγος, ᾿Αφθαρσία καὶ Χριστὸς, Ζωὴ αἰώνιος καὶ τὸ Θέλημα, ὁ Νοῦς καὶ ἡ Πρόγνωσις. "Ἔπειτα πάλιν ἐκ τῆς Ἐννοίας καὶ τοῦ Λόγου προδληθῆναξ φασι τὸν Αὐτογενῇ, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὴν ᾿Αλήθειαν, καὶ γενέσθαι πάλιν συζυγίαν ἑτέραν Αὐτογενοῦς καὶ ᾿Αληθείας. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πρόδολὰς, τὰς ἐκ τοῦ Φωτὸς καὶ τῆς ᾿Αφθαρσίας; Μακρὸς γὰρ ὁ μῦθος, καὶ πρὸς τῷ δυσσεδεῖ καὶ τὸ ἀτερπὲς ἔχων. Ἐπιτεθείχασι δὲ τούτοις καὶ. Ἑ δραϊχὰ ὀνόματα, καταπλήττειν τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους πειρώμενοι. Τὸν δὲ Αὐτογενήῇ φασι͵ προδαλέσθαι ἄνθρωπον τέλειον καὶ ἀληθῆ, ὃν καὶ ᾿Αδάμᾶντα καλοῦσι " προδεθλῆσθαι δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ ὁμόζυγα Γνῶσιν τελείαν. Ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν ἀναδειχθῆναι μητέρα, πατέρα, καὶ υἱόν. Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ᾿Ανθρώπον καὶ τῆς Γνώσεως βεδλαστηχέναι Ξύλον " Γνῶσιν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προσαγορεύουσιν. Ἔχ δὲ τοῦ πρώτου ἀγγέλου προθληθῆναι λέγουσι Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ὃ Σοφίαν καὶ Προύνικον προσηγόρευσαν. Ταύτην φασὶν ἐφιεμένην ὀμόζυγος, "Ἔργον ἄποχυῇσαι, ἐν ᾧ ἦν “Αγνοια καὶ Αὐθάδεια. Τὸ δὲ "“Ἐργὸν τοῦτο, Πρωτάρχοντα καλοῦσι, καὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγουσι τῆς κτίσεως ποιητήν. Τοῦτον δὲ τῇ Αὐθαδείᾳ συναφθέντα, τὴν Κακίαν ἀπογεννῇσαι, καὶ τὰ ταύτης μόρια. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν κεφαλαίῳ διῆλθον, ὑπερδὰς τὸ τοῦ πλάσματος μῆκος. Τὰς δὲ μυστικὰς αὐτῶν τελετὰς τίς οὕτω τρισάθλιος, ὥστε διὰ γλώττῆς προενεγχεῖν τὰ τελούμενα; Πάντα γὰρ λογισμον πονηρὸν ὑπερθαίνει, καὶ πᾶσαν ἔννοιαν μυσαρὰν, τὰ παρ' ἐχείνων ὡς θεῖα πραττόμενα. 'Αρχεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐπωνυμία τὸ παμμίαρον αὑτῶν αἰνίξασθαι τόλμημα. Βορδοριανοὶ γὰρ τούτον χάριν ἐπωνομά-

Ech tōn Balentinou spermatōn to tōn Bardē… ē Stratiōtikōn, hē Phēmionitōn kaloumenōn, edchastēse mysos. Hypethento gar Aiōna tina anōlethron en parthenichǭ diagonta pneumati, ho Bar- Thēlōth onomazousi " tēn de Bardēlōth aitēsai Prognōsin par᾽ autou. Proelthousēs de tautēs, eit᾽ authis aitēsasēs, proelēlythen ᾿Aphtharsia, epeita aiōnia Zōē. Euphrantheisan de tēn Bardē… Touto phasi, tę̄ tou Pneumatos christhen teleio- … epēngeilen Noun, kai eladen. Ho de Patēr prostetheike kai Logon. Eita synezygēsan "ennoia kai Logos, ᾿Aphtharsia kai Christos, Zōē aiōnios kai to Thelēma, ho Nous kai hē Prognōsis. "Epeita palin ek tēs Ennoias kai tou Logou prodlēthēnax phasi ton Autogenę̄, kai syn autǭ tēn ᾿Alētheian, kai genesthai palin syzygian heteran Autogenous kai ᾿Alētheias. Kai ti dei legein kai tas allas prodolas, tas ek tou Phōtos kai tēs ᾿Aphtharsias? Makros gar ho mythos, kai pros tǭ dyssedei kai to aterpes echōn. Epitetheichasi de toutois kai. He draïcha onomata, kataplēttein tous haplousterous peirōmenoi. Ton de Autogenēę̄ phasi͵ prodalesthai anthrōpon teleion kai alēthē, hon kai ᾿Adamanta kalousi " prodethlēsthai de syn autǭ kai homozyga Gnōsin teleian. Enteuthen palin anadeichthēnai mētera, patera, kai huion. Ek de tou ᾿Anthrōpon kai tēs Gnōseōs bedlastēchenai Xylon " Gnōsin de kai touto prosagoreuousin. Ech de tou prōtou angelou prothlēthēnai legousi Pneuma hagion, ho Sophian kai Prounikon prosēgoreusan. Tautēn phasin ephiemenēn omozygos, "Ergon apochyę̄sai, en hǭ ēn “Agnoia kai Authadeia. To de "“Ergon touto, Prōtarchonta kalousi, kai auton einai legousi tēs ktiseōs poiētēn. Touton de tę̄ Authadeią synaphthenta, tēn Kakian apogennę̄sai, kai ta tautēs moria. Tauta men oun en kephalaiǭ diēlthon, hyperdas to tou plasmatos mēkos. Tas de mystikas autōn teletas tis houtō trisathlios, hōste dia glōttēs proenenchein ta teloumena? Panta gar logismon ponēron hyperthainei, kai pasan ennoian mysaran, ta par' echeinōn hōs theia prattomena. 'Archei de kai hē epōnymia to pammiaron hautōn ainixasthai tolmēma. Bordorianoi gar touton charin epōnoma-

From the seeds of Valentinus sprouted the abomination of those called Barbel[iotes] … or Stratiotics or Phemionites. They posited an imperishable Aeon living in a virginal spirit, which they name Barbeloth; and Barbeloth asked Foreknowledge of him. When she had come forth, and Barbeloth had asked again, Incorruption came forth, and then Eternal Life. Barbeloth, rejoicing … This, they say, anointed with the perfection of the Spirit … he promised Mind and received it. And the Father added Word as well. Then Thought and Word were paired, Incorruption and Christ, Eternal Life and Will, Mind and Foreknowledge. Then again from Thought and Word, they say, Self-begotten came forth, and with him Truth, and another pair came into being, Self-begotten and Truth. And why must I tell the other emanations, those from Light and Incorruption? For the myth is long, and besides its impiety it is tedious. They have also attached Hebrew names to these, trying to overawe the simpler sort. They say Self-begotten put forth a perfect and true man, whom they also call Adamas, and with him was put forth his consort, perfect Knowledge. From this, again, a mother, a father and a son were displayed. From Man and Knowledge sprang a Tree, and this too they call Knowledge. From the first angel, they say, the Holy Spirit came forth, whom they named Wisdom and Prunicus. She, longing for a consort, they say, brought forth a Work in which were Ignorance and Arrogance. This Work they call the First Ruler, and say that he is the maker of creation; joined with Arrogance he begot Wickedness and its parts. These things I have gone through in summary, passing over the length of the fiction. But who is so thrice-wretched as to utter with his tongue what is done in their secret rites? For what they do as divine things exceeds every evil reasoning and every loathsome thought. Their very name is enough to hint at their utterly foul daring; for they were named Borborians on this account ….

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Notes and citation

Summary: The Barbeliotes or Borborians taught a chain of emanations from Barbeloth, a world made by a First Ruler born of Wisdom, and practiced rites too shameful for Theodoret to describe.

Lines are lost and Migne's Latin is mixed into the scan; both are marked “…”. The chapter breaks off. Borborians means “filthy ones” (βόρβορος, “mud”). Sources: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.29; Epiphanius, Pan. 26.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Migne's Latin column read as Greek; OCR marks; part of a word lost; footnote and Latin debris; footnote marker; stray fragment from the previous column): γὼν. Ἔχ → Ἔχ; Βαρὄδη- "ἢ → Βαρδη… ἢ; Βαρδηζ αυδτη ἀλη) πδίγ ἢ) 6886. [λυ δοΓ πὶ Δα ίθ τη Θχβθογδη- 0}, οἵ Ὠλ 9 ΟΓΙΟΓῸΠῚ ρᾶγι οἰ ραιοπαπι, υἱ φας ἤδὶ ἐὶ → Βαρδη… ; (δ᾽ οἱ δὲ, χ. ς. λ. ΑΙ δογναίογοαι,. ἃ ἀυοάθοὶπι δ α΄ τοῦτα Δ Θηυπι ἀϊοθηῖθβ, οἱ ἀοιηϊ οἰ! απ ἴῃ Βιοιηΐη δ οἱ δδοοιυ πάθη ΠΟΙ Θ νοςδηΐ : ροϑί θυ ης → … ; (Δ) → ; (θ) → .

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.29.1 (Against Heresies; allusion); Epiphanius, Pan. 26 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.13 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-13). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-13

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-13) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.14PG 83

Οἱ δὲ Σηθιανοὶ, οἷς Ὀφιανοὺς ἡ Οφίτας τινὲς ὀνομάζουσιν, ἄνθρωπον καλοῦσι τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων Θεὸν, Φῶς αὐτὸν πάλιν ἐπονομάξοντες, καὶ μακάριον καὶ ἄφθαρτον ἀποκαλοῦντες, καὶ ἐν Βυθῷ τὴν οἴκησιν ἔχειν διςδεδαιούμενοι " τὴν δὲ “ἔννοιαν αὐτοῦ, Υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου καλοῦσι, καὶ δεύτερον τὸν … Πνεῦμα - κάτω δὲ τούτων, τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα, ὕδωρ, σκότος, ἄδυσσον, χάος. Θήλυ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα καλοῦσι, καὶ τοῖς στοιχείοις ἐπιφέρεσθα:. Ἐρασθῆναι δέ φασι τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τὸν δεύτερον, τῆς ὥρας τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ παιδοποιῆσαι Φῶς, ὃ καλοῦσι Χριστόν. Μὴ δυνηθεῖσαν δὲ βαστάσαι τὴν θήλειαν τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν ὑπερδολὴν, ὑπερδλύσα: " καὶ τὸν μὲν Χριστὸν, σὺν τῇ μητρὶ, εἰς τὸν ἄφθαρτον ἀνασπασθῆναι Αἰῶνα, ἣν καὶ ἀληθινὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καλοῦσι" τὴν δὲ ἀναδλυσθεῖσαν τοῦ φωτὸς ἰκμάδα ἐκπεσεῖν κάτω φασὶ, καὶ κληθῆναι Σοφίαν, καὶ Προύνικον, καὶ ᾿Αρσενόθηλυν. Διανηχομένην δὲ ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι, προσλαδεῖν μὲν ἐξ αὐτῶν σῶμα, καὶ βαρυνθῆναι, καὶ ὑποδρύχιον κινδυνεῦσαι γενέσθαι - ἀναδῦναι ὅὲ, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ περιχειμένου σώματος χαταἀναπτῆναι πρὸς τὴν μητέρα. Ἐκεῖνον δὲ υἱὸν τοῦ ΠΙρουνίχου καλοῦσι. Κἀκεῖνος δὲ πάλιν ἄλλον υἱὸν προεδάλετο, καὶ ἐξ ἐχείνου συστῆναι λέγουσιν ἕτερον, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ ἑπτὰ ἀριθμοῦ προδῆναι τὰς προδολάς. Ὑφ᾽ ἐκάστου δὲ τούτων ἕνα οὐρανὸν δημιουργηθῆναι, καὶ ἕχαστον οἰκεῖν τὸν οἰκεῖον. Ἐπέθεσαν δὲ καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα τοῖς προειρημένοις υἱοῖς, τῇ ἙἭδραίων χρησάμενοι γλώττῃ, ὧν ἐπιμνησθῆναι περιττὸν ἄγαν ὑπέλαθον. δέ φασι τοὺς ἄλλους πρὸς τὸν πρῶτον, τῶν μὲν ὄντα πάππον, τῶν δὲ ἐπίπαππον, ἐνίων δὲ πρόγονον. Τὸν δὲ ἀθυμήσαντα, εἰς τὴν τρύγα τῆς ὕλης ἐρεῖσθα! τὴν ἔννοιαν, καὶ γεννῆσαι υἱὸν ὀφιόμορφον ἐξ πατέρα εἰπεῖν, Ἐγὼ Θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐδείς. Τὴν δὲ μητέρα δυσχεράνασαν αὐτῷ, Μὴ ψεύδου ᾿ ἔστι γὰρ ὑπὲρ σὲ πατὴρ ἀπάντων, πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος, υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου. Τούτων δὲ, φησὶν, ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων τοῦ ὄφεως ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη" ε Δεῦτε, ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ᾽ εἰκόνα ἡμῶν. » Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ πάμπολλα προστιθέασ! δυσσεθείας ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀηδίας μεστά. Καὶ τὸν ὀὁφιόμόρφον δὲ ἐκεῖνον Μιχαὴλ καὶ Σαμαννὰ ὀνομάζουσι. Καὶ τοὺς προφῆτας διαιροῦσι, καὶ τοῖς ἑπτὰ νἱοῖς ὡς θέλουσιν ἀπονέμουσι. Καὶ τὸν Σὴθ θείαν τινὰ δύναμιν εἶναί φασι " διὸ καὶ Σηθιανοὶ προσηγορεύθησαν. Τὸν δὲ Ἰησοῦν ἄλλον λέγουσι παρὰ τὸν Χριστόν " καὶ τὸν μὲν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου γεννηθῆναι, τὸν δὲ Χριστὸν οὐρανόθεν εἰς αὑτὸν κατελθεῖν. Φασὶ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους πλαγηθῆναι, νενομικότας τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀναστῆναι τὴν -σάρκα. Τινὲς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν φασιν, εἰς ὄφεως εἶδος ἑαυτὸν ἐχτυπώσαντα τὸν Χριστὸν, εἰς τὴν τῆς Παρθένου μήτραν εἰσδῦναι. Καὶ οὕτω νοοῦσιν οἱ δείλαιοι τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ῥῆσιν" ε« Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐκ ἀρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἄνθρωπος Ὀ δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν ὄφιν τῇ Σοφίᾳ συνεῖναί φασι, καὶ ὡς ἐναντίῳ Θεῷ τῷ ποιητῇ πολεμοῦντα, τὸν ᾿Αδὰμ ἐξαπατῆσαι, καὶ δεδωκέναι τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ τούτου χάριν εἰρῇσθαι φρονιμώτατον εἶναι πάντων τὸν ὄφιν, καὶ τὴν πολυέλιχτον δὲ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐντέρων θέσιν τοῦ ὄφεως περικεῖσθαι τὸ σῶμα, δειχνῦσαν τὴν ζωογόνον σοφίαν τοῦ ὄφεως. Διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ προσκυνοῦσι τὸν ὄφιν. Ὃν ἐπῳδαῖς τισι χκαταθέλξαντες, ἐν σκότει τρέφουσι, καὶ τῇ τελετῇ τῶν μυσαρῶν αὐτῶν μυστηρίων τοῦτον τῇ τραπέζῃ προσφέρουσιν" ἐπιθάντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, τῶν ἄρτων ὡς ἡγιασμένων

Hoi de Sēthianoi, hois Ophianous hē Ophitas tines onomazousin, anthrōpon kalousi ton tōn hapantōn Theon, Phōs auton palin eponomaxontes, kai makarion kai aphtharton apokalountes, kai en Bythǭ tēn oikēsin echein disdedaioumenoi " tēn de “ennoian autou, Huion anthrōpou kalousi, kai deuteron ton … Pneuma - katō de toutōn, tessara stoicheia, hydōr, skotos, adysson, chaos. Thēly de to Pneuma kalousi, kai tois stoicheiois epipherestha:. Erasthēnai de phasi ton prōton anthrōpon, kai ton deuteron, tēs hōras tou Pneumatos, kai paidopoiēsai Phōs, ho kalousi Christon. Mē dynētheisan de bastasai tēn thēleian tou phōtos tēn hyperdolēn, hyperdlysa: " kai ton men Christon, syn tę̄ mētri, eis ton aphtharton anaspasthēnai Aiōna, hēn kai alēthinēn Ekklēsian kalousi" tēn de anadlystheisan tou phōtos ikmada ekpesein katō phasi, kai klēthēnai Sophian, kai Prounikon, kai ᾿Arsenothēlyn. Dianēchomenēn de en tois hydasi, prosladein men ex autōn sōma, kai barynthēnai, kai hypodrychion kindyneusai genesthai - anadynai hoe, kai ek tou pericheimenou sōmatos chataanaptēnai pros tēn mētera. Ekeinon de huion tou PIrounichou kalousi. Kakeinos de palin allon huion proedaleto, kai ex echeinou systēnai legousin heteron, kai mechri tou hepta arithmou prodēnai tas prodolas. Hyph᾽ ekastou de toutōn hena ouranon dēmiourgēthēnai, kai hechaston oikein ton oikeion. Epethesan de kai ta onomata tois proeirēmenois huiois, tę̄ HeĒdraiōn chrēsamenoi glōttę̄, hōn epimnēsthēnai peritton agan hypelathon. de phasi tous allous pros ton prōton, tōn men onta pappon, tōn de epipappon, eniōn de progonon. Ton de athymēsanta, eis tēn tryga tēs hylēs ereistha! tēn ennoian, kai gennēsai huion ophiomorphon ex patera eipein, Egō Theos kai patēr, kai hyper eme oudeis. Tēn de mētera dyscheranasan autǭ, Mē pseudou ᾿ esti gar hyper se patēr apantōn, prōtos anthrōpos, huios anthrōpou. Toutōn de, phēsin, akousas tōn logōn tou opheōs ho patēr ephē" e Deute, poiēsōmen anthrōpon kat᾽ eikona hēmōn. » Kai hetera de pampolla prostitheas! dyssetheias homou kai aēdias mesta. Kai ton hoophiomorphon de ekeinon Michaēl kai Samanna onomazousi. Kai tous prophētas diairousi, kai tois hepta niois hōs thelousin aponemousi. Kai ton Sēth theian tina dynamin einai phasi " dio kai Sēthianoi prosēgoreuthēsan. Ton de Iēsoun allon legousi para ton Christon " kai ton men Iēsoun ek tēs Parthenou gennēthēnai, ton de Christon ouranothen eis hauton katelthein. Phasi de kai tous apostolous plagēthēnai, nenomikotas tou Sōtēros anastēnai tēn -sarka. Tines de ex autōn phasin, eis opheōs eidos heauton echtypōsanta ton Christon, eis tēn tēs Parthenou mētran eisdynai. Kai houtō noousin hoi deilaioi tēn apostolikēn rhēsin" e« Hos en morphę̄ Theou hyparchōn, ouk arpagmon hēgēsato to einai isa Theǭ, anthrōpos O de auton ton ophin tę̄ Sophią syneinai phasi, kai hōs enantiǭ Theǭ tǭ poiētę̄ polemounta, ton ᾿Adam exapatēsai, kai dedōkenai tēn gnōsin, kai toutou charin eirę̄sthai phronimōtaton einai pantōn ton ophin, kai tēn polyelichton de tōn hēmeterōn enterōn thesin tou opheōs perikeisthai to sōma, deichnysan tēn zōogonon sophian tou opheōs. Dia toi touto kai proskynousi ton ophin. Hon epǭdais tisi chkatathelxantes, en skotei trephousi, kai tę̄ teletę̄ tōn mysarōn autōn mystēriōn touton tę̄ trapezę̄ prospherousin" epithantos de autou, tōn artōn hōs hēgiasmenōn

The Sethians, whom some name Ophians or Ophites, call the God of all things Man, also naming him Light, calling him blessed and incorruptible, and affirming that he dwells in Depth. His Thought they call Son of Man and second … Spirit; below these are four elements: water, darkness, abyss, chaos. The Spirit they call female and say she is borne above the elements. They say the first man and the second fell in love with the beauty of the Spirit and begot Light, which they call Christ. The female, unable to bear the excess of the light, overflowed; Christ with his mother was drawn up into the incorruptible Aeon, which they also call the true Church, but the moisture of light that overflowed, they say, fell down below and was called Wisdom, Prunicus and Male-female. Swimming about in the waters, she took a body from them, was weighed down and was in danger of going under; but she rose up, and [leaving] the body that surrounded her, flew up to her mother. The one [she left below] they call son of Prunicus. He in turn put forth another son, and from him, they say, another was formed, and the emanations went on to the number seven. By each of these one heaven was made, and each dwells in his own. They also gave names to these sons, using the Hebrew tongue, which I judged it quite superfluous to mention. They say that the others [rebelled] against the first, who was grandfather to some, great-grandfather to others, and ancestor of some. He, despondent, fixed his thought on the dregs of matter and begot a serpent-shaped son … the father said, “I am God and Father, and there is none above me.” His mother, vexed with him, [said]: “Do not lie; for there is above you the Father of all, the First Man, the Son of Man.” Hearing these words, he says, the father of the serpent said: “Come, let us make man in our image.” They add very many other things full of impiety and distaste alike. That serpent-shaped one they name Michael and Samael. They divide the prophets and assign them to the seven sons as they please. They say Seth is a certain divine power, which is why they were called Sethians. They say Jesus is another than Christ: Jesus was born of the Virgin, and Christ came down upon him from heaven. They say too that the apostles erred in thinking that the Savior's flesh rose. Some of them say that Christ shaped himself into the form of a serpent and entered the Virgin's womb; and so the wretches understand the apostolic saying: “Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, … man.” … They say the serpent itself is with Wisdom, and, warring against the Maker as a hostile God, deceived Adam and gave him knowledge; that this is why the serpent is said to be the most prudent of all; and that the many-coiled arrangement of our intestines surrounds the body in the shape of a serpent, showing the serpent's life-giving wisdom. For this reason they actually worship the serpent. Having charmed it with certain incantations they keep it in the dark, and in the celebration of their loathsome mysteries they bring it to the table; when it has crawled over the loaves, [they partake] of them as consecrated ….

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Gen 1:2 (allusion, medium confidence) · Isa 45:5 (allusion, medium confidence) · Isa 46:9 (allusion, low confidence) · Gen 1:26 (quotation, high confidence) · Phil 2:6–7 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 3:1 (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The Sethians or Ophites taught a God called Man, a fallen Wisdom, seven heavenly sons, a boastful serpent-shaped ruler, a Christ distinct from Jesus, and worshiped a serpent at their eucharist.

Lines are lost in the scan (marked …); words in square brackets are supplied for sense. Sources: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.30; Epiphanius, Pan. 37. The OCR's Σαμαννά is taken as Samael, the name in Irenaeus (uncertain). The chapter breaks off.
The boast “I am God … none above me” echoes Isa 45:5 and 46:9; the serpent's prudence is Gen 3:1.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (column letter; column letter inside a word; footnote marker; footnote; Greek words lost; stray OCR letters): Αὐτ. 69. δ) δέ. Ἐπ οὐἀϊ!. Ἀοπι. → … ; φασι οἱ ὁῦ. τὸν → φασι τὸν; ὥρας Α τοῦ → ὥρας τοῦ; ἔτε- Β ρον → ἕτερον; Σαμαννὰ ([ → Σαμαννὰ .

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.30.1 (Against Heresies; allusion); Epiphanius, Pan. 37 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Christology, Eucharist

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.14 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-14). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-14

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-14) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.15PG 83

Ἄλλοι δὲ, οὗς Καϊνοὺς ὀνομάζουσι, καὶ τὸν Κάϊν φασὶν ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν αὐθεντίας λελυτρῶσθαι, καὶ τὸν Ἦσαῦ, καὶ τὸν Κορὲ, καὶ τοὺς Σοδομίτας, καὶ πάντας δὲ τοὺς τοιούτονς συγγενεῖς ἰδίους ὁμολογοῦσι, καὶ τούτους ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ Ποιητοῦ μισηθῆναι, μηδεμίαν δὲ βλάδην εἰσδέξασθαι. Ἢ γὰρ σοφία ὅπερ εἶχεν ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀνήρπασεν ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν προδότην δὲ Ἰούδαν μόνον ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἀποστόλων ταύτην ἐσχηκέναι τὴν γνῶσίν φασι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ τῆς προδοσίας ἐνεργῆσαι μυστήριον. Προφέρουσι δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ Εὐαγγέλιον, ὅπερ ἐκεῖνοι συντεθείχασιν ἐκεῖνος γὰρ εὐθὺς τὴν ἀγχόνην ἔλαδς τῆς προδοσίας μισθόν. Καὶ τὰ ἀπειρημένα πράττοντες, ἀγγέλου τινὸς ἐπιλέγουσιν ὄνομα, ὡς ἐκείνῳ δῆθεν τὴν ἀσέλγειαν χαριζόμενοι " καὶ τοῦτο ἐφ᾽ ἑκάστης ἰδέας … εἴδεσιν ἰσαρίθμους τινὰς ἀγγέλους λέγουσιν, οἵ θε-

Alloi de, hous Kaïnous onomazousi, kai ton Kaïn phasin ek tēs anōthen authentias lelytrōsthai, kai ton Ēsau, kai ton Kore, kai tous Sodomitas, kai pantas de tous toioutons syngeneis idious homologousi, kai toutous hypo men tou Poiētou misēthēnai, mēdemian de bladēn eisdexasthai. Ē gar sophia hoper eichen en autois, anērpasen ex autōn kai ton prodotēn de Ioudan monon ek pantōn tōn apostolōn tautēn eschēkenai tēn gnōsin phasi, kai dia touto to tēs prodosias energēsai mystērion. Propherousi de autou kai Euangelion, hoper ekeinoi syntetheichasin ekeinos gar euthys tēn anchonēn elads tēs prodosias misthon. Kai ta apeirēmena prattontes, angelou tinos epilegousin onoma, hōs ekeinǭ dēthen tēn aselgeian charizomenoi " kai touto eph᾽ hekastēs ideas … eidesin isarithmous tinas angelous legousin, hoi the-

Others, whom they name Cainites, say that Cain was from the Authority above, and they confess Esau, Korah, the Sodomites and all such as their own kin: these were hated by the Maker but received no harm, for Wisdom snatched away from them what she had in them. They say that Judas the traitor alone of all the apostles had this knowledge, and that for this reason he carried out the mystery of the betrayal. They also bring forward a Gospel of his, which they themselves composed; for he hanged himself at once as the wages of his betrayal. When they do forbidden things, they invoke the name of some angel, as though making a gift of their licentiousness to him; and this for each kind … they say there are angels equal in number to the kinds [of sin], who ….

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Gen 4:1–16 (allusion, medium confidence) · Num 16:1–35 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 27:5 (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The Cainites honored Cain, Esau, Korah, the Sodomites and Judas, used a Gospel of Judas, and dedicated their sins to angels.

The end of the chapter is lost in the scan. Source: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.31.1–2.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR letters; footnote and Latin debris; Greek words lost): ΚΑλλοι → Ἄλλοι; ἰδέας ) καὶ τὸν, χ. τ. λ. ΗἸ5 σαηίπὰ νἱά ἰεἴδεσιν → ἰδέας … εἴδεσιν.

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.31.1 (Against Heresies; allusion); Gos. Jud. (Gospel of Judas; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.15 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-15). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-15

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-15) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.16PG 83

σαν δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς, οὗς ᾿Αντιτάχτας ἐκάλουν, ἀσεύεΐς, οἱ τὸν μέγαν ἄγνωστον Θεὸν, ὡς αὐτοὶ λέγουσι, πατέρα οἰκεῖον ὠνόμαζον" τοῦτον δὲ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι, καὶ θεὸν ποιητήν" ἕνα δέ τινα τῶν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ γεγονότων ἐπισπεῖραι ζιζάνια " ὃς καὶ πάντας ἡμᾶς, ὡς αὑτοὶ λέγουσι, κακοῖς περιέδαλεν, ξάμενος ἡμῶν τῷ ἀγαθωτάτῳ πατρί. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀντιτασσόμεθα αὐτῷ, εἰς ἐκδίκησιν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀνθιστάμενοι τοῖς νόμοις αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὗτος εἶπεν, « Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, ν» ἡμεῖς, φησὶ, μοιχεύσωμεν ἐπὶ καταλύσει τῆς ἐντολῆς αὐτοῦ. Τούτους εἰκότως ἄν τις ἐφευρετὰς ὀνομάσοι κακῶν, οἵ ταῖς ἀπσελγείαις τὰς βλασφημίας συνάπτουσιν.

san de kai alloi tines, hous ᾿Antitachtas ekaloun, aseueïs, hoi ton megan agnōston Theon, hōs autoi legousi, patera oikeion ōnomazon" touton de agathon einai, kai theon poiētēn" hena de tina tōn hyp᾽ autou gegonotōn epispeirai zizania " hos kai pantas hēmas, hōs hautoi legousi, kakois periedalen, xamenos hēmōn tǭ agathōtatǭ patri. Hou dē charin kai hēmeis antitassometha autǭ, eis ekdikēsin tou patros anthistamenoi tois nomois autou. Kai epeidē houtos eipen, « Ou moicheuseis, n» hēmeis, phēsi, moicheusōmen epi katalysei tēs entolēs autou. Toutous eikotōs an tis epheuretas onomasoi kakōn, hoi tais apselgeiais tas blasphēmias synaptousin.

There were also certain others, impious men, whom they called Antitactae (Opponents), who named the great unknown God, as they say, their own father, and said that he is good and God the maker; but that one of those he made sowed weeds besides, who, as they say, surrounded us all with evils, … our most good Father. “For this reason we too oppose him, resisting his laws to avenge the Father. And since he said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ let us,” he says, “commit adultery to undo his commandment.” One might fittingly call these men inventors of evils, who join blasphemies to licentiousness.

Exod 20:14 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 13:25 (allusion, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The Antitactae held that a creature of the good God sowed evil and its laws, and so broke the commandments, adultery included, on principle.

A word or two is lost before “our most good Father” (perhaps “setting us at odds with”). Source: Clement, Strom. 3.4.34.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR split word): μοιἢ χεύτωμεν → μοιχεύσωμεν.

Extrabiblical texts: Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.4.34 (Miscellanies; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Ethics

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.16 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-16). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-16

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-16) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.17PG 83

᾿Αδέμης δὲ ὁ Καρύστιος, καὶ ἑ Περατιχὸς τῆς, ἀφ᾽ οὗ Περάται προσηγορεύθησαν οἱ τούτων ὁμόφρονες, ἕνα κόσμον εἶναί φασι τριχῇ διῃρημένον " καὶ τὸ μὲν ἕν μέρος, οἷόν τινα πηγὴν εἶναι μεγάλην, εἰς ἄπειρα διαιρεθῆναι τῷ λόγῳ δυνάμενον. Τὴν δὲ πρώτην τομὴν Τριάδᾳ προσαγορεύουσι, καὶ καλοῦσιν αὐτὴν ἀγαθὸν τέλειον, μέγεθος πατρικόν. Τὸ δὲ δεύτερον, δυνάμεων ἀπείρων τὸ πλῆθος. Τὸ δὲ «ρίτον καλοῦσιν ἰδικόν. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀγέννητον λέγουσι, καὶ ὀνομάζουσι τρεῖς θεοὺς, τρεῖς λόγους, τρεῖς νοῦς, τρεῖς ἀνθρώπους. "Άνωθεν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγεννησίας, καὶ τῆς πρώτης τοῦ κόσμου διαιρέσεως, παρ᾽ αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ κόσμου συντέλειαν, ἐν τοῖς Ἡρώδου χρόνοις κατεληλυθέναι τριφνῇ τινα ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τρίσωμον, καὶ τριδύναμον, καλούμενον Χριστόν" καὶ διελθεῖν τόν τε ἀγέννητον κόσμον, καὶ τὸν αὐτογενῇ, καὶ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τόνδε τὸν κόσμον ἐν ᾧ ἐσμεν. Κατελθὼν δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς, τὰ μὲν ἄνωθεν χατενηνεγμένα ἐπανελθεῖν ἄνω παρασχενάσει, τὰ δὲ τούτοις ἑπιδουλεύσαντα παραδώσει κολάσει. Καὶ τὸν μὲν ἀγέννητον κόσμον, καὶ τὸν αὐτογενῇ, σθαι λέγουσι" τοῦτον δὲ τὸν κόσμον ἀπόλλυσθαι, ὃν ἰδικὸν ὀνομάζουσι.

᾿Ademēs de ho Karystios, kai he Peratichos tēs, aph᾽ hou Peratai prosēgoreuthēsan hoi toutōn homophrones, hena kosmon einai phasi trichę̄ dię̄rēmenon " kai to men hen meros, hoion tina pēgēn einai megalēn, eis apeira diairethēnai tǭ logǭ dynamenon. Tēn de prōtēn tomēn Triadą prosagoreuousi, kai kalousin autēn agathon teleion, megethos patrikon. To de deuteron, dynameōn apeirōn to plēthos. To de «riton kalousin idikon. Kai to men prōton agennēton legousi, kai onomazousi treis theous, treis logous, treis nous, treis anthrōpous. "Anōthen de apo tēs agennēsias, kai tēs prōtēs tou kosmou diaireseōs, par᾽ autēn tēn tou kosmou synteleian, en tois Hērōdou chronois katelēlythenai triphnę̄ tina anthrōpon, kai trisōmon, kai tridynamon, kaloumenon Christon" kai dielthein ton te agennēton kosmon, kai ton autogenę̄, kai elthein eis tonde ton kosmon en hǭ esmen. Katelthōn de ho Christos, ta men anōthen chatenēnegmena epanelthein anō paraschenasei, ta de toutois hepidouleusanta paradōsei kolasei. Kai ton men agennēton kosmon, kai ton autogenę̄, sthai legousi" touton de ton kosmon apollysthai, hon idikon onomazousi.

Ademes of Carystus and Euphrates the Peratic, after whom those who think as they do were called Peratae, say that there is one world divided in three: one part is like a great spring, able to be divided by reason into infinite parts. The first section they call Triad, and they call it perfect good, fatherly greatness; the second is the multitude of infinite powers; the third they call the particular. The first they say is unbegotten, and they name it three gods, three words, three minds, three men. From above, from unbegottenness and the first division of the world, at the very consummation of the world, in the times of Herod, there came down a certain man of three natures, three bodies and three powers, called Christ; he passed through the unbegotten world and the self-begotten one and came into this world in which we are. Christ, having come down, will prepare the things brought down from above to go back up, and will hand over to punishment those that plotted against them. They say that the unbegotten world and the self-begotten [are saved], but that this world, which they name the particular, perishes.

Notes and citation

Summary: The Peratae taught a threefold world and a threefold Christ who came down to restore to heaven what had come from it, while this world perishes.

Latin debris is removed; a few words are lost (marked … or supplied in brackets). Source: Hippolytus, Ref. 5.12, where the first name is spelled Akembes.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (column letter and Latin debris; footnote and Latin debris inside a word): μεγά- 1 δηίς ἕνα δέ τινα, χ, τ᾿ λ, Ομ ῥτγιοοοαἀπηϊΐ, [014 λην → μεγάλην; Τὴν Α ου͵υδάδηι [Οη1|8 6586, φυ ἰῃ ἰηδηΐία ἀἰν! ἀϊ οορίταδὲ πρώτην → Τὴν δὲ πρώτην.

Extrabiblical texts: Hippolytus, Haer. 5.12.1 (Refutation of All Heresies; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Christology

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.17 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-17). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-17

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-17) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.18PG 83

Μονόϊμον τὸν “Αραδα λέγουσιν ἐκ τῆς ἀριθμητικῇς ἐπιστήμης λαδόντα τὰς ἀφορμὰς, τὴν οἰκείαν αἴρε-

Monoïmon ton “Arada legousin ek tēs arithmētikę̄s epistēmēs ladonta tas aphormas, tēn oikeian aire-

They say that Monoimus the Arab took his starting points from the science of arithmetic and [put together] his own heresy …

Notes and citation

Summary: Monoimus the Arab based his heresy on arithmetic; the rest of the chapter is lost.

Only the first line of the chapter survives in the scan. Source: Hippolytus, Ref. 8.12.

Extrabiblical texts: Hippolytus, Haer. 8.12.1 (Refutation of All Heresies; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.18 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-18). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-18

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-18) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.19PG 83

Ὁ δὲ Ἑρμογένης ἐξ ὑποκειμένης ὕλης καὶ συναγεννήτου τὸν Θεὸν ἔφη δημιουργῆσαι τὰ πάντα. ᾿Αδύνατον γὰρ ὑπέλαδεν ὁ ἐμδρόντητος καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων, ἐκ μὴ ὄντων δημιουργεῖν. Οὗτος τοῦ Κυρίου τὸ σῶμα ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ εἶπεν ἀποτεθῆναι, τὸν δὲ διάδολον καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας εἰς τὴν ὕλην ἀναχεθήῆσεσθαι. Κατὰ τούτου συνέγραψε Θεόφιλος ὃ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐπίσκοπος, καὶ Ὠριγένης ὡσαύτως. Κατὰ δὲ Βαλεντένον, καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἐχείνου, καὶ Εἰρηναῖος, καὶ Κλήμης, καὶ Ὠριγένης.

Ho de Hermogenēs ex hypokeimenēs hylēs kai synagennētou ton Theon ephē dēmiourgēsai ta panta. ᾿Adynaton gar hypeladen ho emdrontētos kai tǭ Theǭ tōn holōn, ek mē ontōn dēmiourgein. Houtos tou Kyriou to sōma en tǭ hēliǭ eipen apotethēnai, ton de diadolon kai tous daimonas eis tēn hylēn anachethēēsesthai. Kata toutou synegrapse Theophilos ho tēs ᾿Antiocheōn episkopos, kai Ōrigenēs hōsautōs. Kata de Balentenon, kai tōn ex echeinou, kai Eirēnaios, kai Klēmēs, kai Ōrigenēs.

Hermogenes said that God made all things from underlying matter, unbegotten together with him. For the thunderstruck man supposed that it is impossible even for the God of the universe to create from what does not exist. He said that the Lord's body was laid up in the sun, and that the devil and the demons will be dissolved into matter. Against him wrote Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, and Origen likewise; and against Valentinus and those who came from him, Irenaeus, Clement and Origen.

Notes and citation

Summary: Hermogenes taught that God made the world from eternal matter and that Christ's body was laid up in the sun; Theophilus and Origen wrote against him.

Theophilus's work against Hermogenes is lost (Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.24.1).

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Latin debris inside a word): τοῦ Κυ- ὦ υπίγογβοτυπι, υἱ ἐκ ρίου → τοῦ Κυρίου.

Extrabiblical texts: Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.24.1 (Church History; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.19 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-19). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-19

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-19) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.20PG 83

Τατιανὸς δὲ ὁ Σύρος, σοφιστὴς ἐγεγόνει τὸ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἰουστίνου τοῦ μάρτυρος ἐγένετο φοιτητής, Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ διδασκάλου τε- Ἡρανίσατο δὲ τὰς τοῦ πλάσματος ἀφορμὰς, ἀπὸ δὲ Σατορνῇου καὶ Μαρκίωνος, τὸ τὸν γάμον βδελύττεσθαι, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐμψύχων, καὶ τὴν τοῦ οἴνου μετάληψιν, Τοῦτον ἔχουσιν ἀρχηγὸν οἱ λεγόμε στάται δὲ ὀνομάζονται, ὡς ὕδωρ ἀντὶ οἴνου προσφέροντες" ᾿Εγκρατιταὶ δὲ, ὡς μήτε οἶνον πίνοντες, μήτε τῶν ἐμψύχων μεταλαμόάνοντες. ᾿Απ- Καὶ τὴν ἀγαμίαν δὲ μετίασι, πορνείαν τὸν γάμον προσαγορεύοντες, καὶ τὴν ἔννομον κοινωνίαν διαθολικὴν ὀνομάζοντες. Οὗτος καὶ τὸ διὰ τεσσάρων χαγίας περικόψας, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἐκ σπέρματος Δαβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα γεγεννημένον τὸν Κύριον δείκνυσιν. Ἐχρήσαντο δὲ τούτῳ, οὗ μόνοι οἱ τῆς ἐχείνου συμμορίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς ἑπόμενοι δόγμασι, τὴν τῆς συνθήκης κακουργίαν οὐ ἐγνωκότες, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπλούστερον ὡς συντόμῳ τῷ βιδλίῳ χρησάμενοι. Εὖρον δὲ χἀγὼ πλείους ἣ διακοσίας βίθλους τοιαύτας ἐν ταῖς παρ᾽ ἡμῖν ἐκκλησίαις τετιμημένας, καὶ πάσας συναγαγὼν ἀπεθέμην, καὶ τὰ τῶν τεττάρων

Tatianos de ho Syros, sophistēs egegonei to prōton, epeita de kai tou thespesiou Ioustinou tou martyros egeneto phoitētēs, Meta de tēn tou didaskalou te- Hēranisato de tas tou plasmatos aphormas, apo de Satornę̄ou kai Markiōnos, to ton gamon bdelyttesthai, kai tēn tōn empsychōn, kai tēn tou oinou metalēpsin, Touton echousin archēgon hoi legome statai de onomazontai, hōs hydōr anti oinou prospherontes" ᾿Enkratitai de, hōs mēte oinon pinontes, mēte tōn empsychōn metalamoanontes. ᾿Ap- Kai tēn agamian de metiasi, porneian ton gamon prosagoreuontes, kai tēn ennomon koinōnian diatholikēn onomazontes. Houtos kai to dia tessarōn chagias perikopsas, kai ta alla hosa ek spermatos Dabid kata sarka gegennēmenon ton Kyrion deiknysin. Echrēsanto de toutǭ, hou monoi hoi tēs echeinou symmorias, alla kai hoi tois apostolikois hepomenoi dogmasi, tēn tēs synthēkēs kakourgian ou egnōkotes, all᾽ aplousteron hōs syntomǭ tǭ bidliǭ chrēsamenoi. Euron de chagō pleious hē diakosias bithlous toiautas en tais par᾽ hēmin ekklēsiais tetimēmenas, kai pasas synagagōn apethemēn, kai ta tōn tettarōn

Tatian the Syrian was at first a sophist, then became a disciple of the inspired Justin the martyr. After his teacher's death … He collected the starting points of his fiction [from Valentinus], and from Satornilus and Marcion the loathing of marriage and of partaking of animate things and of wine. Those called [Encratites] have him as their founder. … [Hydropara]statae they are named because they offer water instead of wine; Encratites because they neither drink wine nor partake of animate things. … They pursue celibacy, calling marriage sexual immorality and naming lawful intercourse devilish. This man also [composed the Gospel called] Diatessaron, cutting out the genealogies and the other passages that show the Lord born of the seed of David according to the flesh. Not only those of his own company used it, but also those who follow the apostolic doctrines, not knowing the mischief of the compilation but using the book quite simply as a short one. I myself found more than two hundred such books held in honor in the churches among us; I collected them all and put them away, and [in their place introduced] the [Gospels] of the four ….

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Rom 1:3 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 1:1–17 (allusion, medium confidence) · Luke 3:23–38 (allusion, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Tatian, Justin's disciple, founded the Encratites, who rejected marriage, meat and wine, and composed the Diatessaron, which Theodoret removed from the churches of his diocese.

Lines are lost in the scan (marked …); words in square brackets are supplied for sense from the context. The chapter breaks off.
Theodoret's report that he removed over two hundred copies of the Diatessaron from the churches of his diocese is his own testimony. “Sexual immorality” renders πορνεία, the Encratite name for marriage; reported, not endorsed.

Topics: Heresy, Marriage, Scripture and canon, Eucharist

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.20 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-20). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-20

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-20) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.21PG 83

Τὴν τούτου διδασκαλίαν Σευῇρος διαδεξάμενος, … τοὺς Ἐγχρατιτὰς καλοῦσιν. Οὗτοι καὶ τοῦ θείου Παύλου τὰς ᾿Ἐπιστολὰς, καὶ τῶν Πράξεων τὴν … τῆς ἀληθείας συνήγορος, καὶ Κλήμης ὁ Στρωματεὺς, καὶ ᾿Απολινάριος, ὁ τῆς κατὰ Φρυγίαν ἱερᾶς πόλεως γεγονὼς ἐπίσκοπος, καὶ Ὠριγένης.

Tēn toutou didaskalian Seuę̄ros diadexamenos, … tous Enchratitas kalousin. Houtoi kai tou theiou Paulou tas ᾿Epistolas, kai tōn Praxeōn tēn … tēs alētheias synēgoros, kai Klēmēs ho Strōmateus, kai ᾿Apolinarios, ho tēs kata Phrygian hieras poleōs gegonōs episkopos, kai Ōrigenēs.

Severus took over his teaching, … [and after him] they call the Encratites [Severians]. These reject the Letters of the divine Paul and the [book] of the Acts …; [against them wrote …] advocate of the truth, and Clement the Stromatist, and Apolinarius, who was bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia, and Origen.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Notes and citation

Summary: Severus continued Tatian's teaching; his Encratites rejected Paul's letters and Acts.

Lines are lost in the scan where Latin debris stands (marked …). Source: Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.29.4–5. The first name in the list of refuters is lost (the phrase “advocate of the truth” is used of Justin in 1.2).

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Migne's Latin column read as Greek; Greek words lost; lost line): ἔχ ἰγαηϑίυ!ογαῃ!. [πο ὰϊ οἱ 660 ἴῃ ᾿θγοβ δ᾽, 4108 δάτοὺς → … τοὺς; τὴν στοτῆς → τὴν … τῆς.

Extrabiblical texts: Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.29.5 (Church History; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Scripture and canon

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.21 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-21). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-21

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-21) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.22PG 83

Βαρδησάνης δὲ ὁ Σύρος, ἐξ Ἐδέσης νος, ἐν τοῖς Οὐήρου Μάρκου Καίσαρος ἤκμασε χρόνοις. Τοῦτόν φασι πολλὰ τῆς Βαλεντίνου ψαι μυθολογίας. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τῇ Σύρων συνέγραψε γλώττῃ, καὶ ταῦτά τινες μετέφρασαν εἰς τὴν Ελλάδα φωνήν. Ἐντετύχηκα δὲ χἀγὼ λόγοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατὰ εἱμαρμένης γραφεῖσι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν Μαρκίωνος αἵρε-σιν, καὶ ἄλλοις οὐκ ὀλίγοις ἡ Φασὶ δὲ καὶ ᾿Αρμόνιον, τούτου παῖδα γενόμενον, ἐν ᾿Αθήναις τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν παιδευθῆναι φωνήν. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ οὗτος συνέγραψε, τῇ Σύρων Ὑλώττῃ χρησάμενος. Τὴν τῶν ἀμφοτέρων δὲ πλάνη. Ἐφραὶμ ὁ Σύρος ὁ πανεύφημος γενναίως διήλεγξεν.

Bardēsanēs de ho Syros, ex Edesēs nos, en tois Ouērou Markou Kaisaros ēkmase chronois. Touton phasi polla tēs Balentinou psai mythologias. Polla de kai tę̄ Syrōn synegrapse glōttę̄, kai tauta tines metephrasan eis tēn Ellada phōnēn. Entetychēka de chagō logois autou, kai kata heimarmenēs grapheisi, kai pros tēn Markiōnos haire-sin, kai allois ouk oligois hē Phasi de kai ᾿Armonion, toutou paida genomenon, en ᾿Athēnais tēn Hellēnikēn paideuthēnai phōnēn. Polla de kai houtos synegrapse, tę̄ Syrōn Hylōttę̄ chrēsamenos. Tēn tōn amphoterōn de planē. Ephraim ho Syros ho paneuphēmos gennaiōs diēlenxen.

Bardesanes the Syrian, [coming] from Edessa, flourished in the times of Verus Marcus Caesar. They say that he … much of the mythology of Valentinus. He also wrote much in the Syriac tongue, and some translated these works into Greek. I too have come across his treatises, both those written against fate and those against the heresy of Marcion, and not a few others …. They say that Harmonius, his son, was educated in the Greek language at Athens. He too wrote much, using the Syriac tongue. The error of both was nobly refuted by the all-praised Ephrem the Syrian.

Notes and citation

Summary: Bardesanes of Edessa, influenced by Valentinus, wrote in Syriac against fate and against Marcion; his son Harmonius followed him, and Ephrem refuted both.

A few words are lost (marked …); the verb describing Bardesanes' relation to Valentinus' mythology is lost (Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.30, says he later rejected much of it). “Verus Marcus Caesar” is Marcus Aurelius.

Extrabiblical texts: Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.30.1 (Church History; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.22 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-22). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-22

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-22) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.23PG 83

Καὶ Φλωρῖνος δὲ, καὶ Βλάστος, εἰς τὸν τῶν ἐν τὴν νόσον τὸν τρισμακάριον Εἰρηναῖον ὁλοφυρόμενον, τὴν κατὰ Βαλεντίνου ποιήσασθαι συγγραφήν. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἅπαντες ἀπὸ τοῦ Σίμωνος ἀρξάμενοι, συγ- … τινας ὀνομάσαντες, καὶ προδολὰς Αἰώνων, καὶ ἄλλας

Kai Phlōrinos de, kai Blastos, eis ton tōn en tēn noson ton trismakarion Eirēnaion holophyromenon, tēn kata Balentinou poiēsasthai syngraphēn. Houtoi men oun hapantes apo tou Simōnos arxamenoi, syg- … tinas onomasantes, kai prodolas Aiōnōn, kai allas

Florinus and Blastus too, into the … the disease, so that the thrice-blessed Irenaeus, lamenting, wrote his treatise against Valentinus. All these, then, beginning from Simon, … naming certain …, and emanations of Aeons, and other …

Notes and citation

Summary: Florinus and Blastus fell into heresy and Irenaeus wrote against them; Theodoret begins to sum up the heresies from Simon onward.

The chapter is badly damaged in the scan; only fragments survive. Compare Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 5.15 and 5.20, on Florinus, Blastus and Irenaeus's letters against them.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (footnote): 52 Ἀπολ. Υἱά. ἰηΐτα, δὰ 1. μι, ο. 9. → … .

Extrabiblical texts: Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 5.20.1 (Church History; allusion)

Topics: Heresy

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.23 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-23). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-23

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-23) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.24PG 83

Μαρκίων δὲ, καὶ Κέρδων ὁ τούτου διδάσκαλος, καὶ … αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐκ τῆς Σίμωνος ἐξαπάτης ἔλαθον τῆς βλασφημίας τὰς ἀφορμὰς, ἀλλ᾽ ἑτέραν ἐχαινοτόμησαν ἀσεδείας ὁδόν. Ὃ γὰρ δὴ Κέρδων ἐγένετο μὲν ἐπὶ ᾿Αντωνίνου τοῦ πρώτου, ἔφη δὲ ἄλλον εἶναι θεὸν τὸν πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἄγνωστον τοῖς προφήταις, ἄλλον δὲ τοῦ παντὸς ποιητὴν, καὶ τοῦ νόμον τοῦ Μωσαϊχοῦ νομοθέτην " καὶ τὸν μὲν εἶναι δίκαιον, τὸν δὲ ἀγαθόν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, φησὶν, ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ καὶ ὁδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος ἐκκόπτειν παρεγγυᾷ" ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς ἐν τοῖς Ἐὐαγγελίοις κελεύει τῷ ῥαπίξοντι τὴν σιαγόνα τὴν δεξιὰν, στρέψαι καὶ τὴν ἄλλην, καὶ τῷ τὸν χιτῶνα βουλομένῳ λαδεῖν, προσδοῦναι καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ προσέταξεν ἀγαπᾷν τὸν φίλον, καὶ μισεῖν τὸν ἐχθρόν " ὁ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐκέλευσεν ἀγαπᾷν. Καὶ οὐ σύνοιδεν ὁ λίαν ἐμδρόντητος, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ διαγορεύει, τὸν πλανώμενον τοῦ ἐχθροῦ βοῦν ἐπανάγειν, καὶ τὸ πεπτωκὸς κτῆνος συνανιστάναι, καὶ μὴ περιορᾷν τὸν ἐχθρὸν βοηθείας δεόμενον " καὶ ὡς ὁ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ μόνος καλούμενος ἀγαθὸς, τῷ μωρὸν καλοῦντι τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἠπείλησε γέενναν " καὶ δεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν δίκαιον εἶπεν" εἐ Ὧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν.» ᾿Αλλὰ τὸ ταῦτα διελέγχεῖν οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ᾽ ἄλλως τε καὶ τοῖς τὰς … Ὁ δὲ Μαρκίων ὁ Ποντικὸς, ταῦτα παρὰ Κέρδωνος παιδευθεὶς, οὐκ ἔστερξε τὴν παραδοθεῖσαν. διδασκαλίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ηὔξησε τὴν ἀσέδειαν. Τέτταρας γὰρ ἀγεννήτους οὐσίας τῷ λόγῳ διέπλασε᾽ καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐκάλεσεν ἀγαθόν τε καὶ ἄγνωστον, ὃν καὶ πατέρα προσηγόρευσε τοῦ Κυρίου " τὸν δὲ δημιουργόν τε καὶ δίκαιον, ὄν καὶ πονηρὸν ὠνόμαζε " καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τὴν ὕλην, κακήν τε οὖσαν, καὶ ὑπ᾽ ἄλλῳ κακῷ τελοῦσαν. Τὸν δὲ δημιουργὸν περιγενόμενον τοῦ κακοῦ, τὴν ὕλην λαδεῖν τε καὶ ἐκ ταύτης δημιουργῆσαι τὰ σύμπαντα" ἐκ μὲν τοῦ καθαρωτάτου, τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ, τὰ στοιχεῖα τὰ τέτταρα, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ὑποστάθμης, τὸν ἄδην καὶ τὸν τάρταρον. Πάλιν δὲ πἧς γῆς τὸ καθαρώταχον διηθήσας, κατεσκεύασε, φησὶ, τὸν παράδεισον " ἐκ δὲ τούτου βῶλον μίαν λαδὼν, ἔπλασε τὸν ᾿Αδὰμ, ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας οὐσίας δεδωκὼς αὐτῷ τὴν ψυχήν. ᾿Εντεῦθεν, φησὶν, ἡ διαμάχη τῆς ψυχῆς ἐστι καὶ τοῦ σώματος, τοῦ μὲν σώματος πρὸς τὴν ὕλην ἐχείνην χατασύραι ταύτην φιλονει- Ὑὸν πειρωμένης τὸ σῶμα. Οὗτοι καὶ τὸν ὄφιν ἀγαθώτερον εἶναι τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ λέγειν τολμῶσιν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ τῆς γνώσεως φυτοῦ μεταλαδεῖν λυσεν, ὁ ὃΣ μάλα προέτρεψε. Καὶ οὐ συνεῖδον οἱ δυσσεδεῖς, ὡς ἡ τοῦ ὄφεως συμθδουλὴ τὸν θάνατον ἀπεκύησεν. Αὐτίκα τοίνυν τινὲς αὐτῶν καὶ τιμῶσι … ἕν τινι χιδωτίῳ μετὰ τῶν μυσαρῶν αὐτῶν ἐγκείμενον μυστηρίων. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τὸν Ποιητὴν βλασφημοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πατριάρχας καὶ τοὺς προφήτας παρανόμους ἀποχαλοῦσιν, ἵνα τὸν Δημιουργὸν ἀποδείξωσι πονηρῶν ἐραστήν. Οὗτος ἐκ μὲν τῶν Εὐαγγελίων τὸ κατὰ Λουκᾶν ἐδέξατο μόνον, καὶ τὴν γενεαλογίαν περικόψας τὰ πλεῖστα" τὸν δὲ νόμον, καὶ τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ τὴν Παλαιὰν πᾶσαν ἐχδέὄληχεν͵ 'ὡς ὑπ᾽ ἀλλοτρίου δεδομένην Θεοῦ. Κατεληλυθέναι δὲ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν λέγει, ἵνα τῆς τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ δουλείας τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότας ἐλευθερώσῃ ᾿ δόξαι δὲ εἶναι ἄνθρωπον, οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον ἔχοντα, καὶ δόξαι καθεῖν οὐδαμῶς πεπονθότα. ᾿Εχδέδληκε δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν σωμάνων. Οὗτος τὸν μὲν Κάϊν, καὶ τοὺς Σοδομίτας, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους δυσσεδεῖς ἅπαντας σωτηρίας ἔφησεν ἀπολελαυχέναι, προσεληλυθότας ἐν τῷ ἄδῃ τῷ Σωτῆρι Χριστῷ, καὶ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἀναληφθῦναι " τὸν δὲ "Αὔελ, καὶ τὸν Ἑνὼχ, καὶ τὸν Νῶε, καὶ τοὺς κατριάρχας τε καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς προφῆτας, καὶ τοὺς δικαίους, οὐ μεταλαχεῖν τῆς ἐκείνοις δεδομένης ἐλευθερίας, προσδραμεῖν αὐτῷ μὴ βουληθέντας. Οὗ δὴ χάριν, φησὶ, καὶ τὸν ἄδην οἰκεῖν χατεχρίθησαν. Τοιαῦτα ὁ Μαρκίων κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἐλύττησε, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τούτων πολλῷ χαλεπώτερα᾽ τὰς γὰρ μείζονας βλασφημίας σιγῇ παραδέδωκα. Οἶδα δὲ ἀνιστάμενος τῷ τοῦ πτύσματος περιττώματι τὸ οἷκεῖον ἀπένιπτε πρόσωπον, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρωτηθεὶς, ἔφησεν ὡς οὐ βούλεται δεηθῆναι τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ, καὶ ὕδωρ ἐκ τῶν ἐχείνου ποιημάτων λαθεῖν. Τῶν δὲ παρόντων εἰρηκότων Πῶς οὖν ἐσθίεις, καὶ πίνεις, καὶ περιδάλλῃ, καὶ καθεύδεις, καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα ἐπιτελεῖς μυστήρια; ὑπολαδὼν ἐξ ἀνάγκης εἶπε τοῦτο ποιεῖν, διὰ τὸ ἑτέρως μήτε ζῇν δύνασθαι, μήτε τελεῖν τὰ μυστήρια. Καὶ ὡμολόγει ἄκων ὁ μεμηνὼς, μηδὲν ἔχειν τὸν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ καλούμενον ἀγαθὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντων ἀπολαύειν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ ποιημάτων, Ἐγὼ δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα καταλιπὼν, ἐπὶ τὰ συνεχῆ τῆς γραφῆς μεταδήσομαι. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος πάλιν ὁ σύλλογος εὶς πολλὰ τμήματα διῃρέθη

Markiōn de, kai Kerdōn ho toutou didaskalos, kai … autoi men ek tēs Simōnos exapatēs elathon tēs blasphēmias tas aphormas, all᾽ heteran echainotomēsan asedeias hodon. Ho gar dē Kerdōn egeneto men epi ᾿Antōninou tou prōtou, ephē de allon einai theon ton patera tou Kyrion hēmōn Iēsou Christou, agnōston tois prophētais, allon de tou pantos poiētēn, kai tou nomon tou Mōsaïchou nomothetēn " kai ton men einai dikaion, ton de agathon. Ho men gar en tǭ nomǭ, phēsin, ophthalmon anti ophthalmou kai hodonta anti odontos ekkoptein parengyą" ho de agathos en tois Euangeliois keleuei tǭ rhapixonti tēn siagona tēn dexian, strepsai kai tēn allēn, kai tǭ ton chitōna boulomenǭ ladein, prosdounai kai to himation. Kai ho men en tǭ nomǭ prosetaxen agapąn ton philon, kai misein ton echthron " ho de kai tous echthrous ekeleusen agapąn. Kai ou synoiden ho lian emdrontētos, hōs kai en tǭ nomǭ diagoreuei, ton planōmenon tou echthrou boun epanagein, kai to peptōkos ktēnos synanistanai, kai mē periorąn ton echthron boētheias deomenon " kai hōs ho par᾽ autou monos kaloumenos agathos, tǭ mōron kalounti ton adelphon ēpeilēse geennan " kai deiknys heauton dikaion eipen" ee Hō metrǭ metreite, antimetrēthēsetai hymin.» ᾿Alla to tauta dielenchein ou tou parontos kairou᾽ allōs te kai tois tas … Ho de Markiōn ho Pontikos, tauta para Kerdōnos paideutheis, ouk esterxe tēn paradotheisan. didaskalian, all᾽ ēuxēse tēn asedeian. Tettaras gar agennētous ousias tǭ logǭ dieplase᾽ kai ton men ekalesen agathon te kai agnōston, hon kai patera prosēgoreuse tou Kyriou " ton de dēmiourgon te kai dikaion, on kai ponēron ōnomaze " kai pros toutois tēn hylēn, kakēn te ousan, kai hyp᾽ allǭ kakǭ telousan. Ton de dēmiourgon perigenomenon tou kakou, tēn hylēn ladein te kai ek tautēs dēmiourgēsai ta sympanta" ek men tou katharōtatou, ton ouranon, ek de tou loipou, ta stoicheia ta tettara, ek de tēs hypostathmēs, ton adēn kai ton tartaron. Palin de pēs gēs to katharōtachon diēthēsas, kateskeuase, phēsi, ton paradeison " ek de toutou bōlon mian ladōn, eplase ton ᾿Adam, ek tēs oikeias ousias dedōkōs autǭ tēn psychēn. ᾿Enteuthen, phēsin, hē diamachē tēs psychēs esti kai tou sōmatos, tou men sōmatos pros tēn hylēn echeinēn chatasyrai tautēn philonei- Hyon peirōmenēs to sōma. Houtoi kai ton ophin agathōteron einai tou Dēmiourgou legein tolmōsin. Ho men gar tou tēs gnōseōs phytou metaladein lysen, ho hoS mala proetrepse. Kai ou syneidon hoi dyssedeis, hōs hē tou opheōs symthdoulē ton thanaton apekyēsen. Autika toinyn tines autōn kai timōsi … hen tini chidōtiǭ meta tōn mysarōn autōn enkeimenon mystēriōn. Ou monon de ton Poiētēn blasphēmousin, alla kai tous patriarchas kai tous prophētas paranomous apochalousin, hina ton Dēmiourgon apodeixōsi ponērōn erastēn. Houtos ek men tōn Euangeliōn to kata Loukan edexato monon, kai tēn genealogian perikopsas ta pleista" ton de nomon, kai tous prophētas, kai tēn Palaian pasan echdeolēchen͵ 'hōs hyp᾽ allotriou dedomenēn Theou. Katelēlythenai de ton Kyrion hēmōn Iēsoun Christon legei, hina tēs tou Dēmiourgou douleias tous eis auton pepisteukotas eleutherōsę̄ ᾿ doxai de einai anthrōpon, ouden anthrōpinon echonta, kai doxai kathein oudamōs peponthota. ᾿Echdedlēke de kai tēn tōn sōmanōn. Houtos ton men Kaïn, kai tous Sodomitas, kai tous allous dyssedeis hapantas sōtērias ephēsen apolelauchenai, proselēlythotas en tǭ adę̄ tǭ Sōtēri Christǭ, kai eis tēn basileian analēphthynai " ton de "Auel, kai ton Henōch, kai ton Nōe, kai tous katriarchas te kai tous loipous prophētas, kai tous dikaious, ou metalachein tēs ekeinois dedomenēs eleutherias, prosdramein autǭ mē boulēthentas. Hou dē charin, phēsi, kai ton adēn oikein chatechrithēsan. Toiauta ho Markiōn kata tou pepoiēkotos elyttēse, mallon de kai toutōn pollǭ chalepōtera᾽ tas gar meizonas blasphēmias sigę̄ paradedōka. Oida de anistamenos tǭ tou ptysmatos perittōmati to hoikeion apenipte prosōpon, kai tēn aitian erōtētheis, ephēsen hōs ou bouletai deēthēnai tou Dēmiourgou, kai hydōr ek tōn echeinou poiēmatōn lathein. Tōn de parontōn eirēkotōn Pōs oun esthieis, kai pineis, kai peridallę̄, kai katheudeis, kai ta nomizomena epiteleis mystēria? hypoladōn ex anankēs eipe touto poiein, dia to heterōs mēte zę̄n dynasthai, mēte telein ta mystēria. Kai hōmologei akōn ho memēnōs, mēden echein ton hyp᾽ autou kaloumenon agathon, alla pantōn apolauein tōn agathōn ek tōn tou Dēmiourgou poiēmatōn, Egō de ta pleista katalipōn, epi ta synechē tēs graphēs metadēsomai. Kai gar houtos palin ho syllogos eis polla tmēmata dię̄rethē

Marcion, and Cerdo his teacher, and … they themselves took from Simon's deceit the starting points of their blasphemy, but they opened up another road of impiety. Cerdo lived under Antoninus the First, and said that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is one God, unknown to the prophets, and the maker of the universe and lawgiver of the Mosaic law another; and that the one is just, the other good. For the one in the law, he says, commands to knock out eye for eye and tooth for tooth, but the good one in the Gospels orders us to turn the other cheek also to the one who strikes the right, and to give the cloak also to the one who wants to take the tunic. The one in the law commanded to love one's friend and hate one's enemy, but the other ordered us to love even our enemies. The thunderstruck man does not realize that in the law too it is ordered to bring back the enemy's ox when it strays, to help raise his fallen beast, and not to neglect an enemy who needs help; and that the one he calls the only good one threatened hell to whoever calls his brother a fool, and, showing himself just, said: “With the measure you measure, it will be measured back to you.” But refuting these things does not belong to the present occasion, especially since to those who … Marcion of Pontus, taught these things by Cerdo, was not content with the teaching handed to him but increased the impiety. In his account he fashioned four unbegotten substances. One he called good and unknown, whom he also called Father of the Lord; another the Demiurge and just, whom he also named evil; and besides these, Matter, which is evil and under another evil one. The Demiurge, overcoming the evil one, took Matter and made all things out of it: from its purest part the heaven, from the rest the four elements, and from the dregs Hades and Tartarus. Again, straining off the purest part of the earth, he built, he says, paradise; and taking one clod from it he formed Adam, giving him a soul from his own substance. Hence, he says, comes the conflict of soul and body, the body striving to drag [the soul] down to that matter and [the soul] trying … the body. They even dare to say that the serpent is better than the Demiurge; for the one forbade partaking of the plant of knowledge, while the other urged it strongly. The impious men did not see that the serpent's counsel gave birth to death. Some of them in fact honor … [the serpent], laid in a little box with their loathsome mysteries. They not only blaspheme the Maker, but also call the patriarchs and prophets lawless, so as to show that the Demiurge loves wicked men. Of the Gospels Marcion accepted only that according to Luke, and cut out the genealogy and most of it; the law, the prophets and the whole Old [Testament] he rejected as given by an alien God. He says that our Lord Jesus Christ came down to free those who believe in him from slavery to the Demiurge; that he seemed to be a man though having nothing human, and seemed to suffer though he did not suffer at all. He also rejected the [resurrection] of bodies. He said that Cain, the Sodomites and all the other ungodly enjoyed salvation, having come to Christ the Savior in Hades, and were taken up into the kingdom; but that Abel, Enoch, Noah, the patriarchs, the other prophets and the righteous had no share in the freedom given to those, since they would not run to him. For this reason, he says, they were condemned to dwell in Hades. Such were Marcion's ravings against the Maker, or rather much worse than these; for I have passed over the greater blasphemies in silence. I know [of one of them] who, on rising, washed his face with the moisture of his spittle; asked the reason, he said he did not wish to be in debt to the Demiurge and take water from his creatures. When those present said, “How then do you eat and drink, wear clothing, sleep, and celebrate the customary mysteries?” he answered that he did so of necessity, since otherwise he could neither live nor celebrate the mysteries. And the madman confessed against his will that the one he called good has nothing, and that he enjoyed all good things from the Demiurge's creatures. But leaving most things aside, I shall pass to what comes next in my writing. For this company too was again divided into many sections.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

Exod 21:24 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 5:38–40 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 5:43–44 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 23:4–5 (allusion, high confidence) · Deut 22:4 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 5:22 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 7:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 2:7 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 2:17 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 3:1–5 (allusion, medium confidence) · Luke 3:23–38 (allusion, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Theodoret sets out the two-gods teaching of Cerdo and Marcion, their rejection of the Old Testament and of Christ's real humanity, Marcion's mutilated Luke, and a Marcionite who would not wash in the Creator's water.

Latin debris and footnotes are removed; a few words are lost (marked …), and words in square brackets are supplied for sense. Sources: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.27; Epiphanius, Pan. 42.
The anecdote of the Marcionite washing with spittle is presented as Theodoret's own knowledge; the beginning of the sentence is lost in the scan.
Theodoret answers the antithesis of law and gospel from Exod 23:4–5 and Deut 22:4 and from Jesus' own warnings (Matt 5:22; 7:2).

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (Migne's Latin column read as Greek; column letter; column letter and Latin debris; footnote and Latin debris; footnote marker; Greek words lost; footnotes, a marginal title and Latin debris; Greek words lost; stray bracket): 56 τούτων, χ. τ. λ. ΕΣ γαφιηθηΐο ὀρ ϑίοἶθ → … ; τῆς Α τυχὶ οἱ βλασφημίας → τῆς βλασφημίας; ὡς καὶ Β ἐν → ὡς καὶ ἐν; φημία) Ὁ δὲ (ὅ9) Μαρκίων → … Ὁ δὲ Μαρκίων; καὶ τὸν οἱ οἱ αυὶ ἰπηΐοᾶπὶ νὰ} 1 (0116 τα, ρα] ἔπι οἰΐατ ἀδΓο 5. μὲν → καὶ τὸν μὲν; πατέρα (κα ᾿ιβίυπι, 4υ6πὶ δἴ τηΔ] πὶ ΠΟμαΪηΑΥΪ; οἱ ργαίον προσηγόρευσε → πατέρα προσηγόρευσε; 5 Μδ ἢ. ν, ὅ8-20. 5" [ὲ4. 45, Ὁ. Περὶ Μαρκίωνος.,. [μ0) τέτταρας, κ. τ. λ. ΕΡΙΡμδηΐϊθηι (τ. εἱ → … ; πίνεις, [ καὶ → πίνεις, καὶ.

Extrabiblical texts: Irenaeus, Haer. 1.27.1 (Against Heresies; allusion); Epiphanius, Pan. 42 (Panarion (Medicine Chest Against Heresies), Haer. 1-64; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Christology, Scripture and canon

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.24 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-24). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-24

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-24) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.

1.25PG 83

᾿Απελλῆς μὲν γὰρ τοῖς τοῦ Μαρκίωνος ἀγεννήτοις καὶ ἕτερον προστέθεικε Πύρινον, Οὗτος καὶ ἕτερον βιδλίον συνθεὶς, Φιλουμένης προφητείαν ὠνόμασε. Καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ δὲ περιτέθειχε σῶμα, οὐκ ἀνθρώπειον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κόσμον οὐσίας. Πότιτος δὲ, καὶ Βλάστος, καὶ Σύνερως, καὶ Πρέπων, καὶ Πίθων, διαφόρων διδασχαλιῶν προέστησαν" οὗτοι δὲ πάντες τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐκ τῆς Μαρκίωνος ἐσχήκασιν βλασφημίας. Πλεῖστοι μέντοι κατὰ τὴσὸς τῇς ἀσεδείας συνέγραψαν. Καὶ γὰρ Ἰουστῖνος ὁ φιλάσοφος … καὶ Φίλιππος ὁ Γορτύνης ἐπίσκοπος, καὶ Εἰρηναῖος, οὖ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθημεν, ἐπίσκοπος Λουγδούνου, καὶ Μόδεστος, καὶ Ὠριγένης, καὶ Ῥόδων, καὶ ᾿Αδαμάντιος, καὶ Ἱππόλυτος, καὶ ὁ Ἐμεσηνὸς καὶ πάντες ἄριστα καὶ σοφώτατα τῆς βλασφημίας

᾿Apellēs men gar tois tou Markiōnos agennētois kai heteron prostetheike Pyrinon, Houtos kai heteron bidlion syntheis, Philoumenēs prophēteian ōnomase. Kai tǭ Christǭ de peritetheiche sōma, ouk anthrōpeion, all᾽ ek tēs tou kosmon ousias. Potitos de, kai Blastos, kai Synerōs, kai Prepōn, kai Pithōn, diaphorōn didaschaliōn proestēsan" houtoi de pantes tas aphormas ek tēs Markiōnos eschēkasin blasphēmias. Pleistoi mentoi kata tēsos tę̄s asedeias synegrapsan. Kai gar Ioustinos ho philasophos … kai Philippos ho Gortynēs episkopos, kai Eirēnaios, ou kai prosthen emnēsthēmen, episkopos Lougdounou, kai Modestos, kai Ōrigenēs, kai Rhodōn, kai ᾿Adamantios, kai Hippolytos, kai ho Emesēnos kai pantes arista kai sophōtata tēs blasphēmias

Apelles added to Marcion's unbegotten principles yet another, a fiery one. He also composed another book, which he named the Prophecy of Philumene. He gave Christ a body, not a human one but one made from the substance of the world. Potitus, Blastus, Syneros, Prepon and Pithon led different schools; all of them took their starting points from Marcion's blasphemy. Very many wrote against this impiety: Justin the philosopher …, and Philip bishop of Gortyna, and Irenaeus bishop of Lyons, whom we mentioned before, and Modestus, and Origen, and Rhodon, and Adamantius, and Hippolytus, and the man of Emesa, all of whom [refuted] the blasphemy most excellently and wisely ….

Notes and citation

Summary: Theodoret lists Apelles and other Marcionite teachers and the writers who refuted Marcion.

A heading and a line of the previous chapter, carried into the scan here, are removed; words are lost after “Justin the philosopher” and at the end. The list follows Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 4.25 and 5.13. Adamantius is the speaker of the Dialogue on the Right Faith; the man of Emesa is Eusebius of Emesa.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (a displaced line, Latin debris and Migne's heading; Greek words lost; column letter inside a word; remains of Migne's heading): σωρος, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων. → ; ἀνθρώ- Ὁ πειον → ἀνθρώπειον; καὶ δόγματα τὸ Μαρκίωνος φρόνημα διῃρέθη. (ἰια]ηπι, Περὶ Ποτίτου καὶ Πρέπωνος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων → … .

Extrabiblical texts: Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 5.13.1 (Church History; allusion)

Topics: Heresy, Christology

Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Haer. fab. 1.25 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-25). (abbreviation not yet checked)

Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium/1-25

BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-haereticarum-fabularum-compendium-1-25) · Report an error

Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.