

# **The Valentinian and the Sefirot**
The interplay between Valentinian thought and Jewish mysticism, particularly Kabbalah, reveals profound parallels in their descriptions of divine emanation and structure. Both traditions depict God as manifesting through stages, utilizing a system of paired attributes or emanations that define the divine order. The concept of the **Sefirot** in Kabbalah and the **Aeons** in Valentinianism function as metaphysical structures that reveal divine characteristics, emphasizing order, balance, and the gradual unfolding of divinity into the cosmos.
## **The Root of the All and the Emanation of the Four**
The Valentinian Exposition from the Nag Hammadi Library describes the ineffable Father as **"the Root of the All,"** an expression that evokes the image of a tree, similar to the **Sefirot** as the "Tree of Life" in Kabbalistic thought. The Father, before any manifestation, exists alone in silence:
> "He dwells alone in silence, and silence is tranquility since, after all, he was in fact One and nothing existed before him. He also exists as Twoness and as a Pair, and his partner is Silence. And he possessed the All dwelling within him." (*A Valentinian Exposition, Nag Hammadi Library*)
Here, the ineffable God first emanates into Two—representing a primordial polarity—and then into Four. The **Tetrad** in Valentinianism corresponds to this fourfold emanation: **Mind and Truth, Word and Life, Man and Church**. This Tetrad is the foundation of the Pleroma, analogous to the **four letters of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH)** in Jewish mysticism.
Further in the text, the expansion of the Father continues:
> "The Fourth accordingly is he who restricted himself in the Fourth: while dwelling in the Three-hundred-sixtieth, he first brought himself (forth), and in the Second he revealed his will, and in the Fourth he spread himself out." (*A Valentinian Exposition, Nag Hammadi Library*)
This reference to **360** represents the totality of divine emanation, linking it to the idea of a **full cycle or completion**. The number 360 corresponds to the **entirety of divine manifestation**, an idea that resonates with the mystical numerology found in Kabbalah.
## **The Tetrad and the Shemhamphorash**
In Jewish mystical traditions, the **Tetragrammaton (YHWH)** is permutated into **72 divine names**, known as the **Shemhamphorash**. This transformation reflects the idea that the divine name contains hidden dimensions, unfolding into the angelic hierarchy. Valentinianism similarly understands the **Tetrad as generating additional divine manifestations**, with the structure of the Aeons expanding into the **Decad (10 Aeons) and Dodecad (12 Aeons), forming a total of 30 Aeons in the Pleroma**.
> "That Tetrad projected the Tetrad which is the one consisting of Word and Life and Man and Church. [...] And the Tetrad is begotten [... ] the Decad from Word and Life, and the Dodecad from Man, and Church became a Triacontad." (*A Valentinian Exposition, Nag Hammadi Library*)
Here, the **Decad** (10 Aeons) mirrors the **Ten Sefirot**, which in Kabbalah serve as the divine attributes through which God interacts with the world. The **Dodecad (12 Aeons)** extends this manifestation, paralleling how **the 10 Sefirot are connected by 22 paths**, forming the **"32 Paths of Wisdom"**, a key structure in Kabbalah.
## **The Decad and the Sefirot**
The Valentinian **Decad** consists of paired emanations, much like the Sefirot, which function in dynamic relationships. The ten Valentinian Aeons of the Decad are:
1. **Bythios (Profound) and Mixis (Mixture)**
2. **Ageratos (Never old) and Henosis (Union)**
3. **Autophyes (Essential nature) and Hedone (Pleasure)**
4. **Acinetos (Immovable) and Syncrasis (Commixture)**
5. **Monogenes (Only-begotten) and Macaria (Happiness)**
In Kabbalistic thought, the **Sefirot** are similarly understood as divine attributes, each with its own function. The first three Sefirot—**Keter (Crown), Chokhmah (Wisdom), and Binah (Understanding)**—parallel the **Valentinian Mind (Nous), Word (Logos), and Life (Zoe)**. The **lower Sefirot**, such as **Chesed (Mercy) and Gevurah (Judgment)**, reflect **aspects of divine justice and balance**, which in Valentinianism manifest as the interplay between **male and female Aeons**.
## **The Father as the Tree and the Tree of Life**
Valentinian texts often describe the **Father as a tree**, which aligns with the **Tree of Life (Etz Chaim)** in Kabbalistic thought. The **Tripartite Tractate** states:
> "The Father is a single one, like a number, for he is the first one and the one who is only himself. Yet he is not like a solitary individual. Otherwise, how could he be a father? For whenever there is a 'father,' the name 'son' follows. But the single one, who alone is the Father, is like a root, with tree, branches and fruit." (*The Tripartite Tractate, Nag Hammadi Library*)
The **Sefirot** are arranged **in a tree-like pattern**, connected by **22 paths**, corresponding to the **22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet**. In Jewish mysticism, these paths serve as the channels through which divine energy flows. The **Valentinian Aeons** similarly exist in structured pairs, reflecting a dynamic process of emanation and return.
## **The Numerological Significance of the Tree of Life**
In both Valentinianism and Kabbalah, **numerology plays a crucial role** in the divine structure. The **10 Sefirot + 22 paths** create the **"32 Paths of Wisdom,"** a system mirrored in Valentinian teachings where the **Aeons form numerical structures representing divine totality**. Additionally, the **seven lights of the Jewish menorah**, symbolizing divine wisdom, can be understood in relation to the **Aeons and their functions within the Pleroma**.
> "The seven lamps allude to the branches of human knowledge, represented by the six lamps inclined inwards towards, and symbolically guided by, the light of God represented by the central lamp." (*Jewish Mystical Tradition*)
This **symbolism of divine light** is reflected in Valentinian descriptions of the **Aeons as divine attributes**, forming the **Pleroma**—the **fullness of divine presence**.
## **Conclusion**
The Valentinian system of **emanation** bears striking parallels to the **Sefirot** of Kabbalah. Both describe a structured process where the **divine manifests in stages**, forming a tree-like pattern of **paired attributes**. The **Tetrad of Valentinianism corresponds to the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), and the Decad to the Ten Sefirot**. Both traditions employ **numerological structures, divine names, and symbolic trees** to illustrate how **God emanates into the cosmos while maintaining transcendence**.
By examining these connections, we see that **Valentinianism and Kabbalah share a common mystical language**, revealing a deep-seated tradition of **divine emanation and structure**, shaping early Christian and Jewish esoteric thought.
I will speak my mystery to those who are mine and to those who will be mine. Moreover it is these who have known him who is, the Father, that is, the Root of the All, the Ineffable One who exists as Oneness. He dwells alone in silence, and silence is tranquility since, after all, he was in fact One and nothing existed before him. He also exists as Twoness and as a Pair, and his partner is Silence. And he possessed the All dwelling within him. And as for Intention and Persistence, Love and Permanence, they are indeed unbegotten. (The Nag Hammadi Library A Valentinian Exposition)
God came forth: the Son, Mind of the All, that is, it is from the Root of the All that even his Thought stems, since he had this one (the Son) in Mind. For on behalf of the All, he received an alien Thought since there were nothing before him. From that place it is he who moved [...] a gushing spring. Now this is the Root of the All and Oneness without any one before him. Now the second spring exists in silence and speaks with him alone. And the Fourth accordingly is he who restricted himself in the Fourth: while dwelling in the Three-hundred-sixtieth, he first brought himself (forth), and in the Second he revealed his will, and in the Fourth he spread himself out. (The Nag Hammadi Library A Valentinian Exposition)
This passage is taken to mean that the root of the All the Father first spreads himself out into Two and than Four. From Four he also extends himself as far as Three Hundred Sixty, representing the ultimate edge of the Pleroma although in a distinct dimension of his transcendent essence he keeps himself restricted to the primal Four.
The Four primal emanations maybe a symbol for the four worlds (Olam) in Kabbalah they could also stand as a symbol for 4 letters of the divine name YHWH or Tetragrammaton (meaning "consisting of four letters"). The Tetragrammaton was permutated into 72 angelic names by simply taking the yo da valve and mutating them
The Valentinians understood the four primal emanations as a refernce to the tetragrammaton which was permutated into 72 angelic names by simply taking the yo da valve and permutating them, that was known as the Shemhamphorash.
The different names of God in the Jewish mysticism current at the time of Jesus the names of God were understood to be emanations or divine attributes of God they were hypostasis or emanations of Godhead manifesting into existence as the world's are coming into existence Jewish mysticism
In Jewish angelology, the angels and archangels are manifested as coming forth and emanating from Godhead and originally all the angels were personifications of these things and they were named with a suffix EL which means of God for example Micha-EL the loving kindness of God Rapha-EL the healing of God and so on. In the Kabbalah the Sephirot became the emanation of the more abstract moral qualities of God in the Valentinian Pleroma of the Aeons Godhead was manifested in pairs male/female pairs
The Valentinian Exposition from the Nag Hammadi Library
That Tetrad projected the Tetrad which is the one consisting of Word and Life and Man and Church. Now the Uncreated One projected Word and Life. Word is for the glory of the Ineffable One while Life is for the glory of Silence, and Man is for his own glory, while Church is for the glory of Truth. This, then, is the Tetrad begotten according to the likeness of the Uncreated (Tetrad). And the Tetrad is begotten [... ] the Decad from Word and Life, and the Dodecad from Man, and Church became a Triacontad. Moreover, it is the one from the Triacontad of the Aeons who bear fruit from the Triacontrad. They enter jointly, but they come forth singly, fleeing from the Aeons and the Uncontainable Ones. And the Uncontainable Ones, once they had looked at him, glorified Mind since he is an Uncontainable One that exists in the Pleroma.
But the Decad from Word and Life brought forth decads so as to make the Pleroma become a hundred, and the Dodecad from Man and Church brought forth and made the Triacontad so as to make the three hundred sixty become the Pleroma of the year. (The Nag Hammadi Library A Valentinian Exposition)
The Decad is the Sefirot
God emanated himself in stages to create the universe. There are ten aeons, which are vessels or containers called the Sephirot (the word Sephirot means emanations). These emanations or attribute that are manifested are powers and virtues, wisdom, knowledge, justice, mercy, and so on these are still referenced in attributions to the seven lights of the Jewish synagogue, which you will find on the altar in a synagogue with seven lights this seven lights will reference 10 Sefirot.
The seven lamps allude to the branches of human knowledge, represented by the six lamps inclined inwards towards, and symbolically guided by, the light of God represented by the central lamp.
There are 22 paths that connect these ten Sephirot and that makes 32 names of God. The root attributes of the powers and virtues of God were understood as a kind of tree like the tree of life. It was the image of God in mankind as the blind men said I see men as trees walking we find a lot of this tree language in this tree of life are ten Sefirot ten vessels
The tree of sefirot also has a numerological significance. Between the 10 sefirot run 22 channels or paths, which connect them, a number which can be associated with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Together the spiritual forces of the 10 sefirot and the 22 connecting channels are called the "32 Paths of Wisdom".
Samuel Zinner writes:
Morever the name Theudas is curiously reminiscent of Syrian Jewish-Christian tradition and this might explain the many Jewish (actually; Jewish-Christian) Kabbalistic elements in the Valentino an system. Traditional scholarship over-emphasizer traditional scholarship over-elements the Valentnian system.aspects of Valentine's thought we therefore now turn to an examination of the possible Jewish components found in his metaphysics.First in the Valentnian system Logos. and Zoe (word and Life) emit ten emanations whereas the celestial Son of man and Ecclesia (Church) emit twelve emanations.These number correspond precisely to the ten sefirot and the twelve tribes of Israel whi Kabbalists add together in order to arrive at the number of the 22 Letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
In later Valentnian school of Ptolemy we encounter a doctrine of two Sophia's precisely paralleled in the Kabbalah Upper and lower shekhinah, the upper being wholy righteous, the lower being morally ambiguous. (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
The Jewish-Christian Ebionite distinction between the celestial Saviour the earthly Jesus. also seems to be reflected in Valentnian thought. The Valentnian system reflected in Valentnian thought. The Valentinian systems references to concepts such as the Father measure size or extent are all reminiscent of the ancients shi'ur qomah traditions. For Valentinus Sophia is the last of the aeonic emanations precisely as Shekinah is the final sefirah in Kabbalah . (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
According to Ptolemy all the aeons were Words which is exactly paralleled in the Kabbalah a teaching that the ten sefirot correspond to God's ten words of creative command in the Genesis creation account (nine explicit commands one implicit). (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
The Valentinian use of gematria in the Greek name iesous is also indicative of typical Kabbalistic procedures. Although gematria was by no means confined to Jewish circles in light of the other extensive specifically Jewish parallels in Valentinus' thought it is more natural to associate his practice of gematria with Judaism than with Hellenism. (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
As the Zohar teaches that Hokhmah made the emanation Elohim (Binah understanding) so the Valentnian Ptolemy teaches that Sophia is exalted above the Demiurge. Naturally qualifications must be made with regard to various details but the overall general paradigms seem sufficient to indicate a strong Jewish or better Jewish-Christian component within Valentinianism and we would suggest that the best candidate for transmission of these ideas to Valentinus would be Theudas. (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
Since it is quite likely that the Nag Hammadi Gospel of Truth was written by Valentinus we should comment on it somewhat .Its Jewish Christian character is especially apparent in its divine Name Christology. We note that the word God occurs in this document only once and this is strongly suggestive of the traditional Jewish avoidance of the name God. There is a heavily Syrian Jewish-Christian complexion this text if this tendency had been mediated to Valentinus via Theudas this then might imply that the latter may have been of Syrian origin. (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
According the Gospel of Truth 17 the obvious flaws in creation do not in actuality exist. For the mutable creation itself in contrast to the immutable Father can be said to be non_existent therefore the flaws in creation are no dishonor to God. In Folio 18 We find a point curiously Philo Oblivion did not emerg into existence from the Father even if it did come to because of him (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)
The image of the hypostatic Book in folios 19_23 is deeply Jewish-Christian in tone. 6In folio 23 we encounter a list of emanational attributes associat!ed with the supernal pleroma man of which curiously coincide to varying degrees with the Kabbalistic sefirot such as Wisdom Knowledge Forbearance. Crown Glory Love.Folio 24 reflects the Syrian Jewish-Christian idea that the feminine bosom of the Father is the Holy spirit Jewish-Christian as well is the Triad of Father Mother (=Holy Spirit) and Son ... into the Father into the Mother Jesus of the unending sweetness Folio 27 s lan_guage may indicate Knowledge of the traditions concerning pre-existence found in the Gospel of Thomas logion19 and this yet another Syrian feature of the Gospel of Truth...those come into existence... before they come into existence Fo-lios 38-39 present the Jewish-Christian doctrine of the Son as the Name of the Father.This passage implies that the Father essence is unnameable for his essence cannot be named there fore the Son is his name. (The Gospel of Thomas By Samuel Zinner)