Tertullian — Against Marcion 1.5
Or what reason composed two supreme greats? For first I will demand why not more, if two, when the substance of divinity ought to be believed richer if number belonged to it. More honest and liberal is Valentinus, who at once dared to conceive two, Bythos and Sige, then poured out a swarm of divinity up to thirty Aeons’ offspring, as of Aeneas’s sow. Whatever reason does not allow more supreme greats to be admitted, the same does not allow two, as themselves also more. After one—for one is number. What could admit two, the same could also admit more. For even two is a multitude, union already exceeded. Finally among us the force of that reason does not allow more gods to be believed by the very bound by which it does not allow two—that rule setting one God. By which God ought to be that to which nothing is equaled, as to the supreme great, but unique is that to which nothing is equaled.
Now then two supreme greats, two equals—to what worth of work, to what profit would they be counted? What differed in number when two equals do not differ from one? For it is one thing which is the same in two. Even if there were more equals, all would have been as much as one, by differing in nothing among themselves as equals. Further if neither of the two differs from the other, so that both are supreme greats as both gods, neither excels the other more, they now show no reason for their number, having no preeminence—but the number of divinity ought to stand by highest reason, or even because its worship would also be led into ambiguity.
For look: beholding two gods as equal as two supreme greats, what would I do? If I worshiped both, I would fear lest by abundance of duty it be thought superstition rather than religion, because I could also deserve well of both so equal in the one, offering this itself as testimony to their equality and unity while I venerated the one in the other, while in one I have two. If I worshiped one, I would equally consider lest I seem to blush at the vanity of number without difference of the superfluous—that is: I would more safely judge neither to be worshiped than one with scruple or both vainly.
Latin
Aut quae ratio duo summa magna composuit? primo enim exigam, cur non plura, si duo, quando locupletiorem oporteret credi substantiam diuinitatis, si competeret ei numerus. honestior et liberalior Valentinus, qui simul ausus est duos concipere, Bython et Sigen, tum usque ad triginta Aeonum fetus, tamquam Aeneiae scrofae, examen diuinitatis effudit. quaecumque ratio plura summa magna non patitur admitti, eadem nec duo, ut (et) ipsa plura. [post unum] post ; unum enim numerus. quae potuit duo admittere, eadem potuit et plura. et duo enim multitudo, unione iam excessa. denique apud nos uis rationis istius ipso termino plures deos credi non sinit, quo nec duos illa regula unum deum sistens. i qua deum id esse oporteat, cui nihil adaequetur, ut summo i magno, unicum autem sit, cui nihil adaequetur. iam nunc i duo summa magna, duo paria, cui operae pretio, cui emolumento deputarentur? quid interfuit numeri, cum duo paria non differant uno? una enim res est, quae eadem in duobus est. etiamsi plura essent paria, tantundem omnia (quantum) ; unum fuissent, nullo inter se differendo, qua paria. porro si i neutrum ex duobus altero distat, ut ambo summa magna, qua dei ambo, neutrum plus altero praestat, nullam iam rationem numeri sui ostendunt, praestantiam non habentes, numerus autem diuinitatis summa ratione constare deberet, uel quoniam et cultura eius in anceps deduceretur. ecce enim duos intuens deos tam pares quam duo summa magna, quid facerem? si ambos colerem, uererer, ne abundantia officii superstitio potius quam religio existimaretur, quia duos tam pares et in altero ambos possem in uno demereri, hoc ipsum testimonio praestans parilitati et unitati eorum, dum alterum in altero uenerarer, dum in uno mihi duo sunt. si alterum colerem, aeque recogitarem, ne suffundere uiderer numeri uanitatem sine differentia superuacui, hoc est: tutius censerem neutrum colendum quam alterum cum scrupulo [colendum ] aut ambos uane.