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Refutation of All Heresies

St Hippolytus of Rome, ANF 5

Book 6, 44. Respecting the Generation of the Twenty-Four Letters

And so far for these points. Respecting, however, the generation of the twenty-four elements, he expresses himself thus: that Henotes coexists with Monotes, and that from these issue two projections, viz., Monas and Hen, and that these being added together¹ become four, for twice two are four. And again, the two and four (projections) being added together, manifested the number six; and these six made fourfold, produce the twenty-four forms.² And these are the names of the first tetrad, and they are under stood as Holy of Holies, and cannot be expressed and they are recognised by the Son alone. These the Father knows which they are. Those names which with Him are pronounced in silence and with faith, are Arrhetus and Sige, Pater and Aletheia. And of this tetrad the entire number is (that) of twenty-four letters. For Arrhetus has seven elements, Sige five, and Pater five, and Aletheia seven.³ And in like manner also (is it with) the second tetrad; (for) Logos and Zoe. Anthropos and Ecclesia, exhibited the same number of elements. And (he says) that the expressed name—(that is, Jesus)⁴ -of the Saviour consists of six letters, but that His ineffable⁵ name, according to the number of the letters, one by one,⁶ consists of twenty-four elements, but Christ a Son of twelve. And (he says) that the ineffable (name) in Christ consists of thirty letters, and this exists, according to the letters l which are in Him, the elements being counted one by one. For the (name) Christ⁷ consists of eight elements; for Chi⁸ consists of three, and R [ho] of two, and EI of two, and I [ota], of four, S [igma] of five, and T [au] of three, and OU of two, and San of three. Thus the ineffable name in Christ consists, they allege, of thirty letters. And they assert that for this reason He utters the words, “I am Alpha and Omega,” displaying the dove, which (symbolically) has this number, which is eight hundred and one.⁹

Notes

Literally, “being twice two:” some for οὖσαι read οὐσίαι. Irenaeus has ἐπὶ δύο οὖσαι, i.e., “which being (added) into two.”
Hippolytus has only the word “twenty-four,” to which Schneidewin supplies “letters,” and Irenaeus “forms,” as given above. Hippolytus likewise omits the word “produced,” which Irenaeus supplies. The text of the latter is τὰς εἰκοσιτέσσαρας ἀπεκύσαν μορφάς.
Irenaeus adds, “which being added together, I mean the twice five and twice seven, complete the number of the twenty-four (forms).”
The parenthetical words had fallen into a wrong part of the sentence, and are placed here by Schneidewin.
This is a correction for “expressed” from Irenaeus. Marcus observes the distinction afterwards.
κατὰ ἓν γραμμάτων. The MS.. has ἐγγραμάτων. Irenaeus omits these words.
This entire sentence is wanting in Irenaeus.
Corrected from Chri, which is in the ms..
Irenaeus has the passage thus; “And for this reason He says that He is Alpha and Omega, that He may manifest the dove, inasmuch as this bird (symbolically) involves this number (801).” See a previous note in chap. xiii. p. 95. supra.