Chapter 13

§ 1.

¹A certain other also there is of their party, boasting to be a corrector of his own Teacher (and his name is Mark), most skilful in magical jugglery: whereby he hath led astray and brought over to himself both many men and not a few women, as though he were most knowing and perfect, and endowed with exceeding power from the regions which are beyond sight and name:—thus being truly in a manner the Forerunner of Antichrist². For mingling the toys of Anaxilaus³ with the wickedness of those who are called Magi, he is supposed thereby to work miracles, among those who have not sense, and have wandered from their right mind.

§ 2.

Pretending to offer the Eucharist in cups mingled with wine, and extending the word of invocation to unusual length, he causes them to appear purple and red: that it might seem as though the Grace⁴ from those who are over all were distilling its own blood into that cup, by his invocation; whereupon the bystanders most exceedingly desire to taste of that draught, that on them also may drop as the rain the grace proclaimed by this sorcerer. And again delivering to women mixed chalices, he bids them make their own thank-offering, in his presence; after which he himself brings another cup much larger than that which the deceived woman offered, and pours out some from the smaller, viz. from that offered by the woman, adding words to this effect: “The Grace before all, incomprehensible and unspeakable, fill thine inner man, and multiply in thee the knowledge of itself, sowing the grain of mustard seed in the good ground.” Some such words as these he speaks, and drives the unhappy woman to frenzy, and so displays himself as a worker of miracles, the large cup being filled out of the small one, so that some of it even overflows. Certain other things too like these he doth, to the deceiving of many, and drawing them away after him.

§ 3.

And it is probable that he has also some Dæmon associate⁵ with him, through whom he both seems to prophesy himself, and causes the women to prophesy, as many as he deems worthy partakers of his grace. For he busies himself most about women, those especially who are elegantly clad, and wear purple, and are most wealthy: and often, trying to mislead them, he says to them flatteringly, “I desire to impart to thee of my grace, inasmuch as the Father of all sees continually thine Angel before His face. Now the place of thy Greatness⁶ is in us: it is meet for us to become one. Receive first from me and through me the grace. Prepare thyself, as a bride awaiting her spouse, that thou mayest be what I am and I what thou art. Settle in thy bridal chamber the seed of the light. Receive from me the bridegroom, and comprehend him and be comprehended in him. Behold the grace is come down upon thee: open thy mouth and prophesy.” And when the woman answers, I never yet prophesied, and I know not how to prophesy: making certain invocations the second time, to astonish the deceived creature, he saith to her, “Open thy mouth, speak anything whatever, and thou wilt prophesy.” And she blown up and whirled about by his words, her soul all heated with the expectation of her being about to prophesy, her heart palpitating more than it ought, makes bold to utter words of dotage and all that comes uppermost, vainly and rashly, as heated by empty breath, (as he that was better than we are⁷ affirmed of such persons, “A daring and shameless thing is a soul heated with empty air”): and from that time forward accounts herself a Prophetess, and thanks Mark, for giving her a portion of his own grace: and endeavours to requite him, not only in giving of her goods (by which means he hath actually amassed a large property), but also in bodily cohabitation, eager in all to be united with him, that with him she may come to perfect unity.

§ 4.

And before now some of the more faithful women, having the fear of God, and not led utterly astray, when he sought to beguile them like the rest, bidding them prophesy, have puffed at him, and devoted him by a curse, and so separated themselves from that kind of wild group: being well aware, that prophesying is wrought in men not by Mark the magician, but on whomsoever God from above shall send His grace, these have their Prophecy given of God, and then speak where and when God willeth, and not when Mark directs. For that which directs is greater and more authoritative than that which is directed, the one leading, the other being subject. If then Mark commands, or any other (as these men are wont every where to play with the lot⁸ in their suppers, and bid one another prophesy, and utter oracles to themselves according to their own lusts): he who so directs will be greater and more authoritative than the Prophetic Spirit, he being a man: which is impossible. Nay, but such spirits, receiving commands from them, and speaking when they will, are rotten and helpless, and daring and impudent, sent out by Satan to deceive and destroy those, who keep not steadily braced that faith, which they received, by the Church from the beginning.

§ 5.

And that love-potions and charms, with a view to insulting their very persons, are employed by this Mark against some of the women, though not perhaps all; themselves in many cases have confessed, on their return to the Church of God; that they were bodily ill-used by him, and that they loved him with a mad fondness. Yea, and a certain Deacon too, from among ours in Asia, having received him into his house, fell into this calamity: his wife, who was beautiful, being corrupted both in mind and body by this sorcerer, and having followed him a long time. Afterwards the brethren having with much toil converted her, she continued her whole life in the rank of a Penitent, mourning and weeping the corruption which had befallen her by the sorcerer.

§ 6.

And certain disciples too of his, lurking about in the same ways, have deceived and corrupted silly women not a few, proclaiming themselves perfect; as though none might compare with the greatness of their knowledge, not though you mention Paul or Peter, or any other of the Apostles: but that they knew more than all, and had alone drunk in the greatness of the knowledge of the unspeakable Power, and that they are on high above all power: wherefore also they do all things freely, having no fear in anything: they becoming, because of their Redemption⁹, exempt from the hold and sight of the Judge. And even if he were to lay hold on them, presenting themselves to him with their redemption they would say thus: “O partner of the Throne of God and of the mystical Silence before the world¹⁰, because of whom the Great Powers continually beholding the face of the Father, having thee for their guide and usher, keep drawing upwards the forms of themselves, which that female of high daring¹¹ imagined, and for the goodness’ sake of the First Father produced, even us their images, then when she had conception of the beings on high as a dream: behold the Judge is near, and the herald summons me to make my defence. But do thou, as knowing the case of both¹², present to the Judge the argument for both of us, as being one and the same.” But the Mother, hearing these things, quickly puts on them the helmet of Homer’s Pluto¹³, that they may invisibly avoid the Judge. And immediately drawing them up, she leads them into the bridal-chamber, and assigns them to their respective spouses.

§ 7.

Now by such sayings and doings, in our climates too of the country on the Rhone, they have beguiled many women:¹⁴ who having had their conscience seared with a hot iron, do some of them practise Penitence, and that openly; but others, shrinking from this, and quietly in a manner giving up the hope of the life of God for themselves, have revolted, some of them, altogether, while others waver, and it is with them as in the Proverb, they are neither without nor within; this they have for the fruit of the seed of the children of Knowledge.