Traduction Masquer
Against the Valentinians

Chapter XXXV.--Yet More Discrepancies. Just Now the Sex of Bythus Was an Object of Dispute; Now His Rank Comes in Question. Absurd Substitutes for Bythus Criticised by Tertullian.

There are some who do not claim the first place for Bythus, but only a lower one. They put their Ogdoad in the foremost rank; itself, however, derived from a Tetrad, but under different names. For they put Pro-arche (Before the Beginning) first, Anennoetos (Inconceivable) second, Arrhetos (Indescribable) third, Aoratos (Invisible) fourth. Then after Pro-arche they say Arche (Beginning) came forth and occupied the first and the fifth place; from Anennoetos came Acataleptos (Incomprehensible) in the second and the sixth place; from Arrhetos came Anonomastos (Nameless) in the third and the seventh place; from Aoratos ¹ came Agennetos (Unbegotten) in the fourth and the eight place. Now by what method he arranges this, that each of these Aeons should be born in two places, and that, too, at such intervals, I prefer to be ignorant of than to be informed. For what can be right in a system which is propounded with such absurd particulars?

Edition Masquer
Adversus Valentinianos

35

[1] sunt qui nec principatum Bytho defendunt sed postumatum, ogdoadem ante omnia praemittentes ex tetrade quidem et ipsum sed et aliis nominibus derivatam. primo enim constituunt Proarchen, secondo Anennoeton, tertio Arrheton, quarto Aoraton. [2] ex Proarche itaque processisse primo et quinto loco Archen, ex Anennoeto secondo et sexto loco Acatalepton, ex Arrheto tertio et septimo loco Anonomaston, ex Invisibili quarto et ottavo loco Agenneton. hoc quae ratio disponat ut singula binis locis et quidem tam intercisis nascantur malo ignorare quam discere. quid enim recti habent quae tam perverse proferuntur?