The Son as Autogenes: Self-Begotten, Only-Begotten, and First-Begotten

**The Son as Autogenes: Self-Begotten, Only-Begotten, and First-Begotten**

In Sethian Gnostic theology, one of the central figures is the divine Son—often identified with the Logos, the Christ, or the savior Seth—who bears the titles *Autogenes* (Self-Begotten), *Only-Begotten*, and *First-Begotten*. These titles are not merely descriptive but theologically loaded terms that speak to his unique status within the emanational hierarchy of the divine Fullness (*Pleroma*). While the ineffable One may also be described as *self-begotten*, it is most often the Son who is called *Autogenes*, especially in key Sethian texts such as *The Apocryphon of John*, *The Gospel of the Egyptians*, and *The Sophia of Jesus Christ*.

### The Only-Begotten in the Gospel of John

The canonical Gospel of John provides a significant theological touchpoint. In John 1:18 we read:

> “No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is in the bosom with the Father is the one that has explained him.”

The Greek phrase *monogenēs theos*—translated as “only-begotten god”—may be interpreted in Sethian terms as referring to *Autogenes*, the self-originated Logos. He is both *only-begotten* in the sense that he is the unique, direct emanation from the Invisible Spirit and Barbelo, and *self-begotten*, indicating that he arises without external creation, but from the divine will and mind itself.

### Autogenes in the Sethian Corpus

Although the term *self-begotten* may apply to the ineffable One in certain texts, the title *Autogenes* is usually reserved for the Son—the Logos, Christ, or Seth. In *The Apocryphon of John* and *The Gospel of the Egyptians*, Autogenes is intimately connected with the Four Lights (Harmozel, Oroiael, Daveithai, and Eleleth), either being begotten with them or producing them in conjunction with Barbelo.

> “Because of the word, Christ the divine Autogenes created everything...”

> “...the twelve aeons which attend the son of the mighty one, the Autogenes, the Christ, through the will and the gift of the invisible Spirit.” (*Apocryphon of John*)

Here, *Autogenes* functions as the agent of divine creation, establishing the aeons and serving as the channel through which the Spirit’s will is fulfilled.

### The Generation of Seth

A unique feature of Sethian theology is the appearance of Seth as a divine savior figure—one who proceeds from the union of divine principles. In *The Gospel of the Egyptians*, Seth is described as the product of the Logos, the Autogenes, and Adamas:

> “Then the great Logos, the divine Autogenes, and the incorruptible man Adamas mingled with each other. (...) And thus there came forth (...) the great incorruptible Seth, the son of the incorruptible man Adamas.” (*Gospel of the Egyptians*)

This passage portrays Seth not as a product of biological reproduction, but of metaphysical generation—an emanation from the divine fullness, integrating both Logos and primordial Man (*Adamas*).

This same mystery is celebrated in *The Three Steles of Seth*, where Seth blesses Adamas (Geradamas), calling him father:

> “I bless thee, Father Geradama(s), I, as thine own Son, Emmacha Seth, whom thou didst beget without begetting.” (*Three Steles of Seth*)

The phrase “beget without begetting” emphasizes a spiritual and non-carnal mode of generation, rooted in divine thought rather than physical descent.

### From the Self-Begotten Light

Christ’s origin is described in revelatory terms in *The Sophia of Jesus Christ*, where he claims to come forth from the primal divine source:

> “I (Christ) came from Self-begotten and First Infinite Light, that I might reveal everything to you.” (*Sophia of Jesus Christ*)

Here, the Son is not merely another emanation; he is the revealer and interpreter of divine reality, emerging directly from the primal light itself.

### The Only-Begotten Son

The Son is repeatedly identified as *Only-Begotten* in Sethian texts. This title emphasizes his uniqueness and his immediate relationship to the source:

> “This (the Christ) was an only-begotten child of the Mother-Father which had come forth; it is the only offspring, the only-begotten one of the Father, the pure Light.” (*Apocryphon of John*)

The *Untitled Text in the Bruce Codex* adds:

> “And he (the Son) will fill all the aeons which belong to you with the grace of the only-begotten Son.” (*Bruce Codex*)

The Only-Begotten is the one who imparts divine grace and fills the aeons with the knowledge and presence of the hidden God.

### The First-Begotten

In addition to being self-begotten and only-begotten, the Son is also called *First-Begotten*, indicating primacy in the divine order:

> “Place upon me your beloved, elect, and blessed greatness, the First-born, the First-begotten.” (*Prayer of Paul*)

He is the first to emerge from the divine fullness and serves as the prototype for all subsequent aeonic beings.

### The God Who Was Begotten

Christ is described in *The Trimorphic Protennoia* as the God who, though divine, is begotten:

> “Now those Aeons (the Four Lights) were begotten by the God who was begotten – the Christ.” (*Trimorphic Protennoia*)

This portrays Christ not as an independent deity, but as one who is himself born from within the divine order, and who begets others in turn.

### Begotten and Unbegotten

This paradox—being both begotten and unbegotten—is embraced in *The Teachings of Silvanus*:

> “And even if he (Christ) has been begotten, he is (still) unbegotten.” (*Silvanus*)

The text holds both truths in tension: Christ emerges from the divine, yet shares the same eternal nature.

This duality is further defended in *Melchizedek*:

> “Furthermore, they will say of him (Christ) that he is unbegotten, though he has been begotten, (...) that he is unfleshly, though he has come in the flesh, that he did not come to suffering, though he came to suffering, that he did not rise from the dead, though he arose from the dead.” (*Melchizedek*)

Here, Christ’s true identity is safeguarded against various misunderstandings. He is not simply an abstract aeon, but one who entered time, suffered, died, and rose—without ceasing to be the divine Self-Begotten.

### Conclusion

The Sethian understanding of the Son as *Autogenes*—the Self-Begotten, Only-Begotten, and First-Begotten—encapsulates the core of their cosmology and soteriology. As the Logos, Christ, and Seth, he mediates the divine fullness to the aeons, creates and sustains the spiritual order, and reveals the hidden God. Though paradoxical—begotten and unbegotten, divine and manifest—he is the radiant Light through whom the Elect are awakened and saved.

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