Traduction
Masquer
Against the Valentinians
Chapter XXXVI.--Less Reprehensible Theories in the Heresy. Bad is the Best of Valentinianism.
How much more sensible are they who, rejecting all this tiresome nonsense, have refused to believe that any one Aeon has descended from another by steps like these, which are really neither more nor less Gemonian; 1 but that on a given signal 2 the eight-fold emanation, of which we have heard, 3 issued all at once from the Father and His Ennoea (Thought), 4 --that it is, in fact, from His mere motion that they gain their designations. When, as they say, He thought of producing offspring, He on that account gained the name of Father. After producing, because the issue which He produced was true, He received the name of Truth. When He wanted Himself to be manifested, He on that account was announced as Man. Those, moreover, whom He preconceived in His thought when He produced them, were then designated the Church. As man, He uttered His Word; and so this Word is His first-begotten Son, and to the Word was added Life. And by this process the first Ogdoad was completed. However, the whole of this tiresome story is utterly poor and weak.
Edition
Masquer
Adversus Valentinianos
36
[1] quanto meliores qui totum hoc taedium de medio amoliti nullum Aeonem voluerunt alium ex alio per gradus revera Gemonios structam, sed mappa quod aiunt missa semel octoiugum istam ex Propatore et Ennoea eius excusam. ex ipso denique rerum motu nomina gerunt: [2] cum (inquiunt) cogitavit proferre, hoc Pater dictus est; cum protulit quia vero protulit, hic Veritas appellata est. cum semetipsum voluit probare, hoc Homo pronuntiatus est. quos autem praecogitavit cum protulit, tane Ecclesia nuncupata est. sonuit Homo Sermonem, et hic est primogenitus filius; et Sermoni accessit Vita, et ogdoas prima conclusa est. sed hoc taedium omnino pusillum.