The Four Luminaries in Sethian Cosmology: Harmozel, Oroiael, Daveithai, and Eleleth

**The Four Luminaries in Sethian Cosmology: Harmozel, Oroiael, Daveithai, and Eleleth**

In the mythic cosmology of the Sethian Gnostics, four great aeons or luminaries—**Harmozel**, **Oroiael**, **Daveithai**, and **Eleleth**—stand out as radiant emanations of divine thought. They are frequently mentioned in key Sethian texts such as *Zostrianos*, *The Apocryphon of John*, *The Three Steles of Seth*, and *Allogenes*, where they serve crucial roles in mediating the divine fullness (the Pleroma) and the realm below. These luminaries represent not only emanated intellects but also structural aspects of the higher world and caretakers of divine humanity. Each of them is associated with one of the four primordial human archetypes—Adamas, Seth, the seed of Seth, and others—reflecting both the metaphysical framework of the cosmos and the moral or spiritual path of ascent for the elect.

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### **1. Harmozel (Ἁρμοζήλ): The First Luminary**

**Harmozel** is the first and highest of the four luminaries, and he is often described as the aeon to whom **Adamas**, the divine heavenly man, belongs. In *The Apocryphon of John*, we read:

> “And he placed the four luminaries in order, before him: the first is Harmozel, who is the first angel. Together with him are grace, truth, and form.”

Harmozel is associated with the divine attributes of **grace (charis)**, **truth (aletheia)**, and **form (morphe)**—indicating his role in stabilizing and manifesting the essential pattern of the perfect human being. In Sethian thought, Adamas is the primordial spiritual human and prototype of the elect race. Harmozel, therefore, represents the light-world’s original and pure form of humanity, prior to any fall into material corruption. His position closest to the divine source makes him a channel of divine order and perfection.

In *Zostrianos*, Harmozel also appears as a dwelling place of higher souls who have transcended the lower aeons and chaos. He acts as a boundary between the divine triad and the unfolding aeonic structures.

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### **2. Oroiael (Ὀροιαήλ): The Second Luminary**

**Oroiael**, the second luminary, is less frequently described than Harmozel but is of equal metaphysical importance. In *The Apocryphon of John*, it is said:

> “The second luminary is Oroiael, who is placed over Seth. And with him are life, hope, and faith.”

Oroiael is the luminary over **Seth**, the spiritual progenitor of the elect race in Sethian anthropology. Seth is seen as a redeemed or spiritualized form of Adamas and is often identified with Christ in his pre-existent form. Thus, Oroiael stands as a guardian of redemptive knowledge and eschatological promise.

The attributes associated with Oroiael—**life (zoe)**, **hope (elpis)**, and **faith (pistis)**—represent spiritual qualities necessary for the ascent of the elect. While Harmozel is associated with original perfection, Oroiael reflects the spiritual transformation necessary for return to the divine fullness. In this way, Oroiael helps bridge the fall and the restoration, providing guidance and nourishment to those of the seed of Seth.

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### **3. Daveithai (Δαυεϊθαί): The Third Luminary**

**Daveithai** is the third luminary and is connected to the **seed of Seth**, the spiritual descendants who continue the legacy of gnosis in the cosmos. The *Apocryphon of John* tells us:

> “The third is Daveithai, who is over the seed of Seth. And with him are understanding, perception, and memory.”

This triad—**understanding (synesis)**, **perception (aisthesis)**, and **memory (mneme)**—symbolizes cognitive and noetic faculties crucial for retaining gnosis and resisting the forgetfulness imposed by the lower powers. Daveithai governs the intellectual awakening of the soul and the preservation of spiritual identity amidst the confusion of the material world.

In this sense, Daveithai plays a crucial role in the inner work of salvation. He is not merely a guardian of a class of beings, but a cosmic power responsible for preserving the light-seed's awareness of its origin and destiny. In Sethian myth, remembering one's divine origin is a central act of liberation. Daveithai, therefore, enables the inner act of anamnesis, the sacred memory of the fullness.

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### **4. Eleleth (Ἐλελέθ): The Fourth Luminary**

**Eleleth** is the fourth and final of the great luminaries and is most prominently portrayed as a savior figure in Sethian texts. He is said to preside over those who will repent and be saved from the entrapments of the lower aeons and their ruler, the arrogant demiurge.

> “The fourth is Eleleth, who is over those who repent. And with him are innocence, justice, and mercy.”

These attributes—**innocence (akakia)**, **justice (dikaiosyne)**, and **mercy (eleos)**—show Eleleth’s role in the ethical and salvific dimension of Sethian teaching. Eleleth appears as a revealer of truth and a rescuer in *The Hypostasis of the Archons*, where he delivers a message to Norea, the daughter of Eve, and helps her understand her spiritual origin and the deception of the Archons:

> “Then I, Norea, cried out with all my might. I called to the holy, the god of the entirety, ‘Rescue me from these lawless ones, O Lord!’ Then there came a voice from the height saying to me, ‘Norea, Norea, you courageous soul, who has awoken through the teachings of the Most High. I am Eleleth, the great angel, who stands in the presence of the Holy Spirit.’”

Here, Eleleth functions not only as a luminary but as an **angelic revealer**, intervening in history to awaken the elect. His association with repentance suggests a final opportunity for return—a last call to escape the ignorance and blindness imposed by the material rulers.

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### **Conclusion**

The luminaries Harmozel, Oroiael, Daveithai, and Eleleth form a fourfold divine structure that reflects the full spectrum of human participation in the divine: from original formation (Harmozel), to faithful hope and transformation (Oroiael), to cognitive remembering (Daveithai), and final redemption (Eleleth). Each luminary oversees a specific stage in the journey of the soul back to the divine fullness. They are not merely cosmic entities, but personified dimensions of spiritual ascent, acting as both guardians and guides for those destined to escape the world of death and decay and return to the imperishable Pleroma.