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ΒΟΥΛΟΜΑΙ δέ σοι καὶ ὡς αὐτὴν τὴν κτίσιν κατʼ εἰκόνα τῶν ἀοράτων ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, ὡς ἀγνοοῦντος αὐτοῦ, κατεσκευάσθαι διὰ τῆς Μητρὸς λέγουσι, διηγήσασθαι. Πρῶτον μὲν τὰ τέσσαρα στοιχεῖά φασι, πῦρ, ὕδωρ, γῆν, ἀέρα, εἰκόνα προβεβλῆσθαι τῆς ἄνω πρώτυς τετράδος· τάς τε ἐνεργείας αὐτῶν συναριθμουμένας, οἷον θερμόν τε καὶ ψυχρὸν, ξηρόν τε καὶ ὑγρὸν, ἀκριβῶς ἐξεικονίζειν τὴν ὀγδοάδα· ἐξ ἧς δέκα δυνάμεις οὕτως καταριθμοῦσιν· ἑπτὰ μὲν σωματικὰ κυκλοειδῆ,ἃ καὶ οὐρανοὺς καλοῦσιν· ἔπειτα τὸν περιεκτικὸν αὐτῶν κύκλον, ὃν καὶ ὄγδοον οὐρανὸν ὀνομάζουσι· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἥλιόν τε καὶ σελήνην. Ταῦτα δέκα ὄντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν, εἰκόνας λέγουσιν εἶναι τῆς ἀοράτου δεκάδος, τῆς ἀπὸ Λόγου καὶ Ζωῆς προελθούσης. Τὴν δὲ δωδεκάδα μηνύεσθαι διὰ τοῦ ζωδιακοῦ τοῦ καλουμένου κύκλου. Τὰ γὰρ δώδεκα ζώδια φανερώτατα τὴν τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας θυγατέρα δωδεκάδα σκιαγραφεῖν λέγουσι. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀντεπεζεύχθη, φασὶ, τὴν τῶν ὅλων φορὰν ὠκυτάτην ὑπάρχουσαν, οὗπερ ὁ χγρόνος Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀνεζεύχθη, φησὶ, τῇ τῶν ὅλων ἀναφορᾷ ὠκυτάτῃ ὑπαρχούσῃ ὁ ὕπερθεν οὐρανὸς ὁ πρὸς αὐτῷ τῷ κύτει βαρύνων, καὶ ἀντιταλαντεύων τὴν ἐκείνων ὠκύτητα τῇ ἑαυτοῦ βραδυτῆτι, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἐν τριάκοντα ἔτεσι τὴν περίοδον ἀπὸ σημείου ἐπὶ σημεῖον ποιεῖσθαι, εἰκόνα λέγουσι αὐτὸν τοῦ Ὅρου τοῦ τὴν τριακοντώνυμον Μητέρα αὐτῶν περιέχοντος. Τὴν σελήνην τε πάλιν ἑαυτῆς οὐρανὸν τριάκοντα ἡμέραις, διὰ τῶν ἡμερῶν τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν τριάκοντα Αἰώνων ἐκτυποῦν. Καὶ τὸν ἥλιον δὲ ἐν δεκαδύο μησὶ περιεχόμενον περιερχ, καὶ τερματίζοντα τὴν κυκλικὴν ἀποκατάστασιν, διὰ τῶν δώδεκα μηνῶν τὴν δωδεκάτην δωδεάδα φανερὰν ποιεῖν. Τὰς δὲ Καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ τὰς ἡμέρας δεκαδύο ὡρῶν τὸ μέτρον ἐχούσας, τύπον τῆς δωδεκάδος εἶναι. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὴν ὥραν φασὶ, τὸ δωδέκατον τῆς ἡμέρας, ἐκ τριάκοντα μοιρῶν κεκοσμῆσθαι διὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς τριακοντάδος. Καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ ζωδιακοῦ κύκλου τὴν περίμετρον εἶναι μοιρῶν τριακοσίων ἑξήκοντα· ἕκαστον γὰρ ζώδιον κοίρας ἔχει ἔχειν τριάκοντα. Οὕτωε δὲ καὶ διὰ τοῦ κύκλου τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς συναφείας τῶν δώδεκα πρὸς τὰ τριάκοντα τετηρῆσθαι λέγουσιν. Ἔτι μὴν καὶ τὴν γῆν εἰς δώδεκα κλίματα διῃρῆσθαι φάσκοντες, καὶ καθʼ ἕκαστον κλίμα δύναμιν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν κατὰ κάθετον ὑποδεχομένην, ἐοικότα τίκτουσαν τέκνα τῇ καταπεμπούσῃ τὴν ὑπόῤῥοιαν δύναμιν, τύπον εἶναι τῆς δωδεκάδος καὶ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς σαφέστατον διαβεβαιοῦνται. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις θελήσαντά φασι τὸν δημιουργὸν τῆς ἄνω ὀγδοάδος τὸ ἀπέραντον, καὶ αἰώνιον, καὶ ἀόριστον, καὶ ἄχρονον μιμήσασθαι, καὶ μὴ δυνηθέντα τὸ μόνιμον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀΐδιον ἐκτοπῶσαι, διὰ τὸ καρπὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι ὑστερήματος, εἰς χρόνους, καὶ καιροὺς, ἀριθμούς τε πολυετεῖς τὸ αἰώνιον αὐτῆς κατατεθεῖσθαι, οἰόμενον ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν χρόνων μιμήσασθαι αὐτῆς τὸ ἀπέραντον. Ἐνταῦθά τε λέγουσιν, ἐκφυγούσης αὐτὸν τῆς ἀληθείας, ἐπηκολουθηκέναι τὸ ψεῦδος· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατάλυσιν πληρωθέντων τῶν χρόνων λαβεῖν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον
我也願向你述說,他們如何宣稱:創造本身乃是造物主(Demiurge)藉著那位「母」,按照不可見之物的形像所造的,而他自己對此卻一無所知。首先,他們說,火、水、土、氣這四元素,乃是上界那「初四數」(Tetrad)的形像投射出來的;而與之相配計算的它們的功用——即熱與冷、乾與濕——則準確地描繪出八數。由此他們列數出十個能力如下:七個球狀的形體,他們也稱之為諸天;其次是那包容它們的圓圈,他們也稱之為第八重天;此外還有日和月。他們說,這十個數目乃是那由「道」(Logos)與「生命」(Zoe)所出之不可見十數的形像。至於十二數,他們說是藉著所謂的黃道圈來表明的;因為黃道十二宮最清楚地勾勒出那由「人」(Anthropos)與「教會」(Ekklesia)所生之女兒——十二數。又因那至高的天與萬有那極快速的運轉相對而軛,並緊貼於穹蒼之上,以自身的遲緩抗衡那些天體的迅捷,以致它要三十年才從一點繞回到該點,他們便說它是「界限」(Horos)的形像——這界限環繞著他們那位有三十個名字的「母」。月亮再者以三十日繞行其自己的天,便以這些日數刻畫出那三十個伊涌。日頭在十二個月內運行完畢,完成它週期性的復返,便藉那十二個月顯明出十二數。日子既有十二小時之量度,也是十二數的表徵。再者他們說,時辰,即一日的十二分之一,乃由三十度所構成,為要作三十數的形像。而黃道圈本身的周界是三百六十度,因為每一宮有三十度;如此他們說,藉著這圓圈,十二與三十相結合的形像便得以保存。此外,他們又主張,地被分為十二區,每一區都垂直地從諸天領受一股能力,生出與那降下流注之能力相似的兒女;他們極力斷言這乃是十二數及其兒女最明確的表徵。除此以外,他們說造物主曾渴望效法上界八數那無限、永恆、無定、超時的性質,卻因自己是「虧缺」之果,無法複製它的恆常與永存,便把它的永恆性安置在時間、節期和漫長的年歲之中,以為憑著時間的眾多,就能效法它的無限。他們在此說,既然真理已從他逃脫,謊言便隨之而來;為此,當時間滿足時,他的工作必要遭受瓦解。
I wish also to relate to you how they say that creation itself was fashioned by the Demiurge after the image of the invisible things, while he was ignorant of it, by means of the Mother. First, they say that the four elements—fire, water, earth, air—were projected as an image of the first Tetrad above; and that their activities, reckoned together with them—namely hot and cold, dry and moist—accurately portray the Ogdoad. From this they count out ten powers thus: seven spherical bodies, which they also call heavens; then the circle that encloses them, which they also name the eighth heaven; and besides these, the sun and the moon. These, being ten in number, they say are images of the invisible Decad that proceeded from Logos and Zoe. And the Dodecad, they say, is indicated through what is called the zodiacal circle. For the twelve signs of the zodiac most plainly delineate, they say, the Dodecad that is daughter of Anthropos and Ekklesia. And since the highest heaven was yoked over against the most swift revolution of the whole, and—pressing close upon the very vault—counterbalances by its own slowness the swiftness of those others, so that it completes its circuit from point to point in thirty years, they say it is an image of Horos, who encompasses their Mother of thirty names. The moon again, traversing its own heaven in thirty days, by the number of those days images the thirty Aeons. And the sun, completing its course in twelve months and finishing its cyclical restoration, through the twelve months makes manifest the Dodecad. The days too, having the measure of twelve hours, are a type of the Dodecad. Moreover they say the hour, the twelfth part of the day, is ordered out of thirty degrees on account of the image of the Triacontad. And the perimeter of the zodiacal circle itself is three hundred and sixty degrees, for each sign has thirty. Thus they say that through the circle the image of the conjunction of the twelve with the thirty is preserved. Further, asserting that the earth is divided into twelve regions, and that in each region it receives a power from the heavens descending perpendicularly, bringing forth children resembling the power that sends down its emanation, they affirm most plainly that it is a type of the Dodecad and of her children. Besides this they say that the Demiurge desired to imitate the boundless, eternal, undefined, and timeless character of the Ogdoad above, but, being unable to reproduce its permanence and everlastingness, because he was himself the fruit of a Deficiency, he deposited its eternity in times and seasons and great numbers of years, supposing that by the multitude of times he might imitate its boundlessness. And here they say that, the truth having escaped him, falsehood followed after; and on this account his work shall receive dissolution when the times are fulfilled.