The Names and Descent of Other Æons; First Half a Score, Then Two More, and Ultimately a Dozen Besides. These Thirty Constitute the Pleroma. But Why Be So Capricious as to Stop at Thirty?

Chapter VIII.—The Names and Descent of Other Æons; First Half a Score, Then Two More, and Ultimately a Dozen Besides. These Thirty Constitute the Pleroma. But Why Be So Capricious as to Stop at Thirty?

For, behold, when the second Tetrad—Sermo and Vita, Homo and Ecclesia ⁶⁶⁹⁷ —had borne fruit to the Father’s glory, having an intense desire of themselves to present to the Father something similar of their own, they bring other issue into being ⁶⁶⁹⁸ —conjugal of course, as the others were ⁶⁶⁹⁹ —by the union of the twofold nature. On the one hand, Sermo and Vita pour out at a birth a half-score of Æons; on the other hand, Homo and Ecclesia produce a couple more, so furnishing an equipoise to their parents, since this pair with the other ten make up just as many as they did themselves procreate. I now give the names of the half-score whom I have mentioned:  Bythios (Profound) and Mixis (Mixture), Ageratos (Never old) and Henosis (Union), Autophyes (Essential nature) and Hedone (Pleasure), Acinetos (Immoveable) and Syncrasis (Commixture,) Monogenes (Only-begotten) and Macaria (Happiness). On the other hand, these will make up the number twelve (to which I have also referred):  Paracletus (Comforter) and Pistis (Faith), Patricas (Paternal) and Elpis (Hope), Metricos (Maternal) and Agape (Love), Ainos (Praise) ⁶⁷⁰⁰ and Synesis (Intelligence), Ecclesiasticus (Son of Ecclesia) and Macariotes (Blessedness), Theletus ⁶⁷⁰¹ (Perfect) and Sophia (Wisdom).  I cannot help ⁶⁷⁰² here quoting from a like example what may serve to show the import of p. 508 these names. In the schools of Carthage there was once a certain Latin rhetorician, an excessively cool fellow, ⁶⁷⁰³ whose name was Phosphorus. He was personating a man of valour, and wound up ⁶⁷⁰⁴ with saying, “I come to you, excellent citizens, from battle, with victory for myself, with happiness for you, full of honour, covered with glory, the favourite of fortune, the greatest of men, decked with triumph.” And forthwith his scholars begin to shout for the school of Phosphorus, φεῦ ⁶⁷⁰⁵ (ah!).  Are you a believer in ⁶⁷⁰⁶ Fortunata, and Hedone, and Acinetus, and Theletus? Then shout out your φεῦ for the school of Ptolemy. ⁶⁷⁰⁷ This must be that mystery of the Pleroma, the fulness of the thirty-fold divinity. Let us see what special attributes ⁶⁷⁰⁸ belong to these numbers—four, and eight, and twelve. Meanwhile with the number thirty all fecundity ceases. The generating force and power and desire of the Æons is spent. ⁶⁷⁰⁹ As if there were not still left some strong rennet for curdling numbers. ⁶⁷¹⁰ As if no other names were to be got out of the page’s hall! ⁶⁷¹¹ For why are there not sets of fifty and of a hundred procreated? Why, too, are there no comrades and boon companions ⁶⁷¹² named for them?

Footnotes

507:6697

We everywhere give Tertullian’s own names, whether of Greek form or Latin. On their first occurrence we also give their English sense.

507:6698

Ebulliunt.

507:6699

Proinde conjugales.

507:6700

Of this name there are two forms—Αἶνος (Praise) and ᾽Αεινοῦς (Eternal Mind).

507:6701

Or Τελετός (Teletus). Another form of this Æon’s name is Φιλητός (Philetus = Beloved). Oehler always reads Theletus.

507:6702

Cogor.

508:6703

Frigidissimus.

508:6704

Cum virum fortem peroraret…inquit.

508:6705

Tertullian’s joke lies in the equivocal sense of this cry, which may mean either admiration and joy, or grief and rage.

508:6706

Audisti: interrogatively.

508:6707

See above, chap. iv. p. 505.

508:6708

Privilegia.

508:6709

Castrata.

508:6710

Tanta numerorum coagula.

508:6711

The pædagogium was either the place where boys were trained as pages (often for lewd purposes), or else the boy himself of such a character.

508:6712

Oehler reads, “hetæri (ἑταῖροι) et syntrophi.” Another reading, supported by Rigaltius, is “sterceiæ,” instead of the former word, which gives a very contemptuous sense, suitable to Tertullian’s irony.