Letter 226

To Carpion, a heretic of the sect of the Valentinians. (1) Having made bold to discourse in a public place before the second day, all puffed up, you said that a certain granddaughter of the Godhead, called Achamoth [in Valentinian Gnostic myth, the lower Sophia, the fallen offspring of the divine], desiring to comprehend the magnitude of the God who dwells in unutterable heights, who is named the Deep [Bythos] and Chaos, and having attempted this and failed, fell down below; and seated alone in the darkness she wept exceedingly, exceedingly, and from her tears came into being the watery substance. As one of our brothers was passing by, he asked you whether indeed all the waters, both the salt and the sweet, came into existence from the tears of Achamoth. But you, at a loss what to say, requested a delay, and to this day you have not dared to come forward, having nothing to offer by way of an account. We, however, laughing, utter a ridiculous falsehood to the liar, so as to console him in his perplexity. For you ought to have replied, saying that the bitter tears of the non-existent Achamoth gave substance to the salt seas, as having been poured forth from grief and from sufficient sharpness of feeling; while the sweat of the wretched woman belched forth springs, and rivers, and wells, and lakes, and the rest of the sweet waters. These things we say in jest, against your nonsense.

(1) Ἀπηνθυριασμένος τολμήσαντός σου πρὸ δευτέρας ἡμέρας ὁμιλεῖν ἐν τόπῳ δημοσίῳ, καὶ λέγοντος, ὅτιπερ μία τις ἐγγόνη τῆς θεότητος λεγομένη Ἀχαμὼθ, ἐπιθυμήσασα τὸ μέγεθος καταλαβεῖν τοῦ ἐν ὕψεσιν ἀποῤῥήτοις Θεοῦ τοῦ προσαγορευομένου Βυθοῦ, καὶ Χάους, καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιχειρήσασα, καὶ ἀποτυχοῦσα ἔπεσε κάτω, καὶ καθεσθεῖσα μόνη ἐν τῷ σκότει ἔκλαυσε σφόδρα σφόδρα, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ταύτης δε- κρύων γέγονεν ἡ ὑγρὰ οὐσία, παρερχόμενος; τὶς τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀδελφῶν, ἠρώτησέ σε, εἰ γε πάντα καὶ τὰ ἁλμυρά, καὶ τὰ γλυκέα ὕδατα ἐκ τῶν δακρύων τῆς Ἀχαμὼθ ὑπέστη· σὺ δ' ἀπορήσας εἰπεῖν, διωρίαν ἐξήτησας, καὶ μέχρι νῦν προελθεῖν οὐκ ἐτόλμησας, μὴ ἔχων δοῦναι λόγον. Ἡμεῖς δὲ γελάσαντες, ψεῦσμα τῷ ψεύστῃ γελοῖον φθεγγόμεθα, πρὸς τὸ παραμυθήσασθαι τὴν ἀπορίαν αὐτοῦ· ἐχρῆν γὰρ σε ἀπαντῆσαι λέγοντα, ὅτι τὰ μὲν πικρὰ τῆς ἀνυπάρκτου Ἀχαμὼθ δάκρυα, τὰς ἁλμυρὰς θαλάσσας ὑπέστησεν ὡς ἐξ ὀδύνης καὶ δριμυσμοῦ ἱκανοῦ προχεθέντα. Ὁ δὲ ἱδρὼς τῆς ταλαιπώρου γυναικὸς πηγὰς ἐξηρεύξατο, καὶ ποταμούς, καὶ φρέατα, λίμνας τε καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς γλυκέα. Ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν σὸν λῆρον γελοιωδῶς λέγομεν.