Panarion (Against Heresies) 1 part 79/82

the one group disparaging the holy virgin, while the others again glorify her beyond what is fitting.

For who are these who teach this, but women? For the female sex is prone to slip, and unstable, and lowly in understanding.

And here too the devil has seemed to vomit forth error through women, just as also earlier, among Quintilla and Maximilla and Priscilla, the teachings were ridiculous — so also here.

For certain women, decorating a kind of small carriage, or rather a square seat, spreading fine linen over it, on a certain public day of the year, on some days set forth bread and offer it up in the name of Mary, and all the women partake of the bread — as we have discussed in part concerning this matter in the letter written to Arabia itself.

But now we shall speak clearly concerning it, and having asked God, we shall set forth, as far as possible, the refutations of it, so that, having cut out the roots of this idol-making heresy, we may be able, in God, to put an end to such madness in some.

Come then, servants of God, let us put on a manly resolve, and let us scatter the madness of these women.

For the whole suspicion belongs to the female, and it is again the disease of Eve who was deceived — or rather, still more, the promise of error from the provoking serpent-beast and from the one who spoke within her, bringing forth nothing sound, nor accomplishing what it promised, but working only death, calling the things that are not as though they were, working disobedience through the sight of the tree, and turning away from the truth itself by being turned toward many things.

And one may consider what sort of thing this is: just as the deceiver sowed, saying, 'You shall be as gods,' so also the mind of these women has been made foolish by the pride of the aforesaid beast, whereby, in turn, it works death for their nature, as I have also often said.

For first of all, to one who is ready straightway to examine it, from of old until now, to whom is it not clear that the teaching and the form belong to demons, and the undertaking is a perversion? For never from of old has a woman served as priest to God — not even Eve herself, though she indeed fell into transgression, yet she did not dare to go so far as to carry out so impious an undertaking as this;

not one of her daughters either — although Abel indeed immediately performed priestly service to God, and Cain offered sacrifices before the Lord, but they were not accepted; and Enoch was well-pleasing and was translated; and Noah offered from the surplus of the ark thank offerings to the Lord, showing forth a proof of a grateful disposition, acknowledging his gratitude to the one who had saved him.

And Abraham the righteous performed priestly service to God, and Melchizedek was priest of God Most High, and Isaac is found well-pleasing to God, and Jacob offered according to his ability upon the stone, pouring oil from the flask.

Levi in turn is found to have received the priesthood in succession;

and from this very lineage came those who received the priestly order — I mean Moses the prophet and hierophant, and Aaron and his sons, Eleazar and Phinehas, and Ithamar his descendant.

And why should I recount to you the multitudes of those who performed priestly service to God in the Old Testament? As Ahitub is found performing priestly service, and the Korahites and Gershonites and Merarites, entrusted with the Levitical order; and the house of Eli, and those after him from his kindred in the house of Abimelech and Abiathar, and Hilkiah and Buzi, down to Jesus the high priest, and Ezra the priest, and the others.

and nowhere did a woman serve as priest.

But I will come also to the New Testament.

If women were appointed by God to serve as priests, or to do anything canonical in the church, then Mary herself ought rather to have carried out the priestly office in the New Testament — she who was deemed worthy to receive in her own bosom the King of all, the heavenly God, the Son of God, whose womb, having become a temple and dwelling place, was prepared for the incarnate dispensation of the Lord according to the loving-kindness of God, and an astonishing mystery.

Nor was she entrusted even to give baptism, though Christ could rather have been baptized by her than by John.

But John, the son of Zachariah, continued in the wilderness, entrusted with the baptism of the remission of sins; and his father served as priest to God, and at the hour of the incense he saw a vision.

Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, Thaddaeus, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Judas the son of James, and Simon the Cananaean, and Matthias who was chosen to fill up the number of the twelve — all these were chosen as apostles throughout the earth, performing the priestly service of the gospel together with Paul and Barnabas and the rest, and were leaders of the mysteries, together with James the brother of the Lord and first bishop of Jerusalem.

From this same bishop and the aforesaid apostles, successions of bishops and presbyters were established in the house of God, and nowhere was a woman appointed among these.

There were, it says, four daughters of Philip the evangelist who prophesied, but did not perform priestly service; and there was Anna the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, but she was not entrusted with the priesthood.

For it was necessary that this be fulfilled: 'your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and they shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.'

And that there is an order of deaconesses in the church is indeed clear;

but she is not permitted to exercise a priestly ministry, nor to undertake anything of that kind; rather, for the sake of the dignity of the female sex, whether at the hour of baptism, or when visiting a case of sickness or pain, and whenever a woman's body must be uncovered, in order that it not be seen by the men engaged in the priestly ministry but by the deaconess — who is appointed by the priest to attend to the woman in need at the hour when her body is uncovered — this order of good discipline and ecclesiastical regularity being most carefully secured within the measure of the canon.

Therefore the divine word does not permit a woman either to speak in church or to have authority over a man.

And much could be said concerning this.

It should be observed that the church has had need of an order only as far as deaconesses; and it has named widows, and among these the elder ones 'aged women,' but nowhere has it appointed 'presbyteresses' or 'priestesses.'

For not even the deacons, in the ecclesiastical order, have been entrusted to perform any mystery, but only to minister to the things being performed.

Whence then has this novel myth again arisen among us? Whence this conceit of women, this madness of the women's chamber? Whence is this evil nourished, growing again through the female sex, pouring the female nature of this suspicion upon the minds of men, and working for its own indulgence, undertaking to force the wretched nature of mankind to step outside of what lies before it? But let us rather take up the firm resolve of Job the contender; let us arm ourselves, taking up on our lips the righteous answer, and let us ourselves also say: 'You have spoken as one of the foolish women speaks.'

For to everyone who has understanding and possesses it in God, how will such a thing not appear as sheer folly? How will this practice not appear idol-making, and the undertaking diabolical? For the devil, ever creeping under the mind of men on the pretext of what is right, deifying the mortal nature of man, has drawn, through the variety of the arts, man-shaped statues before the eyes of men.

And those who are worshiped have died, but their statues, which have never lived — for that which has never lived cannot even be called dead — they introduce as objects of worship, through a mind that has committed adultery away from the one and only God, like a promiscuous harlot who has been incited to great absurdity of many minglings, and has rubbed away the chastity that belongs to the lawful order of the one husband.

Yes, indeed, the body of Mary was holy, yet not God; yes, indeed, the virgin was a virgin, and honored, but she was not given to us for worship, but rather herself worships him who was born of her according to the flesh, but who came from the heavens, from the bosom of the Father.

The gospel confirms this for us, the Lord himself declaring: 'What have I to do with you, woman? My hour has not yet come.'

For so that, from the words 'woman, what have I to do with you,' some might not suppose the holy virgin to be something more than human, he called her 'woman,' as though prophesying, for the sake of the schisms and heresies that were going to arise on earth, so that some, admiring the holy one to excess, might not fall into this nonsensical talk of heresy.

For the whole thing is a matter of mockery, and, so to speak, the account of this heresy is an old wives' tale.

What Scripture has ever related concerning this? Which of the prophets permitted a human being to be worshiped, let alone, I should say, a woman? For she is indeed an exceptional vessel, but a woman, in no way different in nature, though in mind and perception she is honored with honor, just as are the bodies of the saints;

and if I should say anything more for her glorification, it is as with Elijah, a virgin from his mother's womb and remaining so continually, and being taken up, yet not having seen death;

as John, who leaned upon the breast of the Lord, whom Jesus loved;

as Thecla the holy; and Mary, even more honored than she, on account of the dispensation for which she was deemed worthy.

But neither is Elijah an object of worship, although he is among the living; nor is John an object of worship, even though through his own prayer he made his falling asleep astonishing — or rather, having received this grace from God; nor is Thecla, nor is any of the saints, worshiped.

For the ancient error of forsaking the Living One and worshiping the things made by him shall not have dominion over us.

For they served and worshiped the creature rather than the Creator, and became fools.

For if he does not want angels to be worshiped, how much more should this be true of her who was born of Anna, who was given by Joachim to Anna, who was granted to her father and mother through prayer and every diligence according to the promise, and who was born in no other way than the nature of human beings, but as all are, from the seed of a man and the womb of a woman? For even if the story and traditions concerning Mary contain that it was said to her father Joachim in the wilderness, 'Your wife has conceived,' it was not said that this happened without conjugal union, nor that it was without the seed of a man, but rather the angel who was sent foretold what was to come, so that no doubt might arise concerning that which was truly to happen, and which had already been ordained by God and promised to the righteous man.

And in every respect we see the Scriptures relating things in the same manner.

For Isaiah proclaims beforehand concerning the things that were to be fulfilled in the Son of God, saying, 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.'

And since she who bore him was a virgin, and he who was interpreted as 'God with us' was conceived in a woman, so that the truth might not fall for the prophet into the doubt of suspicion, the prophet, beholding in a vision and compelled by the Holy Spirit, relates and says, 'And I went in to the prophetess,' describing thereby the evangelical entrance of Gabriel, who was sent by God to relate the entrance of the only-begotten Son of God into the world and his birth from Mary.

'And she conceived,' he says, 'and bore a son.'

'Call his name, Swift to plunder, quick to spoil.'

And all these things had not yet been accomplished.

But this was to come to pass in the Son of God, and to be fulfilled after a thousand six hundred years, more or less.

And the prophet saw the things that were to happen after so many generations as though they had already happened.

Was this, then, a falsehood? Far be it!

But rather, that which had been ordained by God was proclaimed with certainty as though already accomplished, so that the truth might not be disbelieved, and so that so astonishing and amazing a mystery, one yet to come, might not fall into doubt through the suspicion of the prophet.

This is the proclamation that follows, as holy Isaiah himself says: 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.'

'And who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth. And I will give the wicked for his burial,' and so forth.

And observe how he relates the earlier things afterward, and interprets the later things as though already accomplished, saying, 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.'

For it is spoken of as something already past.

For he did not say, 'is being led,' and yet he who was proclaimed by Isaiah had not yet at that time been led.

But the deed was spoken of by the prophet as though it had already come to pass.

For God's mystagogy was unalterable.

But descending from that point, he no longer spoke of things as having already happened, lest he should again produce an error, but rather says, 'His life is taken away from the earth.'

By these two modes of expression he shows the truth: that 'he was led' was already fulfilled, while 'he is taken away' was to be fulfilled afterward, so that from the perfect you might understand the truth and the certainty of God's promise, and from the future you might reckon the time of the mysteries being revealed.

So also concerning Mary, the angel foretold beforehand what her father was about to receive from God upon entering his own house — that which had been asked for through prayer, by the petition of the father and the mother — namely, 'Behold, your wife has conceived in the womb,' so that he might firmly bring to completion the understanding of the faithful man concerning the promise.

But this has become for some an occasion of error.

For it is impossible for anyone to be born on earth otherwise than according to the nature of human beings.

For he alone was distinguished; to him alone did nature yield.

He, as the fashioner and sovereign master of the matter, formed himself from a virgin as though from the earth — God coming from heaven, the Word clothing himself with flesh from a holy virgin.

Yet not so that the virgin should be worshiped, nor that he should make her a god, nor that we should offer sacrifice in her name, nor that after so many generations he should again appoint women as priestesses.

God did not see fit for this to happen in Salome, nor even in Mary herself.

He did not permit her to administer baptism, nor to bless disciples, nor did he command her to rule upon the earth, but only that she should be a holy vessel and be counted worthy of his kingdom.

Not she who is called the mother of Rufus, not those who followed him from Galilee, not Martha the sister of Lazarus, and Mary — none of the holy women who were counted worthy to be saved by his presence, and who ministered to him from their own possessions — not the Canaanite woman, not the woman with the flow of blood who was healed — did his dignity command any of the women upon the earth to do this.

Whence, then, does this coiling dragon come upon us again? Whence are these crooked schemes being renewed? Let Mary be held in honor, but let the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be worshiped; let no one worship Mary.

I do not say to a woman — not even to a man is it commanded to offer the mystery as to a god, nor do even the angels contain such a doxology.

Let that which has been wrongly inscribed in the hearts of those who have been deceived be blotted out; let the obsession with the tree be dimmed from their eyes.

Let the creature turn again to the Master; let Eve, together with Adam, learn reverence to honor God alone; let her not be led by the voice of the serpent, but let her abide in God's command, 'You shall not eat from the tree.'

And the tree itself was not the error, but through the tree came the disobedience of error.

Let no one eat of the error committed on account of holy Mary.

For even though the tree was pleasant, it was not for food; and even though Mary is most fair and holy and honored, she is not for worship.

But these women again renew the mixed drink-offering to Fortune, and prepare the table for the demon and not for God, as it is written; and they eat the bread of ungodliness, as the divine word says: 'And the women knead dough, and the sons gather wood, to make cakes for the host of heaven.'

Let them cry aloud to the whole world!

'We honor the queen of heaven!'

For Tahpanhes knows how to punish these women; the regions of Migdol know how to receive their bodies for corruption.

Do not be persuaded, O Israel, by a woman; lift up your head from the counsel of an evil woman.

For a woman hunts the precious souls of men.

For her feet lead those who resort to her, together with death, down to Hades.

For honey drips from the lips of a harlot woman, who for a time makes your throat smooth, but afterward you will find her more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword.

Do not be persuaded by this wicked woman.

For every heresy is a wicked woman, but this heresy of the women is more so, being also the heresy of him who deceived the first woman.

Let our mother Eve be honored, as having been fashioned by God, but let her not be heeded, lest she persuade her children to eat from the tree and transgress the commandment.

But let her also repent of her empty talk; let her turn back, ashamed, and clothed in fig leaves.

And let Adam also consider himself, and no longer be persuaded by her.

For the persuasion of error, and a woman's counsel toward the contrary, work death not only for her own husband, but also for her children.

Eve overthrew the creature through her transgression, being incited by the voice and promise of the serpent, being led astray from the true proclamation, and walking after another mind.

And now evil turns upon us again, so as to bring its deficiency forth into the world.

But neither the young nor the old are persuaded by the woman, because of the sobriety that comes from above.

The Egyptian woman does not persuade the chaste Joseph, nor turn him aside, even though she wrought her terrible design against the youth with much cunning contrivance.

But the man, having received discernment from the Holy Spirit, is not persuaded; he does not destroy his chastity, lest he debase his nobility.

He leaves behind his garments, but does not lose his body.

He flees the place, lest he fall into the trap.

For a time he is punished, but he reigns forever.

He is cast into prison, but it is preferable to remain in confinement, even in a corner in the open air, than to dwell with a contentious and talkative woman.

And how much more could be said? For whether these idle women offer the little cake to Mary as though worshiping her, or whether they attempt to offer this aforementioned worthless oblation on her behalf, the whole thing is foolish and alien, an arrogance and deceit stirred up by the movement of demons.

But lest we prolong our discourse, what has been said by us shall suffice.

Let Mary be held in honor; let the Lord be worshiped.

For the righteous work error toward no one.

For God cannot be tempted by evils, and he himself tempts no one, nor do his servants, unto deceit.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire, when it has conceived, brings forth sin; and sin, when it is fully accomplished, gives birth to death. Considering, then, beloved, that we have said enough concerning all these things, and having, so to speak, crushed with the word of truth this very cantharis beetle — gleaming golden in appearance, winged as it were and flying, yet venom-bearing and possessing poison within itself — let us proceed to the one heresy still remaining, again calling upon God to stand by us in tracking down the parts of the truth, and to work a complete overthrow against that which opposes it.

Against the Massalians, with whom are joined the Martyrians, who are of Greek origin, and the Euphemites and the Satanians — the sixtieth heresy, but the eightieth in the series.

She has spread out the whole of her reasoning and opened wide her mouth, to corrupt the seed of Adam and Noah, wearing away chastity in various ways, and sowing beneath, in many manners, a fornicating mindset among those who are thereby wronged.

For naturally, after these heresies again, another one has arisen against us, foolish and full of all folly, wholly ridiculous, having an incoherent mindset, made up of deceived men and women.

These are called Massalians, which, being interpreted, means 'those who pray.'

But some time before, from the times of Constantius until now, there were others again called Euphemites, or otherwise Massalians, from whom, I suppose, this sect too perhaps derived its imitative zeal.

But those derived from the Greeks, neither adhering to Judaism nor being Christians nor coming from the Samaritans, but merely, so to speak, Greeks, and speaking of gods, yet worshiping none of them, allotting reverence, as it were, to one alone, whom they called 'Almighty' (Pantokrator).

And having constructed for themselves certain houses, or broad open places like public squares, they called these 'places of prayer.'

Now anciently there were places of prayer both among the Jews outside the city and among the Samaritans, as we also find in the Acts of the Apostles, where Lydia the seller of purple met those with Saint Paul, as the divine Scripture likewise relates, saying, 'for,' it says, 'it seemed to be a place of prayer.'

And the apostles came near and taught the women who had gathered together at that time.

There is also a place of prayer in Shechem, in what is now called Neapolis, outside the city in the plain about two milestones away, built theater-like in the open air, in an unroofed place, by the Samaritans, who imitate the Jews in everything.

Now these earlier Massalians, who derived from the Greeks—who preceded those now supposedly deriving their name from Christ—also, in some regions, constructed for themselves such little places, called prayer-houses and oratories, while in other places they likewise made for themselves a kind of imitation of a church, gathering together in the evening and at dawn with much lamp-lighting and lights, and for a long while making certain recitations through those among them who were zealous, and certain acclamations, as it were, to God, as though propitiating God, so to speak, through their recitations and acclamations—thus they deceive themselves.

But ignorance, being a kind of blindness, prepares all these things for those who have gone astray, through a mere semblance of self-conceit.

Some time ago one of such structures was struck by lightning; I cannot say in what place, but we heard that this happened, perhaps, in Phoenicia.

But also some of the rulers, being zealous, killed many of them, because they counterfeited the truth and imitated, in rivalry, the manner of the church, though they were not Christians nor derived from the Jews.

I think Lupicianus the general was one of those who punished these same Euphemites who derived from the Greeks, and from this occasion a second error again arose among them.

For some, taking the bodies of those then killed for such Greek lawlessness and having buried them in certain places, there again perform the same acclamations, and named themselves 'Martyrians,' supposedly on account of those who had 'borne witness' on behalf of the idols.

But others again from among these, devising something still more profound, using, according to their own foolish simplicity, their own reasoning as counselor, said:

'Satan is great and mighty, and does much evil to men.'

'Why do we not rather flee to him and worship him, and honor him and acclaim him, so that through flattering service he may not work evil upon us, but, as we have become his servants,' they say, 'he may spare us?' And thus these too named themselves 'Satanians.'

These are the ones who are now about to be spoken of by us, since, being led out likewise into the open air, and having stepped outside the truth, they have devoted themselves to praying and singing hymns.

But all these things, though utterly ridiculous, happened to be harmless, being unable to turn the mind away from the truth.

For they were not said to exist under the name of Christ, but were altogether Greeks.

But now, from those same manners, there have arisen these now called Massalians, who have neither beginning nor end, neither head nor root, but are in every way unstable, leaderless, and deceived, having no support at all—whether of name, institution, position, or legislation.

These, then, men and women together, seem to say that they have supposedly believed in Christ, as having renounced the world and withdrawn from their own possessions, yet they sleep together promiscuously, mixed together, men with women and women with men, in the same place—in broad streets, whenever it is summertime—because, they say, they have no possession upon the earth.

And they are unrestrained, and stretch out their hands to beg, as though destitute and possessing nothing.

And their words go beyond even the words of fools.

Whomever of them you ask, he claims to be himself whatever you might wish.

For if you should say 'prophet,' they will say, 'I am a prophet'; or if you should name 'Christ,' he claims, 'I am Christ'; or 'patriarch,' he shamelessly names himself the same; or 'angel,' and he calls himself that too—and simply, oh, the vain-mindedness of men!

They know nothing of fasting at all; rather, while supposedly devoting their leisure to prayer, from the second or third hour, or even at night, if they happen to become hungry, they do everything without restraint, eating and drinking.

But concerning shamefulness or lust, I am not altogether able to know for certain.

Yet they do not fall short even of this, especially since they have the practice of lying down together in common, in the same place, men and women together.

And these are also found in Antioch, coming originally from Mesopotamia.

But they acquired this harmful mindset from the immoderate simplicity of certain brothers.

For some of our brothers, even orthodox ones, not knowing the measure of the way of life in Christ—which commands one to renounce the world, to estrange oneself from one's own possessions and wealth, to sell one's own goods and give to the poor, to take up the cross and follow in truth, not to be idle nor workless and eating out of season, nor to resemble the drone among the bees, but to work with one's own hands, just as also the holy apostle Paul, having renounced the world and being a herald of the truth, whose hands sufficed not only for himself, but also for those who were with him—

who themselves were not idle, but were present together with him in the work;

as he boasts somewhere, saying, and teaches most plainly, 'if anyone will not work, neither let him eat'—yet some of the aforementioned brothers, as though having learned it, so to speak, perhaps from Mani, the one who came up from Persia, held to things which ought not to be so;

But the divine word rather commands that one take note of such people, those who work at nothing.

For the saying spoken by the Savior has misled the opinion of some: 'Work not for the food that perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life.'

For they suppose that the 'perishing' food is the good work, by which we obtain labor unto righteousness;

which was fulfilled in Abraham through the calf, and in the widow's toil through Elijah, and in the labor of Job through his children and possessions, and of all the servants of God who labor with their own hands unto righteousness, so as to provide also for those in need—just as also in every monastery, both in the land of the Egyptians and in all lands, they labor thus unto righteousness;