Category: mysteries

Eros, Orpheus and “On the Origin of the World” ~ Alexander Rivera

From the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition No 25, Vol. 3. Autumnal Equinox 2013 http://www.jwmt.org/v3n25/rivera.html

 

Introduction

On the Origin of the World (Codex II) of the Nag Hammadi Library, is dominated by a compendium of influences including Manichean, Valentinian, Sethian, Ophite, Egyptian, Hermetic (Pagan Gnosis), Jewish apocalyptic apocrypha (Enoch and Jubilees), magic and astrology, and last but not least, and as the primary focus of this paper, the Orphic and Hellenistic mysteries. Yet, despite the variety of different influences, it still retains a particular Gnostic flavor—written persuasively as an academic essay, to not only attract potential adherents to the Gnostic religion but also to defend the Gnostic world-view in a distanced and factual manner. These references and allusions to other, non-Gnostic works, are employed to lend weight to the author’s message. Because of the juxtaposition of eclectic influences and even the citation of other texts, which are now lost to us, they seem to point to a school in Alexandria, Egypt as a place of origination……. cont’d at the link above.

“On the Passage of the Soul” ~ Bruce Codex: Fragment of a Gnostic Text

Bruce Codex: Fragment of a Gnostic Text
“On the Passage of the Soul”
http://gnosis.org/library/frgsp.htm

On the Passage of the Soul
Through the Archons of the Midst

[Beginning missing] . . . the souls by theft:

when they take my soul to that place
it will give to them the mystery of their fear, which is XAPIHP

And when they take it to the places of all the ranks of the Paraplex,
the great and powerful Archon, who is spread out upon the way of the Midst,
who carries off the souls by theft:

when they take my soul to that place
it will give to them the mystery of their fear, which is AXPW

And again when they take my soul to the place of Typhon,
the great and powerful Archon with the face of an ass`s
who is spread out upon the way of the Midst,
who carries off the souls by theft:

when they take my soul to that place
it will give to them the mystery of their fear, which is PPAWP

And again when they take my soul to the place of all the ranks of Jachthanabas,
the great and powerful Archon,
who is full of anger, the successor of the Archon of the outer darkness, the place in which all forms change,
who is powerful,
who is spread out upon the way of the Midst,
who carries off the souls by theft:

when they take my soul to that place
it will give to them the mystery of their fear which is AWHPNEUPSAZPA

More from the Gnostic Society Library on the Bruce Codex 

Revealing Daniel

http://www.2think.org/hundredsheep/bible/comment/daniel.shtml

Introduction

The little book of Daniel has long been a popular text among futurists, who see in it a revelation of the end of time. Outside of the New Testament book of Revelation, no document has been subjected to more study, interpretation and speculation by those anxious to divine the course of the future. Its rich and sometimes obscure imagery and symbolism has proved a fruitful source for other apocalypts, and echoes of Daniel can be found in the so-called “little apocalypse” of Mark 13, and, of course, in the book of Revelation. Outside of the Bible, numerous references to Daniel can be found, in works as diverse as those of Josephus, the histories of the Maccabees and countless non-canonical Christian apocalypses.

But where did the book of Daniel actually come from? What can we say about its author and his purpose? Does Daniel really reveal the future, or, like all the other books in the apocalyptic genre, does he record the past?

Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden – Alex Rivera

In five parts:

 

Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden (Part 1)
Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden (Part 2)
Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden (Part 3)
Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden (Part 4)
Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden (Part 5)

Valentinus: A Gnostic for All Seasons ~ Stephan A Hoeller

VALENTINUS

A Gnostic for All Seasons

by Stephan A. Hoeller

Excerpt from the article:

The proposition that the human mind lives in a largely self-created world of illusion from whence only the enlightenment of a kind of Gnosis can rescue it finds powerful analogues in the two great religions of the East, i.e., Hinduism and Buddhism. The following statement from the Upanishads could easily have been written by Valentinus or another Gnostic: “This (world) is God’s Maya, through which he deceives himself.” According to the teachings of Buddha, the world of apparent reality consists of ignorance, impermanence, and the lack of authentic selfhood. Valentinus is in very good company indeed when he establishes the proposition of the wrong system of false reality that can be set aright by the human spirit.

Read full article here:

http://www.gnosis.org/valentinus.htm

Amazing Myths and Legends Blogspot – Archons

 

Archon (Gr. ἄρχων, pl. ἄρχοντες) 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 chief magistrate in various Greek city states was called Archon. The term was also used throughout Greek history in a more general sense, ranging from “club leader” to “master of the tables” at syssitia.
In Athens a system of nine concurrent Archons evolved, led by three respective remits over the civic, military, and religious affairs of the state: the three office holders being known as the Eponymos archon (Ἐπώνυμος ἄρχων; the “name” ruler, who gave his name to the year in which he held office), the Polemarch (“war ruler”), and the Archon Basileus (“king ruler”). The six others were the Thesmothétai, Judicial Officers. Originally these offices were filled from the wealthier classes by elections every ten years. During this period the eponymous Archon was the chief magistrate, the Polemarch was the head of the armed forces, and the Archon Basileus was responsible for some civic religious arrangements, and for the supervision of some major trials in the law courts. After 683 BC the offices were held for only a single year, and the year was named after the Archōn Epōnymos. (Many ancient calendar systems did not number their years consecutively.)
After 487 BC the archonships were assigned by lot to any citizen and the Polemarch’s military duties were taken over by new class of generals known as stratēgoí. The ten stratēgoí (one per tribe) were elected, and the office of Polemarch was rotated among them on a daily basis. The Polemarch thereafter had only minor religious duties, and the titular headship over the strategoi. The Archon Eponymos remained the titular head of state under democracy, though of much reduced political importance. The Archons were assisted by “junior” archons, called Thesmothétai (Θεσμοθέται “Institutors”). After 457 BC ex-archons were automatically enrolled as life members of the Areopagus, though that assembly was no longer extremely important politically at that time. (See Archons of Athens.)………cont’d at the link

Lots more fascinating stuff at that blog.