106 NEWBOLD— THE SYRIAC DIALOGUE " SOCRATES." 



whole world. And it was spread out*'' ( ?) by him upon that which 

 was undivided (or undifferentiated) and unknown." The strange 

 motive for the construction of the world here ascribed to God — the 

 desire to purify himself of soul or matter — occurs, so far as I know, 

 nowhere else. It is clear from Ephraim's discussions that he knew 

 of no motive assigned by Bardaisan. 



In the next stage, according to the " Socrates," " by his Word 

 he agitated her (the soul) and separated her from himself. Then 

 all the things which are now seen were (or, became) commingled 

 one with another without form." The Word or Logos seems to be 

 here represented as the cause of chaos — another strange idea, for 

 in the systems influenced by Stoicism it is usually the function of 

 the Logos to transform chaos into the cosmos. Bardaisan's system 

 agrees with the " Socrates " in recognizing an origination of chaos 

 — which is an unusual trait — but attributes it to chance. Ephraim 

 has preserved ("Against Hypatius," III., p. 69, 40 Mitchell) the 

 very words of his source — " At that very time a cause came to be 

 by chance and the Wind dashed against the Fire." 



According to Theodore, the Wind is checked by " an utterance 

 of Thought," the agitation quieted by a Wind (/". c, nvtvfxa) from 

 on high, and the portion of the elements which is still confused is 

 removed from the others and made into the material universe. 

 These steps are not described by the " Socrates." They are ob- 

 viously derived, as Theodore himself remarks, from the Valentinian 

 Gnosis. 



According to the "Socrates," "it was his will that she (soul) 

 should be divided and should coin and constitute bodies '(/?c(7r^^ i. e., 

 animate bodies) out of the four elements of the powers and accord- 

 ing to the number of those seven Governors and Servants of his." 



6 The MS. has as the verb an Ethpeal or Ethpaal perfect from the root 

 psq. According to Payne-Smith, this verb is used only in Pad and Ethpaal, 

 and in the active means " make easy," " expound." " translate." These ideas 

 cannot be fitted into the above context. Ryssel translates und ganc tind gar 

 erlcichtcrt (d. h. von fremden Substanzcn hcfreit) zverde cu ctwas Uutltcil- 

 baren mid Unerkennbaren. I have emended it to read 'ethpcsct ; compare 

 Eusebius " Theophania," p. 12, Lee, where the same verb is used to describe 

 the activity of the Logos in the universe — " Throughout the universe he 

 spread (pcsat) himself, above in the height, below in the deep, himself, in- 

 corporeal, he extended (met hah)." 



