Philosophumena; or, The refutation of all heresies, Volume IIHippolytus, Antipope
Philosophy
Philosophumena; or, The refutation of all heresies, Volume II
Hippolytus, Antipope
Christian heresies -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Occultism; Philosophy, Ancient
42. Such like and other things, the deceiver undertakes to do. Whence
he was glorified by those he duped and was thought sometimes to
prophesy himself and sometimes to make others do so, either effecting
this by demons or by trickery as we have said above. Further he utterly
ruined many,[188] and led on many of them to become his disciples (by)
teaching them to be indifferent to sin[189] as free from danger (to
them) through their belonging to the Perfect Power and partakers of
the Inconceivable Authority. To whom also after baptism they promise
another which they call Redemption,[190] and thereby turn again to
evil those [Sidenote: p. 308.] who remain with them in the hope of
deliverance, (as if) those who had been once baptized might again
meet with acquittal. Through such jugglery,[191] they seem to retain
their hearers, whom, when they consider that they have been (duly)
indoctrinated and are able to keep fast the things entrusted to them,
they then lead to this (second baptism), not contenting themselves with
this alone, but promising them still something else, for the purpose
of keeping control over them by hope, lest they should separate from
them. For they mutter something in an inaudible voice, laying hands
on them for the receiving of Redemption which they pretend cannot be
spoken openly unless one were highly instructed, or when the bishop
should come to speak it into the ears of one departing this life.[192]
And this jugglery is practised so that they may remain the bishop’s
disciples, eagerly desirous to learn what has been said about the last
thing[193] whereby the learner would become perfect. Of which things I
have kept silence for this cause, lest any should think I put the worst
construction on them. For this is not what we have set before us, but
rather the exposure of whence they have derived the hints[194] from
which their doctrines have arisen.
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