Chapter III.--Summary of the Opinions of Philosophers Continued.
But among those who derive all entities from more things than one, and from numerable quantities, the poet Homer asserts that the universe consists of two substances, namely earth and water; at one time expressing himself thus:--
"The source of gods was Sea and Mother Earth." [1037]
And on another occasion thus:--
"But indeed ye all might become water and earth." [1038]
And Xenophanes of Colophon seems to coincide with him, for he says:--
"We all are sprung from water and from earth." [1039]
Euripides, however, (derives the universe) from earth and air, as one may ascertain from the following assertion of his:--
"Mother of all, air and earth, I sing." [1040]
But Empedocles derives the universe from four principles, expressing himself thus:--
"Four roots of all things hear thou first:
Brilliant Jove, and life-giving Juno and Aidoneus,
And Nestis, that with tears bedews the Mortal Font." [1041]
Ocellus, however, the Lucanian, and Aristotle, derive the universe from five principles; for, along with the four elements, they have assumed the existence of a fifth, and (that this is) a body with a circular motion; and they say that from this, things celestial have their being. But the disciples of Empedocles supposed the generation of the universe to have proceeded from six principles. For in the passage where he says, "Four roots of all things hear thou first," he produces generation out of four principles. When, however, he subjoins,--
"Ruinous Strife apart from these, equal in every point,
And with them Friendship equal in length and breadth," [1042] --
he also delivers six principles of the universe, four of them material--earth, water, fire, and air; but two of them formative--Friendship and Discord. The followers, however, of Anaxagoras of Clazomenæ, and of Democritus, and of Epicurus, and multitudes of others, have given it as their opinion that the generation of the universe proceeds from infinite numbers of atoms; and we have previously made partial mention of these philosophers. But Anaxagoras derives the universe from things similar to those that are being produced; whereas the followers of Democritus and Epicurus derived the universe from things both dissimilar (to the entities produced), and devoid of passion, that is, from atoms. But the followers of Heraclides of Pontus, and of Asclepiades, derived the universe from things dissimilar (to the entities produced), and capable of passion, as if from incongruous corpuscles. But the disciples of Plato affirm that these entities are from three principles--God, and Matter, and Exemplar. He divides matter, however, into four principles--fire, water, earth, and air. And (he says) that God is the Creator of this (matter), and that Mind is its exemplar. [1043]
[1037] Iliad, xiv. 201.
[1038] Ibid., vii. 99.
[1039] See Karst., Fragm., ix. p. 46.
[1040] Fabricius, in his Commentary on Sextus Empiricus, considers that this is a quotation from the Hymns of Euripides.
[1041] V. 55-57, ed. Karst.
[1042] V. 106, 107, ed. Karst.
[1043] [See De Legibus, lib. x., and note xii. p. 119, Tayler Lewis' Plato against the Atheists.]
Chapter IV.--Summary of the Opinions of Philosophers Continued.
Persuaded, then, that the principle of physiology is confessedly discovered to be encumbered with difficulties for all these philosophers, we ourselves also shall fearlessly declare concerning the examples of the truth, as to how they are, and as we have felt confident that they are. But we shall previously furnish an explanation, in the way of epitome, of the tenets of the heresiarchs, in order that, by our having set before our readers the tenets of all made well known by this (plan of treatment), we may exhibit the truth in a plain and familiar (form).
Chapter V.--The Naasseni.
But since it so appears expedient, let us begin first from the public worshippers of the serpent. The Naasseni call the first principle of the universe a Man, and that the same also is a Son of Man; and they divide this man into three portions. For they say one part of him is rational, and another psychical, but a third earthly. And they style him Adamas, and suppose that the knowledge appertaining to him is the originating cause of the capacity of knowing God. And the Naassene asserts that all these rational, and psychical, and earthly qualities have retired into Jesus, and that through Him these three substances simultaneously have spoken unto the three genera of the universe. These allege that there are three kinds of existence--angelic, psychical, and earthly; and that there are three churches--angelic, psychical, and earthly; and that the names for these are--chosen, called, and captive. These are the heads of doctrine advanced by them, as far as one may briefly comprehend them. They affirm that James, the brother of the Lord, delivered these tenets to Mariamne, by such a statement belying both.