Section 164
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 133 ferent heresies ; Saturninus, a native of Antioch, and Basilides, of Alexandria. The former of these established schools of im pious heresy in Syria, the latter in Egypt. Irena3us, indeed, states, that in most respects Saturninus held the same false doctrines with Menander, but that Basilides, under the pretext of matters too deep to be divulged, stretched his inventions to a boundless ex tent, in his astonishing fictions of impious heresy. But as there were at the time many ecclesiastical writers, who contended for the truth, and defended the doctrine of the apostles and the church, with more than common learning, so there were also some who, by publishing their writings, furnished preventives by he way against these heresies. Of these, the best refutation of Basilides that has come down to us, is that of Agrippa Castor, one of the most distinguished writers of that day. In this refu tation he fully exposes the dreadful imposture of the man, and reveals his pretended mysteries. He says, that he composed twenty-four books upon the gospels, and that he mentions Barcabbas, and Barcoph, as prophets, and invents others for himself that never existed. That he also gave them certain barbarous names, in order to astonish those the more who are easily ensnared by such things as these. That he taught also, it was indifferent for those that tasted of things sacrificed to idols, and were be trayed unwarily to abjure the faith in times of persecution. Like Pythagoras, he enjoined, also, upon his followers a silence of five years. Other accounts similar to these are given by the abovementioned author, respecting Basilides, in which he ably exposes the fallacy of his heresy. Irena3us also writes, that Carpocrates was contemporary with these, who was also the fa ther ef another heresy, called the heresy of the Gnostics. These did not, like the former, wish to retain the magic arts ot Simon in secret, but thought that they should be made public. So that, as if it were something great and glorious, they boasted of preparations of love potions, and of tutelary and dream-exciting daemons, and other similar magic rites. In accordance with these things, they also taught, that the basest deeds should be perpetrated by those that would arrive at perfection in the mys teries, or rather, that would reach the extent of their abomina