Chapter 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 ago358 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.359 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
now360 been noticed will present themselves [as exhibiting their] absurdities and incoher-
encies; 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,361 yet material. But362
these (the Æons) ought to be regarded as beyond the reach of such accusations, since they
are within the Pleroma, or the charges in question will equally fall against the entire Pleroma;
and thus the Christ of whom they speak is discovered to be the author of ignorance. For,
according to their statements, when He had given a form so far as substance was concerned
to the Mother they conceive of, He cast her outside of the Pleroma; that is, He cut her off
from knowledge. He, therefore, who separated her from knowledge, did in reality produce
ignorance in her. How then could the very same person bestow the gift of knowledge on
the rest of the Æons, those who were anterior to Him [in production], and yet be the author
of ignorance to His Mother? For He placed her beyond the pale of knowledge, when He cast
her outside of the Pleroma.
358 See above, chap. i.
359 The Latin text here is, “et concludentur tales cum patre suo 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 gram-
matical 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.
360 Chap. ii., iii., iv.
361 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.”
362 The common reading is “aut;” we adopt Harvey’s conjectural emendation of “at.”
Chapter V.—This world was not formed by any other beings within the territory which is contained by the Father.
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Chapter V.—This world was not formed by any other beings within the territory…