11. To begin with, if the Soul did not descend, if she limited herself
to illuminating the darkness (which is synonymous with matter), by
what right could it be asserted that the Soul inclined (downwards)?
If indeed a kind of light issued from the Soul, this does not
justify an inclination of the Soul, unless we admit the existence
of something (darkness) beneath her, that the Soul approached the
darkness by a local movement, and that, on arriving near it, the
Soul illuminated it. On the contrary, if the Soul illuminated it
while remaining self-contained, without doing anything to promote
that illumination,[360] why did the Soul alone illuminate the
darkness? (According to the Gnostics) this occurred only after the
Soul had conceived the Reason of the universe. Then only could the
Soul illuminate the darkness, by virtue of this rational conception.
But then, why did the Soul not create the world at the same time
she illuminated the darkness, instead of waiting for the generation
of ("psychic) images"? Further, why did this Reason of the world,
which (the Gnostics) call the "foreign land," and which was produced
by the superior powers, as they say, not move its authors to that
inclination? Last, why does this illuminated matter produce psychic
images, and not bodies? (Wisdom, or) the image of the Soul does not
seem to stand in need of darkness or matter. If the Soul create, then
her image (Wisdom) should accompany her, and remain attached to her.
Besides, what is this creature of hers? Is it a being, or is it, as
the (Gnostics) say, a conception? If it be a being, what difference is
there between it and its principle? If it be some other kind of a soul,
it must be a "soul of growth and generation," since its principle is a
reasonable soul.[361] If however (this Wisdom) be a "soul of growth and
generation," how could it be said to have created for the purpose of
being honored[362]? In short, how could it have been created by pride,
audacity, and imagination? Still less would we have the right to say
that it had been created by virtue of a rational conception. Besides,
what necessity was there for the mother of the demiurgic creator to
have formed him of matter and of an image? Speaking of conception, it
would be necessary to explain the origin of this term; then, unless a
creative force be predicated of this conception, it would be necessary
to show how a conception can constitute a real being. But what creative
force can be inherent in this imaginary being? The (Gnostics) say that
this image (the demiurgic creator) was produced first, and that only
afterwards other images were created; but they permit themselves to
assert that without any proof. For instance, how could it be said that
fire was produced first (and other things only later)?