[317]. Amélineau, Le Gnosticisme Égyptien, pp. 139-152. So Mallet, Culte de Neith à Sais, Paris, 1888, pp. 213, 214, says that both Basilides and Valentinus drew their doctrines from the late form of Egyptian religion which he describes.
[318]. Paut neteru. Maspero, Études Égyptol., II. pp. 244, 245. Cf. the whole of the luminous essay Sur l’Ennéade in the same volume and especially pp. 385, 386. Cf. Naville, Old Egyptian Faith, p. 117; Erman, Hist. Egyptian Religion, p. 78.
[319]. Tu enim, aiunt, omnes cognosce, te autem nemo cognoscat.... Non autem multos scire posse haec, sed unum a mille, et duo a myriadibus. Irenaeus, Bk I. c. 19, § 3, p. 202, Harvey. Epiphanius, Haer. XXIV. c. 5, p. 152, Oehler, while copying Irenaeus’ account puts it rather differently, Ὑμεῖς πάντα γινώσκετε, ὑμᾶς δὲ μηδεὶς γινωσκέτω, which probably represents Irenaeus’ own expression. One of the authors of the Pistis Sophia had evidently heard of Basilides’ remark about 1 in 1000. Cf. Pistis Sophia, p. 354, Copt.
[320]. So Irenaeus, loc. cit., p. 203, Harvey, makes the Basilidians say that they were neither Jews nor Christians: Et Judaeos quidem jam non esse dicunt, Christianos autem nondum—or, as Epiphanius, loc. cit., more strongly puts it: Ἰουδαίους μὲν ἑαυτοὺς μηκέτι εἶναι φάσκουσι, Χριστιανοὺς δὲ μηκέτι γεγενῆσθαι.
[321]. Epiphanius, Pan. Haer. XXXI. c. 2, p. 306, Oehler. Amélineau, Gnost. Ég. p. 168, defends Epiphanius’ statement.
[322]. Matter, Hist. du Gnost. t. II. p. 37, says that Basilides died about 134 A.D. and that Valentinus’ teaching began to make itself heard about the year following; but he gives no authorities for the statement. Epiphanius, loc. cit., does say, however, that Valentinus was later in time than Basilides and “Satornilus” (Saturninus). There seems no authority for Matter’s statement that he was of Jewish origin.
[323]. Amélineau, Gnost. Ég. p. 176, and Clement of Alexandria as there quoted. Cf. King, Gnostics, p. 263.
[324]. Matter, Hist. du Gnost. t. II. p. 36.
[325]. Ἐπεὶ οὖν γέγονε πρώτη καὶ δευτέρα ἀναδρομὴ τῆς Υἱότητος, καὶ μεμένηκεν αὐτοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον, στερεωμάτων ὑπερκοσμίων καὶ τοῦ κόσμου μεταξὺ τεταγμένον: Hippolytus, op. cit. Bk VII. c. 23, p. 353, Cruice.
[326]. Hippolytus, loc. cit. p. 354, Cruice.