4.7.1
VII. Ἤδη δὲ λαμπροτάτων δίκην φωστήρων τῶν l ἀνὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀποστιλβουσῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἀκμαζούσης τε εἰς ἅπαν τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος τῆς εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν πίστεως, ὁ μισόκαΛος δαίμων οἷα τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθρὸς καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας ἀεὶ τυγχάνων πολεμιώτατος, πάσας στρεφων κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας μηχανάς, πάλαι μὲν τοῖς ἔξωθεν διωγμοῖς κατ’ αὐτῆς ὡπλίζετο, τότε γε μὴν τούτων ἀποκεκλεισμενος, πονηροῖς καὶ γόησιν ἀνδράσιν ὥσπερ τισὶν ὀλεθρίοις ψυχῶν ὀργάνοις διακόνοις τε ἀπωλείας χρώμενος, ἑτέραις κατεστρατήηει πάντα πόρον ἐπινοῶν, ὡς ἂν ὑποδύντες γόητες καὶ ἀπατηλοὶ τὴν αὐτὴν τοῦ δόγματος ἡμῖν προσηγορίαν, ὁμοῦ μὲν τῶν πιστῶν τοὺς πρὸς αὐτῶν ἁλισκομένους εἰς βυθὸν ἀπωλείας ἄγοιεν, ὁμοῦ δὲ τοὺς τῆς πίστεως ἀγνῶτας δι’ ὧν αὐτοὶ δρῶντες ἐπιχειροῖεν, ἀποτρέποιντο τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν σωτήριον λόγον παρόδου. ἀπὸ γοῦν τοῦ5 Μενάνδρου, ἃν διάδοχον τοῦ Σίμωνος ἤδη πρότερον παραδεδώκαμεν, ἀμφίστομος ὥσπερ καὶ δικέφαλος ὀφιώδης τις προελθοῦσα δύναμις δυεῖν αἱρέσεων διαφόρων ἀρχηγοὺς κατεστήσατο, Σατορνῖνόν τε Ἀντιοχέα τὸ γένος καὶ Βασιλείδην Ἀλεξανδρέα· ὧν ὁ μὲν κατὰ Συρίαν, ὁ δὲ κατ’ Αἴγυπτον συνεστήσαντο θεομισῶν αἱρέσεων διδασκαλεῖα. τὰ μὲν οὗν πλεῖστα τὸν Σατορνῖνον τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Μενάνδρῳ ψευδολογῆσαι ὁ Εἰρήναιος δηλοῖ, προσχήματι δὲ ἀπορρητοτέρων τὸν βασιλείδην εἰς τὸ ἄπειρον τεῖναι τὰς ἐπινοίας, δυσσεβοῦς αἱρέσεως ἑαυτῷ τερατώδεις ἀναπλάσαντα μυθοποιίας. πλείστων οὖν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ἀνδρῶν κατ’ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ τῆς ἀληθείας ὑπεραγωνιζομένων λογικώτερόν τε τῆς ἀποστολικῆς καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικῆς δόξης ὑπερμαχούντων, ἤδη τινὲς καὶ διὰ συγγραμμάτων τοῖς μετέπειτα προφυλακτικὰς αὐτῶν δὴ τούτων τῶν δηλωθεισῶν αἰρέσεων παρεῖχον ἐφόδους· ὧν εἰς ἡμᾶς κατῆλθεν ἐν τοῖς τότε γνωριμωτάτου συγγραφέως Κάστορος ἱκανώτατος κατὰ Βασιλείδου ἔλεγχος, τὴν δεινότητα τῆς τἀνδρὸς ’ς ἀποκαλύπτων γοητείας. ἐκφαίνων δ’ οὖν αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀπόρρητα, φησὶν αὐτὸν εἰς μὲν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τέσσαρα πρὸς τοῖς εἴκοσι συντάξαι βιβλία, προδήτας δὲ ἑαυτῷ ὀνομάσαι Βαρκαββαν καὶ Βαρκωφ καὶ ἄλλους ἀνυπάρκτους τινὰς ἑαυτῷ συστησάμενον, βαρβάρους τε αὐτοῖς εἰς κατάπληξιν τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα τεθηπότων ἐπιφημίσαι προσηγορίας, διδάσκειν τε ἀδιαφορεῖν εἰδωλοθύτων ἀπογευομένους καὶ ἐξομνυμένους ἀπαραφυλάκτως τὴν πίστιν κατὰ τοὺς τῶν διωγμῶν καιρούς, Πυθαγορικῶς τε τοῖς προσιοῦσιν αὐτῷ πενταέτη σιωπὴν παρακελεύεσθαι· καὶ ἕτερα δὲ τούτοις παραπλήσια ἀμφὶ τοῦ Βασιλείδου καταλέξας ὁ εἰρημένος οὐκ ἀγεννῶς τῆς δηλωθείσης αἱρέσεως εἰς προῦπτον ἐφώρασε τὴν πλάνην. γράφει δὲ καὶ Εἰρήναιος συγχρονίσαι τούτοις Καρποκράτην, ἑτέρας αἱρέσεως τῆς τῶν Γνωστικῶν ἐπικληθείσης πατέρα· οἱ καὶ τοῦ Σίμωνος οὐχ ὡς ἐκεῖνος κρύβδην, ἀλλ’ ἤδη καὶ εἰς φανερὸν τὰς μαγείας παραδιδόναι ἠξίουν, ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλοις δή, μόνον οὐχὶ καὶ σεμνυνόμενοι τοῖς κατὰ περιεργίαν πρὸς αὐτῶν ἐπιτελουμένοις φίλτροις ὀνειροπομποῖς τε καὶ παρέδροις τισὶ δαίμοσιν καὶ ἄλλαις ὁμοιοτρόποις τισὶν ἀγωγαῖς· τούτοις τε ἀκολούθως πάντα δρᾶν χρῆναι διδάσκειν τὰ αἰσχρουργότατα τοὺς μέλλοντας εἰς τὸ τέλειον τῆς κατ’ αὐτοὺς μυσταγωγίας ἢ καὶ μᾶλλον μυσαροπιίας ἐλεύσεσθαι, ὡς μὴ ἂν ἄλλως ἐκφευξομένους μένους τοὺς κοσμικούς, ὡς ἂν ἐκεῖνοι φαῖεν, ἄρχοντας, μὴ οὐχὶ πᾶσιν τὰ δι’ ἀρρητοποιίας ἀπονείμαντας χρέα. τούτοις δῆτα συνέβαινεν διακόνοις χρώμενον τὸν ἐπιχαιρεσίκακον δαίμονα τοὺς μὲν πρὸς αὐτῶν ἀπατωμένους οἰκτρῶς οὕτως εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἀνδραποδίζεσθαι, τοῖς δ’ ἀπίστοις ἔθνεσιν πολλὴν παρέχειν κατὰ τοῦ θείου λόγου δυσφημίας περιουσίαν, τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν φήμης εἰς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς χριστιανῶν ἔθνους διαβολὴν καταχεομένης. ταύτῃ δ’ οὖν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον συνέβαινεν τὴν περὶ ἡμῶν παρὰ τοῖς τότε ἀπίστοις ὑπόνοιαν δυσαφῆ καὶ ἀτοπωτάτην διαδίδοσθαι, ὡς δὴ ἀθεμίτοις πρὸς μητέρας καὶ ἀδελφὰς μίξεσιν ἀνοσίαις τε τροφαῖς χρωμένων. οὐκ εἰς μακρόν γε μὴν αὐτῷ ταῦτα προυχώρει, τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτῆς ἑαυτὴν συνιστώσης ἐπὶ μέγα τε φῶς κατὰ τὸν προιόντα χρόνον διαλαμπούσης. ἔσβεστο μὲν γὰρ αὐτίκα πρὸς αὐτῆς ἐνεργείας ἀπελεγχόμενα τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιτεχνήματα, ἄλλων ἐπ’ ἄλλαις αἱρέσεων καινοτομουμένων ὑπορρεουσῶν ἀεὶ τῶν προτέρων καὶ εἰς πολυτρόπους καὶ πολυμόρφους ἰδέας ἄλλοτε ἄλλως φθειρομένων· προῄει δ’ εἰς αὔξην καὶ μέγεθος, ἀεὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχουσα, ἡ τῆς καθόλου καὶ μόνης ἀληθοῦς ἐκκλησίας λαμπρότης, τὸ σεμνὸν καὶ εἰλικρινὲς καὶ ἐλευθέριον τό τε σῶφρον καὶ καθαρὸν τῆς ἐνθέου πολιτείας τε καὶ φιλοσοφίας εἰς ἅπαν γένος Ἑλλήνων τε καὶ βαρβάρων ἀποστίλβουσα. συναπέσβη δ’ οὗν ἅμα τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ ἡ κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ δόγματος διαβολή, ἔμενεν δὲ ἄρα μόνη παρὰ πᾶσι κρατοῦσα καὶ ἀν’ ὁμολόγου μένη τὰ μάλιστα διαπρέπειν ἐπὶ σεμνότητι καὶ σωφροσύνη θείοις τε καὶ φιλοσόφοις δόμασιν ἡ καθ’ ἡμᾶς διδασκαλία, ὡς μηδένα τῶν εἰς νῦν αἰσχρὰν ἐπιφέρειν τολμᾶν κατὰ τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν δυσφημίαν μηδέ τινα τοιαύτην διαβολὴν οἵαις πάλαι πρότερον φίλον ἢν χρῆσθαι τοῖς καθ’ ἡμῶν ἐπισυνισταμένοις.
VII. Like brilliant lamps the churches were now shining throughout the world, and faith in our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ was flourishing among all mankind, when the devil who hates what is good, as the enemy of truth, ever most hostile to man's salvation, turned all his devices against the church. Formerly he had used persecutions from without as his weapon against her, but now that he was excluded from this he employed wicked men and sorcerers, like baleful weapons and ministers of destruction against the soul, and conducted his campaign by other plotting, by every means so that sorcerers and deceivers might assume the same name as our religion and at one time lead to the depth of destruction those of the faithful whom they caught, and at others, by the deeds which they undertook, might turn away from the path to the saving word those who were ignorant of the faith. Thus from Menander, whom we have already mentioned as the successor of Simon, there proceeded a certain snakelike power with two mouths and double head, and established the leaders of two heresies, Saturninus, an Antiochian by race, and Basilides of Alexandria. The first established schools of impious heresy in Syria, the latter in Egypt. Irenaeus makes it plain that Saturninus uttered for the most part the same falsehoods as Menander, but Basilides, under the pretext of secret doctrine, stretched fancy infinitely far, fabricating monstrous myths for his impious heresy. Now while most of the orthodox at that time were struggling for the truth, and fighting with great eloquence for the glory of the Apostles and of the Church, some also by their writings provided for their successors methods of defence against the heresies which have been mentioned. Of these a most powerful refutation of Basilides has reached us from Agrippa Castor, a most famous writer of that time, revealing the cleverness of the man's deception. In expounding his mysteries he says that he compiled twenty-four books on the gospel, and that he named his own prophets Bar Cabbas and Bar Coph, and that he set up some others for himself who had never existed, but that he invented barbarous names for them to astonish those who were influenced by such things. He taught that there was no harm in eating things offered to idols, or in light-heartedly denying the faith in times of persecution. Like Pythagoras he enjoined those who came to him to keep silence for five years. The same writer tells other similar things about Basilides, and offers a magnificent refutation of the error of the heresy described. Irenaeus also writes that Carpocrates was a contemporary of these, the father of another heresy which was called that of the Gnostics. These did not, like Basilides, desire to transmit the magic of Simon secretly, but openly, as though it was some great thing, speaking almost with awe of their magical ceremonies, of love charms, of the bringers of dreams and familiar spirits, and of other similar performances. In accordance with this they teach that those who purpose coming to initiation in their mysteries, or rather in their obscenities, must perform all the shocking deeds because in no other way can they escape the 'rulers of the world,' as they would say, except by fulfilling for them all what was necessary through their mysteries. By using these ministers the demon who rejoices in evil accomplished the piteous enslavement to perdition of those who were thus deceived by them, and brought much weight of discredit upon the divine word among the unbelieving Gentiles, because the report which started from them was scattered calumniously on the whole race of Christians. It was especially in this way that it came to pass that a blasphemous and wicked suspicion concerning us was spread among the heathen of those days, to the effect that we practised unspeakable incest with mothers and sisters and took part in wicked food. Yet this did not long succeed, for the truth vindicated itself and as time went on shone ever more brightly. For by its power the machinations of its enemies were refuted; though new heresies were invented one after another, the earlier ones flowed into strange, multiple, and multifarious forms and perished in different ways at different times. But the brightness of the universal and only true church proceeded to increase in greatness, for it ever held to the same points in the same way, and radiated forth to all the race of Greeks and barbarians the reverent, sincere, and free nature, and the sobriety and purity of the divine teaching as to conduct and thought. Thus with the lapse of time the calumnies against the whole teaching were extinguished, and our doctrine remained as the only one which had power among all and was admitted to excel in its godliness and sobriety, and its divine and wise doctrines. So that no one has dared to continue the base implications of calumny against our faith, such as those who were opposed to us were formerly accustomed to use.