Part of the series on Gnosticism

History of Gnosticism This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A image of a Gnostic cross. ... The History of Gnosticism is subject to a great deal of debate and interpretation. ...

Persian Gnosticism Mandaeism Manichaeism Mandaeism or Mandaeanism (Mandaic: mandaiuta) is a blanket term for the religion of the Mandaeans (Classical Mandaic mandaiia, Neo-Mandaic Mandeyānā) who are the followers of Mendā d-Heyyi (Mandaic manda Knowledge of Life). Mandaeism is a monotheistic religion practiced primarily in southern Iraq and the Iranian province of... Manichean priests, writing at their desk, with panel inscription in Sogdian. ...

Syrian-Egyptic Gnosticism Sethians Thomasines Valentinians Basilideans Syrian-Egyptian Gnostic Schools were ancient Gnostic sects from around the middle east, with some Judaic influences. ... Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ... Valentianism was a relgious doctrine named after Valentine, a Roman theologist who lived circa 2nd century A.D., and abandoned Christian Orthodoxy, in order to follow Gnosticism. ... The Basilideans were a Gnostic sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. ...

Fathers of Christian Gnosticism Simon Magus Cerinthus Marcion Valentinius Simon Magus, also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by the ancient Christian Orthodoxy to refer to someone they identified as a Samaritan (Proto-)Gnostic, and, also according to ancient Christian Orthodoxy, founder of his own religious sect. ... Cerinthus was the leader of a late first-century or early 2nd century sect, an offshot of the Ebionites yet similar to Gnosticism in some respects, interesting in that it demonstrates the wide range of conclusions that could be drawn from the life and teachings of Jesus. ... Marcion of Sinope (ca. ... -Quevedo Valentinius, also called Valentinus (c. ...

Early Gnosticism Ophites Cainites Carpocratians Borborites The Ophites is a blanket term for numerous gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt about 100 A.D. The common trait was that these sects would give great importance to the serpent of the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, connecting the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) to... The Cainites were a Gnostic and Antinomian sect who were known to worship Cain as the first victim of the Demiurge Jehovah, the Old Testament God, who was identified by many groups of gnostics as evil. ... Carpocrates was an early Gnostic from sometime in the second century A.D. who was mentioned by Clement of Alexandria in the Mar Saba letter discovered in 1958 by ancient historian Morton Smith. ... According to Epiphanius of Salamis book Panarion/Adversus Haereses chapter xxv, xxvi and Theodorets Haereticarum Fabularum Compendium the borborites (or barbelos, barbelites, phibionites, stratiotici, coddians etc) were a extraordinarily filthy and evil Gnostic ophite sect. ...

Mediaeval Gnosticism Paulicianism Bogomils Cathars Paulicianism was a Gnostic and Manichaean Christian sect that florished between 650 and 872 in Anatolia, outgoing from Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire. ... Bogomilism is the Gnostic dualistic sect, the synthesis of Armenian Paulicianism and the local Slavonic Church reform movement in Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina between 950 and 1396. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ...

Gnosticism in modern times Gnosticism in popular culture Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century CE. Prior to the 20th century, little was known about the various Gnostic movements, due to paucity of original material available to scholars and the public. ... // Literature Harold Bloom explores Gnosticism in his novel The Flight to Lucifer: A Gnostic Fantasy, and, with William Golding, traces Gnosticism in American beliefs in The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation. ...

Gnostic texts Nag Hammadi Library Codex Tchacos Gnosticism and the New Testament The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. ... The Codex Tchacos is an ancient Egyptian Coptic papyrus document containing early Christian Gnostic texts: The Gospel of Judas The First Apocalypse of James The Letter of Peter to Philip A fragment of Allogenes It is important because it contains the first known surviving text of the Gospel of Judas... This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. ...

Related Articles Gnosis Pythagoreanism Neoplatonism and Gnosticism Esoteric Christianity Theosophy Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: gnosis The word gnosis (from the Greek word for knowledge, γνώσις) has several uses. ... Pythagoreanism is a term used for the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who were much influenced by mathematics and probably a main inspirational source for Plato and platonism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Winged Self: The purpose of The Winged Self Symbol is to focus thought in the inner Divine perfection of each individual. ... Seal of the Theosophical Society Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the Divine, and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. ...

Sethian is also a Finnish progressive metal band.

The Sethian were a group of ancient Gnostics, that date their existence before Christianity. Their influence spread throughout the Mediterranean into the later systems of the Thomasines, the Basilideans and the Valentinians. Their thinking, though it is predominantly Judaic in foundation, is arguably strongly influenced by Platonism. Sethians are so called for their veneration of the biblical Seth, third son of Adam and Eve, who is depicted in their myths of creation as a divine incarnation; consequently, the offspring or 'posterity' of Seth are held to comprise a superior elect within human society. Sethian is a Finnish progressive metal band, originally formed in 1998 but whose debut album, Into the Silence, was not completed and released until 2003. ... Progressive metal (often shortened to prog, or prog metal when differentiating from progressive rock) is a genre of heavy metal music which shares traits with progressive rock including use of complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing. ... Gnosticism is a blanket term for various religions and sects most prominent in the first few centuries A.D. General characteristics The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis (γνῶσις), referring to the idea that there is special, hidden mysticism (esoteric knowledge) that only a few possess. ... Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ... The Basilideans were a Gnostic sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. ... Valentinus can refer to: Pope Valentinus Saint Valentine Basil Valentinus, a 15th century monk from Erfurt who may have described Bismuth Valentinius, a Gnostic also known as Valentinus Roman emperors - Valentinian I (364 - 375) and Valentinian II (371 - 392) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 15 million followers as of 2006 [1]. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Plato ( Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, wide, broad-shouldered) (c. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... Seth or Shet (שֵׁת Placed; appointed, Standard Hebrew Å et, Tiberian Hebrew Šēṯ, Arabic ÔíË), in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, is the third son of Adam and Eve mentioned by name, and brother of Cain and Abel. ... It has been suggested that portions of this article be split into a new article entitled Adam. ...

Sethian texts

Pre-Christian texts

• The Apocalypse of Adam
• The Apocryphon of John

Christian texts The Apocalypse of Adam discovered in 1945 as part of the Nag Hammadi Library is a Gnostic work written in Coptic. ... The Secret Book of John (Apocryphon of John) is a 2nd century gnostic text of secret teachings, given a Christian context: the teaching of the savior, and the revelation of the mysteries and the things hidden in silence, even these things which he taught John, his disciple, are its opening...

• The Apocryphon of John
• The Thought of Norea
• The Trimorphic Protennoia
• The Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians

Later texts (arguably with a Platonist influence) The Secret Book of John (Apocryphon of John) is a 2nd century gnostic text of secret teachings, given a Christian context: the teaching of the savior, and the revelation of the mysteries and the things hidden in silence, even these things which he taught John, his disciple, are its opening... The Thought of Norea is a brief sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... The Trimorphic Protennoia is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... Two versions of the suppressed Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians (which is quite distinct from the Greek Gospel of the Egyptians), were among the codices in the Nag Hammadi library, discovered in 1945. ...

• Zostrianos
• Three Steles of Seth
• Marsenes

Zostrianos is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... The Three Steles of Seth is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... Marsanes is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ...

The Sethian or 'Classic' gnostic myth

Commonly, the Sethian cosmogonic myth describes an intended prologue to the events of Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch, which by its emendation brings about a radical reinterpretation of the typical orthodox Jewish conception of creation, and the divine's relation to reality. This myth is typically presupposed by Sethian manuscripts, and occasionally by those of later schools. Though many of their concepts derived from a fusion of Platonic and Neoplatonic concepts with the Old Testament are not unique since Philo also engaged in the same behavior. Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin), also called The First Book of Moses, is the first book of Torah (five books of Moses), and is the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of... Look up Pentateuch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For a detailed discussion about the contents of the Pentateuch, see the article Torah. ... Philo (20 BCE - 40 CE), known also as Philo of Alexandria and as Philo Judeaus, was a Hellenized Jewish philosopher born in Alexandria, Egypt. ...

The Sethian cosmogony as most famously contained in the Apocryphon ('Secret book') of John describes an unknown God, the same as Paul had done in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 17 verse 23. The latter conception defines God through a series of explicit positive statements, themselves universal but in the divine taken to their superlative degrees: as well as being explicitly male, he is omniscient, omnipotent and truly benevolent. The Sethian conception of God is, by contrast, defined through negative theology exclusively: he is immovable, invisible, intangible, ineffable; commonly, 'He' is seen as being hermaphroditic, a potent symbol for being, as it were, 'all-containing' but identity wise hermaphroditic. Though by attaching such descriptions to God would be cataphatic since saying what God is in its self is the opposite of apophatic. See Essence Energies Distinction. Image:Http://www. ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... Omniscience is the capacity to know everything, or at least everything that can be known. ... Omnipotence (literally, all power) is the power to do absolutely anything. ... Negative theology - also known as the Via Negativa (Latin for Negative Way) and Apophatic theology - is a theology that attempts to describe God by negation, to speak of God only in terms of what may be said about God and to avoid what may not be said. ... In zoology, a hermaphrodite is a species that contains both male and female sexual organs at some point during their lives. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Energies of God. ...

This negative theology mode of thinking about God is found throughout Gnosticism, Vendantic Hinduism, Platonic and Aristotle theology as well. It may be seen in Judaic sources as well. In essence, Sethianism posits a God that may not be described in any rational sense; much like Plato (see Parmenides) and Philo had also stated earlier in history but it is only possible to say what God isn't, and the experience of it remains something, again, in defiance of rational description. Apophatic or Negative theology is also a strong and prominent tradition in the Greek Orthodox church's theology. Note in Greek Orthodox Christian theology, the Father of the Trinity is only called "Father" to connotate first origin or primordial origin of the Trinity. The Father apophatically of the Trinity is beyond sexual identity — beyond "being" itself. Plato ( Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, wide, broad-shouldered) (c. ... Parmenides is one of the dialogues of Plato. ... Philo (20 BCE - 40 CE), known also as Philo of Alexandria and as Philo Judeaus, was a Hellenized Jewish philosopher born in Alexandria, Egypt. ... Negative theology - also known as the Via Negativa (Latin for Negative Way) and Apophatic theology - is a theology that attempts to describe God by negation, to speak of God only in terms of what may be said about God and to avoid what may not be said. ... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to any of several hierarchical churches within the larger group of mutually recognizing Eastern Orthodox churches: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ...

The emanation of the spiritual universe

This original God went through a series of emanations, during which its essence is seen as spontaneously expanding into many successive 'generations' of paired male and female beings, called 'aeons'. The first of these is the Barbelo, a figure common throughout Sethianism, who is coactor in the emanations that follow. The aeons that result can be seen as representative of the various attributes of God, themselves indiscernible when not abstracted from their origin. In this sense, the Barbelo and the emanations are akin to a poetic device allowing an otherwise utterly unknowable God to be discussed in a meaningful way amongst initiates. Collectively, God and the aeons comprise the sum total of the spiritual universe, known as the Pleroma. Emanationism is a component in the cosmology of certain religious or philosophical systems that argue a Supreme Being did not directly create the physical universe, but instead emanated into different spiritual powers that created the world. ... The Gnostic term Barbelo refers to the first emanation of Bythos. ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ...

At this point in the myth the universe is still entirely non-material. However, the increasing fragmentation of the nature of God into more and more aeons led, eventually, to instability within this primordial universe. This growing problem reached its climax with the appearance of the lowest aeon, called Sophia (Gr. "wisdom"). In most versions of the Sethian myth, Sophia attempts to surmount the rigid hierarchy of the divine nature, trying to approach close to the God that resides at its centre. In other cases, Sophia imitates God's actions in performing an emanation of her own, without the prior approval of the other aeons in the Pleroma. In both cases, this intransigence causes a crisis within the Pleroma, leading to the creation of Yaldabaoth, a 'serpent with a lion's head'. This figure is commonly known as the demiurge, after the figure in Plato's Timaeus (Gr. demiurgos - "one who shapes" or "craftsman" [typical translation]; "Tame Worker / One Who Domesticates" [literal translation]). This being is at first hidden by Sophia but subsequently escapes, stealing a portion of divine power from her in the process. To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... Plato ( Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, wide, broad-shouldered) (c. ... Timaeus (c. ...

The creation of matter

Using this stolen power, Yaldabaoth creates a material world in imitation of the divine Pleroma. To complete this task, he spawns a group of entities known collectively as Archons, 'petty rulers' and craftsmen of the physical world. Like him, they are commonly depicted as theriomorphic, having the heads of animals. At this point the events of the Sethian narrative begin to cohere with the events of Genesis, with the demiurge and his archontic cohorts fulfilling the role of the creator. As in Genesis, the demiurge declares himself to be the only god, and that none exist superior to him; however, the audience's knowledge of what has gone before casts this statement, and the nature of the creator itself, in a radically different light. Look up Archon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The demiurge creates Adam, during the process unwittingly transferring the portion of power stolen from Sophia into the first physical human body. He then creates Eve from Adam's rib, in an attempt to isolate and regain the power he has lost. By way of this he attempts to rape Eve who now contains Sophia's divine power; several texts depict him as failing when Sophia's spirit transplants itself into the Tree of Knowledge; thereafter, the pair are 'tempted' by the serpent, and eat of the forbidden fruit, thereby once more regaining the power that the demiurge had stolen. Tree of Knowledge may refer to: The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil mentioned in the Book of Genesis The Bodhi tree under which the Buddha received enlightenment according to Buddhism The metaphysical Tree of Jiva and Atman in Vedic mythology The Axis mundi, or world axis, which takes...

As is evident, the addition of the prologue radically alters the significance of events in Eden; rather than attributing the fall to human weakness in breaking God's fiat, Sethians (and their inheritors) locate the ultimate cause of the fall in the instability of the divine nature itself, in the actions of Sophia that precipitated the entire cosmic drama. The 'fall' of Adam and Eve thus becomes something of a redemption, and the serpent in the Garden of Eden becomes a heroic, salvific figure rather than an adversary of humanity or a 'proto-Satan'. Eating the fruit of Knowledge is the first act of human salvation from cruel, oppressive powers. This bears a resemblance to His Dark Materials in which the 'Fall' is necessary to save the world. The references to Sophia also appear in the final work of that series The Book of Dust The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach, a 16th century German depiction of Eden The Garden of Eden (from Hebrew Gan Ēden, גַּן עֵדֶן) is described by the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man - Adam - and woman - Eve - lived after they were created by God. ... The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach, a 16th century German depiction of Eden The Garden of Eden (from Hebrew Gan Ēden, גַּן עֵדֶן) is described by the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man - Adam - and woman - Eve - lived after they were created by God. ... The trilogy (non-North American versions), in order of succession from left to right. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

• Studies in Neoplatonism: Ancient and Modern, Volume 6, Wallis & Bregman (Editors), SUNY Press, (1991), Chapter: Negative Theology in Gnosticism and Neoplatonism by Curtis L. Hancock p. 167 ISBN 0-7914-1337-3
• Gnosticism and Platonism: The Platonizing Sethian texts from Nag Hammadi in their Relation to Later Platonic Literature, John D Turner, ISBN 0-7914-1338-1.

See Also

• Gnosis
• Gnosticism
• Nag Hammadi
• Plotinus
• Neoplatonism and Gnosticism
• Knights of Seth

Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: gnosis The word gnosis (from the Greek word for knowledge, γνώσις) has several uses. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The town of Nag Hammadi in Egypt Nag Hammâdi (Arabic نجع حمادي; transliterated: Naj Hammādi) (26°03′N 32°15′E), is a town in the middle of Egypt, called Chenoboskion in classical antiquity, about 80 kilometres north-west of Luxor with some 30,000 citizens. ... Plotinus Plotinus ( Greek: Πλωτίνος)(ca. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... British-German 19th century Neo-Sethian group that attempted to resurrect medieval Gnostic and dualistic Christian ideas. ...

External links

• The Sethians
• John D Turner translations of the Sethian Nag Hammadi text and history