The Significance of the Divine Name in Valentinian Thought

**The Significance of the Name in Valentinian Thought**  

In Valentinian theology, the concept of the Name plays a central role in understanding the relationship between the Father and the Son, as well as the nature of existence itself. The notion of the Name is explicitly present in many Valentinian sources and is implicitly found in most of the rest. This emphasis on the Name has connections with Jewish traditions concerning the Divine Name and early Christian speculation about Christ’s relationship to it.  

Valentinus himself expresses the idea that an image derives its significance from the Name associated with it:  

*"As much as the image of a living face is inferior (to a living face), the world is inferior to the living eternity. What then is the cause (of the power) of the image? The greatness of the face provides the painter with a figure, so that the images might be honored by his name. For the form was not intended to be perfectly accurate, but the name filled what was lacking in the molded form. The invisibility of God cooperates with what has been molded for (the sake of) fidelity."* (Valentinus, *Fragment 90.1*)  

This passage reflects the Valentinian belief that the Name gives reality and meaning to creation. The Name completes what is lacking, bridging the gap between the visible and the invisible. In another fragment, Valentinus describes how the Name instills divine power into the created order:  

*"And fear, so to speak, fell over the angels in the presence of the molded form when he spoke things greater than his molding (should have allowed), on account of the one who invisibly placed a seed of superior substance within him and who spoke with boldness. Thus also among the races of earthly people the works of people become frightening to those who made them, such as statues and images and all things crafted by human hands in the name of a god. For as one molded in the name of a human, Adam brought about fear of the preexistent human, since that very one stood within him, and they were terrified and immediately hid their work."* (Valentinus, *Fragment 3-4*)  

This suggests that naming is not merely a designation but an act that imparts divine power and presence. The association of the Name with divine reality is further emphasized in the Valentinian baptismal prayers, where the Name is explicitly identified with Iao (a variant of Yahweh) (*Irenaeus, Against Heresies* 1:21:3).  

In Valentinian thought, the Son is not only the bearer of the Name but is himself identical with it. In *The Gospel of Truth*, Valentinus states:  

*"Now the Name of the Father is the Son ... he begot him as a Son and gave him his Name."* (*Gospel of Truth* 38:6-13)  

Similarly, Theodotus affirms:  

*"The Name which is the Son, the form of the Aeons."* (*Excerpts of Theodotus* 31:4)  

This connection between Christ and the Divine Name finds precedent in early Christian and Jewish thought. The New Testament itself contains passages indicating that Jesus was given the Divine Name:  

*"For this reason God raised him to the highest place and gave him the Name which is greater than any other name."* (Philippians 2:9)  

This passage was cited in Valentinian texts, such as *The Prayer of the Apostle Paul*. Likewise, in the Gospel of John, Jesus declares:  

*"I kept them safe by the power of your Name, the Name you gave me."* (John 17:12)  

In Valentinianism, however, the Son does not merely receive the Name—he is the Name. This is understood through the Valentinian idea that naming and generation are one and the same. As *The Gospel of Truth* states:  

*"The Father begot him as a Son and gave his Name... He bore him unto himself as a Name."* (*Gospel of Truth* 38:10-13, 38:32-34)  

Existence itself is tied to having a name. As Valentinus says:  

*"For what does not exist has no name—indeed what would a nonexistent be named? But what exists, exists along with its name."* (*Gospel of Truth* 39:11-16)  

Thus, naming is an act of bringing into being, and to have a name is to have true existence. This is further emphasized in *The Gospel of Philip*:  

*"Only one name is not uttered in the world, the Name that the Father bestowed on the Son. It is above every other—that is the Name of the Father. For the Son would not become a Father had he not put on the Name of the Father."* (*Gospel of Philip* 54:5-10)  

This explains why the Son is sometimes referred to as the Father in Valentinian sources (*Irenaeus, Against Heresies* 1:1:1). Because the Son fully possesses the Name, he is united with the Father’s identity.  

The intimate link between a name and that which is named is also expressed through the Valentinian concept of syzygy (paired opposites). In this framework, the “male” represents form, and the “female” represents substance. Even the Father is considered a syzygy, united with his Thought or Silence. The Son, too, is a syzygy, consisting of Mind and Truth. Together, the Father and the Son form the first Tetrad: Depth and Silence, Mind and Truth (*Irenaeus, Against Heresies* 1:1:1). This connection between the Name and the divine structure is reinforced by the fact that the Divine Name in Hebrew (YHWH) consists of four letters, mirroring the Tetrad.  

In conclusion, the concept of the Name in Valentinianism is deeply tied to the identity and function of the Son. Naming is not a mere label but an act of generation that imparts existence. The Son, as the Name of the Father, is the bridge between the unknowable and the revealed, the invisible and the manifest. Through this understanding, Valentinian theology presents a profound vision of divine emanation, existence, and the role of the Name in shaping reality itself.

**The Aeons and the Name in Valentinian Theology**  

In Valentinian theology, the Son emanates a series of divine attributes or aspects called Aeons, which follow the pattern established in the first Tetrad and are arranged into pairs (syzygies). These Aeons are not separate beings but are aspects of the Son’s personality, representing qualities such as Word, Human Being, Church, and Wisdom. The Aeons together constitute the fullness of the Name, a key concept that defines their relationship to the Son.  

The teacher Marcus describes this relationship using the metaphor of the divine Name:  

> “The pronunciation of the Name took place as follows. He spoke the first word of it which was the beginning, and that utterance consisted of four letters. He added the second, and this also consisted of four letters. Next, he uttered a third, and this again embraced ten letters. Finally, he pronounced a fourth which was composed of twelve letters. The enunciation of the whole Name consisted of thirty letters or elements, and of four distinct utterances.” (Irenaeus, *Against Heresies* 1:14:1)  

Each Aeon corresponds to a letter of this divine Name. In addition to the foundational Tetrad, there are twenty-six Aeons, bringing the total to thirty. This corresponds to the numerical value of the divine name in Hebrew, which is twenty-six, reinforcing the connection between Valentinian thought and Jewish mystical traditions.  

The *Tripartite Tractate* further elaborates on the unity of the Son and the Aeons:  

> “He is each and every one of the Totalities forever at the same time. He is what all of them are.” (*Tripartite Tractate* 67:7-10)  

> “All of them exist in the single one, as he clothes them completely, and he is never called by his single Name. And in this unique way they are equally the single one (Son) and the Totalities (Aeons).” (*Tripartite Tractate* 66:30-36)  

Despite being aspects of the Son, the Aeons remain unaware of their participation in the divine Name. Marcus describes their ignorance:  

> “No one of them perceives the form of that whereof it is only an element. It does not perceive or know the pronunciation of its neighbor, but believes that which it expresses names the whole.” (Irenaeus, *Against Heresies* 1:14:1)  

This ignorance extends even to knowledge of the Father. Ptolemy writes:  

> “The First Father was recognized only by the Only-Begotten (Son) who came into existence through him, that is, by Mind, whereas he remained invisible and inconceivable to all the others.” (Irenaeus, *Against Heresies* 1:2:1)  

The *Gospel of Truth* expresses astonishment at this:  

> “It was quite amazing that they were in the Father without being acquainted with him and that they alone were able to emanate, inasmuch as they were not able to perceive and recognize the one in whom they were.” (*Gospel of Truth* 22:27-33)  

This ignorance leads to a rupture when one Aeon, Sophia, seeks to grasp what is beyond knowledge, leading to her separation from her syzygy. Theodotus describes this fall as a disruption of the Name:  

> “The Aeon which desired to grasp that which is beyond knowledge fell into ignorance and formlessness. Therefore, he brought about a void of knowledge which is a shadow of the Name, which is the Son, the form of the Aeons. Thus, the partial name of the Aeons is the loss of the Name.” (*Excerpts of Theodotus* 31:3-4)  

The loss of the Name results in the creation of the physical universe, a realm of separation, deficiency, and ignorance. However, through divine grace, the Name is ultimately restored. Theodotus explains:  

> “For then they recognized that what they are, they are by the grace of the Father, an inexpressible Name, form, and knowledge (gnosis).” (*Excerpts of Theodotus* 31:3)  

Marcus describes the final restoration:  

> “The restitution of all things will take place when the whole has reached the one single letter and one and the same expression is sounded.” (Irenaeus, *Against Heresies* 1:14:1)  

In the *Tripartite Tractate*, the Aeons are said to receive their name from the Son, integrating them into a single personality:  

> “The one from whom they take their name, he is the Son who is full, complete, and faultless.” (*Tripartite Tractate* 62:34-38)  

Their final unity with the Son is described as a clothing, a process through which perfection and confirmation are given:  

> “The Son in whom the Totalities are well-pleased put himself on them like a garment, through which he gave perfection to the perfect one and gave perfection to the defective one and gave confirmation to those who are perfect.” (*Tripartite Tractate* 87:1-5)  

Through this process, the Name is restored, and the Son becomes a single, unified personality. The Aeons, once fragmented aspects of his being, are reintegrated, bringing all things into harmony.

Here’s a revised version of your text condensed to 600 words while preserving key quotations and theological insights:  

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The Valentinian tradition emphasizes the Name as the key to true existence. According to this teaching, the fall of Sophia introduced a deficiency into existence, separating creation from the Name. Human beings, formed in the image of the preexistent Human identified with the Son (Valentinus, *Fragment 1*), exist in a state of ignorance until they receive the Name. Valentinus compares the creation of Adam to an incomplete portrait, stating, “The Name completed the deficiency within the act of modeling” (*Fragment 5*). Through the activity of the Son, the deficiency in Adam was corrected, restoring him to the Name and filling him with knowledge (*gnosis*).  

In the *Gospel of Truth*, gnosis is equivalent to being called by the Father: “Those whose names he foreknew were called at the end as persons having gnosis” (21:25-28). To receive a name is to receive the Name, much like the Aeons, who are instances of the Name. The Father’s self-naming as the Son extends to every individual who attains gnosis.  

The elect are frequently described as possessing the Name. The *Gospel of Philip* states, “One who receives the Holy Spirit has the gift of the Name” (64:25-26; 54:10-13). Valentinus likewise declares, “Who then can utter his Name, the great Name, but him alone who possesses the Name—and the children of the Name in whom the Father’s Name reposed and who in turn reposed in his Name” (*Gospel of Truth* 38:25-32; 43:20-22). The concept is found in the Book of Revelation, where the elect bear the Name on their foreheads (14:1; 22:4).  

A related metaphor in Valentinian thought is union with a bridegroom angel. In *Excerpts of Theodotus*, joining an angel is equated with receiving the Name (22:4-5). Angels share in the Name, participating in the Son. This is called "angelic baptism," reinforcing that receiving one’s name is equivalent to receiving one’s angel (22:4-5). In this way, the Son redeems by bestowing the Name, bringing the recipient into true existence. The *Treatise on Resurrection* emphasizes that only those who possess the Name have reality, stating: “Suddenly the living are dying—surely they are not alive at all in this world of apparition!” (48:20-27). The world without the Name is an illusion.  

This distinction extends to names themselves. The *Gospel of Philip* warns, “Names given to worldly things are very deceptive since they turn the heart aside from the real to the unreal… The names that one has heard exist in the world […] deceive” (53:23-28). The rulers of the world exploit false names: “They took the names of the good and gave them to the nongood, to deceive humanity by the names and bind them to the nongood” (54:18-25).  

Jesus takes on human nature to redeem it. His human body is consubstantial with the Church. Theodotus states, “The visible part of Jesus was Sophia (Wisdom) and the church of the superior seed which he put on through the body, but the invisible part was the Name, which is the only begotten Son” (26:1). The *Gospel of Truth* presents Christ as the “living book” containing the names of the saved (20:10-14; cf. Revelation 20:15).  

Valentinians view Jesus' baptism as the moment of his redemption: “The Name came down upon Jesus in the dove and redeemed him” (*Excerpts of Theodotus* 22:6). This redemption extends to all within the “church of the superior seed.” The *Interpretation of Knowledge* calls Jesus the “humiliated one” (12:18-22) and the “reproached one” (12:29-31), stating, “Who is it that redeemed the one that was reproached? It is the emanation of the Name” (12:29-31).  

Receiving the Name unites individuals with Christ. The *Gospel of Philip* declares, “Such a person is no longer a Christian but a Christ” (67:26-27). Just as the Son bears the Father’s Name, so the believer bears the Name of Christ.  

The Valentinian baptismal liturgy reflects this doctrine. According to *Irenaeus*, baptism is performed “In the Name of the Father of all, into Truth the Mother of all, into him who descended into Jesus… The Name hidden from every divinity, rule and power… Peace to all on whom the Name rests” (*Against Heresies* 1:21:3). The *Tripartite Tractate* confirms, “There is no other baptism apart from this one alone which is redemption into God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—when confession is made by faith in those names which are a single Name of the gospel” (127:28-35).  

The Name is also linked to *parrhesia* (bold speech). The book of Acts states that bold speaking, healings, and miracles occur “through the Name” (Acts 4:29-30). Valentinus affirms, “The Father’s free act of speaking is the manifestation of the Son” (*Fragment 2*). The Name within Adam produced *parrhesia*, frightening the angels (*Fragment 5*). This divine speech manifests in the believer through gnosis.  

Inspired speech results from union with one’s angel. According to Marcus, inspired speech comes from the bridegroom angel (*Against Heresies* 1:13:3). Yet, true names remain unspoken: “Those who possess this Name think it but do not speak it” (*Gospel of Philip* 54:10-12). Worldly names are mere images of the eternal Name: “Truth is unitary, [worldly names] are multiple, and it is for our sakes that it lovingly refers to this one thing by means of multiplicity” (54:13-17).  

Valentinians developed the concept of the Name in profound ways, linking it to Christology, salvation, and baptism. Understanding their theology requires recognizing that the Name is the key to gnosis and true existence.