愛任紐殘篇 第 1-20 章

Carpocrates says that the world and the things in it were made by angels far inferior to the unbegotten Father; and that Jesus was begotten of Joseph, and, having become like other men, was more righteous than the rest; and that his soul, being vigorous and pure, remembered the things it had seen in its revolution with the unbegotten God, and for this reason a power was sent down to him by that God, so that through it he might be able to escape the world-makers; and that this power, having passed through all and been set free in all, ascended to that God, embracing the things like to itself. The soul of Jesus, they say, though lawfully trained in Jewish customs, despised them, and on this account performed mighty works, by which he abolished the passions which, for punishment, beset men. The soul, therefore, which like that of Christ is able to despise the world-making rulers, likewise receives power to do the like; wherefore they have come to such a pitch of arrogance that they say some of them are equal to Jesus himself, and some even more powerful, and some indeed superior to his disciples—such as Peter and Paul and the rest of the apostles—and that these are in no way inferior to Jesus. For their souls, they say, having come from the same higher sphere as that revolution, and likewise despising the world-makers, have been deemed worthy of the same power, and again pass on to the same place. And if anyone despises the things here even more than that one [Jesus] did, he is able to be superior to him.

Working at magical arts, then, and incantations, love-potions and charm-spells, employing the so-called "assistant spirits" and dream-senders and the rest of their evil deeds, they assert that they have authority to rule already over the rulers and makers of this world—and indeed over all the things made in it. These men also have been put forward by Satan for the slander of the divine name of the Church, even as the Gentiles were, in order that, by one means or another, men who hear of their doings and suppose us all to be such, may turn away their ears from the preaching of the truth, or, seeing their doings, may blaspheme us all. And to such a degree, they assert, do souls transmigrate, until they have fulfilled every kind of sin; and when nothing any longer is lacking, then, having been set free, the soul departs to that God who is above the world-making angels, and thus all souls shall be saved. But if any souls, in a single coming, hasten to mingle in all sins, they are no longer transmigrated, but, having paid all their debts at once, are set free, so as to be no more in a body.

Now whether they actually practice among themselves those godless, lawless, and forbidden things, I for my part would not believe. But in their own writings it is so recorded, and they themselves so explain it, saying that Jesus spoke in a mystery, privately, to his disciples and apostles, and counted them worthy to deliver these things to those who are worthy and who are persuaded. For it is by faith and love that men are saved; and all the rest, being indifferent, are reckoned, according to the opinion of men, now good and now evil, nothing being by nature evil.

Some of them brand their own disciples on the back part of the lobe of the right ear. They also fashion images of Christ, claiming that these were made by Pilate at that time.