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Against the Valentinians

Tertullian

Chapter 22

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXII.—Origin of the Devil, in the Criminal Excess of the Sorrow of Achamoth. The Devil, Called Also Munditenens, Actually Wiser Than the Demiurge, Although His Work.

The odium felt amongst them against the devil is the

‹ Chapter 21 Chapter 23 ›

more

excusable

,

even

because

the

peculiarly

sordid

character

of

his

origin

justifies

it

.

For

he

is

supposed

by

them

to

have

had

his

origin

in

that

criminal

excess

of

her

sorrow

,

from

which

they

also

derive

the

birth

of

the

angels

,

and

demons

,

and

all

the

wicked

spirits

.

Yet

they

affirm

that

the

devil

is

the

work

of

the

Demiurge

,

and

they

call

him

Munditenens

(

Ruler

of

the

World

)

,

and

maintain

that

,

as

he

is

of

a

spiritual

nature

,

he

has

a

better

knowledge

of

the

things

above

than

the

Demiurge

,

an

animal

being

.

He

deserves

from

them

the

pre

-

eminence

which

all

heresies

provide

him

with

.

Notes

1
Infamia apud illos.
2
Tolerabilior.
3
Capit: “capax est,” nimirum “infamiæ” (Fr. Junius).
4
Ex nequitia.
5
Achamoth’s.
6
Irenæus’ word is Κοσμοκράτωρ; see also Eph. vi. 12.