On the
Docetism of Valentinus vide Dr. Salmon in D. C.
Biog. i. 869. “According to V. (Irenæus i. 7)
our Lord’s nature was fourfold: (1) He had a
ψυχή or
animal soul; (2) He had a πνεῦμα or
spiritual principle derived from Achamoth; (3) He had a body, but
not a material body, but a heavenly one.…(4) The pre-existent
Saviour descended on Him in the form of a dove at His Baptism.
When our Lord was brought before Pilate, this Saviour as being
incapable of suffering withdrew His power;” (cf. the
Gospel of Peter, “The Lord cried, saying, ‘My
Power, my Power, Thou hast left me.’”) “and the
spiritual part which was also impassible was likewise dismissed; the
animal soul and the wonderfully contrived body alone remaining to
suffer, and to exhibit on the cross on earth a representation of
what had previously taken place on the heavenly Stauros. It
thus appears that Valentinus was only partially
docetic.” But cf. Iren. v. 1, 2, and iii.
22.