3. There is another,154 who is a renowned teacher among them, and who, struggling to
reach something more sublime, and to attain to a kind of higher knowledge, has explained
the primary Tetrad as follows: There is [he says] a certain Proarche who existed before all
things, surpassing all thought, speech, and nomenclature, whom I call Monotes (unity).
Together with this Monotes there exists a power, which again I term Henotes (oneness).
This Henotes and Monotes, being one, produced, yet not so as to bring forth [apart from
themselves, as an emanation] the beginning of all things, an intelligent, unbegotten, and
invisible being, which beginning language terms “Monad.” With this Monad there co-exists
a power of the same essence, which again I term Hen (One). These powers then— Monotes,
and Henotes, and Monas, and Hen—produced the remaining company of the Æons.
4. Iu, Iu! Pheu, Pheu!—for well may we utter these tragic exclamations at such a pitch
of audacity in the coining of names as he has displayed without a blush, in devising a no-
menclature for his system of falsehood. For when he declares: There is a certain Proarche
before all things, surpassing all thought, whom I call Monotes; and again, with this Monotes
there co-exists a power which I also call Henotes,—it is most manifest that he confesses the
things which have been said to be his own invention, and that he himself has given names
to his scheme of things, which had never been previously suggested by any other. It is
manifest also, that he himself is the one who has had sufficient audacity to coin these names;
so that, unless he had appeared in the world, the truth would still have been destitute of a
name. But, in that case, nothing hinders any other, in dealing with the same subject, to affix
names after such a fashion as the following: There155 is a certain Proarche, royal, surpassing
all thought, a power existing before every other substance, and extended into space in every
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direction. But along with it there exists a power which I term a Gourd; and along with this
Gourd there exists a power which again I term Utter-Emptiness. This Gourd and Emptiness,
since they are one, produced (and yet did not simply produce, so as to be apart from them-
selves) a fruit, everywhere visible, eatable, and delicious, which fruit-language calls a Cucum-
ber. Along with this Cucumber exists a power of the same essence, which again I call a
Melon. These powers, the Gourd, Utter-Emptiness, the Cucumber, and the Melon, brought
forth the remaining multitude of the delirious melons of Valentinus.156 For if it is fitting
that that language which is used respecting the universe be transformed to the primary
Tetrad, and if any one may assign names at his pleasure, who shall prevent us from adopting
154 Some have supposed that the name of this teacher was Epiphanes, and that the old Latin mistakenly
translates this by clarus; others think that Colorbasus is the teacher in question.
155 The Greek text is wanting till the end of this section.
156 [1 Kings xviii. 27. “It came to pass that Elijah mocked them,” etc. This reductio ad absurdum of our author
is singularly applicable to certain forms of what is called “Modern Thought.”]
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Chapter XI.—The opinions of Valentinus, with those of his disciples and…