1Κατὰ Ἱερακιτῶν μζ͵ τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ξζ.

67.1.1. 1,1 After this most wicked and venomous of all sects and the savage attack, like a snake’s, of Mani’s teaching, came a man named Hierakas, the founder of die Hierakites.

1 1. Μετὰ τὴν μοχθηρὰν ταύτην καὶ ἰοβόλον ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν καὶ ἑρπετώδη τοῦ Μάνη βαρβαρικὴν θηριοβολίαν τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀνέστη τις ^3.133 Ἱερακᾶς ὀνόματι͵ ἀφ΄ οὗπερ Ἱερακῖται.

2. He lived in Leontopolis in Egypt, had a sound elementary education, was well versed in all the pagan subjects, and mastered as well medicine and the other sciences of the Egyptians and Greeks, to which he doubtless added astrology and magic.

οὗτος ἐν τῇ Λεοντῷ τῇ κατ΄ Αἴγυπτον ὑπῆρχεν͵ ἐν προπαιδείᾳ οὐ μικρᾷ ὑπάρξας͵ Ἑλληνικῶν τε πάντων λόγων ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἀσκηθείς͵ ἰατροσοφιστικῇ τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων μαθήμασιν ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστάς· τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀστρονομίας καὶ μαγείας ὁ ἀνὴρ παρήψατο.

3. For he was quite skilled in many disciplines, including exegesis, as his writings show. He had a perfect mastery of the Egyptian (i.e Coptic) language  - for the man was Egyptian -  but also knew Greek well enough, being of a most keen intelligence.

ἐμπειρότατος γὰρ ὑπῆρχε πολλῶν λόγων καὶ ἐν ἐξηγήσει͵ ὡς ὑποφαίνουσιν οἱ αὐτοῦ λόγοι ͵ πάνυ δὲ τὴν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιστάμενος γλῶσσαν (Αἰγύπτιος γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἦν)͵ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ τῶν Ἑλλήνων τετρανωμένος οὐ μικρῶς͵ ὀξὺς κατὰ πάντα τρόπον.

4. He was in fact a Christian, but he did not persevere in the Christian way of life; he slipped, fell, and ran aground. To put it plainly, he memorized the Old and New Testament, and in commenting on them he taught doctrines which he got from his own empty ideas, things which he considered true and which suggested themselves to him.

ὑπῆρχε δῆθεν Χριστιανός͵ ἀλλ΄ οὐκ ἐνέ μεινε τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολιτείᾳ· παρέπεσε γὰρ καὶ ὀλισθήσας ἐξώκειλεν. οὗτος μὲν γὰρ παλαιὰν καὶ καινὴν διαθήκην σαφῶς εἰπεῖν ἀποστη θίζων καὶ εἰς αὐτὰ ἐξηγησάμενος͵ ἐδογμάτισε παρ΄ ἑαυτῷ ἀπὸ κενο φωνίας ἑαυτοῦ͵ ὅπερ αὐτῷ ἔδοξε καὶ ὃ ὑπεισῆλθεν αὐτῷ.

5. He too teaches that there is no resurrection of the flesh at all, but only of the soul. He says that the resurrection is spiritual. Collecting from the sacred scriptures whatever may <be found> to support his views, he con­trived some absurd and evil fabrications in support of his heresy.

Βούλεται γὰρ καὶ οὗτος τὴν σάρκα μὴ ἀνίστασθαι τὸ παράπαν͵ ἀλλὰ τὴν ψυχὴν μονωτάτην. πνευματικὴν δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν φάσκει. καὶ ὅσα ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν εἰς ἑαυτοῦ νοῦν ἀναλεξάμενος͵ οὕτως ἑαυτῷ ἐπεσώρευσεν͵ ἀτόπως πλάσματα ἄττα φαῦλα ἑαυτῷ μηχα νησάμενος πρὸς σύστασιν τῆς αὐτοῦ αἱρέσεως.

6. He was impressive in his asceticism and able to persuade souls; many of the Egyp­tian ascetics were drawn away at once to join him. For I believe that in regard to the resurrection of the dead he denied the resurrection of the flesh because he was influenced by Origen; or perhaps he disgorged the doctrine from his own mind.

ἦν δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἔκπληκτος τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀσκήσει καὶ δυνάμενος πεῖσαι ψυχάς· αὐτίκα πολλοὶ τῶν ἀσ κητῶν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων αὐτῷ συναπήχθησαν. οἶμαι γὰρ ὅτι περὶ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν [ὡς] ἠρνήσατο τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν͵ ἀπὸ Ὠριγένους τὰς προφάσεις εἰληφὼς ἢ ἀφ΄ ἑαυτοῦ τῆς διανοίας τοῦτο ἐξεμέσας.

7. He does not accept marriage, saying that it is of the Old Testament. Those associated with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and all the holy ones, Isaiah and Jeremiah, he accepts equally and considers prophets,

8. and says that in the Old Testament it was allowed to marry, but since the incarnation of Christ one <should> no longer accept marriage, nor can it inherit the kingdom of heaven.

οὐ παραδέχεται οὗτος γάμον͵ φάσκων εἶναι τοῦτο παλαιᾶς διαθήκης. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ περὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ Μωυσέα καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους͵ Ἠσαΐαν καὶ Ἰερεμίαν͵ ὁμοίως δέχεται καὶ προφήτας ἡγεῖται͵ καὶ συγκεχωρῆσθαί φησιν ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ διαθήκῃ ^3.134 τῷ γάμῳ συνάπτεσθαι͵ ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἐνδημίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ μηκέτι δεῖν τὸν γάμον παραδέχεσθαι͵ μήτε δύνασθαι αὐτὸν κληρονομεῖν βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν.

9. For what, he asks, did the Word corne to make that was new? Or what new thing was it that the Only Begotten came to announce or to establish? If it was about the fear of God, the law had that. If it was about marnage, the scriptures preached about that. If it was about envy, greed, and injustice, the Old Testament contained teachings about all of these. But this one thing he came to estab­lish: to preach continence in the world and to gather to himself chastity and continence; now without this <one> cannot live.

τί γάρ͵ φησίν͵ ἦλθε ποιεῖν καινὸν ὁ λόγος; ἢ τί καινὸν ἦλθε κηρῦξαι ὁ μονο γενὴς καὶ κατορθῶσαι; εἰ μὲν γὰρ περὶ φόβου θεοῦ͵ τοῦτο εἶχεν ὁ νόμος· εἰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ γάμου͵ κεκηρύχασιν αἱ γραφαί· εἰ δὲ περὶ φθόνου καὶ πλεονεξίας καὶ ἀδικίας͵ ταῦτα πάντα περιεῖχεν ἡ παλαιὰ διαθήκη. ἓν δὲ μόνον τοῦτο κατορθῶσαι ἦλθε͵ τὸ τὴν ἐγκράτειαν κηρῦξαι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἀναλέξασθαι ἁγνείαν καὶ ἐγκράτειαν· ἄνευ δὲ τούτου μὴ δύνασθαί τινα ζῆν.

2.1. He gathers texts to prove his teaching from every place, <as> when he quotes: “And your sanctification, without which no one will see God. (Heb. 12:14)

2. Τὰς δὲ προφάσεις τούτων πανταχόθεν ἀναλέγεται͵ ὡς ὅταν εἴπῃ ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν ὑμῶν͵ οὗ χωρὶς τὸν θεὸν οὐδεὶς ὄψεται.

2.2. But if they say to him: How is it that the apostle says, “Marnage is honorable and the marriage-bed undefiled, but God will judge fornicators and adulter­ers”? (Heb. 13:4.) <he replies: But the apostle says further: “It is well for a man not to touch a woman”?>, (1 Cor. 7:1.)

2.3. and he immediately continues, <“It is well for a man to be this way”?>. (1 Cor. 7:26.) Then skipping a few lines, he quotes, “The unmarried woman is concerned about how to please the Lord, and so is the virgin; but the married woman is concerned about pleasing her husband, and she is divided.” (1 Cor. 7:34, 33.)6

ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωσιν αὐτῷ· πῶς ὁ ἀπόστολος ἔφη τίμιος ὁ γάμος καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαν τος͵ πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ θεός͵  καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπιφέρει αὖθις λέγων ͵ ὑπερβὰς δὲ ὀλίγον λέγει ὅτι ἡ ἄγαμος μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κυρίου πῶς ἀρέσει τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἡ παρθένος· ἡ δὲ γαμήσασα μεριμνᾷ πῶς ἀρέσει τῷ ἀνδρί͵ καὶ μεμέρισται.

2.4. But if there is division, how can there be sharing in common where division is? And if she does not please God, but her husband, how can she receive the inheritance from God?

2.5. He says that <the apostle says>, “On account of fornication, each one should have his own wife” (1 Cor. 7:2.) not in the sense of praising marriage after the advent of Christ, but in the sense of tolerating it, lest they fall into greater ruin. “For there are eunuchs who make themselves such for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,” (Matt. 19:12.) and “I wish,” he says, “everyone to be as I am”, (1 Cor. 7:7.) 2.6. and “The kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins, five foolish and five sensible (Matt. 25:lf.): sensible virgins, foolish virgins, nonetheless virgins they are who are compared to the kingdom of heaven; he did not speak of married people. He collects many such passages in order to reject marriage.

εἰ τοίνυν ἔστι μερισμός͵ πῶς δύναται ὅπου μερισμὸς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κοινωνῆσαι; καὶ εἰ θεῷ οὐκ ἀρέσκει͵ ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀνδρί͵ πῶς δύναται παρὰ θεῷ κεκτῆσθαι τὴν κληρονομίαν; διὰ γὰρ τὰς πορνείας ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω͵ φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστο λος οὐκ ἐπαινῶν͵ φησί͵ γάμον μετὰ τὴν παρουσίαν͵ ἀλλὰ συμβαστάζων͵ ἵνα μὴ εἰς περιττὸν ὄλεθρον ἐμπέσωσιν. εἰσὶ γὰρ εὐνοῦχοι οἱ ἑαυτοὺς εὐνουχίσαντες διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν͵ καὶ θέλω͵ φησί͵ πάντας εἶναι ὡς ἐμαυτόν͵ καὶ ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν δέκαπαρ θένοις͵ πέντε μωραῖς καὶ πέντε φρονίμοις· φρόνιμοι παρθένοι͵ μωραὶ παρθένοι͵ πλὴν παρθένοι͵ βασιλείᾳ οὐρανῶν ἀπεικάζονται͵ καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ἔγγαμοι. πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα ἑαυτῷ ἐπισωρεύει͵ ἵνα δῆθεν παρεκβάλῃ γάμον.

2.7. He does not accept children who die before reaching the age of reason, but rejects them from the hope which he thinks he has. He says they do not inherit the kingdom of heaven because they have not taken part in the contest. For “if one competes in a contest, one is not crowned unless one competes according to the rules.” (2 Tim. 2:5) If even the one who takes part in the contest is not crowned unless he has kept the rules, all the more those who have not yet been called to the contest.

Οὐ δέχεται δὲ τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς τελευτῶντας πρὸ γνώσεως͵ ἀλλ΄ ἀπο βάλλει αὐτοὺς τῆς νομιζομένης ἐλπίδος. φάσκει γὰρ τούτους μὴ κλη ^3.135 ρονομεῖν βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν͵ ἐπειδή͵ φησίν͵ οὐκ ἠγωνίσαντο. ἐὰν γὰρ ἀθλῇ τις͵ οὐ στεφανοῦται͵ ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ· εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἀθλῶν οὐ στεφανοῦται͵ ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως͵ πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον οἱ μηδέπω εἰς ἀγῶνα κεκλημένοι;

2.8. He does not, moreover, believe that paradise is something of the sensible order, as Origen also certainly did not, nor, as I said, does he believe in the resurrection by way of the flesh, although he speaks of a resurrection of the dead, but a resurrection of souls, about which he spins some spiritual fable.

2.9. No one worships with them except one who is a virgin, a monk, a continent person, or a widow.

οὐ πιστεύει δὲ πάλιν οὗτος παράδεισον εἶναι αἰσθητόν͵ ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ Ὠριγένης͵ οὐδέ͵ ὡς ἔφην͵ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν τὴν διὰ σαρκός͵ ἀλλ΄ ἀνάστασιν μὲν νεκρῶν λέγει͵ ἀνάστασιν δὲ τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ πνευματικήν τινα φάσκων μυθολογίαν. οὐδεὶς δὲ μετ΄ αὐτῶν συνάγεται͵ ἀλλὰ εἰ εἴη παρθένος ἢ μονάζων ἢ ἐγκρατὴς ἢ χήρα.

3.1. He does not talk about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as Origen does, but believes that the Son was really begotten by the Father,

περὶ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος οὐ φάσκει κατὰ τὸν Ὠριγένην͵ ἀλλὰ πιστεύει ὄντως τὸν υἱὸν ἐκ πατρὸς γεγεννημένον͵

and concerning the Holy Spirit, <he accepts> that he is from the Father.

( 3. ) καὶ περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ἐκ πατρὸς εἶναι δέχεται.

3.2. But he says, as I explained in the chapter about the Melchizedekian sect, concerning the Holy Spirit that he is Melchizedek, because of what <the apostle> says: “He intercedes for us with inarticulate groans.” (Rom. 8:26) Who does this refer to but <the one “who has been made like the Son of God, who> remains a priest forever”? (Heb 7:3) But the words “a priest forever” refer to his interceding.

φάσκει δὲ οὗτος͵ ὡς ἄνω μοι ἐν τῇ τῶν Μελχισεδεκιανῶν αἱρέσει δεδήλωται͵ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Μελχισεδέκ͵ διὰ τό͵ φησίν͵ εἰρηκέναι τὸν ἀπόστολον ὅτι ὑπερεντυγχάνει στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. καὶ τίς ἐστιν οὗτος͵ ἀλλὰ ὁ ἀφωμοιωμένος τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ͵ ὃς μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές; τὸ δὲ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές διὰ τὸ ὑπερεν τυγχάνειν.

3.3. This spirit met Abraham on that occasion (Gen. 18:1 ff) because he is like the Son. For this reason, he says, the apostle <uses the words> “without father, without mother, without genealogy.” (Heb. 7:3 “Without mother” because he has no mother. “Without father” because he has no father on earth, “but having been made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” And he babbles on at great length about the Holy Spirit, developing his topic in detail.

τοῦτο δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα συνηντηκέναι τῷ Ἀβραὰμ κατ΄ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ͵ ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὅμοιόν ἐστι τῷ υἱῷ. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο͵ φησίν͵ λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος ἀπάτωρ ἀμήτωρ ἀγενεαλόγητος· ἀμήτωρ͵ φησίν͵ ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει μητέρα· ἀπάτωρ͵ φησίν͵ ὅτι ἐπὶ γῆς οὐκ ἔσχε πατέρα͵ ἀφωμοιω μένος δὲ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές. καὶ πολλὰ φλυαρῶν περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος διεξῆλθε περὶ τούτου πολλὴν πραγματείαν.

4. Now he seeks complete confirmation of his doctrine in the Ascension of Isaiah, where in the so-called Ascension the speaker says, “The angel who walked before me showed me, and he showed me and said, `Who is the one on the right hand of God?’ And I said, You know, Lord.’ He said, ‘That is the Beloved. S. And who is the other like him who has corne from the left?’ I said, You know.’ <He said, > ‘That is the Holy Spirit who speaks in you and in the prophets.’ And he was like the Beloved.” From this passage he seeks confirmation of the words “made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” . . .

βούλεται δὲ τὴν τελείαν αὐτοῦ σύστασιν ποιεῖσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀνα βατικοῦ Ἠσαΐου͵ δῆθεν ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἀναβατικῷ λεγομένῳ ἔλεγεν ἐκεῖσε ὅτι ἔδειξέ μοι ὁ ἄγγελος περιπατῶν ἔμπροσθέν μου͵ καὶ ἔδειξέ μοι καὶ ^3.136 εἶπε· τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ; καὶ εἶπα· σὺ οἶδας͵ κύριε· λέγει· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαπητός. καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἄλλος ὁ ὅμοιος αὐτῷ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν ἐλθών; καὶ εἶπα· σὺ γινώσκεις. λέγει· τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν σοὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις. καὶ ἦν͵ φησίν͵ ὅμοιον τῷ ἀγαπητῷ. ἐκ τούτου βούλεται συνιστᾶν τὸ εἰρημένον ἀφω μοιωμένος τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸ διηνεκές.

Πόσα τοίνυν δυνήσεται ὁ ἡμέτερος νοῦς καὶ περὶ τούτου διαλαμβάνειν πρὸς ἀντίθεσιν τῆς αὐτοῦ πολλῆς παραπεποιημένης διανοίας;

7. He died after he had reached old age.

οὗτος δὲ γηραλέος ἐτελεύτα.

. He composed writings in Greek and Egyptian which included a commentary on the Hexaemeron, and he fabricated some fables and pretentious allegories. He wrote commentaries on other parts of scripture, and fabricated many new psalms.

8. Many of those <who believe his teachings?> do not partake of animal flesh. Now Hieracas himself really practiced a deep asceticism, but his disciples who came after him only pretended to. He himself abstained from all meat, and his asceticism excluded even wine.

9. Now some say of him that he lived for over ninety years and that until the day of his death he practiced the copyist’s art (for he was a copyist), for he retained his eyesight... .

συνεγράψατο δὲ Ἑλληνικῶς τε καὶ Αἰγυπτιακῶς͵ ἐξηγησάμενος καὶ συντάξας περὶ τῆς ἑξαημέρου͵ μύθους τινὰς πλασά μενος καὶ κομπώδεις ἀλληγορίας. εἰς ἄλλα δὲ πόσα ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς συνέταξε͵ ψαλμούς τε πολλοὺς νεωτερικοὺς ἐπλάσατο. ἐμψύχων τε πολλοὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ μετέχουσι  τῶν ἀληθινῶν αὐτῶν τοῦ δόγματος. ὁ δὲ Ἱε ρακᾶς αὐτὸς τῷ μὲν ὄντι πολλὴν εἶχε τὴν ἄσκησιν͵ οἱ δὲ μετ΄ αὐτὸν αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ καθ΄ ὑπόκρισιν· ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἀπείχετο πάντων βρωμάτων καὶ ἠσκεῖτο καὶ ἀπὸ οἴνου· φασὶ δέ τινες περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ὑπὲρ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη βιώσας ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἐτελεύτα ἐκαλλιγράφει (καλλιγράφος γὰρ ἦν)· ἔμενε γὰρ αὐτοῦ συνεστὼς ὁ ὀφθαλμός.

4,1 All right, let’s investigate this one’s tares too. Which of sacred scripture’s ideas shall we get hold of, to scotch this poisonous snake that strikes fore and aft like a scorpion? For he heaped up harmful material from two Testaments, not as the sacred words stand, but as his false thinking formed obscure notions of clear things.

4. Φέρε δὲ διασκοπήσωμεν καὶ τὰ τούτου ζιζάνια· ποίᾳ διανοίᾳ λόγου θεϊκοῦ συνάψωμεν καὶ ἐξαφανίσωμεν τὸ ἰοβόλον τοῦτο ἑρπετόν͵ σκορπίου δίκην ἔμπροσθεν καὶ κατόπιν παῖον͵ ἀπὸ δύο διαθηκῶν ἑαυτῷ ἐπισωρεῦον τὰ πρὸς βλάβην͵ οὐχ ὡς ἔχουσιν οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι͵ ἀλλ΄ ὡς ἡ παραπεποιημένη αὐτοῦ ἔννοια τὰ φωτεινὰ σκοτεινῶς διενοεῖτο;

(2) Honey is not nasty or bitter, and neither are the nicer foods God has created. But if they are given to a fever patient they seem bitter in his mouth, not because the sweet things have turned bitter, but because the patient’s taste imparts bitterness to the things he is given. (3) In the sanie way, no one who has fallen away from the truth has been deceived by dte truth; he tasted the truth with bitter thoughts and it became bitter to him.

οὐ μεμ πτὸν γὰρ τὸ μέλι οὔτε πικρότατον͵ οὐδὲ αἱ ἐδωδαὶ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐκτισμέναι αἱ καλλίους͵ διδόμεναι δέ τινι πυρέττοντι πικραὶ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ φαίνονται͵ οὐ τῶν ἡδέων πεπικραμμένων͵ ἀλλὰ τοῦ γεύματος τοῦ πυρέτ τοντος πικράναντος τὰ αὐτῷ διδόμενα. οὕτω καὶ πᾶς τις ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλη θείας πεσὼν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἠπάτηται͵ ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πικροῖς διανοήμασιν ἐγεύσατο͵ καὶ εἰς πικρίαν αὐτῷ μετεβλήθη.

[. . .]  (Epiphanius contradicts Hierakas teaching with extensive citations from the Scriptures)

8,1 But here too, I believe enough has been said about them. We have broken the scorpion’s wings and drawn its powers off. For Hieracas is a winged snake and scorpion which has all sorts of wings, which flies, and which mimics the church’s virginity but without a clear conscience.

^3.140 8. Ἀλλὰ περὶ τούτων καὶ αὐτόθι ἀρκεῖσθαι ἡγοῦμαι. συνετρίψαμεν γὰρ τοῦ σκορπίου τὰς πτέρυγας͵ καὶ κατεσπάσαμεν αὐτοῦ τὰς δυνάμεις. ὄφις γὰρ πτερωτὸς οὗτος καὶ σκορπίος͵ πτέρυγας ἔχων κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους καὶ πετόμενος͵ καὶ μιμούμενος μὲν τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὴν παρ θενίαν͵ οὐκ ἔχων δὲ καθαρὰν τὴν συνείδησιν.

(2) For he and people like him ex­emplify the words, “Having their conscience seared with an hot iron; and forbidding to marry, and to ahstain from meats which God kath made to be received. For they are sanctified by the word of the living God and praver, since all things are good and wholesorne, and nothing is abominable with God.’

ἐπὶ γὰρ τούτῳ καὶ τοῖς ὁμοίοις αὐτοῦ πληροῦται τὸ κεκαυτηριασμένων τὴν συνείδησιν͵ καὶ κωλυόντων γαμεῖν͵ ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων͵ ἃ ὁ θεὸς εἰς μετάληψιν ἐποίησεν· ἁγιάζεται γὰρ διὰ λόγου θεοῦ ζῶντος καὶ ἐντεύξεως͵ ὅτι πάντα καλὰ καὶ ἡδέα͵ καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον παρὰ θεῷ.

8,3 However, they are a complete laughing-stock because of their adoptive wives, whom they are at pains to have as domestic servants.

χλευάζονται δὲ τελειό τατα δι΄ ἃς κέκτηνται ἕκαστος συνεισάκτους γυναῖκας͵ [δι΄] ἃς εἴωθαν φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἔχειν εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν.

 (4) But as I said, we have pulled his wings off too, and broken his head with the wood of life, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us go on to die rest, calling on God himself to aid us, so that we may reply to the remaining sects, and refute the heresies they fruitlessly palm off on the world.

ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου͵ ὡς ἔφην͵ τὰς πτέρυ γας κατασπάσαντες καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν καταθλάσαντες τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς͵ τουτέστι τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ͵ ἐπὶ τὰς ἑξῆς ἴωμεν͵ ἐπικαλούμενοι αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν βοηθόν͵ πρὸς τὴν τῶν λοιπῶν αἱρέσεων ἀντίρρησίν τε καὶ ἀνατροπὴν τῶν παρ΄ αὐτοῖς ματαίως τῷ κόσμῳ ὑποβαλλομένων.