Explaining the Emanation of the Aeons Using the Septuagint
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The concept of divine emanation is central to Valentinian cosmology, where the Aeons are understood as attributes or aspects of God emanating in harmonious order. The Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, provides significant insights into this perspective, particularly through its use of the term **Aion** and related expressions.
### **The Aeonian God and Divine Emanation**
In **Deuteronomy 33:27**, the phrase **"eternal God"** is rendered in the LXX as **"θεὸς ὁ αἰώνιος"**—**"the Aeonian God."** This phrase aligns with Valentinian thought, in which the **Aeons** are divine emanations proceeding from the Father. The LXX translation suggests that God is not simply timeless but the very source of Aeonian existence, from which the Aeons emanate.
**Translation (LXX-based):**
*"The Aeonian God is your refuge, and underneath you is protection by His arms; He will drive out the enemy from before you, saying: ‘Perish!’"*
The use of **Aion** here implies not merely an infinite duration but a structured, divine reality within which God operates, mirroring the Pleroma of Aeons in Valentinian cosmology.
### **From Aeon to Aeon: The Continuum of Divine Emanation**
**Psalm 90:2** expresses a concept foundational to emanationist theology:
**Translation (LXX-based):**
*"Before the mountains were formed, and before the earth and world were made, from the Aeon to the Aeon, You are."*
The phrase **"from the Aeon to the Aeon"** suggests a **continuum of divine emanation**, where existence unfolds within the framework of Aeons rather than being a singular, undivided eternity. This aligns with the Valentinian idea that the Pleroma consists of successive emanations from the divine Depth (**Bythos**), forming the structured realm of divine attributes.
### **God Dwelling in the Aeon**
**Isaiah 57:15** further supports this interpretation:
**Translation (LXX-based):**
*"For thus says the Lord, the Most High, who dwells in the Aeon, and His name is Holy: He dwells in the holy place and rests among the lowly in spirit and those humbled in heart."*
Here, the LXX uses **τὸν αἰῶνα (the Aeon, the Age)** where the Hebrew text employs **עַד (ad)**, meaning perpetuity. The **Aeon** is not just a temporal concept but a dwelling place—a realm within which God abides. In Valentinian thought, this resonates with the idea of God dwelling within the **Pleroma**, the fullness of Aeonic emanations that reflect His divine attributes.
### **Wisdom as an Emanation**
The **Wisdom of Solomon 7:25-26** explicitly describes divine emanation:
**Translation (LXX-based):**
*"For she is a breath of the power of God and a pure emanation (**ἀπόρροια**) of the glory of the Almighty; therefore, nothing defiled shall fall into her. For she is the radiance of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, and the image of His goodness."*
The use of **ἀπόρροια (aporrhoia)**—meaning "emanation"—reinforces the concept that divine attributes flow outward from the divine Source. This aligns with Valentinian thought, where **Sophia** (Wisdom) is an Aeon whose emanation plays a pivotal role in the cosmological structure of the Pleroma.
### **The Word as an Emanating Principle**
The **Wisdom of Solomon 9:1-2** continues this theme:
**Translation (LXX-based):**
*"O God of my fathers, and Lord of mercy, who has made all things by Your word, and by Your wisdom has formed man, that he should have dominion over the creatures You have made."*
Here, creation itself is attributed to the **Word** (*Logos*) and **Wisdom**, both of which are seen as emanations from God in Valentinian thought. The Aeons, including **Logos** and **Zoe** (Life), are divine principles through which the cosmos is ordered and animated.
The concept of Aeons existing in syzygies, or paired opposites, is a fundamental feature of Valentinian cosmology. This idea finds a parallel in **Sirach 42:14 (LXX):** _"All things are in pairs, one opposite the other, and He has made nothing incomplete."_ In Valentinian thought, the Aeons emerge as male-female pairs, reflecting the completeness and harmony of the divine realm. This pairing symbolizes the balance of complementary aspects—intellect and manifestation, thought and expression—ensuring that nothing in the divine order is isolated or lacking. Such a structure mirrors the broader ancient philosophical principle that completeness is achieved through duality and unity.
The concept of **Bythos (Depth) as the origin of all emanations** aligns with the description of Wisdom in **Proverbs 8:22-24 (LXX):** _"The Lord created me as the beginning of His ways, for His works. He established me before the age, in the beginning, before He made the earth. Before the depths (ἄβυσσοι) were brought forth, before the fountains of water came forth, I was begotten."_ In Valentinianism, Bythos is the primordial depth from which all Aeons emanate. This passage presents Wisdom as an eternal principle brought forth before the material world, resonating with the idea that the first Aeon to emerge from Bythos is Mind (Nous), which contemplates and unfolds divine thought. The mention of the abyss (*abyssoi*) further reinforces the connection to Bythos, emphasizing the depth from which divine order and knowledge spring forth.
The notion of divine Wisdom being eternal and boundless finds strong resonance with the Valentinian concept of the **Pleroma**, the fullness of divine attributes. **Sirach 1:1-4 (LXX)** states: _"All wisdom comes from the Lord and is with Him forever. The sand of the sea, the drops of rain, and the days of eternity—who shall count them? The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth, and the depth of the abyss—who shall search them out? Wisdom was created before all things, and the understanding of prudence from eternity."_ The Pleroma in Valentinian thought represents the totality of divine emanations within God’s fullness. This passage expresses the immeasurable nature of divine wisdom, akin to how the Valentinian Pleroma is described as an ineffable, eternal reality beyond full human comprehension.
Together, these passages illuminate key aspects of Valentinian cosmology: the pairing of Aeons in syzygies, the primordial depth as the source of divine emanation, and the concept of a divine fullness from which all Wisdom originates. They demonstrate how biblical texts, particularly in the Septuagint, contain themes that harmonize with Valentinian interpretations of creation and the divine structure of reality. These scriptural foundations provide insights into how the Valentinians articulated their theological framework using language and ideas already present in Jewish wisdom traditions.
### **Conclusion**
The Septuagint provides a rich framework for understanding divine emanation, particularly in its use of **Aion** and **ἀπόρροια** to describe God's relationship with existence. Key passages illustrate how:
1. **God as the Aeonian One** suggests He is the source of the Aeons, which are His divine attributes.
2. **The phrase "from Aeon to Aeon"** indicates a structured, emanative process rather than a simple concept of eternity.
3. **God dwelling in the Aeon** reflects the Valentinian understanding of the Pleroma as the fullness of divine being.
4. **Wisdom as an emanation** (ἀπόρροια) confirms that divine attributes flow outward in a structured manner.
5. **The Word and Wisdom as creative forces** align with the Valentinian Logos and Zoe as fundamental Aeons in the divine order.
These insights reveal that the Septuagint, when read through an emanationist lens, provides strong theological foundations for the Valentinian understanding of Aeonic emanation within the Pleroma. The use of **Aion** and **ἀπόρροια** suggests that existence unfolds as a divine process, where each Aeon emanates from the preceding one, forming a harmonious structure that ultimately leads back to the Father, the Source of all emanation.
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