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Book ii.]

IRENÆUS AGAINST HERESIES.

129

Chap. v.—This world was not formed by any other beings within the territory which is contained by the Father.

1. The remarks, therefore, which I made a little while ago^[1] are suitable in answer to those who assert that this world was formed outside of the Pleroma, or under a "good God;" and such persons, with the Father they speak of, will be quite cut off from that which is outside the Pleroma, in which, at the same time, it is necessary that they should finally rest.^[2] In answer to those, again, who maintain that this world was formed by certain other beings within that territory which is contained by the Father, all those points which have now^[3] been noticed will present themselves [as exhibiting their] absurdities and incoherencies; and they will be compelled either to acknowledge all those things which are within the Father, lucid, full, and energetic, or to accuse the light of the Father as if He could not illuminate all things; or, as a portion of their Pleroma [is so described], the whole of it must be confessed to be void, chaotic, and full of darkness. And they accuse all other created things as if these were merely temporal, or [at the best], if eternal,^[4] yet material. But^[5] these (the Æons) ought to be regarded as

↑ See above, chap. i.
↑ The Latin text here is, "et concludentur tales cum patre sue ab eo qui est extra Pleroma, in quo etiam et desinere eos necesse est." None of the editors notice the difficulty or obscurity of the clause, but it appears to us absolutely untranslateable. We have rendered it as if the reading were "ab eo quod," though, if the strict grammatical construction be followed, the translation must be, "from Him who." But then to what does "in quo," which follows, refer? It may be ascribed either to the immediate antecedent Pleroma, or to Him who is described as being beyond it.
↑ Chap. ii., iii., iv.
↑ This is an extremely difficult passage. We follow the reading æternochoica adopted by Massuet, but Harvey reads æterna choica, and renders, "They charge all other substance (i.e. spiritual) with the imperfections of the material creation, as though Æon substance were equally ephemeral and choic."
↑ The common reading is "aut;" we adopt Harvey's conjectural emendation of "at."

[1] See above, chap. i.

[2] The Latin text here is, "et concludentur tales cum patre sue ab eo qui est extra Pleroma, in quo etiam et desinere eos necesse est." None of the editors notice the difficulty or obscurity of the clause, but it appears to us absolutely untranslateable. We have rendered it as if the reading were "ab eo quod," though, if the strict grammatical construction be followed, the translation must be, "from Him who." But then to what does "in quo," which follows, refer? It may be ascribed either to the immediate antecedent Pleroma, or to Him who is described as being beyond it.

[3] Chap. ii., iii., iv.

[4] This is an extremely difficult passage. We follow the reading æternochoica adopted by Massuet, but Harvey reads æterna choica, and renders, "They charge all other substance (i.e. spiritual) with the imperfections of the material creation, as though Æon substance were equally ephemeral and choic."

[5] The common reading is "aut;" we adopt Harvey's conjectural emendation of "at."

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