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andon the claims of self-love; nor ars they able to managetheir opinions, by doing violence to the Scriptures. Buthaving fidit promulgated false domas to men; plainly fighNing against almost the whole Scriptures, and constantly confuted by us who contradici them ; for the rest, eVen noW parilythey hold out against admitting the prophetic Scriptures, and partly disparage us as of a disserent nature, and incapable ofunderetanding What is peculiis to them. A d somelimes even they deny their own dogmas, When these are confuted, being ashamed openly to oWn What in private they ψορο intoaching. For this may be seen in ali the heresies, whenyou examine tho iniquities of their dogmas. For When in aro overturned by our clearly shoWing that they are opposed to tho Scriptures, one os tWo things may be seen to have been dono by thoso who defend tho dogma. For they either despise the consistency of their oWn dogmas, or despise the prophecy itself, or rather their o n hope. And they invari- ably prefer What seems to thom to bo more evident to Whathas been spolien by the Lord through tho propheis and by the Gospei, and, besides, attested and confirmed by the apostles. Seeing, thereiore, the danger that they are in not in respectos ono dogma, but in reference to the maintonance of the here- sies) os not discovering the truth ; for Whilo reading the books Wo have ready at hand, they despiso them as useless, but in theireagerness to surpass common fatili, they have divorged iromthe truth. For, in consequenco os not learning the mysteries of ecclesiastical knowledge, and not having capacity for thegrandeur of tho truth, too indolent to descend to the bottonios things, re ing superficialin they have dismissed tho Scriptures. Elated, then, is Vain opinion, they ars incessantly Wrangling, and plainly care more to seem than in be phil sophers. Not laying as foundations the necessary firat principios of things; and influenced by human opinions, thenmising the end to fuit them, by compulsion ; on account of being consulta, they spar With thoso Who ars engaged in the prosecution of the true philosophy, and undergo ever'
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of the counsols of God and the traditions os Christ; bitter, in truth, liko the wild almond, their domas originating Withthemselves, with the exception os such trullis as they could not, is reason os their evidence, discard and conceat. As, then, in War the soldier must not leave the post Whichtho commander has assigned him, so notther must we desert
the post assigned by the Word, Whom me have received astho guido of knowledge and of liso. But the most havonot even inquired, is thero is one that we ought to solio , and who this is, and how he is to be followed. For as is tho
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consequence of some impression being suddenly made, heought to Me to have tho impressions os reasons at hand. Andis it is that ho has becomo common,' as the Scripturey says, in consequence of being ovorcome by the habits which formerlyhad sway over him, the habita must be entirely put a stopto, and the foui trained to oppose them. Αnd is it appears that conflicting dogmas draW some a V, these must be tahenout of the way, and recourae is to be had to those Who r concile dogmas, and subduo by tho charm os the Scriptures such of the uniutored as are timid, is explaining the truthis the connection of the Testamenis. But, as appears, Wo incline to ideas founded on opinion, though they be contram, milior than to tho truth. For it is
rance are tho Gentiles, those in knowledge, tho true Church, and thom in opinion, tho Heretics. Nothing, then, can bemore clearly seen than those, Who kno , mahing affirmationsa ut What they know, and the othere respecting What theyhold on the strength oi opinion, as far as respecta affirmationmithout proos.
They accordin y despise and langh at ono another. Andit happens that tho samo thought is hold in tho hi est est malion is some, and by othera condemned for insani . And, indeia, Me have learned that voluptuousness, whicli is to beattributed in tho Gentiles, is ons thing; and wrangling, Whichis preferred among the heretical secta, is another; and jο, hicli is in be appropriated to the church, another; and d light, Which is in bo assigned to the true Gnostic, another. Andas, ii ono devote himself to Ischomachus, he will mahe hima sarmer; and to Lampis, a mariner; and in Charidemus, a militam commander; and in Simon, an equestrian; and to
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Perdices, a trader; and in Crobylus, a cook; and to Arch laus, a dancer; and to Homer, a poet; and to Pyrrho, a Wranglor; and to Demosthenes, an Orator; and to Chrysippus, a dialectician; and to Aristolle, a naturalist; and to Plato, a philosopher: so he who listens to tho Lord, and follows tho
Scriptures. Though men's actions are ten thousand in number, themurces os ali sin are but two, ignorance and inabili . Andboth depend on Ourseives; in much as We Will not learn, nor, on the other hand, restrain lusi. Αnd of them, the oneis that, in consequence of Which peopte do not judgs well, and the other that, in consequenco os Whicli they cannot comply With right judments. For neither Will one Who is doludod in his mind bo able to aci rightly, though perfectly able in do what he knows; nor, though cap te os judongwhat is requisite, Wili ho heep himself Deo os blame, ii destitute os poWer in action. Consequently, then, there are signed imo hinds os correction applicabie to both hinci ossin: for the one, knowledge and clear demonstration fromthe testimony of the Scriptures; and for the oster, the training according to the Word, Whicli is regulated by tho di ciplino of faith and fear. And both developo into perfectiovo. For the end of the Gnostic here is, in my judment,tWosold,-partly scientific contemplation, partly action. Would, then, that these heretios mould learn and be sotright by these notes, and turn to the fovere n God i Buti liko the deas serpenta, they luten not to the song callelne , thono very old, may they be chastised by God, ana undergo paternat admonitions previous to the Judgment, tilithey become ashamed and repent, but not rusti through hea long unbelles, and precipitate themselves into judgment.
For there are partiat corrections, Whicli are called chastia ments, whicli many of us Who have been in transgression incum
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are chastised by their teacher, or their fallier, so are me is Providenco. But God does not punish ; for punishment is retallation tor ovil. He chastises, hoWever, for good to those Who are chastised, collectively and individually. I havo adduced theso things from a Wish to meri those, Who are eager to leam, hom the liabiliu to fati into herestes, and out os a desim to stop them from superficiat ignorance, or stupidi , or bad disposition, or Whatover it should bocalled. And in the attempt to persuade and lead to the truth those who are not entirely incurabie, I have made usoos these Words. For there aro some Who cannot bear at allto listen to those Who exhorι them to turn to tho truth; and
they attempt to trifle, pouring out blasphemies against thetruth, claiming for thsemselves the knowledge of the greatest things in the universe, Without having learned, or inquired,
or laboured, or discovered the consecutive train os ideas,-
pusti truth a V, or through the destre os fame, endeavourto invent novellies. For those are flothsul Who, having it in their po er to provide themsolves With proper proois for thodivino Seripturos froin the Scriptures themselves, select onlyWhat contributes to their own pleraures. And thoso have
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tures, and maintaining apostolic and ecclesiastic orthodoxyin doctrines, lives most correctly in accordance With tho
expression means to M smollen up.' But is, as is ratherine case, sto expression of the apostio means, in enteriain
great and true sentiments,' the dissiculty is solved. Follo ing, then, the Scriptures, let tablisti What has been said: - Wisdom,' says Solomon, has inflated her childron.' Fortho Lord did not Work conceit by the particulare of Histeaching; but He produces trusi in the truth and expansionos mind, in tho knowledgo that is communicated by tho Scriptures, and contempt for the things Whicli drag into sin, Which is tho meaning of the expression inflated.' Itteaches sto magnificence of the wisdom implanted in horchildron is instruction. ΝΟ tho apostlo sus, I Will knownot tho speech of thoso that are pussed up, but the pomer ;V ii ye underatand the Scriptures magnanimousty Whicli meana truly; for nothing is greater than truth). For in that lios the power of the chilhen of Wisdom Who are pined up. HE
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Os then, stat adhere in implous Worda, and dictato themto othera, in much as they do not mari a right but a pediverse me of the divine Wotas, netther themsolves enter into
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For that the human assemblies Which they held Were posterior to the Catholic Church, requires not many Words in Alio . For tho Daching of our Lota at His advent, beginning with Augustus and Tiberius, Was completed in the middie of the times os Tiberius.yΑnd that of the apostles, embracing the ministry os Paul, ends With Nero. It was later, in the times of Adrian thohing, that those Who invented the herestes Mose; and theyextended to the age of Antoninus the elder, as, sor instance,
Basilides, though lio claims as they boas0 ior his master,
Glaucias, the interpreter os Peter. Lihewiso they allego that Valentinus mas a liearer os Theudas. And he was the pupit os Paul. For Marcion, ho arose in the fame age with them, lived as an old man
y II μεν γὰρ τοῖ Κυρίου κατα την παρουσίαν-απο Αὐγο--του καὶ Τιβερίου Καισαρος ἀρξαμενη, μεσούντων των Αὐγουστου χρονων
τ Λιομαι. In the translation, the change recommended, on hio autho
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and porfeci truth of the church, that these later herestes, and those yet subsequent to them in time, mers neW inventions
From What has been said, then, it is my opinion that thotrue Chureli, that Which is reatly ancient, is one, and that in itthose Who according to God's purpose are just, are enrolled. For from the very reason that God is one, and the Lord one, that whieli is in tho highest degres honourable is lauded in consequence of iis singleness, being an imitation of the ones rei principie. In the naturo os the One, then, is associaledin a joint herilago the one Church, which they strive to cutasunder into many Seets.
Thereiam in substance and idea, in origin, in pr eminenee, We say that the ancient and universat Church is alone, collecting as it doos into tho uni of the ono faith-whieli
resulta from tho peculiar Testamenis, or rather the one TeS-
tament in different times by the will of tho ono God, through one Lord-those atroady ordained, Whom God pre- destinated, knowing before tho foundation of tho morid that thou would bo righteous. But the pr eminenco of the Church, as the principio ofunion, is, in iis onenem, in this surpassing ali things else, and having nothing liho or equat to itself. But of this asterWards. of the heresies, some receivo their appollation irom asperson'sJ name, as that Which is called aster Valontinus, and that astor Marcion, and that aster Basilides, althoughthey boast os adducing the opinion os Matthe Without truthJ; for as the teaching, so also tho tradition of the apostles Was one. Some take their designation from a place, as tho Peratici; some from a nation, as the fhereVJ of the
ine Monning ol it. The dissiculty in regard to Simon is reatly best Di
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Phrygians; some hom an action, as that of the Encratites; and wme hom peculiar domas, as that os tho Docetas, and that os the Haematites; and wme hom suppositio , and immindividuias they have hono ed, as inoso called Cainisis, and the ophians; and wmo from nefarious practices and eno mities, as inose of the Simonians callia Entychites.
AFTER sho ing a littio peepinole to those Who love in contemplato the Church hom the law of sacrifices respectingclean and unclean animais inasmuch as thus tho common Jews and the heretica are distinguished mysticatly from thedivine church), let us bring the disco se to a close. For such of the sacrifices as part the hoos, and ruminate, the Scriptum represents as clean and acceptabis in God; since the just obtain access to the Fathor and to tho Mn
and ruminate them in the foui's receptacle sor instructions ;Which gnostic exercise the LaW expresses under the figure of the rumination of the clean animal. But such as have nettherilis one nor the other of those qualities it separates as uncleari.