Tatian By St. Alphonsus M Liguori The History of Heresies and Their Refutation

CRESPI, Giuseppe Maria

Matrimony 1712

5. Tatian was born in Assyria, and was a disciple of St. Justin Martyr. He was the founder of the sect called Encratics, or Continent ; he taught, with Valentine, that matter was un created and eternal ; he attributed the creation to God, but through the instrumentality of an inferior Eon, who said let there be light, not by way of command, but of supplication, and thus light was created. He denied, with Valentine, the resur rection of the dead, and human flesh, he said was too unworthy to be united with the divinity in the person of Christ. He deprived man of free will, saying he was good and spiritual, or bad and carnal, by necessity, according as the seed of divine grace was infused or not into him ; and he rejected the law of Moses, as not instituted by God, but by the Eon who created the world. Finally, he condemned matrimony, prohibited the use of flesh-meat and wine, and, because he used nothing but water in the consecration of the chalice, his disciples were called Hydro- parastati, or Aquarii (10).

(10) Orsi, t. 2, /. 4, n.11 ; Fleury, t,


The History of Heresies and Their Refutation by Alphonsus M Liguori.