Byblos

Book 6 · Chapter 25

About this work

A large heresiological work tracing contested Christian teachings to Greek philosophy, mystery traditions, astrology, and magic, then setting them against the author’s account of apostolic truth.

Author: Authorship uncertain
Traditional attribution: Hippolytus of Rome
Date: Early 3rd century, probably c. AD 220s
Origin: Rome (traditional)
Genre: Heresiology

Traditional attribution to Hippolytus remains disputed, and the author is often called the Refutator.

Chapter XXV.—The Tenet of the Duad Made the Foundation of Valentinus’ System of the Emanation of Æons.

Logos himself also, and Zoe, then

Opening the library…

Notes

This follows the text as emended by Bernays.

The number properly should be thirty, as there were two tetrads: (1) Bythus, Sige, Nous, and Aletheia; (2) Logos, Zoe, Ecclesia, and Anthropos. Some, as we learn from Hippolytus, made up the number to thirty, by the addition of Christ and the Holy Ghost,—a fact which Bunsen thinks conclusively proves that the alleged generation of Æons was a subsequent addition to Valentinus’ system.

There is some confusion in Hippolytus’ text, which is, however, removeable by a reference to Irenæus (i. 1).

We subjoin the meanings of these names:— Ten Æons from Nous and Aletheia, (or) Logos and Zoe, viz.:— 1. Bythus = Profundity. 2. Mixis = Mixture. 3. Ageratos = Ever-young. 4. Henosis = Unification. 5. Autophyes = Self-grown. 6. Hedone = Voluptuousness. 7. Acinetus = Motionless. 8. Syncrasis = Composition. 9. Monogenes = Only-begotten. 10. Macaria = Blessedness.

The following are the meanings of these names:— Twelve Æons from Anthropos and Ecclesia, (or) Logos and Zoe:— 1. Paracletus = Comforter. 2. Pistis = Faith. 3. Patricus = Paternal. 4. Elpis = Hope. 5. Metricus = Temperate. 6. Agape = Love. 7. Æinous = Ever-thinking. 8. Synesis = Intelligence. 9. Ecclesiasticus = Ecclesiastical. 10. Makariotes = Felicity. 11. Theletus = Volition. 12. Sophia = Wisdom.

[Rev. ii. 24. It belongs to the “depths of Satan” to create mythologies that caricature the Divine mysteries. Cf. 2 Cor. ii. 11.]

This Sophia was, so to speak, the bridge which spanned the abyss between God and Reality. Under an aspect of this kind Solomon (Prov. viii.) views Wisdom; and Valentinus introduces it into his system, according to the old Judaistic interpretation of Sophia, as the instrument for God’s creative energy. But Sophia thought to pass beyond her function as the connecting link between limited and illimitable existence, by an attempt to evolve the infinite from herself. She fails, and an abortive image of the true Wisdom is procreated, while Sophia herself sinks into this nether world.

Miller’s text has, “a well-formed and properly-digested substance.” This reading is, however, obviously wrong, as is proved by a reference to what Epiphanius states (Hær., xxxi.) concerning Valentinus.