Know Thyself Biblical or Pagan

know thyself biblical or pagan

**Know Thyself: Biblical or Secular Proverb?

"Know thyself" is widely cited as a Greek philosophical maxim, famously inscribed on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and commonly attributed to Socrates or Phemonoe. However, contrary to popular belief, this saying did not originate from pagan philosophy. Rather, its true roots lie in the Hebrew Scriptures. The notion of self-knowledge, as emphasized by Moses and the prophets, long preceded Greek philosophy. The Law of Moses, primarily found in the Torah, predates Greek thinkers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle by centuries. This means that Greek philosophers stole “Know thyself” from the Hebrew Bible.

The early Christian fathers themselves understood this. They believed that the Greek philosophers obtained whatever bits of truth they had from the Hebrew Scriptures. All of this shows that the ancient Greek philosophers must have read the Hebrew Scriptures and taken the phrase "Know yourself" from the Hebrew Scriptures. This was not their discovery. It was a theft—an appropriation of divine wisdom for secular speculation.

One of the clearest expressions of self-knowledge in early Christian texts is found in The Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3:

"[If] those who lead you [say to you, 'See], the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky [will precede you. If they say that] it is under the earth, then the fish of the sea [will enter it, preceding] you. And, the [kingdom of God] is inside of you, [and it is outside of you. Whoever] knows [himself] will discover this. [And when you] come to know yourselves, [you will realize that] you are [sons] of the [living] father. [But if you] will [not] know yourselves, [you dwell] in [poverty] and it is you who are that poverty."

This passage breaks into two parts. The first part concerns the location of the Kingdom, rejecting any purely external understanding. The second part—"Whoever knows [himself] will discover this..."—identifies self-knowledge as the path to discovering that one is a child of the Living Father. This is not a Gnostic idea imported from Greek mystery cults—it is Hebraic wisdom in Christ’s own words, rooted in Scripture.

Despite claims by scholars like Funk and Hoover that the phrase "know yourselves" is a secular proverb, the Greek phrase "γνῶθι σεαυτόν" (gnōthi seauton) actually occurs in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. This phrase appears in Job 5:27 and Song of Songs 1:8:

Job 5:27 (Brenton Septuagint): "Behold, we have thus sought out these matters; these are what we have heard: but do thou reflect with thyself, if thou hast done anything wrong."

Song of Songs 1:8 (Brenton Septuagint): "If thou know not thyself, thou fair one among women, go thou forth by the footsteps of the flocks, and feed thy kids by the shepherd’s tents."

In both passages, the phrase γνῶθι σεαυτόν is clearly present. This proves that the concept of self-knowledge—both linguistically and spiritually—was not born in Delphi but in the Hebrew tradition.

Further evidence is seen in the repeated scriptural exhortation: "Take heed to thyself." This phrase runs through the Torah, Psalms, and Prophets, and continues in the words of Jesus and the apostles. Consider these examples:

Deuteronomy 4:9: "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen..."

Deuteronomy 11:16: "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods..."

Luke 21:34: "But pay attention to yourselves that YOUR hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life..." (NWT)

Acts 20:28: "Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock..." (NWT)

1 Timothy 4:16: "Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching. Stay by these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you." (NWT)

2 John 1:8: "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought..." (KJ)

Proverbs 4:23: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

This pattern throughout Scripture reinforces that self-awareness and inner reflection are commanded by God. The Bible is not advocating some vague mystical introspection but a deeply responsible, ethical awareness of our actions, our hearts, and our standing before God.

Philo of Alexandria, a first-century Jewish philosopher, also affirms that the command to "Take heed to thyself" is identical in meaning to "know yourself." In On the Migration of Abraham, Philo writes:

"Know yourself all your life, as Moses teaches us in many passages where he says, 'Take heed to Thyself.'"

He goes on:

"Learn to be acquainted with the country of the external senses; know thyself and thy own parts, and what each is, and for what end it was made."

Thus, for Philo, self-knowledge is a call to understand not only the body and the mind, but also to recognize the divine order and purpose behind one's own being. This is a moral and spiritual discipline, not philosophical navel-gazing.

The Apostle Paul shares the same view. In 1 Corinthians 13:9-12, he writes:

"For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. [...] Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

Paul acknowledges our limited understanding of our true self now but looks forward to the fullness of knowledge in Christ. This aligns perfectly with "Whoever knows [himself] will discover this" from the Gospel of Thomas.

So when Jesus says the Kingdom is within you and that knowing yourself is the path to discovering it, he is not echoing Plato or Socrates—he is continuing the ancient biblical tradition of Moses, the prophets, and the wisdom literature. He is calling us to pay attention to ourselves, to guard our hearts, and to walk in the knowledge of who we are as children of God.

Know thyself? It's not Greek. It's biblical.

The Gospel of Thomas Saying 3 

(3) Jesus said, "[If] those who lead you [say to you, 'See], the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky [will precede you. If they say that] it is under the earth, then the fish of the sea [will enter it, preceding] you. And, the [kingdom of God] is inside of you, [and it is outside of you. Whoever] knows [himself] will discover this. [And when you] come to know yourselves, [you will realize that] you are [sons] of the [living] father. [But if you] will [not] know yourselves, [you dwell] in [poverty] and it is you who are that poverty."
The first part of this saying is about the location of the Kingdom the second part of this saying is about how to find the kingdom by self knowledge:

“Whoever] knows [himself] will discover this. [And when you] come to know yourselves, [you will realize that] you are [sons] of the [living] father. [But if you] will [not] know yourselves, [you dwell] in [poverty] and it is you who are that poverty.” 

Funk and Hoover write: "This phrase ['know yourselves'] is a secular proverb often attributed to Socrates.

it comes from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi "know thyself" is one of the Delphic maxims and was the first of three maxims inscribed in the pronaos (forecourt) of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi according to the Greek writer Pausanias (10.24.1).[1]

Other sources attribute it to Phemonoe, a mythical Greek poetess. In a discussion of moderation and self-awareness, the Roman poet Juvenal quotes the phrase in Greek and states that the precept descended de caelo (from heaven) (Satire 11.27).

However, as I will show below this part of the saying is adapted from the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. I believe that the Lord Jesus adapted this saying from the Hebrew Scriptures the phrases "Take heed to Thyself" "know, thou, for thyself" "If thou know not of thyself" occur many times in both the Hebrew Scriptures and Septuagint.

"Know thyself" was the wisest maxim of the wisest philospher of the wisest pagan nation of antiquity. "Know thyself" is inculcated by all the prophets and Apostles of all the ages of Revelation. And while the wisest man of the wisest nation in theology taught as his first maxim that "the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom"and while the Saviour of the world taught that "it is eternal life to know the only true God and his son Jesus Christ whom he commissioned" both concur in inculcating the excellence and in teaching the utility and importance of self-knowledge (The Christian Baptist, Volumes 5-6 1827-1828 Edited by Alexander Campbell)

In Greek the phrase "know thyself" is "γνῶθι σεαυτόν" these two Greek words are used in the bible they are given Strong's concordance numbers G1097 G4572 γνῶθι σεαυτόν these two words are used together in the Septuagint (see below)

Septuagint

In Greek the phrase "know thyself" is "γνῶθι σεαυτόν" these two Greek words are used in the Septuagint translation of Job 5:27 and Song of Songs 1:8 

Job 5:27 Lo! As for this, we have searched it out––so, it is, Hear it, and know, thou, for thyself. Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible 

Job 5:27Behold, we have thus sought out these matters; these are what we have heard: but do thou reflect with thyself, if thou hast done anything wrong. (Brenton Septuagint Translation)

So 1:8 If thou know not of thyself, most beautiful among women! get thee forth in the footsteps of the flock, and pasture thy kids by the huts of the shepherds (Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible.)

8  If thou know not thyself, thou fair one among women, go thou forth by the footsteps of the flocks, and feed thy kids by the shepherd’s tents. (Brenton Septuagint Translation)

She should realise of herself where the place of shelter and rest is to be found, for it has been revealed unto her, and there is no need for her to wander blindly.


 {Ge 31:24 Ge 31:29 Ex 10:28 Ex 23:13 Ex 34:12 De 8:11 De 12:13 De 12:19 De 12:30 Cp. 1Sa 19:2 


LXX, Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible, or look at the King James Bible (1611) Ex 10:28 Ex 34:12 De 4:9 De 12:13 De 12:19 De 12:30). 


All of this shows that the ancient Greek philosophers must have read the Hebrew Scriptures and taken the phrase "Know yourself" from the Hebrew Scriptures.

Philo of Alexandria

Philo of Alexandria attributes the phrase "know yourself" or "know thyself" to Moses

Philo of Alexandria defines self knowledge or knowing yourself as "Take heed to Thyself."

Philo On the Migration of Abraham:

know yourself all your life, as Moses teaches us in many passages where he says, "Take heed to Thyself."{4}{#ex 34:12.}

"Dwell, therefore," says she, "O my child, with him," not all thy life, but "certain days;" that is to say, learn to be acquainted with the country of the external senses; know thyself and thy own parts, and what each is, and for what end it was made

Come, and at once abandoning all other things, learn to know yourselves, and tell us plainly what ye yourselves are in respect of your bodies, in respect of your souls, in respect of your external senses, and in respect of your reason

Philo's interpretation to know oneself is neither purely positive (as in Plato we must know ourselves as parts of the divine intelligible) nor purely neative (as in the tragedies we must know our own limitations) but a combination of both aspects we must recognize ourselves as non-being through which shines the true being of the Cause

Take Heed to Thyself

Deut 4:9  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;

De 11:16  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

Take heed to Thyself this is another re-occurring phrase throughout Deuteronomy, emphasising the personal responsibility (See Deut. 2:4; 4:9,15,23; 11:16; 12:13,19,30; 27:9.)

"Take heed to yourselves"— A personal instruction to every individual. In similar manner, on following the Lord's ascension into heaven, the apostles urged the people:

"Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40). Earlier the Lord had

impressed the apostles with the fact of personal responsibility by an exhortation that

reaches down to our day: 'Take heed to yourselves..." (Luke 21:34).

set down in Scripture as an exhortation to all to take heed to their own individual conduct (1 Cor. 10:11).

Prov 4:23  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.

The Lord Jesus himself in the New Testament use the phrase “Take heed to yourselves” or  "pay attention to yourselves" see: 

Luke 21:34 “But pay attention to yourselves that YOUR hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon YOU (NWT)

And so does Paul: Acts 20: 28 Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed YOU overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own [Son]. (NWT)

(1 Timothy 4:16) Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching. Stay by these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you. (NWT)

Tit 2:7  In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, (KJ)

And John use the phrase as well: 2Jo 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (KJ)

All of this shows that this part of the saying does not come from Pagan Greek philosophers but from the Hebrew Scriptures and the words of Jesus and the apostles. 

The phrase "Whoever knows [himself] will discover this" this teaching should not be foreign to you if you have been given the eyes to see it. Consider how this passage from Thomas spiritually aligns with what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. (1Cor 13:9)

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

  

We must come to know our true self. Our true self is not the person of this world, but the one who was born of God. We are spiritually maturing and growing in knowledge of who we are. We may not be clearly seeing our true self (who is Christ) right now, but we will once we come to fully know and be our True self. We are God’s image that must become perfect like our heavenly Father this is our purpose to reflect the identity, character and glory and become the image of Christ, who is the true image of God. We can only do this in Christ where our true self (life) will be kept hidden in Christ Col 3:3, 4. So in this light real poverty is when we do not know our true self in Christ. The use of the term 'poverty' is meant for life outside of true knowledge This is spiritual poverty where our minds are lost in deception and our hearts feel homeless because we have not returned to our Father’s house 1Cor 3:16 6:19 Eph 2:20-22 1Pet 2:5. 

Finally, Jesus says, “you are that poverty” Paul says that nothing good could come from him Rom 7:18 He said that “Paul” had died and Christ now lived in and through him Gal 2:20. Paul knew that his true life was found when he had the spirit of Christ, which is the mind of Christ and not the natural or worldly Paul.

Paul rebuked Corinth for their inability to know whether they had the Christ-man developed within them: "Know ye not...that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1Cor. 3:16). We must reckon ourselves dead to sin (Rom. 6:11). The Greek for "reckon" is that translated "impute" or "count", and which often appears in the surrounding chapters in Romans, speaking of how God "counts" us to be perfect. We must reckon ourselves as God reckons us. 

The Christ-man is first born at baptism, but it is quite possible for it to lie dormant or even die unless it is nurtured. Almost all of us have discovered the presence of our real spiritual man some time after baptism. The spiritual self is begotten by the word, leading to the birth at baptism (2Cor 5:17; James 1:18; 1Pet. 1:23); yet it is the word which makes the " man of God" perfect or mature (2Tim. 3:16,17). Note that the " man of God" here probably refers to our inner spiritual self, rather than just being an epithet for a believer. In this case, 1Tim. 6:11 records Paul speaking to Timothy's spiritual man: " Thou, O man of God, flee these things". "Man of God" was a term used to describe the Old Testament prophets; it is as if Paul is addressing himself to the word-developed man within Timothy. We must likewise relate to the spiritual man within our brethren.

Moreover, this is how we become “sons of the living Father” (compare Thomas 49-50), which is to become like Jesus himself our example. We must have the same faith as Jesus as well as the same self-control just as Jesus needed it to be saved, so do we Heb 5:7, 8 also in the gospel of John it is Jesus who empowered true believers, so #Ec 5:19, 6:2. He gave them the privilege, the liberty, the dignity, which refers to the legitimate entitlement to the position of being called and becoming the sons of God. Israel was once the son and the first-born, #Ex 4:22: but now the adoption of sons to God was open and free to all nations whatever. By believing, undeserving sinners can become full members of God's family.

The Aeons in the Odes of Solomon

**Welcome to Pleroma Pathways apocalyptic and mystic Christianity where we explore esoteric and apocalyptic texts.**

**Aeon in the *Odes of Solomon***  

The *Odes of Solomon* present a profound mystical vision that blends early Christian theology with Jewish wisdom traditions. Within this corpus, the term "Aeon" is a pivotal concept, interweaving the divine plan, the manifestation of God through His Word, and the destiny of His people. It is not merely a temporal term but encapsulates God's thought, His creative emanation, and the spiritual ages through which His redemptive plan unfolds.

**Joy and Knowledge in the Manifestation of God**  

Ode 7 begins with a joyful contrast:  

> “As is the course of anger over wickedness, so is the course of joy over the Beloved; and brings in of its fruits unhindered.” (*Ode 7:1*)  

Here, joy is not an emotion alone but a divine motion toward the Beloved—an experience rooted in the knowledge of God. The Ode affirms that joy and knowledge must come together, a recurring motif throughout the *Odes*, signaling that knowledge of the Lord is not mere doctrine but participation in divine delight.

**The Manifestation of God through the Word**  

The central section of *Ode 7* describes the manifestation of God in a comprehensible form:

> “He became like me, that I might receive Him. In form He was considered like me, that I might put Him on. … Like my nature He became, that I might understand Him.” (*Ode 7:4–6*)  

This is not about a metaphysical incarnation but a divine emanation—God manifesting Himself in such a way that His people might comprehend, receive, and put on His presence. The Lord’s kindness “has diminished His dreadfulness” (*Ode 7:3*), revealing the transcendent through simplicity.

The Father is revealed through the Word:

> “The Father of knowledge is the Word of knowledge. He who created wisdom is wiser than His works.” (*Ode 7:7*)  

This aligns with *1QS III,15* where “from the God of knowledge comes all that is and will be,” and *Ode 28:20* affirms:  

> “For the thought of the Most High cannot be anticipated; and His heart is superior to all wisdom.”  

**The Aeons Emanate from the Father**  

The climactic line in *Ode 7* identifies God as:

> “He it is who is incorrupt, the perfection of the ages and their Father.” (*Ode 7:11*, Charlesworth)  

> “He is imperishable, the pleroma of the Aeons and their Father.” (*Michael Lattke*)  

The Aeons are not eternal in themselves—they have a source, the Father, from whom they emanate. *Ode 16:19* reiterates:  

> “And the ages (Aeons) are by His Word, and by the thought of His heart.”  

Thus, the Aeons are formed by divine thought and speech, and they serve as the unfolding of God’s redemptive purpose across time—not time measured by celestial motions, but time as spiritual motion. This echoes *Hebrews 11:3*:  

> “By faith, we understand that the ages were prepared by the word of God…” (*New Heart English Bible*)  

And *Revelation 15:3* calls God:  

> “Thou King of the ages.” (*ASV*)  

**The Aeons as Believers and the Spiritual Generations**  

In *Ode 12*, the Aeons are personified as the generations who interpret and proclaim divine beauty:

> “And the Most High has given Him to His generations (Aeons), which are the interpreters of His beauty.” (*Ode 12:4*)  

These Aeons are the faithful: the confessors, preachers, and teachers who receive and transmit divine truth. They are not metaphysical entities but spiritual embodiments—past generations of the Elect who, though once silent, now “spoke to one another” (*Ode 12:10*) through the Word.

This idea aligns with the view that the Hebrew word translated into *aeon* in the Septuagint refers to the hidden and infinite past and future. *Psalm 77:5* reflects:  

> “I have thought upon the days of long ago, On the years in the indefinite past.” (*NWT*)  

Philo interprets “aeon” as the archetype of time—divine thought, always present. He says:

> “In aeon, nothing has passed away, nothing is future, but everything simply subsists.” (Philo, *De Aeternitate Mundi*)  

He refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as “measures of aeon,” embodiments of God’s redemptive Thought. Faith, Joy, and Righteousness each mark a new spiritual aeon—a phase in God’s unfolding plan.

**The New Aeon and Restoration**  

*Ode 22* declares:

> “You have brought Your age (Aeons) to corruption, that everything might be resolved and renewed. And the foundation of everything is Your rock.” (*Ode 22:11–12*)  

This suggests the Aeons, while holy, are also subject to transformation. They are not static but participate in the divine cycle of renewal. Similarly, *Ode 8:22* promises:

> “You shall be found incorrupt in all the aeons, on account of the name of your Father.”  

The fulfillment of the Aeons is not their continuation but their resolution in incorruptibility—conformity to the nature of the One who is “the fulness of the Aeons and their Father.”  

**Conclusion**  

In the *Odes of Solomon*, the Aeon is not a mere span of time but a spiritual reality, a manifestation of God's eternal Thought. The Father, who is incorrupt and full, emanates the Aeons by His Word. These Aeons include the faithful generations of Israel and the Elect, who speak, proclaim, and participate in the divine plan. They are the movement of divine life, progressing through faith, joy, righteousness, and endurance, toward incorruption and renewal. The *Odes* thus invite us into the divine Aeon—God’s active, joyful, and knowing purpose manifest in His people.

Aeon in the Odes of Solomon

Ode 7

A wonderfully, simple and joyful psalm on the Incarnation.

1. As is the course of anger over wickedness, so is the course of joy over the Beloved; and brings in of its fruits unhindered.
2. My joy is the Lord and my course is towards Him, this path of mine is beautiful.
3. For there is a Helper for me, the Lord. He has generously shown Himself to me in His simplicity, because His kindness has diminished His dreadfulness.
4. He became like me, that I might receive Him. In form He was considered like me, that I might put Him on.
5. And I trembled not when I saw Him, because He was gracious to me.
6. Like my nature He became, that I might understand Him. And like my form, that I might not turn away from Him.
7. The Father of knowledge is the Word of knowledge.
8. He who created wisdom is wiser than His works.
9. And He who created me when yet I was not knew what I would do when I came into being.
10. On account of this He was gracious to me in His abundant grace, and allowed me to ask from Him and to benefit from His sacrifice.
11. For He it is who is incorrupt, the perfection of the worlds and their Father.
12. He has allowed Him to appear to them that are His own; in order that they may recognize Him that made them, and not suppose that they came of themselves.
13. For towards knowledge He has set His way, he has widened it and lengthened it and brought it to complete perfection.
14. And has set over it the traces of His light, and it proceeded from the beginning until the end.
15. For by Him He was served, and He was pleased by the Son.
16. And because of his salvation He will possess everything. And the Most High will be known by His holy ones:
17. To announce to those who have songs of the coming of the Lord, that they may go forth to meet Him and may sing to Him, with joy and with the harp of many tones.
18. The Seers shall go before Him, and they shall be seen before Him.
19. And they shall praise the Lord in His love, because He is near and does see.
20. And hatred shall be removed from the earth, and with jealousy it shall be drowned.
21. For ignorance was destroyed upon it, because the knowledge of the Lord arrived upon it.
22. Let the singers sing the grace of the Lord Most High, and let them bring their songs.
23. And let their heart be like the day, and their gentle voices like the majestic beauty of the Lord.
24. And let there not be anyone who breathes that is without knowledge or voice.
25. For He gave a mouth to His creation: to open the voice of the mouth towards Him, and to praise Him.
26. Confess His power and declare His grace.
    Hallelujah.

knowledge and joy

the whole Ode implies that "knowledge" must not come to us without "joy,":

Ode 7:1 As is the course of anger over wickedness, so is the course of joy over the Beloved; and brings in of its fruits unhindered.

wisdom and the word are with God in heaven: 

Ode 7:7 "The Father of knowledge is the Word of knowledge. He who created wisdom is wiser than His works.." 

wisdom one of the seven spirits of perfection

from the God of knowledge comes all that is and will be (1QS III,15)

the Father is wiser than his works and superior to all wisdom:

Ode 28:20 For the thought of the Most High cannot be anticipated; and His heart is superior to all wisdom.

The Father of the Aeons

Ode 7:11 "Because He it is that is incorrupt, the fulness of the ages and the Father of them." 

Odes of Solomon 7:11 Because he is, he is imperishable the pleroma of the Aeons and their Father. Michael Lattke translation.

7:11 For He it is who is incorrupt, the perfection of the worlds and their Father. James Charlesworth translation

"The Fulness of the aeons and their Father.

ode 16:19 And the worlds (Aeons) are by His Word, and by the thought of His heart.

God is the Father of the Aeons because they emanated from him

The Aeons are not eternal they have a beginning and a Father. The Aeons can refer to the hidden and infinite past

Psalm 77:5 NWT I have thought upon the days of long ago, On the years in the indefinite past.

Heb 11:3 New Heart English Bible
By faith, we understand that the ages were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.

Rev. 15:3 American Standard Version
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages. ("King of the aeons" )
"The Father of the Aeons", there exists high up in invisible and ineffable regions a perfect Aeon, pre-existent [to all]... and this they call Propator (i.e. Pre-existent-Father)

The Aeons are faithful believers

Ode 12

He has filled me with words of truth, that I may proclaim Him.
And like the flowing of waters, truth flows from my mouth, and my lips declare His fruits.
And He has caused His knowledge to abound in me, because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word, and the entrance of His light.
And the Most High has given Him to His generations (Aeons), which are the interpreters of His beauty, [the Key of Knowledge found within His Word]
And the narrators of His glory,
And the confessors of His purpose,
And the preachers of His mind,
And the teachers of His works.
For the subtlety of the Word is inexpressible [in its lower/outward (fleshly) meaning], and like His utterance so also is His swiftness and His acuteness, for limitless is His progression.
He never falls but remains standing, and one cannot comprehend His descent or His way.
For as His work is, so is His expectation, for He is the light and dawning of thought.

And by Him the generations (Aeons)spoke to one another, and those that were silent acquired speech. [Blessed are they who by means thereof have understood everything, and have known the Lord in His truth]

ode 19 Then She gave the mixture to the generation without their knowing, and those who have received it are in the perfection of the right hand.

IGNATIUS to the Ephesians CHAPTER 19
19:1 And hidden from the prince of this world were the virginity of Mary and her child-bearing and likewise also the death of the Lord -- three mysteries to be cried aloud -- the which were wrought in the silence of God.
19:2 How then were they made manifest to the ages (Aeons)?A star shone forth in the heaven above all the stars; and its light was unutterable, and its strangeness caused amazement; and all the rest of the constellations with the sun and moon formed themselves into a chorus about the star; but the star itself far outshone them all; and there was perplexity to know whence came this strange appearance which was so unlike them.
19:3 From that time forward every sorcery and every spell was dissolved, the ignorance of wickedness vanished away, the ancient kingdom was pulled down, when God appeared in the likeness of man unto _newness of_ everlasting _life;_ and that which had been perfected in the counsels of God began to take effect. Thence all things were perturbed, because the abolishing of death was taken in hand

In Scripture, the Heb. word rendered by LXX aeon is perhaps best explained as meaning originally (Gesen. 761 V) "hidden," and hence (i) the hidden and infinite past, (2) the hidden and infinite future

The Aeons are personified in the Odes the generations of [past] aeons (Ode 12:4, 8) are represents as, some of them, "speaking" while others are "silent." The generations are past aeons of believers the Elect. They speak to each other by the word, the prophetic messages of the scriptures

and the Father is actively carrying out His Thought of Redemption, by the Word, through the aeons, and not as the mere object of a contemplative

The Patriarchs were called Fathers of the Age." or the The Leader of the Age (or, World),  "the days of the Fathers of the Age (or, World}."

Philo speaks of "aeon" as being in the life of God what "time" is in the life of Man. Time is measured by material motion, but aeon by immaterial or spiritual motion. Spiritual motion can only be conceived of, by us men, as "Thought". It is God's Thought. God's Thought as is reiterated throughout the Odes is a Thought, Plan, or Design, of Redemption for Man. This Thought was revealed by God's Word or Son moving and expressing Himself in the sons of Man, more especially in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These three Philo calls "measures of aeon," that is to say, phases of God s Thought of Redemption as it was developed through Faith, Joy, and Righteousness

For him the heroes of Israel are incarnate thoughts of God. His series of illustrations is a picture-book of the progressive phases of God's foreordained redemptive Purpose expressed in human beings. It represents spiritual lives (which are, as Philo says, "measures of aeon 1"],

Philo says (i. 277) that "time," xpuvos, being measured by the motions of the material Cosmos, may be called son of Cosmos, but only the grandson (not the son) of God, who is the Father of Cosmos. Aeon, he says, is the archetype of Time. We might be disposed to say that it must be measured by the motions of God's Thought; but he thinks of God's Thought as never past or future but always present: (id.) "In aeon, nothing has passed away, nothing is future, but everything simply subsists." The Hebrew view is that God combines past, present, and future, in a motion that is also rest. Elsewhere Philo says that the race of Wisdom produced (i. 455) "the threefold fruits of him that seeth, [namely], Israel." These are "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," and he calls these three "measures of aeon" i.e. apparently of divine Time. According to Philo (i. 342), "aeonian" does not mean "infinite in time" but "He that is graciously giving (6 x n P l C"f Ji(l "^--- always and continuously...," in other words, "infinite in His scope of graciousness," so that no limit of space, time, or thought, can be attached to it.

The Jews believed that all through the generations, from Adam to Abraham, God was waiting for the latter that He might begin to build His Habitation. Before Abraham, all was swamp. When he came, the rock rose to the surface, and building became possible. In effect, the Building was begun when Abraham "believed." 

When Abraham "believed." Nothing outward and visible took place then. But inwardly and invisibly a new spiritual period began, the period, or age (aeon), of "belief." Such an age is not measured by days or years or by "time" at all. For time depends on material, acoti on spiritual, motion

With Abraham began the aeon of Faith.

Then after the aeon of Joy typified by Isaac, and the aeon of Hopeful Endurance typified by Jacob, and after the silent aeons of the Egyptian oppression during which the patriarchal seed was being prepared to grow up into the tree of national life came Moses

The New Aeon

Ode 22
11 Incorruptible was Your way and Your face; You have brought Your world (Aeons) to corruption, that everything might be resolved and renewed.
12 And the foundation of everything is Your rock. And upon it You have built Your kingdom, and it became the dwelling-place of the holy ones.
Hallelujah.

Ode 8:22 And you shall be found incorrupt in all ages, on account of the name of your Father.

Hallelujah.

Ode 8:22 "Ye shall be found incorruptible in all the aeons to the Name of your Father."

It is God that is incorruptible, the fulness of the aeons and the Father of them"  The meaning is that, in the end of all the aeons, the Incorruptible Father of all the aeons will have kept His Promise to His human children that they should be conformed to His incorruptible nature. 

Jewish Gnosis

Jewish Gnosis

**Gnosticism: Its Roots in Jewish Mysticism and Esoteric Knowledge**

Gnosticism, a prominent religious and philosophical movement of the early centuries CE, emerged in part from Jewish mystical traditions. Its evolution can be traced back to the Second Temple period when Jewish thought began to embrace a more esoteric and speculative approach to knowledge, particularly in the Pseudepigrapha and Dead Sea Scrolls communities. This period also witnessed the development of Cosmogonic-theological speculations, which provided the foundation for later Gnostic ideas.

### Jewish Mysticism and the Emergence of Esoteric Knowledge

During the Second Temple period, Jewish intellectual circles engaged in deep theological and cosmogonic speculations. These were centered around the origins and structure of the universe, as well as the nature of divine beings. Two well-established terms emerged in Jewish mysticism: *Ma'aseh Bereshit* (the work of creation) and *Ma'aseh Merkabah* (the work of the chariot). These concepts were rooted in early Jewish traditions found in texts like Genesis and Ezekiel, which explored the mystery of the divine realm and the heavenly throne. 

In the *Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice*, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran, the worship around the throne of God is described as a heavenly ritual. These texts reveal that Jewish apocalyptists and mystics were actively engaged in visionary exegesis, interpreting divine realities and the actions of heavenly creatures. Furthermore, some of the texts discovered at Qumran indicate that the Dead Sea community was also engaged in Merkabah exegesis, a mystic practice that focused on ascending to the divine realm through mystical visions and experiences.

### The Development of the Merkabah Doctrine

The Merkabah (or "chariot") mysticism, which deals with the divine throne and the vision of God's glory, was further developed in the apocalyptic literature of the period. From 300–100 BCE, the Book of Enoch, a key text in Jewish apocalypticism, began to incorporate Merkabah themes. The book, divided into ninety chapters, opens with a description of Enoch’s vision: 

*"In the Name of God, the merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and of great mercy, and holiness. This Book is the Book of Enoch the prophet. May blessing and help be with him who loves Him, for ever and ever. Amen."* (1 Enoch 1:1)

Enoch describes a visionary experience in which he sees the heavens and receives revelation from the angels. The narrative continues with the history of fallen angels and their interactions with humanity, particularly their instruction in the arts of war, peace, and luxury. One of the most significant sections is Enoch 41:1:

*"And after that I saw all the secrets of the heavens, and how the kingdom is divided, and how the actions of men are weighed in the balance. And there I saw the mansions of the elect and the mansions of the holy, and mine eyes saw there all the sinners being driven from thence which deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, and being dragged off: and they could not abide because of the punishment which proceeds from the Lord of Spirits."* (1 Enoch 41:1)

In this vision, the division of the heavenly realm and the destinies of the righteous and sinners are revealed. The heavens are portrayed as a place of judgment, where actions on earth are weighed and the elect are separated from the sinners.

### The Esoteric Knowledge of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Parallel to the development of Merkabah mysticism in apocalyptic texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls also emphasize the redemptive power of esoteric knowledge. This knowledge is seen as a means for the select few to bridge the gap between humanity and the divine. The *Community Rule* (Serekh ha-Yachad) from the Dead Sea Scrolls expresses this idea clearly:

*"From the God of Knowledge comes all that is and shall be. Before ever they existed He established their whole design, and when, as ordained for them, they come into being, it is in accord with His glorious design that they accomplish their task without change."* (1QS)

In this text, it is emphasized that knowledge comes from God, and that human beings are tasked with fulfilling their roles within a divine plan. The *Community Rule* also contrasts the paths of righteousness and wickedness, with the righteous guided by the "Prince of Light" and the wicked by the "Angel of Darkness." This dualistic understanding echoes Gnostic themes of light versus darkness, knowledge versus ignorance.

In the *Thanksgiving Hymns* found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, there is a plea for divine knowledge to guide the seeker toward truth:

*"For you shall instruct your servant with your holy spirit to know the spirits of man for you have cast their lot according to the spirits between good and evil to accomplish their task."* (1QH)

Here, knowledge is portrayed as a divine gift that enables the individual to discern between good and evil, and to walk in the light of truth. This echoes Gnostic thought, where knowledge (gnosis) is the means of salvation, leading the seeker out of ignorance and into union with the divine.

### Hebrew Names of God and Their Influence on Gnostic Systems

The Gnostic systems, especially those influenced by Jewish mysticism, incorporated various Hebrew names for God, which were believed to carry hidden, esoteric meanings. Names like *Iao* (possibly derived from Yahweh), *Adonaios* (from "Adonai," meaning "Lord"), and *Elohim* (meaning "God") were central to Gnostic theology. In some Gnostic traditions, these names were not merely titles but represented different aspects of the divine.

For example, Justin, a second-century figure, taught that there were three primary entities in the divine realm: the transcendent *Good*, the male intermediate figure *Elohim*, and the earth-mother figure *Eden* (or *Israel*). According to Justin, creation resulted from the union of Elohim and Eden, with the first humans created as symbols of their marital unity. This cosmology draws heavily on Jewish mystical ideas, especially those found in the Hebrew Bible.

### Conclusion

Gnosticism, with its emphasis on esoteric knowledge, cosmology, and the relationship between the human and the divine, emerged from the rich soil of Jewish mysticism during the Second Temple period. Texts like the *Book of Enoch* and the *Dead Sea Scrolls* show a deep engagement with Merkabah mysticism and the transformative power of divine knowledge. This tradition was later absorbed into Gnostic thought, which continued to develop the idea that esoteric knowledge could lead to salvation by bridging the gap between humanity and the divine. In this way, Gnosticism can be seen as both an evolution of Jewish mysticism and a distinctive theological movement in its own right.

Gnosticism grow out of the Jewish mystic schools 

During the second temple period the Jewish understanding of knowledge stared to take a more esoteric view in the Pseudepigrapha and Dead Sea Scrolls community. at the same time within Judaism Cosmogonic-theological speculations, started to develop

The Cosmogonic-theological are based on the first sections of Genesis and Ezekiel, for which there are in Jewish speculation two well-established and therefore old terms: "Ma'aseh Bereshit" and "Ma'aseh Merkabah."

The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice from the Dead Sea Scrolls Qumran community The Songs describe worship around the throne of God in the heavenly realms. Jewish apocalyptists engaged in visionary exegeses concerning the divine realm and the divine creatures A small number of texts unearthed at Qumran indicate that the Dead Sea community also engaged in merkabah exegesis.

From 300–100 BCE, in Apocalyptic literature like the Book Of Enoch we can see that the Merkabah doctrine is being developed. 

The book of Enoch is divided into ninety chapters, and begins with the preface: "In the Name of God, the merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and of great mercy, and holiness. This Book is the Book of Enoch the prophet. May blessing and help be with him who loves Him, for ever and ever. Amen. Chapter I. This word is the blessing of Enoch with which he blessed the chosen and the righteous that wore of old. And Enoch lifted up his voice and spoke, a holy man of God, while his eyes were open, and he saw a holy vision in the heavens, which the angels revealed to him. And I heard from them everything, and I understood what I saw." After this follows the history of the angels, of their having descended from heaven, and produced giants with the daughters of men; of their having instructed them in the arts of war, and peace, and luxury.

1 enoch 41:1 And after that I saw all the secrets of the heavens, and how the kingdom is divided, and how the 2 actions of men are weighed in the balance. And there I saw the mansions of the elect and the mansions of the holy, and mine eyes saw there all the sinners being driven from thence which deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, and being dragged off: and they could not abide because of the punishment which proceeds from the Lord of Spirits. 3 And there mine eyes saw the secrets of the lightning and of the thunder, and the secrets of the winds, how they are divided to blow over the earth, and the secrets of the clouds and dew, and there 4 I saw from whence they proceed in that place and from whence they saturate the dusty earth. And there I saw closed chambers out of which the winds are divided, the chamber of the hail and winds, the chamber of the mist, and of the clouds, and the cloud thereof hovers over the earth from the 5 beginning of the world. And I saw the chambers of the sun and moon, whence they proceed and whither they come again, and their glorious return, and how one is superior to the other, and their stately orbit, and how they do not leave their orbit, and they add nothing to their orbit and they take nothing from it, and they keep faith with each other, in accordance with the oath by which they 6 are bound together. And first the sun goes forth and traverses his path according to the commandment 7 of the Lord of Spirits, and mighty is His name for ever and ever. And after that I saw the hidden and the visible path of the moon, and she accomplishes the course of her path in that place by day and by night-the one holding a position opposite to the other before the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 52] 

l And after those days in that place where I had seen all the visions of that which is hidden -for 2 I had been carried off in a whirlwind and they had borne me towards the west-There mine eyes saw all the secret things of heaven that shall be, a mountain of iron, and a mountain of copper, and a mountain of silver, and a mountain of gold, and a mountain of soft metal, and a mountain of lead. 3 And I asked the angel who went with me, saying, 'What things are these which I have seen in 4 secret?' And he said unto me: 'All these things which thou hast seen shall serve the dominion of His Anointed that he may be potent and mighty on the earth.' 5 And that angel of peace answered, saying unto me: 'Wait a little, and there shall be revealed unto thee all the secret things which surround the Lord of Spirits. 


In the literature of the Dead Sea Sect. Common to both gnosticism and the Dead Sea Scrolls is the view of esoteric "knowledge" as a redemptive factor, which enables a group of select people to bridge the abyss separating the human from the divine, and to rise "from a spirit perverse to an understanding of you and to stand in one company before you with the everlasting host and the spirits of knowledge, to be renewed with all things that are and with those versed in song together" 

 The Community Rule (Serekh ha-Yachad, 1QS)

From the God of Knowledge comes all that is and shall be.
Before ever they existed He established their whole design, and when, as ordained for them, they come into being, it is in accord with His glorious design that they accomplish their task without change.
The laws of all things are in His hand and He provides them with all their needs.
He has created man to govern the world, and has appointed for him two spirits in which to walk until the time of His visitation: the spirits of truth and injustice.
Those born of truth spring from a fountain of light, but those born of injustice spring from a source of darkness.
All the children of righteousness are ruled by the Prince of Light and walk in the ways of light, but all the children of injustice are ruled by the Angel of Darkness and walk in the ways of darkness.
The Angel of Darkness leads all the children of righteousness astray, and until his end, all their sin, iniquities, wickedness, and all their unlawful deeds are caused by his dominion in accordance with the mysteries of God.

the thanksgiving hymns

Because I know all these things I will utter a reply of the tongue praying and entreating and turning back from all my sins and searching your spirit of Knowledge and clinging fast to your holy spirit and adhering to the truth of your Covenant and serving you in truth and with a perfect heart, and loving your truth.

For you shall instruct your servant with your holy spirit to know the spirits of man for you have cast their lot according to the spirits between good and evil to accomplish their task.
You have favoured me, your servant, with a spirit of knowledge, that I may choose truth and goodness and loathe all the ways of iniquity.

Hebrew words and names of God provide the makeup for several gnostic systems

Iao Perhaps from Yahu, Yahweh, but possibly also from the magic cry iao in the Mysteries.

The Old Testament phrase Yahweh sabaoth or 'Jehovah of Armies' was thought a proper name, hence Jupiter Sabbas.

Adonaios  From the Hebrew term for "the Lord", used of God; Adonis of the Syrians representing the Winter sun in the cosmic tragedy of Tammuz. In the Mandaean system Adonaios represents the Sun.

From Elohim, God (El). Elaios, or Ailoaios, or sometimes Ailoein

 A 2nd-century figure, Justin (not to be confused with the more famous Justin Martyr), taught that there were three original entities, a transcendent being called the Good, a male intermediate figure named Elohim (the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament), and an earth-mother figure named Eden or Israel. 

According to Hippolytus, Justin taught that all things came from three unbegotten principles, two male and one female. The first male principle, and the most transcendent of the three, is a principle who alone is called “Good.” This is an allusion to some version of the saying attributed to Jesus about there being “only one who is Good,” though the “Good” as highest principle was also found in Platonic philosophy.26 The second male principle is Elohim, which is of course one of the names used of God in Jewish Scripture. In Baruch, Elohim is indeed the God of creation and Lord of heaven, but he is a secondary divine power. Unlike the Good, who has foreknowledge of all things, Elohim lacks foreknowledge and, at first, also lacks any knowledge of the existence of the Good. The third principle, who is female, is named Eden or Israel. Like Elohim, Eden is also without foreknowledge. She is Mother Earth and is described as looking like a young woman down to the groin, but like a serpent below that. In the beginning, creation results from the marriage of heaven and earth. Elohim and Eden desire one another with genuine love and from their union are begotten a company of twenty-four angels. Twelve of these belong to Elohim: Michael, Amen, Baruch, Gabriel, Essadaios (the remaining seven names are missing in the manuscript); twelve belong to Eden: Babel, Achamoth, Naas, Bel, Belias, Satan, Sael, Adonaios, Kavithan, Pharaoth, Karkamenos, and Lathen. According to Baruch, these angels are the true allegorical meaning of the trees of Paradise that “God planted in Eden.” Baruch asserts that the tree which Scripture calls the tree of life is actually the angel Baruch, while the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the same as the angel Naas, the Hebrew word for “serpent.” In this garden, the angels then create the first humans. The human beings are created from the finest portion of the earth, that is, from the humanlike regions of Eden above the groin; animals are created from the beastly regions of Eden below the groin. Then into each of the first humans, Adam and Eve, the angels place some soul from Eden and some spirit from Elohim. Possessing these elements from both Elohim and Eden, the first human couple are nothing less than living symbols of the marital unity and love of Eden and Elohim. The couple is commanded to “increase and multiply and inherit the earth, that is, Eden” (cf. Gen. 1:28). Eden brings all of her power, as a sort of estate, and gives it to Elohim in the marriage arrangement. “Whence,” according to Justin, “in imitation of that first marriage wives offer a dowry to husbands to this very day, obeying a divine and ancestral law that originated with the dowry to Elohim from Eden” (Hippolytus, Ref. 5.26.10).