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Against Heresies

Irenaeus of Lyons

Book 1 · Chapter 17

About this work

A five-book account and refutation of competing Christian movements that also develops Irenaeus’s positive theology of creation, Scripture, apostolic tradition, incarnation, salvation, and recapitulation in Christ.

Author: Irenaeus of Lyons
Date: c. AD 175–185
Origin: Lyons, Gaul
Genre: Heresiology

The theory of the Marcosians, that created things were made after the image of things invisible.

Section 1

1. I wish also to explain to thee

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 16 Book 1 · Chapter 18 ›

their

theory

as

to

the

way

in

which

the

creation

itself

was

formed

through

the

mother

by

the

Demiurge

(

as

it

were

without

his

knowledge

)

,

after

the

image

of

things

invisible

.

They

maintain

,

then

,

that

first

of

all

the

four

elements

,

fire

,

water

,

earth

,

and

air

,

were

produced

after

the

image

of

the

primary

Tetrad

above

,

and

that

then

,

we

add

their

operations

,

viz

.

,

heat

,

cold

,

dryness

,

and

humidity

,

an

exact

likeness

of

the

Ogdoad

is

presented

.

They

up

ten

powers

in

the

following

manner

:

—

There

are

seven

globular

bodies

,

which

they

also

call

heavens

;

then

that

globular

body

which

contains

these

,

which

also

they

name

the

eighth

heaven

;

and

,

in

addition

to

these

,

the

sun

and

moon

.

These

,

being

ten

in

number

,

they

declare

to

be

types

of

the

invisible

Decad

,

which

proceeded

from

Logos

and

Zoe

.

As

to

the

Duodecad

,

it

is

indicated

by

the

zodiacal

circle

,

as

it

is

called

;

for

they

affirm

that

the

twelve

signs

do

most

manifestly

shadow

forth

the

Duodecad

,

the

daughter

of

Anthropos

and

Ecclesia

.

And

since

the

highest

heaven

,

beating

upon

the

very

sphere

[

of

the

seventh

heaven

]

,

has

been

linked

with

the

most

rapid

precession

of

the

whole

system

,

as

a

check

,

and

balancing

that

system

with

its

own

gravity

,

so

that

it

completes

the

cycle

from

sign

to

sign

in

thirty

years

,

—

they

say

that

this

is

an

image

of

Horus

,

encircling

their

thirty

-

named

mother

.

And

then

,

again

,

as

the

moon

travels

through

her

allotted

space

of

heaven

in

thirty

days

,

they

hold

,

that

by

these

days

she

expresses

the

number

of

the

thirty

Æons

.

The

sun

also

,

who

runs

through

his

orbit

in

twelve

months

,

and

then

returns

to

the

same

point

in

the

circle

,

makes

the

Duodecad

manifest

by

these

twelve

months

;

and

the

days

,

as

being

measured

by

twelve

hours

,

are

a

type

of

the

invisible

Duodecad

.

Moreover

,

they

declare

that

the

hour

,

which

is

the

twelfth

part

of

the

day

,

is

composed

of

thirty

parts

,

in

order

to

set

forth

the

image

of

the

Triacontad

.

Also

the

circumference

of

the

zodiacal

circle

itself

contains

three

hundred

and

sixty

degrees

(

for

each

of

its

signs

comprises

thirty

)

;

and

thus

also

they

affirm

,

that

by

means

of

this

circle

an

image

is

preserved

of

that

connection

which

exists

between

the

twelve

and

the

thirty

.

Still

further

,

asserting

that

the

earth

is

divided

into

twelve

zones

,

and

that

in

each

zone

it

receives

power

from

the

heavens

,

according

to

the

perpendicular

[

position

of

the

sun

above

it

]

,

bringing

forth

productions

corresponding

to

that

power

which

sends

down

its

influence

upon

it

,

they

maintain

that

this

is

a

most

evident

type

of

the

Duodecad

and

its

offspring

.

Section 2

2. In addition to these things, they declare that the Demiurge, desiring to imitate the infinitude, and eternity, and immensity, and freedom from all measurement by time of the Ogdoad above, but, as he was the fruit of defect, being unable to express its permanence and eternity, had recourse to the expedient of spreading out its eternity into times, and seasons, and vast numbers of years, imagining, that by the multitude of such times he might imitate its immensity.

They declare further, that the truth having escaped him, he followed that which was false, and that, for this reason, when the times are fulfilled, his work shall perish.

Notes

223
Such is the translation which Harvey, following the text preserved by Hippolytus, gives of the above intricate and obscure sentence.
224
Literally, “is adorned with.”