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The Light of Lucifer and Seed of Seth - ROBERT SEPEHR

Robert Sepehr・2 minutes read

Carl Jung referred to a god named Abraxas, less defined than God or Devil, found in Gnostic texts, while Aleister Crowley linked it to Kabbalistic formulas in his work. Gnostic texts challenge traditional Christian views and incorporate figures like Seth, with the Sethians believing in ascending to a semi-divine state through liturgical practices.

Insights

  • Carl Jung identified Abraxas as a deity embodying both creative and destructive forces, depicted in Gnostic texts and ancient gemstones, challenging traditional notions of God and Devil.
  • Gnostic literature, including texts like the Gospel of Basilides and the Nag Hammadi Library, presents alternative perspectives on Christian beliefs, questioning the crucifixion narrative and exploring complex theological themes.
  • The Sethian Gnostic sect, tracing its lineage to Seth and emphasizing gnosis through baptismal practices, developed a unique cosmology with figures like Barbello and Yaldabaoth, challenging traditional Christian trinities and interpretations of biblical stories.

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Recent questions

  • Who is Abraxas?

    Abraxas is a god less defined than God or Devil, found in Gnostic texts and engraved on antique gemstones. Carl Jung referred to Abraxas, associated with a lion or rooster-headed man with serpentine legs, similar to the incantation "abracadabra."

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Summary

00:00

"Abraxas: Enigmatic God in Gnostic Texts"

  • Carl Jung referred to a god named Abraxas, less defined than God or Devil, found in Gnostic texts and engraved on antique gemstones.
  • Abraxas is similar to "abracadabra," an incantation meaning "I create as I speak" in Hebrew and Phoenician, associated with a lion or rooster-headed man with serpentine legs.
  • Aleister Crowley invoked Abraxas in his 1913 work, "The Gnostic Mass," linking it to Kabbalistic formulas and the number 365.
  • Basilides, an early Christian Gnostic leader, taught salvation through knowledge, not faith, with a heretical view of Christ's passion.
  • Gnostic texts like the Gospel of Basilides challenge the traditional Christian view of Jesus' crucifixion, suggesting it was Simon of Cyrene who died.
  • The Nag Hammadi Library contains texts like the "Apocalypse of Peter" and the "Treaty of the Great Seth," challenging traditional Christian beliefs.
  • Seth, a figure in ancient Egyptian religion, was associated with the planet Mercury and incorporated into early Christian mythology as the devil.
  • The Sethians, a Gnostic sect, identified Seth with Christ, emphasizing his role as a revealer and savior.
  • The Sethian Gnostic literature, discovered in Nag Hammadi, reflects a complex theological and sociological history, involving various texts and traditions.
  • Scholars like Dr. Dylan Burns discuss the intricate connections between Sethian Gnostic literature, Greek philosophy, and early Christian beliefs, shedding light on the socio-cultural background of Gnostics.

18:47

Gnostic Sethian Literature: Baptism, Revelation, Transformation

  • Late antique apocalyptic literature includes texts like First Enoch or Second Enoch, utilizing pseudopigraphy to assert authority by signing the name of authoritative figures like Enoch or Abraham.
  • Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature features apocalypses, revelations communicated from heaven to seers or prophets through intermediaries like angels, with emotional storms driving these individuals to obtain revelations.
  • Gnostic apocalypses, possibly originating from groups between Christianity and Judaism, show a strong interest in baptism, with some texts arguing that true baptism is of light or spirit, not water.
  • The Sethian literature, possibly from a baptismal milieu in Syria or Mesopotamia in the third century, shares characteristics with Manichaeism, including beliefs in reincarnation and anti-baptismal polemics.
  • Hippolytus mentions a Sethian group in Rome, possibly linked to a missionary from Mesopotamian Baptist groups, Al-Khasids, named Alcobaides, who brought books to Rome, transmitting Sethian traditions.
  • Gnostics in Porphyry's circle were likely educated people, with Gnostic literature relying on revelation rather than philosophical arguments, contrasting with Greek philosophical tradition.
  • The Sethians, tracing their lineage to Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, believed in receiving gnosis, possibly originating from a baptismal set associated with disciples of John the Baptist or the Essenes.
  • Sethians were also known as Barbelloites or Barbellognostics, referencing Barbello, a significant figure in Gnostic cosmology as the first emanation from the ineffable god, embodying an androgynous nature and triple power.
  • The symbolic act of baptism in Gnostic texts alludes to alchemical transformation, with water representing sex energy, and the vowels in writing systems symbolizing the unspeakable name of God, creating vibrations in the body to raise energy through chanting.
  • The Sethians believed in ascending to a semi-divine state through liturgical practices, possibly experiencing angelic similarities and upliftment, although scholarly debates persist on whether these experiences were real or literary cliches.

36:14

"Sethian Gnostic Mythology and Cosmology Explained"

  • The Sethians and Valentinians developed their ideas simultaneously in the same place, with the Sethians having a pre-existing mythology centered around Seth as a savior figure before incorporating Jesus into their scriptures later on.
  • The Sethians had a different trinity from traditional Christianity, consisting of the Father (Invisible Spirit), Mother (Barbello), and Son, with a mythology that included the demiurge Yaldabaoth, seen as evil.
  • The Sethians viewed the God of the Hebrew Bible as the demiurge, leading to an inversion of stories from the Old Testament, such as seeing the snake in the Garden of Eden as a hero.
  • Various texts from the Sethians, including the Apocryphon of John, Apocalypse of Adam, and Trimorphic Protennoia, are available in sources like the Nag Hammadi Library, Bruce Codex, and newly translated Chacos Codex.
  • The Apocryphon of John is a popular text with multiple versions, containing a Gnostic myth Christianized with editorial insertions and a frame story, possibly influenced by the canonical Gospel of John.
  • The cosmology in the Apocryphon of John describes the Invisible Father in apophatic terms, with Barbello as the Mother initiating the emanation of additional Aeons and angelic forces.
  • Aeons in Gnostic belief are entities representing divine aspects, with Autogenes emanating powers and luminaries that rule over Aeons personifying concepts like grace, truth, and wisdom.
  • Sophia, the last Aeon emanated, creates Yaldabaoth, the first Archon, who creates imperfect rulers and authorities in a cosmos mirroring the Pleroma, leading to the creation of mankind with divine sparks hidden within.
  • The seven powers emanated by the demiurge are infused with higher elements by Sophia, enabling mankind to come to life, with 365 angels multiplying to create parts of Adam's body.
  • The demiurge, seeking worship, instructs his Archons to create a flawed copy of the primordial Adam, lacking the spirit until Sophia intervenes as Zoe, completing the creation of mankind.

54:38

"The Divine Spark: Eve's Power Unleashed"

  • Adam is created by the demiurge but only stands up when the breath of Sofia is breathed into him.
  • Zoe, the fallen version of Sofia, hides within Adam, leading the archons to try to transfer her power to Eve.
  • The power, known as the Epinoia of Light or Zoe, is transferred to Eve, making her the one with the divine spark.
  • The rulers see the Garden of Eden as a trap for Adam and Eve, allowing them to eat from the tree of death but forbidding the tree of knowledge.
  • Sophia appears as an eagle on the tree of life, teaching Adam and Eve about their situation.
  • The demiurge attempts to trap Zoe's power by raping Eve, leading to the birth of Cain and Abel, who are also known as Elohim and Yahweh.
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