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As the churches throughout the world were now shining like the most
brilliant stars, and faith in our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ was
flourishing among the whole human race, the demon who hates everything
that is good, and is always hostile to the truth, and most bitterly
opposed to the salvation of man, turned all his arts against the
Church. In the beginning he armed himself against it with
2,external persecutions. But now, being shut off from the use of
such means, he devised all sorts of plans, and employed other methods
in his conflict with the Church, using base and deceitful men as
instruments for the ruin of souls and as ministers of destruction.
Instigated by him, impostors and deceivers, assuming the name of our
religion, brought to the depth of ruin such of the believers as they
could win over and at the same time, by means of the deeds which they
practiced, turned away from the path which leads to the word of
salvation those who were ignorant of the faith. Accordingly there
proceeded from that Menander, whom we have already mentioned as the
successor of Simon, a certain serpent-like power, double-tongued
and two-headed, which produced the leaders of two different heresies,
Saturninus, an Antiochian by birth, and Basilides, an
Alexandrian. The former of these established schools of godless
heresy in Syria, the latter in Alexandria. Irenaeus states that the
false teaching of Saturninus agreed in most respects with that of
Menander, but that Basilides, under the pretext of unspeakable
mysteries, invented monstrous fables, and carried the fictions of his
impious heresy quite beyond bounds. But as there were at that time a
great many members of the Church who were fighting for the truth and
defending apostolic and ecclesiastical doctrine with uncommon
eloquence, so there were some also that furnished posterity through
their writings with means of defense against the heresies to which we
have referred. Of these there has come down to us a most powerful
refutation of Basilides by Agrippa Castor, one of the most renowned
writers of that day, which shows the terrible imposture of the man.
While exposing his mysteries he says that Basilides wrote twenty-four
books upon the Gospel, and that he invented prophets for himself named
Barcabbas and Barcoph, and others that had no existence, and that he
gave them barbarous names in order to amaze those who marvel at such
things; that he taught also that the eating of meat offered to idols
and the unguarded renunciation of the faith in times of persecution were
matters of indifference; and that he enjoined upon his followers, like
Pythagoras, a silence of five years. Other similar things the
above-mentioned writer has recorded concerning Basilides, and has
ably exposed the error of his heresy. Irenaeus also writes that
Carpocrates was a contemporary of these men, and that he was the
father of another heresy, called the heresy of the Gnostics, who did
not wish to transmit any longer the magic arts of Simon, as that one
had done, in secret, but openly. For they boasted, as of something
great, of love potions that were carefully prepared by them, and of
certain demons that sent them dreams and lent them their protection,
and of other similar agencies; and in accordance with these things they
taught that it was necessary for those who wished to enter fully into
their mysteries, or rather into their abominations, to practice all
the worst kinds of wickedness, on the ground that they could escape the
cosmic powers, as they called them, in no other way than by
discharging their obligations to them all by infamous-conduct. Thus
it came to pass that the malignant demon, making use of these
ministers, on the one hand enslaved those that were so pitiably led
astray by them to their own destruction, while on the other hand he
furnished to the unbelieving heathen abundant opportunities for
slandering the divine word, inasmuch as the reputation of these men
brought infamy upon the whole race of Christians. In this way,
therefore, it came to pass that there was spread abroad in regard to us
among the unbelievers of that age, the infamous and most absurd
suspicion that we practiced unlawful commerce with mothers and sisters,
and enjoyed impious feasts. He did not, however, long succeed in
these artifices, as the truth established itself and in time shone with
great brilliancy. For the machinations of its enemies were refuted by
its power and speedily vanished. One new heresy arose after another,
and the former ones always passed away, and now at one time, now at
another, now in one way, now in other ways, were lost in ideas of
various kinds and various forms. But the splendor of the catholic and
only true Church, which is always the same, grew in magnitude and
power, and reflected its piety and simplicity and freedom, and the
modesty and purity of its inspired life and philosophy to every nation
both of Greeks and of Barbarians. At the same time the slanderous
accusations which had been brought against the whole Church also
vanished, and there remained our teaching alone, which has prevailed
over all, and which is acknowledged to be superior to all in dignity
and temperance, and in divine and philosophical doctrines. So that
none of them now ventures to affix a base calumny upon our faith, or
any such slander as our ancient enemies formerly delighted to utter.
Nevertheless, in those times the truth again called forth many
champions who fought in its defense against the godless heresies,
refuting them not only with oral, but also with written arguments.
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