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The Prescription Against Heretics

Chapter VII.--Pagan Philosophy the Parent of Heresies. The Connection Between Deflections from Christian Faith and the Old Systems of Pagan Philosophy.

These are "the doctrines" of men and "of demons" ¹ produced for itching ears of the spirit of this world's wisdom: this the Lord called "foolishness," ² and "chose the foolish things of the world" to confound even philosophy itself. For (philosophy) it is which is the material of the world's wisdom, the rash interpreter of the nature and the dispensation of God. Indeed ³ heresies are themselves instigated ⁴ by philosophy. From this source came the AEons, and I known not what infinite forms, ⁵ and the trinity of man ⁶ in the system of Valentinus, who was of Plato's school. From the same source came Marcion's better god, with all his tranquillity; he came of the Stoics. Then, again, the opinion that the soul dies is held by the Epicureans; while the denial of the restoration of the body is taken from the aggregate school of all the philosophers; also, when matter is made equal to God, then you have the teaching of Zeno; and when any doctrine is alleged touching a god of fire, then Heraclitus comes in. The same subject-matter is discussed over and over again ⁷ by the heretics and the philosophers; the same arguments ⁸ are involved. Whence comes evil? Why is it permitted? What is the origin of man? and in what way does he come? Besides the question which Valentinus has very lately proposed--Whence comes God? Which he settles with the answer: From enthymesis and ectroma. ⁹ Unhappy Aristotle! who invented for these men dialectics, the art of building up and pulling down; an art so evasive in its propositions, ¹⁰ so far-fetched in its conjectures, so harsh, in its arguments, so productive of contentions--embarrassing ¹¹ even to itself, retracting everything, and really treating of ¹² nothing! Whence spring those "fables and endless genealogies," ¹³ and "unprofitable questions," ¹⁴ and "words which spread like a cancer?" ¹⁵ From all these, when the apostle would restrain us, he expressly names philosophy as that which he would have us be on our guard against. Writing to the Colossians, he says, "See that no one beguile you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and contrary to the wisdom of the Holy Ghost." ¹⁶ He had been at Athens, and had in his interviews (with its philosophers) become acquainted with that human wisdom which pretends to know the truth, whilst it only corrupts it, and is itself divided into its own manifold heresies, by the variety of its mutually repugnant sects. What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? what between heretics and Christians? Our instruction comes from "the porch of Solomon," ¹⁷ who had himself taught that "the Lord should be sought in simplicity of heart." ¹⁸ Away with ¹⁹ all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus, no inquisition after enjoying the gospel! With our faith, we desire no further belief. For this is our palmary faith, that there is nothing which we ought to believe besides.

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De Praescriptione Haereticorum

VII.

[1] Hae sunt doctrinae hominum et daemoniorum prurientibus auribus natae de ingenio sapientiae saecularis quam Dominus stultitiam uocans stulta mundi in confusionem etiam philosophiae ipsius elegit. [2] Ea est enim materia sapientiae saecularis, temeraria interpres diuinae naturae et dispositionis. [3] Ipsae denique haereses a philosophia subornantur. Inde aeones et formae nescio quae infinitae et trinitas hominis apud Valentinum: Platonicus fuerat. Inde Marcionis deus, melior de tranquillitate: a Stoicis uenerat. [4] Et ut anima interire dicatur : Epicurus obseruatur; et ut carnis restitutio negetur, de una omnium philosophorum schola sumitur; et ubi materia cum Deo aequatur, Zenonis disciplina est; et ubi aliquid de igneo deo adlegatur, Heraclitus interuenit. [5] Eadem materia apud haereticos et philosophos uolutatur, idem retractatus implicantur : unde malum et quare? et unde homo et quomodo? et quod proxime Valentinus proposuit : unde deus? scilicet de Enthymesi et ectromate. [6] Miserum Aristotelen! qui illis dialecticam instituit, artificem struendi et destruendi, uersipellem in sententiis, coactam in coniecturis, duram in argumentis, operariam contentionum, molestam etiam sibi ipsam, omnia retractantem ne quid omnino tractauerit. [7] Hinc illae fabulae et genealogiae interminabiles et quaestiones infructuosae et sermones serpentes uelut cancer, a quibus nos apostolus refrenans nominatim philosophiam [et inanem seductionem] contestatur caueri oportere scribens ad Colossenses : Videte ne qui sit circumueniens uos per philosophiam et inanem seductionem, secundum traditionem hominum, praeter prouidentiam Spiritus sancti. [8] Fuerat Athenis et istam sapientiam humanam affectatricem et interpolatricem ueritatis de congressibus nouerat, ipsam quoque in suas haereses multipartitam uarietate sectarum inuicem repugnantium. [9] Quid ergo Athenis et Hierosolymis? quid academiae et ecclesiae? quid haereticis et christianis? [10] Nostra institutio de porticu Solomonis est qui et ipse tradiderat Dominum in simplicitate cordis esse quaerendum. [11] Viderint qui Stoicum et Platonicum et dialecticum christianismum protulerunt. [12] Nobis curiositate opus non est post Christum Iesum nec inquisitione post euangelium. [13] Cum credimus, nihil desideramus ultra credere. Hoc enim prius credimus non esse quod ultra credere debeamus.