5. For this reason, when they read in the Apocrypha: "I saw a tree bearing twelve fruits every year, and said to me, This is the tree of life," they see in this an allegory about the monthly purification of women.

In mutual copulation with one another, procreation is forbidden, for corruption is permitted among them, not for the sake of childbearing, but for pleasure. The devil's laughter at such and mockery of God's erring creation! But they make pleasures by receiving from each other the impurity of their sperm – they do not drop them on childbirth, but they eat them ugly. And if one of them gives himself over to sow a natural creature by eruption, and a woman conceives, then let us dare to say that which is terrible to hear. For at the same time, pulling the embryo down, they take this embryo to be eaten in one circle, and, having gathered all the swine and dog, they mix honey, pepper and other aromas and colors, so that they do not vomit, and each adherent has a finger from the tormented child. And in this way, having committed cannibalism, they finally pray to God and say that they are not distracted by the prince's desires, but drive away the sin of their brother. This, in fact, is what the Easter feast is like.

But how frightening it is for these brave souls, for they make themselves unaware, mixing with their hands the ugliness of the eruption and with their hands awakening the desire to possess each other, they pray completely naked in body, seeking revelation from God through such an occupation. Both men and women dress their bodies day and night, anointing them with ointments, washing, nourishing, spending time on beds and in drunkenness. And they curse the fasting one, saying that one should not fast, for fasting is the work of this prince who has seduced the world. It is necessary to be satisfied, so that the bodies may be strong and may bear fruit in the time of it.

6. And they make use of both the Old and New Testaments, although they deny Him who spoke in the Old Testament. And when they find any utterance that may have a contrary meaning, then they say that it was said by the spirit of this world. And if any word can be represented as having a resemblance to their desire, not because it is really such a saying, but because their deceived minds understand it, then, having perverted it according to their own desire, they say that it was spoken by the spirit of truth. This includes, they say, that the Lord said of John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Is it a reed shaken by the wind?" (Matthew 11:7), because, they note, John was not perfect. For like a reed moved by every wind, He acted under the inspiration of many spirits; and when the spirit of the prince descended upon him, he preached Judaism, and when the Holy Spirit descended upon him, he spoke of Christ. To this also belongs, they say: "The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt. 11:11). This, according to them, is said of us, namely, that the least of us is greater than John.

7. And immediately the mouths of such are blocked by the truth itself, for from what is connected with each utterance, the truth will be revealed, and the true meaning of the expression will be revealed. If John had dressed in soft garments and dwelt in the royal houses, then this saying would have clearly applied to him and clearly served to rebuke him. But if it is said: "What then did you go to see? Is it a man dressed in soft clothes?" (Matt. 11:8), but in fact it was not so, then the accusation expressed in the word should no longer be laid on John, who did not wear soft clothes, but on those who thought that John would be found like this, and often for hypocrisy they were caressed by those who lived in the royal houses. For they, going out into the wilderness, thought to hear from John praise and blessedness for all the daily sins that befell them. And because they did not hear this, the Saviour said to them in humiliation: "What did they think to find?" Is it a man who is carried away by the same passions as you, like those who wear a soft one? No, John is not a reed shaken by people's opinions; is not shaken like a reed by all human hypocrisy and deceit. But since He said: "Of those born of women there arose no greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11), so that others do not think that John is greater than the Saviour himself, because the Saviour Himself was born of a woman, the ever-virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit (ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ἐγεννήθη τῆς Μαρίας τῆς ἀειπαρθένου διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου), in our warning He added: "He who is least of him (that is, according to the time of his coming in the flesh) is greater than Him in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt. 11:11). For the Saviour, although He was born six months after the birth of John, is obviously greater than John, since He has always been and is. To whom is this not obvious? Is it not in vain that heretics remake everything, turning from good into unworthy?

8. And they have a lot of books. They set forth some "Questions of Mary" (ἐρωτήσεις Μαρίας). Others write many books about the previously mentioned Yaldabaoth under the name of Set; others call them revelations to Adam, and they have dared to write the Gospels under the name of disciples. Of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ Himself, they are not ashamed to say that He showed depraved perversions (αἰσχρουργίαν); for in the "Questions of Mary," which are called "Great" (they also composed others, "Lesser"), there is a revelation given to her by Him on the mountain: He prayed, and took the woman on the side, and began to copulate with her (ἀρξάμενον αὐτῇ ἐγκαταμίγνυσθαι), and in acting in this way He intercepted His vomited seed, in order to show that "we are compelled to do these things in order to live"; And when Mary fell to the ground in confusion, He brought her to consciousness, and said to her, Why do you doubt, O woman of little faith? And He said that this is a weave of the Gospel, and that if the things of the earth have spoken unto you, and have not believed, how shall ye believe the things which are in heaven? who received the fate from whence it came. And as for what was said, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood," and the disciples who were troubled and said, "Who can hear this?" (John 6:53-60), they say that there was a word about ugliness. Wherefore they were troubled, and went back, for they were not, they say, yet in the fullness of the foundation. And what David said, "He shall be like a tree planted at the end of the waters, which bears its fruit in its season" (Psalm 1:3), they say, it is said about the ugliness of men: "at the end of the waters" and "he will give his fruit," it is said, they say, about the pleasure of eruption; and "the leaf does not wither" (Psalm 1:3) [mean] that we do not admit that, they say, the earth itself will be lost, but they themselves will be.

9. And in order not to do more harm than good in presenting their testimonies, I myself will keep silent about many things, for if I were to set forth here all that is said by them that is evil, I would become a disseminator of it. For it is believed that the scarlet robe of Rahab was not on the door (Joshua 2), but they say that the scarlet robe is menstrual blood, and the saying "drink water from the vessels of life" speaks of this. They say that the flesh perishes and does not rise again, and it belongs to the prince. But of the power contained in menstrual blood and in semen, it is asserted: it is the soul, and we gather it and eat it. And whatever meat, or vegetables, or bread, or anything else we eat, we do mercy to creatures, gathering the soul of all and carrying it with us to heaven. Therefore they eat all kinds of meat, saying, "We do this out of pity for our race." And it is said that one and the same soul is sown in animals, in wild beasts, in fish, in snakes, in men, in vegetables, in trees, and in fruits. Thus the Phibionites, who are called among them, their shameful sacrifices of debauchery, which we have mentioned here before, offer to the names of three hundred and sixty-five names of princes invented by themselves, amusing themselves with women and saying, "Mate with me, that you may be exalted from the prince." In copulation, however, they invoke the name of a certain Barbaron (βάρβαρον) and pray, saying, "I offer you what is due, that I may bring you what is due." And so they offer: they immediately copulate, placing themselves in a different way, so that the other does not rise until he descends to three hundred and sixty-five forms of coition (τῆς λαγνείας); In doing so, each of the names is invoked. And the princes descend back down through them, this is the perfect and playful shame of deception. But when the burden of falls, shameful copulations and invocations of names, reaches the number of seven hundred and thirty, then such a [fallen] one finally comes to the audacity that he says: I am the Christ since I came down from above through the names of <365> princes.

10. Recognizing many princes, the following names are given to the greatest of them: in the first heaven, Prince Jao (Ἰαὼ ἄρχοντα); on the second, according to them, Saklas (τὸν Σακλᾶν), the prince of fornication (ἄρχοντα τῆς πορνείας); on the third is Prince Set (Σὴθ ἄρχοντα); and in the fourth, as they say, David. For they presuppose the fourth and third heavens; and the fifth, another heaven, in it, they say, is Eloai (τὸν Ἐλωαῖον), who is also Adonai (Ἀδωναῖον); in the sixth heaven some place Yaldabaoth, and others Elilaus (Ἠλιλαῖον); they also suppose another, seventh heaven, on which, according to them, the prince Sabaoth (Σαβαώθ); others say that it is not he who is in the seventh heaven, but Yaldabaoth; in the eighth heaven is the so-called Barbelo (Βαρβηλώ) and the Father of All (πατέρα τῶν ὅλων), and the Lord Self-Father to Himself (κύριον τὸν αὐτὸν αὐτοπάτορα), and another self-begotten Christ (Χριστὸν ἄλλον αὐτολόχευτον), and this Christ who descended and showed people this gnosis; He is also called Jesus, and they say that He was not born, but was shown by Mary, did not take on flesh, and His flesh is a ghost. Of Sabaoth some say that he has the form of an ass, and others that he has the form of a pig; therefore, they say, he commanded the Jews not to eat pigs. But He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and beyond this heaven are the heavens and His angels. The soul, proceeding from this, passes through these princes and cannot pass unless it is in some way fully aware, or, rather, this condemnation, and, filled with pits, does not escape from the hands of princes and authorities. And the prince who possesses this world is serpent-like (δρακοντοειδῆ); it absorbs the souls that have not been involved in gnosis, and returns it to the world with its tail, and here these souls ascend again into pigs and other animals. If, say the heretics, anyone abides in this gnosis and gathers himself in peace by means of monthly purifications and lustful effluents, then he no longer lingers there, but bypasses the princes mentioned above, and they say, he reaches Sabaoth, tramples on his head (such is the unbridled blasphemy of the heretics), and in such a case passes into the highest region, where the mother of the living is Barbero, or Barbelo (ἡ μήτηρ τῶν ζώντων ἡ Βαρβηρὼ ἤτοι καὶ Βαρβηλώ); and thus the soul is saved. These wretched ones say that Sabaoth's hair is like a woman's, thinking that the word Sabaoth is the name of a certain prince, and not knowing that when the Scripture says, "This saith the Lord Sabaoth," he does not mean anyone's name, but one of the praises of the Godhead. For "Sabaoth" in the Hebrew language means "Lord of hosts (κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων)"; and where in the Old Testament the name "Sabaoth" is written, there it shows power, which is why Aquila translates the words: "Adonai Sabaot (Ἀδωναῒ Σαβαώθ)" everywhere: "Lord of hosts (κύριος στρατιῶν)." But they, having given themselves over to madness of every kind, except for their Lord, seek something other than that which does not exist, and they have lost that which is, or rather, they have destroyed themselves.

11. They divulge many other things about themselves; bitterly recount the deeds of their madness. Some of them, not approaching their wives, corrupt themselves with their own hands, and take their corruption into their hands, and thus devour them, slanderously citing the words as a testimony to this: "These hands have served my needs and the needs of those who were with me" (Acts 20:34), and again: "making with their own hands, that they may be able to give to the poor" (Ephesians 4:28). And it was for them, I think, that the Holy Spirit moved in the Apostle Judas, I mean the conciliar epistle written by him (and this Judas is the brother of James and the so-called brother of the Lord). For the Holy Spirit, by the word of Judas, pointed out them, being corrupted and corrupting like cattle, wherefore He says: "They do not know, they are caught without knowing, they know how dumb animals are corrupted" (Jude 10), for, like dogs and swine, they destroy their corruption, for only dogs and swine, and not other animals, are so corrupted and eat up the discharge from their bodies. They are indeed dreaming in sleep (ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι), they defile the flesh, but they reject dominions, and blaspheme glory. But the archangel Michael, arguing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to utter a word of blasphemy, but said, "May the Lord rebuke thee." And these things which they do not know, by nature they blaspheme (Jude 8-11). It is precisely the Holy of Holies, which has been given to us with sanctification, that they themselves blaspheme to shame. And some of this they dared to speak of the apostles, as Blessed Paul also testifies: "Some of us dare to say that we have done evil, that good may come: but their judgment is righteous" (Romans 3:8). How many other testimonies I can cite against the blasphemers! For these who are corrupted by their own hands are not only not satisfied with this, but, drawing near to women and no longer being satisfied with copulation with many, they are inflamed against one another, men against men, as it is written, the recompense of their charm is accepted in themselves (Romans 1:27). And having come into extreme debauchery, they bless one another, as if they had taken upon themselves some preferred task. And she who deceives the female sex who trusts them, burdened with sins, led by various lusts (2 Timothy 3:6), say to those who are deceived by them, that so-and-so, corrupted for so many years and daily corrupted, is a virgin. For lustfulness does not know satiety among them, but the more a man is satiated with them, the more he boasts of them.

Хулят же не только Авраама, Моисея, Илию и весь лик пророков, но и Бога избравшего их.

12. Ими смело пущено множество и других подложных сочинений. Говорят, что есть одна книга, «Родословие Марии», но сообщая в ней что–то страшное и пагубное, оттуда же рассказывают нечто. Ибо из нее, говорят, известно, что Захария убит во Храме, когда по словам их, увидел видение и в страхе хотел рассказать об оном, но у него заградились уста: видел же он в час каждения, когда кадил, стоящего человека; имеющего вид осла. И по выходе, когда хотел проговорить: горе вам! кому покланяетесь? — явившийся ему внутри Храма заградил ему уста, так что не мог проговорить. Но как скоро уста его отверзлись, и мог он проговорить, открыл им это, и убили его; так, говорят, умер Захария. Поэтому–то, говорят, самим законодателем предписано иерею иметь звонцы, чтобы, когда входит священнодействовать, слыша удар звонцов, скрывался Покланяемый и не делалось явным открытое лице его образа. Но все это есть дело их простоты, само себя обличающее, и вполне достойное посмеяния. Ибо если Тот, Кому совершалось священнодействие, был вполне видим, то не мог быть и скрываем. Если же мог быть вовсе скрываемым, то не был уже видим, а с другой опять стороны, должно сказать им: если видим, то был тело, а не дух; и если был дух, то уже не причислялся к видимым. Итак, почему же не причисляемое к видимому к укрытию своему примыслило ударение звонцов? Имея невидимость по естеству, не могло бы и усмотрено быть, если бы не захотело. А если бы и усмотрено было, то показалось бы не по необходимости, не потому, что естество заставило показаться, но по милости, не приводя в страх и внезапное поражение, сверх ожидания без шума сделав явным свое видение. Так во всяком случае не имеет твердости их ложный и переиначенный рассказ. А многое и другое пересказывается ими неверно, потому что и Захария не тот же час убит, но жив был некоторое время по рождении Иоанна, пророчествовал об Иоанне и о пришествии Господа, о рождении Его во плоти от святой Девы Марии чрез Духа Святого (ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου), как говорит он об Иоанне: «и ты, младенец, наречешься пророком Всевышнего, ибо предыдешь пред лицем Господа приготовить пути Ему» (Лк.1:76), «возвратить сердца отцов детям и непокорливым образ мыслей праведников» (Лк.1:17), и т. д. Но сколько и иного можно сказать о лживых их сказаниях и о скверноте их.

13. А так называемые у них левиты не имеют общения с женами, но сквернятся друг с другом, и они–то у гностиков пользуются предпочтением и восхваляются. Наконец гностики смеются даже над образом жизни, чистотою и девством подвижников как напрасно принявших на себя труд.

Таковы–то глупые и мифословные рассказы еретиков! Осмеливаются они и о святом Илии произносить хулу и говорят, что явился ему один демон, взял и сказал ему: нес я чадо от тебя, и не было сил вынести, и выкинул чадо твое. И, говорят, сказал [Илия]: откуда несешь дитя от меня, ведь я чист? И, поистине говорят, сказал [демон]: спящим является наложница в истечении тела из причинного места, вот я имею долю от твоей спермы и рождаю тебе сыновей. Многая же глупость здесь вот в чем: демон есть дух незримый и бестелесный и имеет долю от тела; но если от тел имеет долю и беременеет, то более не дух, но тело; а каким образом тело есть незримый дух? Много нелепостей в их глупых речах. Ибо им желательно в свою пользу, вернее же сказать, против себя самих приводить свидетельство из послания Иуды, где сказано: «и сии грезящие во сне, плоть оскверняют, господства же отвергают, славы же хулят» (Иуд.8.). Но блаженный Иуда, брат Господень, сказал это не о тех, которые в телах видят сны, ибо немедленно присовокупляет и показывает, что слово у него о видящих сны, которые ведут речь свою, как бы во сне, не приведя помыслов в бодрственное состояние. Ибо и об учителях в Иерусалиме говорит Исаия: немые псы, не могущие лаять, грезящие лежа и т. д. (Ис.56:10). Писание и здесь, в послании Иуды, показывает то же, говоря: видяще сны на ложе, чего не знают, о том говорят, и сим показывает, что говорит не о видениях во сне, но о мифословном провозглашении и пустословии, — о том, что говорится как бы во сне, а не в здравом смысле.

14. Но затрудняюсь подлинно высказывать все, ибо одному Богу возможно заключить бездну этого зловония, и я миную сии места, помолившись всецарю Богу, чтобы никто не погряз в этой тине и чтобы мне самому мыслию своею не причаститься зловонию нечистоты. Ибо, во–первых, апостол Павел подсекает у них всякий корень зла, предписывая о юных вдовицах: «молодых вдовиц, говорит он, отвращайся, ибо они, в противность Христу, желают вступать в брак — имущие грех, ибо отвергли прежнюю веру; итак, я желаю, чтобы молодые вдовы вступали в брак, рождали детей, управляли домом» (1 Тим.5:11,12,14.). Если же апостол говорит: «рождали детей, управляли домом», а они запрещают чадородие, то рассуждение сие от змия и от злого научения. Ибо, будучи побеждаемы блудным сладострастием, измышляют себе предлоги к нечистоте, чтобы удовлетворить, по–видимому, своему непотребству. И хотя по истине должно было не говорить о сем и не признавать сего достойным того, чтобы вносить в сочинение, но как зловонного некоего мертвеца, издающего тлетворное испарение, погребсти, чтобы и чрез слух не причинял людям вреда. И если бы такая ересь прошла и не было ее уже на свете, то доброе было бы дело погребсти ее и вовсе не говорить о ней. Но поскольку она и существует и еще в действии, а мы вашею досточтимостью вызваны говорить обо всем, то по принуждению рассказал я о ней отчасти, чтобы по правдолюбию не умолчать, но привести в известность, как для отвращения от нее слушающих, так для постыжения делающих. Ибо почему бы не следовало нам показать совершаемых ими убийств, чудовищных дел и диавольских обрядов, по примышлению самого диавола преданных сим умоисступленным?