Irenaeus of Lyons · a new plain-English translation from the original language
Since there are, then, these three elements, they say that the material one — which they also call the "left" — must of necessity perish, since it is incapable of receiving any breath of incorruption; that the animal element — which they also call the "right" — being midway between the spiritual and the material, will be brought to whichever side it inclines; while the spiritual element was sent forth so that, once joined here to the animal, it might be formed together with it through its manner of life. This, they say, is what is meant by "salt" and by that which "lights up the world," for the Church is not the principle of election as arising from the fall of Sophia, but derives directly from the Pleroma — so that the likeness of this lower Church to the one above might be complete. For the animal element needed instruction through the senses; and it was for this reason, they say, that the world was fashioned, and that the Savior came to this animal creation, since it is his proper task to save it. What he was to save, they say, he took on as firstfruits: from Achamoth the spiritual element, from the Demiurge he put on the psychic (that is, animal) Christ, and from the divine arrangement he was clothed with a body, having an animal substance, prepared however with indescribable art, so that it might be visible, tangible, and capable of suffering. Of the material, hylic element he took on nothing at all, for the hylic, they say, is not capable of salvation. The consummation, they say, will come when everything spiritual has been formed and made perfect in knowledge — that is, the men who have perfect knowledge of God and who have been initiated by Achamoth into the mysteries. These, they say, are themselves the spiritual; while those who through mere works and bare faith are strengthened, without possessing perfect knowledge, are the animal, or psychic, men — and these, they say, are us, who belong to the Church. Hence they grant that for us a good manner of life is necessary, since otherwise it is impossible to be saved; but they hold that they themselves are saved in every way, not through works, but simply because they are by nature spiritual. For just as it is impossible for the earthly man to obtain salvation — since, they say, he is not capable of it — so again it is impossible for the spiritual (which they claim to be themselves) to undergo corruption, whatever the actions in which they may be involved. Just as gold placed in mud does not lose its beauty but keeps its own nature, mud being unable to harm gold, so too, they say, they themselves — whatever material works they may be involved in — suffer no harm to themselves and lose nothing of their spiritual substance. For this reason those among them who are "perfect" practice without fear all the things that are forbidden, of which the Scriptures warn that "those who commit such deeds will have no share in the kingdom." They think themselves defiled by none of these things, and they are the first to attend every pagan festival held for pleasure in honor of the gods, believing that nothing at all... as they hold that spiritual things are rendered back to spiritual beings. And some of them secretly corrupt the women who are taught this doctrine by them — as many women, persuaded by these men, later confessed, on returning to the Church of God, this offense along with the rest of their error. Others, quite openly and without any shame, have taken for their wives whatever women they desired, luring them away from their own husbands. Still others, at first with great show of modesty, pretending to live together as with sisters, were in time exposed, when the "sister" was made pregnant by the "brother."
And while committing many other hateful and irreligious acts, they mock us — who through fear of God take care not to sin even in thought or word — as ignorant simpletons, calling themselves "the seed of election." For they say that we receive grace only on loan, and that it can therefore be taken away from us again; whereas they possess it as their own property, a grace descended from above from the ineffable and unnameable conjunction, and for that reason it is added to them all the more. Hence, they say, it is fitting for them in every way always... and they say this in these words: "Whoever is in the world and does not love a woman so as to be joined with her is not of the truth, and will not pass into the truth. But whoever, being of the world, has union with a woman, does not pass into the truth either, because he unites with the woman out of lust." Hence, for us — whom they call "psychic," and say belong to the world — they claim that continence and good works are necessary, so that through these we may come to the middle place; but for themselves, who are called spiritual and perfect, none of this is necessary at all. For it is not works that bring one into the Pleroma, but the seed which, though sent forth small from there, is here brought to perfection.