Irenaeus: Against Heresies, Books I–V

Such appears to be the meaning of ἀνούσιος in this passage. The meaning of οὐσία fluctuated for a time in the early Church, and was sometimes used to denote material substance , instead of its usual significance of being .

The old Latin preserves ἀρχή untranslated, implying that this was the first word which the Father spoke. Some modern editors adopt this view, while others hold the meaning simply to be, as given above, that that first sound which the Father uttered was the origin of all the rest.

The letters are here confounded with the Æons, which they represented.

[ 1 Cor. xiv. 16 .]

Matt. xviii. 10 .

By this Achamoth is denoted, who was said to give rise to the material elements, after the image of the Divine.

That is, their names are spelt by other letters.

The old Latin version renders ἐπίσημον , insigne, illustrious , but there seems to be a reference to the Valentinian notion of the mystic number of 888 formed (10+8+200+70+400+200) by the numerical value of the letters in the word ᾽Ιησοῦς .

The mutes are π , κ , τ , β , γ , δ , φ , χ , θ .

The semi-vowels are λ , μ , ν , ρ , σ , ζ , ξ , ψ .

It seems scarcely possible to give a more definite rendering of this clause: it may be literally translated thus: “And because they receive the outflow of those above, but the turning back again of those below.”

The ninth letter being taken from the mutes and added to the semi-vowels, an equal division of the twenty-four was thus secured.

Viz., Pater, Anthropos, and Logos.

Viz., ζ , ξ , ψ = δς , κς , πς .

Matt. xvii. 7 ; Mark ix. 2 .

Moses and Elias being added to the company.

Referring to the word Χρειστός , according to Harvey, who remarks, that “generally the Ogdoad was the receptacle of the spiritual seed.”

The Saviour, as Alpha and Omega, was symbolized by the dove, the sum of the Greek numerals, π , ε , ρ , ι , σ , τ , ε , ρ , α ( περιστερά , dove ), being, like that of Α and Ω , 801.

That is, the letters ζ , ξ , ψ all contain ς , whose value is six , and which was called ἐπίσημον by the Greeks.

Referring to Aletheia , which, in Greek, contains seven letters.

By these seven powers are meant the seven heavens (also called angels), formed by the Demiurge.

We here follow the text of Hippolytus: the ordinary text and the old Latin read, “So does the soul of infants, weeping and mourning over Marcus, deify him.”

Ps. viii. 2 .

Ps. xix. 1 .

The text is here altogether uncertain: we have given the probable meaning.

That is, the name of Soter, the perfect result of the whole Pleroma.

Manifestly to be so spelt here, as in the sequel Chreistus , for Christus.

The text is here altogether uncertain, and the meaning obscure.

The reading is exceedingly doubtful: some prefer the number eighty-eight .

There were, as Harvey observes, three extraneous characters introduced into the Greek alphabet for the sake of numeration —the three episema for 6, 90, and 900 respectively. The true alphabet, then, as employed to denote number, included eight units, eight tens, and eight hundreds.

Or, according to the Greek text, “being as the way to the Father;” comp. John xiv. 6 .

The text is here uncertain: we follow that suggested by Grabe.

[Comp. cap. xi. 4, supra .]

Comp. Gen. xxxi. 2 . —We here follow the punctuation of Scaliger, now generally accepted by the editors, though entirely different from the old Latin.

[Mosheim thinks this Marcus was a lunatic.]

[Some think Pothinus.]

Luke xv. 4 .

All the editors, Grabe, Massuet, Stieren, and Harvey, differ as to the text and interpretation of this sentence. We have given what seems the simplest rendering of the text as it stands.

Referring to the last of the twelve Æons.

Luke xv. 8 .

Meaning the Æon who left the Duodecad, when eleven remained, and not referring to the lost sheep of the parable.

Harvey gives the above paraphrase of the very obscure original; others propose to read λ´ instead of λόγου .

Massuet explains this and the following reference, by remarking that the ancients used the fingers of the hand in counting; by the left hand they indicated all the numbers below a hundred, but by the right hand all above that sum.—Comp. Juvenal, Sat. , x. 249.

Tit. iii. 10 .

2 John 10, 11 .

Isa. xlviii. 22 .

The Demiurge being the fruit of the abortive conversion of the abortive passion of Achamoth, who, again, was the abortive issue of Sophia.

i.e., by aiming at what transcends their ability, they fall into absurdity, as a bow is broken by bending it too far.

Matt. xii. 43 .

Such is the translation which Harvey, following the text preserved by Hippolytus, gives of the above intricate and obscure sentence.

Literally, “is adorned with.”

Gen. i. 1 .

Gen. i. 2 .

One of the senses was thus capriciously cancelled by these heretics.

See above, chap. xiv. 2.

Or, rather, perhaps “curtains.” Ex. xxvi. 1 .

Ex. xxviii. 17 .

Gen. vi. 18 ; 1 Pet. iii. 20 .

1 Sam. xvi. 10 .

Gen. xvii. 12 .

Gen. xv. 19 .

Gen. xvi. 2 .

Gen. xxiv. 22, 25 .

1 Kings xi. 31 .

Ex. xxvi. 1 , Ex. xxxvi. 8 .

Ex. xxxvi. 21 .

Gen. xlii. 3 .

John xx. 24 .

Gen. xxxv. 22 , Gen. xlix. 28 .

Ex. xxviii. 2 .—There is no mention of the number of the bells in Scripture.

Ex. xxiv. 4 .

Josh. iv. 3 .

Josh. iii. 12 .

1 Kings xviii. 31 .

Gen. vi. 15 .

1 Sam. ix. 22 .

1 Sam. xx. 5 .

Ex. xxvi. 8 . Numbers appear to have been often capriciously introduced by these heretics to give a colour of support to their own theories.

Isa. i. 3 .

Hos. iv. 1 .

Rom. iii. 11 ; Ps. xiv. 3 .

Ex. xxxiii. 20 .

Dan. xii. 9, 10 . The words in the above quotation not occurring in the Hebrew text of the passage, seem to have been interpolated by these heretics.

[From the Protevangel of Thomas . Compare the curious work of Dominic Deodati, De Christo Græce loquente , p. 95. London, 1843.]

Luke ii. 49 .

Mark x. 17 .

Luke xviii. 18 .

Matt. xxi. 23 .

Taken from some apocryphal writing.

Luke xix. 42 , loosely quoted.

Matt. xi. 28 .

The translator evidently read τῶν for τήν , in which case the rendering will be “proof of those most high,” but the Greek text seems preferable.

Matt. xi. 25–27 .

Comp. chap. xiii. 6.

The Latin reads “Christ.”

Luke xii. 50 . The text was probably thus corrupted by the heretics.

Mark x. 38 .

We have given these words as they stand in the Greek text: a very different list, but equally unmeaning, is found in the Latin.

The Latin reads zonis , “zones,” instead of “lives,” as in the Greek.

Here, again, are many variations.

The Greek text, which has hitherto been preserved almost entire, ends at this point. With only brief extracts from the original, now and then, we are henceforth exclusively dependent on the old Latin version, with some Syriac and Armenian fragments recently discovered.

The Latin here begins with the words “cum teneamus,” and the apodosis is found afterwards at “facile arguimus.” But we have broken up the one long sentence into several.

Ps. xxxiii. 6 .

John i. 3 .

The text is here uncertain and obscure: eternal things seem to be referred to, not as regarded substance , but the forms assigned them.

This word would perhaps be better cancelled.

Acts viii. 9–11 .

Acts viii. 20, 21, 23 .

Comp. Just. Mart., Apol. , i. 26. It is generally supposed that Simon Magus was thus confounded with the Sabine god, Semo Sancus; but see our note, loc. cit. [And mine at end of the First Apology. Consult Orelli’s Inscriptions there noted.]

A lyric poet of Sicily, said to have been dealt with, as stated above, by Castor and Pollux.

Matt. xviii. 12 .

1 Tim. vi. 20 .

Gen. i. 26 .

[ 1 Tim. iv. 3 .]

The ordinary text reads, “three hundred and seventy-five,” but it should manifestly be corrected as above.

This sentence is wholly unintelligible as it stands in the Latin version. Critics differ greatly as to its meaning; Harvey tries to bring out of it something like the translation given above. [This name is manufactured from a curious abuse of ( קו לקו ) Isa. xxviii. 10–13 , which is variously understood. See (Epiphanius ed. Oehler , vol. i.) Philastr. , p. 38.]

So written in Latin, but in Greek ᾽Αβρασάξ , the numerical value of the letters in which is three hundred and sixty-five. [See Aug. (ed. Migne ), vol. viii. p. 26.] It is doubtful to whom or what this word refers; probably to the heavens.

[I note again this “Americanism.”]

Such seems to be the meaning of the Latin, but the original text is conjectural.

[See cap. xxvii. 3.]

The text is here defective, but the above meaning seems to be indicated by Epiphanius.

Rom. iii. 8 .

[ Isa. v. 20 . Horne Tooke derives our word Truth from what any one troweth .]

The text here has greatly puzzled the editors. We follow the simple emendation proposed by Harvey.

Matt. v. 25, 26 ; Luke xii. 58, 59 .

The meaning is here very doubtful, but Tertullian understood the words as above. If sinning were a necessity , then it could no longer be regarded as evil.

[This censure of images as a Gnostic peculiarity, and as a heathenish corruption, should be noted.]