The Slavonic Book of Enoch* (2 Enoch 31) and *The Book of the Secret Supper

 This combined excerpt from *The Slavonic Book of Enoch* (2 Enoch 31) and *The Book of the Secret Supper* offers a rare opportunity to witness how these two Gnostic-related texts harmonize when placed next to each other. When read in tandem, they form a cohesive theological narrative that aligns with Bogomil dualism and early esoteric Christianity: one that explains the fall of Satan, his cosmic ambitions, and his opposition to Adam as the image of divine order.

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### **Harmonizing the Fall of Satan: A Dual Perspective**

**2 Enoch 31** begins with the creation of Adam and Eden, establishing him as the ruler of earth, and immediately introduces Satanail (Satan) as a rebel figure:

> *“The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail (Satan), thus he became different from the angels…”*

> (*Slavonic Enoch 31:4*)

This shows Satanail not as a being of ignorance, but as one who retained knowledge and intelligence, yet chose rebellion. In this same narrative, we see Satan’s direct intention:

> *“He conceived thought against Adam… and seduced Eva (Eve), but did not touch Adam.”*

> (*Slavonic Enoch 31:5*)

Here, Eve becomes the entry point for his plan, yet Adam remains untouched—a detail that resonates with the Gnostic emphasis on preserving the spiritual Adam or divine image.

This theme is greatly expanded in *The Book of the Secret Supper*, where Satan’s original splendor and cosmic authority are described in grandeur:

> *“He was regulator of all things and sat with my Father... His power descended from the heavens even unto hell…”*

> (*Secret Supper, Chapter 1*)

This account closely echoes *Isaiah 14:12–14*, but in a clearly Gnostic reinterpretation. Satan is portrayed not as a grotesque being but as one who had *“wardship of those splendors which were above all the heavens.”*

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### **A Common Narrative of Rebellion and Cosmic Ambition**

Both texts describe Satan attempting to usurp divine authority by placing his throne above the clouds and attempting to reorder creation. *2 Enoch* notes that he sought to disrupt Adam’s position on earth, while *Secret Supper* provides the full detail of his journey through the cosmos:

> *“He ascended to the very heavens, even unto the third heaven, subverting the angels of the Father invisible…”*

And again:

> *“Take from all the angels who hearkened to him the garments, the thrones, and the crowns…”*

This harmonizes with the judgment found in *2 Enoch*, where God curses not man but *“man’s evil fruit, and his works”*—a subtle but important distinction showing that corruption entered through disobedience influenced by Satan, not from Adam’s nature itself. This mirrors the Bogomil view that evil is not inherent in matter, but introduced by rebellious spiritual beings.

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### **Hierarchy and Cosmic Geography**

Both documents exhibit a structured cosmos, layered in heavens and elements, from air to water to fire. *The Book of the Secret Supper* details Satan's descent through:

1. **Air** – gate kept by an angel

2. **Waters** – guarded by another angel

3. **Earth** – resting on two great fish

4. **Hell (Gehenna of fire)** – lowest point, unreachable due to flame

This map of the cosmos echoes the seven-heaven structure in *2 Enoch*, where Enoch is elevated through the heavens and witnesses the hierarchy of angels and their duties. The harmony is in how both texts frame creation and rebellion as occurring within this layered cosmic structure. Satan’s seduction of the angels parallels the Watchers in Enoch, but with a distinct twist: Satan manipulates *debts* in heaven:

> *“To each he said, ‘How much dost thou owe thy lord?’”*

This motif resembles the Gnostic notion of fallen archons indebted to the higher Aeons, being bribed or corrupted.

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### **Conclusion: A Unified Gnostic Theology**

Placed together, the *Slavonic Book of Enoch* and the *Book of the Secret Supper* reinforce a dualist Gnostic theology:

* **Satan** is not a being of ignorance, but a powerful celestial entity whose pride leads to disorder.

* **Adam** is a being of divine intention, placed to rule and guard the earth.

* **Creation** is structured and governed by angelic forces, yet vulnerable to corruption from within.

* **Judgment** is swift, but it focuses on fruit and choices—not the inherent nature of beings.

The Bogomils, who used the *Secret Supper*, likely placed these two texts side by side because together they narrate the complete arc: from Satan’s splendor to his fall, from the dignity of Adam to the seduction of Eve, from angelic hierarchy to rebellion, from divine order to the need for restoration.

These texts don’t contradict but complement each other—*2 Enoch* gives the beginning, and *Secret Supper* supplies the heavenly backstory. In harmony, they form a complete Gnostic mythos for the origin of evil, the nature of divine justice, and the human place in the cosmic order. 

Interpreting the Nag Hammadi Library: Literal, Allegorical, and Metaphysical Lenses

 The *Nag Hammadi Library* is a collection of ancient texts discovered in Egypt in 1945, containing Gnostic writings from various sects. These texts offer diverse perspectives on theology, cosmology, and salvation, making their interpretation complex. Understanding the different sects represented in the library and the interpretive approaches available can help readers make sense of these writings.

## The Different Sects in the *Nag Hammadi Library*

The *Nag Hammadi Library* includes writings from multiple sects, each with unique theological perspectives. The primary groups represented are the Sethians, the Valentinians, and non-Christian Gnostics.

### **Sethian Texts**

Sethian Gnosticism is one of the earliest known Gnostic movements, emphasizing a dualistic worldview. Sethians believed in a transcendent, unknowable God and a lower, ignorant creator known as Yaldabaoth. According to Sethian cosmology, divine sparks of the higher realm became trapped in the material world, and salvation comes through esoteric knowledge (*gnosis*). Key Sethian texts in the *Nag Hammadi Library* include *The Apocryphon of John*, *The Gospel of the Egyptians*, and *The Three Steles of Seth*.

### **Valentinian Texts**

Valentinian Gnosticism is a Christian Gnostic school that interprets Jesus as the revealer of divine knowledge. Unlike Sethians, who viewed the creator as purely malevolent, Valentinians saw the Demiurge as an intermediary figure aligned with divine will. Their theology centers on a harmonious Pleroma (the divine fullness), with Aeons representing divine attributes. Important Valentinian texts include *The Gospel of Truth*, *The Tripartite Tractate*, and *The Exegesis on the Soul*.

### **Non-Christian Gnostic Texts**

Some writings in the *Nag Hammadi Library* reflect non-Christian Gnostic thought or philosophical influences from Platonic, Hermetic, or Jewish traditions. These texts explore mystical concepts, divine emanations, and ethical teachings outside a Christian framework. Examples include *The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth*, *Zostrianos*, and *The Thunder, Perfect Mind*.

## **How to Interpret the Nag Hammadi Library**

The texts in the *Nag Hammadi Library* can be read through multiple interpretive lenses. Understanding these perspectives can help readers navigate their complex symbolism and theology.

### **Literal Interpretation**

A literal reading takes the texts at face value, interpreting their narratives as historical or factual. However, since many Gnostic writings are mythological and symbolic, a purely literal approach can be misleading. Some texts, such as *The Apocalypse of Adam*, present alternate creation accounts that differ significantly from mainstream Christian teachings. A literal reading of these texts may highlight their divergence from biblical narratives but risks overlooking their deeper symbolic intent.

### **Allegorical Interpretation**

An allegorical interpretation views the texts as symbolic, with hidden meanings beneath the surface. Many Gnostic writings use mythological language to describe spiritual realities. For example, in *The Apocryphon of John*, the story of Sophia’s fall represents the fragmentation of divine wisdom rather than a literal event. Similarly, Valentinian texts often depict the soul’s journey back to the divine realm as a metaphor for spiritual awakening. This approach aligns with early Christian exegesis, where parables and scriptures were understood to have deeper, spiritual meanings.

### **Metaphysical Interpretation**

A metaphysical interpretation considers the texts as descriptions of cosmic and spiritual realities. Gnostic writings often describe emanations, divine hierarchies, and esoteric knowledge. For instance, the Sethian concept of the *Barbelo* (a divine principle) can be understood as a metaphysical reflection of divine will and intellect. In Valentinian thought, the Pleroma is a structured reality reflecting divine harmony. This perspective sees the texts as insights into the nature of existence and the human relationship with the divine.

## **Conclusion**

The *Nag Hammadi Library* presents a rich and diverse collection of texts that require careful interpretation. Understanding the theological backgrounds of Sethian, Valentinian, and non-Christian Gnostic writings provides context for their teachings. Whether one approaches these texts literally, allegorically, or metaphysically, their profound insights into the nature of existence and spiritual transformation remain valuable for modern readers.

Gnostic Psychology the Science of the Soul, of the Conscious Self or Ego

Gnostic Psychology
(Psychology, the Science of the Soul, of the Conscious Self or Ego)

Gnosis signifies direct, conscious, and experiential knowledge—not merely abstract concepts but a living awareness of oneself and the cosmos. Gnostic psychology is, therefore, the science of this awareness. It is rooted not in speculation but in inner perception: a knowledge of our true origin, condition, and destiny.

The word psychology derives from the Greek roots psyche (ψυχή), meaning "breath," "spirit," or "soul," and logos (-λογία), meaning "study" or "discourse." The term psychologia was first coined by Marko Marulić in the late 15th or early 16th century in his Latin treatise Psichiologia de ratione animae humanae. Its earliest appearance in English comes from Steven Blankaart in 1694, who defined it as the study of the soul as opposed to anatomy, which concerns the body.

Originally, psychology was never divorced from faith. It was intimately tied to the spiritual quest for self-knowledge. To study the psyche was to study the divine image within, not merely a collection of thoughts or behaviors. An understanding of psychology in its truest sense does not stop at analyzing the mind but aims toward the highest potential of consciousness: unity with Spirit.

This inner journey is poetically expressed in The Gospel of Truth:
“He who is to have knowledge in this manner knows where he comes from and where he is going. He knows as one who, having become drunk, has turned away from his drunkenness, and having returned to himself, has set right what are his own.”
Here, self-knowledge is depicted as a sobering from illusion—a return to one's true condition and destination, which is God. The ancient maxim “Know thyself” is thus not merely ethical advice but a spiritual imperative. Hippolytus echoes this sentiment, interpreting it as discovering God within, for man is made in God’s image.

The Extracts from the Works of Theodotus deepen this idea by stating:
“It is not only the washing that is liberating, but the knowledge of who we were, and what we have become, where we were or where we were placed, whither we hasten, from what we are redeemed, what birth is and what rebirth.”
This passage suggests that true freedom comes from a complete understanding of our metaphysical biography—our origin in God, our fall into corruption, and the path of return through rebirth and resurrection. This insight is echoed in the Teachings of Silvanus:

“Know yourself, that is, from what substance you are, or from what race, or from what species. Understand that you have come into being from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created.”
This triple division maps the human being as composed of earth (the body), formation (the soul), and creation (the mind). The soul is depicted as a feminine partner to the mind, which is made in the image of God. This schema has a parallel in the writings of Philo of Alexandria, who invites seekers to reflect on the body, soul, external senses, and reason. He states:

“Learn to be acquainted with the country of the external senses; know thyself and thy own parts… and who it is who moves those marvellous things... whether it is the mind that is in thee, or the mind of the universe.”
Philo affirms that to "know thyself" is to understand the nature of the composite human being and how everything is governed invisibly by the mind—either the divine mind within or the cosmic order outside.

The idea that self-knowledge leads to divine knowledge is shared across traditions. Alexander Campbell, editor of The Christian Baptist, described "Know thyself" as the most important philosophical and spiritual maxim:
“Know thyself is inculcated by all the prophets and Apostles of all the ages of Revelation.”
He connects this maxim with the biblical proclamation that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom and that eternal life is to know the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

John Calvin similarly taught that self-knowledge begins with recognizing what we were at creation and what we became after the fall of Adam. Without divine revelation, these truths remain obscured. This loss of understanding leads people to drift through life, enslaved to their desires, ignoring the brevity of life. The Scriptures reflect this with striking clarity:
“For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
“We will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground” (2 Sam. 14:14).
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).

Gnostic psychology is not a relic of the past but a living path. It invites us to awaken, not merely to manage mental health but to realize our divine origin, our fall, and the possibility of restoration.

It is also important to emphasize that the Bible does not teach the immortality of the soul. This belief, often attributed to Greek thought, was not universal among the philosophers. Schools like the Stoics and the Epicureans rejected it. Biblical anthropology sees humans as whole beings—composite bodies animated by breath—not as immortal souls trapped in flesh. Gnostic psychology, like biblical anthropology, aims at resurrection, not disembodied existence.

Thus, to know thyself is not just intellectual exercise. It is the path to regeneration, to becoming what we were meant to be from the beginning.

Esoteric Confusion: How Helena Blavatsky Corrupted Classical Gnostic Doctrine

**Esoteric Confusion: How Helena Blavatsky Corrupted Classical Gnostic Doctrine**

*Article by Alexander Maistrovoy*

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is frequently mentioned in modern literature as a supposed follower of Gnostic teachings. But how fair is this association?

It is evident that Blavatsky was familiar with Gnosticism. She knew its language, understood its symbolic framework, and even expressed admiration for the Gnostics and their teachings. In her writings, she asked provocatively, *“Were the Gnostics so wrong, after this, in affirming that this our visible world, and especially the Earth, had been created by lower angels, the inferior Elohim, of which, as they taught, the God of the Israelites?”* She declared that *“The Gnostics were right, then, in calling the Jewish god ‘an angel of matter,’ or he who breathed (conscious) life into Adam, and he whose planet was Saturn.”*

Blavatsky praised the intellectual and cultural qualities of early Gnostic thinkers. *“For these Gnostics—the inspirers of primitive Christianity—were ‘the most cultured, the most learned and most wealthy of the Christian name,’ as Gibbon has it,”* she wrote approvingly. She admired the fact that they did not accept the literal meanings of sacred texts, but rather sought deeper symbolic truths.

However, this recognition and praise conceal a deeper distortion. Blavatsky's engagement with Gnosticism did not preserve its authentic tradition—it obscured and warped it.

Blavatsky was a spiritual adventurer, enamored with mysticism and the allure of the hidden. Her explorations led her to found the Theosophical Society and to develop the doctrine of Theosophy. This system was not grounded in historical Gnostic belief, but was a confused amalgamation of Egyptian religious rites, occult speculation, spiritualism, and psychic phenomena. To this she added fashionable 19th-century racial theories, evolutionary concepts, and exotic Eastern elements—mahatmas, Tibetan mystics, and "spiritual adepts." This entire construction, assembled without coherence or fidelity to any one tradition, she labeled “hidden teaching.”

Blavatsky was captivated by the idea of *gnosis*, or knowledge, and made it the cornerstone of her theosophical architecture. But in doing so, she stripped the term of its theological and philosophical significance. In the hands of the original Gnostics of the Eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, *gnosis* was a precise and often sober reflection on the human condition, creation, and the struggle between knowledge and ignorance. It was firmly embedded in the context of early Christianity, Jewish thought, and Greco-Roman philosophy.

Blavatsky’s interpretation of *gnosis* was something else entirely. By blending it with occultism and fantastical ideas about spirits, astral bodies, and hidden masters, she helped create the modern stereotype of Gnosticism as a mystical, irrational, and occult movement. In reality, the classical Gnostics were far removed from the esoteric cultism she promoted.

Through her influence, Gnosticism became associated with the broad, undefined spirituality of the New Age movement. She is, in many ways, the “godmother” of that movement. In this role, she transformed the clear theological and metaphysical questions posed by the Gnostics into a chaotic spiritual stew. True Gnosticism was drowned in this extravagant brew.

In the end, Blavatsky was a Theosophist, not a Gnostic. She was not even a Christian. If asked to choose a religion, she would have leaned toward Hinduism or Buddhism, traditions she held in far higher regard than Christianity. And since Gnosticism belongs historically and conceptually within the early Christian world, it could never truly fit into Blavatsky’s framework.

Her legacy is not one of preserving Gnosticism but of corrupting and confusing it. Because of her, the word *gnosis* no longer evokes the rigorous spiritual insight of ancient seekers, but instead calls to mind the vague mysticism and esotericism of modern pseudo-religions. The damage she did to the integrity of classical Gnostic doctrine continues to this day.

Epicurus vs. Plato: Why Modern Physics Renders Platonic Idealism Obsolete

 

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**Epicurus vs. Plato: Why Modern Physics Renders Platonic Idealism Obsolete**

The history of philosophy is often told as a story dominated by figures like Plato, whose idealism and metaphysical frameworks shaped centuries of Western thought. However, from the standpoint of modern physics, Plato's abstract, non-empirical worldview has little to offer. In contrast, Epicurus, often marginalized in traditional philosophical canons, emerges as a more relevant thinker — one whose materialist, atomist philosophy laid the conceptual groundwork for the scientific method and modern physics.

### Plato’s Metaphysical Idealism: Detached from Reality

Plato’s philosophy hinges on the existence of eternal, immaterial “Forms” or “Ideas” — perfect templates of which all physical objects are mere shadows. According to Plato, the material world is unreliable, changeable, and ultimately illusory; true knowledge, he claims, comes only through intellectual contemplation of these ideal Forms. In *The Republic*, Plato famously compares humans to prisoners in a cave, mistaking shadows on the wall for reality.

From the perspective of empirical science, this dualistic view — which separates the “real” (invisible, unchanging) from the observable (mutable, material) — is not just unhelpful but fundamentally flawed. Modern physics is built on the assumption that the physical world **is** real, measurable, and governed by natural laws that can be observed, tested, and revised through evidence. No physicist constructs theories by appealing to non-empirical ideals. Instead, science depends on models that are validated by experiment and falsifiable predictions.

In short, Plato’s metaphysics is an anti-scientific stance. It discourages investigation into the natural world and promotes abstract speculation divorced from experience. The idea that reality is ultimately non-physical runs counter to the entire foundation of physics, which seeks to understand the structure and behavior of **matter and energy** — not idealized non-material Forms.

### Epicurus: The Father of Materialist Science

In stark contrast to Plato, Epicurus developed a philosophy rooted in the **natural world**, the **senses**, and the **atomist theory** originally proposed by Democritus. Epicurus taught that the universe is composed entirely of **atoms and void** — a viewpoint that not only mirrors modern physics in structure, but also in spirit. For Epicurus, all phenomena, including thought and sensation, arise from the interactions of physical particles.

This is strikingly similar to the framework of quantum physics and particle theory today, which describe the universe in terms of subatomic particles governed by natural laws. Epicurus rejected supernatural explanations and argued that nothing occurs by divine intervention — everything follows from the motion and arrangement of atoms. He also posited that the soul (what we would call consciousness) is material and dissipates at death, thereby denying immortality and the metaphysical soul — another sharp break from Platonic mysticism.

Moreover, Epicurus emphasized **empirical observation** as a guide to knowledge. While he acknowledged the limitations of the senses, he argued that sensation is the only reliable source of information about the world. This emphasis on **sense data**, **natural causation**, and **material reality** makes Epicureanism an intellectual ancestor of the scientific method.

### How Modern Physics Aligns with Epicurus

Today, modern physics confirms and deepens the ancient insights of Epicurean atomism. Quantum mechanics, particle physics, and thermodynamics are all grounded in the understanding that the universe is made up of fundamental particles interacting in lawful, though probabilistic, ways. The discovery of atoms, molecules, electrons, quarks, and bosons all vindicate the core Epicurean idea: **everything that exists is composed of physical matter moving in space**.

Even Epicurus’ belief in the randomness of atomic motion — a controversial idea in antiquity — has a parallel in quantum indeterminacy, where particles do not follow deterministic paths but exist in probabilistic states. His theory of the atomic “swerve” (clinamen) was intended to explain free will in a materialist framework — not far from how contemporary scientists wrestle with reconciling determinism and randomness.

Importantly, Epicurus’ rejection of divine explanations for natural events anticipates the secular approach of science today. Modern physics does not appeal to gods, Forms, or supernatural causes; it seeks to explain the universe by **natural laws and material interactions**, precisely what Epicurus advocated over two thousand years ago.

### Why Plato's Influence Has Been Misguided

Plato’s lasting influence on theology, metaphysics, and idealist philosophy has arguably hindered the development of empirical science in many historical contexts. Medieval scholasticism, heavily influenced by Platonic and Neo-Platonic thought, spent centuries debating abstract concepts — like the nature of “Being,” the soul, or divine perfection — often in opposition to observable evidence. It wasn’t until thinkers began to abandon this model in favor of **observation, hypothesis, and experimentation** (as in the Scientific Revolution) that physics as a discipline could flourish.

Moreover, Plato’s view that the senses deceive and that the real world is but a flawed copy of an unseen perfection undercuts scientific inquiry. If reality is inherently flawed and misleading, why trust empirical data at all? By contrast, Epicurus empowers the observer, insists on the reliability of sense perception, and grounds knowledge in experience — the foundation of all scientific endeavor.

### Conclusion: The True Philosopher of Physics

If philosophy is meant to clarify our place in the universe and give us a framework for understanding reality, then Epicurus — not Plato — is the philosopher whose thought has stood the test of time. His commitment to **materialism**, **empiricism**, and **natural explanation** makes him not only more scientifically accurate, but more intellectually honest than the mystical idealism of Plato. While Plato gazed at invisible worlds of perfection, Epicurus studied the visible world and its natural causes — and it is this approach that modern physics has embraced.

In light of modern scientific understanding, **Plato’s metaphysics is obsolete**, while **Epicurus' materialist worldview** remains a robust and prophetic foundation for the pursuit of knowledge.

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Eugnostos the Blessed: Unveiling the Hidden Cosmology Behind Genesis and Egyptian Wisdom

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

In this exploration, we delve into the cosmological architecture of *Eugnostos the Blessed*, a rich and intricate text that preserves an early mystical cosmology. Eugnostos presents two divine patterns of emanation—each reflecting distinct theological frameworks. On one hand, a pattern consistent with Egyptian theological influence, and on the other, a speculative reinterpretation of Genesis. Their convergence provides a glimpse into the evolution of apocalyptic cosmology and philosophical resistance against prevailing Hellenistic thought.

Eugnostos opens with a critique of contemporary philosophical systems that denied the transcendence or relevance of higher realms. As the author boldly declares: **“Do not think that it is from words that man will know the great things. It is through a discerning mind that they are known.”** (*Eugnostos*, III 70,1-3). This affirmation of transcendent knowledge sets the stage for a layered cosmology that seeks to reveal divine order inaccessible to reason alone.

The two divine patterns in Eugnostos are not merely repetitions, but rather, representations of two theological systems. The first group (III 71,13–82,6) represents a more abstract, Egyptian-inspired framework. This group begins with “He Who Is,” described as **“the unbegotten Father of the All, the ineffable One who dwells in silence”** (*Eugnostos*, III 71,15–18). He is solitary, without consort—an echo of Amun in Egyptian theology, the ineffable creator who brings forth all by his own will.

The second figure in this group is the Self-Father, who emerges from himself without a partner, indicating a self-generating creative force. Following him is the Immortal Androgynous Man—**“the Man of Light who exists before all and who is the image of the invisible One”** (*Eugnostos*, III 76,5–9). He is both begetter and begotten, reflecting the androgyny of Adam in Genesis 1:27, and acting as the archetype of divine humanity. This Man is joined with the All-Wise Sophia, who manifests as the Begettress of all wisdom.

In this first group, we also find Adam of the Light and the Savior—referred to as **“the Son of Man, begotten from the Light, who knows the depth of the All”** (*Eugnostos*, III 81,12–15). This triadic pattern—Immortal Man, Son of Man, and Savior—forms a new layer superimposed on the sixfold Egyptian schema. These three androgynous figures embody a speculative theology based on Genesis, with Adam (Son of Man) and Seth (Son of Son of Man) acting as celestial archetypes.

The second group (III 82,7–83,2), while described as the “type of those who preceded them,” presents a simplified but numerically complete set of six figures, each paired with a feminine consort. Here, each male principle has a female counterpart, demonstrating a balanced emanation structure. These include the Unbegotten Father with All-Wise Sophia, the Self-Begotten with the All-Mother, the Begetter with the All-Begettress Sophia, and so on—culminating in the Arch-Begetter and his consort, Pistis Sophia.

The comparison reveals that this second group lacks key elements found in the first, such as “Man,” “Son of Man,” and “Savior,” pointing to the superimposition of the Genesis-derived pattern upon the earlier Egyptian structure. The addition of the three-Man triad forced a conceptual reordering. Most notably, the figure of Arch-Begetter appears in the second group but is absent from the revised first group. His consort, Pistis Sophia, is reassigned to the fifth figure, while Love Sophia—originally his consort—is moved upward, revealing an editorial reconfiguration.

This reordering suggests that while the second list may be primary in structure—highlighted by its numerically significant sixfold pattern—the first list is theologically superior, portraying beings of a higher perfection. For example, while the Unbegotten in the second group is “Father of all things,” the first group presents Him as **“the Father of the Universe, the First Existent, who exists in tranquility and silence”** (*Eugnostos*, III 71,18–20), a loftier, more encompassing designation.

The textual evidence indicates the influence of Egyptian theology—especially the Ogdoad of Hermopolis. There, a primal god births another without consort, who then pairs with a female to generate four divine couples. Eugnostos abstracts this model, aligning it with a vision of the transcendent realm wherein divine pairs emanate harmony. As the text notes, **“From one, a monad, came a dyad, and from that dyad, the fullness of the aeons”** (*Eugnostos*, III 77,10–12).

The overlay of the Genesis-inspired pattern emphasizes a revealed anthropology of divine humanity. The identification of the Son of Man with Adam, and the Savior with Seth, reflects a reading of Genesis 5:3—where Seth is begotten “in Adam’s image,” indicating spiritual androgyny. The result is a threefold pattern rooted in scriptural speculation, likely influenced by traditions such as the *Apocalypse of Moses*, where Seth emerges as the eschatological redeemer.

This synthesis of Egyptian and scriptural patterns points to a broader theological strategy. The writer of Eugnostos resists philosophical fatalism by grounding cosmology in a relational divine order, where knowledge and wisdom emanate from a source both personal and transcendent. As the text urges, **“The wise man will seek understanding not in the words of the philosophers, but in the source of truth, which is hidden from them”** (*Eugnostos*, III 79,5–8).

In sum, *Eugnostos the Blessed* reveals an intricate process of theological synthesis. It preserves Egyptian cosmological motifs and combines them with scriptural patterns, crafting a vision of divine emanation that affirms both the transcendence of the ineffable One and the immanence of divine humanity. This text, then, becomes a cornerstone for later Valentinian and Gnostic speculation, providing the conceptual roots for cosmologies seen in *Apocryphon of John* and *Gospel of the Egyptians*. Through its esoteric vision, Eugnostos declares that truth is not merely inherited—it must be unveiled.

200 of the Watchers that came to earth

 

Acts 16:9 ►..... 9A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

My brothers and sisters of Macedonia, what many of you may not know is that there was a slave girl among you in whom you've believed in, and like so many others of this city you we're taken captive by the same spirit that held her in bondage.

It is said in the book of Enoch that there we're 200 of the Watchers that came to earth and took for themselves wives of the daughters of men, and these same beings taught them magic spells, charms, about astrology, even necromancy, to talk to the dead, what these beings did not tell nor teach them, is that the supposedly dead they we're speaking to were the counterfeit spirits of that person.

This counterfeit spirit was placed along side of that person, as was one placed along side of us all at birth, this spirit knows the things we know and are with us all the days of our lives, and have the ability to mimic our looks and our voices, this is to whom they are speaking with.

Many of you my brothers and sisters spend many hours searching for the truth about many things, why not seek these things out also, like the rest of magic, all magic is an illusion and deeds performed by demons sent to do the works of the rulers of this world.

Ask your self brothers and sisters why would our Father the preexisting eternal virginal spirit need with magic and if the God of this world condemned those of old for practicing it, what shall come upon you who now dabble in it, surly you don't think you shall escape do you, or did you not know that these same spirits brands you like cattle that other spirits may know who you belong to.

The fate and destiny of all who practice such things are always the same, heart attacks, cancers, or some old and unknown disease that cannot be cured, you have heard some say there is good and evil magic, but I say to them both good and evil magic was taught to mankind by the same 200 watchers and they had demons they commanded to do the works of magic for them, look, brothers and sisters, for those that can, study demons, angels and their signs and symbols, their duties and who commands them to carry out those deeds.

Beloved children of the most high father, these things you must know, they only show you the beauty of the rose, it has thorns also, and the thorns of magic is poisonous, toxic to your soul.

These watchers I speak of are the wild animals in the book of Genesis that refused to be tamed, learn about them, this knowledge will bring salvation to your souls.

Ephesians 6:12 ►............. Berean Literal Bible

because to us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

And if there are evil forces in the realms of the heavens, then why should one strive to reach there? Did not Christ say the Kingdom (of ) heaven, the word " of " means........ Above, beyond, to have preeminence over a person, place or thing.

So brothers and sisters learn of your root and know yourself!

Many others also believe these things although they are just a shadow of that which is true.

The word " Light " has many terms, such as, Truth, Knowledge, and in your search for the truth you will find that even these being sought out their true beginnings, they represent what you might call the beginning of the limbs of the ineffable one in whom we existed first.

Who they claim to be is according to the knowledge that they have of themselves and even this, or their knowledge of themselves is not full and complete, it is good to know of them and that they do exist, and know that they are just one piece of the branch that is connected to the limb and the limb to the tree of the ineffable one who is out Father .

They are what we call our younger siblings, think on this.

Matthew 19:30 ►..... New Living Translation

But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

When Jesus said this he spoke of those beings that proceeded out from him, from the infinite realm, to the upper light realms, which are the eternal realms, then to the realms of light and matter realms, to the immortal realms, then the mortal realms, then to that which is below the mortal realms which is Sheol.

Mankind was not last but the first, those beings came to be because we existed first, but, came to the realm of matter last.

How it that for connection, my brother. And there is more!

He did not know your father, so he cannot know you, you have been even hidden from him,.............. Read this it will tell you of what you did with him.

Children in the back Yard:

There was a Carpenter who was a Master in his Trade, and this Carpenter had many Son's and Daughter's.

One morning this Carpenter was looking at some plans He had Drawn up, seeing that the Children was inside with him, he looked to the Eldest Son and said, Send the Children out side, and if some does not want to go, then persuaded them to do so.

Another Son decided to follow His Elder Brother, for the Elder Brother had said to him Follow Me I have something to show you, but not your Sister's and Brothers at this moment, but at a time to come.

And so it was He, the Eldest Son had sent the Children out to the back yard, and those who refused he persuade to go.

And the One that was to follow him, came back in the house with Him, and was taken to other places and parts of their Father's House that none of the other Son's and Daughter's had ever seen but was only told about, it was at this time that the two Brother's heard the voice of their Father saying to them "come", as they came into the presents of their Father He told them: your brothers and Sisters are in the Back Yard talking among themselves, Wash Them and ready them for the Feast.

The two brothers went outside to the back yard first the Elder Brother then the younger.

In the Back Yard the brothers found their sisters and Brothers talking to Strange Beast and Creatures, of all sorts and of all kinds.

The Elder Son asked the children what were they talking about, the children explained that the creatures was telling them that they knew our Father and of the mighty things he has done, and of the things we all can do with their help.

The Elder Brother then said, these Creatures have no knowledge of your Father, and when have you ever seen these beings in your Father's House?

The Children replied "never" the Elder then said to the creatures "Be gone away from my Father's dwellings for this place is not fitting for you, Be Gone" and with this command they left without saying a word.

The Eldest Brother said to the children "Go cleans yourselves for your clothes have been tarnished with mud, you have soiled yourselves with useless matter.

The Eldest son said to the son that followed after him " though you have not soiled yourself as they have, Go wash, and ready yourself, that your Brother's and Sister's may see you and your obedience.

6-7-14

I speak of knowing who you are, and knowing your root, or origins, " in the beginning " this statement can be very deceptive, the Creator God said this when he spoke of his beginnings in the realm of chaos, the beginning I speak of is before chaos came into being, what I have given you is a seed, but do not worry our Father will reveal to you what that seed is, it is not you who is confused but your counterfeit spirit saying to you that it is confused, the Creator God and all the gods of Egypt knows of this counterfeit spirit, for it is they who created them, to be placed in the body you are now in, but instead our father placed you in your body in the place of the counterfeit spirit, these beings come to find these spirits but to their surprise they find us, Christ has appeared to many of us in the the likeness of these beings, because we have learned of them and trough their knowledge he reveals himself to us, this is where most of our journey begins, again don't worry it all will become clear to you.

Eugnostos the Blessed divine reality gnostic thought

 

**Welcome to Pleroma Pathways apocalyptic and mystic Christianity where we explore esoteric and apocalyptic texts.** In this exploration, we consider the deep and profound insights of *Eugnostos the Blessed*, a remarkable Gnostic text from the Nag Hammadi Library that reveals a striking vision of divine reality. This document, not a Christian composition in its original form, was later adapted into *The Sophia of Jesus Christ*. Its theological vision offers a structured cosmology and a high view of the ineffable God, emphasizing knowledge, reflection, and divine order.

At the heart of *Eugnostos the Blessed* lies a reverence for the unknowable and incomprehensible nature of the supreme divine being, described as *He-Who-Is*. The author writes:

**"He-Who-Is is ineffable. No principle knew him, no authority, no subjection, nor any creature from the foundation of the world, except he alone."**

This statement establishes the ontological uniqueness of the divine—unbegotten, unnamable, and incorruptible. It resists anthropomorphic depictions, denying that He-Who-Is has a human form. Rather, He possesses a *semblance* all His own, one that surpasses the totalities. This divine being is not merely beyond human comprehension; He is beyond all categories of being:

**"He is infinite; he is incomprehensible... He is unchanging good. He is faultless. He is everlasting."**

The text insists that He-Who-Is contains within Himself all faculties necessary for thought, self-reflection, and power. These are not delegated or imparted from elsewhere; they are inherent within His being:

**"For he is all mind, thought and reflecting, considering, rationality and power. They all are equal powers."**

This marks the beginning of a sophisticated emanationist metaphysics. From this source, the aeons—the imperishable divine attributes or realities—emerge. But *Eugnostos* makes a crucial distinction between the imperishable and the perishable. Those who misunderstand this die in ignorance:

**"Everything that came from the perishable will perish... Whatever came from imperishableness will not perish... So, many men went astray because they had not known this difference; that is, they died."**

The emphasis on knowledge, or *gnosis*, becomes the path toward life and immortality. Understanding this hidden principle allows one to see how the invisible is revealed through the visible. Faith itself is based on this awareness:

**"This Thought will instruct him how faith in those things that are not visible was found in what is visible. This is a principle of knowledge."**

The divine order is not a chaotic multitude, but an organized, hierarchical reality. The supreme being reflects within Himself and manifests the *Self-Father*, a second hypostasis, described in paradoxical terms:

**"He sees himself within himself, like a mirror, having appeared in his likeness as Self-Father, that is, Self-Begetter, and as Confronter..."**

From this self-contemplation flows a generation of divine beings, called the “Sons of the Unbegotten Father,” over whom there is no kingdom. These beings reside in a domain of imperishable joy and rest, beyond all temporal or aeonic changes:

**"Now the Unknowable is ever full of imperishableness and ineffable joy... over the unchanging glory and the measureless jubilation that was never heard or known among all the aeons and their worlds."**

One of the most profound manifestations is *Immortal Androgynous Man*, also called the *Perfect Mind* and *All-wise Begettress Sophia*. This dual-gendered being represents unity and completeness in thought and wisdom:

**"His male name is 'Begotten, Perfect Mind'. And his female name is 'All-wise Begettress Sophia'."**

This androgynous principle continues to unfold, generating further aeons, spiritual powers, and orders. All of these arise through harmony and consent among beings, not conflict. The cosmos mirrors these emanations: time, aeons, months, days, and hours all find their archetype in the heavenly realities:

**"Time came to be as the type of First Begetter, his son. The year came to be as the type of Savior. The twelve months came to be as the type of the twelve powers."**

Eventually, from the union of the *Son of Man* and *Sophia*, the *Savior* is revealed, bringing forth more divine beings whose male and female names reflect various aspects of divine begetting. Among these are names such as *Unbegotten*, *Self-begotten*, *All-Begetter*, and *Pistis Sophia*:

**"Then Savior consented with his consort, Pistis Sophia, and revealed six androgynous spiritual beings... Their male names are these: first, 'Unbegotten'... Also the names of the females are these: first, 'All-wise Sophia'... sixth, 'Pistis Sophia'."**

The multiplication of divine powers culminates in a fully ordered cosmology: 360 heavens, 72 powers, 12 aeons, and layers of spiritual dominions. Each reflects a divine truth, a harmony that originated from Immortal Man and was structured by the self-reflective power of God.

**"Now Immortal Man is full of every imperishable glory and ineffable joy. His whole kingdom rejoices in everlasting rejoicing."**

*Eugnostos the Blessed* presents a transcendent yet deeply ordered view of divinity. The path to knowledge is the path to life, rooted in recognizing that the visible world is a reflection of the invisible order. Its profound metaphysical system points to a theology where salvation is tied not to ritual or sacrifice, but to insight, contemplation, and harmony with the eternal structure of the aeons. 

On the Nature of Spirit and Matter: A Dialogue between Metrodoros and Philonikos

 On the Nature of Spirit and Matter: A Dialogue between Metrodoros and Philonikos

**Metrodoros**: Tell me, Philonikos, what do you believe this fire from the sky is, which men call lightning?

**Philonikos**: I have often pondered it. Some say it is the will of the gods, others call it a sign from the heavens. But what do you say, Metrodoros?

**Metrodoros**: I say it is neither divine will nor omen, but a natural effluence—an emission of energy, much like the spark generated when amber, *ēlektron* (ἤλεκτρον), is rubbed with cloth. Did not our forefathers notice this force, and from it derive the very term from which “electricity” comes?

**Philonikos**: Indeed. I recall the writings on the static properties of amber. But how does this relate to what some call “spirit”?

**Metrodoros**: Let us not be deceived by mysticism. What is called “spirit” by the many is nothing more than a form of corporeal energy. Just as amber reveals hidden fire through friction, so too does every living body emit something—call it warmth, breath, or motion. This emission is what men once called *pneuma* (πνεῦμα), and falsely separated from matter.

**Philonikos**: But are there not accounts of radiant beings, luminous and flashing with fire, said to be divine?

**Metrodoros**: Those are poetic expressions, Philonikos. The ancients described such figures emerging from fire and light not to assert literal divinity, but to point toward the majesty of energy in motion. What they saw—if indeed they saw anything—was a natural manifestation of light and combustion. The word they used, *ēlektron*, described not an alloy, but a glowing brilliance. That brilliance, to the philosophic mind, is a product of natural force.

**Philonikos**: And what of this force? Is it incorporeal, as some argue?

**Metrodoros**: By no means. There is no such thing as the incorporeal. All that exists is either matter or void. If *pneuma* acts, then it must have extension and substance, however fine. Consider fire: it is matter, though it dances lightly in the air. Or consider the magnet, which attracts iron—not by magic, but by force that emanates from its substance. That emanation is spirit, but not immaterial spirit. It is matter refined, energy as matter-in-motion.

**Philonikos**: This reminds me of the glowing iron you spoke of once—heated to white light, yet still iron.

**Metrodoros**: Just so. That iron, though solid, reveals a corona of heat and light. That corona is not distinct from its source; it is its natural extension. This, then, is a model for understanding what others mystify. The power that emanates is not a separate soul or divine force. It is simply energy, emerging from matter, as scent from a flower or steam from boiling water.

**Philonikos**: And you say this is the nature of the gods?

**Metrodoros**: If the gods exist—and Epicurus allows it—they must be material, composed of the finest substance. But the Divine, if we use that word, is not separate from the cosmos. It is the harmony of atomic motion, the calm ordering of the all. If there is *nous* (mind), it resides in the structure of matter, not outside it.

**Philonikos**: Then the division made between matter and spirit is false?

**Metrodoros**: Entirely false. It arises from ignorance. Matter is not base or corrupt, nor is spirit high and pure. Both are the same. All that is, is made of atoms and void. What people call spirit is merely matter in motion. The heated iron, the lightning in the sky, the thought in the mind—all are material. There is no place for non-being in our explanation of the world.

**Philonikos**: But some claim that immaterial things are immortal.

**Metrodoros**: A foolish notion. That which is immaterial is nothing at all, and that which is nothing cannot exist, much less live forever. Only that which has substance can endure—and even then, only so long as its form holds. All things born of matter decay, and yet matter itself remains, for it cannot be destroyed.

**Philonikos**: Then the belief that the incorporeal is eternal leads to contradiction.

**Metrodoros**: Precisely. To say that something is immortal because it is immaterial is to say that it is immortal because it does not exist. That is not philosophy, but madness.

**Philonikos**: What of the mind, then? Is not *nous* a kind of spirit?

**Metrodoros**: *Nous* is matter organized in a particular way. It is the harmonious motion of the finest atoms, most likely within the chest or brain. When the body ceases to function, that motion ends. The person is no more. There is no need to fear death or yearn for immaterial survival.

**Philonikos**: Then the true spirit is the energy of life itself.

**Metrodoros**: Yes, and that energy is rooted in substance. The so-called “divine fire” is not holy—it is natural. It moves in the heavens as lightning and stirs in our bodies as breath and thought. Let us not worship it, but understand it. From that understanding comes peace.

**Philonikos**: Your words bring clarity, friend. I shall abandon my speculations about incorporeal forms.

**Metrodoros**: Then you are free, Philonikos. For the truth is not in fables, but in the atoms, and the void between.

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**The Radiance of Nature: Spirit and Energy as Corporeal Force in Epicurean Thought**

In the language of nature, what ancient poets and sages called *spirit* (πνεῦμα) is more properly understood as a form of corporeal energy, akin to what modern science refers to as electricity. This radiant energy, described in earlier symbolic traditions as emerging from fire and brightness, is not supernatural, but a natural manifestation of matter in motion—corporeal and real, not abstract or immaterial. The term ἤλεκτρον (ēlektron), meaning amber in Greek, is the root of what we now call electricity. The ancients observed that amber, when rubbed, could attract small particles—evidence of static energy. Thus, ἤλεκτρον became a symbol of luminous, active force.

In earlier visionary descriptions, beings of fire and brightness were said to emerge from a luminous core, appearing like *electrum* (ἠλέκτρου)—not as a metal alloy, but as radiant brilliance, a glowing energy representing the dynamic nature of existence. This brightness, misinterpreted as immaterial by some, is in fact a refined expression of the material world: a glowing, energetic field, corporeal and vital. The perception of this force—call it pneuma, electricity, or heat—is rooted in natural philosophy and grounded in the physics of the observable world.

According to an Epicurean understanding, there is no need to invent incorporeal substances to explain motion, energy, or life. Nature operates through atoms and void, and the pneuma or *spiritus* some attribute to divine action is simply the movement and emission of energy from bodies. Consider heated iron: though solid, it radiates light and warmth when energized. The glowing atmosphere surrounding it is not a ghostly essence, but the material consequence of energy transfer—a transformation governed by natural law, not divine fiat.

Thus, what is called "spirit" (πνεῦμα) is nothing more than material in a subtle, active form. Epicurus taught that all things are composed of atoms, including the mind and the vital breath. This animated matter is not separated from the body but is coextensive with it. Spirit is corporeal. It is not a shadowy double or ethereal agent but a refined substance, invisible perhaps to the eye but measurable through its effects. Lightning, fire, magnetism—all are examples of pneuma in action: matter in energetic configuration.

Moreover, the equivalence of energy and matter, demonstrated in modern times by the equation E = mc², affirms the unity of the physical world. There is no divide between matter and energy, spirit and body. The phenomena of light, heat, and vitality are transformations within the same material substratum. If what was once called *spirit* is understood as energy, it follows that all spirit is matter in motion—corporeal, structured, and natural.

This understanding liberates the mind from superstition and fear. The divine, if it exists, is not a disembodied intelligence but an arrangement of matter in perfection. The cosmos is not ruled by an arbitrary will, but by the eternal nature of atoms, moving in the void, forming worlds, lives, and intelligences. Nothing occurs by chance in the sense of purposeless disorder; rather, events unfold by the principles of natural causation.

What some have described as divine will or supernatural emanation is better understood as the natural effect of energy emitted from a body. Like a magnet attracting iron, or heat radiating from the sun, energy proceeds according to the configuration of the body from which it issues. The Father—understood not as a person, but as the archetype of generative nature—is corporeal, composed of matter, and therefore real. There was never a time when this generative principle was not corporeal. The concept of a non-material source is philosophically incoherent; for if something exists, it must have being, and if it has being, it must be matter.

The traditional dualism between "matter" and "spirit" is artificial and unsupported by natural reason. According to Epicureanism, only bodies and void exist. Matter is eternal, though its forms are mutable. While individual configurations perish, the atoms that comprise them remain. Hence, there is no immaterial or immortal essence distinct from the body. Immortality is not the result of being non-material—indeed, the immaterial is simply non-existent.

This has profound implications for ethics and peace of mind. If all things are corporeal, then death is not to be feared, for it is simply the dissolution of the atomic structure. The so-called spirit does not survive as a ghostly residue, but returns to nature. The idea that immateriality ensures immortality is a fallacy born from ignorance. In truth, the only reality is the corporeal. Even fire, electricity, and magnetism—once deemed mystical—are natural phenomena, observable and measurable, parts of the atomic order.

Therefore, to understand *spirit* as energy—a material phenomenon—is to demystify the cosmos and affirm the reality of nature. The pneuma that animates life is not a breath from beyond but a configuration of particles in motion. The *logos* or ordering principle is not imposed from without but arises from the harmony of the natural world. This is a cosmos without supernatural interventions, where the divine, if it is to be found at all, resides in the eternal dance of atoms.

The philosopher who understands this has no fear of death, no terror of spirits, and no longing for mystical ascension. Instead, such a one delights in the natural world, reveres the harmony of bodies, and finds peace in the order of things. The universe is full of radiant energy—not because it is haunted by gods or spirits, but because nature itself is alive with motion, form, and transformation.

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