Aeon (Gnosticism)
Encyclopedia
In many Gnostic
systems, the various emanations
of God
, who is also known by such names as the One, the Monad
, Aion teleos (αἰών τέλεος "The Broadest Aeon"), Bythos ("depth or profundity", Greek ), Proarkhe ("before the beginning", Greek ), the Arkhe ("the beginning", Greek ), are called Aeons. In the different systems these emanations are differently named, classified, and described, but the emanation theory itself is common to all forms of Gnosticism. In the Basilidian Gnosis they are called sonships (υἱότητες huiotetes; sing.: υἱότης huiotes); according to Marcus
, they are numbers and sounds; in Valentinianism they form male/female pairs called syzygies (Greek , from σύζυγοι syzygoi, lit. "yokings together").
This source of all being is an Aeon in which an inner being dwells, known as Ennoea ("thought, intent", Greek ), Charis ("grace", Greek ), or Sige ("silence", Greek ). These are the primary roots of the Aeons. The split perfect being conceives the second Aeon, Caen ("power"), within itself. Along with the male Caen comes the female Aeon, Akhana ("love"). Complex hierarchies of Aeons are thus produced, sometimes to the number of thirty. These Aeons belong to the purely ideal, noumenal
, intelligible, or supersensible world; they are immaterial, they are hypostatic ideas. Together with the source from which they emanate they form the Pleroma ("region of light", Greek ). The lowest regions of the Pleroma are closest to the darkness—that is, the physical world.
The transition from the immaterial to the material, from the noumenal to the sensible, is brought about by a flaw, or a passion, or a sin, in one of the Aeons. According to Basilides
, it is a flaw in the last sonship; according to others the sin of the Great Archon
, or Aeon-Creator, of the Universe; according to others it is the passion of the female Aeon Sophia, who emanates without her partner Aeon, resulting in the Demiurge
(Greek ), a creature that should never have come into existence. This creature does not belong to the Pleroma, and the One emanates two savior Aeons, Christ
and the Holy Spirit
, to save humanity from the Demiurge. Christ then took the form of the human Jesus, in order to be able to teach humanity how to achieve Gnosis
. The ultimate end of all Gnosis is μετάνοια metanoia, or repentance, the undoing of the sin of material existence and the return to the Pleroma.
Aeons bear a number of similarities to Judaeo-Christian angels, including their roles as servants and emanations of God, and their existence as beings of light. In fact, certain Gnostic Angels, such as Armozel, also happen to be Aeons.
The Gnostic Gospel of Judas
, recently found, purchased, held, and translated by the National Geographic Society
, also mentions the Aeons and speaks of Jesus' teachings of them.
assumed, as the beginning of all things, the Primal Being or Bythos, who after ages of silence and contemplation, gave rise to other beings by a process of emanation. The first series of beings, the Aeons, were thirty in number, representing fifteen syzygies or pairs sexually complementary. One common form is outlined below:
The Valentinian system was, until recently, only known through the criticisms of its opponents; however, the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library
has given access to Valentinian texts, including sources that have been tentatively identified as written by Valentinus.
Tertullian
's Against the Valentinians gives a slightly different sequence. The first eight of these Aeons, corresponding to generations one through four below, are referred to as the Ogdoad
.
, the followers of the Gnostics
Ptolemy
and Colorbasus had Aeons that differ from those of Valentinus. Logos is created when Anthropos learns to speak. The first four are called the Tetrad and the eight are called the Ogdoad.
The order of Anthropos and Ecclesia versus Logos and Zoe is somewhat debated; different sources give different accounts. Logos and Zoe are unique to this system as compared to the previous, and may be an evolved version of the first, totalling 34 Aeons, but it is not clear if the first two were actually regarded Aeons.
, which, as suggested in the Zohar
, incorporates 10 Sephiroth and 22 paths interconnecting these 10 Sephiroth; while 10 Aeons are created during the first five generations from which come the other 22 Aeons later during the sixth generation."
draws its name and some of its iconography from Gnosticism, notably aeons (the two main characters forming a syzygy) and a demiurge.
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
systems, the various emanations
Emanationism
Emanationism is an idea in the cosmology or cosmogony of certain religious or philosophical systems. Emanation, from the Latin emanare meaning "to flow from" or "to pour forth or out of", is the mode by which all things are derived from the First Reality, or Principle...
of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, who is also known by such names as the One, the Monad
Monad (Gnosticism)
The Monad in early Christian gnostic writings is an adaption of concepts of the Monad in Greek philosophy to Christian gnostic belief systems.The term monad comes from the Greek feminine noun monas , "one unit," where the ending -s in the nominative form resolves to the ending -d in declension.In...
, Aion teleos (αἰών τέλεος "The Broadest Aeon"), Bythos ("depth or profundity", Greek ), Proarkhe ("before the beginning", Greek ), the Arkhe ("the beginning", Greek ), are called Aeons. In the different systems these emanations are differently named, classified, and described, but the emanation theory itself is common to all forms of Gnosticism. In the Basilidian Gnosis they are called sonships (υἱότητες huiotetes; sing.: υἱότης huiotes); according to Marcus
Marcosians
The Marcosians were a Gnostic sect founded by Marcus, active in Lyons and southern Europe from the second to the 4th century. Women held special status in the Marcosian communities; they were regarded as prophetesses and participated in administering the Eucharistic rites. Irenaeus accuses Marcus...
, they are numbers and sounds; in Valentinianism they form male/female pairs called syzygies (Greek , from σύζυγοι syzygoi, lit. "yokings together").
This source of all being is an Aeon in which an inner being dwells, known as Ennoea ("thought, intent", Greek ), Charis ("grace", Greek ), or Sige ("silence", Greek ). These are the primary roots of the Aeons. The split perfect being conceives the second Aeon, Caen ("power"), within itself. Along with the male Caen comes the female Aeon, Akhana ("love"). Complex hierarchies of Aeons are thus produced, sometimes to the number of thirty. These Aeons belong to the purely ideal, noumenal
Noumenon
The noumenon is a posited object or event that is known without the use of the senses.The term is generally used in contrast with, or in relation to "phenomenon", which refers to anything that appears to, or is an object of, the senses...
, intelligible, or supersensible world; they are immaterial, they are hypostatic ideas. Together with the source from which they emanate they form the Pleroma ("region of light", Greek ). The lowest regions of the Pleroma are closest to the darkness—that is, the physical world.
The transition from the immaterial to the material, from the noumenal to the sensible, is brought about by a flaw, or a passion, or a sin, in one of the Aeons. According to Basilides
Basilides
Basilides was an early Gnostic religious teacher in Alexandria, Egypt who taught from 117–138 AD, notes that to prove that the heretical sects were "later than the catholic Church," Clement of Alexandria assigns Christ's own teaching to the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius; that of the apostles,...
, it is a flaw in the last sonship; according to others the sin of the Great Archon
Archon
Archon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
, or Aeon-Creator, of the Universe; according to others it is the passion of the female Aeon Sophia, who emanates without her partner Aeon, resulting in the Demiurge
Demiurge
The demiurge is a concept from the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy for an artisan-like figure responsible for the fashioning and maintenance of the physical universe. The term was subsequently adopted by the Gnostics...
(Greek ), a creature that should never have come into existence. This creature does not belong to the Pleroma, and the One emanates two savior Aeons, Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
and the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, to save humanity from the Demiurge. Christ then took the form of the human Jesus, in order to be able to teach humanity how to achieve Gnosis
Gnosis
Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge . In the context of the English language gnosis generally refers to the word's meaning within the spheres of Christian mysticism, Mystery religions and Gnosticism where it signifies 'spiritual knowledge' in the sense of mystical enlightenment.-Related...
. The ultimate end of all Gnosis is μετάνοια metanoia, or repentance, the undoing of the sin of material existence and the return to the Pleroma.
Aeons bear a number of similarities to Judaeo-Christian angels, including their roles as servants and emanations of God, and their existence as beings of light. In fact, certain Gnostic Angels, such as Armozel, also happen to be Aeons.
The Gnostic Gospel of Judas
Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel that purportedly documents conversations between the Disciple Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ.It is believed to have been written by Gnostic followers of Jesus, rather than by Judas himself, and probably dates from no earlier than the 2nd century, since it...
, recently found, purchased, held, and translated by the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, also mentions the Aeons and speaks of Jesus' teachings of them.
Valentinus
ValentinusValentinus (Gnostic)
Valentinus was the best known and for a time most successful early Christian gnostic theologian. He founded his school in Rome...
assumed, as the beginning of all things, the Primal Being or Bythos, who after ages of silence and contemplation, gave rise to other beings by a process of emanation. The first series of beings, the Aeons, were thirty in number, representing fifteen syzygies or pairs sexually complementary. One common form is outlined below:
Nag Hammadi library
The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. That year, twelve leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by a local peasant named Mohammed Ali Samman...
has given access to Valentinian texts, including sources that have been tentatively identified as written by Valentinus.
Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
's Against the Valentinians gives a slightly different sequence. The first eight of these Aeons, corresponding to generations one through four below, are referred to as the Ogdoad
Ogdoad
In Egyptian mythology, the Ogdoad were eight deities worshipped in Hermopolis during what is called the Old Kingdom, the third through sixth dynasties, dated between 2686 to 2134 BC...
.
- First generation:
- Bythos (The Depth) and Sige (The Silence)
- Second generation:
- Caen (Power) and Akhana (Immensity)
- Third generation, emanated from Caen and Akhana:
- Nous (Nus, Mind) and Aletheia (Veritas, Truth)
- Fourth generation, emanated from Nous and Aletheia:
- Sermo (the Word) and Vita (the Drive)
- Fifth generation, emanated from Sermo and Vita:
- Anthropos (Mankind) and Ecclesia (Civilization/ Community)
- Sixth generation:
- Emanated from Sermo and Vita:
- Bythios (Profound) and Mixis (Mixture)
- Ageratos (Ageless) and Henosis (Unification)
- Autophyes (Growth) and Hedone (Pleasure)
- Acinetos (Immovable) and Syncrasis (Commixture)
- Monogenes (Common origin) and Macaria (Destined death)
- Emanated from Anthropos and Ecclesia:
- Paracletus (Comforter) and Pistis (Faith)
- Patricas (Paternal) and Elpis (Hope)
- Metricos (Maternal) and Agape (Love)
- Ainos (Praise) and Synesis (Intelligence)
- Ecclesiasticus (Son of Ecclesia) and Macariotes (Blessedness)
- Theletus (Perfect) and Sophia (Wisdom)
- Emanated from Sermo and Vita:
Ptolemy and Colorbasus
According to IrenaeusIrenaeus
Saint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
, the followers of the Gnostics
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
Ptolemy
Ptolemy (gnostic)
Ptolemy the Gnostic, or Ptolemaeus Gnosticus was a disciple of the Gnostic teacher Valentinius, and is known to us for an epistle he wrote to a wealthy woman named Flora, herself not a gnostic....
and Colorbasus had Aeons that differ from those of Valentinus. Logos is created when Anthropos learns to speak. The first four are called the Tetrad and the eight are called the Ogdoad.
- First generation:
- Bythos (the One) and Sige (Silence, Charis, Ennoea, etc.)
- Second generation (conceived by the One):
- Caen (Power) and Akhana (Love)
- Third generation, emanated from Caen and Akhana:
- Ennoae (Thought) and Thelesis (Will)
- Fourth generation, emanated from Ennoae and Thelesis:
- Nous (or Monogenes) and Aletheia
- Fifth generation, emanated from Nouse and Aletheia:
- Anthropos (Homo, Man) and Ecclesia (Church)
- Sixth generation, emanated from Anthropos and Ecclesia:
- Logos and Zoe
- Seventh generation:
- Emanated from Logos and Zoe:
- Bythius and Mixis
- Ageratos and Henosis
- Autophyes and Hedone
- Acinetos and Syncrasis
- Monogenes and Macaria
- Emanated from Anthropos and Ecclesia:
- Paracletus and Pistis
- Patricos and Elpis
- Metricos and Agape
- Ainos and Synesis
- Ecclesiasticus and Macariotes
- Theletos and Sophia
- Emanated from Logos and Zoe:
The order of Anthropos and Ecclesia versus Logos and Zoe is somewhat debated; different sources give different accounts. Logos and Zoe are unique to this system as compared to the previous, and may be an evolved version of the first, totalling 34 Aeons, but it is not clear if the first two were actually regarded Aeons.
Modern interpretations
According to Myther, "The total number of Aeons, being 32, reflects the similarity of the mechanism to the Tree of LifeTree of life (Kabbalah)
The Tree of Life, or Etz haChayim in Hebrew, is a mystical symbol used in the Kabbalah of esoteric Judaism to describe the path to God and the manner in which he created the world ex nihilo...
, which, as suggested in the Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
, incorporates 10 Sephiroth and 22 paths interconnecting these 10 Sephiroth; while 10 Aeons are created during the first five generations from which come the other 22 Aeons later during the sixth generation."
Cultural references
The animated TV series Æon FluxÆon Flux
Æon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
draws its name and some of its iconography from Gnosticism, notably aeons (the two main characters forming a syzygy) and a demiurge.
External links
- Tertullian's account against the Valentinians is the source text for much of what we know about the Æons.
- Corresponding text in original Latin
- Irenaeus: Against heresies
- Gnosis.org- Website of Information on Gnosticism
- Dark Mirrors of Heaven: Gnostic Cosmogony