1. But there
is another among these heretics, Marcus by name, who boasts himself as having
improved upon his master. He
is a perfect adept in magical impostures, and by this means drawing away a
great number of men, and not a few women, he has induced them to join
themselves to him, as to one who is possessed of the greatest knowledge and
perfection, and who has received the highest power from the invisible and
ineffable regions above. Thus it appears as if he really were the precursor of
Antichrist. For, joining the buffooneries of Anaxilaus to the craftiness of the magi, as they are called, he is
regarded by his senseless and cracked-brain followers as working miracles by
these means.
2.
Pretending to
consecrate cups mixed with wine, and protracting to great length the word of
invocation, he contrives to give them a purple and reddish colour, so that
Charis, who is one of those that are superior to all things, should be thought
to drop her own blood into that cup through means of his invocation, and that
thus those who are present should be led to rejoice to taste of that cup, in
order that, by so doing, the Charis, who is set forth by this magician, may
also flow into them. Again, handing mixed cups to the women, he bids them
consecrate these in his presence. When this has been done, he himself produces
another cup of much larger size than that which the deluded woman has
consecrated, and pouring from the smaller one consecrated by the woman into
that which has been brought forward by himself, he at the same time pronounces
these words: “May that Charis who is before all things, and who transcends all
knowledge and speech, fill thine inner man, and multiply in thee her own
knowledge, by sowing the grain of mustard seed in thee as in good soil.”
Repeating certain other like words, and thus goading on the wretched woman [to
madness], he then appears a worker of wonders when the large cup is seen to
have been filled out of the small one, so as even to overflow by what has been
obtained from it. By accomplishing several other similar things, he has
completely deceived many, and drawn them away after him.
3. It appears probable enough that this man
possesses a demon as his familiar spirit, by means of whom he seems able to
prophesy, and also
enables as many as he counts worthy to be partakers of his Charis themselves to
prophesy. He
devotes himself especially to women, and those such as are well-bred, and
elegantly attired, and of great wealth, whom he frequently seeks to draw after
him, by addressing them in such seductive words as these: “I am eager to make
thee a partaker of my Charis, since the Father of all doth continually behold
thy angel before His face. Now the place of thy angel is among us: it behoves us to become one. Receive first
from me and by me [the gift of] Charis. Adorn thyself as a bride who is
expecting her bridegroom, that thou mayest be what I am, and I what thou art.
Establish the germ of light in thy nuptial chamber. Receive from me a spouse,
and become receptive of him, while thou art received by him. Behold Charis has
descended upon thee; open thy mouth and prophesy.” On the woman replying, “I
have never at any time prophesied, nor do I know how to prophesy;” then
engaging, for the second time, in certain invocations, so as to astound his
deluded victim, he says to her, “Open thy mouth, speak whatsoever occurs to
thee, and thou shalt prophesy.” She then, vainly puffed up and elated by these
words, and greatly excited in soul by the expectation that it is herself who is
to prophesy, her heart beating violently [from emotion], reaches the requisite
pitch of audacity, and idly as well as impudently utters some nonsense as it
happens to occur to her, such as might be expected from one heated by an empty spirit. (Referring to this,
one superior to me has observed, that the soul is both audacious and impudent
when heated with empty air.) Henceforth she reckons herself a prophetess, and
expresses her thanks to Marcus for having imparted to her of his own Charis.
She then makes the effort to reward him, not only by the gift of her
possessions (in which way he has collected a very large fortune), but also by
yielding up to him her person, desiring in every way to be united to him, that
she may become altogether one with him.
4.
But already some of the most faithful women, possessed of the fear of God, and
not being deceived (whom, nevertheless, he did his best to seduce like the rest
by bidding them prophesy), abhorring and execrating him, have withdrawn from
such a vile company of revellers. This they have done, as being well aware that
the gift of prophecy is not conferred on men by Marcus, the magician, but that
only those to whom God sends His grace from above possess the divinely-bestowed
power of prophesying; and then they speak where and when God pleases, and not
when Marcus orders them to do so. For that which commands is greater and of
higher authority than that which is commanded, inasmuch as the former rules,
while the latter is in a state of subjection. If, then, Marcus, or anyone else,
does command,— as these are accustomed continually at their feasts to play at
drawing lots, and [in accordance with the lot] to command one another to
prophesy, giving forth as oracles what is in harmony with their own desires,—it
will follow that he who commands is greater and of higher authority than the
prophetic spirit, though he is but a man, which is impossible. But such spirits
as are commanded by these men, and speak when they desire it, are earthly and
weak, audacious and impudent, sent forth by Satan for the seduction and
perdition of those who do not hold fast that well-compacted faith which they
received at first through the Church.
5.
Moreover, that this Marcus compounds philters and love-potions, in order to
insult the persons of some of these women, if not of all, those of them who
have returned to the Church of God— a thing which frequently occurs—have
acknowledged, confessing, too, that they have been defiled by him, and that they
were filled with a burning passion towards him. A sad example of this occurred
in the case of a certain Asiatic, one of our deacons, who had received him
(Marcus) into his house. His wife, a woman of remarkable beauty, fell a victim
both in mind and body to this magician, and, for a long time, travelled about
with him. At last, when, with no small difficulty, the brethren had converted
her, she spent her whole time in the exercise of public confession, weeping over and lamenting the defilement
which she had received from this magician.
6.
Some of his disciples, too, addicting themselves to the same practices, have deceived many
silly women, and defiled them. They proclaim themselves as being “perfect,” so
that no one can be compared to them with respect to the immensity of their
knowledge, nor even were you to mention Paul or Peter, or any other of the
apostles. They assert that they themselves know more than all others, and that
they alone have imbibed the greatness of the knowledge of that power which is
unspeakable. They also maintain that they have attained to a height above all
power, and that therefore they are free in every respect to act as they please,
having no one to fear in anything. For they affirm, that because of the
“Redemption” it has come
to pass that they can neither be apprehended, nor even seen by the judge. But
even if he should happen to lay hold upon them, then they might simply repeat
these words, while standing in his presence along with the “Redemption:” “O
thou, who sittest beside God, and
the mystical, eternal Sige, thou through whom the angels (mightiness), who
continually behold the face of the Father, having thee as their guide and
introducer, do derive their forms from
above, which she in the greatness of her daring inspiring with mind on account
of the goodness of the Propator, produced us as their images, having her mind
then intent upon the things above, as in a dream,— behold, the judge is at
hand, and the crier orders me to make my defence. But do thou, as being
acquainted with the affairs of both, present the cause of both of us to the
judge, inasmuch as it is in reality but one cause.” Now, as soon as the Mother hears these
words, she puts the Homeric helmet
of Pluto upon them, so that they may invisibly escape the judge. And then she
immediately catches them up, conducts them into the bridal chamber, and hands
them over to their consorts.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 1, Chapter 13
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