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TableofContents

TheNaasseni.
Diagram.

CollectivenameforseveralGnosticsectswhichregardedtheserpent(Greek,Hebrew,"naash"
hencecalledalsoNaasseni)astheimageofcreativewisdom.SuchsectsexistedwithinJudaismprobably
evenbeforetheriseofChristianityandastherewereOphiteswhorejectedtheGospelsitwouldbeproper
tomakeadistinctionbetweenJewish,Christian,andantiChristianOphiteswerenotthesources,which
areallpostChristian,tooconfusedtoadmitofevenapproximatelypositivediscriminations.

Irenus,who,towardtheendofthesecondcentury,wroteahistoryofheresy,didnotknowtheGnostics
underthenameof"Ophites"butClement("Stromata,"vii.17,108)mentionsbesidethe"Cainists"(see
Cain)the"Ophians"(),sayingthattheirnameisderivedfromtheobjectoftheirworship.
Philaster,anauthorofthefourthcentury,placestheOphites,theCainites,andtheSethitesattheheadof
allheresies(ch.13),becauseheholdsthattheyowedtheirorigintotheserpent(thedevil).TheOphites,
Cainites,Sethites,Naasseni,etc.,declaredtheserpentofparadisetobewisdomitself(),since
wisdomhadcometotheearththroughtheknowledgeofgoodandevilwhichtheserpenthadbrought.
HencetheyexaltedCainandSeth,whotheyheldwereendowedwiththisknowledge,astheheroesofthe
humanraceotherGnosticsregardedEsau,Korah,theSodomites,andeventhetraitorJudas,astoolsof
SophiawhereasJacobandMoses,forinstance,whoweretheinstrumentsoftheCreator(Demiurgus),
wereregardedasbeinginferior(Irenus,"AgainstHeresies,"i.31,2).AllOphisticcirclesbelievedina
demonichebdomad(i.e.,sevenspiritsunderthedominionoftheserpent)sidebysidewiththeholy
hebdomadunderJaldabaoth.Thelastmentionedisthesonoffallenwisdom("yaldabahut"="sonof
chaos"),andfromhimproceeded,insuccessivegenerations,Jao( ),Sabaot,Adoneus,Elus,Oreus
("or"="light"),andAstaphus,whicharesaidtobemanifestationsoftheGodoftheOldTestament.The
OphitesclaimedthatMoseshimselfhadexaltedOphisbysettinguptheserpent,andthatJesusalsohad
recognizedit(comp.Johniii.14).

TheNaasseni.

TheNaasseniwentevenfurther,andtheretentionoftheHebrewnameshowsthattheirbeliefrepresents
theoldeststageoftheheresy."WhoeversaysthattheAllproceededfromtheOne,errsbutwhoeversays,
fromThree,speakstruthandcanexplaintheAll.Thefirstofthesethreeistheblessednatureofthesainted
higherman,Adamas[strangelyexplainedas"diamond"]thesecondisthedeathbelowthethirdisthe
unruledracethathaditsoriginabove,andtowhichbelongMariam,'thesoughtone'(),Jothar
(Jethro),thegreatsage,Sepphora,theseeingone,andMoses."Thethreewords"Kavlakav,""Savlasav,"
and"ZeerSham"(takenfromIsa.xxviii.10),theydeclare,indicateAdamasabove,deathbelow,andthe
Jordanflowingupward(Hippolytus,"Philosophumena,"v.8),andpresentthethreefolddivisionofthe
realmofblessednessorimmortalitywhichformsapartofallGnosticheresiestheworldofspirits,the
corporealworld,andredemption.The"Naas"istheprimalbeingandthesourceofallbeauty(ib.v.9)
thespiritualprinciple.Sidebysidewithitexistschaos,ormatter.Thehumansoulleadsatroubled
existencebetweenchaosandspirituntilredeemedbyJesus.

Diagram.

ThemysteriousdiagramoftheOphitesisfamous.CelsusandhisopponentOrigen("ContraCelsum,"vi.
2438)bothdescribeit,thoughnotinthesameway.Celsusmaintainsthattherewerecirclesabove
circlesbutOrigenmaintainsthatthereweretwoconcentriccircles,acrossthediameterofwhichwere
inscribedthewords("father")andC("son")asmallercirclehungfromthelargerone,with
thewords("love").Awalldividestherealmoflightfromthemiddlerealm.Twoother
concentriccircles,onelightandonedark,representlightandshadow.Hangingfromthisdoublecirclewas
acirclewiththeinscription("life"),andthisenclosedtwoothercircleswhichintersectedeachother
andformedarhomboid.InthecommonfieldwerethewordsCCC("thenatureofwisdom"),
aboveCC("cognition"),andbelowC("knowledge")intherhomboidwas
C("theprovidenceofwisdom").Therewerealtogethersevencircles,withthenames
ofsevenarchons:Michael,intheformofalionSuriel,ofabullRaphael,ofadragonGabriel,ofan
eagleThauthabaoth("TohuwaBohu"),ofabear'sheadErataoth,ofadog'sheadandOnoelor
Thartharaoth,ofanass'shead.Thearchonsareperhapsidenticalwiththeabovementionedseven
generationsofJaldabaoth.Theysignifythecorporealworld,whichfollowsthemiddlerealm,andwith
whichthedominionofSophiaends.Thehexagram(ShieldofDavid)oftheJews,whosethoughtwasnot
alwaysforeigntoGnosis,maybeinsomewayconnectedwiththisdiagram.Buttheserpentassymbolis
foundlikewiseinconnectionwiththemysteriesofEgypt,Greece,Phenicia,Syria,andevenBabylonia
andIndia.FortheJewishelementsinthisstrangeGnosticloreSeeCabala,NameandOrigin.

Bibliography:

Mosheim,Hist.Ecclsiastica,i.242,Yverdon,1776
Hilgenfeld,DieKetzergesch.desUrchristenthums,pp.250283,Leipsic,1884
Grtz,Gesch.3ded.,iv.87
Friedlnder,DerVorchristlicheJdischeGnosticismus,pp.81etseq.
idem,DerAntichrist,pp.153,164,etpassim,Gttingen,1901
A.Hoenig,DieOphiten,Berlin,1889
Rubin,inHaEshkol,1902,iv.35
Mead,FragmenteeinesVerschollenenGlaubens(transl.fromtheEnglishbyA.vonUlrich),pp.
150156,Berlin,1902.

K.S.Kr.

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