18

PRI:LIMINARY

TEXTS

it. But it is necessary that in each section in the work we write briefly (on
the basis) of much (material), about each of the heresies whose harm it is
necessary to relate that it will be remembered by the reader.
The first heresyI2. The heresy of SambafinE13 which is translated in
.
say that instead of Sunday it is necessary to
Syriac S ~ b t y e ' ~These
offer the oblation on the Sabbath because that is the (day of) rest. And
instead of the Gospel 5 , the Torah must be read at the conclusion (of the
lessons) before the people. And the circumcision must not be abolished l 6
and the observance of the law l 7 must not be annulled. Also the typeI8 of
the Passover must be kept because the new is not against the old
(covenant). And while they Want to keep the law, they call themselves
C h r i ~ t i a n s ' ~These
.
are (those) regarding whom also Paul remembers
when he says: ~ B e w a r eof dogs! Beware of the cutting of flesh and from
evil ~ o r k e r s ~ Owith
, the rest of other (matters) concerning which he
ordered caution ' .
The heresy of the followers of S i m ~ nThis
~ ~ is. this Simon concerning
whom the members of this religion called him Sem'n and were saying
about him that he is a son of GO^^^. And calling him the secret power24
of the creator, and because be obeyed the Father who sent him for our
redemption, his name was called Sem'n and named him Simon. Those
of the movement of Simon made for themselves a gospel 2 5 in four parts
~ ~ . are all
and they called it the ook of the Quarters (of the w ~ r l d )They
sorcerers. A thread of scarlet and of the rose (color) they bind at the neck
~ ~ the hair of their heads
like the priests (of idols). The a n ~ i e n t splated
and were occupying themselves with incantations and Strange affairs.
* The heresy of the MarqinE. They proclaim three beings : a good, a
l 2 Rahmani produced the first translation of this catalogue in Latin, Studia Syriaca IV,
p. 76ff. - l 3 The form of the name is different in BarhadbeSabb 'Arby, Hktoire,
p. 187: SimbtynistE. The founder of this movement was Sabbatius, a presbyter, who
started this splinter group among the Novatians. SOZOMENUS,
Historia eccl. VII, 18,
p. 327ff. - l 4 The author mistakenly derived his name from the Sabbath I' ~6ayykhiov Sozomenus does not give this information - I' v 6 p o ~ ri)iroq - l 9 ~ p i o s t a v o i Phil. 11, 3. The wording is PeS except the transposition of rCW & p o and of evil servantsp from the middle and placed at
the end - 2 1 This movement perturbed 'AphrEm as reflected through his Contra
Ifaer<,srs11.6, p. 7. See also Le T~stamarrtXV, p. 266. An episode about the controversies
with the movement is told by Ja'qb of Edessa. Cf. NAU,~Traductiondes lettres XI1 et
XI11 de Jacques d'Edesse, p. 277f. - 2 2 This Simon was known as Simon Magus 2 3 IRENAEUS,
Adversus haereses 1, 23, vol. I, p. 190ff. - 24 ... sublimissimam
virtutern)), ibid. - '' c6ayykhtov Cf. ~ E o o a p a~ h i p a s a706 ~ o o p o uIRENAEUS,
,
Adversus haereses 111, 1I, 8, vol. 11, p. 42f. - 27 Instead of the ancients~Barhadbegabb 'Arby reads: as the priests of the QdiSyE, Hisroire, p. 188

just, and an evil ~ n e These

~ ~ also
. have injured the Scriptures and have
added and reduced in the gospel 2" and in the apostolos. The entire ook
of Acts30 they have taken (out) from the midst and instead of this they
have made another and called it the Sum3 so that it shall be like their
s own ~ p i n i o nInstead
~ ~ . of Peter they Set up for themselves Marcion (as)
the head of the apostles", and instead of the Psalms they have madc
for themselves h y m n ~for~ their
~
Services. And they calumniate tlie
resurrection of bodies".
The heresy of the followers of Mani. These again proclaim two beings :
io a good and an evil one, and they calumniate the resurrection of bodies.
They worship the sun and the moon. They despise marriage and they
regard meats as defiled. They say that everything that exists in the world
has a soul in it. They possess much perversity in their minds and they
express blasphemy and confused noise againt God. They proclaim the
1s seven and twelve planet^)^? They say that there are t h r ~ m and
s ~ lots"
~
and the signs of the zodiac. They persevere in the chaldean3" art40.
The heresy of the followers of Pau141. They confess one God who is
one nature and one hypostasis, but do not confess the Logos (to the
effect) that he is of the nature of the Father, nor the Spirit of Holiness but
20 their nature they call one hypostasis in the triad of names. And they say
that the man (Jesus), our Lord, is a simple man42, like one of us, and
according to nature like us, and (that) the beginning of the son was from
Mary. But because of his election, that he was elected to be the Savior for
the human nature, the divine grace conjoined him through the will and
2 8 Cf. HIPPOLYTUS,
Philosophumena VII, 111. 31 ascribes these views to a Prepon of
Assyria, who wrote a work against Harmonius, a follower of Bar Daisan (his son?) -c6ayyCk~ov - 3 0 i r p a t ~ i ~
- 3 1 Or: the summing up. All the manuscripts
read in this way; also the Arabic version renders it so, MANSI,Conciliorum nova collrc~io11.
col. 1056; however, Barhadbegabb 'Arby reads Sb, Histoire, p. 189 This
writing seems to refer to his work ~Antithesesnwhich belonged to the canon of the New
Markion. p. 256* - 3 3 Origen reports
Testament of the Marcionites. Cf. HARNACK,
that Marcion was believed to sit on the throne at the left of Christ. Homiliar in Lucritn
XXV, Die Homilien zu Lukas, p. 151 - 34 There is no information about their madr.??
in other sources - 3 5 The movement presented a dangerous rival in Mesopotamia iis
demonstrated by various writings of 'Aphrgm. Prose Refutations o f Muni, Marcion an(/
Bardaisan 1-11; Contra haerese.7 1, 9-12, 16-18, 11, 1 etc., p. 3ff. Le Testament XV, p. 266.
About their role in Mesopotamian Christianity, see VRUS,History oJAsceticism in thr
Syrian Orient I , p. 45ff. - 36 Cf. Kephalaia, ed. SCHMIDT- 3 7 Ms C ameteorsb.
namely defined as Sagitta, PAYNE SMITH,Thesaurus Syriacus, col. 767 Or:
oracles, auguries - 39 Or: ~astrologyn - 40 About the role of Manichaeisin
in the developing monasticism in Mesopotamia, see VOOus, History o f Asceticism in
the Samosatean)) - 42 EUSERIUS,
the Syrian Orient I, p. 109ff. - 4 1 Ms C
Historia eccl. VII, 26, 28, p. 246

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