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Against the Valentinians

Tertullian

Chapter 4

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IV.—The Heresy Traceable to Valentinus, an Able But Restless Man. Many Schismatical Leaders of the School Mentioned. Only One of Them Shows Respect to the Man Whose Name Designates the Entire School.

We know, I say, most fully their actual

‹ Chapter 3 Chapter 5 ›

origin

,

and

we

are

quite

aware

why

we

call

them

Valentinians

,

although

they

affect

to

disavow

their

name

.

They

have

departed

,

it

is

true

,

from

their

founder

,

yet

is

their

origin

by

no

means

destroyed

;

and

even

if

it

chance

to

be

changed

,

the

very

change

bears

testimony

to

the

fact

.

Valentinus

had

expected

to

become

a

bishop

,

because

he

was

an

able

man

both

in

genius

and

eloquence

.

Being

indignant

,

however

,

that

another

obtained

the

dignity

by

reason

of

a

claim

which

confessorship

had

given

him

,

he

broke

with

the

church

of

the

true

faith

.

Just

like

those

(

restless

)

spirits

which

,

when

roused

by

ambition

,

are

usually

inflamed

with

the

desire

of

revenge

,

he

applied

himself

with

all

his

might

to

exterminate

the

truth

;

and

finding

the

clue

of

a

certain

old

opinion

,

he

marked

out

a

path

for

himself

with

the

subtlety

of

a

serpent

.

Ptolemæus

afterwards

entered

on

the

same

path

,

by

distinguishing

the

names

and

the

numbers

of

the

Ænons

into

personal

substances

,

which

,

however

,

he

kept

apart

from

God

.

Valentinus

had

included

these

in

the

very

essence

of

the

Deity

,

as

senses

and

affections

of

motion

.

Sundry

bypaths

were

then

struck

off

therefrom

,

by

Heraclean

and

Secundus

and

the

magician

Marcus

.

Theotimus

worked

hard

about

“

the

images

of

the

law

.

”

Valentinus

,

however

,

was

as

yet

nowhere

,

and

still

the

Valentinians

derive

their

name

from

Valentinus

.

Axionicus

at

Antioch

is

the

only

man

who

at

the

present

time

does

honour

to

the

memory

of

Valentinus

,

by

keeping

his

rules

to

the

full

.

But

this

heresy

is

permitted

to

fashion

itself

into

as

many

various

shapes

as

a

courtezan

,

who

usually

changes

and

adjusts

her

dress

every

day

.

And

why

not

?

When

they

review

that

spiritual

seed

of

theirs

in

every

man

after

this

fashion

,

whenever

they

have

hit

upon

any

novelty

,

they

forthwith

call

their

presumption

a

revelation

,

their

own

perverse

ingenuity

a

spiritual

gift

;

but

(

they

deny

all

)

unity

,

admitting

only

diversity

.

And

thus

we

clearly

see

that

,

setting

aside

their

customary

dissimulation

,

most

of

them

are

in

a

divided

state

,

being

ready

to

say

(

and

that

sincerely

)

of

certain

points

of

their

belief

,

“

This

is

not

so

;

”

and

,

“

I

take

this

in

a

different

sense

;

”

and

,

“

I

do

not

admit

that

.

”

By

this

variety

,

indeed

,

innovation

is

stamped

on

the

very

face

of

their

rules

;

besides

which

,

it

wears

all

the

colourable

features

of

ignorant

conceits

.

Notes

1
Enim.
2
Martyrii.
3
Conversus.
4
Semitam.
5
Consolatur.
6
Regularum: the particulars of his system. [Here comes in the word, borrowed from heresy, which shaped Monasticism in after times and created the regular orders.]
7
Nec unitatem, sed diversitatem: scil. appellant.
8
Colores ignorantiarum.