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Against the Valentinians

Tertullian

Chapter 17

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XVII.—Achamoth in Love with the Angels. A Protest Against the Lascivious Features of Valentinianism. Achamoth Becomes the Mother of Three Natures.

Then Achamoth, delivered at length from all her evils,

‹ Chapter 16 Chapter 18 ›

wonderful

to

tell

goes

on

and

bears

fruit

with

greater

results

.

For

warmed

with

the

joy

of

so

great

an

escape

from

her

unhappy

condition

,

and

at

the

same

time

heated

with

the

actual

contemplation

of

the

angelic

luminaries

(

one

is

ashamed

)

to

use

such

language

,

(

but

there

is

no

other

way

of

expressing

one’s

meaning

)

,

she

during

the

emotion

somehow

became

personally

inflamed

with

desire

towards

them

,

and

at

once

grew

pregnant

with

a

spiritual

conception

,

at

the

very

image

of

which

the

violence

of

her

joyous

transport

,

and

the

delight

of

her

prurient

excitement

had

imbibed

and

impressed

upon

her

.

She

at

length

gave

birth

to

an

offspring

,

and

then

there

arose

a

leash

of

natures

,

from

a

triad

of

causes

,

—

one

material

,

arising

from

her

passion

;

another

animal

,

arising

from

her

conversion

;

the

third

spiritual

,

which

had

its

origin

in

her

imagination

.

Notes

1
Ecce.
2
Subavit et ipsa.
3
Trinitas generum.