the twofold credit of perfection and wisdom. Yet they shut themselves up alone with women and justify their sinful embraces by quoting the lines: The almighty father takes the earth to wife; Pouring upon her fertilizing rain, That from her womb new harvest he may reap.1 These heretics have affinities with Gnosticism which may be traced to the impious teaching of Basilides.2 It is from him that you derive the assertion that without knowledge of the law it is impossible to avoid sin. But why do I