6. Об эонах

Valentinus, Secundinus, Marcus and their successors claim that many eons are older than the Creator, not having learned this from divine words, but having composed these fables. But these foolish ones did not understand that an aeon is not some kind of independent entity, but means a certain extension of time, sometimes infinite when talking about God, sometimes commensurate with creation, and sometimes even human life. The divine David speaks about them: “Our age (ὸ άιών) is for the illumination of Your face” (Ps. 89:8). The Lord says about creation: “Behold, I am with you... to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And about the God of all, blessed David again speaks: “From everlasting to everlasting Thou art” (Psalm 89: 3), that is, you have neither beginning nor end. And since an eon (age) means a certain extension, so that someone would not foolishly think that before the eons there was no God of all, the same Prophet in another psalm said: “God will hear, and I will humble the first age” (Ps. 54:20). Therefore, the God of all, the Creator of everything, not after thirty aeons came from the passion of Achamoth, following the osmerice, the ten, the twenty, the Achamoth, the limit, the son and the spirit. On the contrary, He is before all eons, not these vile ones fabulously produced from mutual copulation, but meaning any kind of extension. For this reason, blessed Paul called the Father and the Son the Creator of the ages, for he says: “He spoke to us in the Son, whom you have appointed as an heir to all, in whom also you created the worlds” (Heb. 1:2). By the word “create” the Apostle does not mean the essence of the eons, but that no one is older than the God of all. And in another place he says: “To the King of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen” (1 Tim. 1:17); and this does not inspire the idea that there are some independent eons, but proclaims the eternal Kingdom of God. And the same Apostle also says: “But we speak wisdom among those who are perfect: wisdom is not of this world, nor of the princes of this world that are passing away: but we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in mystery, which God hath ordained before the world” (1 Cor. 2:6-7). If the sacrament of the Economy, by God’s definition, is earlier than the centuries, then it is extreme wickedness to say about the God of all that He is later than the centuries. And the prophet Isaiah cries out: “Eternal God... who has formed the ends of the earth” (Is. 40:28); and again: “from time immemorial we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen God except You” (Is. 64:4). Therefore, before the eons, God, the Creator of all things. You might be interested in: