{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/001/0010698.htm","path":"chr/ecf/001/0010698.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/001/0010698.htm","text":"1. They maintain, then, that in the invisible and ineffable heights above there exists a certain perfect, pre-existent \u00c6on, 2664 whom they call Proarche, Propator, and Bythus, and describe as being invisible and incomprehensible. Eternal and unbegotten, he remained throughout innumerable cycles of ages in profound serenity and quiescence. There existed along with him Enn\u0153a, whom they also call Charis and Sige. 2665 At last this Bythus determined to send forth from himself the beginning of all things, and deposited this production (which he had resolved to bring forth) in his contemporary Sige, even as seed is deposited in the womb. She then, having received this seed, and becoming pregnant, gave birth to Nous, who was both similar and equal to him who had produced him, and was alone capable of comprehending his father\u2019s greatness. This Nous they call also Monogenes, and Father, and the Beginning of all Things. Along with him was also produced Aletheia; and these four constituted the first and first-begotten Pythagorean Tetrad, which they also denominate the root of all things. For there are first Bythus and Sige, and then Nous and Aletheia. And Monogenes, perceiving for what purpose he had been produced, also himself sent forth Logos and Zoe, being the father of all those who were to come after him, and the beginning and fashioning of the entire Pleroma. By the conjunction of Logos and Zoe were brought forth Anthropos and Ecclesia; and thus was formed the first-begotten Ogdoad, the root and substance of all things, called among them by four names, viz., Bythus, and Nous, and Logos, and Anthropos. For each of these is masculo-feminine, as follows: Propator was united by a conjunction with his Enn\u0153a; then Monogenes, that is Nous, with Aletheia; Logos with Zoe, and Anthropos with Ecclesia.\n2. These \u00c6ons having been produced for the glory of the Father, and wishing, by their own efforts, to effect this object, sent forth emanations by means of conjunction. Logos and Zoe, after producing Anthropos and Ecclesia, sent forth other ten \u00c6ons, whose names are the following: Bythius and Mixis, Ageratos and Henosis, Autophyes and Hedone, Acinetos and Syncrasis, Monogenes and Macaria. 2666 These are p. 317 the ten \u00c6ons whom they declare to have been produced by Logos and Zoe. They then add that Anthropos himself, along with Ecclesia, produced twelve \u00c6ons, to whom they give the following names: Paracletus and Pistis, Patricos and Elpis, Metricos and Agape, Ainos and Synesis, Ecclesiasticus and Macariotes, Theletos and Sophia.\n3. Such are the thirty \u00c6ons in the erroneous system of these men; and they are described as being wrapped up, so to speak, in silence, and known to none [except these professing teachers]. Moreover, they declare that this invisible and spiritual Pleroma of theirs is tripartite, being divided into an Ogdoad, a Decad, and a Duodecad. And for this reason they affirm it was that the \u201cSaviour\u201d\u2014 for they do not please to call Him \u201cLord\u201d\u2014did no work in public during the space of thirty years, 2667 thus setting forth the mystery of these \u00c6ons. They maintain also, that these thirty \u00c6ons are most plainly indicated in the parable 2668 of the labourers sent into the vineyard. For some are sent about the first hour, others about the third hour, others about the sixth hour, others about the ninth hour, and others about the eleventh hour. Now, if we add up the numbers of the hours here mentioned, the sum total will be thirty: for one, three, six, nine, and eleven, when added together, form thirty. And by the hours, they hold that the \u00c6ons were pointed out; while they maintain that these are great, and wonderful, and hitherto unspeakable mysteries which it is their special function to develop; and so they proceed when they find anything in the multitude 2669 of things contained in the Scriptures which they can adopt and accommodate to their baseless speculations.\nThis term \u00c6on (\u0391\u1f30\u03ce\u03bd) seems to have been formed from the words \u1f00\u03b5\u1f76 \u1f64\u03bd, ever-existing. \u201cWe may take \u03b1\u1f30\u03ce\u03bd, therefore,\u201d says Harvey (Iren\u00e6us, cxix.), \u201cin the Valentinian acceptation of the word, to mean an emanation from the divine substance, subsisting co-ordinately and co-eternally with the Deity, the Pleroma still remaining one.\u201d\n316:2665\nSige, however, was no true consort of Bythus, who included in himself the idea of male and female, and was the one cause of all things: comp. Hippolytus, Philosop., vi. 29. There seems to have been considerable disagreement among these heretics as to the completion of the mystical number thirty. Valentinus himself appears to have considered Bythus as a monad, and Sige as a mere nonentity. The two latest \u00c6ons, Christ and the Holy Spirit, would then complete the number thirty. But other Gnostic teachers included both Bythus and Sige in that mystical number.\n316:2666\nIt may be well to give here the English equivalents of the names of these \u00c6ons and their authors. They are as follows: Bythus, Profundity; Proarche, First-Beginning; Propator, First-Father; Enn\u0153a, Idea; Charis, Grace; Sige, Silence; Nous, Intelligence; Aletheia, Truth; Logos, Word; Zoe, Life; Anthropos, Man; Ecclesia, Church; Bythius, Deep; Mixis, Mingling; Ageratos, Undecaying; Henosis, Union; Autophyes, Self-existent; Hedone, Pleasure; Acinetos, Immoveable; Syncrasis, Blending; Monogenes, Only-Begotten; Macaria, Happiness; Paracletus, Advocate; Pistis, Faith; Patricos, Ancestral; Elpis, Hope; Metricos, Metrical; Agape, Love; Ainos, Praise; Synesis, Understanding; Ecclesiasticus, Ecclesiastical; Macariotes, Felicity; Theletos, Desiderated; Sophia, Wisdom.\n317:2667 317:2668 317:2669\nSome omit \u1f10\u03bd \u03c0\u03bb\u03ae\u03b8\u03b5\u03b9, while others render the words \u201ca definite number,\u201d thus: \u201cAnd if there is anything else in Scripture which is referred to by a definite number.\u201d","title":"Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol I: IREN\u00c6US: Chapter I.\u2014Absurd ideas of the...","type":"page"}