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Against the Valentinians

Tertullian

Chapter 31

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXXI.—At the Last Day Great Changes Take Place Amongst the Æons as Well as Among Men. How Achamoth and the Demiurge are Affected Then. Irony on the Subject.

It remains that we say something about the end of

‹ Chapter 30 Chapter 32 ›

the

world

,

and

the

dispensing

of

reward

.

As

soon

as

Achamoth

has

completed

the

full

harvest

of

her

seed

,

and

has

then

proceeded

to

gather

it

into

her

garner

,

or

,

after

it

has

been

taken

to

the

mill

and

ground

to

flour

,

has

hidden

it

in

the

kneading

-

trough

with

yeast

until

the

whole

be

leavened

,

then

shall

the

end

speedily

come

.

Then

,

to

begin

with

,

Achamoth

herself

removes

from

the

middle

region

,

from

the

second

stage

to

the

highest

,

since

she

is

restored

to

the

Pleroma

:

she

is

immediately

received

by

that

paragon

of

perfection

Soter

,

as

her

spouse

of

course

,

and

they

two

afterwards

consummate

new

nuptials

.

This

must

be

the

spouse

of

the

Scripture

,

the

Pleroma

of

espousals

(

for

you

might

suppose

that

the

Julian

laws

were

interposing

,

since

there

are

these

migrations

from

place

to

place

)

.

In

like

manner

,

the

Demiurge

,

too

,

will

then

change

the

scene

of

his

abode

from

the

celestial

Hebdomad

to

the

higher

regions

,

to

his

mother’s

now

vacant

saloon

—

by

this

time

knowing

her

,

without

however

seeing

her

.

(

A

happy

coincidence

!

)

For

if

he

had

caught

a

glance

of

her

,

he

would

have

preferred

never

to

have

known

her

.

Notes

1
De consummatione.
2
Urgebit.
3
See above, ch. xxiii. p. 514.
4
Compacticius ille.
5
Fient.
6
Query, the Holy Scriptures, or the writings of the Valentinians?
7
Very severe against adultery, and even against celibacy.
8
In ch. xx. this “scenam de Hebdomade cælesti” is called “cælorum septemplicem scenam” ="the sevenfold stage of heaven.”
9
Cœnaculum. See above, ch. vii. p. 506.