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HIPPOLYTUS’ CONCLUSION
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H. For these and suchlike reasons these [Naassenes] frequent what are called the Mysteries of the Great Mother, believing that they obtain the clearest view of the Universal Mystery from the things done in them.
For they have nothing beyond the [mysteries] therein enacted except that they are not emasculated. Their sole “accomplishment, ” [however, ] is the business of the Eunuch, for they most severely and vigilantly enjoin to abstain, as though emasculated, from intercourse with women. And the rest of their business, as we have stated at length, they carry out just like the Eunuchs.
p. 187
And they honour nothing else but “Naas, ” 1 being called Naasseni. And Naas is the Serpent—
J. 2—from whom (H. he says) are all those [things] called naous 3 under heaven, from naas.
To that Naas alone every shrine and every rite of initiation and every mystery (H. he says) is dedicated; and, in general, no initiation can be found under heaven in which a naos does not play a part, and [also] the Naas in it, from which it has got the name of naos.
(H. Moreover, they say that) the Serpent is the Moist Essence—
H. —just as [did] also Thales the Milesian 4—
J. —and (H. that) naught at all of existing things, immortal or mortal, animate or inanimate, can hold together without Him.
[And they say] (H. that) all things are subject to Him, and (H. that) He is Good, and has all things in Him as in “the horn of the one-horned bull”; 5 so that He distributes beauty and bloom to all that exist according to each one’s nature and peculiarity, as though permeating all, just as [the River] “proceeding forth out of Eden and dividing itself into four sources. ” 6
H. And they say that Eden is His Brain, as though it were bound and constricted in its surrounding vestures like heavens; while Paradise they consider to be the Man as far as His Head only.
This River, then, coming forth out of Eden (H. that is, from His Brain), is divided into four streams.
p. 188
And the name of the first river is called Pheisō n. “This is that which encircles all the land of Evilat, there where is the gold, and the gold of that land is fair; there too is the ruby and the green stone. ” 1
This (H. he says) is His Eye—by its dignity and colours bearing witness to what is said.
The name of the second river is Geō n. “This is that which encircles all the land of Æ thiopia. ” 2
This (H. he says) is [His organ of] Hearing; for it is labyrinth-like.
And the name of the third is Tigris. “This is that which flows the opposite way to the Assyrians. ” 3
This (H. he says) is [His organ of] Smell, for the current of it is very rapid; and it “flows the opposite way to the Assyrians, ” because after the breath is breathed out, on breathing in again, the breath that is drawn in from without, from the air, comes in more rapidly, and with greater force. For this (H. he says) is the nature of respiration.
“And the fourth river [is] Euphratē s. ” 4
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This (H. they say) [is] the mouth, through which by the utterance of prayer and entrance of food, the (? C. —spiritual, perfect) man is rejoiced, and nourished and expressed. 5
This [River] (H. he says) is the Water above the Firmament. 6
C. Concerning which (H. he says) the Saviour hath said:
“If thou hadst known Who it is Who asketh, thou wouldst have asked from Him [in return], and He would have given thee to drink of Living Water bubbling [forth]. ” 7
p. 189
J. To this Water (H. he says) every nature comes, each selecting its own essence, and from this Water there comes to each nature what is proper [to it] (H. he says), more surely than iron to magnet, 1 and gold to the bone 2 of the sea-hawk, and chaff to amber.
C. And if any man (H. he says) is “blind from birth, ” 3 and hath not seen “the True Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, ” 4—let him see again through us, and let him see as it were through—
J. 5 —Paradise, planted with Trees and all kinds of seeds, the Water flowing amid all the Trees and Seeds, and [then] shall he see that from one and the same Water the Olive selects and draws Oil, and the Vine Wine, and each of the rest of the Trees according to its kind.
p. 190
But (H. he says) that Man is of no honour in the World, though of great honour [in Heaven, betrayed] 1 by those who know not to those who know Him not, being accounted “as a drop from a cask. ” 2
But we (H. he says)—
C. —are the spiritual [men] who—
J. —choose for ourselves from—
C. —the Living Water—
J. —the Euphrates, that flows through the midst of Babylon, what is proper [to each of us]—journeying through the True Gate—
C. —which is Jesus the Blessed.
And of all men we alone are Christians, 3 accomplishing the Mystery at the third Gate—
J. —and being anointed with the Ineffable Chrism from the Horn, 4 like David [was], not from the flask 5 of clay, like Saul—
C. —who was fellow-citizen with an evil dæ mon of fleshly desire.
H. These things, then, we have set down as a few out of many. For innumerable are the attempts of their folly, silly and crazy. But since we have, to the best of our ability, exposed their unknowable Gnosis, it seems best to set down the following also.
This is a Psalm which they have improvised; by means of which they fancy they thus sing the praises of all the mysteries of their Error. 6
p. 191
J. 1 “First [was there] Mind the Generative 2 Law of All; 3
Second to the Firstborn was Liquid Chaos;
Third Soul through toil received the Law.
Wherefore, with a deer’s 4 form surrounding her,
She labours at her task beneath Death’s rule.
Now, holding sway, 5 she sees the Light;
And now, cast into piteous plight, she weeps;
Now she weeps, and now rejoices;
Now she weeps, and now is judged;
Now is judged, and now she dieth;
Now is born, with no way out for her; in misery
She enters in her wandering the labyrinth of ills.
(? C. —And Jesus 6 said): O Father, see!
[Behold] the struggle still of ills on earth!
p. 192
Far from Thy Breath 1 away she 2 wanders!
She seeks to flee the bitter Chaos, 3
And knows not how she shall pass through.
Wherefore, send me, O Father!
Seals in my hands, I will descend;
Through Æ ons universal will I make a Path;
Through Mysteries all I’ll open up a Way!
And Forms of Gods will I display; 4
The secrets of the Holy Path I will hand on,
And call them Gnosis. ” 5
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