Demons in the *Apocryphon of John*: Personified Spirits of the Human Condition

**Demons in the *Apocryphon of John*: Personified Spirits of the Human Condition**

The *Apocryphon of John*, a foundational Gnostic text from the second century, presents a strikingly different view of "demons" than that found in later Christian theology. Instead of portraying demons as supernatural monsters or fallen angels, the *Apocryphon* uses them to represent *personified aspects of human nature and emotional states*. This view reflects the broader philosophical and psychological ideas of the time—particularly those of Greek thought, in which *daemones* were not necessarily evil beings but intermediaries and manifestations of internal conditions, emotions, and faculties.

In this document, we will explore how the *Apocryphon of John* portrays demons as personified forces of human nature, how they relate to the body and mind, and how this interpretation aligns with the broader Sethian understanding of the psyche and the physical world.

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### The Four Chief Demons and Their Domains

At the heart of the demonic system in the *Apocryphon of John* are **four chief demons**, each associated with a particular psychological or emotional principle:

> "The four chief demons are:

> **Ephememphi**, associated with **pleasure**,

> **Yoko**, associated with **desire**,

> **Nenentophni**, associated with **distress**,

> **Blaomen**, associated with **fear**.

> Their mother is **Esthesis-Zouch-Epi-Ptoe**."

These four figures are not "demons" in the modern sense. Rather, they are **personified spirits (daemones)** representing fundamental drives and reactions in human beings. They correspond to **pleasure, desire, distress, and fear**—core components of the human emotional spectrum. These are *not external beings tormenting the soul from without*, but rather **psychological forces that shape and influence human behavior from within**.

Their mother, *Esthesis-Zouch-Epi-Ptoe*, whose name includes the Greek word *aisthēsis* (αἴσθησις, “sensation” or “perception”), represents the **sensing capacity of the psychical body**. This links the demons directly to **bodily perception and sensation**, reinforcing the idea that these beings are **functions of the body and mind**, not supernatural entities.

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### The Passions That Arise

From these four primary "demons" or psychological roots arise a host of secondary passions and emotional disturbances. The text reads:

> "From distress arises

> **Envy, jealousy, grief, vexation,

> Discord, cruelty, worry, mourning**."

> "From pleasure comes much evil

> And **unmerited pride**,

> And so forth."

> "From desire comes

> **Anger, fury, bitterness, outrage, dissatisfaction**,

> And so forth."

> "From fear emerges

> **Horror, flattery, suffering, and shame**."

This taxonomy of emotional afflictions mirrors many Hellenistic and Stoic psychological models, in which the emotions (*pathē*) are seen as **disorders or distortions of reason**, causing suffering and imbalance in the soul. In Gnostic terms, these are the *passions* that **bind the human being to the material world and prevent the soul from ascending to the Pleroma**—the realm of fullness and perfection.

The Gnostics are not suggesting that these “demons” are literal beings invading the human body. Rather, these **personified passions** arise *from within* as part of the **psychical (soul) and material (body) constitution of the human being**. They are **manifestations of the fallenness of the world and the soul’s entanglement with flesh**.

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### The Demons and the Construction of the Body

The text gives a specific numerical identity to the total number of demons:

> "This is the total number of the demons: **365**.

> They worked together to complete, part by part, the **psychical and the material body**."

The number 365 is not arbitrary. It mirrors the number of days in the year, symbolizing the **total domination of the human experience by the material order**. These demons are involved in **fashioning the psychical and material body**, indicating that **they are woven into the fabric of human existence**. The soul is thus **not inherently evil**, but it is **entangled in a world governed by disorderly passions and desires**—what Gnostics considered the result of a flawed or ignorant creation.

The text also states:

> "Their thought and truth is **Anayo**, the ruler of the material soul.

> It belongs with the seven senses, **Esthesis-Zouch-Epi-Ptoe**."

Anayo, as the ruler of the material soul, is not a supernatural being but a **personification of the irrational, material psyche**—the part of the human that is most influenced by sensation, passion, and impulse. The reference to the "seven senses" aligns with some ancient models of perception and reinforces the idea that **these spirits are psychological and physiological**, not metaphysical devils.

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### Daemones and Greek Thought

The idea of **daemones as personified concepts** has deep roots in **Greek philosophy and mythology**. Plato, in his *Symposium* (202e), describes a *daimon* as an intermediary between gods and humans, neither fully divine nor mortal. Later philosophers, including the Stoics and Neoplatonists, often described *daimones* as **moral or psychological forces**—agents of impulse, fate, emotion, or conscience.

The Gnostics, and particularly the *Apocryphon of John*, inherit this tradition. They do not view demons as evil angels cast out of heaven, but rather as **inner conditions of the psychical and bodily constitution**. These daemones describe **what it feels like to be human in a flawed, decaying world**: ruled by fear, driven by desire, seduced by pleasure, and crushed by distress.

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### Conclusion

In the *Apocryphon of John*, demons are not fallen angels or supernatural rebels but rather **personifications of the passions, emotions, and psychological states** that arise from the human condition. The four chief demons—pleasure, desire, distress, and fear—along with their offspring, are **internal powers** that govern human behavior and perception. These daemones are intimately tied to the construction of the **psychical and material body**, showing that the struggle for salvation, in Gnostic thought, is **a struggle within the human self**, not a battle with external devils.

By recognizing these demons as *personified spirits of the human condition*, the *Apocryphon of John* provides a profound and ancient diagnosis of **human suffering and alienation**. The goal of Gnostic salvation is not to fight supernatural monsters but to awaken to **the knowledge (*gnosis*) that liberates the inner person from the grip of ignorance, passion, and fear**.

**Demons in *The Apocryphon of John*: Daemones and the Personification of Human Nature**

In *The Apocryphon of John*, an early Christian Gnostic text, demons are not presented as fallen angels or supernatural enemies of a good deity. Instead, they are portrayed as **daemones**—that is, **personified spirits of the human condition and abstract concepts**, consistent with ancient Greek philosophical traditions. These daemones represent emotional and psychological forces that emerge from human nature itself, not from an external evil being. The text presents a psychological and moral cosmology, where the demons arise from the passions, and the passions in turn emerge from inner conditions like desire, fear, pleasure, and distress.

This view aligns with the broader Gnostic understanding that evil does not originate from a rebellion in heaven or from a devil in the traditional Christian sense, but from **ignorance, disorder, and fragmentation within the human being and the cosmos**. These passions are what enslave the material self—the psychical and physical dimensions of humanity—away from knowledge and unity with the higher order of existence.

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### The Four Chief Demons and Their Source

The *Apocryphon of John* names **four chief demons** that are the root of human passions:

* **Ephememphi**, associated with **pleasure**

* **Yoko**, associated with **desire**

* **Nenentophni**, associated with **distress**

* **Blaomen**, associated with **fear**

Their **mother is Esthesis-Zouch-Epi-Ptoe**, whose name suggests a connection with perception (*aisthēsis*) and sensation. These daemones do not operate as external tempters but as *interior psychological forces*. They are facets of the material condition of humanity, bound to the senses and emotions that drive behavior.

This maternal figure—Esthesis-Zouch-Epi-Ptoe—signifies the **embodied sensory perception** that links the material body with emotional and psychological response. She is associated with **the seven senses**, through which the passions are activated and maintained. This connection indicates that **the root of the passions lies in the bodily experience of the world**, further showing that the demons are **not separate entities**, but **embodied expressions of internal processes**.

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### Passions: The Offspring of the Daemones

Each of the four chief daemones gives rise to a variety of passions that further illustrate their psychological nature:

#### From **distress** (**Nenentophni**) arise:

* **Envy**

* **Jealousy**

* **Grief**

* **Vexation**

* **Discord**

* **Cruelty**

* **Worry**

* **Mourning**

These represent emotional states often tied to **loss, insecurity, or the inability to accept suffering**. They are internal reactions, not the result of spiritual attack from external demons.

#### From **pleasure** (**Ephememphi**) comes:

* **Much evil**

* **Unmerited pride**

* *And so forth*

Pleasure here is not condemned in itself but is shown as a **seductive force** that can lead to **self-deception and arrogance**, especially when it is detached from wisdom or justice.

#### From **desire** (**Yoko**) comes:

* **Anger**

* **Fury**

* **Bitterness**

* **Outrage**

* **Dissatisfaction**

* *And so forth*

Desire, when unregulated, becomes a source of **restlessness and frustration**, giving birth to volatile emotions that disrupt harmony.

#### From **fear** (**Blaomen**) emerges:

* **Horror**

* **Flattery**

* **Suffering**

* **Shame**

Fear leads not only to dread but also to **false behavior (flattery)** and **internal fragmentation**, resulting in shame and psychological suffering.

Each of these passions arises **naturally** from human experiences and is described as a *product of the psychical and physical condition*—not as the result of possession by evil spiritual forces. These daemones are essentially metaphors for the **lower aspects of human nature**, aligning with the Gnostic view that **ignorance (not sin)** is the root of human suffering.

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### Anayo and the Material Soul

The passage continues:

> “Their thought and truth is **Anayo**, the ruler of the material soul. It belongs with the seven senses, Esthesis-Zouch-Epi-Ptoe.”

Anayo, the ruler of the **material soul**, is the *governing principle* over the daemones and passions. The word "material soul" refers to the **psyche** that is bound to the body and the sensory world. In Gnostic anthropology, the human being is composed of multiple levels—the spiritual, the psychic (soul), and the physical. Anayo governs the soul that is dominated by the senses, tied to the passions and to ignorance.

The daemones and their associated passions work **under Anayo’s domain**, shaping the material and psychical body that keeps the human being enslaved to the Natural World. These forces must be **recognized, understood, and ultimately overcome** if the human is to attain gnosis (knowledge) and be freed from the lower realms.

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### 365 Demons: A Symbolic Total

The text states:

> “This is the total number of the demons: **365**

> They worked together to complete, part by part, the psychical and the material body.”

The number **365** is symbolic and corresponds to the number of days in a year, signifying the **totality of material existence** and time-bound experience. Each part of the body, each function of the soul and senses, is said to be **ruled or influenced by one of these daemones**—meaning that the human condition is entirely immersed in these forces from birth.

The demons are not metaphysical enemies waging war on humans from the outside. They are **the psychological and bodily mechanisms** that comprise the human condition in the lower world. This world, ruled by the Demiurge and his archons, is not evil in a dualistic sense, but is **marked by ignorance, disorder, and limitation**.

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### Conclusion

*The Apocryphon of John* presents demons not as supernatural devils or fallen angels but as **daemones—personified passions** that arise from the human condition. The four chief demons—pleasure, desire, distress, and fear—are the roots of psychological and emotional turmoil. Their offspring, including anger, jealousy, pride, and shame, are not spiritual intrusions but internal consequences of living in a disordered, fragmented world.

The Gnostic message is not one of exorcism or spiritual warfare, but of **self-knowledge**. By recognizing the origins of these daemones in our own sensory and emotional nature, we begin the journey toward liberation. *The Apocryphon of John* invites us to look inward—not for invading spirits, but for **the passions that bind us to ignorance**, and through knowledge (*gnosis*), to begin healing the self and returning to the higher order of being.

The meaning of the good news in the gospel of truth

The Meaning of the Good News in the Gospel of Truth

The Gospel of Truth, a Valentinian text discovered at Nag Hammadi, presents a deeply spiritual and philosophical understanding of the “good news.” Unlike the synoptic gospels, which offer historical narratives of Jesus’ life and ministry, the Gospel of Truth proclaims salvation as the restoration of knowledge and the revelation of the Father through the Logos. This is not a message about merely events but about meaning—the meaning of salvation, of ignorance, of restoration, and of the return to the Pleroma.

The opening affirmation in the Gospel of Truth declares:

“The gospel of truth is joy to those who have received from the Father of truth the gift of knowing him by the power of the Logos, who has come from the Pleroma and who is in the thought and the mind of the Father” (Gospel of Truth, 16.31–37).

This is a gospel not based on worldly events but on the restoration of the knowledge of the Father. The Logos, who comes from the Pleroma—the fullness of divine being—brings the capacity to know the Father. This knowing is not mere intellectual assent but a relational return from forgetfulness. Forgetfulness is the condition of ignorance, a separation from the source of life and truth. The good news, therefore, is not merely about being saved from death but being reconnected to the thought and intention of the Father.

This message is described as a manifestation of hope:

“For the name of the gospel is the manifestation of hope, since that is the discovery of those who seek him” (Gospel of Truth, 18.1–3).

Hope, in this framework, is not blind longing but the confident expectation of discovering the Father through the Logos. To seek is to awaken, to remember, and to find one's origin. The Gospel of Truth reveals that those who seek are drawn by the Father’s mercy, and in the manifestation of the Logos, they discover the one whom they were always meant to know.

At the center of this proclamation is Jesus the Anointed. The Gospel of Truth does not primarily frame Jesus in terms of atonement through penal substitution, but as the revealer, the one who brings knowledge and light into darkness:

“That is the gospel of him whom they seek, which he has revealed to the perfect through the mercies of the Father as the hidden mystery, Jesus the Christ. Through him he enlightened those who were in darkness because of forgetfulness” (Gospel of Truth, 18.10–16).

This is a deeply transformative vision of salvation. The darkness here is not sin as moral failure, but forgetfulness of the Father. Enlightenment comes by revelation. Jesus is not simply a figure to be worshiped; he is a teacher, a guide, the one who gives the path of truth to those lost in ignorance.

This aligns with the message of the canonical gospels as well. In Luke 4:43, Jesus says:

“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

And in Mark 1:15:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

These declarations show that the gospel, even in the New Testament, is not merely a biographical sketch of Jesus but a political and spiritual proclamation: the kingdom of God has drawn near. Paul, later, would expand this message to include Jesus’ death and resurrection as the means by which new life—resurrected life—is accessed (Romans 6:4–5). But the Gospel of Truth retains a cosmic and philosophical emphasis: Jesus reveals the hidden mystery of the Father and defeats forgetfulness through knowledge.

Salvation is described in a powerful image of the living book:

“In their heart, the living book of the living was manifest, the book that was written in the thought and in the mind of the Father… No one could appear among those who believed in salvation as long as that book had not appeared… Jesus appeared. He put on that book. He was nailed to a cross. He affixed the edict of the Father to the cross” (Gospel of Truth, 19.1–25).

Here, Jesus’ death is likened to the opening of a sealed book—the revelation of what had been hidden. His crucifixion is not an act of punishment but the manifestation of the Father's will. The book was inaccessible until Jesus embodied it and was "slain" to reveal its contents.

Even in his death, Jesus teaches:

“Oh, such great teaching! He abases himself even unto death, though he is clothed in eternal life… He passed before those who were stripped by forgetfulness, being both knowledge and perfection, proclaiming the things that are in the heart of the Father” (Gospel of Truth, 20.1–15).

This is the profound meaning of the gospel in this text: the restoration of what was forgotten, the reversal of ignorance, and the return to the Father. Perfection comes through knowledge of the Father, not through external rituals or laws. Each one who receives this instruction "draws to himself what is his"—the portion of perfection that has always belonged to him.

This salvation is not abstract:

“That is the gospel of him whom they seek... He enlightened them and gave them a path. And that path is the truth that he taught them” (Gospel of Truth, 25.10–16).

This gospel, then, is not a story to be believed merely for comfort. It is a path to be walked, a truth to be embodied. The one who receives it escapes error, not by destroying error, but by overcoming it through knowledge. The crucifixion becomes a seed of knowledge:

“He became a fruit of the knowledge of the Father… He rather caused those who ate of it to be joyful because of this discovery” (Gospel of Truth, 25.17–20).

Thus, the Gospel of Truth proclaims not only that salvation has come but that it has come in the form of knowing the Father through Jesus, the Logos from the Pleroma. This is the true good news—the rediscovery of one's origin, identity, and destiny in the Father of truth.

The Gnostic Ankh

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Among the many symbols inherited from antiquity, few have carried such spiritual weight and enduring mystery as the Egyptian ankh. While commonly understood as the “key of life” or “breath of life,” the ankh takes on a deeper and more metaphysical meaning in the context of early Christianity and Gnostic thought. In particular, a variation of the ankh — known as the **Gnostic ankh** — appears in the Gnostic Gospel of Judas and in the leather cover of one of the codices discovered at Nag Hammadi. This version features a circle instead of the more familiar teardrop-shaped loop, and its form bears profound symbolic resonance within Gnostic cosmology.

The traditional ankh is a T-shaped cross surmounted by a loop. In ancient Egyptian culture, it was a powerful emblem of life, immortality, and divine force. Deities were frequently depicted holding it, especially in funerary and temple art, suggesting its intimate link with both creation and the afterlife. It symbolized the unity of opposites — male and female, heaven and earth, spirit and matter — all brought together into a harmonious whole.

However, in Gnostic literature, especially in the Gospel of Judas, a transformed version of the ankh appears: a **T-cross topped with a perfect circle**. This variation is not merely artistic but deeply theological. The circle, unlike the traditional loop, is complete, boundless, and symmetrical. It represents the **pleroma** — the fullness of the divine realm, the complete and eternal totality from which all things arise. In contrast, the T-cross beneath it stands for division, duality, and manifestation — the **kenoma**, or realm of deficiency, where fragmentation and form arise.

This Gnostic ankh can thus be seen as a **cosmological diagram**. The circle above embodies wholeness, archetypal potentiality, and the unmanifest — what Gnostic texts refer to as the Mystery or the Invisible Spirit. The cross beneath divides the world below, delineating the fallen cosmos into binaries — light and darkness, life and death, male and female. In this way, the Gnostic ankh illustrates the descent of unity into duality, the process through which the One becomes two: **the divine Mystery made manifest through separation**.

This descent is not merely mythological. In Christian typology, the cross itself has long been seen as a cosmic symbol. The early Church, influenced by Jewish and Hellenistic symbolism, saw deep connections between the cross of Jesus and the serpent Moses lifted in the wilderness (Numbers 21:9). The crucifixion pole — understood by many as a T-shaped structure — became, in this view, a symbol not only of suffering but of healing and revelation. For early Christians, the cross symbolized the point at which divine truth entered the material world.

Thus, when early Christians embossed the Gnostic ankh into their codices — as seen at Nag Hammadi — they were visually encoding a theological vision: the union of the crucified Christ with the fullness of the divine. The **circle atop the cross** became the signature of a spiritual worldview in which the image of the cross was not merely a historical reference, but a cosmic map. It traced the journey of the divine essence into appearance and its potential return through knowledge — or *gnosis*.

In ancient Egypt, mirrors were sometimes fashioned in the shape of an ankh, with the horizontal crossbar serving as the handle and the loop as the reflective surface. Within Gnostic thought, this practical artifact becomes metaphysical metaphor. The **circle-mirror** represents the divine self looking into its own image. The One, desiring to know itself, becomes Two — a viewer and a reflection, thinker and thought, essence and appearance. From this duality arises the cosmos: a reflection of the archetypal realm in the broken mirror of matter.

This act of divine reflection is the root of all creation. The **pleroma** — the unfragmented fullness — gives rise to the **kenoma** not as a fall from perfection, but as the means by which the divine becomes conscious of itself. The world becomes the mirror in which the hidden Mystery appears. The ankh, with its circle and cross, is the key to this insight. It portrays **syzygy** — the union of opposites — not as contradiction, but as complementarity. The One becomes Two in order to return to itself as One.

To realize this truth is the aim of Gnosis. It is to see that the division in the world — the suffering, the multiplicity, the dying — is not ultimate. These are appearances, the reflection of something whole. As such, they are not illusions to be rejected, but signs to be read. They point to the hidden unity from which they spring. The Gnostic ankh reminds the seeker that **behind every form lies its source, and within every duality pulses the memory of unity**.

Though not universally recognized or adopted outside of Gnostic circles, the Gnostic ankh stands as a unique symbol of early Christian mysticism. It must be distinguished from the traditional Egyptian ankh, which, while similar in shape, speaks in a different register. Where the Egyptian ankh promises eternal life, the Gnostic ankh reveals the structure of divine self-knowing. Where the traditional ankh blesses earthly existence, the Gnostic version charts the soul’s return from division into wholeness.

In both symbols, however, there remains a shared thread — the belief that life is sacred, that what is seen is never all there is, and that symbols can point beyond themselves to mysteries that cannot be spoken but only revealed.

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Shaddai: The Mighty Ones in Divine Manifestation

Title: Shaddai: The Mighty Ones in Divine Manifestation

The term "Shaddai" appears in numerous places throughout the Old Testament, often translated as "God" in many instances. However, the common translation does not fully capture its meaning, as "goodness" is not an inherent element of the word. According to the Deity's communication to Moses, "Shaddai" is a part of the name chosen for interactions with Abraham. In Exodus 6:3, the Deity states, "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name El-Shaddai, but by my name Yahweh was I not known unto them."

The English rendering of El-Shaddai as "God Almighty" doesn't precisely convey the original meaning. Lexicographers may define Shaddai as almighty or omnipotent, but such interpretations often stem from theological rather than etymological considerations. The theological concept of pluralis excellentioe, where a plural noun signifies excellence or majesty, has been applied to terms like Elohim and Shaddai. However, this interpretation is a theological construct, and its application doesn't always provide a rational and scriptural explanation.

Shaddai, derived from the root shahdad meaning "to be strong, powerful," is a plural masculine term. It signifies "mighty or powerful ones." Notably, three of these powerful beings appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre. Moses describes the encounter, stating that "Yahweh appeared to him there," and when Abraham saw Yahweh apparent, "he saw three men standing by him." This presents the concept of One-Three or Three-One, with AIL being the One and Shaddai representing the Three. These three mighty beings were manifestations of Yahweh, or Jehovah.

The power of Shaddai is demonstrated in their interaction with Abraham and Lot—harmless and sociable with the patriarchs, yet formidable in their power against the wicked cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim. However, the crucial question arises: Is their power absolute and independent, or is it derived? The answer lies in the name by which they were known to Abraham—AIL-Shaddai, the STRENGTH of the Mighty Ones. This implies that their power is not absolute but derived from the DIVINE SUBSTANCE, described by John as THEOS, the one who dwells in unapproachable light.

Jacob also encountered Shaddai, perceiving a host of them as "Messengers of Elohim," sent of AIL. Jacob's wrestling with one of these messengers led to the bestowal of the title Isra-ail, signifying "prince having power with Elohim." Jacob acknowledged seeing Elohim "faces to faces," a multitudinous manifestation of the highest AIL.

The use of EL-Shaddai persisted in the language of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob. In Genesis 17:1, the Deity bestowed this name upon Himself, emphasizing power and perfection. The possessors of the heavens and the earth consistently called upon EL-Shaddai, signifying the Strength of the Powers.

The Book of Job frequently employs "Shaddai" as a term for God, emphasizing might and power. However, the book also aims to correct the misconception of Shaddai solely as a provider of good things, contrasting the true God with contemporary fertility gods.

In conclusion, the term Shaddai represents a powerful and mighty manifestation of the divine, associated with multiple beings that appeared to Abraham and Jacob. Their power is not absolute but derived from the ultimate divine source, the ETERNAL FIRST CAUSE. The ongoing use of EL-Shaddai in the language of the patriarchs underscores its significance as the Strength of the Powers in divine manifestation.

El Shaddai: The Chief Angel and Divine Presence in Biblical Context

Title: El Shaddai: The Chief Angel and Divine Presence in Biblical Context

Introduction:

El Shaddai, a term signifying "mighty" or "powerful ones," holds a significant place in biblical narratives, particularly in its association with the Angel of Yahweh. This discussion delves into the multifaceted nature of El Shaddai, exploring its role as the chief of angels and elohim (mighty ones) in the biblical context.

El Shaddai as Mighty Ones:

The term Shaddai is rooted in the Hebrew word shadad, meaning strong or powerful. As a plural term, Shaddai implies a group of mighty or powerful beings. Abraham encountered several Shaddai when three of them condescended to partake of his hospitality. Their tremendous power is evident in instances like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, showcasing their ability to exert judgment on the wicked. However, towards "the Heirs of Salvation," they are portrayed as ministering spirits, benevolent and good (Hebrews 1:14; 13:1).

El Shaddai as the Angel of Yahweh:

The biblical narrative unfolds further as we examine Genesis 48, where Jacob reveals that El Shaddai appeared to him at Luz. The significance of this revelation becomes clearer in verses 15 and 16, where Jacob, speaking to Joseph, refers to the God who fed him all his life as the Angel who redeemed him. This connection establishes El Shaddai as intricately linked to the Angel of Yahweh.

Exodus 6:2-3 and the Preposition בְּ:

The interpretation of Exodus 6:2-3 introduces nuances in understanding the relationship between Yahweh and El Shaddai. The preposition בְּ can be translated as "in" or "with," affecting the interpretation of the verse. If translated as "in," it suggests an intimate connection, resonating with Exodus 23:21, where the Father declares His Name is in the Angel. If translated as "with," it aligns with Judges 6:21-23, where the Angel of Yahweh departs from Gideon, and the invisible Yahweh reassures Gideon of His continued presence.

Conclusion:

El Shaddai emerges as a significant and complex divine entity, acting as the chief of mighty beings and intricately associated with the Angel of Yahweh. The exploration of its manifestations and the nuanced interpretation of Exodus 6:2-3 adds depth to our understanding of the divine presence in biblical narratives. El Shaddai's roles as both a powerful judge and a benevolent ministering spirit highlight the multifaceted nature of the divine in biblical theology.
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Abrasax: Minister of Light and Eternal Life in the Sethian Tradition

**Abrasax: Minister of Light and Eternal Life in the Sethian Tradition**

In the rich cosmology of **Sethian Gnosticism**, the figure of **Abrasax** appears as one of the four great ministers of the divine Lights in *The Gospel of the Egyptians*. While later magical traditions and Gnostic fragments depict Abrasax in ambiguous or hybridized forms, the **Nag Hammadi** texts preserve a more structured and theologically grounded portrait. Far from being a chaotic deity or magical emblem, **Abrasax is presented as a great minister of the Pleroma**, associated specifically with the light named **Eleleth**, and with **eternal life itself**.

In *The Gospel of the Egyptians*, we read:

> “The (ministers) came forth: the first one, the great Gamaliel (of) the first great light Harmozel, and the great Gabriel (of) the second great light Oroiael, and the great Samlo of the great light Davithe, and the great **Abrasax of \[the great light] Eleleth**.” (*Gospel of the Egyptians*)

This passage presents Abrasax as one of **four ministers**, each linked to a corresponding "great light." These lights are traditionally understood in Sethian theology as aeons within the **Pleroma**, the divine fullness and incorruptible realm of the Deity. Each minister is an agent who carries out the will of the Deity in relation to his corresponding light. In this configuration, **Abrasax is minister to Eleleth**, a figure who elsewhere is associated with **divine revelation**, **incorruptibility**, and **gnosis**.

The feminine counterparts of these ministers are also revealed, not as spouses in a carnal sense, but as the **faculties or emanations** that express their mission:

> “And the consorts of these came forth by the will of the good pleasure of the Father: the Memory of the great one, the first, Gamaliel; the Love of the great one, the second, Gabriel; the Peace of the third one, the great Samblo; the eternal **Life of the great one, the fourth, Abrasax**.” (*Gospel of the Egyptians*)

Here, **Abrasax is paired with “eternal Life,”** highlighting his association not merely with illumination, but with the **imperishable vitality** of the Pleroma itself. This is **not earthly life**, subject to decay and death, but a life rooted in incorruptibility—the kind of life that characterizes the **seed of Seth** and all who are born from the upper aeons.

Later in the same text, Abrasax appears again, not as an isolated power, but in an **eschatological role** as one of the rescuers of the elect. In a listing of the cosmic guardians of truth, light, and salvation, he is mentioned among the ministers of the four Lights, now **servants of the great Seth**:

> “The receivers of the great race, the incorruptible, mighty men of the great Seth, the ministers of the four lights, the great Gamaliel, the great Gabriel, the great Samblo, and the great **Abrasax**.” (*Gospel of the Egyptians*)

In this passage, **Abrasax is explicitly connected to Seth**, the spiritual progenitor of the incorruptible race. His role here is one of **protection, ministry, and restoration**—a guardian for the "great race" who descended into the lower aeons and now awaits redemption. The “receivers” are those who recognize the seed of light in the elect and guide them back to their proper home.

This theme is further developed in *The Apocalypse of Adam*, which depicts **Abrasax** as one of the **redeeming agents** who intervene at the final judgment. In vivid eschatological imagery, the text declares:

> “**Abrasax and Sablo and Gamaliel** will descend and bring those men out of the fire and the wrath, and take them above the aeons and the rulers of the \[powers]... there with the holy angels and the aeons. The men will be like those angels, for they are not strangers to them. But they work in the imperishable seed.” (*Apocalypse of Adam*)

Here, **Abrasax is no mere celestial observer**. He is a direct participant in the rescue of the **elect**, delivering them from the judgment fire prepared for the **aeonic powers and their rulers**, such as **Sakla**. The fire symbolizes the collapse of the dominion of the Archons, but it cannot harm those whose origin lies in the incorruptible aeons. **Abrasax ascends with them beyond the aeons**, into the domain of the holy angels and their eternal dwelling.

The reason the elect are spared is clear:

> “For their soul did not come from a defiled hand, but it came from a great commandment of an eternal angel.” (*Apocalypse of Adam*)

This statement affirms the **pure origin** of the elect—not from the defective material of the Archons, but from the **command of an eternal angel**, a being such as **Eleleth** or one of the lights. Therefore, **Abrasax’s mission** is not only redemptive, but **reintegrative**: to return what was exiled to its proper domain in the **Pleroma**.

Taken together, these passages offer a coherent picture of Abrasax—not as an obscure magical name or ambiguous demiurge, but as a **minister of light and life**. His identity in Sethian texts can be summed up as:

* A **minister of Eleleth**, the aeon of divine truth and incorruptibility;

* A bearer of **eternal life**, the incorruptible vitality that transcends the aeons;

* A **servant of the great Seth**, guarding the seed of the elect;

* A **rescuer of souls**, leading them past the rulers and into the realm of light.

These roles affirm that **Abrasax belongs to the incorruptible order** of the Sethian cosmos. He is not part of the natural world dominated by Sakla and the Archons, but an **agent of return**, active in the drama of salvation.

In conclusion, **Abrasax is a heavenly minister whose name is tied to life, light, and final deliverance**. Far from being a symbol of syncretism or duality, within **Sethian Gnostic scripture** he is a **guardian of the imperishable race**, one who works under the authority of the Father and alongside the lights of the Pleroma to **secure the liberation of the elect**.

Adam Kadmon and the Mystical Body of Christ

Adam Kadmon and the Mystical Body of Christ

the Jewish concept of Adam Kadmon is the Christian concept of the “Mystical Body of Christ"

However the Christian understanding of Adam Kadmon is very different from the Jewish concept which is a primordial heavenly man. It is he that is the true “image of God,” a majestic vessel of divine glory, the ideal human (Deut. 4:32; PdRK 4:4, 12:1, Lev. R. 20:2). All earthly humans (Gen. 2-3) are in his image 

What is most striking to me is Paul’s insistence on the “order” of being. Paul pointedly states the “spiritual Adam” was not first.

So, too, it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being," the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual.

The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.

Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one. (I Corinthians 15:45-50)

This indicates to me that Paul is both aware of and modified an already well-known doctrine of a “spiritual Adam” that people believed preceded the earthly Adam. Since Jesus came millenia after human creation, Paul finds it necessary for the spiritual Adam be the crowning moment of humanity, rather then its origin.

Jesus sometimes use the term "Son of man" not to refer Himself but the Heavenly Adam Kadmon, the perfect man the full grown Christ


Therefore the true Adam Kadmon is a Corporate Being the mystical body of Christ

Jesus is the head of this Adam Kadmon or son of man the true believers are the body of Adam Kadmon


“Now you are Christ’s body, and members individually,” in a spiritual sense. 1Co 12:27


Adam Kadmon also refers to a the higher state of consciousness which Jesus' atonited message produces. Jesus is the first fruits or prototype of this higher consciousness the Christ-consciousness. Jesus' aonited teachings put the body of Christ-consciousness in reach of us all.


Adam Kadmon is a Corporate Being called the Son of Man (Dan 7 Rev 1) others call it the mystical body of Christ it refers to large number/body of people who are in the Christ consciousness or the Corporate Being the Son of Man the multitudinous Christ

Anthrôpos and Ecclesia

Christ and the pre-existisnt chrurh

the anointing spirit is called the First Man




In many Gnostic systems the Anthropos -- an aion in the Pleroma, one of the attributes of the Ultimate Oneness, the Ideal of earthly humans -- was regarded as an androgyne

In view of this extraordinary tendency, it is not surprising that Adam, Seth, and "the Seed of Seth" should be hypostasised into supernal entities; Adam and Seth being two versions of the "Archetypal Man"  or Anthropos (in the non-Godheadic sense), and the "seed of Seth" or Gnostic Souls occupying their correct hierarchical position immediately below.

The Pleroma is the Body of Christ

The Pleroma is the Body of Christ

The fullness which is Christ’s- and His “fullness” is God’s fullness- is shared with us: “Of His fullness have all we received” (Jn. 1:16). In this sense the church, as the body of Christ, is “the fullness of Him that fills all in all” (Eph. 1:23; 4:13). 

Through knowing Christ, the believers are therefore “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). So the fact that Jesus had “all the fullness of God” doesn’t make Him "God" Himself in person; because we will not become God Himself in person because we are filled with God’s fullness; any more than a son is his father. In the same way as Christ’s body after His resurrection was filled with the Spirit and nature of God- so will ours be (1 Cor. 15:49; Phil. 3:20,21).

The ‘fulness’ of Christ dwells ‘bodily’ in the church, even as the ‘fulness’ of the Godhead dwells ‘bodily’ in Him. 

The term Body of Christ has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus' words over the bread at the Last Supper that "This is my body" in Luke 22:19–20, or to the usage of the term by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:12–14 and Ephesians 4:1–16 to refer to the Christian Church.

The Body of Christ as the Christian Church is what we are going to look at

The "Body of Christ" is used by other Protestants to collectively describe believers in Christ, as opposed to only those who are members of the Catholic Church. In this sense, Christians are members of the universal body of Christ not because of identification with the institution of the Church, but through identification with Christ directly through faith. 

members of the body of Christ, --All those who forsake everything pertaining to the personal, limited self and measure up to the Christ standard in thoughts and acts, thus bringing forth the unlimited fruits of Spirit, are members of the one body: the body of Christ.

it is sometimes called the Mystical body of Christ, a mystical union of all Christians into a spiritual body with Jesus Christ as their head. 

1 Corinthians 12::12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1 Corinthians 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and R. Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestras perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose "loud" as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music.

"The beauty and purpose and usefulness of the human body is in its diversity" (GVG, Ber 57:308).

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

the mystical body of Christ. By faith, its elements are "members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." Hence, they are "bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh;" and, therefore, the beloved Eve of the last Adam, the Lord who is to come from heaven, and make her of the same holy spiritual nature as his own. Thus, the church is figuratively taken out of the side of her Lord; for every member of it believes in the remission of sins through his shed blood; and they all believe in the real resurrection of his flesh and bones, for their justification unto life by a similar revival from the dead. "Your bodies are the members," or flesh and bones, "of Christ; ... and he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (ICor. 6:15, 17). "I have espoused you to one husband," says Paul, "that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2Cor. 11:2). It will be perceived, then, that the church as defined, is in the present state the espoused of Christ, but not actually married

Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

ONE BODY: See Eph 1:23; 2:15,16. The church is not an organization, but an organism. It is alive. It has a life of its own.

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

A PERFECT MAN --- into the measure of the full age of the fulness of the Christ: who is THE HEAD, from whom the whole Body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint (heir) supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. 4:3, 4, 13, 15, 16).

Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

v.23 “the fullness” Grk. pleroma. This is a derivative of pleroo used in this phrase also. These words clearly link with the Lord’s promise of “baptism in Spirit” (Acts 1:4) which in its fulfilment is described in Acts as being “filled with Holy Spirit”. cf. John 1:16 and notes there. “of him” i.e. Christ.
 The fulness of Spirit in Christ was in turn “poured out” on believers, so that they were “filled with Holy Spirit”. “that filleth” = Grk. pleroo (cf. 3:19; 4:10; 5:18; Acts 2:2; 13:52) where this word clearly is associated with the Spirit gifts. “all in all”

the Church is the fullness (pleroma) of Christ ( Ephesians 1:23 ). It forms one whole with Him; and the Apostle even speaks of the Church as "Christ" (1 Cor. 12:12). 

“That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Eph 3:19). “The fulness of him that filleth all (his ecclesias) in all (places),

His body was like the beryl." The "body" here is the "One Body" of which Paul speaks in his epistles; as, "the Ecclesia which is His body, the fulness of Him (the Spirit) who perfects all things in all" saints. When the fulness is brought in the body will be complete (Rom. 11:25; Eph. 1:23); and it will then be "like a beryl."

Concerning the fullness, it is I.  I (the christ) was sent down in the body (of Jesus) for the seed that had fallen away. And I came down to their mortal model. But they did not recognize me, thinking I was a mortal. I spoke with the one who is mine, and the one who is mine listened to me just as you also who have listened to me today. And I gave him authority to enter into the inheritance of his fatherhood. And I took him the one who is mine up to my Father. They the Aeons were brought to completion filled with rest through his salvation. Since he was deficiency, he became fullness. The Letter of Peter to Philip (Nag Hammadi Codex VIII, 2)

The Interpretation of Knowledge

For no beast exists in the Aeon. For the Father does not keep the sabbath, but (rather) actuates the Son, and through the Son he continued to provide himself with the Aeons. The Father has living rational elements from which he puts on my members as garment

He became an emanation of the trace. For also they say about the likeness that it is apprehended by means of his trace. The structure apprehends by means of the likeness, but God apprehends by means of his members. He knew them before they were begotten, and they will know him. And the one who begot each one from the first will indwell them. He will rule over them.

But who is it that redeemed the one who was reproached? It is the emanation of the name. For just as the flesh has need of a name, so also is the flesh an Aeon that Wisdom has emitted. It received the majesty that is descending, so that the Aeon might enter the one who was reproached, that we might escape the disgrace of the carcass and be regenerated in the flesh and blood of ... (8 lines missing)... destiny. He [...] and the Aeons [...] they accepted the Son although he was a complete mystery [...] each one of his members [...] grace. When he cried out, he was separated from the Church like portions of the darkness from the Mother, while his feet provided him traces, and these scorched the path of the ascent to the Father.

Aeons that exist in that place. Some exist in the visible Church - those who exist in the Church of men - and unanimously they proclaim to one another the Pleroma of their aeon. And some exist for death in the Church on whose behalf they go - she for whom they are death - while others are for life. Therefore they are lovers of abundant life. And each of the rest endures by his own root. He puts forth fruit that is like him, since the roots have a connection with one another and their fruits are undivided, the best of each. They possess them, existing for them and for one another. So let us become like the roots, since we are equal

Moreover, if they would wait for the exodus from the (earthly) harmony, they will come to the Aeon. If they are fit to share in the (true) harmony, how much the more those who derive from the single unity? They ought to be reconciled with one another. Do not accuse your Head because it has not appointed you as an eye but rather as a finger. And do not be jealous of that which has been put in the class of an eye or a hand or a foot, but be thankful that you do not exist outside the Body. On the contrary, you have the same Head on whose account the eye exists, as well as the hand and the foot and the rest of the parts. Why do you despise the one that is appointed as [...] it desired to [...] you slandered [...] does not embrace [...] unmixed body [...] chosen [...] dissolve [...] of the Aeon [...] descent [...] however plucked us from <the> Aeons that exist in that place. Some exist in the visible Church - those who exist in the Church of men - and unanimously they proclaim to one another the Pleroma of their aeon. And some exist for death in the Church on whose behalf they go - she for whom they are death - while others are for life. Therefore they are lovers of abundant life. And each of the rest endures by his own root. He puts forth fruit that is like him, since the roots have a connection with one another and their fruits are undivided, the best of each. They possess them, existing for them and for one another. So let us become like the roots, since we are equal [...] that Aeon [...] those who are not ours [...] above the [...] grasp him [...] since [...] your soul. He will [...] we gave you to him. If you purify it, it abides in me. If you enclose it, it belongs to the Devil. Even if you kill his forces that are active, it will be with you. For if the soul is dead, still it was enacted upon (by) the rulers and authorities.

Receive now the teaching of the one who was reproached - an advantage and a profit for the soul - and receive his shape. It is the shape that exists in the presence of the Father, the word and the height, that let you know him before you have been led astray while in (the) flesh of condemnation.

Likewise I became very small, so that through my humility I might take you up to the great height, whence you had fallen. You were taken to this pit. If now you believe in me, it is I who shall take you above, through this shape that you see

Here, then, was a symbolic man blazing in glory and power: and representative of the Eternal Spirit hereafter to be manifested in a NEW ORDER OF ELOHIM -- aggregately ONE MAN -- the One Man of the One Spirit, whom the true believers shall all come unto 



 Daniel saw the "perfect man" -- the Eternal manifested in the glorified flesh of a multitude -- symbolically represented in the measure of his full age.






Daniel next informs us concerning the Spirit-man "the Man of the One" that "

The Teacher of Immortality and the Teacher of Righteousness: One and the Same

**The Teacher of Righteousness and the Teacher of Immortality: One and the Same**

Throughout the writings of both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library, we encounter the figure of a divine teacher—one who brings truth, unveils hidden knowledge, and leads the faithful toward righteousness and immortality. This figure appears under different titles: *The Teacher of Righteousness* in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and *The Teacher of Immortality* in the Valentinian text *The Interpretation of Knowledge*. Yet a close comparison reveals that these two are one and the same person: **Jesus Christ**, the true Prophet, whose mission is to teach the Church how to die to the present world and live in expectation of incorruptibility.

In *The Interpretation of Knowledge*, the Teacher of Immortality is described as a figure who both creates and destroys—who appears divine, not for the sake of arrogance, but because he shares in divine knowledge and power by commission from the Deity. He comes to teach the Church not to cling to life in the corruptible world but to embrace the death that leads to true life:

> "The teacher should hide himself as if he were a god who would embrace his works and destroy them. For he also spoke with the Church and he made himself her teacher of immortality, and destroyed the arrogant teacher by teaching her to die. And this teacher made a living school, for that teacher has another school: while it teaches us about the dead writings, he, on the other hand, was causing us to remove ourselves from the surfeit of the world; we were being taught about our death through them." (*The Interpretation of Knowledge*, Nag Hammadi Library)

Here, Jesus is portrayed as the teacher who teaches the Church “to die”—not by glorifying martyrdom or violence, but by guiding her out of bondage to the present corruptible age and into the hope of resurrection. He destroys the arrogant teacher not by sword or fire, but through the quiet work of teaching and truth. His school is *living* because it transforms hearts, while the rival school is dead, filled with doctrines that come from “dead writings”—that is, **church creeds, papal bulls, and the declarations of men** who exalt themselves over the Word of God.

This aligns with what is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the *Habakkuk Pesher* (1QpHab), the Teacher of Righteousness is described as a faithful interpreter of prophecy and a vessel of divine understanding:

> "\[For the wicked encompasses] the righteous (i, 4c).

> \[The wicked is the Wicked Priest, and the righteous] is the Teacher of Righteousness...

> \[So] justice goes forth \[perverted] (i, 4d)."

Here, we see a conflict not unlike the one described in the New Testament between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day, and later between the apostles and the apostate institutions of Christianity. The Teacher of Righteousness is surrounded by wickedness—he is persecuted by a rival figure called the *Wicked Priest*. This “priest” is not merely another Jew in disagreement; he is described as one who profanes the covenant and leads others astray:

> "\[Behold the nations and see, marvel and be astonished; for I accomplish a deed in your days, but you will not believe it when] II told (i, 5).

> \[Interpreted, this concerns] those who were unfaithful together with the Liar, in that they \[did] not \[listen to the word received by] the Teacher of Righteousness from the mouth of God. And it concerns the unfaithful of the New \[Covenant] in that they have not believed in the Covenant of God \[and have profaned] His holy Name."

This has direct application to the Christian age. The “unfaithful of the New Covenant” refer to those who claim to belong to Christ but reject the words of the Teacher of Righteousness—Jesus—by adhering instead to the decrees of human leaders. It is the same betrayal described by Paul in 2 Thessalonians, where he warns of a great apostasy and the rise of the *man of sin*:

> “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4)

This *man of sin* is none other than the *arrogant teacher* and the *Wicked Priest* spoken of in earlier writings. He is not a future individual but a continuing office—the **Bishop of Rome**, the **Papacy**, the **line of popes**, and the **Antichrist** foretold by Paul and revealed by history. The popes have exalted themselves above all that is called God, sitting in temples adorned with gold, issuing bulls and encyclicals that override the plain teachings of Scripture. They have persecuted those who keep the testimony of Jesus, much like the Wicked Priest persecuted the Teacher of Righteousness.

The so-called church creeds—Nicene, Chalcedonian, and others—and papal bulls are the *dead writings* of the arrogant teacher’s school. These are contrasted with the living voice of the true Teacher, who instructed the Church in dying to the world. The living school of Christ calls believers to forsake dogma, ritual, and pride, and to embrace humility, righteousness, and incorruptibility.

Jesus Christ is both the *Teacher of Righteousness* and the *Teacher of Immortality*. He was rejected by those who claimed authority and was opposed by religious institutions that sought control. He taught his disciples not to seek power in this age, but to die to it—to put off the surfeit of the world and live by the power of the coming age. His school remains alive wherever his words are taught and obeyed.

In the end, the teacher who teaches us to die is the only one who can teach us to live. And the arrogant teacher who teaches from dead writings is the one who leads many to destruction. The contrast remains clear. One leads to life; the other to judgment. And the final generation, like the first, must choose between the two.

Abraxas: The Archetype of Paradox, Power, and Liberation

 

**Abraxas: The Archetype of Paradox, Power, and Liberation**

Abraxas is one of the most enigmatic and layered figures in Gnostic and esoteric traditions. He embodies multiplicity, contradiction, and transformation. In the ancient world, he appeared inscribed on magical gems, depicted with a rooster's head, the body of a man, and serpent legs—symbols that in themselves speak to hybrid power and cosmic ambiguity. But what does Abraxas *mean*, and why has this figure persisted through Gnostic, magical, and even modern psychological systems?

In Greek gematria, the name **Abraxas** (ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ) adds up to 365, signifying the 365 emanations of the supreme being in the system of *Basilides*. As A.P. Smith notes in *A Dictionary of Gnosticism*, “The letters of the word Abraxas in Greek gematria… add up to 365, which in the Basilidean system described by \*Irenaeus represents the 365 emanations from the supreme being.” These emanations span from the highest heavens to the lowest material realms. Thus, Abraxas becomes a cipher for totality—not just divine plenitude but also the corruptible layers of the cosmos.

Etymologically, several derivations of the name have been proposed. J. B. Passerius believed it comes from *abh* (“father”), *bara* (“to create”), and the prefix *a-* meaning “not”—thus, "the uncreated Father." Another proposal from Wendelin involves a compound of initial letters in Greek characters: *ab, ben, rouach, hakadōs; sōtēria apo xylou*—“Father, Son, Spirit, holy; salvation from the cross.” Jean Hardouin, via Isaac de Beausobre, accepted the first three and interpreted the rest as *anthrōpoussōzōn hagiōi xylōi*, “saving mankind by the holy cross.” These etymologies suggest an attempt to fuse Jewish, Greek, and Christian mystical concepts into a singular, potent term.

In Basilidean cosmology, as reported by *Irenaeus*, Abraxas was more than a name—he was the ruler of the 365 heavens. The supreme "Unbegotten Father" emanates Nous (Mind), from whom proceeds Logos (Word), Phronesis (Wisdom), and eventually angels who create the heavens, each corresponding to a level of cosmic reality. “The ruler of the 365 heavens is Abraxas,” Irenaeus writes, “and for this reason he contains within himself 365 numbers.” Abraxas thus comes to signify the entirety of cosmic time and space. But rather than being a harmonious whole, the world he governs is fractured and dualistic. As the Basilideans held, “these worlds… were full of contradictions: evil and virtue, truth and falsehood, the sacred and the vile, pain and joy, birth and death… This is Abraxas—our world, and therefore it is so frightening in its inconceivability.”

The **Nag Hammadi texts** further complicate the picture. In the *Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit*, Abraxas is named among the four great luminaries: Gamaliel, Gabriel, Samblo, and Abrasax—each presiding over emanations of the Pleroma, the fullness of divine light. “The great Abrasax \[is] of the great light Eleleth,” and he is paired with “eternal Life.” These luminaries serve as “the ministers of the four lights… and they who preside over the sun, its rising.” Abraxas, in this context, is not a demiurge but a *savior-figure* who, alongside Gamaliel and Sablo, “will descend and bring those men out of the fire and the wrath… above the aeons and the rulers of the powers.” (*Revelation of Adam*) He is a rescuer from the cosmic prison.

However, the Church Fathers like *Epiphanius* condemned the figure and its representations. After accusing Basilides of turning abstract speculations into idolatry, Epiphanius ridicules the imagery of Abraxas, calling it a “Spirit of deceit.” He mocks their use of the Hebrew term “Kavlacav” as a bodily form and connects the serpent legs of Abraxas to the deception of Eve: “Yea, even his legs are an imitation of the Serpent through whom the Evil One spake… the Devil used \[these forms] to support his blasphemy against heavenly things.”

Modern interpreters like **C.G. Jung** took a different view. In *Seven Sermons to the Dead*, Jung describes Abraxas as “the God who is difficult to know,” a being who transcends both the Christian God and the Devil. Abraxas unites opposites—light and darkness, good and evil, life and death. Jung writes that Abraxas is “the unlikely, likely one, who is powerful in the realm of unreality.” In psychological terms, he represents the totality of the psyche—not the sanitized ego, but the raw, frightening union of all drives and contradictions.

In a more symbolic and numerological frame, Abraxas is associated with the seven classical planets, the seven days of the week, and ultimately, the **365 powers of heaven**—each day of the year being ruled by a different force. The name becomes a kind of magical formula, a code that expresses the inescapability of time. As one interpretation puts it: “ABRASAX is a code for ‘365’ meaning the cycle of the year and the inescapability of time. So that’s bad. But hey, if you befriend / cajole / blackmail the concept of time, you can liberate yourself. Not be defined or imprisoned by time.”

This duality—Abraxas as both prison and liberator—is at the heart of the Gnostic message. The system is corrupt, oppressive, and ruled by archons. But “if it’s a system, it can be hacked.” As one modern commentator puts it, “We’re not in the paint business. We’re in the dynamite business.” The mystical vision of Abraxas is not to patch up the illusion but to blow it apart.

Finally, Abraxas is also a symbolic alphabet—each letter interpreted as part of a transition. “Abraxas is the archetype that splits unity into duality, the first emanation… O is a basin. U is a cup to be filled; if it overflows, it spills into the void… Abraxas represents an invisible, external power—magical, transformative, unknowable, and yet supremely powerful and influential.”

In conclusion, Abraxas is not merely a demiurge or savior, not just an astral ruler or esoteric code. He is the embodiment of paradox—the binding and unraveling of opposites, the prison of time and the possibility of liberation. From Basilides to Jung, from engraved gems to hidden Gospels, Abraxas remains “the god who is difficult to know,” a cipher for the frightening totality of existence and the key to freedom within it.